This week reminded me of three (3) things: 1) That I really love writing fiction; 2) That setting “SMART” goals may be hard, but in keeping to them, they yield positive results; and, 3) The guitar is my place of retreat and meditation and it helps unravel the knots in my soul.
Several years ago, I had given up on the idea of writing fiction. After becoming a licensed substance abuse counselor and continuing education provider, I thought it my duty and mission to write and provide as much education about substances as I could such that people might learn something and change their attitudes about substance abuse and addiction. The thing is, I can do that and still write fiction. I just hadn’t allowed myself to do so in a really long time. I’m out of practice, but it does feel great to get into worlds that don’t exist, but that I think can.
I set a goal this week to complete the writing program established in a book called “90 Days to Your Novel” and thus far, I have been able to maintain forward progress. This is a “SMART” goal; that is, the goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-boxed. It’s not always easy to do all the assignments in the book nor is it always easy to keep day-to-day life from interfering with the goal, but it has been nice to have something towards which I’m working. So, as usual, I strongly advise that if you have something you’d like to accomplish, define it in terms of a “SMART” goal and you will see results.
Because I’ve jumped back into writing mode, I do become a bit involved in my work and can get a bit behind in other areas of my life. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I do find release on my guitar. Really, playing the guitar is the only thing I do that I don’t feel the need to evaluate or critique. I just play and whatever happens, happens. It’s good to have that “safe place” as so much of my life is high-stress.
At any rate, those are my three learnings from this week. I’ve included a solo guitar piece that I call “Chillaxe” at the bottom of the post. I hope you like it and I hope you do find your goals.
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