A conversation of import. |
January 31, 2014 Dear Me, "Happy New Year, Jace!" "What are you talking about? It's already the last day of January. You've done just what you wanted to avoid--began writing an important piece the day it's due." "But that's not quite right, is it, Jace? You've been thinking about this letter for two months now. You even jotted down your first thoughts in early December. Of course, you misplaced that piece of paper on which you wrote those tasty tidbits. "Which brings me to my first point: ALWAYS carry that little notebook with you. You used to. Don't trust those flashes of inspiration to memory ... or on whatever scrap you have at the time." "I get it. An inspired thought is nothing if I can't remember it, OR find it when I need it." "Approach your writing this year in a more organized fashion. You know you're the most creative in the early morning. Get up early at least three times a week. Better yet, get up a half hour earlier on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. Don't preset your writing agenda. Give your mind its head for five or ten minutes. Write what occurs to you. Sketch a story. Or, write some reviews. Don't stop early." "I did alright last year. I even made Senior Moderator. Never thought I'd reach that level of success here." "Indeed! You can achieve dreams through diligence, hardwork and luck. But you shouldn't just rest on those laurels. For when you do, you'll find the best has come and gone. That's not what you want. Or need!" "So what do I want to accomplish this year? And what can I realistically achieve?" "Help other members by maintaining a daily presence on the "Technical Support Forum" , the "Non-Technical Support Forum" and the "Noticing Newbies" forums. "Prepare a Noticing Newbies newsletter every four weeks. "Complete at least 20 qualified reviews of Newbie members, and another ten reviews of the general community each month. "Give back 10% of all gift points earned from all means each month to WDC charities. Finally, pursue an active and organized writing regimen as described above." "I'll track the quality of my efforts through received reviews, contest results, or just the number of Likes I get. I'm going to lose that loser's limp, and not worry about yesterday. I was a different man then. Now I'm looking forward." "Remember, a goal is critical, but means nothing without action. You can do this, Jace." "Indeed, I can!" Me Word Count: 411 |