Jonas Eriksson's Blog: Jonaswrites.com - official site of author and writer Jonas Eriksson, page 8

Wake Up, Work Hard, Make a Plan to Get There

I’m writing a chapter in my third novel Six Strings that is called Waking Up. It’s about the main character waking up in patch of grass with a fresh wound at the back of his head and no memory of how he – or it – got there. I wouldn’t want to put my waking up in an equally dramatic way, but it’s a bit like that, sans the blood.

You see, I’m sometimes everywhere all the time. Trying to start a business, hustling to improve at my daily job, writing a book, maintaining a blog or two, improving my tennis game, reading tons of different books. It’s all rather unfocused, unstructured and I don’t really have any idea of where I am at a given moment. I know where I want to be, but I haven’t made up a plan of getting there.

What that leads to is a feeling of dissatisfaction, mostly because you can’t really visualize the process, although you might actually be developing yourself and your skills in the right direction.

If you want to succeed at work, as an author, or just generally improve in any area – you need to set up some kind of plan on how you’re going to accomplish it. Life sometimes comes in the way to temporarily obstruct the plan, but if you have the dedication you’ll ride through it and pick it up afterwards.

So prioritize what’s most important to you, what would give you the biggest joy/lift to accomplish or improve in, then make a plan for a how to get there. How that plan looks like, is individual of course. A guy I used to work with tracked everything in excel sheets where he clearly monitored his time down to each hour he spent working on it, some people set up a few milestones in their calendar, others create something close to a business plan with personal KPIs (key performance indicators). No matter what kind of plan you would be most comfortable with, you need to make sure you follow it and keep going back to it throughout. It’s your reminder that you mean business.

What really made me think about this in a more detailed way is my “so called” writing career. One of my big dreams in life is to live off what I write, but I haven’t really been working in a focused way towards that dream. I’m somewhat disciplined, but in periods (which probably means I’m not). That’s just not good enough. I need to be disciplined all the time.

It’s not difficult to find inspiration for this. Just look at our athletes and how hard they work to be able to fight for medals, trophies, prize money and ultimately recognition. You can’t work out when you feel like it if you want to be the best in the world, you need to get up every morning with the mindset to work hard. And if you do that over and over again, you will be rewarded.

I know it’s easy to put a lot of doubts into that reward, but it’s there if you keep at it. You might have to accept defeats, suffer setbacks and work through pain and disappointment, but the reward is there. This is what hopes and dreams are for. Don’t lose track of yours.

Summary:

Get up early.

Work hard every day.

Prioritize your goals.

Set a plan for the most important one(s).

Make sure you visualize your progress.

Don’t get too discouraged by setbacks, they’re a part of the game.

Give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back from time to time.

Make your dream come true.

It’s that simple.

But don’t forget your loved ones in the process. They’re priority one.

10 000 Hours – The Mastery Number?

Malcolm Gladwell coined the phrase 10 000 hours in his book “Outliers” and what he meant with that was that to achieve mastery in anything, you need at least 10 000 hours, no matter what and how much talent you possess.

As I get older I’m really starting to grasp this idea more and more. Looking at both my writing and my tennis, I’m beginning to realize the sheer amount of work I need to put in to keep improving. But this is not off-putting, rather the opposite, since I know that as long as I’m working hard and consciously trying to improve – I will.

There is obviously some debate going around whether 10 000 hours is enough for everyone to reach mastery. And then we also have the relativity of what “mastery” really is. It’s difficult to get around the fact that some are just more genetically predisposed to become great athletes, musicians, or whatever, than others.

But if you have passion for something, consistently improving should be one thing you strive for, even if you can’t reach the lofty goals of your heroes. Advancing your skills is a lot of fun on its own!

It’s a funny thing about learning something new. Some won’t settle for less than those 10 000 hours while guys like Tim Ferriss are happy to learn it “well enough”, fast enough.

I like to learn new things too, but I’m not as obsessed as Ferriss, even though the guy is a genius in many respects. I tend to stick to the hobbies I have: writing, tennis and some recreational guitar-playing. If I can make small advancements here and there, I’m pretty happy. I have big dreams, but reaching them takes mountains of work and every small step counts.

