BOUNCE! From one thing to the next

Yes, I know it’s October, but I’m BOUNCING back to our September power word because I’m still processing that one!

I met with my Chicks recently and we had an interesting discussion. We talked about all the things we have going on. As much as we lamented having Too Much To Do, the reality is we all still wish we could do more!  But we know we simply can’t.

In reflecting now, I acknowledge I need to say “no” a bit more, so I can focus more. But, I must let go of the idea that life will fall into a nice, neat, orderly plan.  My closet, yes. My life, no. (Maybe this is why I like organizing closets so much.)   There are so many things that are a true “yes”, that if I let go of, would diminish my life considerably.

MichaelMaggs Edit by Richard Bartz

My writing works this way too, sometimes.  I’m working on a middle grade contemporary novel this year, but I had a chapter book that I wrote a long time ago and never felt confident about sending it out.  Now that more agents are seeking chapter books, it was time to bring it back out.  So, I BOUNCED back to it.  Revised it. Polished it.  Sent it to my beloved early readers.  Read the feedback. Revised some more. Polished some more and now…I’m querying!  And, I have more energy with that off my plate to BOUNCE back to my middle grade novel.  In fact, I’ve already added a couple thousand words.

I’ve embraced the fact that my list will remain long: family time, volunteering with my kids’ schools, cooking healthy meals, my consulting work which is satisfying and keeps me engaged professionally, writing, being an active critique group member and of course, time with my Four Chicks.  But I will stop beating myself up for how I get it all done.  The way I get it done is by bouncing from one thing to the next. It’s not neat. It’s not linear. And, it’s not pretty.  But you know what? It gets done.

So, I say it’s okay to BOUNCE, as long as you finish things along the way.  Just keep BOUNCING and learn to enjoy the ride.

ZOOM! Fast Forward or Full Focus?

Our power word for January is zoom! (yes, with an exclamation mark).  How can I apply it?  What kind of a mantra is it for me?  In staying true to myself, I will not pick one interpretation, just as I can never settle on a favorite color.  I will use zoom! in two ways:

1) Fast forward – to remind myself that a new year is a time of new action, of renewed energy.  I have many projects ahead of me this year, and I need to give myself a fast start, to give myself the gift of momentum. When I start finding myself being weighed down by perfectionism, by indecision

, by doubt, I will repeat this mantra to myself and zoom! past all of that.

2) Full Focus – to remind myself that focus is required to accomplish what I want to accomplish.  There is a difference between being open and creative versus being distracted.  Though focusing will be slightly easier for me now that The Voice is over for the season, there are still many shiny objects in my life. When I need to focus in on my immediate goal and ignore the mental clutter, I’ll repeat this mantra to myself and zoom! in, pushing the distractions out of my viewfinder, at least temporarily.

What these mean for me creatively is that I’ll commit some focused time preparing for the SCBWI conference in January, so I can be prepared to chat about (or pitch!) my projects on a moment’s notice if the right opportunity presents itself.

What does zoom! mean to you and how will you use it?