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Writing
7 things I’ve committed myself to for the new year
…and no, one of them is not an institution, thank you.
- Ever since I viewed this video, I’ve been on the lookout for ways I can communicate to people how important they are in my life. I was blown away by the response of the kids that Angela Maiers refers to in her talk. I encounter people daily who say or do something that changes my perspective or otherwise rocks my world. Now I’m telling them so.
- I’m going to trust myself more. No more second-guessing decisions or kicking myself all day when I make a mistake.
- I’m going to value my time more.
- I’m going to take more risks, even if it means I may fail. I had to tell myself over and over that messing with the style sheet on this blog would not ruin anything; so far, so good. Marc and Angel write, “The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.” (I read that here.)
- I’m going to write as much as I long to do. Bye-bye, rigid rules, fear, and and writer’s block. To this end, I’ve downloaded Dr. Wicked’s Write or Dieapp, which gives me the willies. (I should clarify that saying goodbye to fear doesn’t mean I won’t feel it. I’m just going to work through the palpitations and cold sweats.) I have three options while I write using this app:
Gentle Mode: Distraction will result in a gentle, almost maternal, reminder to keep writing.(Waste of time)- Normal Mode: Procrastination will result in annoying sounds played at me until I start writing again. (like Pavlov’s Bell. Might work. )
- Kamikaze Mode: If I stop writing, Write or Die will start eating my words one by one until I start again. (Big Sir William willies. This will work.) Give the online version a try. (The download is $10)
- I’m going to get rid of things I’ve been holding on to out of fear, mainly:
- books: they might stop printing them; I’ll never find this book again; I’ll forget I wanted to read it; my shelves will be bare.
- clothes: I won’t have enough variety; I’ve loved this shirt so long; I’ll never find this color again.
- and CDs. What if I want to listen to them one day? Never mind that I haven’t in ages. I might want to tomorrow.
Truth: I’m not trapped in the Handmaid’s Tale, I don’t need 9 million bookshelves, I need to change my style anyway, and I listen to enough music to keep me happy, and I don’t miss what I’m not listening to. Or not reading. Or not wearing. Seriously. wtf.- I’m going to enjoy the process, whatever it entails. Whatever it takes. Hakuna matata.
Note from the Universe: If you understood the extraordinary gifts that every single challenge in your life makes possible, even inevitable, you’d celebrate your challenges, new and old alike, as the omens that they are of new beginnings and spectacular change.