Honour Roll: 10 things I am proud of

First let me make clear there is nothing humble or braggy about listing or not listing your accomplishments and blessings. You do the work and you expect to see results, anything else would be madness, wouldn’t it? Learning to accept what doesn’t work is our eternal challenge as humans, but certain philosophical influences claim one also should not even enjoy and celebrate in excess when things go well.

I say fuck it. If you got it, shake!

1.       I’m proud of having written and published 38 books as N.J. Lysk, some of them humongous, some of them tiny, but all of them from my very soul.

2.       I’m proud of having turned writing into a livelihood while writing whatever I want. At first, I thought sensible people had to do a bit on the side…

3.       But I’m proud that I realised I have my own areas of strength (like being multilingual and using my understanding of languages to find good translating teams) and can use those to advance and expand as an author.

4.       I’m proud of having moved so many readers to write to me. I’m also proud of the ones that loved it quietly, or hated it quietly because it made them realise something about themselves they had been too afraid to face.

5.       I’m proud of having made money doing something I love, something I am. I probably shouldn’t need to be told, but when I show you my soul and you grab for it? It’s magical on multiple levels. Thank you for giving me the fruits of your own energy, it buys delicious coffee, yes, but it also tells me you get me, and that’s invaluable.

6.       I’m proud of having found such good contractors for translations into multiple languages, and also great audiobook narrators. It wasn’t easy, but I was methodical and I am proud of all my work in its many forms.

7.       I’m proud of having prioritised my writing above all else. For me, it was a magic beyond understanding but I have come to realise that if I write, then my day is better no matter what.

8.       I’m proud of my beautiful covers, particularly the ones I directed a cover artist to design for me (and yeah, I’m proud I’m picky about beauty, because it matters and it deserves that we care).

9.       I’m proud of my website shop, which is VERY far from perfect, but I set it up on my own without any previous knowledge and it does what it sells in the tin: letting you buy directly from me and get extra spicy taboo I wouldn’t put elsewhere.

10.  I’m proud I ran several Kickstarters very early on. They all funded, which means they were a success, and if bunny!me wanted a million dollars, well, we admire her for the ambition! Maybe that will teach me to delegate more.

Do you have a list of accomplishments you are proud of? Please share in the comments, including any hard work you put in to get it done!