The Eclectic Writer

Season's Greetings

 Happy Holidays from The Eclectic Writer!

Reality Check

It's amazing what a winter storm system can do to squash the best laid plans...and provide a good, old-fashioned reality check during the usual holiday craziness.

There's a pattern I follow pretty consistently. As we approach the holidays and end of year I enter the month of December with a grand plan of all the things I need to get done before December 31st. These range from pretty straight forward tasks, like ordering and mailing holiday cards, to more comprehensive goals like reassessing my business plan or writing a full-year marketing strategy. I also throw in extra to do's, for example finish that novel I started three years ago, or draft three e-books I can market in January. Oh, and let's not forget to lose those ten pounds by the party on the 19th.

Needless to say, around December 15th I start to realize I'm being unrealistic.

It's amazing what running out of time can do to help prioritize a to do list more effectively. Factor in unexpected winter storms that keep the kids home from school, colds and flus that cause sluggishness and misery, and, oh yes, the few hours of sleep each of us needs each evening, and reality sets in.

The key to survival is learning to let go. I forego waiting for a wintry scene in which to click a snapshot of my children and instead settle for a fall foliage photo for the holiday card. I don't worry about a perfectly written business plan by January 1st but I do insist on defining simply my goals, how I'm going to achieve them, and when I need to take action. The novel can be completed in the first six months of the year. One ebook written, produced, and marketed in the first quarter is a reasonable goal.

Letting go. Of all the self-help books, seminars, and audiocassettes that tell us how to do it all, the one best piece of advice I've received is to learn to let go. Somehow when we sift through all we have to do, the most important things come to the surface. And those are the ones that matter.

Tune in Tonight

I will the featured speaker on tonight's Rich Women Sisterhood Academy Event, a web show on line. My topic will be "Recession-Proof Your Resume During Turbulent Times" and I will be talking with host and RWS founder, Leisa Watkins, about the three most important considerations you should make when repositioning your resume in a tough economy: targeting your message, organizing your information, and choosing a format that best presents your "personal brand."

The teleseminar is free. To register and join in click here.

Time Flies By

Oh my goodness!  I just checked in on The Eclectic Writer and noticed my last post was last month!  So sorry, my blog readers. A terrible head cold last week and the rush of year-end "stuff" to get done has made me remiss in my posts.

I find the end of the year both exhilarating and anxiety-producing. On the exhilarating side, it's a time when I look ahead with a fresh slate and define my personal and professional goals with open-mindedness. My dreams become more vivid and I take the opportunity to visualize where I want to be by same time next year and put in place the plan for how to do it.

I am a firm believer that if you start the year with a plan, clear goals, and strategies for achieving them, your dreams move forward. Certainly 2009 is going to be one of the toughest years any of us has ever gone through. When the economy tanks and our systems no longer seem to work the same way they used to, it means we've got to be innovative, flexible, and willing to figure out solutions as we go along. However, if we've been proactive and created a plan, it is far easier to fluctuate and adapt than to go into the year with no focus at all.

2009 will most likely be a year of anxiety as well. The reality of what's going on is evident. These terrible economic woes are going to make it tough on everyone, those employed by a company and those who hang their own shingle, like me. The toughest challenges are the unknowns; but what we can expect is that we'll be approaching life a little differently than we have the last few years.

Overall I tend to be an optimist, or at least a realist, when times get tough. On the other side of all this (although we probably aren't going to reach the other side for some time) the cycle will turn and we'll talk about these days with a "remember when..." like we do about other tough eras. No doubt this one will stand out in its unique way.

But while counting down the weeks until we ring in '09, I'll be getting ready to ride the wild tsunami the best way I can.