Really, the best strategy for anything…
On some days, my writing strategy is to just get something—anything—down on "paper." It's a strategy designed to build momentum and a volume of work based on the theory that, yes, practice does make something-akin-to-perfect, but also based on the law of averages: If I write a lot, at least some of it has to be good.
Hopefully.
On this, day two of my 30-days-of-content-creation (except weekends… okay? Leave me alone about that already) challenge, this strategy had me thinking about success, what that means, and how optimistic I should be.
Optimism as a writer is one thing, but optimism as a human being in these tumultuous times is another. With the continued spread of COVID-19 and ensuing panicked responses, it's hard to focus on optimism. I won't focus on that in this article, but I feel it is important for context: One's optimism isn't always built on a sense of what we can and can't do. It's often the product of what's happening around us. That, and our reaction(s) to it, are often hard to control.
What is Standing in the Way?
"The biggest obstacle to success is a lack of optimism." - Gary Vaynerchuk
Hmmm. Reaching success (not success itself) = optimism. So, the more optimism you have, the more likely you are to succeed. Right?
Current affairs aside, sure. Maybe.
But still, the most compelling component of the statement isn't, in my opinion, prioritizing optimism, rather it's our definition of success.
But First…
Before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you this one… (bonus points if you catch that reference).
The official definition of optimism:
op·ti·mism | \ ˈäp-tə-ˌmi-zəm 1: a doctrine that this world is the best possible world 2: an inclination to put the most favourable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Sir Winston Churchill
op·ti·mism | \ ˈäp-tə-ˌmi-zəm 1: a doctrine that this world is the best possible world 2: an inclination to put the most favourable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome
As a writer, my general demeanour and ability to anticipate any sort of outcome can vary moment to moment, day by day. An outcome, itself, can be somewhat optimistic (the likelihood of one, not the outcome itself), depending on how I'm feeling.
On other days, I'm on track towards a best seller. People won't be able to put my writings down, and they'll be amazed they hadn't heard of me before.
So, I mentioned earlier that there's my optimism as a professional, versus my optimism as a human living in our crazy world.
Putting aside the latter, what does optimism mean to me, as a writer? It means that, no matter what, I have a story to tell, and I'm going to tell it.
It means that I'm confident in my ability to do so. At least to get from A, to B. Whether people are going to like that story, is a whole other, well, story. So too is how I maintain an optimistic demeanour (hint: I don't).
We'll get to that in a bit.
Second…
1a: degree or measure of succeeding (it's really dissatisfying when they use a variation of the word they're defining in the definition, right?)
b: favourable or desired outcome also : the attainment of wealth, favour, or eminence
The fact that hey have the attainment of wealth and favour (or eminence) annoyed me at first, but upon reflection it's not necessarily too far off my own thinking.
Including "favour" in the definition clinched it. Wealth, not so much. Sure, I'd like wealth, and I do consider it a benchmark for success. But it's not what success means to me.
There are SO many different definitions of success, it's amazing how we can get so down on ourselves when we feel we haven't attained it.
For example, back to the oft-mentioned Gary Vaynerchuk. For him, success is most certainly not about money. It's a way of keeping score, assuredly, and it helps you get from A to B, but that's not what he's after, or what he wants to be remembered for.
This is where "favour" comes in. Gary is driven by legacy. His success is driven by making a positive impact. And, to that end, he's patient. It doesn't happen overnight.
What Does Success Mean to Me?
As a writer, and personally, success at this point in my life is all about having made the attempt. Going to bat. Playing the game. Whatever the analogy, it's about trying. If I try, and fail, I will have succeeded.
That said, I'm sure at the moment of my failure I won't be whooping it up, pumping my fist in the air, happy as a clam (why are clams so happy, btw?) regarding my stupendous flop of a comic, novel, whatever.
But what I learn from that failure, and not giving up, will be another level or layer of success.
Wait, that's pretty optimistic, no?
Optimism in Action
So, it's pretty easy to say "the only thing in your way is a lack of optimism," or "be more optimistic." It's another to practice it. To embrace optimism and be, truly, optimistic.
How do you do it?
As I noted earlier, I don't. Not always. I can't always be optimistic. I can try—and in trying, succeeding! See what I did there?—but it won't always happen.
How do I try? There's no one secret, to be honest. Usually, I have some highly-optimistic, inspiring content I fall back on.
For example? Richard Bach may not be the best writer in the world, but his books and his words have profoundly affected me over my lifetime.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the first book I remember my Dad giving me, and it remains one of my favourites to this day (I have two copies: The original, 12th printing my Dad gave me, and a first edition. Both prized possessions and re-read regularly).
It speaks to our potential, to following your true self, and understanding that the only way you're going to learn is by making mistakes.
My Inspirational Resources
Reading writers I love, in general, reminds me what is possible. In comics, Jeff Lemire, Chip Zdarsky, Rick Remender, Brian Michael Bendis, Sean Gordon Murphy, Alan Moore, Kevin Smith… reading their work makes me want to be better.
As far as traditional fiction writers, I'm all over the map: Apart from the aforementioned Richard Bach, there's Robertson Davies, Terry Fallis, Michael Ondaatje, Brandon Sanderson, and too many others.
Meditation helps. I subscribe to the Ten Percent Happier app and—when I'm consistently practicing—find that optimism, clear-headedness, and a general sense of wellbeing is more easily forthcoming.
And, ultimately, I write. I write about how I'm feeling. I write about optimism. Or success. It takes me through the steps of what I'm feeling, how I'm feeling, and what I want to do about it.
Ideally, I also try to (continue) work on my bigger writing projects (more on those in a future post, but you can find a little more about them here, and here). If I can check off a daily writing task, my optimism skyrockets, and my writing inevitably improves.
Winning
Right now, I'm winning. I'm pretty optimistic about the future. I may not be able to find toilet paper, but I'm confident I'm going to a) finish my 30-days-of-content-creation challenge, and b) be well on my way to launching a Kickstarter campaign in the coming months (stay tuned).
Wish me luck, success, and continued optimism (please).
Right back at ya.
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