At the beginning of a new year, I always have the same insecurity - I expect the year to be amazing, then get to March or April and realise I'm not doing anything to make it amazing. January is my least favourite month, and I tend to hibernate which means I waste thirty-one days straight away.
I sometimes wonder if I'm too busy writing about amazing things that I forget to do any real-life ones. But then, what if I got too busy having an amazing real-life that I forget to write.
Okay, so this isn't a proper insecurity, it's just one of those things I think about sometimes, but what do you think: is it possible to be amazing all the time?
I'm living proof that it is *W* Just kidding. I think everyone needs lazy mornings and afternoons of doing nothing every once in a while. Living in high gear isn't sustainable. That said, I also think it's a good idea to try new things and take chances frequently.
ReplyDeleteLol! I think I love being lazy too much sometimes :-)
DeleteI think that would take loads more energy than I'm willing to use! Just thinking about it makes me exhausted. You do need down time and you do need to stop and plan your next move, sometimes. So, just don't dwell on the downtime and focus on the times you are amazing. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Mel, that's sound advice!
DeleteI usually hibernate in January too, mainly because it's usually quite a dull month, when everyone is sad Christmas is over, and nobody has any money left to do anything fun lol! It's all about balance, I think. Plus, don't we have a writers retreat to organise, or something? :D
ReplyDeleteYes, we definitely have that to organise!!
DeleteI'm with Mel. It sounds exhausting and downtime is important. Just don't be like me and take too much downtime.
ReplyDeleteAlso, with two kids, I can't be amazing all the time or I'd never see them!
DeleteI say define amazing. To each is a different idea or ideal. I wish you luck in those few months of downfall that you will pull out of it and remember how amazing your are.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy, that's a very good point. I think I sometimes fall into the trap of comparing myself to others negatively, when they don't have the same commitments etc as me.
DeleteI think a month to do nothing out of an entire year is perfectly ok, and what better month to hibernate then January - get your downtime over so you're ready and energised to be amazing for the rest of the year :)
ReplyDeleteIt sometimes feels like I'm wishing my life away though. I have got a novel to write, so hopefully I can hibernate and write at the same time this year.
DeleteI like to ski in January, and this year, we're going twice! But I still feel kind of sad at New Years, even though I have fun stuff going on in January and this year I have things to look forward to. There's something about the holidays being over and the year, too, that makes me feel sad.
ReplyDeleteOne year I had a weekend away at the end of January, and it was great to have something to look forward to - we just haven't been able to do it since. Have a great time skiing :-)
DeleteI understand what you mean. I tend to hide away from reality so that I can write about my fictional one, which makes people think that I am a hermit. I am sure that you will make your year amazing, as in my view, you always do. Best of luck with your endeavours in 2013.
ReplyDeleteI am technically a hermit too, albeit a very sociable one who likes going out :-) Thanks Murees!
DeleteI'm gonna' go with no. ALthough, sometimes downtime and lazy days are kind of amazing. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm being lazy as I catch up on blogs. I'm lying down and have a blanket wrapped around me - although I think I'm coming down with a cold, so that's not so amazing :-(
DeleteI think that would be a lot of pressure. And whose definition of "amazing" would you go with anyway? Amazing to one person could be kind of eh to someone else. :)
ReplyDeleteI used to feel like I needed to jump into achieving all my goals and doing everything on January 1st or 2nd but now I feel as long as my mindset and motivation is clear, I can ease in and enjoy the start of the new year.
It's completely my own definition, but I have wild dreams! Easing in is probably a better way to do it.
DeleteIt is for me ;)
ReplyDeleteJokes aside, I hear what you're saying. Just like the wonderful Kyra says, we need to find the balance. Over this Christmas break, I tried to get stuff together for my blog tour...then I felt guilty for neglecting the kids, the dishes...okay, so I didn't really care about the dishes!
Here's to striking the right balance. Work a little, play a little, sleep a little...
Balance is a great word - the reality is harder to figure out. Once I do that, I'll be sorted :-)
DeleteIf everyone was amazing all the time, amazing would become normal and then we'd all have to work DOUBLY hard to be just as amazing! And that would be awful! Taking a break and relaxing will make you all the more awesome when you choose to be. (For the record, we're twins! I do the exact same thing, although I last a week into January before I give up all hope :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good way of looking at it. If amazing became normal, I really would exhaust myself trying to be even more amazing!
