The Right Things

I'm currently reading First Things First by Stephen Covey, the author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Now this is not a writing book, it's more of a "how to get your life straight" book, but there was a point he made that was particularly relevant to me right now personally and has been relevant to me in my writing career. I also see this is many, many others.

The statement was something like "ask yourself not am I doing things right but am I doing the right things."

Wow! That hit home. I was in a bad place with my job and didn't know how to fix it. It wasn't anything I could put my finger on - my perfomance was fine (and usually above fine), my tasks were being completed on time or early and were correct, other employees had no issues with me or my work and I was embroiled in a software conversion that I enjoyed. But overall was a complete feeling of dissatisfaction, of something missing, something passing me by. I worked harder, created more efficiencies, produced more work, but the feeling didn't go away.

Then it hit me - it wasn't that I was doing anything wrong at my job, it was that I was doing the wrong job!

So I began the job search for something that would satisfy my intelligence as well as spur my creativity. And I find the dream combination - I am going to be a corporate trainer for a software development company. Now, I get to use my IT skills, accounting & real estate experience and speaking ability to train client employees on how to use their leasing and accounting software. The IT side of my old job is what I enjoyed the most and now I get to do it full time. No more boring numbers.

You see, it wasn't that I was doing accounting wrong - I just shouldn't have been doing accounting at all.

Now, think about writing. When we first start, most of us wander around a bit in different genres (or different lines in catagory) trying to find that perfect fit for our voice and style. This is perfectly normal. But how many of you are guilty of sticking to something too long, working it to perfection until all the voice and style are gone? Maybe it's not that you're writing wrong (God forbid, my English), but that you're not writing what you're supposed to.

Or even worse - maybe you shouldn't be writing at all.

I was probably two years or so into my writing ventures when one of my cp's asked me "is there a point and time you would quit - when you just say, I gave it my best shot, but it's not going to happen." My answer was simple "Yes, but I don't know when that is."

Fortunately for me, the sale happened and I knew I was where I needed to be. But maybe you know someone who should be writing screenplays instead, or painting pictures, or cross-stitching. Maybe it's you?

When was the last time you seriously assessed your writing career and where it was going?