by Janis Susan
May/Janis Patterson
Sometimes I think if I hear/see/read one more thing about
New Year’s Resolutions I will scream. Every January 1 we’re supposed to
completely change our lives, remake ourselves and institute completely new
thought patterns. Then, being human, when we slip, backslide or otherwise fail,
we are depressed and return to our old ways or worse. Small wonder New Year’s
Resolutions have in many ways become a bad joke.
This year I’ve beat the system. I’ve made only one
resolution, and that one I am sure to keep. I resolved to make no resolutions!
Which is an insoluble conundrum, I know, but logic has never been my strong
point.
Resolutions have always unnerved me somehow. I am a very
stubborn person and once I say something I will move Heaven and earth to keep
my word. Two years ago I vowed to put my publishing career into high gear after
far too many years of futzing around. I did it, and it bloody near killed me.
Since May of 2014 I have been working non-stop, publishing I-don’t-know-how-many-books (including one release every two weeks for five months!) with never any less than three writing projects going on at a time. I traveled to Egypt
to research a book, then to Boston, Alabama and Las Vegas to research other projects.
I did mountains of publicity (which I loathe) and blogged a lot – pretty much
any time anyone would let me in addition to my standing days. I spoke at
several prestigious conferences and attended even more conferences, some for me
and some for The Husband. I kept our house and made a home for The Husband, did
some teaching and dealt with several family crises. And that’s just what I can
remember now.
I’m tired.
So did it work? Was it worth it? I dunno. My sales have been
fairly good, but not anywhere near what I want them to be. My name is known in
the industry, and I think I have a pretty good reputation. I haven’t had the
lightning strike of luck yet, but no resolution, New Year’s or not, is going to
change that.
All of which has brought me to a decision. I’m going to slow
down. I’m going to enjoy life more. I’m going to pay more attention to my home
and my family and my animals. I may even clean out my kitchen cabinets. (On the
other hand, I may not – don’t need to get TOO carried away!) I’ll still write,
and publish, and speak, and pretty much do everything I’ve been doing, but just
not so much of it.
I need to remember to put more emphasis on making a life
instead of making a living.
(PS - for those of you who were interested in my newsletter, there is now a sign-up form available on my website!)
