Each January, for the past four years, I've written a list of goals of what I wanted to achieve with my writing.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that "Get Published!" would sit at Number One--lovingly written in my neatest handwriting.
Actually, I never wrote down "Get Published". Wanting to be published was a given for me. But wanting doesn't get without an awful lot of hard work and a healthy pinch of luck. I couldn't control the luck, but I could control the hard work. For me, writing down "Get Published" was too amorphous. I needed to focus on the hard work and form smaller goals that would lead me to publication.
Luckily, I have a particular proclivity for writing lists--and I know myself well enough to know that if I'm writing a list involving things I want to achieve, then I need to mix it up a bit, so that it has Goals I Can Achieve Easily and Goals That Scare the You-Know-What Out of Me!
Goals I can achieve easily help give me confidence to tackle the Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me because I am most definitely not the hard-core, bring-it-on type that thrives on feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I'm more the backing away in horror with much muttering along the lines of "Oh, no, I really don't think I could possibly do that..." type.
Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me push me out of my comfort zone. And, damn, I can't believe I have to admit to knowing this, but sadly, existing in one's comfort zone doesn't allow you to adapt and grow. I know. It completely stinks. But being able to adapt and grow is vital in navigating through the journey to publication and beyond. It's in the scary outside your comfort zone place that you can achieve what you dream of...and more.
Of course, sometimes Life interrupts and plans go awry. So I've learnt not to be a slave to my list. Sometimes I've had to allow myself off some of my goals. But (and this is where I have to be super-strict with myself) I'm not allowed to let myself off all the Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me--because that's cheating! Tempting though it is to scupper myself and head back to my heavenly comfort zone...yeah, I think you know where I'm going with this.
This January couldn't have been more different to the last four. I didn't have time to write a list--I was too busy doing edits for my first acquired book!!! Yay!!! A lot!!! Doesn't mean I won't write a list, though. And on that list you can bet there will be goals I can easily achieve and goals that scare the you-know-what out of me. Because, writing doesn't stop at getting published.
So what are your resolutions and goals? And are they one's you secretly know you can achieve, or are some of them awesomely terrifying but you're going to try them anyway?
You'd be forgiven for thinking that "Get Published!" would sit at Number One--lovingly written in my neatest handwriting.
Actually, I never wrote down "Get Published". Wanting to be published was a given for me. But wanting doesn't get without an awful lot of hard work and a healthy pinch of luck. I couldn't control the luck, but I could control the hard work. For me, writing down "Get Published" was too amorphous. I needed to focus on the hard work and form smaller goals that would lead me to publication.
Luckily, I have a particular proclivity for writing lists--and I know myself well enough to know that if I'm writing a list involving things I want to achieve, then I need to mix it up a bit, so that it has Goals I Can Achieve Easily and Goals That Scare the You-Know-What Out of Me!
Goals I can achieve easily help give me confidence to tackle the Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me because I am most definitely not the hard-core, bring-it-on type that thrives on feeling the fear and doing it anyway. I'm more the backing away in horror with much muttering along the lines of "Oh, no, I really don't think I could possibly do that..." type.
Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me push me out of my comfort zone. And, damn, I can't believe I have to admit to knowing this, but sadly, existing in one's comfort zone doesn't allow you to adapt and grow. I know. It completely stinks. But being able to adapt and grow is vital in navigating through the journey to publication and beyond. It's in the scary outside your comfort zone place that you can achieve what you dream of...and more.
Of course, sometimes Life interrupts and plans go awry. So I've learnt not to be a slave to my list. Sometimes I've had to allow myself off some of my goals. But (and this is where I have to be super-strict with myself) I'm not allowed to let myself off all the Goals that scare the you-know-what out of me--because that's cheating! Tempting though it is to scupper myself and head back to my heavenly comfort zone...yeah, I think you know where I'm going with this.
This January couldn't have been more different to the last four. I didn't have time to write a list--I was too busy doing edits for my first acquired book!!! Yay!!! A lot!!! Doesn't mean I won't write a list, though. And on that list you can bet there will be goals I can easily achieve and goals that scare the you-know-what out of me. Because, writing doesn't stop at getting published.
So what are your resolutions and goals? And are they one's you secretly know you can achieve, or are some of them awesomely terrifying but you're going to try them anyway?
RSS Feed
