Today, this morning - about ten minutes ago in fact - something amazing happened to me.
I sent out the first lesson of my e-course.
To anyone else this will not feel like a big event. But I cannot tell you how delighted I am with myself and I want to take a moment to pause and reflect.
It's not about the pounds. It's about completing something.
Something I created from a blank page. From nothing.
This e-course was an idea I initially conceived during the Christmas 2017 holidays. I was looking forward to a quiet Christmas. I needed a quiet Christmas. We had no family coming to stay with us and illness prior to the big day meant we all needed the chance to rest and recharge.
Then, whilst in the shower, I got my idea. I've had ideas for an e-course before but nothing came from it. When this one popped into my head it just made so much sense to me. It felt right.
So I started making a few notes. I did some customer research i.e I asked two Instagram friends, my two lovely guinea pigs, what they were struggling with as they created their own blogs. I traded my answers and help for their questions.
Then I sat at my desk and wrote. Then wrote some more. Then I recorded some videos. Then wrote and wrote. You get the idea.
I was daunted by the selling side. Would anyone buy? How do I share the information with the course students? But research, patience (with myself) and perseverance all paid off and everything started to fall into place.
And now I have a four week e-course with actual real life students. People who are interested in what I have to teach.
The first lesson went out this morning and it felt like such a massive achievement. Because this is the first time in a long time that I've conceived a project, started it and saw it through, right until the end.
For a long time I thought I was one of those people who didn't finish a project. I've had my novel hanging over my head for such a long time it has made me think I would never finish anything. I've had my blog, of course I have, but a blog is constantly evolving. It's a hungry beast and one that you have to keep feeding.
But now I have this. And I've worked out a few things about myself as I wrote it:
- I am not one of those people who can have multiple projects on the go at the same time.
- I don't work well to deadlines that I keep to myself. i.e I cannot write 1000 words a day that I quietly get on with.
- I can, however, work towards a realistic deadline if I have publicised it.
- I love writing about blogging and the creative process.
- If I want to write a novel or memoir I have to write it in the same way as my e-course. As a project where I block off everything else and concentrate on that one thing.
- I like lists but then tend to forget about them and hold everything, frustratingly, in my head.
- I stop everything else going on in my life when I'm concentrating on a project. No getting my nails done, no dog walks with my friend, not coffees. I cannot organise things when my head is full.
- I know more than I think I do.
- I can do more than I think I can.
- Keep it simple should be my mantra for everything. And has kept me sane during this entire process.
I've still go a few loose ends to tie up. And I have a Facebook group for the course so will be supporting everyone as they go through the lessons.
But now I'm wondering what to do next. Write another course? (I have an idea brewing.) Or something else. Which brings me to the final thing I've learnt:
- When one project is completed I have to fill my 'creative well' before starting a new one.
I didn't write this post to publicise my course, but if you are interested in joining it's not too late and you can find out more here.
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