Is the mountain 10 000 hours? I think that depends, but the number makes us understand the sacrifice and dedication it takes. It’s a reminder that few things in life are free and if you want something you have to work hard for it. And if you’re going to work that hard for something, you should make sure it’s something you really want and love. That’s the question we should ask ourselves: what do I love to do enough for me to reach 10 000 hours with a smile on my face.

I think that question might be better than asking yourself whether it has business potential or not. Because if you really like this thing and you get really, really good at it, then everything is possible.

Go and get your 10 000 hours (or whatever that number is for you) now!

PS.

Jeff Goins wrote a good post about what made Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps a true champ. Read it here.

DS.

Josh Rouse: The Happiness Waltz

When I stumble upon a good track that isn’t already known by millions, I feel the need to share it. Some artists deserve more fame than they get and one of them is Josh Rouse who consistently makes brilliant pop tunes and albums. His latest offering The Happiness Waltz is no exception. No, it’s probably one of his best.

Other good songs on The Happiness Waltz:

A Lot Like Magic by Josh Rouse



Start Up a Family by Josh Rouse

Everyday Psychopaths for Free?

Yes, the headline is right. Right now, I’m giving away my short story collection Everyday Psychopaths for free at Smashwords and Kobo.

The idea with giving away a book for free is obviously that you check out my other books, The Wake-Up Call and Hollywood Ass.

Right now, I’m slowly hacking away at my novelette Six Strings, but I’m not exactly moving at light speed, to be honest with you. But, writing a book is nothing that needs to be rushed, it’s my little self-indulgent hobby that I tinker with from time to time. You could say that I’m slowly learning to keep my giant expectations at bay.

However, I’m happy that the New York start-up Pubslush wrote a few words about me and my books in their blog.

I’m also honored to have had business guru Tom Peters buy The Wake-Up Call and tweet to me about it. He’s a person I respect very much. I shared the event on my facebook page like this: “Honored to have business author legend Tom Peters buy The Wake-Up Call today and then tweet to me about it. The only problem is that the importance of my own books are puny compared to his.”

That’s enough about what’s going on in my writing life. On a writing-related side note, I’m happy that Lenah is getting more and more writing gigs. It’s a big plus that we share the same passions in life and can urge each other on, not to mention proofread each other’s work!

Being an independent author or freelance writer can be pretty lonely, so it’s great to be able to tackle things more like a team.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to download a free book or tell your friends about it. My next post won’t be so much bragging/marketing-focused, I promise!

Vacation from Social Media

Today is my second day back at work from a three week vacation. But I didn’t only take a vacation from work, but also from Twitter, Facebook, and the web in general. I couldn’t completely ignore the computer though as I was working on my third novel/novelette, Six Strings, but I was strictly off the social “interwebs”.

And I didn’t miss it. Instead I did things like fishing, reading (preferably outside with a paper book), took walks, and spent some well-needed time with family = activities that didn’t influence my Klout score one bit. It felt good. No, it felt great.

I guess you need a reminder sometimes that the analog world can be pretty damn spectacular in its own right and that the constant stream of information you’re subjected to every day can be stressful. Get out of its way if you can for a while, see how it feels like. I don’t think you will miss it that much.

It might not be healthy if you do.

I’m not saying social media is bad in any way, because I’ve learned quite a bit from my interactions on Twitter and Facebook, but it does make me unfocused and jittery at times. Too many distractions, too many links.

I know this sounds totally cliché, but it’s easy to forget to pause your life for a bit and go on a information diet.

That’s what a proper vacation should be like, I think.

The Magic of Music: Jason Isbell

I love songs with honest and powerful lyrics that really tell a story. I got a recommendation from a friend of mine about a songwriter called Jason Isbell and I couldn’t help put post this great but sad song called Elephant. The lyrics are amazing.

She said Andy you’re better than your past,

winked at me and drained her glass,

cross-legged on the barstool, like nobody sits anymore.

She said Andy you’re taking me home,

but I knew she planned to sleep alone.

I’d carry her to bed and sweep up the hair from her floor

If I’d fucked her before she got sick

I’d never hear the end of it.

she don’t have the spirit for that now

We drink these drinks and laugh out loud,

bitch about the weekend crowd,

and try to ignore the elephant somehow…somehow.

She said Andy you crack me up,

Seagrams in a coffee cup,

sharecropper eyes and her hair almost all gone.

When she was drunk she made cancer jokes,

made up her own doctor’s notes,

surrounded by her family, I saw that she was dying alone.

