Elliot Kessler

Yesterday, I had quite a few thoughts to share with you, explaining how I felt I wasn’t making any progress and I was frustrated with myself for it. Today, however, I am feeling much better about my writing, and I think it mostly comes down to one thing: I started my day off right.

Yesterday, when I woke up, I plopped down on the couch, started drinking my coffee, and began scrolling through Instagram, looking at all the people who have it better than I do, who have already published multiple novels, giving “wise” advice that essentially boils down to “The key to success is success.” Very helpful, I know. I thought so too. That was probably the worst way to start my morning as an aspiring author, because then, as I wrote and worked on my own projects, I thought of the success that people my age already have in the writing field, having published a handful of novels already, and I thought to myself, “What’s the point of this? If I’m not already successful in what I’m doing, will I ever be?” This line of thinking was, of course, complete nonsense because I’m 18 years old, and I have plenty of time to work hard and become a successful writer. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

See, this morning, I started my day off differently. I began by, of course, still getting that cup of coffee, but instead of scrolling through Instagram, looking at all the other, more successful indie authors, I picked up a book and began to read. After reading for a while, I then started a new sci-fi show called “The Orville,” which I had not seen before, and I’m not sure whether it’s parodying “Star Trek” or inspired by “Galaxy Quest.” But, I did enjoy the show very much, and I had a few good laughs along the way. After setting my phone down to take a shower and get ready for the day, I began to feel very inspired. I was ready to work on my own stories, say things I want to say, and tell tales only I can tell.

I cannot remember where I heard it, but I heard someone say that to be successful at anything, first you have to make your bed. That might sound like a stupid thing your mom would say to get you to make your bed, but he continued, explaining his reasoning. He said that the feeling of accomplishing something, no matter how small, would fuel you for the rest of your day. Finishing a job first thing in the morning and taking pride in your work gives a boost of dopamine (the “happy hormone”), and you feel motivated to feel like that again. Because of that motivation, you get inspired to work hard the rest of your day. So, this morning, I made my bed, and it has worked thus far. I mean, I’m writing this article, aren’t I?

So, if you plan to be successful in anything, remember to make your bed and stay off Instagram (or whatever other social media you use, unless you’re building your audience as a writer. But if you’re just mindlessly scrolling through social media, then save that for when you’re at the end of the day and you’re tired and you’re ready to die). Thank you for reading! Have a great day.