The Joy of Self-Sufficient Behavior
When you finally stop sabotaging yourself, the answers materialize so quickly, you wonder why you were so busy tripping on your own two feet.
Is it easy? No. Is it scary? Yes.
It was 3 o’clock the next afternoon before I could confirm that my MacBook Pro was still in good health. An absolutely charming older tech with a multiple sclerosis handicap was the only Apple Store rep willing to spend 1.5 hours to set up the MacBook for me. I told him about my sixteen year writing journey, and he said: Hey you just sold your first book! Let me know when it’s available.
The following day I contacted a Varsitytutors rep to sign up for 50 hours of computer related classes. This was a platform that connected students like me to college students all over America. You posed a need/request. They supplied you a tutor via an online platform where you both interacted either on your own screen or ceded your screen to your teacher. They also recorded the class, so you could review the session as many times as you wanted.
Anxious to get going on the famous website I still did not have—I explained what I wanted to a 19 year old Georgia Tech sophomore named Sun. To my absolute amazement, Sun studied Squarespace on her own time so during class time she could address each and every one of my needs. Based on what my strategist had advised, I had my blurbs ready, and Sun built my website in less than an hour.
As we worked together, in silence I reflected on the 3 months I had wasted on my former young friend, waiting on her to “help” me while she advanced on her own dream of insurance agent on my computer…and fear had made me stand by and watch and wait like the worst fool on earth—too scared to point out what a dick she was being to me.
And here, within 2 days I had a beautiful, bold, simple website where visitors could read my chapter one through a link right under a picture of the book.
Yes. Perhaps no one knew I existed, and no one cared—yet—but I was placing the building blocks, the foundation of a solid online presence. Because I had always, by nature, been the third pig that built the brick house long before there was the “need” for it.
What success I had had as a single parent had stemmed from that trait. I wasn’t about to shortchange myself on my own dream, when life was finally giving me my opportunity at age 60. Would that guarantee me success? Hell no. But if the hurricane ever came, I’d be in my brick house with my success a 100% protected.
Have you ever truly given yourself the chance—the tools to succeed?
