Well, that was a week for the history books in my little corner of the world. It was possibly among the top worst weeks for 2023, which is saying something considering this year has been a non-stop barrage of chaos. Normally, I can whether it fairly well. This time, however, a lot of it was outside of my control.
Still, I'm determined to make this an awesome year despite what junk the universe throws at me.
I just get frustrated when I have a beautiful plan on paper (or, in this case, Asana) and it seems like everything that can go wrong does on the first day. Then, it creates a domino effect that feels almost impossible to stop. But with a bit of effort and tenacity, it can be done. The week doesn't have to impact the ground in a burning heap of twisted metal.
It's Been a Terrible Week
To start things off, my daughter was in a car accident on Tuesday. She's OK, a bit sore and some slight bruising. Unfortunately, she totaled the Kia. Now that leaves three people to use a single auto...my poor soccer-mom van that is on its last legs. She has 225k miles, needs front-end work, and has two tires that are on the verge of blowing.
So, I've had to deal with that for a day or two.
Then, I've had client issues to deal with that can dial up the frustration. This is especially true when the client doesn't listen to you, takes someone else's advice, and then things go south...just as you said they would. But you know, it's their dime. They are still paying me to do what they want, even though I think it's a mistake. And you can bet that I tell them "I told you so" every time a plan backfires.
It doesn't look like I'll be publishing my book today, as so many things have been postponed. I wanted it to be a birthday present to me, but such is life. I'm still waiting on a few things to finish it up, including cover art.
I wasn't able to buy Scrivener like I wanted thanks to a variety of financial issues. But, I still intend on buying it by the end of next week, hopefully. That's a bit of a bummer considering I started using it for Despair and exhausted the free trial days.
On top of this, there had just been a lot of small things that also kept chipping away at my sanity all week. It can weigh you down after a constant drumbeat of negative things throughout a five-day stretch.
Not Letting It Get Me Down
Despite the issues of the past week, I'm doing my best not to let things get me down. Sure, the past events have slowed progress and have really put a damper on things I wanted to do. But that doesn't mean any of these things are permanent fixtures. In fact, everything in life is temporary.
Yes, losing the Kia really did a fair amount of damage to my week. But at least my daughter is OK. I didn't get my book published, but that's because I am working to put out the best piece of work possible. I didn't get as many videos or blog posts done this week, but the content that is already available is still driving an audience.
My point is that just because you manage to hit every light red throughout the week, it doesn't mean that you can't get to your destination. Just wait for the light to turn green and continue down the road.
One of the biggest things you'll have to learn as a creator is patience. Don't get sucked into the allure of instant gratification. Sometimes, things will just take longer to build than others.
Getting Things Back on Track
Today, I'm working on balancing out the chaos and getting things back into a regular groove. I'll have to move a few things around here and there, but that's part of the game. So, if all goes well, things should be back to semi-normal by Sunday. Not to mention I am adding a few new things for CrossingColorado.com that I hope turn out to be pretty cool for more than just myself.
While I highly doubt that I'll break any personal records this month, I'm still doing better than I did in 2022. And that is still a win. Every victory is still a victory no matter how small.
Perhaps the most difficult part of facing such a horrific week is getting back into a positive mindset. It can be exceptionally easy to dwell in the negative and sink into a mild depression. But as long as you focus on the positive things instead, it's much easier to pull yourself out of the funk.
Case in point, I could easily succumb to anxiety and depression this week. And in some instances, I had a few down moments. But then I also remember that my daughter is safe, my career is secure, my bills are paid, and I have my first date in almost two years tomorrow. Things aren't all that bad, in the grand scheme of things.
Ending July Better Than it Started
I wanted July to be a record-breaking month for writing. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. I mean, I would have to crank out 6,017 words per day at a minimum. And with everything I have going on, that's just not feasible.
Instead, I'll just focus on having a better ending to July than how it started. Seriously, I'm running out of cars for my daughter to destroy. So, no matter what, it'll be better.