I consider chocolate to be in its own food group (same goes with coffee). I eat it when I’m stressed. I eat even more chocolate when I’m not stressed. When I take my boys to Dunkin’ Donuts, I don’t just get a chocolate donut, I get double chocolate. Give me chocolate on top of my chocolate, kind donut lady behind the counter. And while you’re at it, go ahead and double it, thank you very much.
Knowing this about myself, I wasn’t quite sure what to think when my wife Missy told me that she was going to be starting a 40-day sugar fast. Being somewhat competitive, I told her I’d do it, too. Can’t be that hard. Right?
Wrong. Twenty-one days in, I hit a wall. I felt like I couldn’t go another day without sweets. Sure, I was less tired and I couldn’t balance the remote on my stomach anymore, but it was killin’ me!
Missy told me I could quit. And I was going to. Unfortunately, I happened to look at some of the blog posts I wrote over the last few weeks. I wrote about the power of persistence and about being courageous. I wrote about the choices that we make. And I wrote about the one character trait that’s helped me succeed over the years: when I want something, I don’t give up until I get it.
All this thinkin’ about making goals and achieving them made me think about a goal I’ve been working toward since October: finishing my third novel. I’m 45 chapters in. I have about 12 more to go and I’m stuck. Not because I can’t figure out how to land this thing, I’m stuck because I feel distracted. And if I’m honest with you, this blog is one of those distractions. I can either work on a huge novel and not get feedback on it for months, or I can write a Saturday morning blog post and get feedback immediately. It’s like writer’s chocolate! But reading the results from the survey I sent two weeks ago, it’s clear: as much as you like the blog, you like my novels even more.
In case you’re wondering, I reached my goal. Today is day #41 (or as I’m calling it, day #1 of my non-sugar fast). It’s also day #1 of my commitment to finish this novel and start on another 40 day fast, this time from the chocolatey allure of blogging. I’m not sure if I can finish novel #3 in 40 days, but I’m going to try my best. Because I believe that committing to a goal is powerful and I want to succeed. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and even more double-chocolates from the lady at the donut shop. But in 40 days, I hope to have something amazing for you to read. See you then.