Life Away from Social Media

I have been thoroughly enjoying my time away from social media. Not only am I getting things done I didn't realize I had time to do, but also I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I'm not constantly critiquing every little thing about my life. I'm not constantly unfocused on the people in front of me. I'm actually present. I'm actually experiencing life and realizing how blessed I am.

New Agent (Pending)

While away from social media, I found out that my literary agent was fired. I was crushed because my manuscript had just been sent out to editors. I figured those submissions would be cancelled, and I'd be sent back to the beginning of the publication process. I kind of felt like giving up.

Thankfully, that's not what's going to happen. I will be represented by another agent at the agency and my submissions will be continued. I don't know who my new agent will be, but I am glad things are still moving forward.

New Skill

Today, Joel taught me how to use our espresso machine. I learned a lot about myself as I disappointedly dumped my first attempt of a latte down the drain, and Joel asked, "Do you want to try again?" Half of me wanted to say yes immediately. The other half of me hesitated. Why would I try again when I had clearly failed? It wouldn't be right to waste coffee for a second failed attempt, would it?

In the end, the yes won out. After all, this is my year of trying new things. This is my year of learning new skills. If every time I tried something new I gave up after one failed attempt, I'd never learn anything.

As I sipped on my second latte (still not as good as the lattes Joel makes), I realized that a lifetime of striving toward perfection has crippled me. I stick with the handful of things I know I'm good at, and I miss out on the rest. But the only reason I have the skill set I have now is because I wasn't afraid to try new things as a kid. I tried everything, I committed to the things I liked most, and I learned to be good at those things by failing many times along the way. Learning requires failure, and that's okay.