I’d sing her classic country songs

and she’d get high and sing along.

She don’t have the voice to sing with me now.

We’d burn these joints in effegy,

cry about what we used to be,

and try to ignore the elephant somehow…somehow.

I buried her a thousand times,

given up my place in line,

but I don’t give a damn about that now

There’s one thing that’s real clear to me,

no one dies with dignity.

We just try to ignore the elephant somehow.

We just try to ignore the elephant somehow.

We just try to ignore the elephant somehow.

Somehow.

Somehow.

Isbell’s new album Southeastern is fantastic. I haven’t listened to much of his previous work, but the song Alabama Pines is also great.

Well, I moved into this room

If you could call it that, a week ago

I never do what I’m supposed to do

Hardly even know my name anymore

When no one calls it out, it kind of vanishes away

And I can’t get to sleep at night

The parking lot’s so loud and bright

The A/C hasn’t worked in twenty years

Probably never made a single person cold

But I can’t say the same for me, I’ve done it many times

Somebody take me home

Through those Alabama pines

You can’t drive through Talladega

On a weekend in October

Head up north to Jacksonville, cut around and over

Watch you’re speed in Boiling Springs

They ain’t got a thing to do, they’ll get you every time

Somebody take me home

Through those Alabama pines

Somebody take me home

Through those Alabama pines

If we pass through on a Sunday

Better make a stop at Wayne’s

It’s the only open liquor store north

And I can’t stand the pain of being by myself

Without a little help on a Sunday afternoon

Well, I needed that damn woman

Like a dream needs gasoline

And I tried to be some ancient kind of man

One that’s never seen the beauty in the world

But I tried to chase it down, tried to make the whole thing mine

Somebody take me home

Through those Alabama pines

Somebody take me home

Through those Alabama pines

I’ve been stuck here in this town

If you could call it that, a year or two

I never do what I’m supposed to do

I don’t even need a name anymore

When no one calls it out, it kind of vanishes away

No one gives a damn

About the things I give a damn about

The liberties that we can’t do without

Seem to disappear like ghosts in the air

When we don’t even care, it truly vanishes away

You cannot NOT love a verse like this:

And I can’t get to sleep at night

The parking lot’s so loud and bright

The A/C hasn’t worked in twenty years

Probably never made a single person cold

But I can’t say the same for me, I’ve done it many times

The Power of Patience

My twitter stream has been full of powerful advice lately. It’s in fact amazing how many smart and hard-working people there are on Twitter, let alone the world. It’s almost as if the competition to be seen and heard, which I guess is what we all want in some way or other, is overwhelming. But when you should rejoice in knowing that there are many brilliant people out there, that the planet is full of them, instead you feel deflated. A voice in your head goes: “Why should anyone listen to me? What do I have to offer?”

The world gets smaller and smaller and more connected, but sometimes that doesn’t make you feel bigger – it makes you realize the massive size of everything – the breathtaking number of people struggling and hustling to be the next big thing, the next big author, social media expert, inspiration, musician, or let’s use an even bigger word: phenomenon. The mindset is: you haven’t heard of me, but you will. It’s the voice of the WANT.

I’m fascinated by this constant WANTING and it’s something I think is a factor in all of my books in one way or the other. Probably because I struggle with this, how much I can want and how hard I should work for it and how much I should relax, enjoy life and take it easy. When you work hard for something you want gratification and you tend to want it rather quickly.

The key, writer Jeff Goins say, is to embrace the wait and really try to enjoy and savour the moments “in between”. He’s written a book about it (The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between the Now and the Next Big Thing) that seems very interesting and it’s definitely on my to-read-list.

It’s all about patience though, isn’t it? As soon as you’re bored these days you go on your mobile and hope to see a funny comment on Facebook, someone liking your latest Instagram or Pinterest pic, or an interesting link on Twitter. And if social media is not your thing, there are countless apps and games to keep you entertained and “un-bored”.

I’m not sure if this is what Goins talks about in The In-Between, but maybe it’s good to be bored sometimes? Maybe it’s good to just wait and think and be? Maybe it’s good to allow things to take time?

