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Before I jump in, let me clarify: I think that there are ways to “strike it big” in life, and not have to worry about anything afterwards. Winning the lottery used to be enough–but with the value of a dollar plummeting, taxes, and inflation, chances are it won’t cause anything more than an extended shopping spree and a false sense of security.

I believe that there are some things out there that will help–landing a secure, super-high-paying job, or starring in a Harry Potter-length series of blockbuster smash hits might be two of them, but even then–there aren’t any guarantees.

But for the rest of us mere mortals, we’ve got to figure it out on our own: we’ve got to provide for our lives at least, and if we’ve got families, that many more people. We have to sock enough away to be able to retire one day, or at least create an opportunity that will continue to pay dividends well into the future.

So what are you doing?

How are you preparing for your future? I used to think, when I was a kid, that I’d somehow stumble upon the way to make it big: strike it rich, become a country singer (yeah, for real!), or otherwise be famous enough that people would just throw money at me.

I’m older now.

It’s not that easy. Even if my first novel somehow takes off and makes it onto bestseller lists, into book clubs, and Oprah, it just won’t be enough.

Sure, I’ll have my “fifteen minutes of fame,” but then it’ll be over. Will there be a book deal? What about a second book deal? And a third?

How many books and book deals and book sales does it take to be financially successful? What about even solvent?

These are things writers worry about. But no matter what industry you’re in, you need to be thinking about your goals; your dreams that could launch you into superstardom, and if there’s a chance that that dream, fulfilled, will be enough.

At church, we’re studying what it means to be Enough, and usually everything we have in life simply isn’t (enough).

So again, I ask you: “What are you doing after?“

After the book deal, after the wave of publicity, the awesome, thrilling Tweets from people you admire, after it’s all over?

For me, it’s to get my head back down, forget about it, and start all over again.

Starting Over

While my book hasn’t even launched, I’m anticipating at least a little bit of traction from it, due my prior knowledge in marketing, promotion, and social media. But I’m also anticipating the end of that small bit of attention, and I want to be prepared:

• I want to capture any “fans” by turning them into repeat customers (readers), advocates, and friends.
• I want to have something ”next” to give them–in this case, another book (or the promise of another one).
• I want to thank them in a prepared, thoughtful way, not a “AGGHHH!!! I’m soooo busy but THANKS!” sort of way.
• I want to continue the small successes, until they “snowball” into something real; something long-term.

Starting over doesn’t mean forgetting about or ignoring what’s happened–quite the opposite, actually. It means that I’m going to acknowledge those who helped along the way by thanking them with my time, my help, and if possible–my wallet. It means focusing on the people who helped make any success possible. And mostly, it means not pretending to have “made it.”

How to Start Over

Maybe you’re in the same boat as me–you’ve done something worthy of mention, somewhere, and you know it’s going to be wild, crazy, fun, and ultimately not quite enough. You want to follow it up with another Pixar-worthy win, but you don’t want to lose traction. Here’s the plan:

1. Plan a period of “down time.” This is down timeafter you’ve partied, celebrated, and basked in your brief glory–the next period time should be devoted to thanking, praying, planning, whatever–not working on the next thing.
2. Prepare the route you’ll take to thank everyone involved. Will it be through emails? Write it out as a form email–chances are there is more than one person you’ll be thanking this way, and you can still personalize each one.
3. Plan the next “thing.” Hopefully, this point is not the first time you’ve thought about what’s next for you–if your successful “thing” was a book, do you have another one? This is the point where you’ll plan on the juggling of both your current success and getting ready to ship your second (or third, or fourth…).
4. Write it down. My goals have a way of not getting done, unless they’re explicitly and purposefully tracked, written down, and organized. Use whatever method works for you, but don’t leave this part out.
5. Do it. I read a cool post last week about “doing” stuff. Basically, the point is: successful people don’t necessarily finish the most things, but they probably start the most. Start your next thing–if you don’t, it’s never going to get done!

Going “back to the drawing board” is good because you don’t get starstruck too soon–you’re focused on churning out good stuff; “shipping” what you’ve created. Stay focused on shipping and creating and tweaking and following it up with more creating and shipping, and–before you know it–you’ve “made it.”

It’s not the old world of “get discovered, never work another day in your life” anymore. Now it’s “create, ship, create, ship, have a little success, create, ship, have more success, create, ship…” and on and on, until you’ve achieved your very own definition of success. Don’t stop until you’re dead–you can’t, and you won’t want to anyway, if it’s something you love!