A Slice of Orange

Happy New Year.  I thought that title would capture your attention.

I ended 2015 on a high. YEAH!! Not to sound preachy, but my getting a BookBub ad, truly was a blessing from God.  I was hoping to share the details, but the ad didn’t end until January first and I’m still sorting through the “tails” or results.  I’m truly amazed at the effect a BookBub ad can have for an author.  I hope to be able to share the details with you next month.

Back to that extremely long and strange title.  I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions or Intention Lists or Promises.  I tried to be diligent in creating a list, but failed to follow through beyond making the list.  What does that say about me?  I have my hands full with my daily To Do List.  It’s funny, a vast majority of people spend the last week of the old year or the first week of the new year, scripting these elaborate lists.  For those that are dedicated to this ritual and sticking to the lists, I say congratulations.

As it is, I’m wondering if I over shot the rainbow when I made my production schedule for 2016.  We are only five days into the new year and I’m already starting to second guess my ability to complete the schedule.

See, I decided to finally be pragmatic and craft a detailed chart of my proposed titles for 2016.  When I made the chart a few months ago, it seemed logical that I would be able to put a title out every month.  What the crap was I thinking?  And to make things worse, I scheduled January’s title to release two days before going out of town.  I have been so tempted to push the release date, but if I do, my entire production schedule gets shattered.  So, I “m going to muddle through and hope to stay on track.

In spite of me not having a sacred New Year’s Resolution List, there are a few things I hope to get accomplished this year.

1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
2. Grow my hair out about 3-4 inches
3. Not freak out if I have to push something back on my To Do List or Production Schedule

That third thing on my list is huge and is full of innuendo and really only makes sense to me.  Hey, it’s the first of the year and I’m allowed to be a little deep, strange or still high from sugar.  Smile.  Besides, I think my daily To Do List, would be a little jealous if it wasn’t the center of attention.

Since I don’t have a Resolution, Intention, Promise or Whatever List, I want to share something I read on Heather Clawson’s HabituallyChic.luxury blog.

It’s a list of 45 Life Lessons by Regina Brett, the New York Times bestselling author of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours.  I highlighted the ones I really like and might add to my DAILY To Do List.

45 Life Lessons:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
17.  It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23.  No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
25. Forgive everyone everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Believe in miracles.
31. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
32. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
33. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
34. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
36. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
37.  Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
40.  The best is yet to come.
41.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
42. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
43. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

If I was going to make a New Year’s Resolution, Intention, Promise, Goal or Whatever list, it might look a little like this one.

Here’s hoping you plan your year wisely and don’t over shoot the rainbow, but shoot higher than you did last year.

Happy 2016!!!!!
Tracy

Tracy Reed
www.readtracyreed.com
Fiction for Women Who Love God, Couture and Cute Guys