I thought about this a lot after reading this excellent post called Write Less, Say More on blogging. When you write a post it’s easy to feel the need to click publish as soon as you’re ready (or think you’re ready). The big, inviting publish button whispers: “Click me!” because you know you just can’t wait to get likes, shares and other forms of instant gratification. But if you hold the power of patience, you could let your writing rest and breathe and if you did that, the next day you’d probably see things slightly differently. You’d rethink and rewrite and in so doing improve the post and maybe also learn something extra in the process. This could end up transforming it into something that really gives you gratification. It could maybe even make it into something that really moves someone, that really lasts.

And if no-one ever reads or sees it, maybe that’s okay too? Maybe you wrote that post just for you?

Another Nice Review for Hollywood Ass.

I was very pleased to read a review on ChickLit Pad today for Hollywood Ass. Please read the full review here. Here’s an excerpt from the review:

With Jonas Eriksson’s Hollywood Ass, you don’t need to be reading any crap about Hollywood that isn’t Hollywood.

I was impressed. Highly. Language was fantastic. Humor was intact. Characters were breathtaking. And, Oh, Em, Geez- the facts. The facts were, uh, not fictional.

Nothing reeled me in about the blurb. But when I went in to the book, just the opening pages and Jonas has me as his new fan.

Not Chick-lit. But a closer sibling, lad-lit. And a very entertaining one…

So if you want an Insider info on Hollywood from an assistant’s perspective, sauntering on cobblestones of Rome lavishing it’s beautiful people, scenery and getting chased by paparazzi, you will be disappointed if you don’t pick Eriksson’s Hollywood Ass.

Thanks for that! Made my day.

Vacation Time Countdown

Man, I’m dying for a vacation. I’ve reached the point where the body moves, but the mind stays in its own little cocoon. Maybe it’s because it’s 200 degrees in Malta right now and you can’t sleep without the AC on or maybe it’s just because the last couple of weeks have been all about moving from the house we’ve stayed in three years now.

As most of you know, moving is a LOT of work and if you have a townhouse full of stuff there’s a lot of running up and down the stairs carrying heavy things. That plus all the stress of finding a new place along with not having had a vacation in a long time, has made me into some kind of zombie.

But as this Friday winds down into the weekend, there is only one week left before three (almost uninterrupted) weeks of leave starts. It will be a long last week at work, but heaven afterwards.

It’s when you reach this almost numb state that you realize that time is money and money is time. I’d like both please, but right now I need time more than anything.

Have a nice weekend everyone and make sure you rest and take care of yourself and your loved ones.

The Magic of Music – Ryan Adams

I realize I’m not unique in saying that I’ve always had a strong love for music. All kinds of music. It’s something that runs in my genes, I think. My father was a very serious listener who spent the bigger part of his salary on expensive stereo equipment and albums ranging from Metallica and Prodigy to big band jazz and my uncle has more CDs than most libraries (slight exaggeration, but he has a LOT of CDs!). Naturally, I got a wide variety of artists and styles to listen to early on.

Music is emotional and makes me emotional. Someone who’s extra brilliant at bringing out his emotions in his music is Ryan Adams (today was Ryan Adams day, tomorrow might be Kanye West, Bach or electronic beats day). Ryan is also an excellent storyteller as you can see in the lyrics below.

Just listen to The Hardest Part:

Pay my respect to the company store 

I ain’t got no money don’t want no more 

Pay my respects to the company boys now just move along 

I worked hard for every little bit I got 

And got lucky once on some advice 

Met a dark haired girl that the Mississippi moon 

Musta left by mistake one night 

In a hurry, Lord 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

The hardest part is loving 

Somebody that cares for you so much 

Promises don’t pay cash at the bank 

If they did I’m bidding your word 

They couldn’t pay me for the time that it took to write a check 

To buy a babydoll for my girl 

And I worked hard for every little bit I got 

The things I got are gonna stay 

And it’s been flooding so hard on them company mines 

That you know it’s gonna flood someday 

And you’re gonna miss someone 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

The hardest part is loving somebody that cares for you 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

The hardest part is working and I’ve worked enough 

I could stretch that penny like a silver line 

Rolling through the pages of my life 

Underneath your name where it’s underlined 

I’ve been turned around 

I’ve been mystified by a true love 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

Talkin’ bout a true love 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

And that ain’t the hardest part 

And that ain’t the hardest part

What a brilliant line that is: “The hardest part is loving somebody that cares for you.”