DeleteI'm not sure it'd be so much fun for everything to be amazing all the time even if it was possible to achieve that.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
To be fair, I do overuse the word amazing. I can stop still in the street because I've seen an amazing cloud :-D Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteI always have to remind myself, no matter the decisions or lack thereof, to be gentle on myself. I make goals but try not to rule my life by them. I'm learning that life very rarely caters to me anyway. I like a vision but know it's important to be flexible in how life goes. Best to you in the coming year.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds very sensible. You get to work towards something without beating yourself up - I like that a lot. Happy New Year!
DeleteThe dead of winter is my least favorite time of year, too. Hibernating is good for writing, though. I think you're amazing as you are. I hope you find 2013 to be a fantastic one.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary :-) I'm hoping to make good progress with my novel this year! Have a great 2013 too.
DeleteHaving some real life adventures without writing is better than neither happening, right?
ReplyDeleteI break out into a cold sweat at the thought of not writing, actually!
DeleteI think writing is amazing! Who needs real life? But that's just me ;)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, but occasionally I look up and see everyone else having holidays and fun and stuff, and I think 'Hmm, is that what I should be doing?'
DeleteDo not guilt yourself for not writing. It does little to inspire creativity. On the other hand, I participated in a group during 2012 that supported a philosophy of no more excuses, "Just f--in do it." Warmest wishes for 2013. -valfoxwrites
ReplyDeleteThat's a great philosophy. At the moment I'm busy writing and not having a life, so my guilt is more along the lines that I'm neglecting my real life in favour of some rather bizarre characters I've created. Thanks for commenting :-)
DeleteI'm so with you on January, I hate this time of year. But my answer to your title is yes, of course, you already are always amazing! :D
ReplyDeleteAw Julie thank you :-) Let's both make January fun this year (it seems wrong to just wish it away, so we have to embrace it!)
DeleteGood question. Yes, you can be amazing all the time.
ReplyDeleteYou can be amazingly chilled and laid back or amazingly revved up to go! Each one has it's time and place...
Happy New Year!
What a great way to mix it up... Today I'm being amazingly chilled on account of being ill, but I'm being amazingly ill :-D
DeleteI make goals but always try to make them attainable by breaking them up into manageable junks. I don't sacrifice having treats, especially in January. And another thing. Annalisa, you're better than you think you are!
ReplyDeleteStart planing a few small pleasure for the month ahead, and if you don't feel like writing hundreds of words, commit to just five minutes a day this month...you'll be amazed what you can write, and you may just forget when the time is up.
Have a happy January :-)
I definitely need to plan small treats to get me through January. My first one is upgrading my phone on 20th - Hubby needs to help me, which automatically means we'll have to go somewhere lovely for lunch :-)
DeleteBeing amazing all the time sounds exhausting! Think I'll just go with a part time position. January seems to be looking like a busy month for me in many ways also its my birthday later this month so maybe I try and be amazing that day.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for 2013, Annalisa.
Lol - part time amazing. That might be a good way to ease myself into it. You definitely will be amazing on your birthday, you have no choice in that one. Happy 2013!!
DeleteWell, I guess we can strive to be amazing all the time, right?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all the comments so far I'm going to aim for about 75% :-)
DeleteWe can try, but I don't think it's possible because life has a way of throwing challenges at us when we least expect them. All we can do is try. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteYes, but those challenges my be amazing :-) Happy New Year!
DeleteNo, I don't think you can be amazing all the time. We all want to, but life is as much about the minutes in between as it is about the events. Take them in, enjoy them, and don't fret about January. Day-to-day can be beautiful too - even when it's not amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreat IWSG post!
Great advice, Kim, thank you! :-)
DeleteHappy New Year! I think it is tough to be amazing all the time.
ReplyDeleteI actually wrote this post after I dressed up as Audrey Hepburn for New Year... she's someone who seemed to be amazing all the time. But I think, for now, I'll just learn how to apply eyeliner :-)
DeleteI'm way to lazy to reach amazing, but I'll settle for pretty good :)
ReplyDeleteHappy 2013, I'm declaring it Year of the Writer.
I'm jumping on the Year of the Writer! I'm going to appreciate each and every day :-)
DeleteIt would be so boring to be amazing all the time - it wouldn't be a novelty on those occasions when we are truly amazing!
ReplyDeleteIf I could get to the point where I was bored of being amazing, I think I'd have earned the rest :-)
DeleteI'm with Linda! And what's 'amazing' anyway? I'm sure 'amazing' would quickly become the new 'normal' if we did it for long enough - not that I'm in a position to find out, you understand...
