I’ve decided that 2023 is going to be the Year of the Book. This is no relation to the Year of the Tiger, Rabbit, Ox, Dragon, Snake, or any other animal celebrated in the Chinese New Year. Instead, it’s related to my New Year’s Resolutions.
I’ve realized for a while now that I’m not spending enough time, on a regular basis, on any of the books I’m writing. I have four that are in various stages of completion, from great-idea-and-outline-done to basically-finished-but-needs-a-bit-of-tweaking. And none of them is going to get to the done-and-polished-and-ready-for-the-publisher stage unless I give them more priority time.
So that’s going to be the focus of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2023. I know from experience and from coaching that it is our habits and routines, more so than willpower and self-discipline, that lead us to successfully accomplishing our goals, so that’s where I’m going to start. My new first-thing-in-the-morning ritual, after some stretching exercises and prayer time, will be sitting down at my computer and working on one of my books for at least one hour every day. I know that unless I have a meeting or appointment to get ready for, I’ll work for longer than that once I get started. But committing to that hour is what will establish the routine until it becomes a habit. And on days when I do have an early morning commitment, I’ll make a point of getting up early in order to get my book time in. That may require getting to bed earlier the night before in order to get a good night’s sleep, so I’ll include that as a part of my resolution as well.
As you can see, even a seemingly simple and straightforward New Year’s Resolution, such as doing something for an hour first thing in the morning – or losing weight, or quitting smoking, or eating more healthily – can be a bit more complicated, and require a few more steps, than simply saying “My New Year’s Resolution is to…” I think that’s the main reason most people don’t follow through on their resolutions for very long, if they even made any in the first place. I’m guilty of that, too, and have my fair share of New Year’s Resolutions that barely made it past the first week, let alone all the way to the end of the year. But many have resulted in new insights, experiences, and habits that have served me well, for as long as they lasted. That’s why I keep making New Year’s Resolutions.
Maybe this will be one that stays with me long enough to bring healthy habits, lasting results, and exciting accomplishments. And maybe I’ll write a book about it if it does.
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2022
©Betty Liedtke, 2022
I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing on this blog. This is to protect all of us from unwanted spam.
