MC Wordsmith

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From dust to industrial revolution, my Word Factory has had a 18th century make-over over the last 5 years. Going from occasional creations, whenever the urge might strike me to daily multi-project management.

The fact that I update my website monthly and have so far managed to meet my deadlines for the past 2 years totally blows my mind.

Writing all these blog-style articles along with filming regular solo videos have ultimately forced me to grow and adapt to the self imposed pressure my workload routinely provides. With so much to do, my only option has been to work on many projects at once; and wherever possible, well in advance too.

I feel very lucky and grateful for the opportunity to press ahead and turn my life’s passion into a spiritually, not to mention financially fulfilling career. The money hasn’t arrived just yet but given that my drive and commitment to the cause is unyielding, I know it will eventually.

Crossing that threshold from aspiring writer to creative professional can’t come soon enough. Thankfully, as a direct result of taking a career break from my job at John Lewis, I will have the opportunity of a lifetime to throw everything I have at becoming the success I’m truly seeking for myself.

2020 will be all about approaching my dreams with little to no distractions. Not only will my vision be clearer than ever but also my timetable will become a priceless clean slate full of boundless possibilities.

I think MC Wordsmith has been spending too much time with Lifestyle Guru because now he’s gone all supermarket expert about Christmas. The pressure to buy presents for our loved ones plus our circle of friends at this time of year can be quite daunting and that’s before we start thinking about the expenses involved.

For many, the pressure can force them to spend more and more money just to be well thought of and well received. This is totally unnecessary because chances are whatever you buy will not have the desired effect.

Instead, I suggest a cunning strategy that will raise your stock amongst your friends and family without having to pay over the odds in doing so.

If it is the thought that counts then I suggest putting some thought into it. Making people personalised cards not only shows you’re willing to put the effort in but it also sets you apart from the zombie Xmas giving crowd.

Whatever creations you come up with, chances are once you get into it, the spirit of Christmas will start to flow through you. And if that isn’t enough to fill you full of cheer then at least you should have saved a packet in process.

The thinking behind this article is to reflect on the process that created it. With one space left across all my content for the year this was the last ‘Title’ to be finalised. Stumped as I was, I struggled to trigger the inspiration needed to satisfy the boss up stairs, El Ego. Thankfully he didn’t say no to this one and well; here we go.

Head first is surly the only approach you need. After all, ’They’ do say you should use it if you want to get ahead, in life, love and all things meaningful.

Unfortunately, the fountain of knowledge is not always ready to flow. Sometimes it simply doesn’t know where to begin, it too is in need of inspiration and this is precisely where you and your brain hurricane come in.

I suggest trust, patience and encouragement are the founding principles one needs to spark that illusive idea you might be desperate to believe in. In particular, trust and patience are needed with the self so as not to become stressed and frustrated as such outcomes will never help the process.

For me, perpetual encouragement is the final ingredient. This attitude pretty much guarantees your ability to inspire yourself with a range of tangents as well as the drive to keep striving until you have found that priceless solution.

As an ambitious writer I know that sometimes our eagerness can get the better of us. What is needed is a little perspective. If in the grand scheme of things you are steadily progressing then rest assured, your patience will certainly be rewarded in due course.

We all develop at our own rate. Ultimately, the speed at which we progress can be influenced by many factors. For this reason knowing which particular strategies and techniques work best for you can turn out to be priceless. This is why I’m urging all of you to take charge of your own development and rewrite the rule book of you.

Once you feel in control of your own fate, realising your ambitions becomes a matter of drive and desire. The hungrier you are the sooner you’ll eat, by this logic the more we want something the quicker we should be able to attain it.

Unfortunately, as of yet there is no fast dream dispensary. Instead we must cue up patiently behind ourselves, forever ready and willing to work hard and encourage, for as long as it takes.

Having moved back and forth from Spain at an early age, my schooling was very much a case of stopping and starting again and again.

I would go on to bounce between schools in England too. Somehow, I found myself at a boarding school in Surrey for year and half. The homesickness coupled with various other conflicts at the time, made it impossible for me to continue there.

