Courage is a theme that seems a lot of us have been talking about lately. For many people, the last couple of years have been a time when they’ve had to bolster their courage in the midst of many changes. I can’t remember a single two years in my lifetime where so many things have felt uprooted and tenuous in the world as a whole.

But with change comes the need for courage. This is as true for writers as anyone else. We don’t necessarily think of what we do as courageous. On the surface, it appears pretty safe and secure. But putting yourself out into the world through your words, or all the things required to do that like starting a business or striking out on your own by leaving a job, absolutely require courage.

One of the hardest parts of change, and one of the areas that requires the most courage, is the need to let go of things as we figure out who we are. You can’t become more successful or become a better writer by staying the same. In fact, the very definition of change and progress means to become something different than what you already are.

The hard reality of success means that you have to let some things go. So, on today’s episode, I want to share three areas where we need to learn to let go in order to be more successful as writers. I don’t want to give the impression that I have all this figured out, because I surely don’t! These are lessons I’m learning right now, sometimes very painfully.

1.) If we’re going to be more successful… we have to let go of some books.

Yes, you heard that correctly. What? A writer let go of books? That’s crazy, right?

A few months ago, I left my full-time job as a college professor in order to be a full-time ghostwriter, as well as run my Daily Writer membership community. However, I’m still an adjunct professor there, so I didn’t feel an urgency to clean out my office.

However, I recently spent a couple of hours going through hundreds of books I still had in my office. My intent was to give the vast majority of the books away to other professors and students. And then what was left, I’d donate to our school library.

I only kept a couple dozen of these books. But why give all those books away when I had invested thousands of dollars in them over the last 15-20 years? The reason is because those books were helpful for a certain period in my life, but they’re no longer helpful on my future journey. You can’t make room for new ideas or new blessings in your life if you keep on hanging onto things that no longer serve your vision.

Some of these books were ones I had used as textbooks for classes. Others were reference books related to worship, arts, film, sound systems, theology and ministry… all areas where I used to teach. But I’m no longer teaching those courses, so there is no need to keep them.

Writers have a hard time getting rid of books. After all, we have immense respect for books and what they can do for your life! But when you pass along those books to someone who can benefit from them, you not only free up space in your office or home, you also bless someone else. In fact, you are doing a disservice to a book if you hang onto it after it’s no longer relevant to your life. A book WANTS to bless others, so the best thing you can do is pass it along. It’s not meant to be a collector’s item—it’s meant to change people. So, give your books a chance to do that if you no longer need them.

2.) If we’re going to be successful… we have to let go of some expectations.

Writers, by definition, tend to be an introverted group of people who don’t like change. Most of us like systems, predictability, and routine. We prefer sitting in a room alone for hours in front of a computer screen instead of being in groups of people. Which is all well and good.

The downside of the typical writer personality is that we have a hard time with change and risk. But you have to remember that nothing is certain. There are no guarantees, either when you have a writing business where you are serving clients, or whether you are writing and launching your own books or other content.

There is more change and disruption happening in the world today than probably at any point in human history. All bets are off. Every industry is undergoing massive change because of technology. But instead of seeing this as a threat, it’s a great thing because it means we get to build the kind of business and life we want.

It also means we need to let go of our preconceived notions about what to expect. We have to roll with the punches, be nimble, and be able to change and grow and take advantage of new opportunities. This means that your long-term goals are important, but your short-term strategies may need to be reconsidered.

It’s like Charles Dickens says at the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” But you get to choose which one it will be for you, and it begins by letting go of expectations, having fun, and being willing to adapt and grow.

3.) If we’re going to be successful… we have to let go of some relationships.

This is probably the hardest one to swallow. Why? Because most of us don’t like conflict and we don’t like to feel we are leaving others behind. But the cold, hard truth is that the circle of relationships where you are now, is not the same circle that will take you where you want to be. This fact alone stops a lot of people from growing because they are not willing to make tough changes.

You’ve probably heard about what happens in a crab basket. When you put a bunch of crabs in a basket, and one tries to crawl out, the others pull him back in. Most social circles work the same way. Whenever you try to grow or improve, the people around you who don’t want to grow will try to discourage you. They may not do so directly, but they will express doubt that your plans or dreams are realistic. People will try to keep you in the crab basket of mediocrity in all kinds of ways.

Once I had been teaching college for 12-13 years, I knew there was something more I wanted. I didn’t want to do that job forever because the context of our tiny college was very limiting. We had a small number of students, my salary was very limited, there was no potential for it ever increasing, and most of the people I was spending time with had no intentions of building a business. Nothing wrong with that at all, and they were wonderful people. They still are. But I knew that if I wanted to build a business, I had to start spending time around people who thought and dreamed bigger, and who were doing the kinds of things I wanted to do.

So, I started getting involved in mastermind groups and communities. I started taking courses and investing in myself. I started doing freelance work. I started podcasting and writing my own books. Most of the people in my day job didn’t know what to think of this because it wasn’t in their DNA to build something of their own.

I’m not talking about denying the value that some people have had in your journey. You can be grateful for a season or a phase in your life and recognize its value, while at the same time also understanding that you need to have a different focus moving forward. The two things are not mutually exclusive.

Life is a journey, and if you’re not willing to let go of some things, you won’t have room in your heart and mind for the people and things that you need to carry with you going forward. I hope you will give some thought to these three areas where you need to do some pruning.

As always, let me know if I can help in any way.