Don't cry; it will be okay!
Normally when it's about midway through the month and I notice I'm nowhere near my self-imposed quota, I go on a rash of writing blog entries so I can be sure to meet the goal by the end of month.
I had every intention to start that rash of writing around May 20th, but things just got in the way.
I even missed last month's deadline for my interview column in Billiard Buzz because I just didn't have enough time to get it finished with the interviewee. It was the first month I have missed in two and a half years. Wow!
I have been busier at work, too, which means less time to write during the day (shhhh!).
I've also been preparing for a garage sale. Not just any garage sale, but a neighborhood garage sale. I mentioned several times in my personal blog that I'm going through every inch of my house de-cluttering like never before.
The other thing, as many of you know that I have talked about, is striving for less stress and more peace in my life. Therefore, when work ends at 6 pm, I had a choice - stay late and work on blogs or continue getting ready for the garage sale. The garage sale had a hard deadline I could not avoid. And instead of staying late writing and then going home to try and work more through every crevasse of my house, I decided to take it easy and simply go home and work through the house casually, not rushed and stressed.
I've participated in two other neighborhood garage sales, and after each one I told myself it's the last one ever. Well this one will be the last one ever. This is the first time in my life I have felt comfortable enough to declutter at this extreme level - pretty happy to have less things all throughout my house!
But, this blog isn't about my garage sale. It sounds like it is, lol, but it really isn't.
What I'm sharing is I need to be okay with not meeting personally-set deadlines. I have learned I really do need more peace and less stress. Therefore, it really is okay if I don't write 10-15 blog entries a month if I don't have the time. Right?
I was actually surprised I didn't get disappointed or down on myself when I did not submit the interview last month. I realized I needed a break, and instead of rushing to get it completed, I simply accepted the fact that I wouldn't get the interview done in time. And you know what? I was okay.
Even the publisher, Mike Howerton, told me I deserved a break, which was nice that he didn't put pressure on me.
I guess I just want you all to know that while I'm sorry I didn't meet the monthly goal, I'm very proud of myself for not overtaxing or stressing myself or cutting myself too thin to try to meet that self-inflicted monthly goal.
I've had a few months were I only wrote 8 times, but otherwise for the last 10 years I have met my goal to write 10-15 times a month (which is actually pretty strong, right?). And don't for a second think it's due to lack of material - my list of topics is still VERY long (and I add to it every week, lol).
My work has been extremely busy and that type of stress I cannot control. So, because I can control this kind of stress of being okay with not meeting self-inflicting deadlines, I actually think it's a huge maturity and growth on my part.
Before I head home, lol, I do want to say that if I had had time, I definitely would have met the monthly self-inflicted goal. I just simply didn't have enough spare time this month. You can go ahead and blame it on my past semi-hoarding tendencies, my past shopaholic addiction, and the fact I finally was okay with completely decluttering finally for the last 6 months.
I'm pretty sure I'll be back on track in June. I don't have a garage sale to get prepared for.... you know, the last garage sale ever I'm going to have in my life.
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