Simple question, right? But perhaps not so easy to answer.
For example, creativity is at the center of my writing career.
That means the part of my work that I love the most is the creating part (often this is writing but not always).
Right after creating, I value the teaching part of what I do.
If I were Starbucks, creating would be my perfect shot of espresso.
Following closely by teaching (the perfect espresso shot plus hot milk).
After teaching, I have to pause and rub my chin for a minute. But if I’m being totally honest, platform building (aka marketing–go ahead and think I’m shallow) is another favorite job of mine.
Platform building is like my…cappucino, if we continue with the Starbucks analogy.
And by the Starbucks analogy, I mean I have one key thing at the center of what I do. Just like Starbucks has that killer shot of espresso at the center of what they do.
I don’t care if they started with drip coffee. (I’m not sure what they started with, actually.) It’s all about the espresso now.
And since my creativity is only limited by my imagination, I feel like I have infinite options of how to proceed in my writing career.
I mean how many different drinks can you make with an espresso shot?
Plenty.
Therefore, the onus is on me to make good choices.
Good choices with my topics, my audiences, my time, and my publishing partners. The same applies to making good choices as a teacher and as a platform builder.
Frankly, it’s a lot to juggle. Fortunately, last year, I pared way back to just the things that bring me the most satisfaction.
Like Simon Cowell, it got to the point in several of my endeavors where I was phoning it in. And that didn’t feel good. I felt stuck. Burdened. Over-committed.
So I made better choices and now here I am feeling as optimistic as a shot of espresso in the Pacific Northwest. 🙂
What’s at the center of your writing career? (Feel free to borrow my Starbucks analogy. I’m going to keep using it too.)
