Out With the Old, In With the New

I’m not writing New Year’s resolutions this year. Not even going to think about them. Do I want to accomplish some stuff in 2019? Sure. But I’ve never been big on setting “official” resolutions. One, because I’ve usually abandoned them by the third week in January. Two . . . okay I don’t really have a two, just a really big ONE.

Seems to me most people get overly excited and ambitious about setting New Year’s resolutions. Then they fail. Then they’re miserable the remaining ten months of the year. And let’s be honest: when I say “most people”, I’m really talking about me here.

I’m keeping it simple this year. Keep doing the things I know I need to do to lose the weight I’ve been trying to shed for, like, a decade now. In that regard, I’ve discovered the mystical secrets for shedding fat and getting in better shape. Are you ready for the mystical secrets? First we have to dim down the lights and get out our crystal ball and place our palms on the Ouija board. Here they are. Let’s chant them quietly together:

1. Eat smaller, healthier, non-American sized food portions
2. Stop cramming chemical-laced, fake-food crap into your mouth cave
3. Quit pouring so much sugar cocaine down your throat tunnel
4. Engage in moderate amounts of prolonged sweaty exercise every day

That’s it. Those are the four big secrets every diet fad in the world seems to completely overlook. “Pshhh,” I hear you saying. I know. I know. Nobody wants common-sense, fact-based, realistic, long-term, sustainable health secrets. “Just give us fast results, man! We’re willing to sacrifice our long-term health for short-term gains.”

<Sigh>

That’s the first thing I’m working on this year. Nothing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). I’m not committing to losing forty pounds in the next six months. I’m just taking each day as it comes and doing the best I can. And NO beating myself up if I blow it.

What else am I working on. Let’s see. My writing of course. Will I publish anything this year? Heck I dunno. That’s not really anything I have any control over. I’m not the slush reader wading through a teetering pile of unsolicited stories every week. I don’t control what mood an editor is in when he reads my stories. Publishing one of my stories isn’t a call I get to make. So what can I control this year? How many stories I write. How much time I spend with butt in chair. How many Writers of the Future quarters I enter. How many markets I submit my stories to. How much time I spend scrolling through Facebook feeds, avoiding everything else I should be working on at the moment.

I’ll keep working on my 52 Week Story Challenge. I’m NOT going to beat myself up for missing a week. Or two. Or four. Not that I’m four weeks behind or anything (I’m totally four weeks behind). But it’s OKAY. Really. I’m cool with it (I’m totally not cool with it). But I will be in 2019. I have to learn to calm down and accept that I can’t do EVERYTHING. At least not all at once. That’s something I’ve always struggled with. I’m a perfectionist. Always have been. If I can’t do something perfectly the first time, then it’s simply not acceptable. I have to change that. In 2019, I’ll take each day at a time—each hour at a time if that’s what it takes. I’ll do the best I can. And if I do the best I can, I should be able to feel good about what I DID accomplish, and not get so hung up on all the stuff I DIDN’T accomplish. Do the best I can in that day, then pick up again where I left off on the next day. The trick, of course, is being honest enough with myself to admit whether I truly am doing the best I can or whether I’m just making excuses.

Lastly, I’m discovering a lot about myself in 2019. For instance, I’m developing my own unique way of writing my stories. I call it the Young Frankenstein method ©️. And yes, I’m copyrighting that method. See that little copyright symbol? That’s right, it pretty much means absolutely squat because I totally hijacked the Young Frankenstein name, which I don’t even own at all. But if I did, I would totally copyright it and sue anyone who tried to use it, except for me. (Mel Brooks, please don’t sue me. Your movies are awesome. 😉)

2018 basically sucked, and I’m hoping 2019 becomes the magical phoenix rising from the ashes of all that suckiness. Because I really need 2019 to be a good year. I’m guessing you do too. So here’s to an awesome 2019. And to all of you who DID formalize your resolutions, or set SMART goals for yourselves, best of luck to each of you this year. I hope your resolve carries you through the entire year and you find much success.

Yours in the New Year,