We live in an impatient world. Who doesn’t want everything faster, better, cheaper? And I have a proven track record—I lack patience. I am a rabid proponent of making things simple with an uncomplicated roadmap towards accomplishing my goals. Straight forward, easy-to-understand procedures, logical steps, clear guidelines, and well-thought-out strategies rule my day. Shortcuts, however, are not part of my program. I’ve never met a proposed alternate route that hasn’t cost more money, time, and work than following the intended path. Let’s face it when you watch a movie, and one character proclaims they know a shortcut, we recognize the group is in serious trouble.

The problem with shortcuts is they encourage us to accept speed over quality. Taking the easy way out doesn’t guarantee success, quite the contrary. Opting to short circuit established guidelines puts you on a path littered with avoidable difficulties, annoying problems, and eventual failure. “Good enough” rarely satisfies anyone, and we often spend more effort reworking, fixing, and apologizing for poor outcomes. No one rewards mediocre results. The accolades go to the players at the top of their game, and those who provide exceptional quality.

Blood, sweat, and tears, guts, determination, and a desire for excellence are the mile markers lining the road to success. When it comes to attaining anything worthwhile or meaningful in life, there are no shortcuts, no get-rich-quick methods, no overnight sensations. Businesses take years to reach millions of customers, artists work for a lifetime to hone their craft, and we gain experience in tiny incremental segments with each passing day. Thought, diligence, and sustained effort carry you further than selecting the simple yet wrong way.

What are you working toward today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It was an accident—a string of unfortunate incidents leading to my little discovery. Are you ready for a story? Then stick with me. When I started my planning for 2021, I discovered they changed the format of my favorite planner. The changes were deal breakers for me, and so I embarked on an exhausting, pain-in-the-butt process of finding a new planner that checked all my must-have buttons. I didn’t find a year-long calendar to fit my needs, but I found a 90-day, undated version I thought I might like. Apprehensive and not wanting to commit, I ordered one copy.

Q1, 2021 saw me venturing outside my box and loving it until it came time to order the book for Q2. Cue the dramatic music. They listed my new favorite as sold out, with no availability date noted. I contacted customer service, and they said they expected a shipment in June or July. They might as well have told me it was gone forever because I was back to beating the bushes to find a suitable replacement. I settled on another 90-day planner and ordered 4 of them. You understand. I wasn’t going through this chore again, and the company offered a buy 3-get-1 free deal.

Being between a rock and a hard place, I figured I would make it work. Each day is on a 2-page spread. It turns out I like attempt number two, even better than my first trial version. I liked the page one layout, but I was dubious about the second page that they billed as a spot for doodles, overflow information, and—cue more dramatic music—an area to journal.

Yeah, I hate journaling, and I have burned my previous journals in sacrificial bonfires for self-serving vanities. But this is different, and the additional blank space is an enormous advantage. I use it for notes, scribblings of idle thoughts, and random, half-formed mental images, or what I call word vomit. I have learned this insignificant exercise, un-kinks the hose, and lets the words I want to write gush onto the page. It is becoming part of my writing ritual.

How do you start your writing session?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yes, Virginia, creativity requires courage and an ample supply of bravery. What other pursuit requires you to bare your soul, put your heart and mind, and your blood, sweat, and tears into inventing every line in a piece? Then when you finish, you must push your baby into the world for the critics to eviscerate?

Courage and bravery are keys to facing your fear. You’ve been there. You’ve stood on the brink, staring at a formidable project that scares the crap out of you. And you wonder if you dare to accept the assignment or if you should walk away. If the soul of a creative person lives inside you, then exercising your creativity is not an option. Your drive to create, to imagine that your dreams and wishes are more than gossamer thoughts, fuels your brave warrior.

The fighter must learn the Litany Against Fear:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
― Frank Herbert, Dune

A funny thing happens when you face your fears head-on – the situations that scare you contain opportunities for growth, healing, and stunning accomplishments. When you dare to attempt something no one else would consider, you set yourself on a course of acquiring skills, insights, and perspectives that are unique to you. You cultivate rare gifts, and those gifts are more precious than rubies.

How brave will you be today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The best things about Sundays are the total lack of expectations. It comes with a sense of personal freedom and the license to do whatever you feel like doing. This Sunday morning calls for partly cloudy skies, a chance of rain, and temperatures near 40 degrees. Perfect weather for a long brisk walk to get the blood pumping, muscles moving, and the brain thinking about something other than the ever-present To-do list.

Working from home eliminated my hour-long daily commute and created space in my schedule to get outside and stretch my legs. I didn’t realize how much I missed walking. In high school, I didn’t have a car. So if I wanted to go somewhere, I walked or rode my bike. They designed college campuses for walking, which saved me from the dreaded Freshman fifteen. My first job after graduation required a mile walk between the train station and the office. It didn’t matter if it snowed with sub-zero temps or you sweltered in unbearable heat with no relief from a cooling lake breeze. Classes, jobs, and responsibilities don’t care if you need an umbrella, a change of shoes in your briefcase, or hats, scarves, and mittens.

Somewhere along the way, getting outside became optional and demanded perfect conditions. I fell out of the daily routine and out of practice. There was a time when I could cover a mile in about fifteen minutes, which works out to about 4 miles per hour. But since I restarted this spring, my mile pace is taking almost twenty minutes, or a 3 MPH pace. This will never do. I have a new goal. I can always count on my competitive personality to turn a relaxing walk into another opportunity to measure, record, and monitor my progress.

How do you spend your Sundays?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Mother Nature forges ahead with her own agenda. She doesn’t wait for everything to be perfect before she begins. To herald the season’s metamorphosis, she sends spring flowers. Late snowstorms dump two feet of the white fluffy stuff way past the day the calendar says it should snow. Thunderstorms, torrential downpours, flash flooding, and tornados don’t keep her from coaxing crocus, tulips, lily of the valley, and blood-red peony stalks above ground.

They brave inclement weather and hostile conditions. They may hope for gentle breezes, sunny skies, and tender rain, but life gives them no guarantees. If they have any hope of growing, blooming, and reaching their full potential, they must take risks. Faced with uncertainty, they begin anyway.

Are you dreaming of a beginning?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer