So I'm sitting here trying to figure out which of the hundreds of posts I've thought about writing in the last year I'd like to write tonight. My attention veers back and forth between the blinking cursor and The Lion King (I've been debating since Scar's creepy song with the hyenas about becoming king, and - spoiler alert - now Mufasa is about to die. I can't take this any more.) and Mean Girls (too late, Simba's nudging Mufasa and I'm about to cry because I have the movie-emotional stability of a nervous five-year old) and I realize that I'm a little unfocused.
Even though Timon and Pumba are about to enter and Gretchen Weiners was just denied Candy Cane-grams, I've turned off the TV. Now I can put together an entire thought. I don't try to de-motivate myself or intentionally procrastinate - does anyone? - but when it comes to the things that only concern me, I find I have a much greater tendency to put them on the back burner. I wanted to write a post this weekend? Well, I'm tired and these movies are on. I meant to work out this weekend? Well, so-and-so bailed and now I could go out instead. The list goes on, but those actually happened in the past few days.
When I was reading 90 Days to Your Novel for NaNoWriMo, one of the first things Sarah Domet, the author, said was that plenty of people think about writing, but you're only a writer if you actually write something. What a novel observation.
What's the difference between a language enthusiast who speaks four languages, and one who only kind of knows their native tongue? The person who plays a dozen instruments, and the person who listens to tracks longingly? The person who travels the world, and the one who stares at the globe or browses the internet?
The first group of people are DOERS. They DO things. (And yes, they must also have the means, either because of their own hard work or by being born into fortunate circumstances, and probably some degree of talent.)
There are so many things that I've always thought 'Hey, that'd be cool to do/learn/see', and I think I can fairly say I've tried my best to accomplish those things. Part of what helps is always having an end goal in sight. In high school, it was to get to college and play soccer. When I quit soccer, it was to do well in my major, then biology, and go abroad. When I changed majors, it was to excel in those new majors, English and French. When I graduated, it was to get into publishing. Up until now, I've always been working toward something.
Now that my big picture is a little less clear - teacher? editor? writer? baby baboon handler?? - I want to work on the little things that have always been put on the back burner. I mean, let's face it. Even if I do multiple applications or resumes a day, I've got some extra time on my hands and they could stand some useful employment while I'm, well, unemployed.
My original plan was to pick all these various things up at the New Year, but between visiting friends, hanging out with my family, and the 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle I bought and finished over five days, I just didn't get around to it.
But who says the New Year has to be the time for resolutions? Why not start over now?
I couldn't think of a good reason, so here I am. My resolution is simply to DO stuff. Write stuff, read stuff, try new stuff, get my stuff in shape, there's all kinds of stuff to be done. It may seem like a small victory to have managed to turn off the TV to write this post tonight (DAMN IT, I just realized my computer clock is an hour behind. How did that happen??), but it's a step in the right direction. Before I go to bed, I'm going to read and that'll be another small victory. As I continue to hash out my list and make progress on the DOing front, I'll keep you posted.
Until then, just imagine how (much) cool(er) of a person you would be if you actually went for it and did just half the things you're interested in. Think of the life experiences you'd have, the people you'd know, the things you'd learn! I'm willing to bet it'll make a huge difference, and I'm really eager to see what the days to come have in store for me if I just get busy and DO.
Here and there,
Kiley
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