What is your dream worth?

It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to do the things needed to achieve it. Every dream, including your dream of publication, comes at a cost. That cost will be different for every dream and every dreamer, but there are some common realities to all of them, perhaps the most important being that it is possible to pay too much for your dream.

To avoid paying too much, you must first identify what your dream is worth and measure the likely costs of achieving it.

So, what is your dream worth? Unfortunately, only you can determine the answer to that question. And you must answer that question before you can answer the bigger cost question of “Are you willing to pay the price for your dream?” To help you evaluate the value of your dream, let’s explore how to measure the costs of pursuing a dream.

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: January 15, 2021

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said, “A man’s mind, stretched by new ideas, may never return to its original dimensions.” As textbook and academic authors, our writing should not only stretch our minds, but the minds of our readers.

In this week’s collection of articles from around the web, we explore what it means to write an academic argument, practical advice for conducting research, and differences in editing processes.

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What if you had no limitations?

The first step to conquering your dream of publication is owning that dream. But most people don’t fully commit to their dreams. They accept a level of success within their comfort zone, “dream” of bigger, but crush that dream with a multitude of self-imposed limitations.

In his book, Put Your Dream to the Test, Dr. John C. Maxwell outlines 10 questions to help you see and seize your dreams – the first being the question of ownership. In order to own your dream, you must first be sure it is your dream and not the dream someone else has for you, then commit to that dream in a way that assumes no limits to your potential for success.

But how can you take ownership of your dream in a way that assumes you couldn’t fail? Here’s a five-part method for doing just that.

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Using a writing matrix to maintain academic productivity

In their recent TAA webinar, “Writing a Dissertation and Beyond: Tips & Tools for Launching and Maintaining Your Academic Writing Productivity“, presenters Danielle Feeney and Margarita Huerta discuss research-based, practical tools and tips that have helped them successfully complete dissertations and launch productive academic careers. Among the tips and tools shared during their presentation was the use of a writing matrix.

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: January 8, 2021

What goals have you set for yourself in the past week? It’s the New Year, the time of resolutions and planning, so I know you have set them – even if you have creatively named them something else because “you don’t set resolutions”. As you define your goals, whether for the new year or simply for the new day as you continue to grow and develop as a writer, I encourage you to consider the words of Ted Turner who said, “You should set goals beyond your reach so you always have something to live for.”

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Put your dream of publication to the test

In his book, Put Your Dream to the Test, Dr. John C. Maxwell says, “Dreams are valuable commodities. They propel us forward. They give us energy. They make us enthusiastic. Everyone ought to have a dream.”

What is your dream? Do you have a dream of publishing a book or article, but don’t know where to start? Have you started, but lose momentum? Have you lost hope and set your dream aside?

Maxwell adds, “It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to do the things needed to achieve it.” To put your dream to the test, he outlines the following list of 10 questions to help you recognize your dream and seize it.

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