I Became A Five Times Bestselling Author By Writing JUST 20 Words A Day...

Ever tried writing a book?

I know I did.

When I first embarked on my authentic author adventure I set lofty, unrealistic goals, much like a mad scientist in a lab with an Einstein-inspired look.

Hey, ever tried writing 3,000-5,000 words a day when you have a basket full of laundry to sort through?

Or exactly 662 sitting in your inbox and staring back at you?

Or better yet...

Hungry kids and disgruntled husbands with plural S (do you ever feel like they multiply? I know mine do!) screaming for your undivided attention, ALL at once?

Now, what do you think happened to my LOFTY writing goals?

You guessed it!

They went out the window along with this week's laundry basket (Something just had to give, right?)

Now, without getting into too much nerdy detail, I soon realised I shortchanged myself and cut my own wings before I could even learn to fly.

Sounds familiar?

I aimed so high I missed, and ending up banging my head against the rocks (Ouchie!)

I felt amateurish, ashamed and crippled by my own inability to put pen to paper.

Those pesky feelings endowed with something less than holiness? (You know, the ones that make you want to stick your brain farts between your canine tooth? Those ones!)

I felt like throwing my manuscript against the wall to see if it sticks!

The feelings of "not enoughness" and deeply harboured shame quickly escalated and let to a writer’s block.

Reaching my daily word count became this inner battle that no matter how hard I tried, could just never win.

The resentment and regret became all-encompassing.

I invariably set myself up for failure.

I quickly realised that setting tiny, incremental goals that are measurable, attainable, specific, and action-oriented is what ultimately leads to lasting behavioral change.

Small, incremental changes over a longer period of time accumulate and lead to a compound effect - habits.

Those tiny little habits eventually lead to more desirable outcomes.

Positive outcomes inevitably lead to success.

Did you know that a task swells up in direction proportion to the time allocated for its completion?

Now, before I get crucified, suspend your judgment for a split second..

Just imagine you have a 3,000-word long chapter to write...

All of a sudden, as if by a stroke of magic and through no fault of your own...

Spring-cleaning kitchen cupboards, organising your inbox consisting of 11,527 emails or meticulously folding (and ironing!) your partner's underwear becomes almost irresistible, right?

You just can't help it!

(It's not your fault, boo! We've been wired that way)

You see..

When I was at my wit's end ready to just pack up and leave, and give up on my writing career altogether, I had a rather interesting conversation with a complete stranger.

The piece of advise she shared with me completely changed the trajectory of my business and life forever.

“Just write 20 words a day”, sounded the verdict.

I just stared at her as if she had 12 noses. Her prescription for writer's success sounded completely absurd.

Sceptical at first, I put it to the test that same day.

To my surprise, rather than dread my daily writing routine I started looking forward to it knowing that ALL I really had to do was just to write 20 words a day.

T-w-e-n-t-y!

Not twenty thousand, not even two thousand but just twenty.

What actually ended up happening was that I not only hit, but routinely exceeded my daily word count time and time again.

There was no trepidation. No apprehension. No resentment.

In my mind, I just knew that even if I felt particularly “creatively constipated” I could still churn out my magic 20.

Without fail, I surpassed all my expectations.

This in turn made me feel like a masterful virtuoso, boosted my confidence and inspired to keep scribbling.

Before I knew it, I became a five times bestselling author by the age of 34 with just one goal in mind - writing just 20 words a day.

In case you wondered, I still write ONLY twenty words a day.

Not convinced?

Give a try. You might just as well surprise yourself.

I know I did!