Lately I have been thinking why it is so important for me to write these stories.
Perhaps even my love journey.
What is so important for me that I want to express, to be read and to earn money with it.
Although I don’t even know what that is.
Sometimes.
A route I am on to have my stories published.
A fear I am feeling, perhaps even hidden as a worry.
What if my stories are never to be read?
Never been seen for what the purpose is of these stories.
It is not that I am not reaching for something great.
The effort, time and work is already that.
Perhaps it is that I need to set another goal, as the stories written are something that I already achieved.
I guess that is already something.
A meeting I had about productivity, said that to reach something the goal has to be SMART.
I think it is something known and I have heard it at least many times already.
But perhaps I wasn’t fully paying attention.
That I was sleeping a bit with my eyes open or just tired from the party I had the night before.
It could be all that, or just that it wasn’t the right time for me to completely understand.
Just being kind to myself here.
But of course, the basics of what it means stayed with me.
The word smart.
Perhaps the beginning of all of this is that you have to be smart in the first place.
Who would have thought about that?
I sure didn’t.
Or perhaps I just did.
So what it is then this SMART.
It means to be.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
The explanation of these words go a bit deeper and a google search would tell more about it.
A simple presentation I found by this kind of search, is the following according to the University of California.
Specific : What will be accomplished? What actions will you take?
Measurable : What data will measure the goal? How much? How well?
Attainable : Is the goal doable? Do you have the necessary skills and resources?
Relevant : How does the goal align with broader goals? Why is the result important?
Time – bound : What is the time frame for accomplishing the goal?
With writing this down, I think at the moment I am at this point of relevance.
Why is it so important? As I wrote at the beginning of this story.
However, I don’t really know why it is such a struggle for me.
The rest I am not so worried about.
I mean.
What will be accomplished is that I am going to make money with the stories.
The actions taken are still a bit unknown, but at the moment I am just gathering information on how to get there.
I am attending meetings about productivity.
I am journaling about it (this story is perhaps even an example of that).
I am talking with my psychologists as it could also be that something needs to be healing for it to happen.
I am removing clothes that I don’t feel good wearing anymore.
And then I almost forget to mention that I am doing things that make me happy.
Because earning the money with writing would be just that.
To be more concrete it means that I am laughing.
Watching comedies or stand up comedy shows for example.
Spending time in the sun or listening to music makes me feel good.
And anything else I am forgetting that doesn’t fit that standard of happiness.
Laughing makes me feel good in general and I believe it will lead to earning money with the writing.
For the simple reason that good things happen, if you do good.
I guess that is just where I am at.
Then the question: What data will measure the goal?
It is a simple answer, it would be the money.
How much is a bit difficult to say, since that is not just dependent on the writing, the stories or just me. Dependent on different factors that I am not in control of, so to say.
However I can’t really name those, it is just that.
But perhaps for now that I am saying a number. So let’s say 200 euro a month, to start with.
This can always change of course. For the simple fact that I also don’t really know how these things go. And keeping it open, will give me the liberty to make the changes when needed and necessary.
Whenever that time is.
But as I said for now it is just to say a number or amount, for my smart goal to complete.
When it comes to attaining the goal. That answer is yes.
It is doable to earn money with writing.
Do I have the necessary skills and resources? I believe yes also, at least when it comes to writing.
I have the skill to write and then already about 150 stories on my website.
I have a laptop.
I have space and time to write.
I have a website where I upload them, to be shown.
And that website would also be the presentation to have it shown.
The point of relevance I am leaving here open as that is something I am working on at the moment.
Perhaps to come back at it later.
But it is good to mention it.
For now.
Then lastly the time frame for accomplishing this goal.
I would say between one to three months.
It feels a bit much, but I have learned that setting a broader goal than necessary makes it for me that it happens to achieve the goal within the set timeframe.
So then the only thing I have to figure out is the relevance and importance.
For why people read the stories, perhaps even buy them one day.
However, the way I just put it down.
The reading is not the goal, but that they buy them and then read them.
The sequence was wrong, it should be the other way around.
But I have to say that I know that people are reading them.
Mostly for entertainment purposes, I have heard.
And that is ok, for me.
It is one of the purposes I gave them.
Perhaps it was just the start of the broader goal to earn money with the writing.
Is that people are willing to read them. First.
Now that it is done, or at least known, I can build further on that.
And start making money with it.
Mission accomplished. I guess.
Or at least almost.
Halfway there.
Knowing this makes me feel good.
It means I am on the right track.
And I just have to keep on going.
But then still I need to figure out the relevance of all of this.
This missing piece in my SMART goal.
Gosh, it is really hard for me to get there.
To make it understandable for myself.
I already wrote down in the introduction part of my website www.thelovejourneyoflakshmi.com, under ‘reason of writing’ and the part ‘lakshmi’, that the stories are a way to help process. Not just for me, but also for people to understand and move forward in life.
My wish is that it does the same for me, as it does for other people.
I guess that is important to know as a relevance for people to read these stories and not just only as a reason for me to write these stories or as a part of me in general.
I believe we all need answers, examples and understandings that can help us grow and evolve.
When it comes to love, life and just in general.
I am not saying I have all the answers, but when reading my own stories I can see that people can benefit from the messages that are there.
Helping them out in a way.
Make their lives easier.
Reading about the struggles I am having, giving a sense of relief.
Or understanding they can think and act like they feel they want to.
Of course without any harm to others and themselves.
Because I don’t think that is love in any kind of way.
I have said a couple of times to a few people I know, that it is ok to take an unknown route in life.
Because that is what I did.
My love journey is an expression of that.
When I read the same story in my love journey again it has a different meaning for me every time.
It always helps me.
Gives me clarity or clarification on what it is I am dealing with at that moment.
And then there is still a lot in there.
The knowledge, creativity and so much more that I perhaps am not able to fully grasp myself.
Knowing that these stories exist and that some people are reading them is just not enough.
It is important for society, as a whole. That it needs to be spread.
The goal itself is greater than anything else.
For the simple fact we all need a leg up.
Or in other words a little bit of help.
Not to brag or make it more than it is, but I just can not express it in a better way than this.
It is just more than that people can take whatever it is theirs.
I believe we sometimes need a push or incentive.
A form of relaxation or just some time for ourselves.
When reading stories, particularly mine, it is all there.
There is no rush. No yelling mother in the background.
No deadline to meet or another reason to procrastinate.
Why not?
You might ask.
Well, because when I was writing these stories it wasn’t there either.
No stress, no boundaries.
Not an explanation, nor me telling you what to do.
And that is important to know also.
Because those things aren’t important at all.
This love journey comes from me, because I am the only one that can write it.
I am one of a kind.
Not even special, just the only that can do this.
And when saying that, it is important to know that everyone has its own role in life.
Better to say everyone is their own person.
What it is they can do.
How they feel and what they think.
That it is ok to be.
Wherever you want and need to go.
That is the love journey in general.
Everything is right and wrong at the same time.
But perhaps the most important message of them all, is that there is enough for everyone.
To read, write, act and behave.
And anything and everything else.
But most important to just be who you are.
Even if you don’t know what that is.
It doesn’t matter.
That is love in its essence.
I guess by saying this, I have hit the core of the importance and relevance of my writing.
The stories of my love journey.
We all need a little love in our life and that are these stories, the writings and the journey as a whole.
Because you know.
Love is what makes the world go round.