I love coming up with ideas and starting things.

Unfortunately, it’s all-too-possible to start more things than I can realistically finish. Part of the problem is that I often fail to think through everything that’s involved in a project before I dive in. On the other hand, when I honestly believe God’s telling me to do something, I usually go forward and assume that he’ll give me whatever help I need.

Sometimes that works well, but sometimes I run into problems because I end up with too many things to do at the same time. And then I get flustered.

Industrial-0009Now, the problem may be that I’ve misinterpreted what God was saying and that I should never have started the project. More likely, the problem is that I’ve heard what he wants me to do, but instead of waiting for him to make it happen, I’ve rushed ahead to try make it happen myself. Sometimes I just need to slow down and wait until God supplies whatever I need to make it happen without a lot of stress (people to help, time, money, etc.).

On the other hand, Noah did have to build the ark; it doesn’t say anything about God supplying carpenters or holding a hammer. :)

The truth is, over the last 12 years, I’ve totally related to Noah.

In June of 2001, my family (including four sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grand-kids) moved into a brand new house. The same month, I felt God telling me to start the process which eventually lead to the formation of The Word Guild and my becoming director of Write! Canada for 11 years. While I did get some other things done here and there, for most of those 11 years, I was immersed in The Word Guild and the conference.

But in December of 2007, I felt God telling me to write a memoir.

My initial response was, “I know I have to write a memoir next year, and the only time I can do it is Jan/Feb/Mar,” so I’ll do it then. And I pictured myself writing my memoir every day, and it was all great. Except… I had a number of columns to write. And I had Marketplace Int’l coming up in late January. And I was speaking at a church in Unionville in January. And reading at Casa Loma in February. And I had lots to do to get Hot Apple Cider to the printer by Feb, 7th, and we needed a plan for promotion before the book came out in May. And I was still very involved with The Word Guild, including directing the Write! Canada conference, which took place in June….

So, how realistic was I in thinking I’d be able to write my memoir in Jan/Feb/Mar?

Yeah.

What I was really doing was saying, “Writing my memoir is important and I know I have to do it, so somehow I’ll make it happen”—but it was only a hopeful “resolution” without a concrete, workable plan for accomplishing it, and not a real “goal.” And it died the death that happens to most hopeful but impractical resolutions.

When I realized there was no way, my first reaction was to become frustrated and depressed. I’ve blown it again. I’m a failure. I’ll never get any writing done.

But then I stopped. After all, I’d been doing what I felt God wanted me to do. What was he saying? That I needed to stop doing it and do something else? Or that I could do both at the same time?

Ironically, I often help other people choose realistic goals for their lives.The problem is, it’s much easier to be objective (and realistic) about someone else’s life.

I eventually decided that, first of all, I needed to make two decisions.

1. What were the most important things for me to do in the next few months?

2. What was the most important thing for me to do in the big picture? As in, five years from now, where did I want to be?

I knew had to be realistic.

In the end, the memoir and a few other things had to go on a back burner while I met obligations to which I’d already committed.

However, since I truly believed God had told me to write the memoir, I knew I had to do something to move in that direction. Which meant, among other things, getting out of my heavy involvement with The Word Guild. So I began to look for things I could turn over to other people. And I began saying “No” even when I felt terrible saying it.

Memoir itemsI also began hunting down photos and memorabilia from my life, and put them in drawers so that when I was able to find some time to work on my memoir, I’d have what I needed. I also put together some questions and sent them out to a few family members, and had a few phone conversations to confirm or fix up my memories of people and events. When I had a chance to visit the towns I had lived in when I was young, I went. And I brainstormed, going through different years and locations, and writing down anything I remembered. I studied the pictures I’d found, and often found that they triggered new memories. Each time I thought of something new, I wrote it down.

And now, here I am five years later, exactly where I need to be.

Yes, it took a while.

After working my way out of the leadership of The Word Guild a few years earlier, I ceased being director of Write ! Canada at the end of June, 2012.

Over the summer of 2012, I tried to work on my memoir, but after realizing I was mentally exhausted, decided not to push it. I did a lot of reading. Watched some movies and TV series on video.

I gradually realized that I was exhausted, not only from 11 years of involvement with The Word Guild, but also from raising and homeschooling four sons, journeying with my parents through their last days, being heavily involved in church leadership and discipling, and a whole host of other things going back to my first year of marriage, which was the last time I could remember not having a multitude of things on my to-do list.

