August 2021
Hello from Orlando!
One of my friends posted on Facebook yesterday morning, “There are only sixteen more Mondays until Christmas.” I had to think about that for a minute, knowing how quickly each week seems to be passing by, as I realized they were right—sixteen more Mondays until Christmas (which means seventeen weeks until the end of the year).
I think this is around the time, before the holidays hit, when people tend to give up on their year. Goals we put off until the summer ended and the kids got back to school will be pushed off again until after the holidays and we get to the start of a brand new year.
I hate the feeling of watching the year slipping through my fingers and the thought that I’m running out of time to make my big goal of writing another Blake Jordan novel become a reality. So over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten back to basics. I’ve given myself a daily word count goal of writing 1,000 words a day, every day, rain or shine, whether the words end up being good or not (they’re almost always fine just the way they are). I don’t want to jinx myself, but let’s just say, things are going really well…
I’ve heard it said that we tend to underestimate how much we can get done on a daily basis and overestimate how much we can do in a year. There’s so much truth in that.
Because while we all made lofty goals on December 31st, it’s so easy to lose sight of what matters and squander the days we’re blessed with… between TV, our phones, social media, and the little things we waste time doing, it’s so easy to fill our days with unimportant things. Things that don’t make a difference. Things that don’t really matter.
That doesn’t mean we all need to become productivity gurus, trying to cram our days to the max. And it doesn’t mean there isn’t value in vegging out, here and there. I just know, for me, without a plan, I don’t live my days intentionally and I have nothing at the end to show for it. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve buried the little talent I’ve been trusted with and I didn’t turn the raw materials into something special.
There’s so much I want to do… and I haven’t given up on this year yet.
I want to get in shape. I want to get organized. I want to get this new book written!
I’m sure you have your own list of things you’ve already given up on doing this year. But it’s not too late. Figure out what your “thousand words a day” goal is to get there.
Don’t give up. Keep pressing forward.
Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
We can still do something awesome this year and create something that’s special. -Ken