Hey ,
As always, I do include some freebies at the bottom, after my newsletter, a steamy short HEA cyborg romance by Sybur Phyre , or perhaps a slave alien escaping to populate the galaxy with his brood to conquer the universe in revenge with Heart of Void. And a billionaire alpha serialized romance. And even a fantasy adventure with magicians! This particular newsletter is more of a motivational rant. So, if you need a bit of a pick-me-up, read on & MERRY CHRISTMAS!
It's that time of year we think about our lives, and our goals. About what we've accomplished, etc.
Goals and Productivity Culture
Recently, I listened to a podcast that is supposed to be motivational. Supposed to be focused on changing your mindset, so a person can reach their goals of being a bestselling author one day. Even if being a writer isn't your goal. I'm sure you have your own idea of success, and the goals you have to reach that.
Put in the work, and double down when you're feeling challenged.
Setting low goals is like settling. Feeling satisfied with the results you have is the death of growth, sort of thing.
All of that can be kick in the ass motivational, but it was something this podcaster said that really rubbed me the wrong way, in all the inky crevasses of my being:
They had a hard sell phrase in their podcast that went along the lines of, if you stop listening without finishing the whole episode, then you don't care about your writing, and you should just quit right now.
I get that there are tips and helpful things that may be said, but this is the hardest sell, and guilt tripping statement that just rubbed me the wrong way, I was close to not listening to not just that episode... but ALL the episodes.
But it was really the previous episode that spoke of productivity that had me in a sensitive mindset before listening to that remark to begin with.
Every day that you allow yourself to relax is a day that you watch your hopes drift away. Every time that you put a priority in front of your writing career, you are quitting.
Those statements can be accepted as making you evaluate your priorities, but it was the extremism after that when they said: A day that you are sick, and don't try to do something... you are quitting.
Okay, so the idea is that sometimes people need a bit of a motivational ass kicking to prioritize your goals, but I think this person went to the extreme with productivity culture, with workaholic culture.
Don't take a day off, because it's an excuse to quit in disguise.
I'm going to call bullshit on this.
If you are sick, if you need a break.
Take it!
Take the damned break, because I'm going to tell you right now, pushing through does not make progress, does not create productivity.
You can push through, sure, and you can pat yourself on the back for keeping your habit in check, and making strides, but I'll posit that perhaps you just spent MORE time pushing up hill, than you actually spent being productive.
You can take a break, and still be just as productive as someone who PUSHED through sickness, pushed through burnout, pushed through trauma, because the person pushing through those things is not being as productive as someone who took care of themselves, and came back running.
Consider, the rabbit that was going full speed so long that they fell asleep, and then lost the race. You may be thinking... uh, Stevie, hello, the tortoise pushed through, and won, slow, but consistent, and won!
Yes, but the tortoise had a healthy pace, and did a little at a time, slow and steady.
What I'm saying is that most people are pressured to be the rabbit, 100% of the time, without naps, without rest. Telling the rabbit, that they are quitting when they take a break. Do you think the rabbit "lost" by taking a break? Do you think the rabbit thought the race was over when they woke?
Sure, he didn't reach the finish line when the tortoise did, but didn't he still reach the finish line?
I think the mindset about the "Race" of success needs to be adjusted.
It isn't quitting to take a break.
It's quitting if you don't keep moving when your nap is over. It's quitting if you decide to nap indefinitely. It's quitting if you don't keep creating new finish lines to cross. But, it's okay to be satisfied with your successes along the "race".
You climbed an obstacle? VICTORY.
You stayed on top of your obstacle for a bit of a break before jumping off to the next one? That's okay.
The point I'll make is that you kept going, even after the break.
That isn't quitting, that's taking care of yourself.
That's my motivational rant for the day.
Consider, that both the rabbit and the tortoise had the wrong mindset to begin with, by comparing their own successes against each other. They are fundamentally taking different approaches to their own successes. It was wrong for the rabbit to judge the tortoise for the way they reached their goals. Just like it's wrong for others to think the rabbit lost just because they didn't reach the same goals at the same time as the tortoise.
I give you permission to enjoy a day off from expectations.
Enjoy the holiday!
Read a book.
Do not feel guilty for focusing on your family, or eating that delicious meal, and watching a bunch of Hallmark movies. haha.
It's only quitting if you've lost your motivation to take another step towards your goals. You may reach your goals at a different time as another person, but perhaps if the tortoise and the hare worked together, then you can both learn ways to make the journey easier. Inevitably, both will reach different goals before the other, at different times.
Just because you are prioritizing you, doesn't mean you are quitting on your goals. There are plenty of people who reach their goals faster than others, and made sacrifices that they later regretted. You only have this one life to live, and you get to decide how it's lived.
Chat soon!
~Stevie (Author of stuff and things, mom of humans in training, including my husband, and currently obsessed with fae romances.)
PS: Sometimes you have to click the read more to see the whole email so you don't miss out on goodies.
Now, on to the Free stuff:
I've got alien romance, billionaire romance, and a fantasy adventure with a young magician being the only one to prevent the king's assassination!
The beloved king of the realm sends Sarn the Sage to defend a distant town, leaving Preem, his young apprentice, to defend the royal family. It’s a ruse, and the enemy sends assassins to murder the king that night. Preem hasn’t even learned to fly yet, but now he finds himself tossed into the shadowy world of murderers and cutthroats.
The young princess is infatuated with Preem and proves to be more of a hindrance than help, and yet Preem must find a way to protect his king, even if it means laying down his own life.
How Preem got his cursed name... Bone Crusher.
And last but not least!
My Launch of my nom de plume Sky Robert:
What if there was an alien exchange program for humans to visit other planets? And one of those hunky aliens happens to be your fated mate?
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