Lessons From a Rain Lily

Rain Lily

I own a rain lily that never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes it disappears, leaving just a few fronds and I think ‘okay, it’s really dead this time’, but you know what? It never gives up. Through neglect, too much sunshine and too little water, my little rain lily presses on and shows me a beautiful bloom ever so often. I wonder what that little beauty would look like if I really paid some attention to her, watering every day, feeding her with plant food and tilling the soil once in a while.

 

I’ve been thinking that neglect is responsible for a lot of the little things that escape us, not to mention how easy it is for us writers to put off getting things done today and then tomorrow. I’ve noticed for a while now just how much time I spend not writing when I sit down at my computer. I also find it ironic that before I had a single book contract, I was writing a lot more than I am now. I should be more motivated to write now, but that’s not the case. I do everything else but write and then there’s the guilt over not marketing any of my books either, and with Distraction coming out shortly, boy do I need to be on the ball.

Point is, I should be paying attention to the things that matter. I believe it’s called prioritizing. Nobody achieves success without deciding what’s important and sticking with a plan to meet specific goals. Lists work for me and I’ve started out the year keeping my Things to Do pad really close. In the same way, I’m leaving that lily on the step where I’ll pass it coming and going, hoping that it will be a reminder of what I need to do to keep it alive, along with my writing career.

How many of you have any sort of scheduled writing time each day and do you stick with it?