Tag: goals

Checking in from Burnout

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written regularly. Years.

Back in December, I put in my notice of resignation, two years later than I should have. I’ve been burnt out as a teacher for two years, burnt out from the state of the world for about a decade, and burnt out from the hustle for even longer.

I wanted to check in with you all and see how you are doing. Have you written anything since last you saw me in your inbox? If not, this is a safe place to say so. You can build up a goal using the questions below or just sit with that confession (as I’m more likely to do).

I’m desperate for some REST, which I haven’t really had since 2016. I’m hoping that with rest, I can rediscover my love for writing, but I also know that it’s OK to rest without expectation of any sort of output whatsoever.

So I’m sharing this old post, specifically these questions, as a way of setting goals for myself, but don’t feel like you need to participate. Do tell me how you’re doing. I definitely miss spending time with the writing community, and I’d love to support you from my side of the keyboard.

Here are the questions:

  1. Where are you at with your writing right now? Are you certain? Uncertain? Bruised? Overwhelmed?
  2. What is your goal for this season you’re currently in? Is it a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
  3. What would the midpoint look like for that goal? How would you know that you’re halfway there?
  4. What would half of that look like, the quarter point?
  5. What are your daily or weekly goals? If being a “daily doer” hasn’t worked for you, take any daily goal you set for yourself and turn it into a weekly goal.
  6. Now cut that daily or weekly goal in half.

I’m going to take some time to answer them for myself in the comments. Then I’m going to share some encouraging quotes that I’ve been letting feed into my spent soul. That post will go live on Wednesday, so check back in or subscribe to get it in your mailbox.

Uncertainty and Overwhelm in Writers

On the Death of a Genius

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A writer friend texted me the news this morning.

Immediately I wished I was in a courtyard with wand-wielders. As a poor substitute, I watched a scene from Half-Blood Prince and made this.

image

This afternoon I was swiping through old photos of me (which my aunt texted a few weeks ago).

I guess with Alan Rickman’s death, I’m getting all “I open at the close”—trying to decide how to live more truly to my child self. The silly, creative girl who didn’t limit herself, didn’t compare herself to others, didn’t fear failure:

image

Rickman didn’t get his big break until his forties. He gave us almost thirty years of brilliance—of character immersion so great, people are mourning not only him, but also the various fictional characters he loaned his soul to.

On Tolkien’s birthday, I posted about how long it took him to find success. Earlier this week, I retweeted this from Saladin Ahmed (though I usually don’t share tweets with cursing) because it felt relevant to what I’ve been feeling and reading this year thus far:

https://twitter.com/saladinahmed/status/686057481273999362

https://twitter.com/emerylord/status/686051233082273793

I’d like to think I’ve got time, but what if not? What am I doing that will leave a legacy? How am I moving toward my creative goals?

As a student, I always gave myself this deadline age of thirty-three. I’d tell myself, nobody was more influential than Jesus, and he didn’t start recruiting disciples until he was thirty-three. Why expect I’ll make a difference before thirty?

Well, some people do. Some people find fame as teenagers.

But those people aren’t me. And maybe they aren’t you.

So what do we do? We acknowledge that no two paths to success are the same, and those paths can often change. We acknowledge that there is no “right way” or “right time” to do creative things—just the way that makes most sense to who we are and what season we’re in.

We each have obstacles in our lives. The point is not giving up. That’s why we read stories. Characters can’t control their inciting incident, but they can decide how they will move forward. Either way, they’re active:

“Folk seem to have been just landed in [adventures], usually—their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on—and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end.”

(Sam to Frodo, The Two Towers)

Maybe you need more experience or training before you can move forward. Maybe you are a caretaker; someone is dependent upon you. Maybe you have a job that leaves you overworked or exhausted, but you need the income. Maybe you need time for self-care.

But maybe you need to distinguish between what is necessary and what is important, and prioritize accordingly.

So where are you standing right now, en route to your creative goals? What stands in your way? What can you do about those obstacles? How can you work around or despite them? Comment below.