I remember sitting down to write my first book. I was so excited…until I read what I wrote. It was awful. I mean truly terrible. I tore up the pages, feeling defeated.

This went on for months. I’d write. Read what I wrote. Rip it up in disgust and walk away in frustration.

Now, 20 years and 7 books later, let me share 5 tips that changed me from a person who wanted to write a book to an official author.

1. Don’t wait until you’re inspired. William Faulkner once said, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.”
2. Kick perfectionism out the door. Write shit. Then clean it up. The idea is to get your ideas down on paper. The quicker you do, the sooner you’ll create a polished draft.
3. Hold tight to a grander vision. I approach every book as if I’m supposed to write it and there’s one person who really needs to hear what only I have to say.
4. Make it a priority. Writing had to take precedence over the myriad of other items on my to-do list. When the book became as important as time with my kids, the momentum shifted and the writing took precedence.
5. Put your ass in the chair, in front of the computer, every day and write! Even if it’s only 10 minutes. Even, no especially, if what you write is awful! Get up extra early if you have to. You’ll be amazed what a difference a few months will make.

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“If better is to come, good must stand aside.” ~~Carl Jung.

I’ll never forget when I first saw the above quote by Carl Jung. I was living in Kansas City, raising two little kids, running a thriving career counseling firm. Business was hopping, but I wasn’t happy.

A ridiculous idea kept tugging at me, and wouldn’t go away. I was longing to live near water and write…which made no sense at all.

I had never written anything. And there was no water in KC (at least none that I’d want to live near!). Why would I give up a flourishing business, uproot my kids, leave behind a network of friends and reliable babysitters?

Then I saw Jung’s quote. I grabbed onto those words and refused to let go.

The moment I decided to give up my business, someone offered to buy it.

Within 6 months I was living on the side of a hill outside San Francisco, overlooking water, and out of the blue, a national magazine hired me to write a monthly career column!!!

I was officially a writer.

Now, 7 books later, I have enormous respect for the power of Letting Go. I also realize: the scarier something is to release, the more magical the results.

If you enjoyed these “Words of Wealth”, head over to my website and sign-up for my FREE weekly newsletter at: www.barbarastanny.com

I always hated those times I felt stuck. No matter how long they lasted, or how quickly they passed, these were always very dark, dreaded periods.

But that was before I realized: every Stuck Point has a purpose.

I was in the gym, working out with a new trainer, about to do a chest press with no added weight. I lay flat on my back, grabbed the bar, pushed it high above my body, lowered it to just above my chest, then lifted it back up, repeating the exercise 12 times.

No problem. It was easy.

Then my trainer added 5 pound weights to each end of the bar. I felt the difference immediately.

By the second repetition, my arms were quivering. The third time I lowered the bar to my chest, it wouldn’t budge.

I strained. I struggled. I was clearly stuck. My ego felt deflated. My trainer saw it differently.

“That’s how you build muscles,” he explained, “by getting past the stuck point.”

In the next couple of weeks, I could do 12 reps without flinching. But rather than let me bask in my glory, my trainer added more weight.

And sure enough, I was instantly at a new stuck point.

At that moment, the weights became an obvious metaphor for life.

Getting past my stuck points helped me grow stronger, build confidence and experience higher levels of achievement.

When I got past my stuck points I discovered new possibilities I could never have predicted.

If you enjoyed these “Words of Wealth”, head over to my website and sign-up for my FREE weekly newsletter at: www.barbarastanny.com