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Recalibrating
Sep. 20th, 2009 02:12 pmIt's been a weird Sunday so far. This morning I woke up feeling an unusual sense of focus, a desire to accomplish things that's normally incredibly lacking on my days off. I was up by 9:30, had a quick breakfast and decided it was time to do something about the pile of dirty laundry spilling out of my big basket onto my bedroom floor. I sorted it, emptied out my suitcase (which I've been putting off doing since the end of my writing retreat back in late August) and finally folded and put away the clean stuff I washed at the laundromat two weeks ago while the washers and driers in my basement were disconnected thanks to my building's big remodeling job.
I was unstoppable in my quest for cleanliness. With the carpet in my bedroom no longer concealed by luggage and a mound of soiled clothes, it seemed like a good idea to vaccumn, so I did and then did the same in the living room, and dusted the baseboard heater as well, seeing as how I was on a roll and all. Then I walked over to Portillo's for a lunch break and when I was done and walking back home started thinking about all the other things I need to get done, namely my novel revision. It occurred to me that I've been unnecessarily daunted by this task for far too long, putting too much pressure on myself to hurry up and finish and get it perfect in one long sitting. When really all I need to do is be more methodical and goal-oriented in my approach, breaking the work that remains down into manageable steps and making myself accountable for completing each step just as I do when I have to finish the day-to-day writing that pays the bills. It also occurred to me that it would be amazing to finish this project not only because it would allow me to finish my MFA and begin the work of seeking publication, but also because it would allow me to say that I've done something that not many people have done.
With this in mind, I decided then and there that my new internal motivator for completing my revision was my desire to own some cool bragging rights. And also my desire to have written something that instills me with a sense of pride, because as much as I enjoy being able to say that I make my living as a writer, the type of stuff I produce is not anything I'd get excited about showing off.
Having gained this new sense of purpose, I returned home, got my laundry spinning, opened the word document with the chapter I'm currently revising, and did a quick e-mail check to clear my head. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on my daily horoscope, which read as follows:
It is up to you to "strut your stuff," JENNY. As long as you are bashful about showcasing your innate gifts, it will be difficult for you to find meaning in your professional life. Today's planetary alignment gives you the challenge of taking your talents more seriously. You could easily profit from them, provided you look deep into yourself to discover how.
It was almost as if my mind was being read! And as I've said on here before, I always take horoscopes with a very big grain of salt, but in this case it hit too close to home to be just a coincidence.
So yeah, for today at least, I'm approaching my novel with a can-do spirit. I think this feeling is partially inspired by seeing Bryan Danielson at ROH last night. Seeing him and knowing that he's only gotten to where he is, and where he's going by being dedicated and working hard and never wavering in his self-belief. This my friends, this is how success is achieved!
I was unstoppable in my quest for cleanliness. With the carpet in my bedroom no longer concealed by luggage and a mound of soiled clothes, it seemed like a good idea to vaccumn, so I did and then did the same in the living room, and dusted the baseboard heater as well, seeing as how I was on a roll and all. Then I walked over to Portillo's for a lunch break and when I was done and walking back home started thinking about all the other things I need to get done, namely my novel revision. It occurred to me that I've been unnecessarily daunted by this task for far too long, putting too much pressure on myself to hurry up and finish and get it perfect in one long sitting. When really all I need to do is be more methodical and goal-oriented in my approach, breaking the work that remains down into manageable steps and making myself accountable for completing each step just as I do when I have to finish the day-to-day writing that pays the bills. It also occurred to me that it would be amazing to finish this project not only because it would allow me to finish my MFA and begin the work of seeking publication, but also because it would allow me to say that I've done something that not many people have done.
With this in mind, I decided then and there that my new internal motivator for completing my revision was my desire to own some cool bragging rights. And also my desire to have written something that instills me with a sense of pride, because as much as I enjoy being able to say that I make my living as a writer, the type of stuff I produce is not anything I'd get excited about showing off.
Having gained this new sense of purpose, I returned home, got my laundry spinning, opened the word document with the chapter I'm currently revising, and did a quick e-mail check to clear my head. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on my daily horoscope, which read as follows:
It is up to you to "strut your stuff," JENNY. As long as you are bashful about showcasing your innate gifts, it will be difficult for you to find meaning in your professional life. Today's planetary alignment gives you the challenge of taking your talents more seriously. You could easily profit from them, provided you look deep into yourself to discover how.
It was almost as if my mind was being read! And as I've said on here before, I always take horoscopes with a very big grain of salt, but in this case it hit too close to home to be just a coincidence.
So yeah, for today at least, I'm approaching my novel with a can-do spirit. I think this feeling is partially inspired by seeing Bryan Danielson at ROH last night. Seeing him and knowing that he's only gotten to where he is, and where he's going by being dedicated and working hard and never wavering in his self-belief. This my friends, this is how success is achieved!
