It appears innocent and unassuming, fragile, thin, and benign. The blank page is a pop culture icon, and it is formidable. It induces anxiety, fear, panic, and feelings of inadequacy. The blank page reduces creatives to blithering idiots, incapable of action. Alaa Al-Aswany says writing is the “conflict between what you want to say and what you could say.”
Perhaps we should shift our thinking, channeling Michelangelo when he said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block before I start my work. It is already there; I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” Maybe our story is already there, written, and waiting for us to release it.
Staring into 2021, with its unlimited possibilities, we can find ourselves frozen, afraid to move. The train wreck of 2020 has increased our level of hesitation, adding threats of impending chaos, the sensation of lacking control, and the feeling of standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking a sea of the unknown.
Yearlong goals seem too optimistic, yet I can’t abandon my goal-setting practice. Targets are like a story outline that serves as the structure for our lives as we take bold strides forward. So, this year, I plan to create bite-sized goals, and I am adopting a 13-week strategy. Step by step, we advance, aware of an ephemeral dream, an imagined destination, and an image of what we want to become.
What path will your goals create in the new year?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer