One of the surest ways to disappointment is to have expectations. It’s much healthier to approach everything with a positive and adaptable mindset.
You probably know this to be true, yet putting it into practice is much more difficult.
Personally, I’ve been working on changing my routine to put my fiction writing first. In the morning instead of opening my laptop as I drink my coffee and reading my business email, I am now stretching, meditating and spending 30 minutes on my latest fiction project.
Or at least that was the plan…
I got sick. Then I got a concussion. Then I got sick again. I tell you it was a heck of a holiday vacation. Needless to say my great expectations for the time off were sadly unmet. I spent them on the couch with tissues and cold medicine. I watched a lot of football.
I didn’t write a single word.
Okay, I’m adaptable. Once I started to feel better I made a new plan. I was going to finish my book’s edits and send it off to the editor (who so graciously requested it) this week.
Didn’t happen. Now it’s Thursday and I decided I was going to finish it today.
I made great progress. I’m actually quite pleased. But I didn’t send it off today. In fact, the new goal is to send it off on Monday. I have the weekend to finish.
Point?
All the expectations and plans in the world don ‘t mean a thing if you aren’t adaptable.
Persistence, motivation and the willingness to say, “I did the best I could today,” have to be enough.
It’s a constant struggle. If you’re a writer you probably set goals for yourself. When you don’t meet those goals what do you do?
Do you berate yourself?
Do you double up and try to achieve twice as much the next day? (That’s setting yourself up for more failure.)
Do you stop writing all together?
Or do you recognize what you did manage to accomplish, even if you only thought about your book that day? Do you congratulate yourself on your accomplishments and reformat your plan so you can succeed tomorrow?
Let go of the expectations. Enjoy the process. Do your absolute best each day and recognize your accomplishments.
to your success!