My EPIC fail before going to Problogger
Last October, I walked out of Problogger 2012 inspired with new ideas and plans. I was going to utilize the 15 minute a day plan to write my first ebook.
I’d been planning it since I started blogging in 2010, and I was not going to go to the Problogger Conference the next year without having it published.
I started off good. I was even putting in more than the 15 minutes a day. But then stuff happened. Debilitating health issues, manic travel schedule (including a stressful Thailand trip), parenting challenges, and just general, you know, stuff.
Lots of excuses as to why I couldn’t write the travel book.
EPIC fail.
Basically it was fear, not feeling good enough, and just not really knowing how to do it. So I procrastinated and busied myself in other areas and dabbled here and there.
I just became more frustrated and lost.
I decided to do the Marie Forleo B-School because I needed help with Mojito Mother direction (there you go, another distraction). After the first couple of weeks, I realized I Mojito Mother can wait, I needed to get back to focusing on y travel blog and creating our own products.
I loved the way B-School spoke to me. It made me feel confident and empowered me with the clear hows. I set to work. But, it was still slow work. I still had too many things going on.
In my usual, run-as-far-as-you-can-when-you-don’t-like-your-life attitude, we decided to go on our #yTravelOz road trip around Australia. That was when our backs went up against the wall. If we were to do this, we’d have to sell our own products to have consistent (I hope ) income coming in.
Huh! Amazing what happens when your back is against the wall. I was suddenly busier than ever, yet still found the time to write the ebook. So much writing that it became too big and we had to split it into two books. As I wrote, all I thought was, “What the hell have I been doing with all my time for the last 8 months?”
Busy, procrastinating, distracting work leading me to nowhere.
EPIC fail.
We left our run so late that we are not going to have our travel ebook ready in time for Problogger this year.
EPIC fail on my promise. I really wanted to walk in with a grin that said, I had acted upon all I learned last year and had a finished product to share. And I sold X amount of copies!
Boo hoo to me and my fears.
Now I feel like a semi-failure, no more like an idiot for not just doing it. I haven’t failed, because the ebook should be ready by the end of the month (everything really happens at the perfect time anyway, right?). The final edits are being done and the design process has started and I have all the launch materials ready to go.
So at least I can share all that.
And I have another 3 eBooks in the pipeline. I won’t be procrastinating on those because now I know writing an eBook is fun, it’s not that scary, it’s productive, and the best way to earn an income off your blog.
AND the best way to share to make a difference, which is why I blog every day.
So I may have made a slight epic fail with my timeline entering #PBevent, but at least I’m getting it done.
What I learned at the conference last year has impacted upon and changed my blogging for the better. I am excited to see the next level it brings my business to this year.
I am speaking too, so if you are going, don’t forget to check out Andrea, Christina and I speaking about our step changers on our blogging journey. And Craig is talking about building community on a panel too.
I just won’t have a completed ebook to show you! (But you can sign up to this list to get access when it’s ready 😉
P.S If you can’t make the actual Problogger event, you can purchase virtual tickets here (affiliate link)
P.P.S It is Craig’s 40th while we are at Problogger so we will be partaying! At least I know we how to do that one!
Tell me about your epic fail or win going into Problogger this year. OR share with me any new insights you have acted upon in any aspect of your life.
Comments
Bec @ The Plumbette
Hi Caz, so excited by this post and I don’t think it was an epic fail because you have done what you set out to do just in a different timeframe. Looking forward to meeting you and your hubby at Problogger next week. Thank you for your honesty about busying yourself with other stuff. Sometimes the other stuff can be just as important as our goals, but it can be frustrating still not to achieve your goal when you want. Well done you on the other e books you are producing. 🙂
Caz Makepeace
Thank you! I can’t wait to go away on our road trip because I think a lot of the busy stuff will disappear, like picking up toys and mopping floors. Truthfully that is why I travel so much. 🙂 Will be great to meet you next week
Amanda @ Cooker and a Looker
Hi Caz, Congrats on getting your ebook written. I’m looking forward to my first Problogger – everyone seems to come away inspired and motivated. There is so much I want to see – how will I possibly choose between the sessions? 🙂
Caz Makepeace
Oh you are going to love it Amanda! The speakers this year are so great. I find you learn a lot at Problogger because there is a wide variety of niches represented. The good thing is you get the virtual ticket as well so for the sessions you miss you can hear later.
