🥳 New Year, New You! Part 1 of 4: What do you want in 2025? How do you plan to get it?
A 4 Part Mini-series: Make 2025 Your Bitch
Hey, everyone. Happy almost new year! Wahoo! We’re not quite there, but I want you ready for 2025 when it hits. But before we get into it, here’s a picture of my baby joey in her pouch. Isn’t she so cute?! My little Sookie is a 13.5yo, four pound shih-tzu. Spoiled rotten, as you can see.
As promised last newsletter, I’m releasing a 4 part mini-series over the next few weeks to set you up for writing success in 2025. Part 1 of 4: New year, new you. What do you want in 2025? How are you going to get it? In this mini-series I'm going to get a little woo woo, so if you're allergic, just hold your nose. And I’ll also deliver a little tough love, so grab your big girl panties, you’re gonna need them. But for today, let’s start with that “New Year High” we all feel come January 1 and how to use it to our advantage.
PART 1 OF 4: NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
New Year, New You. That sounds lovely, right? Fresh, full of hope and change. Well, it is. That’s how I want you to go into 2025. Everything is possible. There’s an openness, a welcoming to change, that comes with a fresh new year. That’s what you need to tap into right now, that willingness to do the work and grow your career to what you want it to be. Be ready, with eyes wide open. Making opportunities instead of waiting for them. And while we’re here, enjoying that fresh new car smell, believe anything is possible, because guess what? It is.
Before I get to the meat of this post, here’s a little woo-woo I promised. As you step into the new year know this: You have everything you need already inside of you. It’s all there. Everything you need you’ve already got, you just need to turn on the flashlight and poke around in the dark until you find it. (Don’t worry, I’ll show you how in the rest of this mini-series.) I don’t know where I heard the mantra before, or heck, maybe I made it up when I was trying to redefine myself and create my own mantras and affirmations. Isn’t it powerful to realize that? Like there’s no excuses now that you know you have everything you already need to succeed. So ask yourself, what do you want for your career? It’s okay to want the big thing out loud. I WANT TO BE ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS LIST! There, I said it. And you know what, I will be. You know how I know? Because I’m going to make it happen. How?
DREAM BIG and MANIFEST THE HELL OUT OF THAT SHIT
When I started this new writing journey a few years back, I hired a writer’s coach. (Read about that experience here.) As we started our time together, she asked me to define a successful writing career for myself. And I was like, “For starters, I want to sell my book at auction for six figures to a big publisher.” And she was like, *pat pat*, “That’s super sweet but there are other ways to define success,” and then she proceeded to list off some attainable goals.
She wasn’t wrong, you need smaller, attainable goals, too. But damn if I didn’t want that “dream big” career for myself. I wanted it so bad, I could taste it. It would eat away at my soul. Sometimes that want would get in my way of progress, because I was so focused on that, I didn’t always have the patience to do the small steps to get me there. But damn, I really wanted it. And you know what, I got it. I manifested the hell out of that shit. Because everything I did, everything I wrote, I asked myself, would this get me what I want? And if there was any hesitation at all, I scrapped it and tried again. Dug deeper and found the words that I thought were worthy of my goal.
So NYT Best Seller’s list, I’m coming for you next.
I know I shouldn’t speak these things out loud. I should be a selfless author who writes for the love of words, and if I only sell a few books to a handful of adoring readers, then so be it. Fuck that! That’ll get you nowhere fast. ←I should pause here and say, if that’s what you want, wonderful. You’re already where you need to be and no need to read my newsletter. But for me, that’s not who I am. That’s not what I want. I want more. I want it all. And I will continue to bust my ass until I get it all. That’s EXACTLY how you need to go into 2025, with a I-want-it-all attitude. Take no prisoners. No holds barred. Want all the things we’re not supposed to want OUT LOUD. I’ll go first.
What does Dana want out of the next ten years for her career? I want the NYT Best Sellers list, a book club sticker, a movie deal, and a I want a bunch of other stuff I can’t think of right now, but I want it all.
That’s how you fucking walk into 2025. Stop pussy-footing around about what you want and go fucking get it. Stop dicking around, it’s time to get shit done. (Jesus, that’s a lot of swearing in a small space. Apparently I get sailor mouth when I get passionate.😬) But by God, if you’re not out there, fighting for your dreams, then who else will? No one, that’s who. Are you ready to make it happen? I know I am. I have a lot more to do, and I’m only getting started. That’s your Part 1 of 4 lesson for today. It’s that simple. New year means you find your go-fucking-get-’em attitude new you. It was that grit and fight that started my journey and lead me to where I am today in my career. And if you’re finding my newsletters speaking to your inner writer, then I’m going to assume you’re in it for the big game, too.
Stay Tuned for Part 2 of 4: Strategically Define Your Writing Goals. simply making New Year’s resolutions isn’t enough. And you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect new results. If you want something different, you have to do something different. If you want something big, you have to make big changes. It all starts with strategically defining what you want.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
I need YOU, lucky reader, to help me out. Monday, Jan 6th I’ll be doing a cover reveal on Instagram for my new book Grave Birds. If you appreciate the writing advice I give, I’d love if you could repost my cover reveal to your stories. It’s a free way to help spread the love for my new book. AND if you haven’t already, please add my new novel to your Goodreads “I want to read” list. It lets the publisher know readers are excited for an author’s work. And it’s another FREE way to help support your favorite authors. Thank you all for your support. 💖 Here’s a little about my next novel Grave Birds:
Until next time, you lovely readers you, keep kicking ass and taking names.
xo,
Dana