E.A. Brady

This probably doesn’t look like much more than an empty sticker sheet that needs to be tossed in the trash. That’s because it is an empty sticker sheet that needs to be tossed in the trash.

But it’s also more than that. A lot more.

This is a visual representation of times I actively worked toward pulling words out of my brain and putting them on paper/screen.

This is a visual representation of times I picked up a book or took an online class on craft or on the business side of being a writer.

This is a visual representation of hitting Send on the first newsletter I’d ever written.

So, more than being an empty sticker sheet, this is a visual representation of 100 small steps toward my goal of becoming a published author.

The funny thing is – the motivational part of the exercise of putting stickers on my calendar was supposed to be the stickers themselves. The theory is that once you start putting stickers on the squares (or the Seinfeld-inspired chain of red Xs) you will train your brain to want that little dopamine hit when you do it the next day. And the next day. And the next day.

I love putting my stickers on my calendar – laugh if you will, but it works to get my butt in the chair to get work done. What I wasn’t prepared for was the huge dopamine hit when I removed the empty sticker sheet from my day planner to replace it with a new one.

The new sheet is full of possibilities and excitement of what’s to come.

But the old, used up, empty one? That was full of successes and effort and hard work. And best of all? It was full of a surprisingly deep sense of satisfaction.

Satisfaction at the time I’ve invested in myself and my work and even my business. (Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that being a writer is actually being a small business owner. Kinda diggin’ that, though!)

Here’s to the next hundred small steps and the hundred after that and the hundred after that!