November has taught me humility. I cannot do it all. I am not super woman who can type three novels at a time, while promoting a fourth, while plotting a fifth, while editing a sixth, while participating in Nanowrimo, while running my business that pays the bills, while taking care of my farm, while getting in enough sleep not to lose my mind. Amongst other things that I shall not name now for fear you will think me nuts.
I do no like to fail. But, November taught me that if I try to do all the things on my to-do list in one shot, none of those things will be done to the high standards I hold myself to.
If I want to be seen as a writer who puts only good books out (always the goal) I have to realize my limitations. I will always push them, that is just who I am, but I also have to acknowledge when enough is enough.
So, thanks November, for kicking my ass and teaching me that it's okay to let go, to focus on just one project, complete it and then start another. It was a tough lesson, but one I needed to learn, even if it was the hard way.
11 comments:
And good for you for recognizing your limitations! Not a lot of people can or do.
Thanks Melissa, it has taken me a while to get to this point and last month really hammered it home. :-)
I commiserate! And, if you had managed to do all of that (forget doing it *well*), I would have been so overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy that I would have found the nearest bridge. So, in a sense, you've saved me :)
I am trying to get to that point myself. Multi-tasking is overrated.
I agree, there is only so much one person can do. Why do you think there are all different kinds of people with all kinds of different talents. We mesh our talents together who knows what can happen or better yet can be accomplished. :)
I wanted to say EXACTLY what Melissa said. So instead I'll just say kudos to you, and watch out for eagles :)
Thank you ladies and gents. It's good to know I'm not the only one dealing with this. :)
Nov really kicked my butt too. So this post had me smiling in commiseration. Nov has left me sick, struggling with my asthma, exhausted and blog and book dead. I tooo thought I could 'do it all' - go on book tour, continue writing Bk2, blog continuously all the way thru, organize book tour in a whole diff country AND still be a wonderful mother to 5 and oh yeah, lets not forget, still be a wife to that long-suffering man Im married to!
No we cant do it all. All at once. And thats ok. Rest, refresh and rejuvenate.
I so hear you on this! My To DO list is a mile long and I try to do too much every day...and other things suffer. Sad lesson to learn, but a good one.
I think having a huge to do list is the only way to live--then even if you only meet one mammoth goal, it's still a mammoth accomplishment. :)
Good for you for realizing that you can't do it all, even if you want to and that's okay.
Sometimes it takes that sort of month to help you sort out your priorities and get you on a track that is manageable. Glad you're over that pain and can move forward on a sane path now!
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