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Monday, September 12, 2011

it's all do-able

are you a do-er?

a co-worker the other night was telling me about this couple she knows that are do-ers. they work for a non-profit, yet somehow are fabulously wealthy. they have kids and an intensive travelling schedule. (and apparently an au-paire). they want something, they get it done. consequently, the story went, they are suc-cess-full.

it got me thinking. am i a do-er?

i used to think so. i once started a huge community collaborative from scratch. but now that's turning into a years ago kind of thing. what have i done recently?

i live in nyc. when i first moved here i volunteered a lot, but every organization seemed like they ran perfectly well without my efforts, so i stopped.

i blog three times a week, but i don't do enough to promote said blog and as my fellow blogging/writing/reading friend's blog numbers escalate. i seem to have topped out at 30 (fabulous) followers.

i've written three novels while i've lived here, the first is a bit messy and will hopefully one day see life as a middle grade. the second is a fabulous dystopian that apparently will only ever see the inside of a drawer. the third, i've been editing for five months now and will hopefully one day see a Barnes and Noble shelf if i can infuse it with perfect amounts of description/voice/life/plot. sounds pretty good, right? except i have another three novel ideas, that i'm letting stew when i could just as easily be, i dunno, writing them.

so am i doing enough?

i started that community collaborative to improve my neighborhood, have i done all i can to improve my career? on days i'm not at home writing it amazes me how much i can accomplish in an afternoon that is normally spend drinking cups of coffee and worrying away word choice. but that's my process. i can't exactly speed that up. can i?

which leads me to ask, how much doing is enough in life? lately, i've been wanting to do it all...practice/improve my Spanish, read The Scorpio Races (again) not to mention every other YA that's been recommended, crank on my new book ideas, perfect my manuscript, maintain a healthy social life, clean my apartment... ARGH... i end up zoning out and playing TowerMadness on my Ipod.

i've written it before, but my favorite Tom Robbin's line is: People of zee world relax.

but can you be good at relaxing and still be a do-er? i don't know. this is something i will try and figure out while i'm away on vacation. hopefully, when i return, it won't feel like i'm doing or not, i'll just be. you know, whilst being really productive, maintaining a healthy social life, not spending months on the same damn edits and and and....

the lesson in all this? all 30 of you?

no more blogging before 6 a.m.! or stop talking to co-workers.

i have figured out which yet. i'll add it to my to-do list.

3 comments:

  1. Corrie, do you realize how powerful, how strong the Collaborative is now? I received one of the UB community newsletters in the mail last month and I was blown away by how much they are accomplishing, how viable they are, how much a part of UB they are becoming. That all started with you- your vision, your dedication, creativity and hard work. You made a mark on that community that was positive and powerful. You are do-ing. You think of others- you allow yourself to learn from others and learn from new experiences. You are receptive to challenges knowing that in the end it may not always yield the result you desired. That is living. That is do-ing. You have always amazed and inspired me.

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  2. aw my amy. thank you. it's terrific to hear that the collaborative is still viable. i'd thought it had just turned into those safety meetings. and thank you also for the always loving and kind words. you know i adore you too, right? something about that conversation really stuck with me. what more can i do *heavy italics*? maybe it was just what i needed to get the juices flowing. so be warned, if anything comes to mind you know i'll be knocking on your door moments later:)

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  3. BBG does not run perfectly well without you. The Rock Garden is falling apart. Come back. We need your doing!

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