My Resolution

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It's hard to believe it's 2016 already. It seems like time flies more rapidly the older I become. For a lot of people, a new year means new resolutions, goals, and a lot of recrimination when they struggle to reach those goals or give up after a few weeks. I gave up on making new year resolutions. I usually end up feeling guilty because I haven't been following them, and finally, in a fit of disgust, simply give up.

My biggest resolution is to keep working on my writing. It's easier than I thought it would be (in some ways) and also harder. It's was easy to write when it was just a hobby, but now that I am writing with the hope of making it more than that, I'm full of doubts. This quote about sums up the past few weeks.

I have resolved not to worry about whether my writing is good enough. I know that what I am feeling is universal, we all have doubts about something, whether it is writing or another interest, a job, a decision you just made, school. Writing takes work and dedication (at least, it does for most of us) and it's not realistic to expect my story to be perfect after one draft.

The good news is that I am done with the rough-rough-rough draft of my story...but, like I just said, it's far from perfect after one draft. I decided I didn't like the point of view it was written from, so now I am going back through and changing everything from 1st person to 3rd to see if I like that better (paralyzing doubt, I'm telling you, it's my Achilles heel).

I guess if I have a resolution, it is to trust God and believe that things will work out, one way or another. It's easy to start worrying about how uncertain my life is right now, about how many decisions I have to make. It's easy to second-guess myself and wonder if I made a mistake in quitting my job. But I had the opportunity to pursue something I love, and that is what helps me keep the doubt and worry at bay.

Maybe you have a resolution too. I hope that, whatever it is, you can stick with it. Maybe, down the road, you can tell me about it.

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