At some point, I have to stop accumulating books for summer reading and start reading. Images of hot afternoons spent on the deck are dancing in my mind as the forecast turns from wet to wonderful. This afternoon, I’m going to finish reading my library book and then dive into the eclectic reading feast I’ve prepared.
It’s reminiscent of when I set an intention to stop reading about writing and write. That is not to say I don’t return to old favourites or pick up new books about the craft now and then, but I recognize that the abundance of information and opportunities we are surrounded with can distract us from the work itself.
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”
I’ve had the above Covey quote above my desk for decades—first in my cubicle at work, now above my desk in my woman cave. I need to be reminded—often—that distractions keeping me from the better work abound. Unless I pay attention to the “yes” that burns inside, I won’t finish the fourth draft of my book-in-progess (and ultimately, the book itself), or get to the bottom of my summer reading pile of books, or, most importantly, make a difference in the lives of those I’m here to make a difference in.
I’m so prone to forget this. Today is a good day to begin again.
