No Excuses November = #noexcusesnovember

I am the queen of overstatement. I regularly overuse words like "never" and "always", an extremely effective tool when arguing with my husband. Not.

Me: You always bring work home!
Him: I've brought work home twice in ten years.
Me: You never take time off!
Him: I take three weeks off every year.
Me: Well, you never take it off all at once!
Him: Yes I do, you ask me to take time off in long weekends throughout the year.
Me: I never said that!
Him: Do you even know what "never" means?

I generally see things as much bigger than they are. I overstate in arguments and have a tendency to see a situation as ten times worse/better than it is. I also have an alarming ability to over-dream and make small goals much bigger than they need to be.

It really is a delightful character trait. My husband loves it. Not.

Actually, in truth, anytime I come up with a wild idea he never says no, he says, "Great! Go plan it out and we will talk about it." Yeah, I see what he does there. He knows that 99% of my ideas will fizzle in five minutes of "planning". To his credit, those rare moments when I do present a workable plan, he is all in.

Yup. He's a keeper.

This November my big, overstated, ridiculous goal is to write 1600 words a day. My hope is to really focus and figure out as best I can what/how God wants to use my writing. Maybe it will be for this blog only, maybe He has greater plans for me, maybe what I write never sees the light of day. That is ok, too.

I have no expectations, the practice help starting a consistent habit will be good enough. Especially given my charming tendency to not finish what I start. Feel free to ask me what I am working on every day. And call me out if I say things like, "....Oh...you know...stuff," which I will most definitely say.

My friend Allison is calling it "No Excuses November". She has 23 people committed to making no excuses while they make huge strides towards their goals in November. She's writing a screenplay, which I cannot wait to read/watch. Not everyone's goals have anything to do with writing, but many of us are writers who are participating.

If you want to join us in cheering each other on email Allison at allisoncbaker@gmail{dot}com with the subject #noexcusesnovember. Let her know your overall goal and what you will be doing daily to meet that goal. There will be a community of great people at the ready to help you finish what you start.

I love this kind of stuff.

The encouragement of a crowd is how I am able to best find success. It's pretty obvious, but I am not what you call a "self motivator". Give me personal cheerleaders any day.

I also think this is how God wants us to live in community together - different people, with unique goals, working together to meet them. We keep in contact, encourage and build up, helping where and when we can/should. We have a pretty awesome opportunity to bless each other through encouragement in the next month.

What a fabulous way to spend November!

So. Are you in?

photo from Lime Lane Photography