Category: Motivation

I’ve stopped making yearly plans?

Neera

Every January, I’d sit down and map out the big stuff:

I’ll write and publish 6 books this year.
Grow my newsletter to 5K subscribers.
Launch 3 courses and hit $X in revenue.

It looked impressive.

It felt productive.

But truth was, it rarely worked.

Life happened.
Priorities shifted.
Plans became irrelevant.

So, I changed my approach.

Now I plan in 3-month blocks.

Why?

Because I’ve noticed something about myself:
Every 3 months, I need a break.
A holiday.
A reset.

That’s my natural rhythm.

So whatever needs to get done,
I make sure it happens within those 90 days.

There’s urgency.
There’s clarity.
There’s flexibility

And there’s room to pivot when things are not working.

Three-month planning keeps me:
Grounded
Motivated
Moving

I still have a vision for the future.
But I move toward it in short, focused sprints.

If long-term planning has ever left you overwhelmed, stuck, or feeling behind…

Try a 90-day plan instead.

It might just change the way you work.
And how much you actually get done.

P.S. Do you plan yearly, monthly, or in short sprints like me?
I’d love to hear what works for you.

People often ask me: “How do you keep writing book after book?”

Neera

The truth? I don’t write books for the masses. I write for one person.

When I sit down to write, I picture a single reader:
– someone who’s stuck
– someone who wants to write
– someone who needs encouragement

And I write as if I’m sitting across the table, talking to them.

If one reader finishes my book and says, “This helped me take the next step,” that’s worth more than a thousand unread copies on shelves.

My proudest moment wasn’t when I saw my book on Amazon.
It was when a reader emailed me: “Your book gave me the courage to start my own.”

I don’t write to impress. I write to impact, one reader at a time.

How to serve others

Neera

Early in my entrepreneurial career, I heard a piece of advice that stuck with me like superglue.
Just one simple, elegant line, shared by a man named Larry Winget.
It went like this:

👉 “Find your uniqueness and exploit it in the service of others.”

That’s it. That’s the line.
And it’s the best personal branding advice I’ve ever received.
Let me tell you why.

Three years ago, I was a struggling writer.
An author-entrepreneur figuring it out on the go.

I had expertise, but no clear roadmap.
I wanted to help others, but didn’t know how to make it sustainable.
I wanted to build a business, but didn’t want to lose myself in the noise.

Then it hit me:
The person I was back then… is the person I now serve.

Most of us aren’t trying to build a brand.
We’re trying to be useful.
We want to help someone.

To make something easier for the next person.
To turn our scars into roadmaps.

The shortcut to be able to do that is:
To find the people who are in the same place you were three years ago.
Because you are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.

Not the person you admire.
Not the audience you think you should chase.
But the version of you from five, ten, or twenty years ago.

The one who felt lost.
Overwhelmed.
Unqualified.
Stuck.
Afraid.

You already know that person.
You know their struggles, their questions, and their Google search history.
You know what would’ve helped them most.

That’s your who.
And once you find your who, everything else starts to make sense.

And the truth I’ve learned is this:
👉 You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.

That’s your story.
That’s your brand.
That’s your business.

If you’re still in the messy middle, wondering if your journey matters, it does.
You’ve just got to turn around and reach for the hand of the person behind you.
I promise, they’re waiting.

You’re not late!

Neera

“What advice would you give someone hesitant to start because they feel ‘too late’”?
Someone asked me the other day.

“What advice are you looking for?” Was my response.

A guarantee that it isn’t too late?
A sign from the universe that this is the right time?
A permission slip saying go ahead and everything will be okay?

Here it is: “You’re not too late.”
But here’s the twist, you won’t know that until you start.

So start. Start whatever you want.
Start messy, scared, unsure.
But start.

Then make yourself a deal:
“I’ll give this 6 months.” Or a year.
Whatever feels right.
Not 6 days. Not 6 hours.
Commit.

And during that time, don’t obsess over the outcome.
Don’t check if it’s working every five minutes.
Just show up.
Write the damn book.

Worst case? You’ll grow.
Best case? You’ll be holding the thing you once thought was impossible.

It’s never too late.
It’s just waiting for you to begin.

Rule of 70/20/10

Neera

A little while ago, I watched the IP Man movie series,
and it has stayed with me ever since.

The series follows Yip Man, a legendary martial arts teacher.
Among his many students, the most famous was Bruce Lee.

What struck me about the Ip Man movies was the lack of fight scenes.
Instead, we see Yip Man spending time with his family, having tea, meeting friends, and navigating everyday struggles.

Politics, war, and philosophy play their roles, but one thing remains constant—Yip Man practicing his craft.

The biggest lesson from the series?
Don’t fight when it doesn’t matter. Save your energy for the battles that truly count.

The opposite of important work isn’t busywork—it’s rest.

“It’s very easy to spend a decade being incredibly busy and stressed every day, feeling like you’re working incredibly hard, and creating a ton of movement—but not moving forward.” — Sam Altman

Hidden within the Ip Man series is the Rule of 70/20/10:

🔹 70% rest
🔹 20% training
🔹 10% fighting

We, too, can apply this rule to our writing lives.

Are you spending all your time fighting battles that don’t matter?
Or are you reserving your energy for the moments that truly count?

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Slow down!

Neera

There is no rush.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Last year, I made a deliberate decision to slow down.

Not just in one or two areas, but in everything I do—writing, exercising, cooking, crafting, even tidying up. I let go of the rush, the multitasking, and the constant sense of urgency that life often demands.

The result? I’m enjoying work and life so much more.

Surprisingly, I haven’t achieved less by slowing down.

In fact, I’ve noticed that I get the same amount of work done, often in the same amount of time.

The difference is in how I approach it.

When we slow down, we don’t do less, we simply do things differently.

We become more intentional, more aware, and more present in the moment.

Writing feels like an act of creativity instead of a task to complete.

Cooking turns into a mindful ritual rather than a chore.

Even the simplest tasks, like folding laundry or watering plants, become opportunities to connect with ourselves and the world around us.

Slowing down doesn’t mean stopping.

It means moving through life with awareness and purpose, savoring the moments instead of racing through them. And that awareness brings something we all crave: joy and satisfaction.

So, if life feels like it’s moving too fast, try this:

Slow down.
Breathe.
Be present.

You might just find that the slower pace leads to a richer, fuller life.

What’s one thing you’ll slow down on today?