Good things come to those who don’t wait

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

 

Have you figured out what your obsession is? Your passion? What makes you tick? What you would choose to do if you didn’t have other responsibilities and commitments? Maybe you’re already doing what you want to do, but is there something else you’d add to the list if you had more time… or money? In my post “The excuses stop here,” I discuss my passion for writing and how I make every excuse in the book not to write. But I also put my foot down: No more excuses. So now what? I spent some time scouring through Poets & Writer’s magazine and reviewed upcoming contests and calls for submissions, as well as conferences taking place in the new year. I’ve written out a list of writing goals for 2015. I started shopping for a combo cork/magnetic board that doubles as a piece of art to hang over my desk to keep track of the “big picture.” It’s a start.

What new goals have you made for yourself?

The excuses stop here

 [Image credit: Stuart Miles]

No sooner had I figured out it takes time to see change (just like it took time to get where I am right this minute), then I experienced self-realization once again: If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like work, or effort. It is a passion that stokes the fire, wakes you up and ignites an excitement within. Once we pinpoint the “what,” then we must fashion our goals around it—to be single-minded on the prize. For me, that “obsession” is writing, but I also look for excuses not to write (so I’ve been told). Although I want to deny it, I can’t ignore the reality: I’m not writing… I talk about writing, I plan my writing, I dream about writing. It’s not that I can’t do it (I wrote a book in 30 days earlier this year—see Quit talking, start doing). It’s that I make everything else more important than my writing. But that stops today.

What’s your biggest excuse in life?