Just Do It. Do It Now.

Last Thursday, I had a bit of a freak out about what I have to offer the world.

If you have read anything on entrepreneurship, on creating a personal brand, or anything else in the same field, you have probably read something that told you to figure out what the hell you have to offer others. I have read my share of articles and books telling me to do just that...and that is when I usually freak out and scream, "I HAVE NO IDEA"...silently...in my head.

Last Thursday, I was screaming this out loud...to my mother. I even asked her what she thought I had to offer.

"Oh so much!" She responded.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Silence.

Note to all mothers and friends: You better have an answer to back up your "oh so much" claim. It can do more harm than good if you don't.

So there I was, on the phone with someone who is supposed to support me so much that she lies (the beauty of being a Millenial? Generation Y? What the hell do you call us peeps in our mid to late 20s?), and she was silent.

"Your writing," she finally answered.

"Yeah, but what about my writing? It doesn't cure cancer. It isn't witty enough to provide humor..."

Our conversation went just like so until I tired of it and got off the phone. I then proceeded to freak out on my own with only my dog watching me. It was then, sitting at my dining room table, that my brain was like, "WTF! Shut up. Just write something." "Like what?" I yelled back.

Again, silence.

Until my little brain voice got a little louder....and provided me with an answer:

If I have my writing to offer, if my writing provides an escape, a laugh or two, a head nod, a "I'm not the only crazy one" feeling, then that is what it offers. Maybe that is all I have to offer. My words. My honesty. My openness. My opinion. My yearning for calm, connection, and escape and my yearning to help others find calm, connection, and escape.

I realized that if my offering to the world was my writing, then I better get writing...AND I better look at all the things I've already written. Later that day, I thought up a book idea. The next day, I was self-publishing.

I had been playing around with the idea of self-publishing, but it just seemed so daunting. That is until I bought another blogger's eBook and it was in PDF format. Holy Zeus, I can do that, I thought. The question of whether or not I should also came to mind. But something inside of me wasn't having the negativity. It is okay to fail, if you fail, but maybe you won't.

So I did it. Formatted my book of poetry. Signed up for e-junkie and did it. It was not as hard as I thought it was. Was it perfect? No, not at all. I've already made it better and uploaded a newer version, but I did it.

For once I let the question of what do I have to offer to just settle in my mind. I came up with an answer (writing) and though that is not as specific as I'd like it to be, it will get there.  I then let every motivational speaker/company I know seep into my head:

JUST DO IT. DO IT NOW. JUST DO IT. DO IT NOW.

I usually roll my eyes when I see those words, but really they are the truth. Just fucking do it.

So I did it and kept doing it. It it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Friday I made the PDF. Sunday I did the layout for the paperback, sent it off to the printer (investing a bit of my savings), and made a better PDF version. Monday I made the eBook version.

Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Are they terrible mistakes? No. They were learning mistakes and were fixed quickly. Was it worth my time? Hell yes.

I may only sell five copies of my poetry book. That's okay. I've figured out the kinks and will be 10 times better when I finish and publish my next book. If I sell more than five copies, then I'll be jumping for joy...and ready for the next book. It is a win-win really. (I'm sticking to this whole positivity thing for as long as I can...don't ruin it with reality folks...)

Go. Now. Do it. MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN.

You think I'm kidding?

Excuse me while I run and dance around to my apartment listening to this (you should know I run to this song all the time. Yup. I do. Especially when running near the Philly Art Museum. I'm that nerdy, cheesy, whatever you want to call it):