Out With The Old

So here we are...coming to the close of yet another year. A time where many reflect and select areas that they desire to change in the coming year. I, admittedly, am no different.

I won't bore you with ALL of the things that I desire to change in the coming year, however I will share this ONE, since it pertains to my lovely blog The Dialogue Den.

Gotta tell ya...there have been sooo many times when I've wanted to just let the ink run out of the pen and say, "no more," with regard to the blog. I mean...I've been at this for 6 years now, with over 690 posts, and it just hasn't taken off quite the way I had expected it to. Clearly, somethin's gotta change.

I've wondered if perhaps I should change the name from The Dialogue Den (since very few folks actually engage in DIALOGUE with me), to The Monologue Minute. Not sure if that's already taken, but it would more accurately describe the majority of my posts.

Either way...keep the name...change the name...one thing's for sure...I will NOT stop writing. Not here at the blog, nor elsewhere (with regard to the books I'm writing.)

I read a quote a while back that said:

"The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you did not write."

That pretty much summed it up for me. After all...I may not be the BEST writer who ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), but I am darned sure not the worst. And because my posts are as random as the kajillion thoughts that float around in my brain...some days I may write something that's "right on your street." And other days, I may write something that appears to be from a completely different planet. To that I simply say...keep reading...PLEASE (and thank you.)

Earlier this year I set a goal to write 366 posts in 2016. Well...goals are meant to be met, yet sometimes we miss. I missed. I wrote 169 posts this year. But...what happens when we miss a goal? We set a NEW one. So...you've probably already guessed that my goal for 2017 is to write 367 posts. Can I do it? Of course!

And that brings me to the photo that's posted here today.

A few weeks ago, my youngest daughter Jordan, held a toy drive for charity. In addition to spoken word artists who performed, there were also vendors (many of them around my daughter's age...early to mid 20s), selling their goods.

As much as I wished I could have purchased something from everyone, I had to be thoughtful in my decision as I had very little money and wanted to by something that would "speak to me." When I saw this beanie from The Drew League, the four words didn't just speak to me...they SCREAMED.

Yes, 2016 hit me with some MAJOR blows that I didn't expect. Yes, I am still trying to recover from them now. No...everything won't be "rainbows and butterflies" when the clock strikes midnight tonight. I will STILL be recovering from the blows of 2016. BUT...I can't let those blows stop me...or even slow me down. I can't use LAST year's troubles as an EXCUSE for this coming year not being all that should, and WILL be. LAST year (meaning 2016) will not stop me from PRODUCING in 2017. Instead, I will let the hard lessons learned from 2016 guide me toward BETTER, and more WISE decisions in 2017. And whenever I start falling into those "woe is me moments,"  I will remember the words on this beanie:

NO EXCUSE!

JUST PRODUCE!

 

Now it's YOUR turn. Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you have a motto for the coming year? If so, let's hear it.

 

Talk to me!

 

Til next time...