Now that I have examined my 2012 results, symptoms and root causes I can work on my looking forward question:

What results would I like to see and what do I need to understand so I am successful?

I think of results as being two parts.  First there are the intrinsic results. The self-motivation and internal rewards that will keep me moving forward for years if not decades. Even when there are no other motivating factors.

Secondly there are external benefits.   Rewards that may or may not come to me.  These benefits will be nice, they may enable me to expand upon what I am doing or change how I work.  However I will not count them as key to my continued goal of writing.

In regards to the second part of the question, the “what do I need to understand”, I can separate the answer into three sections:

1. First there is the “Why?”.  Why write?  By dividing the “Why?” into intrinsic and benefits I will better understand what will keep me going  for the long haul.  Very important for success.
2. Secondly there is the “What”.   The “What” is a breakdown of what I need to learn and master.   By breaking the “What” down into smaller pieces, I can tackle each item separately.  Critical for achieving success in any venture.
3. Finally “How”.   The “How” is my choice of method when executing.  The “How” defines how I am going to achieve the “What”.

Here is an example to help clarify what I mean;   I am going to visit a friend.   Why?  My friend needs my help and I am glad to give it (intrinsic).  Helping will make me feel good (benefit).   To visit my friend I must master travel (what).   I am going to drive myself (how).

Faulty Thinking.

If you get a chance to read The E-Myth Revisited you will learn that we each have within us the roles of Visionary, Manager and Technician. These different roles all tug in different directions at the same time. For me there is also one extra role.  I am also an explorative learner.  When I have some free time I enjoy learning new things, and enjoy  exploring the new avenues of learning as they open up.

When I had the time I wanted to do too much too fast.   I set myself to fail, and each time I failed, I reinforced the fact that writing is too hard, unachievable or not very realistic.

The past couple of years have been very busy.  I have been in a mode of execute, execute, execute.   I didn’t step back and think about what was happening or work out my two key questions.

To overcome my “Writer Block” this year I really needed to understand last year’s blockers.  To find out what was causing my pains / symptoms.  If I could map these out then I could work on a “cure” rather than focusing on pain management.  Here is my list of rook causes:

• Working without Perspective
• Unrealistic Expectations
• Internal Role Conflict

The symptoms I have listed are not the same as problems.  They are like pains.  You can manage them, but they are never going away until you find what is causing the hurt.   If you focus on pain management,  your energy is lost fighting the same battle every day.   Now that I understood my symptoms, I wanted to look into the root causes.