It was actually October of 2012 before I wanted to talk to anyone for more than five minutes. And yes, that includes my family. Fortunately, we’ll almost all introverts, so that wasn’t a big deal.

I spent November working on my memoir in the mornings and my third mystery in the afternoons. And I began to enjoy myself.

December kind of flew by. In January, I slowly started to focus on the many things I’d neglected. We painted the kitchen and family room. I did some sewing and other things that had been waiting for, literally, years. I updated websites. I worked on getting some of my books published as e-books. I did some planning about the future.

I’m still trying to finish up things I started earlier, but I’m feeling good about them. And this month, we’re preparing for a son’s wedding, and doing a lot of work around our totally neglected house. But come August, I really will be focusing on my memoir.

people building brick wall sYes, it’s taken quite a while to get to this place.

But I expect God knew better than I did that it would take some time.

I’ve also realized that the guilt I normally feel from not accomplishing everything I start doesn’t come from him. I know that because there’s nothing I can do that will make God love me any more than he already does.

I still want to serve him and do whatever I can to help him make disciples, but what I’ve learned over the last 12 years is that I’m only part of the big picture. Yes, I need to do what he gives me to do to the best of my ability, but then I need to let others take over and do what God has called them to do. Each person has a role to play, and some are great at starting while others are great at maintaining, expanding, or finishing. And that’s okay!

I have no idea what will happen with my memoir, but I can’t wait to find out.

 

* I first posted a version of this several years ago, but it’s since been expanded and revised.

July 8, 2013

About the author 

N. J. Lindquist

N. J. Lindquist is the award-winning author of books, articles, short stories, and blog posts. She also edits and publishes the "Hot Apple Cider" anthologies. A former high school teacher, N. J. co-founded The Word Guild and teaches workshops for writers as well as speaking on various topics including creativity and leadership.

  • A good question, NJ, about the projects someone else can do just as well. Thanks for your post on goals. Timely, I think, for many women who take on a lot of projects and wonder how to get them done, especially the ones close to our hearts.

    • Thanks, Carolyn. I know working with goals can drive some people crazy, but not having goals drives me crazy. :) I think there always has to be that balance of seeing so many possibilities and yet figuring out what God wants us to do and putting that first.

      The hardest thing for me is saying “No” to someone, because my natural instinct is to feel that when I see a need, I have a responsibility to try to meet it. It’s so hard for me to back off and say, “That’s not my problem to solve.”

      Which of course is why I need to focus on what I know God wants me to do. Jesus didn’t heal everyone who was sick in Israel. He came for a different purpose.

      NJ

  • So timely for me, NJ. Thanks. I can seriously relate to the starting of so many projects and desiring (no – longing) to squeak in time to work on them. As the school year fast approaches, I, too, am making some radical, not so popular changes, in order to accomplish the things that I believe God is laying upon my heart. And as week after week flashes by in an instant, I am starting to think how much I don’t want my family to see all the incomplete projects in my file when the time comes! Thanks for the confirmation! And congratulations to you for stepping out in Noah-style faith and just doing it! Great post.

    • Thanks for taking the time to comment, Glynis.

      Yes, it is so hard when you have many things you want to do and have even begun. I am pretty sure I won’t finish everything I begin, but a few questions to ask might be, “Which of these projects could other people do as well as me? Which ones could only I do? Which ones would I be really sad if I didn’t do? Which would I most enjoy doing?” And then prioritize them.

      And, by the way, not sure I said anything at Write! Canada, but big congratulations on getting Mrs. B. Has Cancer completed and published!

  • Actually, Google has a calendar option I use to do just that – block in time slots. If I could only remember to use it every day! :)

    NJL

  • I’m enjoying these ‘goal’ posts (sounds like a soccer game!) partly because a book I read over Christmas got me thinking about goals in a new way. In her book ‘Simplify Your Time’ Marcia Ramsland talks about setting goals and suggests some interesting ways to go about it. One is to list 15 things that would make you happy if they happened in the next five years. Then divide the next five years into quarters (twenty sections) and divvy up your wish list into those sections (of course the way she describes it sounds much more sophisticated).

    Of course one’s plan isn’t carved in stone as surely life will come along and mess with it. But wouldn’t it feel good to see some of the things one really wants to achieve actually blocked into a time on a calendar, even if it is three or four years hence?

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