Yes, this is in fact going to be a post about New Year's Resolutions,
but I promise, it won't be without a twist or two. You see, I've
avoided making any kind of resolution year after year for the simple
fact that rarely are they kept by anyone and anyone
certainly has better resolve than I do. It's not a good way to look
at life, I know. One should never use the failures of others as an
excuse not to put forth their own valiant effort. After all, there
would be little in the way of invention and discovery if that was the
case and I for one appreciate indoor plumbing. But this year, I'm
making a few, if only because I now have this blog and by writing them
down for the world to see, I'll look like a real chump if I don't make
an attempt to keep them.
So rather than beat around the bush, I'm
going to start out with the big one. The resolution made by so many
year after year, that it surely has a permanent place in the resolution
hall of fame when one day a few people actually keep it and it finally
can retire. I'm loosing weight. "Come on, really. You're going to
lead off with that?" Yes, that's what I'm leading off with. You see,
if you were to ask anyone who has known me since I was young, and there
are in fact a select few who have stuck around that long, you would
find out that in my youth I was always a physically fit, active,
even...chiseled, I'll dare to say...young man. Those who have known me
only in my thirties are all calling bull at this moment, but I do have
proof. Unfortunately, this state of physical near perfection was not
do to any effort on my part. Unfortunately
you say. Yes. You see when one has always had to work at staying
fit, they learn how to do it. They appreciate the condition of fitness
and work daily to maintain it. When you are fit through the
transitory blessing of genetics, you take it for granted and when,
inevitably, you get older, your stomach starts creeping over your belt
and in shock you wonder "now what?" Well I have decided to take a
stand and go to war while I can still see my toes. I made a preemptive
strike before Thanksgiving, trimming down from 205 to 180. Only
twenty pounds from my goal. Then...came...the cookies. And not just
the cookies. There was apple cream pie, candy canes, mashed potatoes
and candied yams. They came with a vengeance, flanking me like some
well disciplined Spartan army. 180 became one hundred and ninety two.
It was a really good Christmas. So...resolution number one: weigh 160lbs next year when I write some similar blog about other things I really need to do.
Next,
sell 30,000 copies of my books in 2012. "Excuse me, did you mean to
type four zeroes?" I did. "Okay, a bit ambitious, maybe. Why
30,000?" I'm glad you asked. I chose that number because it is the
number which I figure would be commensurate with making a living as a
writer. No, I have no intention of quitting my job as a firefighter,
but as being a writer has always been my dream, knowing I could do it
as my profession is a goal for which I am always striving. In order to
achieve that ambitious number, I will have to fulfill my remaining
resolutions. They are closely related, but will require a bit of work.
I intend, along with Scarlet and the Dragon's Burden's release on the
31st of January, to release an adult fiction novel this coming summer
and the third book in the Scarlet series, next Christmas.
So, there are my resolutions, but...as you probably noticed, the title of this post is not New Year's Resolutions. So
what do I mean by solve for X. Well, in forming these resolutions I
have tried to keep that little equation in mind. Everything we do has a
cost benefit relationship and our ability to readily recognize it and
act in such a way that the benefits always outweigh the cost is crucial
to being a happy person. We don't ultimately do anything that we don't
want to do. I'm sure a long list of things came immediately to your
mind to refute that statement, but look at those things a little
differently and you'll see that I'm right. The easiest example would be
work. Say you have a job that you don't like and you don't want to go
to work. But you get up in the morning and go anyway. You don't have
to. You could stay home if you chose to, but what would be the cost.
Eventually you would loose your job (well, you didn't want to go anyway)
and then, subsequently, your house, your ability to buy food, cloth
yourself, etc... Hmm. You would rather be fed, housed, and clothed
than not go to work. The cost is too great for the benefit of staying
home. The trick is, to find the right answer for the equation.
The
people who are happiest in this world are the ones who are really good
at finding the answer to this magic equation. So many of us substitute
the wrong thing for X, and while it gets the job done sometimes, its
really a 'lesser than' answer rather than equaling happiness. So,
taking a look at my resolutions...am I solving for X. Well, the cost of
my writing and publishing books is not very great. I love to write.
It takes time, but I do most of my writing while everyone else is
sleeping, so I'm not really using up time I could be spending elsewhere.
The benefits are potentially endless and writing makes me happy
so...definitely solving for X there. Ah...but my first resolution.
Here's where it gets a bit tricky. I like to eat Snicker's bars,
cheeseburgers and pizza. I would really rather eat them than kale and
spinach. But I also am rather unhappy being overweight. I don't like
the way it makes me feel. I don't like being tired and sluggish. So
what is the right answer? I have decided that loosing the weight is the
solution. I like being fit more than I like Snicker's. So I plug in fit for X and I am happy, maybe...
See
a big part of this whole thing is to check your work. Remember that
from math class. Sure you might think you have the right answer, but it
pays to give it a once over every now and then. I might find for
instance that, after reaching my goal weight, I am miserable. Maybe the
answer is a bit more moderation and four pack abs instead of six. I
won't know until I try. A word of caution, however. You have to work
out the equation first. If you keep changing your answer before you
find out if you were right or not, you'll never be right. Don't be
afraid to be wrong, just don't be too stubborn to try something
different when you are.
Okay, I've rambled on enough. Until next
time (remember I my second resolution...if you haven't downloaded or
purchased any of my books yet, please do) I hope the New Year finds you
healthy, wiser and happy.
Good resolutions all... To be healthier is a lifelong resolution worth keeping. Good luck
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