Although I am Scottish, I adore all things NFL. I'm watching one of the "afternoon" games as I type (I say afternoon, they start at 9:25 pm my time - also yes, I'm writing this on Sunday). I support two teams, one from the NFC and one from the AFC. I don't need you to tell me I can't do that, because who says?
I started watching American Football in 2016. I knew nothing about the game, I had a vague recollection that the Miami Dolphins were a team, but apart from that. Nothing. I decided - on impulse - that my office was going to take part in a mini-league, and I would "run" it. There were four of us, and none of us knew anything about the game, apart from some team names, like Chicago Bears, NY Giants, and the aforementioned Dolphins.
There are 32 teams in the NFL, so two of us talked our partners into playing too. That made 6 of us. Did I mention there were 32 teams? We each picked a team from the NFC and the AFC to make the mini-league worth it - after all, 12 out of 32 isn't so sad looking 😂
And I haven't looked back since. That first week, I won't lie, I had no idea why a 60-minute game took the better part of 3 hours and I dreaded going to work on Monday to tell my workmates I would never last 17 weeks of the regular season, never mind the whole season!
So instead of confessing I may have messed up, I sucked it up. I watched the second Sunday of football and something happened. An obsession was born, and 7 (yes, seven) years later, I don't miss a Sunday of football (or TNF or MNF and don't get my other half started on the essential Christmas Day viewing). Alas, it's not all been rosy. I just watched my two teams end a miserable season for them both. One finished last in position no.32 and the other isn't far above them.
Hence the "double downer" title of today's post.
The point of this story? I very much approached authoring the same way. I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped in with both feet and have spent a few years throwing anything at the wall and seeing what stuck.
I have had years where I felt like I finished last in my league. I've had years where I felt like I was "middle of the pack" - but I have yet to achieve a year where I felt like a "top ten" achiever.
Will 2024 be my year? I have a better focus on what works for me, and what doesn't. I know I want a better reach, hence the "let's do blog posts on your website, Eve" idea.
I know I want to write books that I read and that there is a demand for.
I know I want to master the art of marketing.
I know it takes time. It's a marathon folks, not a race.
But like September every year in the NFL, they start with a clean slate. It's anyone's Superbowl to win in September.
So, in January 2024, this is my year to win - and if I don't? It's the second week of January, there's no room for that kind of negativity in this blog 😉
I'm focusing on my new PNR series which I have opted to bring forward a month for release, more on that later. I have a fabulous idea for Ava Speirs next series, which I have spent time on this weekend, and last night while watching the Steelers v Ravens, I wrote the first half of a chapter for a book coming later in the year.
2024 may be my year...I hope you stick around to see how I do!
Til next week, reader.
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