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Glennon Doyle, harlequin author, heartwarming author, love inspired author, western romance author, writing life
I’m the kind of person whose head is always stuck in the future.
When we pay this off, then we’ll be able to…
When I finish this manuscript, I have to work on…
One of these days, I’m going to achieve ____, and then I’ll have arrived.
But I’ve noticed that the arrival never happens. After each project, there is another one. Even financially, there is always another goal ahead of the one we achieve. Pay off this, save up for that. When I reach one milestone, I start aiming at the next. I’m the teensiest bit Type A. Had you noticed? 😉
Then I came across this thought on Glennon Doyle’s Facebook page, and it gave me pause.
I’ve often said that you’ll never be able to be a writer unless you love the process. And I don’t use the word “love” lightly. Unless you thoroughly enjoy all the different stages, you’ll quit. There’s no way you could keep going… and I’m truly grateful that I do love the the process!
But every now and then, I have to let go of all my goals, all my “when I do this” thoughts, and just enjoy the moment. Because while achieving is important to me, it’s actually about the writing. I love the writing.
When I pay off this, then I’ll be able to… continue writing.
When I finish this manuscript…. I’ll be a writer working on edits.
One of these days, I’ll win an award or hit the New York Times Bestsellers list, or, or, or… and THEN… I’ll sit down and write the next book.
It’s so simple. No matter how far I go, or how much I achieve, I’m a writer because I love writing. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. And even if you gave me $1 million dollars, the very next day I’d sit down and continue on whatever manuscript I was working on. Because I’m a writer. It’s in my blood.
Stopping to enjoy the moment isn’t a bad thing, because this moment, right here, is the fun part!
Perspective. ❤
Several years ago I read Solzhenitsyn’s A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a fictionalized autobiographical story about a man in a Russian gulag. The inmates are constantly complaining about things. And as one major complaint disappears, there’s another just behind (it’s too cold, then when it isn’t cold, there’s not enough food, then when there’s food, there’s not enough…). The point he made was that there’s always going to be something else – to complain about, to do… You’ll never find satisfaction or happiness that way. (And yes, I understand those are horrific conditions, so I don’t blame the people for having numerous complaints.)
The moral I took from the book is that we need to ignore discomfort at times and live in the moment – appreciate what we have in life and the fact we are still alive. Yes, the worries of life will return, but it’s still important to stop and smell the roses sometimes. To just allow ourselves to BE.
I agree! And in even in great success, there are annoyances or inconveniences. It’s good to just enjoy the fun of it all. At one point in the past, exactly where you are right now is what you were dreaming to achieve. If that made sense.
Yeah, that makes sense. Along the same lines, while it may not be true of all points in your life, there will come a time when you’ll think of moments in the past and wish you were back there. Moments you might not have appreciated when you were living them.
The good old days. Back when it was simpler. 🙂 I think so, too!
Good thoughts. I tend to look ahead as well. Even in my writing, I’m telling myself to push forward on this rough draft, and once I’m done, I’ll get to start changing, rearranging, and polishing process.
Looking ahead and delay gratification lead to good things, but yu’re right about enjoying the process.
That’s true, Beth. I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t delay gratification. It’s a long haul! I suppose it’s a matter of finding the balance between the two. I don’t have to wait until X happens to feel accomplished.
But rough drafts–girl, it’s the only way to get through them! LOL! I do enjoy the writing process, but I’ve got just hold my side and keep running, so to speak. 😉
Balance is indeed the key and the hardest to accomplish we’ve just got to keep trying!
I think part of being a writer, is being a person who doesn’t do “balance” very well. We throw ourselves into our projects, again and again. I don’t think balance comes easily to any of us!