First of all I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year and all that. I hope your dreams came true and your resolutions are holding firm. I'm a big fan of resolutions myself. In fact I'm what you might describe as a 'good starter'.
I'm the annoying one, usually sitting in the front row of say, a language evening class, eagerly lapping up all the knowledge from the tutor. At the beginning of anything I've ever taken up, I zoom ahead of most of the people in the room, pronouncing difficult words with ease, executing promising kicks and twirls in a new martial art. "Yessss! I'm going to be good at this" I say to myself "this is my thing for sure!"
I love that feeling of being on the cusp of something new, be it the determination to shed a few pounds "as from tomorrow breakfast time I am going exert an iron will and eat sensibly, avoid biscuits and definitely book myself into an exercise class every day this week", to the stunning realisation that if I actually forced myself to sit down and knock out a thousand words a day, my novel would in fact, be finished in 3 months - how easy is that! "OK, as from tomorrow, I shall return from the school run and simply sit down and write and I shall not stop until I have reached a thousand words. I shall repeat this process every day until the weekend comes around".
I get a physical thrill down the spine as I say these words to myself, sometimes even pausing to nod and smile confidently at myself in the bathroom mirror. My reflection glows back at me, returning my determination and future happiness without any effort or doubt.
And reader I do start exceptionally well! I can guarantee you that for at least 3 days next week (most possibly Tues - when the kids return to school, till Thurs) I shall be eating most healthily and exercising to the max. And when I am not sweating at the gym, I shall be sitting at my desk, engrossed in my novel, typing like a demon and probably knocking out maybe a thousand and fifteen words, just to prove how keen I am.
But sadly I know what I'm like. I'm not what you might call a natural 'stickler' at things. Reader it's not my fault - I get so bored! Instead of persevering with the aerobics or the writing, I will prefer to be chasing the next big idea in my life instead.
Rather depressingly I just know that a new concept, be it for an article or a business will suddenly ping into my little head and I shall have to abandon whatever it is I am meant to be sticking at to pursue it, just for a while you understand, to see if it has any merit. I shall be momentarily excited, fired up, all guns blazing while I do my research. I may even mention it to a few friends who, being the lovely people that they are, will give me encouraging feedback which will of course make me want to pursue it further.
Gah! By the end of January I'll still be the same weight and needless to say the novel probably won't have reached fifty thousand words. Bugger.
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