Think Big or Don't Think At All

I am a believer in dreaming, both simple, innocent daydreams wherever you are (so long as it's not driving of course) but also of dreaming in terms of our goals in life.

If I come up with a plan for something, then I think of it on a big scale… ultimately… and I am glad I do. We are always too eager to place limitations on ourselves because we feel that to overestimate out potential or our idea is foolish, that we are being stupid by thinking on such grand scales.

There have been countless articles, books and even movies made all trying to make the same point I wish to raise here. The only limitation we really face in life is that which we impose on ourselves, a psychological cap on our achievements, and generally if you place a limitation on something, the end result still doesn't reach it because you always want to hold something back, leave some room of manoeuver.

Remove the ceiling and you have all the room you could ever need.

I think big, with all my plans and encourage you all to do the same, even if they are plans you are making just for fun on a rainy afternoon. Give it a try, you will feel great, free even.

As you all know, I am running an offer on my collection The Musings of  a Hideous Mind whereby I am donating 50% of all sales directly to the Japan relief effort, and this got me thinking (big) once again.

My goal in life is, as no doubt is the goal of all Indie writers, that big six figure advance, but recently I have been taking that thought beyond an advance, beyond the boundary of personal gain. I love writing, but money is not a big thing to me. Sure I don't have enough of it with my current job to give my family the life I want them to have, but I do not want to be someone with more money in the bank than they could spend. If I can have a nice house afford a vacation fo two each year then that's enough for me.

This is why my new plan has extended far beyond the limitations I would have imposed on myself had I not allowed myself the freedom of thinking large. I want to sell 1 million books (yes 1 million) and donate 50% of all of sales from both books and all other income surrounding them to charity. (I would spread this over several charities, maybe a different one per book) and that just a start, I can feel the mental space above my ideas, and would love to expand them even further, but first things first…. 1 million books.