Monday, June 16, 2014

Checking In

The sky is dark this morning and seems ominous. The weather forecast includes the threat of thundershowers, and should they occur that will bring havoc to the city’s roads. Rain slows everything down in this city, and that’s a good thing given how we drive here in Toronto!

So this morning I, too, am slowing down to, once again, check in with myself. It’s time to assess my progress and see if I’m still on track. Where am I on this journey as I chase after my dreams? Am I living the life I’ve imagined for myself?

At the beginning of 2014, I had set three goals for myself:

Find a publisher for my second novel. This is ongoing. I’ve been making submissions and waiting for responses. While I have received a couple of rejection letters, one was very positive about the writing, saying that it was “assured.” That was encouraging, renewing my confidence in my work. So I’m not giving up and still waiting on that one letter that says, “Yes, we’re interested in publishing your novel.”

Finish the rewrite of another novel that needs lots and lots and lots of work. As stated in my update in April, this rewrite is complete. I’ve started work on another novel, and had set as a goal to complete the rewrite by 30 June 2014. Letting the characters guide me, new twists and tensions have emerged in the plot that, while making the storyline stronger, means a little more work. Now I hope to complete work on this manuscript by the end of July.

2014 is to be a year of positivity. There are times when remaining positive proves to be a challenge. In my day job, working with the public, there are times when I come across some really mean, nasty, unhappy people. And they like to take their unhappiness out on whoever is standing in front of them. That negative energy can, at times, drain my energy, and make me question my faith in humanity.

I do my best not to let that negativity get to me. I remind myself that channelling positivity instils a calmness in my life. It allows me to focus on what I can do, what I can control. So I will continue to seek out the beauty that is this world. I will do my best to light up the world, and the faces I look into, by smiling, being kind towards others (and myself) … savouring all the goodness that life has to offer.

I will keep in my heart the counsel of Norman Vincent Peale: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”

1 comment:

  1. Good thought, and good goals! I hope you have a super day! I am going to visit my friends in Lake Echo today.

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