Leaving the countryside behind I returned to inner city London once again. The trend continued, eventually leaving South Camden to attend a 6th form college in order to complete my GCSEs and A levels. A foundation degree would follow, however, it’s safe to say I didn’t complete any stage of schooling I entered, from Nursery all the way to University.

On reflection I wasn’t ready mentally for any of the learning that was on offer. It’s only once I left those stressful and frustrating surroundings that I actually began to enjoy learning at all.

By focusing on my personal interests life became awe-inspiring once again. I realised my attitude had been all wrong, knowledge isn’t just a power we all had to attain, it’s much more than that, it’s fun too.

Any and all potential is just that, potential. To unlock the possibilities that lay ahead of us, we must venture beyond the horizon of our perceived limitations.

Whatever we don’t know, can be learned. Understanding this basic principle should empower you with a confidence and assuredness that will hopefully propel you to realise your full potential.

I don’t know about you but I certainly wish I had developed a healthy thirst for knowledge earlier in life. Unfortunately, it seems such wisdom only comes with age and indeed only a select few seem to embrace it with the necessary attitude and desire to truly get ahead.

In the main, most of us just mosey along in first gear, tail-gating familiarity, staying in the safe lane, close to what we already know.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with the safe lane, it is safe after all. However, it cannot be ignored that a lifetime is simply not long enough to learn all that we may wish to understand. I truly hope this realisation will re-invigorate your thirst for knowledge, as you continue to expand on those fascinating horizons.

Whatever your ambitions in life are, in order to make them come true you will need to prepare adequately. By that I mean properly plan the necessary steps to success.

After crafting your initial plan, you can make a number of sub-lists that will break the total process in to manageable chunks. Taking this approach will enable you to agree with yourself that every single job on the list is more than doable.

Whatever it is we happen to be aiming at in life, be it a mountain top or a mansion, we must know our future is in safe hands since we can always reverse engineer our personal paths to glory.

My Everest is comprised of 4950 verses. Prior to committing myself to such a monumental task came the thought that I wanted to leave a legacy behind when I’m done, so on the back of that I naturally aimed high. Now I’m committed to a lifetime of steady progression, which incidentally is the real dream come true.

As far as the lifetime goal is concerned it is perhaps unachievable, only time will tell. However, it’s the journey that matters most and thankfully my long-term strategy enables me to go full steam ahead while still feeling like I’m living in the moment.

This is not a call to plaster yourself all over social media but instead to share your real self with the world around you. Feeling free and uninhibited is a blessing we should all experience.

The optimum approach, I suggest, is to cultivate the connections you already have as best you can. Look for that time you say you cannot find and try to do it all while remaining receptive to new perspectives along the way.

Sounds simple enough but like all things in life such intentions require effort. However, I wouldn’t call it work because the people we meet and even create along the way make our lives truly worth living.

Almost all experiences are greatly enhanced or utterly ruined by people. This is why it is wise to surround yourself with as many good ones as possible.

This title perfectly sums up the transformation needed to take my creative talents to the next level. Looking back to four years ago, my relationship with writing needed greater discipline and increased commitment. I aspired to work more but lacked the framework to work smarter and more frequently.

Thankfully, I subconsciously knew exactly what I needed to do. The solution was simple, complete a triathlon. I was confident, even then, that in meeting the challenge head on and conquering it I would have the power needed to take my will power to the next level.

The race was a huge success. I completed it. No mean feat given I had to contend with getting sick two days before the event meaning the cold/flu was at its worst on the morning of the race. I had frustratingly become ill after training in my wetsuit in the Serpentine lake at Hyde Park. Note to self; Don’t swim in duck shit again.

In the immediate aftermath of the race. The very next day in fact. I effectively copied and pasted the dedication and commitment needed to train for and complete my sprint triathlon. My outlook had change entirely, now there was no room for self-doubt of any kind as I had agreed with myself that this is the path I want to be on.

This is the point where my library became a factory going from part-time to overdrive as I worked on my collection of rhymes for the next 100 days in a row. This approach sowed the seeds of an ever increasing commitment to the cause. As ones’ dreams slowly become reality the mission is clearer than ever, keep going and never stop.