Latest / The Daily Writer / Commit to the Middle 50%

Transcript

Commit to the Middle 50% · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Writer Starter Kit, visit DailyWriterLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered why so many writing projects get started but they don't get finished?
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Well, lots of people want to write a book, they want to start a podcast, create a blog, or build a writing business, but why do so many people stop short of following through?
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the answer is simple.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: It gets hard and people give up.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: You've probably fallen victim to giving up as well.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: You've started something and got hard, and then you quit because it wasn't fun anymore.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me, I've been there myself many times.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to share with you a simple yet effective way to ensure that you will follow through.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: And here it is.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Before you get started, commit to the middle 50%.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: The first 25% of a project feels fun.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: You have a lot of enthusiasm and energy.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: People are cheering you on because you've announced it and the whole thing feels new and fresh.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the middle 50% gets hard.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: The enthusiasm wears off and you have to just kind of stick with it.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: You're far enough away from the starting block that you've lost that initial excitement, but you're too far from the finish line to be able to see it.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to manufacture your own enthusiasm.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you've got to keep pressing on, knowing that the end is coming eventually.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: And when you get to that final 25% of a project, the excitement of finishing is going to pull you forward and give you a second wind.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: But that middle 50% kills an awful lot of projects because it forces you to focus and be disciplined.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: So before you get started, make sure to commit to the middle 50%, knowing that it's going to get hard.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: But you can make it if you keep on pushing through.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I remember when I was a college professor, uh, one of our academic deans in his office had a poster that said something like this just a reminder, the middle of any project feels like a complete disaster.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I always love seeing that poster when I went to see him in his office because I thought, man, that is so true.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter how well it's going, the middle part always feels like a huge mess.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this helps you today to just commit to sticking with it and thinking about your most difficult project and how you can make the commitment to keep going in that middle 50%.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: So that's my question for you today.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: How can you keep going through?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And have you committed to doing that middle 50%?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.