The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 30

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 1 Comment

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 365 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?

My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?

It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.

My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course.

What can you achieve before the year’s end?

Let us know in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Challenge Your Assumptions, Attempt the Most Difficult Act in the World, and Begin – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

thinking-is-easy-acting-is-difficult-and-to-put-ones-thoughts-into-action-is-the-most-difficult-thing-in-the-world.-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe

Yesterday, a frog asked me to solve an elementary level math problem. Number manipulation is my favorite subject, so I agreed. Imagine my surprise when he declared I was wrong.

Here is the story question he gave me:

Five frogs were sitting on a log. Four frogs decided to jump into the pond. How many frogs were left? Was your response one? The correct answer is five frogs remain sitting on the log. Shocked and appalled, I was sure the amphibian didn’t understand simple subtraction. He licked his eyeball and assured me the error was not my mathematical skills; it was my logic. He said I assumed no difference existed between deciding and doing.

Action taken without prior reflection can yield disastrous results, but all thought and no movement is just as detrimental. Congratulate yourself for reaching a decision and prepare yourself for the difficult work to begin. The toughest step is moving from deciding to doing. Fear often induces paralysis, leaving us sitting on a rotting log instead of leaping into our journey toward a better situation. Don’t allow inaction to negate your resolution. Realize you don’t need every answer, and perfection only happens with practice.

Are you ready to jump into your day?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 29

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 363 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?

My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?

It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.

My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course.

What can you achieve before the year’s end?

Let us know in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

A Clever Plan to Stack the Odds in Your Favor – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

the-will-to-win-the-desire-to-succeed-the-urge-to-reach-your-full-potential...-these-are-the-keys-that-will-unlock-the-door-to-personal-excellence.-confucius

Will and desire alone do not ensure success. I have an intense desire to be a billionaire. I bet you do too. However, no matter how many lottery tickets I purchase and scratch, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. I can set goals and plan to buy a ticket every week, but my chance of hitting a big jackpot remains unchanged. We need a path with much better odds.

The good news is we have examples, role models, and breadcrumbs to follow. The bad news is, it requires work. You must commit to completing what others refuse to attempt. Don’t expect encouragement from friends or family, pats on the back, or high-fives and attaboys. No one will be there as you toil in the darkness. There will be stages in the process you will hate. If you are lucky, you will find a trailblazer who validates your journey.

The desire to succeed must fuel your competitive nature and sustain your drive as you create your anchor and inch forward. One small step helps you prepare for the next one and the one after that. It is grueling, thankless, and imperative. Hard work is the path that prepares you for your lucky break and unlocks the door to your success.

Will you dare to find your path to success?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 28

/ JoHawkTheWriter

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 362 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?

My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?

It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.

My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course.

What can you achieve before the year’s end?

Let us know in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Daring to Face Your Blank Page – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

the-new-year-stands-before-us-like-a-chapter-in-a-book-waiting-to-be-written.-we-can-help-write-that-story-by-setting-goals.-melody-beattie.

It appears innocent and unassuming, fragile, thin, and benign. The blank page is a pop culture icon, and it is formidable. It induces anxiety, fear, panic, and feelings of inadequacy. The blank page reduces creatives to blithering idiots, incapable of action. Alaa Al-Aswany says writing is the “conflict between what you want to say and what you could say.”

Perhaps we should shift our thinking, channeling Michelangelo when he said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” Maybe our story is already there, written, and waiting for us to release it.

Staring into 2021, with its unlimited possibilities, we can find ourselves frozen, afraid to move. The train wreck of 2020 has increased our level of hesitation, adding threats of impending chaos, the sensation of lacking control, and the feeling of standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking a sea of the unknown.

Yearlong goals seem too optimistic, yet I can’t abandon my goal-setting practice. Targets are like a story outline that serves as the structure for our lives as we take bold strides forward. So, this year, I plan to create bite-sized goals, and I am adopting a 13-week strategy. Step by step, we advance, aware of an ephemeral dream, an imagined destination, and an image of what we want to become.

What path will your goals create in the new year?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 27

/ JoHawkTheWriter

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 362 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?

My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?

It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.

My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course.

What can you achieve before the year’s end?

Let us know in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Failed Attempt at Moderation Fixed by A Brisk Boxing Day Walk — Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter / 2 Comments

on-boxing-day-we-always-go-for-a-walk-in-our-wellies-with-the-dogs-no-matter-where-we-are.-darcey-bussell.

Holiday fare is one of the most anticipated aspects of Christmas. It is also detrimental to my waistline. So, I adopt a mandate of restrained indulgence. These are the dishes I prepare at no other time of the year, and I don’t want to miss a single delectable mouthful. If only I could stop at just one mouthful. But how can I resist these once-a-year goodies?

Taking an extended walk is a fabulous tactic for burning those unavoidable calories. Fresh air is invigorating, and it lifts the food-coma hangover from my body. If we are lucky, the temperature will approach freezing with crystal clear skies. Bundling in layers and wrapping a scarf across my face to defend against bitter cold is mandatory, and I get lost in the euphoria.

My meandering takes me further from home than I realized. Blue skies smile, and the quest for what lies around the next corner, or past the horizon’s edge beacons. But I must turn back, leaving untold discoveries for another adventure. They promise to wait for my return.

How will you spend your Boxing Day?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The 2020 Daily Writing Challenge – December 26

/ JoHawkTheWriter

2020 Daily Writing Challenge

Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow

Today is Day 361 of the 2020 Daily Writing Challenge.

Did you write yesterday?

My year-end countdown has begun, and what a wild ride 2020 has been. The adage says what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’m not dead, yet therefore I must be tougher right? The question becomes — How much can I accomplish before we ring in the new year?

It all starts with a well-conceived strategy, and mine includes a master list of 100 activities to help me reach my annual writing goal. It may sound impossible, but many items are almost insignificant and require fewer than 15 minutes to finish. They are micro-actions, minor jobs that, while they are crucial, they are the ones I repeatedly push to tomorrow.

My new resolution is to stop multitasking and instead concentrate on finishing one task before starting another. I have dedicated a cute notebook to collect random thoughts that often distract me from my current job. I aim to eliminate some low-priority habits and devote my time to higher valued assignments. Each evening, I will organize tomorrow’s calendar and schedule my most important activity in the top slot of my To-Do list. I pledge to complete that job before doing anything else. It means moving my daily writing session from afternoons to first thing in the morning. Well, second after my coffee, of course.

What can you achieve before the year’s end?

Let us know in the comments below.

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer