As accountability April comes to a close, I face facts.
The fact is I love to write, I’m always going to be a writer, throughout each and every single day, there are several events, moments, people and places that inspire me and I rush to write it all down. I will always write.
The fact is, however, that try as I might, this is probably just not the right time in my life to attempt to focus my energies on becoming a “published” writer. I work a full time job, I have an active social life, I am deeply involved with the youth of my parish and with community activity. I run my own household and am in the midst of a major purge/decluttering project. I am turning into a bit of a fitness nut, dedicating more time than I ever have before to both exercise and eating healthy. I am scatterbrained, unfocused, and have about a billion other interests which distract and intrigue me on a daily basis.
The fact is my NaNo Novel, which was the driving force behind Accountability April, sits nestled quite comfortably among other unfinished writing projects on my hard drive, with only a few thousand extra words from where it began the month. Comfortably enough that I don’t feel the desire to rouse it just yet. I visit now and again, write a few more words, but then leave it be. Resting, gaining strength for when it truly is it’s time to shine. It is not now.
The fact is I am at peace with these facts. Because although some might see it as not working hard enough toward my dreams, I see it as something else entirely. Yes, being a published author is, and always has been, a dream. And a dream that I know with enough time, attention, and dedication, is quite possible for me. But living this life I live? That is another dream all together. I said it before, just the other day, I live a charmed life, I am blessed, and I take NOTHING for granted. Therefore, the little moments, the little distractions, they are not hindering my dream, they are just a larger part of it.
The fact is that when it comes to my goals, my aspirations, I’m a bit ADD. I have always been this way, I want so many things. To do so much, to be so many different people, that I realize I will never be able to accomplish all things. It is just not possible for one person to do all I have dreams of doing. Not while working a full time job and dedicating my time to the youth and trying to have social life and…but wait…those too are things I NEED to do to feel fulfilled. See my dilemma?
The fact is, in all honesty, I’ve realized that for me, it is not ever going to be about the “end result”, it is always going to be about the journey. And this journey I’m on? Oh what a ride!
So, as Accountability April comes to a close, and I realize the NaNo Novel will sit, unfinished for now. And my home office remains a bit of a disaster area as I continue on my decluttering project, and I’m not quite THERE with any of the projects I set out to accomplish this month, I face facts.
The fact is I did not fail this month. I took accountability for my actions, and I did what I could, and in the process, I discovered other goals, other roads I needed to take on my journey. And in doing so, I live my life as only I can. All over the place, all the time, and loving every minute of it.
How did you do this month?
Showing posts with label Accountability April. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accountability April. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Accountability April - Week 3 - Happy Earth Day
One more week of April behind us, and what have I got to show for? Am I being Accountable for the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the month?
EH…sort of.
This last week, I have to admit, I barely touched the NaNo Novel once again. I got a boost of inspiration last week, but it left as soon as it came, and since I wrote those few thousand words, I was again blocked. Not sure where to take my characters, how to further develop the story. I can’t seem to focus on it for too long before I get completely distracted or disenchanted. I’m missing something vital in the story, and I can’t seem to pinpoint what it is. Worry not, I have not given up, I’m just giving it a bit of space to grow on its own. It’ll come to me, I’m sure of it.
In the meantime, although the novel writing isn’t progressing quite as well as I’d like, I seem to have gotten inspired in other areas of my writing. I have quite a few blog posts in the works, and seem to be inspired to dedicating a bit more time to my content here, because, let’s be honest, it’s been severely lacking recently. It was one of my goals to work on the blog a bit more in April, so I’m claiming one for the plus column here.
Also in the plus column is my ongoing cleaning/decluttering project at home. This past weekend I spent a GOOD deal of time going through my wardrobe, doing the winter/summer change-over and donating some of the stuff that no longer fits me now that I lost weight.
And then there is the Green Part of my accountability. With today being Earth Day and all, it only seems appropriate that we discuss my other ongoing project to lessen my carbon footprint. I’ve mentioned in here before that I’ve only recently become a little “greener”. I haven’t necessarily been the most environmentally friendly person in the past, and I could give you all sorts of excuses and reasons behind that, but the truth is, I just didn’t know any better. It was likely out of being partly lazy, partly ignorant, and partly disinterested. I’m just being honest here, I didn’t look at the big picture, didn’t see how I PERSONALLY could make a difference.
In my defense, I wasn’t exactly focused on even taking care of myself, so is it any wonder I wasn’t worried about taking care of the environment around me? Right.
But, as you all know, over the last year I have been working on bettering myself. Losing weight, working out, eating healthier, feeding myself spiritually as well, surrounding myself with the kinds of people who make a positive impact on the world, have all been a part of my personal growth the past year or so. With that came a deeper awareness of my place in the world, and in turn, my responsibility to change some of my habits.
I’ve taken baby steps, and started with the basics I should have been doing all along.
Recycling. No, I didn’t even recycle before. Now I have three separate waste bins at home. Trash, paper, plastic. (I don’t drink soda or beer, so no need for can recycling). Such a small step, such an easy thing, but it’s felt really good to make that small change.
Re-usable shopping bags. I’ve found the double benefit of switching to cloth grocery shopping bags. I’m reducing the number of plastics bags I use, thereby helping the environment. This is obviously the main purpose for doing it, and I’m happy to be doing it. But here’s the added bonus. All my groceries, which used to fill 10 to 15 plastic bags (what a waste, when the bagboy would put one single item in a bag, and I in turn, would then place that plastic bag inside one of the other bags), used to take me two to three trips to carry into my condo. Frustrating, annoying, irritating, making grocery shopping my most loathed chore. Now? THREE, count them…One, Two, Three…cloth bags fit all of my groceries, ONE trip in the house, all is done. NICE.
Lights. I have started to very slowly replace all my light bulbs with those energy efficient bulbs. Slowly, as they die out, I replace the regular bulbs with the energy efficient counterparts. This is a work in progress, but it is taking place.
And finally, just this week, I went out and bought myself a PUR Water filtration dispenser. This was a huge move I’ve been wanting to take for quite a while now because although I was now recycling my water bottles, it still felt like such a waste each time I would empty the 20 or 30 bottles into the recycling bin. Financially, it won’t cost me more to buy new filters every few months. I was easily spending an average of $15/month on water, and that number was sure to grow with the coming summer months. It will likely cost me an average of $7 every two months for the filters…possibly more in the summer months, likely less, who knows, with an upfront cost of $30 for the container. In the long run, I will likely save money. I will have to invest in a few good quality, BPA free re-usable sports bottles for the gym. Over-all, however, I think I will save money, and I’ll be reducing my waste. I feel good about that. I will likely miss some of the convenience of just grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge whenever I’m thirsty, when I’m heading out the door, in a rush…but I’m willing to make that sacrifice. I’m willing to be more accountable.
There are many many other ways I can reduce my carbon footprint, and I’m working on it. Slowly, but surely, I’m working on it.
But that’s it…that’s my Accountability April/Earth Day post for this week.
How are you doing on your goals? One week to go, don’t despair, you still have time to DO SOMETHING, anything. Get to it! ;-)
EH…sort of.
This last week, I have to admit, I barely touched the NaNo Novel once again. I got a boost of inspiration last week, but it left as soon as it came, and since I wrote those few thousand words, I was again blocked. Not sure where to take my characters, how to further develop the story. I can’t seem to focus on it for too long before I get completely distracted or disenchanted. I’m missing something vital in the story, and I can’t seem to pinpoint what it is. Worry not, I have not given up, I’m just giving it a bit of space to grow on its own. It’ll come to me, I’m sure of it.
In the meantime, although the novel writing isn’t progressing quite as well as I’d like, I seem to have gotten inspired in other areas of my writing. I have quite a few blog posts in the works, and seem to be inspired to dedicating a bit more time to my content here, because, let’s be honest, it’s been severely lacking recently. It was one of my goals to work on the blog a bit more in April, so I’m claiming one for the plus column here.
Also in the plus column is my ongoing cleaning/decluttering project at home. This past weekend I spent a GOOD deal of time going through my wardrobe, doing the winter/summer change-over and donating some of the stuff that no longer fits me now that I lost weight.
And then there is the Green Part of my accountability. With today being Earth Day and all, it only seems appropriate that we discuss my other ongoing project to lessen my carbon footprint. I’ve mentioned in here before that I’ve only recently become a little “greener”. I haven’t necessarily been the most environmentally friendly person in the past, and I could give you all sorts of excuses and reasons behind that, but the truth is, I just didn’t know any better. It was likely out of being partly lazy, partly ignorant, and partly disinterested. I’m just being honest here, I didn’t look at the big picture, didn’t see how I PERSONALLY could make a difference.
In my defense, I wasn’t exactly focused on even taking care of myself, so is it any wonder I wasn’t worried about taking care of the environment around me? Right.
But, as you all know, over the last year I have been working on bettering myself. Losing weight, working out, eating healthier, feeding myself spiritually as well, surrounding myself with the kinds of people who make a positive impact on the world, have all been a part of my personal growth the past year or so. With that came a deeper awareness of my place in the world, and in turn, my responsibility to change some of my habits.
I’ve taken baby steps, and started with the basics I should have been doing all along.
Recycling. No, I didn’t even recycle before. Now I have three separate waste bins at home. Trash, paper, plastic. (I don’t drink soda or beer, so no need for can recycling). Such a small step, such an easy thing, but it’s felt really good to make that small change.
Re-usable shopping bags. I’ve found the double benefit of switching to cloth grocery shopping bags. I’m reducing the number of plastics bags I use, thereby helping the environment. This is obviously the main purpose for doing it, and I’m happy to be doing it. But here’s the added bonus. All my groceries, which used to fill 10 to 15 plastic bags (what a waste, when the bagboy would put one single item in a bag, and I in turn, would then place that plastic bag inside one of the other bags), used to take me two to three trips to carry into my condo. Frustrating, annoying, irritating, making grocery shopping my most loathed chore. Now? THREE, count them…One, Two, Three…cloth bags fit all of my groceries, ONE trip in the house, all is done. NICE.
Lights. I have started to very slowly replace all my light bulbs with those energy efficient bulbs. Slowly, as they die out, I replace the regular bulbs with the energy efficient counterparts. This is a work in progress, but it is taking place.
And finally, just this week, I went out and bought myself a PUR Water filtration dispenser. This was a huge move I’ve been wanting to take for quite a while now because although I was now recycling my water bottles, it still felt like such a waste each time I would empty the 20 or 30 bottles into the recycling bin. Financially, it won’t cost me more to buy new filters every few months. I was easily spending an average of $15/month on water, and that number was sure to grow with the coming summer months. It will likely cost me an average of $7 every two months for the filters…possibly more in the summer months, likely less, who knows, with an upfront cost of $30 for the container. In the long run, I will likely save money. I will have to invest in a few good quality, BPA free re-usable sports bottles for the gym. Over-all, however, I think I will save money, and I’ll be reducing my waste. I feel good about that. I will likely miss some of the convenience of just grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge whenever I’m thirsty, when I’m heading out the door, in a rush…but I’m willing to make that sacrifice. I’m willing to be more accountable.
There are many many other ways I can reduce my carbon footprint, and I’m working on it. Slowly, but surely, I’m working on it.
But that’s it…that’s my Accountability April/Earth Day post for this week.
How are you doing on your goals? One week to go, don’t despair, you still have time to DO SOMETHING, anything. Get to it! ;-)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Accountability April - Week 2
Here we are at week 2 of Accountability April. How are you doing on your projects?
I am happy to report that this week I was able to be a lot more productive than last.
Project No. 1: and the main reason I created Accountability April was my NaNo Novel. I’m still not doing as well as I’d like to be with this one, but I did manage to write another 3,000 words or so. Better than nothing, I’ll take it. I’m hoping for 5,000 this next week.
Project No. 2: I’ve unearthed my desk at home. Seriously folks, this was a MAJOR doing, so I am very proud to have accomplished this task. I can now actually see my desk, sit at it and use the desktop computer. This means that I can probably work on yet another project this weekend (which is printing out some of my cruise photos).
Project No. 3: Go through the pile of clothes I set aside to give to charity and sift through it. Decide which I will give to friends, which I will give to charity, and which I will list on Dignswap.com. I did it! AND I even took pictures of the items for listing at Dignswap. Now I just have to actually go on the site and list them…
Hmm…yeah, those were three of my major projects this week, yay for me! I also did a bunch of little projects, such as change the water in my poor abused fish’s fishbowl, clean my house top to bottom (including tackling the dust bunnies under the bed), and other such things.
How did you do?
