This year has been a marathon of epic proportions. A long, very long, haul with some very lofty goals, both personal and professional. And all of that struggle and trudging and whatnot…all of that is now condensed into an 8-day sprint.
8 days, at least, for the editing work part of the sprint. The writing sprint is about a week longer than that. Speaking of…I’ve lost two days on the writing side of things. It needed to be done, and that gets solved tomorrow morning. Back to a “normal” schedule.
Today was indeed the work bonanza that I needed it to be. I got 43 minutes of editing work done. 43! In a day, where it’s a miracle that I reached my goal of 20. To quote Deep Space Nine, which I just watched while eating cookies and drinking egg nog…the prophets were with me today. It was a combination of good focus, some energy, and some good fortune with what was available to me.
I’m now a single day behind. If I can make that day up in the next eight days of normal editing work, I’ll be ecstatic. Even if I don’t, and I’m just able to do these last 7 days of editing and hit those daily goals, I’ll be happy. I’ll add an extra day to January. But, I’m close. Ever so close to crossing the finish line for the year and calling it an unmitigated success. A 100,000% improvement from 2013. On so, so many fronts. So many fronts.
And there are more fronts to conquer, dear friends. Many more. Including the biggest fear in my life, which is actually getting into the business. That is coming. I have material now. Material that still needs finishing, but I do have it now. This year has been very trying, and so will next year. The biggest revelation, however in terms of my creativity, has been how wonderful it is to sit down and write every day. And, I don’t *just* mean this blog, though it is a major part of it…I mean writing stories. Every day. For an hour. Three pages. It makes me feel like I’m doing something with my life in the here and now, rather than waiting for it around the corner. Creating my ideal life in the *present* and not the future.
For right now, however, though I let my mind slip to such things when the day is done and I’m sitting in bed exhausted listening to my wonderful wife in the bathroom with her toothbrush and her youtube…though I let my mind slip to such things as the past and future in times such as right this second…my mind is focused on the next 8 days. The sprint to the finish line. It will be mine.
Tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off, I might doubt that. But, not after I haul myself up and take the pups out for their walk.
The finish line will be mine. It is the MOST IMPORTANT PART of the race. It’s what separates the finishers from the quitters.
It will be mine.
Good night, guys. See you tomorrow!