Following Through

It really takes energy and focus to commit to getting things done.  I recently had a conversation with another artist about this.  She said she has two art spaces in her house and all the materials she needs and time to paint but finds it difficult to actually motivate herself to sit down and work.  Another friend said she just procrastinates and then the day is over and she has not gotten to what she had planned to do.  Twelve years ago I decided to write a book.  I had an idea and made a schedule for myself.  Every Monday would be my writing day and I did not veer from this commitment   It took a year to complete.  I found that creating a routine actually worked.  I suggested to my artist friend and she choose one day a week to do her artwork and if it led to more art time during the week, then great. If not, then at least she would have the satisfaction of following through on that one day.  It feels great to complete what you set out to do.  It doesn't have to be a big thing.  It could be setting aside time to read a book, or calling that friend you've been meaning to contact.  It's about setting up a goal for yourself and then when you've completed this one goal, move on to the next goal.  A wise mentor taught me this.  When you don't complete what you think you want to be doing, you start feeling guilty and then frustrated and it diminishes self-esteem.  My goals for this week were to complete a piece that I was working on and to blog.  It took several days to figure out how to fix what I didn't like about it and required plugging along.  Now that it's is done,  I feel a sense of accomplishment and am on to my next goal - packing for a two week vacation in the sun.  I don't like to pack.  I obsess about it but am determined to finish by tonight.  I leave on Saturday, so yes, I am a bit OCD.   It's only Wednesday.  Oh well.  We all have our little quirks.  Here's what I did.