Reaching for brass rings in 2019
Oh, hi friends!
Are you back at work? Are you pondering resolutions? Are you still in bed?
Resolutions are funny little things, aren’t they. Everyone’s talking about them right now. Optimism swims through the air.
I’m not one for huge, long-term plans. A deadline that’s a few months away—which is essentially a New Year’s resolution—might as well not exist in my world. And I think that’s why it’s difficult to do what everyone else is doing.
So here's what I say: If you don’t want to commit to a new project for an entire year, don’t. If you don’t want to commit to a gym membership, don’t. If you don’t want to set long-term and rigorous new restrictions on your diet/sleep schedule/booze intake, don’t. Because maybe that’s not how you operate.
But one way to capitalize on that fresh-start feeling is to lean in to how you’re wired.
Maybe this could be a year of one-month resolutions for you, 12 sprints in all.
Or resolutions that don’t feel like resolutions. (Here’s an example: My sleep schedule has always been a pain point, but instead of telling myself I must sleep for eight hours every night—not likely—my non-resolution resolution is to just sleep in bed. Because occasionally I’m so tired I’ll pass out on the couch (not proud). The idea is that this one little rule will improve my sleep in a bigger way.)
Instead of a resolution, you could start a daily practice. Maybe something that worked or you in the past. I’m returning to my habit of writing three pages a day to see how that feels.
Try something. Reach for a brass ring. But most importantly, don’t get discouraged—and figure out what works for you.
You don't know what they see.
Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash
"You must remember that you don’t know what people find in your work so there’s no sense in trying to repeat it. You can only do, in the way that seems best to you. Like not knowing really why people like or dislike you—do they like your brains? No, it is your cooking and perhaps your apartment. Is it your conversation? No, it is the fact that occasionally you let others talk. So—for reassurance in finding some of your work so bad—remember, you don’t know."
Loved this bit from Dawn Powell’s diaries, published in the recent New Yorker archive issue that was a treasure trove. (h/t Jo Melia) And her point is why it’s so important to share your work. Leave it on your desktop, in your inbox, in your notebook, and you’ll never know what parts might connect.
John Green says resolutions don’t last for him, because they feel more like dreams rather than goals. And that each resolution always comes with a hidden trade-off. Say, for example, you want to spend more time with your family. Sounds great, but to accomplish this, you will probably have to stop doing something else—and disappoint other people—and you may not be prepared to let that go or make those trade-offs. (This might explain why resolutions feel so challenging.)
So he writes a letter to himself about the last year, and a letter to himself about the year to come. In these letters, he outlines the trade-offs that he would like to make going forward. They’re achievable goals, not rigid resolutions. I like this idea.
PS — If you’re new to this newsletter and found me via this delightful New York Times piece, hi and welcome! I’m Kara Cutruzzula, a writer and editor, playwright, and musical theater lyricist living in Brooklyn. (Lots about the intricacies of my life here.)
This newsletter shows up in your inbox every weekday at 7:30 a.m. EST and usually talks about productivity, creative process, the arts, and throws in some links to songs or videos I think you’ll like. Usually they're shorter than this, but it's been a few weeks so my editing muscles have atrophied a bit.
I’m reaching for my own brass rings and hope you are, too. Respond and say hi anytime—I love hearing from people! And if this isn’t your cup of tea, not a problem, you can unsubscribe below. I look forward to riding the 2019 wave together!
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara