inspiration

NaNoWriMo “fail,” Toronto inspiration, and other news

/ sarahelund / Leave a comment

Hello dearest readers,

Hey, remember that time that it was November, and I committed to NaNoWriMo without a plot?

… apparently that doesn’t work for me. I didn’t “win” this, my second year of attempting, but I did learn that I shouldn’t try for NaNoWriMo on a whim.

This last month was not as productive as one would hope, writing wise. I wrote maybe 20,000 words on my NaNo project, but stalled due to 1) an awesome vacation to Florida and 2) the busiest work month I’ve ever had. I’m not using these things as excuses (especially not the vacation, on which I certainly could have written more), but working half again as many hours as I typically do certainly demanded that some part of my schedule be sacrificed. For my brain’s sake, I let it be the writing.

Why was I so busy at work? I was put on a national project  that was all kinds of neato. It centered on innovation,  and I was working with the kickassiest team imaginable. At the end of November I was even sent to Toronto to help out on the day of (and days leading up to) the big event. It was tremendous. Toronto and I have a much better relationship than before: I got to see one of my best girls in the world (and eat much Korean BBQ with her); I fell in love with the people with whom I got to work; I even enjoyed the Toronto vibe — after I had thoroughly mocked the lack of cold weather hardiness in the very non-Prairies people. Picture me, scampering down the street, jacket open, smiling up at the medium grey sky, breathing in the cool breezes. Now picture others, Canada Goose jackets zipped to the neck, scowls and shivers as adornment, squinting eyes braced against the buffeting winds. They thought I was peculiar, but I hope there was a charm to it.

I really enjoy going somewhere new. Though I’d been to Toronto before, it was never as an adult and never on my own. It’s a small kind of exploration, but I enjoyed finding my way down the city streets, trying to make up shortcuts through the downtown buildings (with limited success — my sense of direction is comically bad), absorbing the emotional atmosphere of the place.

I feel like I could write it now – the feel of downtown Toronto – much better than I would have with my teenaged, chaperoned memory of the place. But I will not. Instead, I want to write characters. ‘Cause boy did I meet some.

How to win Olympic gold in literature… metaphorically.

/ sarahelund / Leave a comment

Did you watch the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi? I’m a big fan of the Olympics overall, but the Winter Games holds a special place in my heart because, well, I’m Canadian, and Canadians are good with winter. Also, there are so many weird and impressive sports in the Winter Games that I don’t get to see in the three intervening years (I mean ski cross? Snowboard slopestyle? This shit is crazy). I bring this up not to brag about Canada’s hockey and curling and moguls dominance – because that would be rude… and I’d hate to upset the stereotype of the mild-mannered, polite, and dull Canadian – but instead to talk about inspiration and goal setting.

It’s amazing to see ordinary people push themselves to their physical and mental limits to be the best in the world. It makes me feel hopeful. It makes me feel patriotic. It makes me feel inspired. But most of all, it makes me feel lazy. These athletes are working every day for years to be their best, and then testing their best against their peers. They work with coaches and trainers and teammates to make almost imperceptible changes and tiny improvements to their process/program/form/mental strength. They set challenging goals and allow themselves no excuses. So let’s do the same.

If you’ve ever worked in a corporate environment, you’ll be familiar with this process. Your ability to make and achieve professional goals is likely what determines if you receive a raise. Goal setting in your personal life is way more fun. My favourite goal setting resource actually comes from lululemon. Allow me to liberally copy-paste from their corporate blog right now:

“break it down
Break your big goal down into multiple smaller goals. For example: if your goal is to do a handstand without the wall, set a goal that you can achieve in a shorter amount of time that will help you get there, such as “I will practice kicking up into handstand 20 times a week for a month by June 2011.”

write it in present tense
Write your goals in the present tense, as though they already happened. This gets your mind used to thinking that your dreams don’t have to be dreams; they can be reality.
Examples:
Asavakrasana is part of my yoga practice by November 2013.
I do a handstand without the wall and can hold it for 2 minutes by August 2012.

make it measureable
Can you measure your goal? If you can’t measure it, it’s not a goal. This can be a challenging part of goal-setting, but there is a way to write each of your biggest, baddest goals so that they are measurable in some way.

use affirmative language
Say what you will do, not what you won’t do. This will focus your energy on the desired outcome rather than the actions or behaviours that must stop.
Example: “I practice sidecrow” instead of “I stop avoiding sidecrow.”

be specific
Make your goals as specific and concise as possible. Keep it under 15 words, with no justification required. You can always change your mind!

by when
Attach a date to your goal. State the month in addition to the year. Dates keep you accountable. Don’t over-think things too much – just pick a date.

and now, your turn!
Here is a goal sheet for you to write in your 1, 5, and 10-year goals. At the top, write what your age and life will be like in 10 years.”

Perhaps I’ll post mine to stay accountable. It will not include the word “sidecrow.”

S.E. Lund