Become who you are meant to be

This #FridayClientStory is about how a side hustle turned into a life purpose.

My client, David Hicks, needed a plan to make writing a priority in his life -- a job that he committed to regularly even while holding down his "real" one as a college professor.

But this story is about so much more than that.

[box] This is about becoming who you are meant to be all along. [/box]

It took David 20 years to come back to the dream he had as a 20 year-old who wanted to be an author. Twenty years until he finally gave himself permission to go for it. Because he loved it.

I've never seen someone so genuinely happy. When he's writing, the love shines right out of him.

What if you let yourself shine?

What if you could get past PROVING to everyone else that you could earn a good income, make the "right choices," and do what you're "supposed to do"? On the other side is a place where the happiness and fulfillment shines right out of you. 

Let his story be proof that it's possible.

How did he make this transformation?

I'll let him tell you that...

I needed to adjust my teaching routine so it wasn’t so frenetic and reimagine what my writing routine could look like—not just during school breaks and summer vacation, but every day, even in the very midst of my busiest semester.

• I put up sticky notes around my office, reminding myself to write.
• I enlisted the support of my wife, my colleagues, and my friends.
• I connected with other writers.
• I bartered with a web-designer friend: free writing instruction and editing in exchange for building my website.
• I rented out office space a block from my home to use as a writing studio.
• I asked other writers to meet me regularly during the week to write.
• I applied to (and was accepted at) a writing residency.

From the very first week, I saw results. Having to meet other writers at coffee shops meant being accountable: I couldn’t just ignore my designated writing time and catch up on schoolwork.

This wasn’t so much about time allocation (although that was important) as it was about mental focus.

After waking up for years thinking of what I was going to teach or what I had to do for an upcoming meeting, I now woke up thinking, 'When am I writing today? With whom? And what story will I work on?' Then I would head off to teach my classes, excited about my writing time that afternoon.

I had changed from a professor who occasionally wrote to a writer who occasionally professed.

David's full story is here.

I'd love to help you become who you are meant to be. Click here to schedule a free 30-minute phone session to get started.