Reminder

How Do You Measure Success?

I'm a sucker for daily reminders from various websites. I get writing reminders, fitness reminders, and blog notices. Today in a couple of fitness emails I realized the solution to a writing problem I have this morning. First, there was an email from SparkPeople on getting fit called “Success is an Attitude.” A woman wrote: "I plan to lose 50 pounds over a year. I am not setting myself up for any big disappointments by trying to lose too much too fast. Every day is a new day. Every day can be a successful day." Smart lady, I thought.

Then I read an article from Runner’s World about “The Ten Rules of Weight Loss.” The first rule said, "To lose 10 pounds of body fat a year, you need to eat 100 calories less per day. Cutting too many calories from your daily intake will sap your energy level and increase your hunger, making you more susceptible to splurging on high-calorie foods."

Ah-ha! Do you see a parallel with writing? I sure do. My natural tendency (like this week) is to grit my teeth, buckle down, and write 5,000 words every day for two weeks to finish a project. Who am I kidding? I can maybe keep up that grueling schedule for several days, but soon I’m depleted, with back and head aching, and I want to...

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