Passion. Play.

I’m horribly behind with my goals for winter break. Or, really, the one major one that I had initially been hoping to accomplish by this point of break: establish a website with my resume, all of my clips, a blog, photos and other ridiculousness. And design a business card to go with it.

The thing is, I’m really hoping to pursue freelancing in the future, and I know it’s a tough market to break into, especially now. Hence, it would only make sense that I solidify an image and a product (my thoughts and writings, essentially) while I am able to take the time to think it through, so that I know how to pitch my ideas to different magazines.

It’s just that, with winter break came a whole slew of responsibilities, and I have yet to really focus and hone in on the one really important thing that could help me take that next step toward professional freelancing (is there such a thing?).

It’s just so hard to focus!

I know it’s a stereotype that writers are scatterbrained and forgetful, but to be fair, that stereotype is there for a reason. Because while I am definitely passionate about taking my ideas to the next level and carrying them out, I also get distracted easily by the upkeep of day-to-day life. Meeting up for coffee here, grabbing dinner there, sending out miscellaneous emails in between – I’m obsessed with this concept of “quality of life,” and even though time probably doesn’t permit it, I can never say ‘no’ to spending time with friends and loved ones because my passion for writing is really just an extension of my passion for stories.

So I’ve come to a conclusion (read: justification).

Hanging out with people, for me, is not an extracurricular, a burden or a way to pass the time. It is research. For my own insight. Which will lead to writing. Which, if done right, will lead to learning for both myself and for my readers. And possibly money.

Maybe lots of it.

Okay, that’s a stretch.

But really, it’s a win-win situation. My mother’s been getting on my case about why I always rush from one place to the next, or have to sit for hours in front of the computer cleaning out my inbox and returning emails. It’s because, as she says “you’re enjoying life too much” – which, by her standards, means that I am having meals with friends or chatting on the phone.

I don’t really know how to respond to that, except to say “yep, I’m enjoying it.” And now that I have a justification for my doing so, I feel a heck of a lot more productive than I did at the beginning of this post.

But seriously, I’ve got to find a way to focus in these next few days. I’m posting this in hopes that seeing my ambition in print will help me hold myself accountable for whatever actions I do or don’t take in this last week.

Here’s to honing in on the prize. If these first few days of January have been any indication, it's going to be a busy semester, a crazy year, a blur of 2009.