I think you are doing super well with your blog btw!
Christina @ Mr and Mrs Romance
I feel exactly the same Caz, I’m sitting here right now “busying” myself with so many things except the real priorities. It’s not a fail, it’s just a lesson that helps us next time.
Can’t wait for Problogger x
Caz Makepeace
Let’s hope so! I’ve been on a big procrastination streak this week. I think I have so many things to manage right now that I’m just spinning in circles!! Can’t wait to see you next week
Yibba Yabba Mama
Caz, nothing pertinent for me personally to share, but you need to give yourself a break! I don’t think you have failed, you still have two amazing blogs going, still going on an adventurous trip….and you are a wife and mummy! Life will always be busy, you didn’t fail. You had a few hurdles and priorities that needed more attention. You are amazing. If you think you failed….would hate to think what the rest of us are!
So…either beat yourself with a wet lettuce and get in with it….or take it one step at a time, life is a continuous journey, everything can wait until it is truly ready. Well done, you continue to inspire me. xx
Caz Makepeace
Your gorgeous Val! I do like the sound of beating myself with the wet lettuce rather than the cold fish!! I think we are always much harder on ourselves. I’m in freak out mode this month. Can’t wait for 25 days so I can just collapse in a tent.
Brigid @ The Inspired Notebook
Caz, I think it’s so true what you say, that everything really happens at the perfect time anyway. (That’s a whole lot easier to see with hindsight though!!)
I had great plans too, to have my Gorgeous Green Smoothies ebook published before heading to the Problogger event this year. But big personal challenges, some fears and definitely a share of procrastination have all contributed to that not being done.
I still have hope that between now and next week, I’ll at least get my little subscriber opt-in ebook up online, but I’m not really sure if I can even do that. (So here I am procrastinating a little!!)
Awesome that your ebook is so close to ready. And I love that you have another 3 already in the pipeline!
Look forward to seeing you speak at the Problogger event. Have a great, productive week between now and then!
Caz Makepeace
Thanks Brigid! If only hindsight worked in our favour!! I’m trying to tap into my psychic abilities so it can, but so far, no luck. I’ll write an ebook when I figure it out 🙂
I say go for that opt-in subscriber box. Intend to get it down by Problogger that way you’ll at least get most of it down if not all. See you next week!
Vanessa
I had planned to be business blogging all year going into pbevent. So far…not one blog post! I’m having trouble finding the right voice for business blogging – not too corporate and not as uneditied as I run my blogs. Still hoping to have a post or two up before, but right now I’ve been thrown a curveball so we’ll see.
Caz Makepeace
Glad I’m not the only one. It takes so much discipline to stay focused and get it down. I was struggling with Mojito Mother and so just sat on it awhile. I kept asking myself questions and do a little research, and then sat and sat and sat. Eventually I worked out what to do… I think 🙂
I hope you are smashing that curveball away because I know you can!
Caroline
Oh god you just reminded me of all the things I said I was going to do after ProBlogger 2012….
I’ve done a few things, but not as many as I would have liked.
You certainly haven’t failed. You’ve just had a lot to deal with this year.
Tell Craig I’ll buy him a birthday drink!
Caz Makepeace
I think I just saw Craig grin for the first time today!! The follow through is so difficult! Life just gets in the way too much.
Kathy
Not an epic fail at all Caz – congrats on almost having the e-book published and the others in the pipe-line. It is a fine line between procrastination and ‘growing slow’ (funny I wrote about this in my post this week). As long as we keep growing in the direction we want, focusing on our roots as much as the green shoots, and moving forward ‘through’ fear, then I reckon we are OK. I just finished my giveaway little e-book and video, so that’s a start for me. I’m sure that travel will free you up from so much drudgery and you’ll have the perfect ‘mobile office’ with constant sources of inspiration. Looking forward to meeting you next week.
Caz Makepeace
I’m going to switch my thoughts to growing slow now instead of procrastination! Love that idea. Will be awesome to meet you Kathy
Beverley | Pack Your Passport
Ahhh I hear you Caz! I’ve been wanting to write an e-book for about a year but only really got around to writing a few ideas down in my noteback. Having come back to England though and found myself unemployed and at my parent’s house (I’ve got my old job back now but this was a few weeks ago!), I started feeling really inspired and motivated and managed to put together chapter headings and draft what I wanted to include in each section.
Unfortunately I’ve stalled slightly since going back to work and having lots of freelance stuff on but knowing that I’ve a little bit further towards my goal is a good feeling – a better feeling than having done nothing at all!
Can’t wait to read your books 🙂
Caz Makepeace
You’ll get there Bev. IT doesn’t matter how slowly. I’ve been working on this one for 3.5 years in reality. OMG!!!! That’s the definition of fear and procrastination right there. I think it will be just like traveling, once you take the first step you realize how easy it was and you just keep walking.
Rachael
I’m feeling so unbelievably unmotivated at the moment, exhausted, to the point of tears. And here I am sitting here with an opportunity to write right now, and I can’t. I went in search of some ytravel inspiration today and it dawned on me that I hadn’t been getting any of your posts in my inbox for a few weeks. I’d also signed up to Mohito Mother but hadn’t had any of these either. To cut a long story short, I just want to say you’re far from epic failure – I went in search of what you’ve had to say about life to get some inspiration that I can’t seem to find within myself at the moment. I admire you for being so honest. I find it hard to share the hard times, cos I like to try and be positive by focusing on what’s good in my life. My first Problogger couldn’t be coming at a better time. I’ve never been so close to packing it all in and going back to an office job. I can hear you from here… FEAR. I know.
Caz Makepeace
Oh Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. So use that as inspiration for you too. If I inspire you, yet continually have these failure moments, then it’s perfectly normal that you do and that means you are inspiring people and you don’t even realize it. Blogging is an immensely difficult thing to do. You are following your heart and passion, and putting yourself out there. That means you take a beating quite a bit. And you have to face a ton of fears in the process as you are opening yourself up on a gigantic level and peeling back so many layers.
When you have the unmotivated times, go with it. Give yourself a rest. I always find those periods are essential to have. When you go into stall mode, you are giving your brain time to absorb all you have been learning and your soul time to gather the strength and momentum to jump to the new level. I should write a post on this actually. I had a break down the other night in sobbing tears. I felt so great after releasing it all. I then had a mad decluttering session and felt calm knowing that tomorrow was a new day and all would be better. And the next day great things happened. It’s all part of the clearing process. The clearing is always taking you to a higher level. Accept this is part of the journey and it will always happen. You’ll find it coming in waves, once you work out your way of handling it, you’ll be able to tap into the power of it. Problogger is going to be awesome. You’ll gain so much energy from that
Rachael
This was so helpful Caz, thank you x I often forget my brain and soul need time to process. I’m decluttering tomorrow and enjoying red wine tonight 🙂
Workingwomenaus
I was just thinking about all the good intentions I had after leaving PB last year. Not all of them have been acted upon. Sigh. Life gets in the way sometimes Caz, but I think you’ve achieved A LOT in the last 12 months. Can’t wait to see you x
Caz Makepeace
Will be great to see you again Kim! I think I might lower my intention list after this year’s Problogger!!
Mandy
I think you need to focus on the fact that you’re doing it, never mind that it took longer to get it going. Have fun at Problogger.
Caz Makepeace
Very true Mandy! I can’t wait for it to be done now!