Here are some other folks who are participating (leave me a link if you are, and I'll add you):
1. Jill
2. Could be you...
Also, just really quickly, if you look over at my sidebar you’ll see a nice little widget about the March of Dimes “March for Babies”. I’ll be doing the walk on May 2nd and would appreciate any and all donations, 50 cents, 50 dollars, anything in between…everything helps. THANKS!!!!
I am happy to report that this week I was able to be a lot more productive than last.
Project No. 1: and the main reason I created Accountability April was my NaNo Novel. I’m still not doing as well as I’d like to be with this one, but I did manage to write another 3,000 words or so. Better than nothing, I’ll take it. I’m hoping for 5,000 this next week.
Project No. 2: I’ve unearthed my desk at home. Seriously folks, this was a MAJOR doing, so I am very proud to have accomplished this task. I can now actually see my desk, sit at it and use the desktop computer. This means that I can probably work on yet another project this weekend (which is printing out some of my cruise photos).
Project No. 3: Go through the pile of clothes I set aside to give to charity and sift through it. Decide which I will give to friends, which I will give to charity, and which I will list on Dignswap.com. I did it! AND I even took pictures of the items for listing at Dignswap. Now I just have to actually go on the site and list them…
Hmm…yeah, those were three of my major projects this week, yay for me! I also did a bunch of little projects, such as change the water in my poor abused fish’s fishbowl, clean my house top to bottom (including tackling the dust bunnies under the bed), and other such things.
How did you do?
Here are some other folks who are participating (leave me a link if you are, and I'll add you):
1. Jill
2. Could be you...
Also, just really quickly, if you look over at my sidebar you’ll see a nice little widget about the March of Dimes “March for Babies”. I’ll be doing the walk on May 2nd and would appreciate any and all donations, 50 cents, 50 dollars, anything in between…everything helps. THANKS!!!!
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Accountability April - Week 1
Well…it is with much chagrin that I write this post, because even though Accountability April was all my “brilliant” idea (ahem…right), I am SLACKER extraordinaire!
My goal for April was to be more accountable to my goals. To get back to work on my NaNo Novel especially, but also to tackle some of the other “projects” on my to do list.
I come to you today to tell you that I, dear readers, have failed miserably this week. I haven’t even opened the computer file to the NaNo Novel, and of the other “projects” I’ve tackled exactly NONE.
Yep, that’s me, big fat slacker.
HOWEVER, I do not come to you disillusioned or a quitter. So, one week has passed and I’ve been unable to begin, I still have three weeks in April to get back on track. And so do you!
If you haven’t joined us yet, it’s not too late! Read this, so you can have some background information on what Accountability April is all about, and then join Lisa and I in our quest for results!
Together we can do it, cheer each other on, and get stuff done!
A few of you commented last week that you’d be joining in, so, let me know in comments how you’re doing, and if you’re still in, (leave a link to this week’s post) and I’ll add links to this post as the day/week goes along.
And next week? Be ready, I’m coming back with results!!!
My goal for April was to be more accountable to my goals. To get back to work on my NaNo Novel especially, but also to tackle some of the other “projects” on my to do list.
I come to you today to tell you that I, dear readers, have failed miserably this week. I haven’t even opened the computer file to the NaNo Novel, and of the other “projects” I’ve tackled exactly NONE.
Yep, that’s me, big fat slacker.
HOWEVER, I do not come to you disillusioned or a quitter. So, one week has passed and I’ve been unable to begin, I still have three weeks in April to get back on track. And so do you!
If you haven’t joined us yet, it’s not too late! Read this, so you can have some background information on what Accountability April is all about, and then join Lisa and I in our quest for results!
Together we can do it, cheer each other on, and get stuff done!
A few of you commented last week that you’d be joining in, so, let me know in comments how you’re doing, and if you’re still in, (leave a link to this week’s post) and I’ll add links to this post as the day/week goes along.
And next week? Be ready, I’m coming back with results!!!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Accountability April - Who's With Me?
Okay folks, here it is, April 1st. I was going to be all clever and give you some big April Fool’s Joke, you know, tell you I was quitting blogging, or I had gotten married on my cruise, or some such silly thing, but…well…I’m just not that good of a liar, so I’ll spare you, and instead get serious about my big project for April.
