I chose this photo John took of me because it looks as if I am a bit overwhelmed which is how I feel at times heading into this new year thinking of all that must be completed.
Creative projects and story ideas trail after me like streaming ribbons on a kite’s tail each temporarily aloft when the power of a strong wind lifts them or my feet move fast enough to keep them up in the air. Never one to be at a loss for inspiration, I struggle with another aspect which is equally important … completion.
This is not to say that I don’t get things done because I recognize the power I have to do what some might consider impossible. My history is made up of multiple instances where even I can look back and say with a bit of astonishment, ” How did I do that ? ”
But when it comes to some of the more creative things, I tend to get bogged down in details that can derail an idea or project fairly quickly pushing it to the backseat while the newer, prettier one gets to sit up front with me like a favored child for the day.
While I often take huge leaps of faith in some areas, when it comes to the creative areas of my life, I tend to research too long or look to those who have gone before for guidance and direction when if I just get in the car and go, basic directions and intuition can usually take me to the place I need to be.
I have a long list of things which must be completed in 2011 some of which are practical and important for everyday life while others are necessary for my creative spirit which is really my foundation and a sort of gas tank that fuels my enthusiasm for daily life.
January is all about the practical as immigration issues loom large with testing, large cash outlays, appointments, and interviews, all requiring my immediate and focused attention. Add to that, my UK driving test must be taken with both theory and practical tests as I have been here way too long to be driving with my American license and you may begin to see why I am obsessing a bit about completion.
While John and I together and individually had the good fortune to spend much of 2010 traveling, this year will find me staying and working on projects closer to our home in Cornwall. I am looking forward to planting myself in one place for the bulk of the year with only short trips away and a few extended visits to see my family in America. Knowing from experience what it takes for me to accomplish a task, I think some of my many creative goals will certainly be able to be completed during this new year.
One of my Big Bag Of Dreams Goals that I spoke about here will have to wait another year even though it’s been throughly researched and planned. Based on where I am with other goals on my list, hosting my BBOD’s workshop this year feels like skipping a few chapters when reading a ” how to ” book so I am putting it in the backseat until next year. The favored front seat has a long list of occupants waiting for their spin around the block and if I can keep the pushing and shoving to a minimum, I think I might be able to give most them a turn.
Completion is often defined as ” The act or process of completing or the quality or state of being complete. ”
While I don’t feel a need to tick off boxes each day to note what I’ve accomplished, I do see how the act of completing certain goals can help one feel more complete, a word which in its first part is defined as ” having all necessary parts. ”
In 2011, I will be working on completion. Have you chosen a word to guide you through this year or a particular goal that tops your list? If you have, please share it below and include a link if you’ve written about it somewhere. Feel free to think about it and come back later to share too.
Here’s to dreaming and doing in this new year !
I want to thank Marie Scudder for her post over at Vision and Verb today. My one word post for 2011 was still trying to gel until I read what she had to say in her piece, ” Paper and String.”
Gifts Of The Journey 
My word for 2011 is ENCOURAGE. I hope to encourage others, primarily, but also desire to encourage myself.
Godspeed on keeping your kite and the tails aloft.
Susal
Good luck… especially with that driving thing. The steering wheel is on the incorrect side of the car and they all drive on the incorrect side… crazy!
By now, i usually have written my post and chosen my word, but my creative juices are focused elsewhere. i’ll get back to you. meanwhile, Completion” is perfect for you!
I’m still mulling over my goals for the coming year. Getting my house has been such a prominant goal for the past several years that now that it’s accomplished, I find myself wondering what to do next….yeah, I still need to find a job, but figuring out what my next ‘dream’ is going to be, is still percolating.
Ok, got it! It’s FOCUS. Just wrote it. Thanks for the inspiration! http://julesfredrick.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/whats-your-word-for-2011/
The word does sound like a good match — and not as a goad or punishment, but as a joyous CHOICE. It’s finishing up both practical and dream-based goals, celebrating them and then incorporating them into your life.
Sounds much better than a “to-do list,” I think.
Still trying to figure out my own word. I’m leaning toward “permission,” as in giving myself permission to try new things. Or, maybe, to admit I’m scared to try them, in which case I’ll give myself permission to continue even though I’m a little bit afraid.
Here’s hoping 2011 brings better times for all.
Happy New Year Elizabeth — all the best for a wonderful 2011 for you and John and Miranda and Jersey Girl and all the rest of your family!!
Completion sounds like a wonderful word for 2011. I should be so bold as to adopt it myself.
what a great word of 2011. I haven’t chosen a word – i need to give it some serious thought. Good luck in this new year in completing all that’s on your list.
Happy New Year my friend.
I think the reason writing projects are so hard to complete is because it’s damn hard work. You reach a point where you get stuck and it’s sometimes tempting to put it aside instead of just plowing through no matter how unattractive it may seem at the time. When I was writing for television, many times the only thing forcing me to completion was wanting to get paid. It’s not as easy when there is only uncertainty at the end of a project. So stick with it. Plow on through. You can do it. And finishing something always feels great.
Happy New Year, my friend.
Good word. I can’t figure out in my own mind if my word should be declutter, letting eh completions happen in the space that results, or completion, which forces the decluttering as a prerequistite. I can’t amke things on a desk that is covered with stuff, for exampe. One thing is for sure; mulling it over is part diversionary tactic and “just get in the car and go” is a brilliant response to that. (She started looking for her car keys).
Have to grin, thinking how often in 2010 I got in the car /van/ with the in-company joke of someone piping up “Roadtrip!” like Roadrunner, as we prepped for yet another trip up or down the west coast..hence the the title of one of my blog posts!
I actually played with the possibility of ‘completion’ being my word for this new year..and then decided that it was too fraught with the possibility of failure..as I rarely complete my creative projects (all the more reason to have chosen the word??).
So – I am choosing ‘grow’…and within that ‘growing’ must come a sense of ‘completion’. A little paper for doodling and dreaming..and a long string to set me free to fly.
Glad I could be of some sort of ‘inspiration’…:-)
hi there, i’ve ‘stumbled’ on your blog a couple times now, for the life of me can’t remember through who i’m afraid. but now that i know you are here, i shall revisit! interesting to hear that you left the US for the UK, and cornwall (which is gorgeous!!). i am a UK ‘gal’ but living continents away in africa. as a child we went to cornwall a lot, such a beautiful place.
i’m not sure if i’m going to have a word this year, the only i could think of is ‘write’ as in ‘write more’…as the written word starts to take more shape (have only thought in images before). completion would also be a good one as, like you, i have a ton of stuff zipping around in my head – if only i could actually do something with them all!! cheers, eliza
I think “happy” will be my word for 2011. According to this test, I’m moderately or pretty happy. Thanks for giving the idea of finding a word and I hope you complete all your ’11 goals!!
My word for this year is “transformation.” I first thought I would go with “new beginnings,” then after some review of last year’s journals, discovered that was my word for last year. Hmmm. Clearly I still feel like I’m mentally in the same spot. Growing, changing, transforming, if you will. Sometimes this spot of beginnings can take a while. But I’m feeling stronger (2009 was a really lousy year for me) and finally feeling like I’m coming out of that “beginnings” area. So this year it’s about transforming–the caterpillar emerging.