I Think I Can...I Think I Can...I Think I Can't
Posted: Saturday, November 07, 2009
by Nancy Daniels
Voice Dynamic
Well, it happened again. On August 1st, I received an email about another 100 Articles in 100 Days Contest. Having accomplished that particular feat just 3-1/2 weeks prior, I immediately jumped at the proposition, believing that a 2nd time around would be a 'piece of cake.' In addition, I was ahead of the game, having already submitted an article earlier that morning. Just 99 more to go!
When I reached number 60, however, my mind shut down because I was at a loss as to how to rewrite the same material again with different words, anecdotes, or even titles. You see, during the last 3 years, I have written over three hundred articles on voice and presentation skills. How could I say it all again and still be original? But the problem lay deeper than that.
Assuming I could come up with 40 more pages of material, what would I write about once I completed my task? I've got many more years of writing to accomplish if I want my business to be successful. How many more times can I talk about breathing or projection or color?
So, for the last four weeks, I have been struggling with the realization that I was not going to accomplish my goal which is something I have had great difficulty in accepting. Even yesterday, I told my husband that I could finish the contest by Sunday's deadline, if I were to write 30 more articles in which I discussed the speaking voices of famous people including the likes of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and President Obama.
Of course, life doesn't always go as planned. Several lengthy business phone calls interrupted my writing throughout the day. In addition, I received a great call from my son who graduated from Airborne on Thursday and was enroute to Fort Bragg as we spoke. The final straw or last chapter, however, was when the ezine site rejected one of my earlier articles because of its title. As soon as I read that particular email, I knew it was over. [Incidentally, the title was Plain Speaking is the Best Speaking in Public Speaking. They said that it was too keyword dense. Personally, I could care less about the density of keywords of my titles. Maybe it is just me, but I thought that title was pretty sweet!]
I have spent the last month agonizing about a goal I had set for myself and was not likely to accomplish. I have spent the last month receiving email notifications about all the great articles that were up on SearchWarp that I knew I didn't have time to read or comment on because if I read one, I would have to read another and so on and so on and so on. I have wasted an entire month accomplishing nothing that I wanted to achieve because of a goal that I was unable to achieve.
What did I learn from this particular experience? That I cannot accomplish everything I set out to do and that I should not waste time worrying about it. However, being able to express these thoughts by putting pen to paper, so to speak, is the best medicine. I feel so much better!
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More commentsGood article. As the saying goes . . . . "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".Enjoyed!Oh, Howard,Now that is a wonderful truth. Thank you for sharing it with us. (Didn't remember that one!)
Nancy, thank you for your insight. I enjoy reading articles about life lessons. I could fill a novel with mine. I find it conforting to know that you cannot fail at anything as long as you learn and grow from your experiences.Thank you Deana,Life's lessons: I have learned more by failing than by winning.
Great article Nancy, as usual. 100 articles in 100 days is a pretty good chore. I write and research almost full time and I'm lucky to get that many in 6 or 8 months. I often have several which I have partially researched and if I get in a big hurry, I can produce one or more per day for a short period. Very interesting subject.Joel,I usually have a few in the pot at the same time as well. And, if push comes to shove, I can finish them quickly. Of course then, I have no ideas for a while; however, with what is happening all around us today, the lack of ideas doesn't last long!As always, I thank you for your kind words,
I hear ya' Nancy, and of course letting it all out (so-to-speak), does help a lot. I wish you all the best!It certainly does, Ronyae, it certainly does.Many thanks.
I really liked the way you write! =)Thank you Alex.
Great article! I know the experience all too well. Additionally, I fall on your side with the title... sounds like the SEO police dropped the ball and busted another innocent!Thanks, William,Yeh, I thought the title was pretty cool. Glad to hear someone else is in agreement with me. (Of course, having read Bruce Horst's newsletter about title's for the internet versus publication, I still think it fits.)
Hi Nancy, kudos to you for setting out on a second voyage! The bottom line is that we all have to know our limitations and as my husband says, "let it go lou". I guess I should be taking my own advice at this particular point and time :-) Thanks for sharing, this is encouraging information.You are welcome, Teresa.Your husband is right. The problem is that there is just so much to pursue that I can't always pursue.
I admire your tenacity and as always I enjoy your articles. Thanks for sharing. Linda DLinda,What I feared I lacked in this particular case was the tenacity. Interesting though, now that the contest is over, I have no regrets and am glad I stopped it.Thanks,
Great attitude! It doesn't matter that you complete your goals (to a certain extent) only that you gave it 110% effort.Scott,I must confess that I didn't give it 110% -- had I managed to do so, I would have finished it.Thanks for the kudos in any event,
Thanks for the information.
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