What Does Determination Look Like? @JanaRichards_

This is the picture I keep in my office. The bottom says "Determination forges the path to success."
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the goals I’m working on for 2018. I also mentioned that the word I’ve chosen for myself as a sort of inspiration word for the year is “determination”. I’m determined to move forward with my writing this year. I have goals for books I want to self-publish, books I want to submit for publication, and books I either need to finish or write from scratch. At the same time, I have to continue marketing my existing books. I’ve got a couple of ideas on marketing that I need to pursue.

I have ambitious plans. Like I said, I’m determined.

I’ve made lofty plans before and have fallen short. I don’t want that to happen this year, so I need to do something to ensure I have a better shot at meeting my goals.

First of all, I need to take care of myself so I have enough energy to get things done. My weight has crept up the last few years, and, aside from not liking the way I look and not fitting into my clothes, I’m sure it’s a drain on my energy. Dieting is not my favorite thing to do, and to be honest, I’m not very good at it, so I’m going to try to frame this as eating healthier rather than dieting. Fortunately, Christmas is over so the chocolates and sweets are gone. To give me a further incentive, I’ve decided that come January 1, 2019, anything in my closet that doesn’t fit, no matter how much I like it, has got to go. If anybody wants to “eat healthier” with me this year, I’d be happy to have a buddy to keep me accountable.

Exercise goes along with dieting like peanut butter and jam (which is probably off my diet). I have a gym membership, but I have to confess that I don’t go as often as I should. For the remainder of the 2018, my goal is to go to the gym at least twice a week, and my yoga class once a week. I’m pretty sure there will be days when I’m not going to want to drag my butt to the gym, but maybe if I keep reminding myself of my end goal – having the energy to write and publish and market – maybe that will give me the incentive I need. I hope.

The third thing I need to do this year is cut back the hours I spend at my day job. I don’t want to quit completely, but I’m going to reduce my hours. Writing is too important not to do everything I can to give myself the time I need.

One of my horoscopes this week made me smile. Yeah, I know horoscopes are hokey, but this one gave me a boost. It said “You are empowered. You sense that you’re up for more than you previously thought you were. You see now that you can take on more than you thought; you can handle more than you thought; and you can do more than you thought.” I’m going to make this my mantra for the year.

So that’s what determination looks like for me this year. What are you determined to do this year?

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