It’s not hard to believe that I’m thinking about the future. Everyone’s thinking about the future. I’m thinking of my kids, of my wife, of our jobs and our hobbies and our lifestyle. I’m thinking about goals, I’m thinking about opportunities.
And all around me — if I’m to believe the chaotic newsfeeds and expert pundits screaming bloody murder at one another — it seems the world is falling apart.
But the worst thing I can do in this moment is believe them. It’s not that they’re wrong, necessarily (I’ll admit that they’re probably more wrong than right). It’s just that to believe them, to buy into the hype, is to lose sight of what matters.
My books won’t write themselves, and my business won’t build itself. If I allow the world to win, I fall apart, and that certainly helps no one. If I roll over and give up, who wins? Who gets to be victor?
Sure, it’s not about winning or losing. We’re not doing what we do to “win,” so that others lose. But we are trying to win so that we win. We get to define our own “win,” so why would I define it in a way where I stop writing, stop caring, stop trying?
Let the world do what it’s going to do. Let crazies be crazy. You’ve got your win defined — so go fight. Go achieve your victory. Go win.
Ignore the people who scream for attention — they’re paid actors on a stage built for entertainment. Their reality has been well-crafted to read as such, but it’s a farce. Ignore the world’s crybabies — they’re begging for your attention, because they know it’s valuable.
Go fight.
How? Be better at discerning what’s important and what’s not. Sometimes it’s urgent, but not important. Sometimes it’s both. A lot of times it’s neither. Your job is important. Don’t only ever tackle the things that are urgent.
Nick Thacker is the USA Bestselling Author of action-adventure thrillers. He speaks about the future of writing and publishing, technology, and marketing. He lives on the world’s largest active volcano.
See more at nickthacker.com.