Let’s start here.
paying lip service (phrase of lip): “express approval of our support for (something) without taking any significant action.” (Oxford Languages Dictionary).
Thank you, Oxford.
A sister phrase is put your money where your mouth is.
Oxford defines this as “take action to support one’s statements or opinions.”
While we could spend time going down the rabbit hole of trying to understand why both of these expressions which have to do with commitment refer to one’s mouth or lips, that’s not the point of this post.
Instead, it’s a call to arms. (Oh hey, another body part.)
I want you to confront yourself on why you keep talking about writing your memoir (or some other book you’ve been thinking about) but never take any action.
That’s paying lip service to your memoir.
You keep talking about writing a book “someday” but you don’t take any action.
There are a lot of things in our lives that we spend time paying lip service to (think every New Year’s resolution), but never follow-through on.
Now don’t go beating yourself up or shaming yourself because you didn’t want it (whatever ‘it’ is) badly enough.
I don’t think a lack of want or desire has anything to do with paying lip service to your goals, hopes, or dreams.
I think it has to do with a commitment; meaning knowing your purpose + creating an intentional plan + taking aligned action + establishing accountability.
So I don’t think you're not writing your book because you don’t really want it badly enough.
I think you want it and maybe even know why (purpose) but don’t have a plan and therefore aren’t taking aligned action or establishing accountability.
I mean, does this sound like you…
- You’re so overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you could write about that you don’t know how to filter it down and therefore you do nothing
- You’re so focused on the fact you’ve never written a book before that you think it’s impossible and therefore you do nothing
- You’re so worried about who you’ll piss off, who’s still alive, and whether you’ll be sued, you do nothing
- You’re so scared about what this will drudge up if you go for it, you do nothing
- You’re so convinced that nobody gives a fuck what you have to say, or will discredit you, or not think it’s relevant, you do nothing
These are likely contributing factors to why you’re paying lip service to your memoir.
The thing is, no matter how you slice it, your memoir won’t write itself.
You have to put your money where your mouth is, my friend.
You’ve got to commit to doing this thang.
So will you?
Are you ready to dive in to understand your purpose, create your intentional plan, take aligned action, and establish accountability?
The world wants to hear what you have to say.
Not everyone knows how to create their own plan for writing their book, knows what taking aligned action looks like, or how to establish the accountability they need to get their book done…
But if you’re ready to be guided and…
You’re an awesome human being feeling called to get your book out there, and now is the time AND …
You know that whatever you write is going to take a shitload of vulnerability and you're ready to put it out there by working on it in a safe space AND …
You've done some personal healing work that allows you to talk about your book without making it a therapy sesh AND…
You're looking to receive support that helps you take aligned and intentional action toward the next steps on your book writing journey that feel realistic and empowering
AND…
You're ready to invest time, money, and energy rather than just giving your idea lip service…
Then PUHLEASE, sign up for a Coffee & Craft call with me so we can talk about how I can support you.