The 5 Year Plan: A Less Interesting Plan for a More Meaningful Life

One of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) I am not where I want to be today is because I have been just a little-teensy-weensy impulsive.

O.k. I've been a LOT impulsive.

I wanted things to happen NOW.

I could be the only one who feels like this, but I doubt it.

I say this with a huge grin on my face. In my last meeting with my art mastermind, I think there was about thirty ideas that were thrown out on the table.   A common theme with creativeness is lots of ideas, lots of starting and a hard time following through.

Our multitude of ideas is part of what makes us unique. 

Believe it or not, other people would like to have more creative ideas like we do. My grandfather had more ideas than he knew what to do with.  I heard about a multitude of different projects he wanted to do. What set  Grandpa apart is that he didn't do all those things he wanted to do. He wrote down his ideas but he executed on only one at a time.

Grandpa would focus on only one major thing at a time, get laser focused on it, and then work on it until it was completely done. He would then share it with his customers. Then he moved on to the next thing.

The point is not to quench the generating of new ideas. Keep doing what you are doing to create new ideas but instead of following all of them, be choosy.

We need to be better at writing all the ideas down (a plan for storage!) and focus on a few things. I wish I had learned the lesson of laser-beam focus from Grandpa, but I run impulsive and impatient.

I think he tried to tell me in his own way, but I didn't quite catch on.

Unfortunately we live in a society that pushes the instant results mentality. Marketers that are less than honest (and there are some really wonderful marketers out there, but you gotta do some investigating) promise us that if we buy this or do that we'll have flawless skin, a full dating life and our own business.

In Thirty Days. Guaranteed. Or not.

I share this with you because there might be someone out there reading this who is planning on investing a lot of money in a marketing plan as a last ditch effort to "make XXXX in ninety days."

Puuuuuhleeeease don't do it.

I spent a lot of money and invested time on things when I should have been putting in hours learning and becoming more skillful at my craft. I'll never forget when I was chasing after yet another, "do something now, get results tomorrow scheme" and telling Grandpa about it.

I can remember  the scene like it was yesterday.  I was eating an apple -walnut salad and Grandpa was having soup and sandwich  at Panera Bread. It was lunch time and the place was pretty busy and noisy.  I took a breath from my chatter of the latest "thing" I was into (I think it was direct sales for a jewelry company) to bite into that delicious bread Panera serves.  Grandpa looked at me and said, quietly and simply, "I think you should keep writing."

To Decrease Your Impulsive Streak, Listen to Grandpa

Whether you want to be an author, teach painting seminars or run your own events, it's going to take some time. Whatever your art is, keep doing it.

Keep writing. Keep painting. Keep taking pictures. Keep cooking and developing recipes. Keep teaching. Keep learning.    

For authors, most agree it will take three to five years and/or six to eight books (whichever comes first) before an author can make a comparable living from their writing.

Many of the authors who do this are also supplementing their work with speaking and workshops and product sales. It's not that different from the other arts. It takes time to build up a body of work.

Do What Full Time Working Artists Do

Do you know what artists like the following have in common?

Artists like..... Stephen King (traditionally published writer) Lilla Rogers (artist and art agent) Hugh Howey (independent author) Steve Martin (comedian, actor, musician) Joanna Penn (indie author, speaker) Jasmine Starr (wedding photographer, blogger).

They all practice and preach on the importance of two things:

1. Do tons of great work

2. Give yourself time to create that work and build a slow success.

3. Don't forget about the business part of creating. Do great work.   Make lots of it.  Pay attention to the money and accounting. If you do these things, there is a much better chance you will be doing what you love for a living. Great work comes over time.

It takes a person an average of 4-5 years to graduate with a degree and start making a livable income.  It will take approximately that long for a creative to build up their skill level and body of work.

There's a lot of talented copywriters who will tell you it's the marketing that is the difference maker. Make no mistake- without an audience, there is no income, but the difference maker is making great art.

Be committed to the long term work of being a creative.

If you're a writer, don't be wishy-washy. Commit to it. "I'm in this for the long run."  See what just saying that does to change your mindset and your work ethic. It goes into your gut. It breeds a determination not so easily pushed around.

Kill Impulsiveness & Protect Yourself with the 5 Year Plan

There's a big difference between leaving your day job with no debt and a selling product and/or a few clients and leaving your job with debt, no clients or income coming in. The first situation shows a plan. It also shows that you know how to get clients or sell a product- such as a books or fine art. You have your core skill and you have marketing skills. The latter situation is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'll spare you the gory details, but that is what I did when the pressures of my day job and personal life became too much for me to handle. That really wasn't the ideal time to start a business and quit on my former life. I'm still working through untangling myself from that mess today.

I don't regret it: it set me on course for where I'm going now and life is all about learning

However, I would love to spare another creative the pain I went through. My prayer this morning was, "Lord, please give me the strength to endure the consequences of my actions." And when I'm tempted to quit, I ask myself, "has it been five years yet?"  Have I put in my "degree work" yet? Time is going to pass us by anyways. We might as well get started on a steady path toward the five year mark. Do you naturally think with long term goals or do you tend to be a tad impulsive (like me!) If you are impulsive, what have you done to keep yourself focused on your goals?