Episode 42: Meg Cowley and Setting Realistic Expectations
Writer Mom Life Episode 42: Meg Cowley and Setting Realistic Expectations
A full-time indie author before she had her first baby, Meg Cowley walks us through that transition, along with some amazing insights on goal-setting, time-management and mindset.
(There is a bit of discussion related to difficult pregnancies, birth experiences, and loss, so if it is hard for you to hear about such things, then feel free to skip the last few minutes.)
Things Daphne and Meg talk about:
- Why her writing goals timeline is long-term rather than short-term
- How having a baby changes things in ways you don’t expect and discussion on what moms actually sacrifice when those kids come along!
- How your priorities change once you become a mom
- How she adjusted from being a full-time author before the baby to being a full-time author after the baby
- How she organizes her limited daily working hours and how she balances writing and marketing (hint: her wall is covered in CHARTS!)
- How she decides what her top priorities are
- What she views as the most important basic fundamentals of having a profitable writing career (hint: it’s not that complicated!)
- How she grew her mailing list from 100 to 10,000 in one year
- How the media’s portrayal of new moms can really set unrealistic expectations and how adjusting to the real reality of motherhood can be difficult
- How she managed to recover emotionally and mentally after an ectopic pregnancy and a traumatic birth experience
- What she learned about herself from becoming a new mom and how she handled the big adjustment
- Her sources of support and help!
Setting Expectations
One thing Meg mentions is that it took her a few years to figure out what she can actually do with the time she has to work. This wasn’t just an issue that arose once she had a baby; it’s something everyone needs to figure out no matter their situation in life.
You can’t set proper expectations unless you know what you can actually do. Aligning the two – what you want to do and what you can do – is the best way to avoid frustration and disappointment.
There’s a lot of talk about goal setting in the indie author and entrepreneurial space. But how do you even set goals if you’ve never done something before?
It’s all about balance. Find someone who is doing what you want to do as an example, then analyze your own time and energy levels. This will help you set realistic expectations for what goals are actually possible.
One way to be sure you have expectations that are realistic for writer moms is to connect with others! On Instagram this month we’re running a challenge #MeetWriterMoms so that you can find your people and get the feedback and support you need to reach your goals, whatever they are!
