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Monday, January 01, 2007


Set Reasonable Expectations

2007goalsHappy New Year 2007.

When we turn the page of the calendar to another year, many people make resolutions. They want to change their physical appearance or increase the amount of material they publish or increase their book sales. It’s great to have goals and expectations for yourself. Here's a key question: are your goals and expectations reasonable? Are they just pipe dreams or something you can actually accomplish in the days ahead? The old saying is true, if you shoot for nothing you are sure to hit it.

Over two years ago, I started these entries on the Writing Life and wrote this post. I returned to it today and re-read it. The different areas such as being willing to learn and grow in different areas continue. For example, I continue to be committed to working out. Yes, many days it is a huge pain to get on my treadmill. Often my mind challenges my workout and encourages me to skip or not do it. Instead of sitting on my couch watching the news, I stand on my treadmill, sweat and work out. The benefits far outweigh the alternatives.

Each Monday, I look forward to reading Harvey Mackay's column in my local newspaper, The Arizona Republic. Today's column was called, "It's a good time to start working on you" and was excellent. I tried to locate it online and add a link in this post. I could not find it and I suspect it has something to do with the newspaper syndication rules. Here's some startling statistics (which Makay used in the context of talking about "we live in a sad time"):

"* Only 14 percent of adults with a grade-school education read literature in 2002.

* 51 percent of the American population never reads a book of more than 400 pages after they complete their formal education.

* 73 percent of all books in libraries are never checked out.

* The average American watches 32 hours of TV every week.

* The average American reads only eight hours (books, newspapers, magazines, Yellow Pages, etc.) every week.

* The average American annually spends 10 times more on what he puts on his head than what puts into his head. Consider:

* If you read just one book a month for 12 straight months, you will be in the top 25 percentile of all intellectuals in the world.

* If you read five books on one subject, you are one of the world's foremost leading authorities on that subject

* If you read just 15 minutes a day -- every day for one year -- you can complete 20 books."

If you have the goal of reading 15 minutes a day for one year, that's a reasonable expectation and one that will carry you to a completely different place at the end of this new year.

6 Comment:

At 12:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous Left a note...

Yes, it's funny to think that most people can't find the time to read, but they can somehow find the time to watch 30 (or more) hours of TV a week. I find it amazing!

Personally, I prefer to read. I find TV hard to take (especially in large doses).

 
At 12:43 PM, Blogger C.J. Darlington Left a note...

This is encouraging. I love to read, but sometimes all I can manage to do is catch snatches of it throughout the day. These are interesting statistics to know.

 
At 9:13 PM, Blogger Bonnie S. Calhoun Left a note...

Yea...so you had to bring up the treadmill! It is beckoning to me from the other side of my library *sigh* I did have a policy where, if i wanted to read, I had to be on the treadmill.

At one point I got so desperate to aviod exercise that I sat on the treadmill to read!

All right! You've convicted me! Exercise it is!

And reading...I spend at least 20 minutes a day reading the Bible with my morning devotion, so I guess I've got a good start on that part!

 
At 7:22 AM, Anonymous Anonymous Left a note...

If you read just one book a month for 12 straight months, you will be in the top 25 percentile of all intellectuals in the world.

LOL. I've read two in one month. So, I must be a genius then :0)

Very funny stuff.

 
At 1:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous Left a note...

Pretty neat, reading 15 minutes a day, that's half the length of a regular tv program! People need to take more time for this :)
Matt

 
At 12:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous Left a note...

I am from the Scottsdale/ N. Phoenix area as well. Love your blog and would like to repost this artcile on my new blog at http://msblogette.blogspot.com/ if I may.

I also just subscribed to your info on writing and blogging because this year I am going to write & market that book that's been floating around in my head for quite some time. Thanks for all the insight. Many blessings.

Roby
The Daily Pulpit

 

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