Big goals? Boom-Glue will take you there

Have you ever wanted to write a book? Your ass may hold the key.

Australian novelist Bryce Courtney once gave the most helpful advice I’ve ever heard for completing big projects and achieving large-scale goals. At a lunch in Johannesburg, he was asked the question: “What is the most important quality for an author who wants to write a book?” In response, he offered just two simple words of wisdom: “Bum glue!”

Does it sound slightly disturbing? How exactly does your rounded back play to achieve your goals? And, um… what about the glue?

Bryce Courtney simply says that in order to be highly productive and see large-scale projects through to completion, the most important thing is to sit down every day, block out the world, and seriously and honestly push yourself. Come rain, shine or extreme boredom. And while her advice was aimed at writers, the wisdom applies in any industry. Writing a novel can require thought, planning, and strategy. But the most important thing is to just write, write and write. Bryce Courtney refers to a quality that is popularly known as ‘sticking to things’.

SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE PARTS

As 2005 faded in the rearview mirror, I wrote my own book using this principle. This was my process: I set a goal of writing at least 2,000 words per business day, and I stuck to it religiously. If I wrote more than my required assignment on any given day, this did not exempt me from my 2,000 words the next day.

Sticking to this simple theory of keeping my butt in my chair in front of my PC, I was amazed at how quickly 50,000 words, a working book manifested.

It was often mundane to spend such large blocks of time on a single project. But once it was done, it felt wonderful.

Writing your own book can be a significant step forward in positioning yourself as an industry expert. It can help you take a qualitative leap in your career.

SMARTER, NOT HARDER?

These days, we’re all familiar with the adage: work smarter, not harder. But sometimes it’s not about being strategic or trying to find smart innovations. Sometimes it’s just a matter of allocating a certain amount of time each day, consistently, to putting your butt in a chair and doing some good old-fashioned hard work.

A large number of people believe that one day they will write a book, start a business, work for themselves, or study for a new degree. I have at least one close friend who has spent the last seven years telling me about the technical course he plans to take, which, once completed, will result in a promotion for him. By December, he’ll have been talking about it for eight years. He’s not aware of it, but he’s been talking, not doing, for the better part of a decade. That’s about an eighth of the potential lifespan of it.

What’s stopping you? Could it be that all you need is a sticky little thing on your chair as the clock ticks merrily?

WAITING FOR THE MUSE?

If you’re serious about goal setting, allocate a decent amount of time each day to your homework. And none of that waiting for inspiration nonsense! The Russian classical composer Tchaikovsky used to say that his job was to be creative, so he would get up first thing in the morning and busy himself with producing creative work. French novelist Victor Hugo followed the same principle, instructing his staff to keep his trousers away from him until he had retrieved them.

This could be your year to start living a truly remarkable and distinguished life. It is my sincere wish that his conscience will no longer allow him to think of his dream goals as things he will do ‘someday’, but instead will begin to allocate time each day to his purpose. And while you’re working toward it, may you learn and enjoy the mighty power of hobo glue!