Life is good

Wrote this morning and then biked, accomplishing both my goals for the day.

I got a later start biking than I wanted, so it was fairly hot, but I did complete the route and never dropped into granny gear on the hills, which means I'm stronger than I thought. Though it wasn't easy--there was one spot when I was flagging and gave myself a pep talk. "It's not that hard, you shouldn't be this tired. Think about it, this is only 10% of the ride you'll be doing in July."

Immediately I felt depressed. Less than 10%? I'd never make it. So I rapidly switched mental gears. I stopped thinking about the July cancer ride. Instead I told myself, "Hey, you're just over 50% of the way through today's ride."

Bingo. Instant motivation. I was halfway there, and I knew I could push through it.

I use a similar approach in my writing. I don't sit down to write a novel, which is an overwhelming task. I've learned to break my writing into manageable goals: today I will write a chapter. A scene. Three manuscript pages to meet my commitment for novel_in_90. Whatever I need at the time, I set achievable goals, with realistic milestones.

Would I like to have written more? Yes, but I managed my 750 words for today which is good enough for the win.