I’m feeling quite accomplished right now. Just moments ago, I finished writing my next book, The Stress She Carries: A Trauma-Informed, Bible-Based Guide to Regulation, Boundaries, and Peace, which will be released next fall by Leafwood Publishers, an imprint of Abilene Christian University Press.
My deadline wasn’t until November 7, but this baby is ready to email to the publisher—weeks ahead of schedule! And yes, completing a book really does feel like giving birth. After carrying these words around for so long, I’m ready for somebody else to hold them for a while!
I’ve spent the past year writing this book, and the publishing process will take about another year. Yes, traditional publishing takes time! There is more ahead, but today I’m celebrating this milestone: the manuscript is finished. This will be my eighth book!
Reaching this point has me thinking about the distance between wanting to do something and actually doing it.
Maybe you have a dream you’ve talked about, prayed about, or quietly carried for years. You want to finish a degree, start a business, launch a ministry, write a book, or develop a skill. You can imagine how wonderful it would feel to finally say, “I did it!”
But how do you get there when your calendar is already full and your energy doesn’t always match your enthusiasm?
Every dream has its own challenges. Here are five practical ways to move yours forward.
Get specific about what you want to do
“I want to write someday” expresses a desire. “I want to complete the first draft of a book” gives you something concrete to work toward.
The same is true of “I want to go back to school” or “I want to start a business.” What degree? What kind of business? What would the first stage look like?
You don’t have to know every detail before you begin. But you need enough clarity to recognize your next step.
Try finishing this sentence: “The thing I want to accomplish is __________.”
Then ask yourself why it matters to you. When the work becomes difficult or tedious, remembering your reason can help you stay with it.
Give the dream a space
It is easy to say something matters to us while giving it whatever time happens to be left over. The problem? There may never be any time left over.
There will usually be another email, another load of laundry, another request, or another reason to put it off. Some responsibilities truly cannot wait. Others can wait longer than we think.
Look at your life as it actually is and decide where you can make room. Perhaps you have thirty minutes three mornings a week, one evening, or a few hours on Saturday. Choose a commitment you can realistically sustain.
I recently listened to an episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast featuring bestselling author John Grisham. He described getting up at 5 a.m. to write while he was still practicing law. His advice to aspiring writers was simple: write at least one page a day, preferably at a consistent time and place.
One page may not sound like much. But those pages add up. So do the small steps you take toward your own dream.
Choose the time and place you will devote to it. Then decide what you will accomplish during that time. “Work on my dream” is vague. “Research three degree programs” or “write the opening section” gives you a clear assignment.
Make an appointment with your dream—and treat it like something that matters to you.
Prepare to give something up
Accept that making room probably requires giving something else up. We often want to add a meaningful goal without subtracting anything from an already crowded life. Sometimes the question is: What am I willing to do less of so I can give this more attention?
You may need to spend less time scrolling. You may need to decline an optional commitment or postpone another good idea. You may need to ask for help with something you have always handled yourself. This requires honesty. Sometimes we truly lack the resources or support we need. Sometimes we have filled our available space with things we could change.
Consider what you can adjust in this season without sacrificing your health or essential responsibilities. Your dream deserves a plan that allows you to keep living while you pursue it.
Keep going on ordinary days
The beginning can be exciting. You have a fresh idea, new possibilities, and energy. Then comes the middle. You’re doing the work, but the finish line still feels a million miles away. You get tired of answering, “How is it coming along?” because, frankly, you wish it were coming along faster.
This is where consistency matters.
When I landed each of my first two book contracts, I was absolutely elated. Both times, Larry and I went out to dinner that very night to celebrate. I had achieved a lifelong dream! It happened later in life than I had hoped, but it happened, and I’m still going strong.
But after the celebration, you actually have to write the book.
I needed to put my butt in the chair and get it done. On time. With my self-published books, I answered to myself and set my own deadlines. Now I had a publisher’s deadline, and they weren’t asking whether I felt inspired.
On plenty of ordinary days, I wanted to sleep in on my day off or lie around watching movies with my dogs. I love writing, but some days I just want to stare into space.
Writing eight books has meant considerably less time to stare into space.
Some days you will feel inspired. Other days you will sit down and do what you said you were going to do, with considerably less enthusiasm. Both kinds of days count. The work still gets done.
And when you miss a day—or a week—get back to it. You missed some time. You haven’t forfeited your dream.
Open the document. Make the call. Take the next step.
You can spend a whole lot of time beating yourself up that would be better spent finishing the thing.
Recognize when it’s time to finish
There is almost always something else you could revise, research, or improve. Excellence matters. So does recognizing when all that preparation has become a way to avoid the vulnerability of putting your work out there.
I’m an incessant tweaker. To a ridiculous degree! I could tweak a manuscript to death and never turn it in. It’s the same with blog posts. I read it, read it again, and change something every time I look at it. If I waited until I was absolutely convinced it could not possibly be better, you would never hear from me again.
At some point, you have to click “send”!
Submit the application. Share the proposal. Offer the service. Hand over the manuscript.
Get appropriate feedback. Make the necessary changes. Then move forward without a guarantee that everyone will approve or everything will go perfectly.
You can’t revise your way into a guarantee.
And you can’t learn everything you need to know while keeping your dream safely tucked away where nobody can see it.
What could you begin this week?
I know that effort does not give us control over every outcome. Life brings financial limitations, health concerns, caregiving responsibilities, and circumstances we never chose. Some dreams need a different timeline. Some change as we grow.
But there may still be a step available to you right now.
Today, I get to say that this manuscript is finished. I’m grateful to God, and I’m glad I kept working toward this day.
I hope you will experience the joy of completing something that matters deeply to you, too.
Choose one dream. Identify one manageable step. Give it a place on your calendar this week.
What is one step you could take toward a dream this week? Comment and tell me. I would love to hear what you’re working toward.
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