My Twitter friend Lisa and I had a discussion recently about the fact that our NaNo novels have pretty much laid untouched since November 30th or so. All this hard work put into reaching the 50k words, and then, as soon as the month ended, they were pushed aside like all of our other unfinished works in progress. One more to add to the list of started, but never completed manuscripts.
So, we decided that it was time to focus on those novels once again, and the month of April was to be the month in which we would do so.
And then we thought “There must be others out there in the same boat, others who’s NaNo novels are just sitting, waiting for encouragement to be picked up again”. And also, what about those New Year’s Resolutions? The promise to lose 10 lbs. The goal to hit the gym 3 times a week? The decision to quit smoking? The plan to declutter your house one room at a time? How many of those resolutions have been forgotten and pushed aside?
It is not too late to take them up, and THIS is the time my friends, April has just become the month in which you will be held accountable for those projects.
So, we invite you to join us for Accountability April, a month long challenge to get back to those projects we have let slide.
Lisa and I are both going to be working on our NaNo Novels. But you don’t have to be a writer to join us, any of those resolutions, or any other task you’ve been meaning to tackle will do.
Join us in being productive this month, won’t you?
Here’s what we’ll do. Every Wednesday I’ll post an Accountability April update. I’ll let you know how I’m doing on my novel, how many words I’ve written that week, or what kind of time I’ve spent on edits, and I’ll share other mini-projects I’m working on each week.
You will post on your own blog your very own Accountability April post, giving your readers an update on your own progress with whatever your project may be.
Then, stop on by and leave me (and/or Lisa) a comment letting us know your post is up, with a link.
If you don’t have a blog, but would like to participate, just leave a comment with an update on how you are doing.
What do you think? Are you in? If you ‘d like to join us and think you can get a post up this week with your own project plan, go ahead and do so, and link back here to let us know. Even if you can’t get your post up this week, start working on your project, and post next Wednesday and stop by with your update then.
Also, we'll be pushing each other along, and encouraging, and keeping tabs, and checking in daily through Twitter, so you'll want to be sure to follow us, and let us know you're participating, so we can follow you in return. Here's me on Twitter: CandidK and Lisa.
Looking forward to getting accountable with you!
My Twitter friend Lisa and I had a discussion recently about the fact that our NaNo novels have pretty much laid untouched since November 30th or so. All this hard work put into reaching the 50k words, and then, as soon as the month ended, they were pushed aside like all of our other unfinished works in progress. One more to add to the list of started, but never completed manuscripts.
So, we decided that it was time to focus on those novels once again, and the month of April was to be the month in which we would do so.
And then we thought “There must be others out there in the same boat, others who’s NaNo novels are just sitting, waiting for encouragement to be picked up again”. And also, what about those New Year’s Resolutions? The promise to lose 10 lbs. The goal to hit the gym 3 times a week? The decision to quit smoking? The plan to declutter your house one room at a time? How many of those resolutions have been forgotten and pushed aside?
It is not too late to take them up, and THIS is the time my friends, April has just become the month in which you will be held accountable for those projects.
So, we invite you to join us for Accountability April, a month long challenge to get back to those projects we have let slide.
Lisa and I are both going to be working on our NaNo Novels. But you don’t have to be a writer to join us, any of those resolutions, or any other task you’ve been meaning to tackle will do.
Join us in being productive this month, won’t you?
Here’s what we’ll do. Every Wednesday I’ll post an Accountability April update. I’ll let you know how I’m doing on my novel, how many words I’ve written that week, or what kind of time I’ve spent on edits, and I’ll share other mini-projects I’m working on each week.
You will post on your own blog your very own Accountability April post, giving your readers an update on your own progress with whatever your project may be.
Then, stop on by and leave me (and/or Lisa) a comment letting us know your post is up, with a link.
If you don’t have a blog, but would like to participate, just leave a comment with an update on how you are doing.
What do you think? Are you in? If you ‘d like to join us and think you can get a post up this week with your own project plan, go ahead and do so, and link back here to let us know. Even if you can’t get your post up this week, start working on your project, and post next Wednesday and stop by with your update then.
Also, we'll be pushing each other along, and encouraging, and keeping tabs, and checking in daily through Twitter, so you'll want to be sure to follow us, and let us know you're participating, so we can follow you in return. Here's me on Twitter: CandidK and Lisa.
Looking forward to getting accountable with you!
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