Category: goals

New Year Same Old Crap

“A new year, but the same old crap,” A coworker, V, said to me on our first day back to work after the New Year’s break.

It struck me as funny.  Did she  really think that since we started a new year that our work situation would be new as well?  Did she think her coworker problems would be gone?  Problems with management be gone?  It’s silly to think just because a new year started that all your problems would go away on January 2.

Wouldn’t that be great if that happened without any work on our part?  That when we walked into work on January 2nd management would tell us, “Since it’s the beginning of the year we’re going to give you a big, fat raise and all of your problems are going to disappear.  Just tell us what problems you have and we will take care of them.  And tell us what your passion is and we will do our best to fill within the company.  You have our word.”

Right.

Unfortunately it’s not that simple.  It would be nice if it would be, but it’s not.  If we want our job situation to change at the beginning of the year than we have to decide way before January 2 what the changes we want to make are.  We can’t expect the company to change our work situation if we aren’t happy with it.  It is our job to make ourselves happy.  Not our employers job.

I don’t think my coworker realizes it is her job.  With some thought and goals she could be the change she wants/needs, but I think some of us are dreamers.  We dream big in our heads, but we don’t necessarily follow through in life.  I can relate to this in certain areas in my life.  Like my writing.  I think life gets in the way.  Fear, doubt, low self-esteem and other issues get in the way.  We don’t make time to make it happen.  We continue to do the same things, but expect our lives to change.  That isn’t how it happens.

I think if we really want to change in our lives we have to become doers and not wait for others to give us permission, the stars to be in perfect alignment or whatever else we are waiting for.  I think we need to put on our big girl (or boy) pants and make it happen.  I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but we have to try.  We have to try every day.  One step at a time.  One goal at a time.  Sometimes one day at a time.

It’s not easy.  It may be painful to be honest with yourself and figure out a way of making your dreams a reality.  You’re the only one who can figure out what is keeping you from your achieving your dreams.  You might be in your own way.  You may need to leave your job.  Your significant other.  Find different friends.  Or you may find that your dream isn’t what you want and you have to dream another dream.

But you have to try.  You have to try hard.  You need to make space in your life for your dream.  You have to make time in your life.  You have to make it important.  Find people in your life that will help you make your dream become a reality.  Be friends with people who are smarter than you and that you can learn things from.  You have to be willing to go out on a limb.  You have to be willing to be you.

I am going to write for an hour today to get one step closer to making my writing dream a reality.

What are you going to do today to make your dream a reality?

Need inspiration?  Take a look at my blog friend, LA’s, blog “Waking Up On The Wrong Side of 50”  (I know.  I know.  I still to learn how to tag blogs.  It’s on my list of blogging stuff to do).  She’s kicking butt and achieving her 2018 goals.   Reading her blog inspires me and keeps me motivated to achieve my goals.  Keep going girl!

 

I Think I Might Try NaNoWriMo

Did you know that November is National Novel Month?  I didn’t.  I never heard of it before.

NaNoWriMo is a writing project that challenges you to commit to writing 50,000 words in the month of November while writing the first draft of a novel.  At the end of 30 days you’re not suppose to have a ready manuscript to submit to a publisher.  You are only suppose to finish your first draft.

This sounds very interesting and has me thinking….

I have a novel that is swimming around in my head.  I have written small parts of chapters and figured out some characters, but nothing more.  My notes are all in a folder on my couch.   I keep writing bits and pieces and  putting them in the folder.  I was going to look at the folder this weekend because I would like to organize my notes and see where I am and where I would like to go.

Doing NaNoWriMo would be a huge challenge —  an emotional and time challenge.  This would take huge amounts of time.  I think I would basically have to give up the month of November, but what’s the big deal.   It’s snowing and cold so there’s nothing to do outside.  The camper will be closed so my weekends are free.  Who cares if the house is clean or if supper is made 🙂

I would like to do this to see if I can finish a novel in 30 days or to see how far I get.  It would be interesting to see how many words I can write in a month, what roadblocks come up and how I would deal with them, and how I would push myself to write.

I would have to write 1,667 words a day.  The number is a little daunting.  I post 500 to 800 words twice a week.  The daily goal would be like writing two or three blog posts a day.  I think that would be doable, but tough.  Maybe once I got into the groove of writing that much a day it wouldn’t be bad.  Or maybe it would still be bad.  I don’t know.

All I know is that I would like to try it.  I think it’s time to expand my life a little.

I think I’m going to go check out their blog (blog.nanowrimo.org) to see if I can learn more about what I want to get myself into.

I know I need to keep my expectations low.  I realize at that end of November I’m not going to have a novel ready to send to a publisher.  Nor am I going to be signing a million dollar contract.  But what I might have is a wonderful first draft of a novel that I can edit in 2018 or I might have a crappy first draft of a novel that I toss because it sucks that bad.

You never know until you try.

I’ll keep you posted on whether I decide to do it or not.

Have you or anyone you know tried NaNoWriMo?  I’m very interested in hearing what other people’s opinions are.