January 5, 2003
Had a good day cleaning and organizing. Kathy got me lined out in a dead file cabinet. I threw away many folders full of financial and freelance stuff, most of which was from 1994. Found some good stuff, found some embarrassing stuff (mostly letters where I was trying to be funny and I wasn’t—hey, kind of like right here!).

The Barros called and said they’d take our final hen, but I ultimately decided I’d give her the last days in a place she is used to. I’ve seen too many times how chickens don’t take well to newcomers, pecking their eyes out, etc. So, in spite of the nightly visits by the javelina biker gang, which must be terrifying to her with ten of them crowding in through the broken screen and rutting around in her house, I think I’ll let her live out her life in familiar surroundings.

We have done 30 issues of True West since we bought the magazine three years ago. This doesn’t count the three Old West Journals, or the NOLA book we also published. Each issue has been almost the equivalent of putting out one of my books and the only difference is now I’m doing it ten times a year, instead of once a year. I have fallen behind on the books, but I’ve also gained invaluable material to use when I do my books on Hickok., Jesse James, the Daltons, Custer, Wild Women and Geronimo. And there is certainly potential in doing a Classic Gunfights book and I also think my Cole Younger book will do well (at least as a movie vehicle). Same for my other projects. Will 2003 be the year I break out? I want it to be. What will I do differently this year to make it happen? Remember: insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

What stops me from being successful? Fear, laziness, procrastination. Not wanting to leave my comfort zone. That’s it. How do I battle that? I have a plan and I’ll lay it out this week.

“Successful people are very lucky. Just ask any failure.”
—Michael Levine