(Oh shit, I just realized this whole post is going to be about Ryan Adams, otherwise it’s going to be twenty digital pages long. Will have to make as series out of this – The Magic of Music)

Another great Ryan Adams song is New York, New York in it’s new piano suit. (The first was more upbeat guitar rhythm, but I think the song is actually better with a slow piano).

Well, I shuffled through the city on the 4th of July

I had a firecracker waiting to blow

Breakin’ like a rocket who was makin’ its way

To the cities of Mexico

Lived in an apartment out on Avenue A

I had a tar-hut on the corner of 10th

Had myself a lover who was finer than gold

But I’ve been broken up and busted up since

And love don’t play any games with me, anymore

Like she did before

The world won’t wait, so I better shake

That thing right out there through the door

Hell, I still love you, New York

Found myself a picture that would fit in the folds

Of my wallet and it stayed pretty good

Still amazed I didn’t lose it on the roof of the place

When I was drunk and I was thinking of you

Every day the children they were singing their tunes

Out on the streets and you could hear from inside

Used to take the subway up to Houston and 3rd

I would wait for you and I’d try to hide

And love won’t play any games with me, anymore

If you don’t want it to

The world won’t wait and I watched you shake

But honey, I don’t blame you

Hell, I still love you, New York

I remember Christmas in the blistering cold

In a church on the upper west side

Babe, I stood there singing, I was holding your arm

You were holding my trust like a child

Found a lot of trouble out on Avenue be

But I tried to keep the overhead low

Farewell to the city and the love of my life

At least we left before we had to go

And love won’t play any games with me, anymore

If you don’t want ‘em to

So we better shake this old thing out the door

I’ll always be thinkin’ of you

Paints a picture clear as a blue sky. Or does it? I think good lyrics paints the picture you want to. For you. This is what Ryan meant (from a Pitchfork interview).

…when I wrote the record Gold, I was trying to close a chapter in my life, on who I was, a relationship that I’d been very possessed by and obsessed with. I was trying to find a musical way of closing doors, so that new ones could open. But after that record, 9/11 happened. And then everybody looks back at that song– where I’m trying to say to this girl, whatever…

Pitchfork: “New York, New York”?

Adams: Yeah. Where we had a run, but OK, it didn’t work. And in some weird way that song was almost like that Bon Jovi song, you know (sings), “Better to have loved and lost…” Basically saying that same thing, but people attached this meaning to it. Recently somebody sent me a funny e-mail they’d gotten where this guy wrote, “It’s bad enough that this guy, like, totally calls himself Ryan Adams, so that he can get Bryan Adams’ fans, but like, he’s still playing that 9/11 anthem?” And I was like, that’s the best e-mail I’ve ever seen! But you know what I mean? That song, for some people, changed. It didn’t change for me.

Obviously people can relate to lyrics in different ways! And some are just stupid.

And there’s this one. Let It Ride.

Moving like the fog on the Cumberland River

I was leaving on the Delta Queen

And I wasn’t ready to go

I’m never ready to go

27 of nothing but failures and promises that I couldn’t keep

Oh lord, I wasn’t ready to go

I’m never ready to go

Let it ride

Let it ride easy down the road

Let it ride

Let it take away all of the darkness

Let it ride

Let it rock me in the arms of stranger’s angels until it brings me home

Let it ride

Let it roll

Let it go

Loaded like a sailor

Tumbling off a ferry boat

I was at the bar till three

Oh Lord, and I wasn’t ready to go

I’m never ready to go

Tennessee’s a brother to my sister Carolina where they’re gonna bury me

And I ain’t ready to go

I’m never ready to go

Let it ride let it ride easy down the road

Let it ride

Let it take away all of this darkness

Let it ride

Let it rock me in the arms of stranger’s angels until it brings me home

Let it ride

Let it roll

Let it go

I wanna see you tonight

Dancing in the endless moonlight

In the parking lot in the headlights of cars

Someplace on the moon

Where they moved the drive-in theater

Where I left the car that I can’t find but I still got the keys to

Let it ride

Let it ride easy down the road

Let it ride

Let it take away all of this darkness

Let it ride

Let it rock me in the arms of stranger’s angels until it brings me home

Let it ride

Let it roll

Let it go

Makes your heart bleed in some weird way.

Well, there are so many good Ryan Adams songs it’s ridiculous. And he will pick you up if you’re down. Every time.

That’s the magic of music, folks.