I’ve always maintained a glass-half-full attitude. Optimism is my middle name, and living where the sky is in constant danger of falling has never sounded very enjoyable. Besides, nobody respects the gloom and doom friend, who warns us someone will poke out an eye or suffer from a million other dire predictions. My guess is, those are tales mothers tell their children, hoping they will sit down and be quiet for five minutes. But being optimistic has a dark side.

I devour calendars, planners, and To-Do lists to help keep me organized, productive, and on track. Long ago, I developed a severe allergic reaction to forgetting something, being late for appointments, and otherwise dropping the ball. Planning and strategizing have saved my cookies on many occasions. But lately, my optimism has been running amok with my normal well-functioning routine. The sneaky devil had overloaded my already ambitious Daily agenda. When I checked my Quarterly Plan, I discovered more tasks than most people complete in an entire year. No wonder I am worn out, exhausted, and constantly feeling like I am months behind schedule with no hope of reaching my goals.

My “Yes You Can” fiend went berserk and said, “Yes” to everything. I’m no slacker. Binge-watching TV shows or watching movies I have already seen is not entertaining to me. I play a few games on my phone, but weeks and months pass when I forget they are there. Between the 9-5, family obligations, a home remodeling project, and brainstorming my current WIP, it is easy to log eighteen-hour days of non-stop work. The equation where I am working hard and still falling short of my targets does not compute. The little monster and I have scheduled a mandatory meeting.

Do you have to curb your optimism?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer