The Meeting
The countdown for the New Year has begun! And as I prepare for 2017, I have pondered what I should share. I recently made the decision to meet a hero of mine, Brandon Sanderson. He has visited the Barnes and Noble in Idaho Falls for several years now, but each year came and went, and I always had an excuse as to why I could not go. But this year, I made meeting him a priority. I respect the vision he has for the Fantasy genre and how he has become a mentor to aspiring authors. I realize now that learning from him has been paramount to my continued success as a writer.With my wife and friends, we waited four long hours to meet the man, and we all agreed that it was worth it! I was impressed by how he listened to me and his fans and admirers. He took the time to answer questions! I appreciate the time he took out of his busy schedule to meet us, his fans.
Looking Back
To be honest, I found myself a little unprepared to meet Brandon. I had no questions prepared, so I simply told him a story of how I started reading his books. In order to earn more from this experience, I’ve started today to make a list of questions to ask him should the opportunity present itself again sooner than December 2017. I’d encourage each of you to attend a one of his book signings if possible! Come prepared with a question or two to ask him.If I’m being really honest, this meeting left me feeling a little small and insignificant. I mean he has become exactly what I have aspired to me the majority of my life. Despite all his kindness and awesomeness, I began to wonder how I could ever measure up to this greatness. I wanted to be seen as not a mere fan, but as colleague. When I look back over the year, I feel disappointed. I have squandered much of my time. I allowed myself to lose focus of what was most important to me. If I want him to see me as a colleague, then I must earn it through hard work and dedicated writing. Looking back at my past self, a pattern has emerged. A cycle that starts with the phrase, “I’ll wait until…” You can fill in the blank. Next thing I know and days, months, and even years pass, and I do not make any progress. This New Year brings me new hope. I can leave my failed pasts behind and begin anew.
Don’t Wait!
Why should I wait until the New Year? Why not start now? My New Year started six weeks ago when I began writing again with consistent fervor. This pivotal decision changed my life forever. From that moment, my choices are now more purposeful and challenging.Do not allow yourself to list out justifications about why you cannot start now. Instead just start! If you really must list, then list out why you should start now. You will always have excuses. Ignore them. For the most part, it is fear paralyzing you from reaching your dreams. The reality is that excuses are just a form of procrastination! And you cannot afford to procrastinate. Each day is a new day! If we fail our goal one day, it doesn’t mean that we have to wait until the end of the year, or even until the end of the day to make a change. We can and must start now.
Making Resolutions
When making goals or resolutions, start small and work your way into building a better version of yourself. Remember that we are all flawed, and as a result we will all make mistakes. Look at your flaws as opportunities of improvement and progression! Resolutions, if wisely completed, can lead you to live an epic year. When foolishly completed, they can lead you to quickly fail or forget them and fall back into old habits. Don’t let this happen to you. The truth is you can start changing at any moment in your lives.It helps if you outline a vision of who you want to become. It also means being persistent and consistent in making smart goals. People grow through adversity. Embrace your struggles instead of resisting them. Look for productive ways let out your anger and frustration. For example, writing a journal, reading a book, painting a picture are all examples of good outlets. These and many more productive activities can help us work through our difficulties. I have always envisioned goals as clean process, but from my experience things rarely turn out as I planned. Goals and minds change. And that’s ok. The root of the problem is that failing to start. It’s easier to push off our passions and dreams to another day thinking that we will always have tomorrow? Wrong. Each day is gift and at any moment it could be our last. So, I ask again, “Why not start now?” What are you waiting for? Start your new year now! Begin to live a new life. Test out those goals now and see how realistic they are. If within in a few days you already find yourself struggling, you made need to start out a bit slower. Most of us are great at starting something, but being consistent to the end is whole different matter. Good luck!
