Happy Do-Over

I love New Year's and Resolutions.  I usually have several pages worth under a variety of headings including Art & Writing, Spirituality, Relationships, Completing Incompletions, Health, Wealth....among others.  I don't always hit the mark and complete every single resolution under those topics, but I do almost always make progress in each area.

Not every hit is a bullseye.  Practice gets the mark.  

What I really love about Resolutions is that once I have missed the mark, I am given cart blanche to a "do over."  It is a chance to renew my commitments to activities or behaviors that I've found helpful in the past.  It is a chance to renew my vigor and energy around specific areas of my life.  It is a way to reconnect when I think or feel I've somehow lost my connection.

I know that New Year's is a very arbitrary "setting" for beginning resolutions--and in fact, I tend to renew my resolutions at least quarterly and definitely review my progress at the end of each month so I can keep on track with creating the life I want and also the person I am and want to continue to improve upon.

Regular attention WILL result in improvements and change.  Love the change.

I've always been a "lister" so resolution making is fun.  And I love imagining not only the outcomes of my goals but the road to getting there...like learning to golf and getting back to working out regularly.  Or completing several art gallery shows in a year accompanied by magazine articles.

Or writing my blog three times a week.  Honestly, sometimes I wonder at those who do it every day.  But then I realize a lot of them only write one or two sentences or paragraphs and add links or photos.  Perhaps I shall strive to take a page from their books and just keep things light more often.

With that in mind, if you haven't been or are not a resolutions or goal setter...here is a terrific link for goal setting with some suggestions.  If it all seems like too much...try just doing a short list of the major three things you want to improve in your life. And then work on each a little every day.  If you want to keep track of your goals and resolutions by phone, here are some suggestions for apps.

And just for those of you who might not be sure, you can find the definition of resolution here.  Besides actually following through every day, the most important things to do when creating your resolutions are:
1.  Write them in a positive way i.e., not "quit smoking" but "be smoke free!" and
2.  Write them down and view them regularly.

Happy Do-Over to you.

Put on the Boxing Gloves

Creativity usually brings about change. It is human nature to find change uncomfortable. And to avoid it.  At all costs sometimes.

There are times when it takes monumental effort to press through and keep working toward the end result of a process or project.  I call it Putting on the Boxing Gloves.

All of my youth I had dreams of being a writer.  I wanted more than anything to write a book, or magazines, or even poetry and have it published.  Even though I wrote numerous poems and had many articles published, I still wanted to write a book.  The problem was that just thinking about trying to do so completely paralyzed me.  I couldn't even walk into my office.  I couldn't turn on the computer.  I couldn't even think about the project.

I knew I had to put on my boxing gloves in a big way.  I forced myself to go into the room. I didn't make myself do anything else...that day.  The next day, I went into the room and sat down. I turned on the computer.  But I couldn't do anything related to the book project.

The big problem was that I had a deadline.  I was scheduled to teach a class and was supposed to write the textbook for it.  And time was ticking.

I knew I had to get tougher with the fear of the creative process.  I had to decide whether it was important to me that the book I used was mine, not someone else's. I had to decide what I was willing to do to get the book written.  I made a decision.

It wasn't an overnight resolution, but day by day I made progress.  I started out the day by making a list of all the things that I was afraid of related to the book.  Then I wrote a list of all the benefits I'd get from completing the project.  I broke the book out into steps, starting with the table of contents.  I knew that I could change it later if I decided to do so.

Then I wrote the first chapter and the second.  I did not allow myself at that time to go back and edit or even read what I'd written.  By the time I got to the fifth chapter, I was engrossed and I forgot to be afraid. I forgot to do the lists.

And my progress just took off.  I met my deadline with several days to spare, the book got published and I was able to put away my boxing gloves until needed again.  It's a process that I've used to fight through anxieties for art shows preparations, public speeches, and other writing projects.

I suggest if you're stuck, in a rut, fearful of change or feeling uncreative, Put on the Boxing Gloves.

(c) 2012, SZing.  All rights reserved.