Attainable Goals

One of the big lessons I learned in the last year has been to set up attainable goals for myself. I began the year hoping to write a short story per month, and I am proud to say that I succeeded there.

Sure, the short stories happened to form up a novel, but my goal was still met. I got four short stories and thirteen chapters for my novel. Next year I want to have similar success.

Goals only are beneficial while they motivate you to stay on track. When goals - especially unrealistic ones - go unmet it can tear down your momentum. Goals that are met serve to uplift and add energy to your trajectory.

This is the first year in my life that I have had the opportunity and the time to truly attempt my dream of writing a novel. And now that I have the first draft finished, all I want to do is share it.

I hope you guys enjoy my first work. It came together better than i could have imagined, and I can't wait to explore the universe more in the coming years.

Responsible Passion

I wish that art was a process as regular as lunchtime.

Even if you have no idea what the cafeteria is serving, at least you know that its serving something. Not so with the work involving art. I have been trying for the last year or so to get myself into habits and rhythms that would facilitate my artistic expression in more robust and efficient ways. Somethings have worked. Others have not.

During this whole period of learning (which is ongoing mind you) I have learned some important lessons. One of the most important concepts that I have come across has been the subject of responsibility. It isn't enough that I want to write. I have to make time and effort to write.

Time is something that I have to sell to a corporation for the right to live with a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Effort is something that I waste on every manner of entertainment. But at the end of the day, I am finding time to carve out of every day to at least think about my novel. I feel responsible for my work, the deadline (that I created) has been on my mind since I first created it.

My first novel by the end of the year. I started this year thinking about writing a short story per month, and now I am closing the year with a novel. It seems like that was eons ago. The plot for the novel popped into my head while I was writing the first two short stories of the year and I think that the strength of the main character is what drew me so head over heels into the project.

I am now writing the final chapters of that novel, and I have discovered so much about myself and my passion in this last year that I can't help but be amazed at how it all unfolded. I discovered that what had drawn me to my main character is exactly what has drawn me to writing in the first place: I want to make this world a better place in some small way.

My passion comes with the responsibility to carry out my goals.

It isn't enough anymore to say that I have a great idea for a novel in my head. After this year, I will have written my very first novel. Of my life. My whole life, writing novels was the only thing I had ever had my heart set on.

For the opportunity in life and in mind to do my life's work, I thank the Gods Above and Below.

For the opportunity to share my passion, my art and my thoughts, I thank the internet, and you.

May the tweeting commence

I'm a terrible website manager.

Sure I can create one. But managing it? That's really not my thing. Its been almost a year since I made a video, plenty of months since I wrote anything here, etc.

But I get it. This is just for me anyway.

Its practice. This whole thing. Life.

So long as we are learning thats what matters. I just feel like as a society we aren't learning good things. We are learning to lie, cheat, steal, murder and disrespect one another, in new ways in new seasons every single primetime.

We should be learning about love, compassion, Truth and Law. These things free people. Which means there is little reason to think most people would even want them. Freedom is tough. You have to be responsible.

But that goes back to learning, doesn't it? Are we learning to be more responsible? I hope so. I suspect so. There are many paradigm shifts occuring at this very moment.

They always are.

That's deep, dude. Put that in your blog. People will probably tweet you and you'll be on CNN or something.

Ok, brodude. I just did. May the tweeting commence.

You don't even really know how to tweet. You just say things into it and sometimes sound comes out.

I'm sorry for arguing with myself, but I don't really plan or edit these things. I just delete the sentences that I don't like every once in a while.

But mostly, I'm trying not worry about it.

The only thing on my mind is my novel.

Which, I will have you know (yes you, Google bot!).that I am on the verge of completing my first draft of said novel.

Friggin. Awesome.

I know, I remember saying something about doing a short story every month and I actually was meeting that goal (4) when this idea hit me. I have written 12 chapters in 8 months so that's pretty good for me.

It will be the first novel I will have ever completed.

I hope people like it, I really do, but honestly I am just so damned overjoyed to have the fracting thing off my mind and onto pages.

Its freedom. Which brings me back to that point I trailed off from. Freedom means responsibility. My freedom makes me responsible for tweeting this nonsense into the intersphere and getting back to work on my first novel.

I doing the only thing I've ever wanted to do, which is write.

I love life, I hope you do too.

Have an awesome day.

=:)