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of new year and wondering what on earth the next year will have in store for us. However, depending on how my writing's going, it can take me a while to find my mojo when Christmas has gone and it's just me and my desk again. I blog to get myself back in the moment which works most of the time.
Wishing you all the best for a wonderful and productive 2013 :)
Blogging is a great way to get back into the writing groove. Have a great 2013 too :-)
DeleteIt can be difficult finding that balance. Here's to am amazing 2013 for both catagories!
ReplyDeleteI've decided the secret is eyeliner - if I can get that right, I can do anything :-) Happy 2013!
Deleteyou asked the right person, of course it is! ha ha ha!
ReplyDeletebut seriously, housework is not amazing. waiting is not amazing. being stuck is not amazing.
wallow in the low spots, its ok for a bit. just be sure not to stay there too long and when you do something, it will be that much more amazing!
have a year filled with amazing moments!
Yeah, I was just going to ignore those obviously unamazing bits. Who needs a clean house... or clothes... or dishes... (I may need to rethink a little)
DeleteMy particular list of "Wants" for 2013 depends on so many factors that are out of my control that all I can do is my best, but isn't that the same for all of us? Happy 2013
ReplyDeleteI hope your wishes come true this year, Lizy!
DeleteI wish you an amazing writing year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dana!
DeleteI too get the winter blahs and feel like hibernating daily five minutes after getting up. Wishing you both for 2013, Amazing Life and Amazing Writing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gossip_Girl. I've been hibernating today while reading blog posts and it's been awesome... amazing, even :-)
DeleteI'm sure it is possible to be both, although I lean way more towards writing than real life experiences. Heh.
ReplyDeleteI tend to start out the year well, but then around May, everything falls apart and I do very little writing until around September, except in sporadic bursts. I think everyone needs a hibernating phase, so they can get the energy to keep going. :)
I'm going to try my best not to neglect one area over the other - it seems like a good idea on day 3 of the year! Hibernating to gather energy makes sense.
DeleteI think that you can be anything all the time. Nor would I want to be. It's the hills and valleys that make you appreciate the opposite so much more. Good luck this year. :)
ReplyDeleteI could probably be an amazing chocoholic most of the time, but it wouldn't be very good for me... so in retrospect, you're probably right :-)
DeleteYou can have both. Just sometimes we need to take a rest from the amazing. Have a fantastic 2013!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have a good try at having amazing lazy days though :-D
DeleteTime out is probably a must... to avoid the insanity of being overloaded of course:) January is my month to take it a bit easy:)
ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with January is if I don't fill it with something it lingers and takes twice as long. I should enjoy the month - but I don't.
DeleteHi Annalisa .. January seems a good time to hibernate - and you've had one long winter down in Devon - and must be ready for some Spring sunshine ... I sincerely hope the floods haven't you or your loved ones too much - life has been disrupted for so many ...
ReplyDeleteHave a great 2013 - once you get going .. cheers Hilary
Sunshine would be good. They tell me there's some on the way... Luckily I'm on a hill, and we don't have floods in our town, but there's been some horrible floods in nearby towns. Happy 2013 to you too!
DeleteAmazing all the time? Doubtful. Life's just not that consistent. It's more like a roller coaster. Good thing I like those.
ReplyDeleteConsistent = boring, so it's probably a good thing.
DeleteI think we can be amazing all the time, just not in all the same things. Like today, I'm going to be amazing at sitting in L.A.traffic.
ReplyDeleteLol, and I hope it was amazing for you!! :-)
DeleteLOL Jenn! I'm amazing at sitting in traffic, too--thanks to my audiobooks. seriously though I dont think it's possible to be amazing all the time. Too exhausting. :)
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
As I think I mentioned earlier, as soon as I figure out how to apply eyeliner, everything will be amazing! Watch this space :-)
DeleteIt's a tough balance, isn't it? We have to live in order to have real things to write about. But living takes away from writing. Oiy! :)
ReplyDeleteYep, that's pretty much the problem I'm having. I know - because of my working hours - that I spend far too many Saturday nights writing!
DeleteHello Annalisa :D I love your blog! As for being amazing…I'm sure your writing will be brilliant …and that makes you amazing too! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and commenting! Happy New Year :-)
DeleteI've also spent the past few weeks way out of routine! I've put aside this week to get back into things, and by next week I'm supposed to be in full swing work mode!
ReplyDeleteI think you need to define amazing ... it's probably different for everyone. But I certainly don't feel like I'm amazing all the time, especially if I'm spending most of my time writing about other people being amazing!
Yes, writing about amazing things makes me want to do them too!
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