I saw this meme shortly after the start of the new year, and it smacked me in the face like a wet mackerel. When the fireworks go off on New Year’s Eve, we default to the assumption that it’s time to change because last year’s version of our self, our books, our career, our everything was somehow lacking.
It’s easy to fall into negative thinking and criticize the manuscripts we didn’t finish, the deadlines we missed, the strategies we didn’t implement, the sales we missed, the readers we didn’t engage with, the social media we neglected, etc. etc.
I saw no more. Give yourself credit for the lessons learned, the skills gained, the new connections in your network, the strategies you did implement, and the projects completed. Publishing is a tough business, and one of the greatest challenges is that there is always something else you could (notice I didn’t say should) be doing.
In this new year, aspire to build on last year’s experiences. Keep doing what is working, continue to educate yourself on best practices, and make decisions about your business that work for you.
Happy 2024!