Every year around this time I write a goal regarding my writing. Last year’s goal was this:
“This year I want my writing to make people smile and feel understood. When life gets full, I want to faithfully readjust my goals so I am still working toward becoming a better writer.”
I know these goals are magic spells that guarantee success, but I can’t become who I want to be if I don’t know who that is, right?
I don’t know if I met 2018’s goal very well. Recently the last part could have read, “when life gets full, I will despair of ever being a successful writer.”
I’m not looking for pity. That’s just how life is sometimes. But my morning sickness has eased, and I have energy again. My goal for 2019 isn’t beautifully articulated, but it’s simple:
“Just do it.”
Forget crushing standards of success. Forget fear that I’ll never fulfill my dreams to reach readers with my writing. Let go of the many things that would love to help me procrastinate, and just write.
Just do it.
I’ll never reach any writing goals if I don’t. I won’t even live the creative writing life I long for, much less reach any readers, if I don’t regularly sit down and write. Even if it’s just fifteen minutes a day. Or five.
The same is true for you. Even if you don’t believe in yearly goals, or feel too overwhelmed by life to even sit and think about what you want from it this year. The only way to become who you want to be is to practice.
So whether you want to learn gardening or piano or hospitality or carving or kindness, this year I hope you will just do it.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
What do you want to be this year?
