I had a talk with one my pastors recently about change, and he had an interesting take.
Frank said change is a process that requires daily discipline. But first we must make the change. Too many of us have a Little Orphan Annie view, forever thinking about tomorrow. "I'll stop (insert behavior)... tomorrow," or "I'll lose that weight...tomorrow."
The trouble is, as the famous song goes, "tomorrow is...a day away."
I believe Frank is on to something. Waiting around for that seemingly elusive "tomorrow" can be a cop-out. Real, lasting change begins today.
Are there things in my life I want to change? Plenty. Will I make any progress if I keep on procrastinating? Nope.
If I want to let go of one habit or embrace another, today is my strongest ally.
One of my goals for the New Year is to do more plotting before I begin a story. With that in mind, I took action--today! I pulled out my index cards, determined to fill them with ideas. I Skyped with my daughter, and we brainstormed. The result: a new story is taking shape.
What changes do you want to make this year? Which of them will you make today?
10 comments:
You said.....If I want to let go of one habit or embrace another, today is my strongest ally.
I love this, Keli......I plan to really think on this!
Looking forward to your "new stories"....Happy New Year!!
Something I determined to learn this year was Skype. Several people had been asking if I had it. Now I do. I had to practice on a few people, but I think I can say I know how to Skype now. My last technology that I overcame was twitter. I still haven't quite figured out what to do with it, but I share book reviews on there. What I want to change for this year, I want to write more. I finished a story for Nano. Now I want to finish others and have a few ready to send out into the world of publication. So that's two things lol. But it all starts with writing each day to get closer to that goal. With God all things are possible. He is willing to do exceeding, abundantly more than we could ask or think. That is my hope for this coming year. Which ties in perfectly to my word for 2016: uncommon hope, in God's love, in eternity, and in my daily walk with Him.
Jackie, I'm glad you found that line helpful. My pastor's musings really gave me a new perspective on goal setting and change.
Sally, kudos on navigating Skype and Twitter. Seems there's no end to the technology we're encouraged to embrace, is there?
Congratulations on completing that story for NaNo! What an accomplishment. I wish you all the best as you polish the story in preparation for submitting it. What kind of story is it? A romance, per chance? If so, did you write it with one of the LI lines in mind?
Thank you! Once you learn one thing, there are more in line it seems. My story is a contemporary Christian romance. Yes, I wrote it with LI in mind. That would be my dream publisher!
Sally, I'm happy to hear that you're writing your story with LI in mind. I enjoy writing for their LIH line. My editor, Emily Rodmell, really knows her stuff and has been so helpful.
You're right. There is plenty to learn about the writing craft, but that can be fun. I love learning how to make my stories better.
I wish you all the best as you prepare your story for submission. I hope to be celebrating your First Sale with you soon.
Thank you Keli, so much, for your encouragement!! My word for 2016: uncommon hope. as in the uncommon hope we have in Jesus when He died on the cross. Uncommon hope that He loves us. John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Uncommon hope that we have eternal life in Him. John 10:26-28 26"But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.… Uncommon hope that God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
Geared toward my writing, uncommon hope that God is doing amazing things. He is the coordinator and He is leading. My job is to follow. Easy, right? lol. Fear. Yeah there's a big chunk of that I didn't realize was there holding me back. I am praying for a joy-filled year full of unexpected amazing God-given things exceeding, abundantly above all that I could ask or think. Don't limit God and what He can do. My motto for the year.
Sally, your word for the year is wonderful. Uncommon hope is what we need to help us deal with the doubts that assail us. Our Lord offers us that!
I have trouble with Twitter as well. I can share stuff on it and retweet stuff but I'm not really sure how to compose a tweet. Exercise is my goal this year and I hope to stick to it. I did get my basement in shape before the new year!
Jennifer, it took me a while to figure out Twitter when I joined the site years ago. There are some great tutorials available that helped me.
Kudos on getting your basement organized. I wish you well on your exercise goals. Walking and going to Curves have helped me get in shape and feel better about myself.
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