How I Turned My Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal into a Reality

Making it to #1 on Amazon

As someone who has authored, co-authored and contributed to dozens of books over the past decade, writing my first book was the toughest. After that, it was a simple process of sitting down to write.

I’ve also realized nice revenues from my books. With Power Up for Profits, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Online Marketing, I made great money from direct sales and hundreds of thousands on the back end.

In addition to generating revenue, I wanted to hit #1 on Amazon with my works. Years ago, hitting #1 on Amazon was my big hairy audacious goal.

I did whatever I needed to figure this out. I studied other authors, asked colleagues of mine how they accomplished hitting #1 and spent hours on end figuring out how to drive traffic to my books on Amazon.

Once an unknown process, hitting #1, became something I got really good at.

I wrote books on business, spiritual and inspirational topics. Once I learned the process, I could teach others how to do the same. 

In reality, when a goal permeates to our very core, we will likely do all we have to in order to make the dream a reality. We realize fulfilling the goal is a part of our destiny, our purpose, our path.

Such was the case with my memoir. Having thought about writing a memoir for over a decade, everything aligned perfectly in March 2017, when I attended the eWomenNetwork Platinum mastermind meeting in San Diego. Sandra Yancey talked about how the way to succeed at anything is to get out of the place where we are most comfortable.

At this event I committed 100% to finishing the first draft of the manuscript within 60 days. “60,000 in 60 days” I wrote on my notepad. I quietly slid the notepad in front of the woman next to me.

“Wow!” she whispered. “That’s a lot of writing.”

I nodded in agreement.

“I could never do that nor would I want to,” she whispered.

Something about goals, especially big hairy audacious goals is this: they are very personal to who we are. What motivates us will not motivate others. What many would find as an excuse to stop is the very reason we keep going.

They also give us pause to find out what we are truly made of. Do we stop at the slightest obstacle? Do we make excuses and let time slip away with our dream constantly tugging at our soul? Do we waste precious time looking for the easy button that doesn’t exist? Or do we do everything in our power to take our dream from an idea to one that manifests itself? The answer resides in our actions, day in and day out. Simple as that. 

The answer resides in our actions, day in and day out. Simple as that. 

I had no idea how different writing a memoir would be compared to a business or spiritual book. Nor did I realize how many times I would confront my demons from the past. I wasn’t aware how often the small voice inside would encourage me to stop the process. I had no way of knowing what stories would unfold.

As I watched the words pour from my fingers onto the keyboard onto the screen, in some ways I felt as if I were reading someone else’s story.

Stories of a lost soul who drank too much, ran in the wrong circles, made very poor choices, rarely followed through on what she said she would do, lived in a dark place and ended up on the streets. That same person would become a woman who has been clean and sober for 33 years, a woman who discovered the power of one’s word, one’s actions and one’s willingness to align her actions with her words.  

As some point during the first draft writing, I set another audacious goal: Hit New York Times Bestseller. Why New York Times? Simple. To see what I’m made of. After all, I had hit bestseller on Amazon more than once, but never New York Times Bestseller. What a stretch this is. Another big hairy audacious goal.

Will I reach New York Times Bestseller? There’s only one way to find out. Go for the gusto. Just like with your goals. The more you stretch yourself, the more you are likely to accomplish. 

What Are You Made Of?

Truth be told, until we push ourselves, we never really know what we are capable of. Want to know what you’re made of? Set an outrageous goal. Then go for it with everything you have. Leave it all on the field.

This is how we find out what we are made of. We leave it all on the field. We risk failing. We risk looking like a fool. We risk being judged. We risk not being liked.

On the flip side, we risk winning. We risk looking flipping amazing to ourselves and those who love us. We risk people saying: “You inspire me.” We risk being respected for our courage.

We can play it safe and try not to make waves, thus leaving only waves of mediocrity. Or we can live in the space of playing full out.  

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Some goals we set are downright scary. Others, not so much. It’s the ones that frighten us that push us to see what we’re made of. Things that once we do them, there is no going back.

We can play it safe and try not to make waves, thus leaving only waves of mediocrity. Or we can live in the space of playing full out.

Do you play full out? Are you willing to push your own limits? Isn’t life way too short not to?

Today… give it your all. Today… stay the course. Today… make the commitment to live fully.

Do so in order that you have no regrets tomorrow. Do so by setting BIG HAIR AUDACIOUS GOALS.