from the pen of icarus blake

Now that the holidays are finally over, I can spend some more time with you here.  I took myself down to Pueblo, spent some time with old friends to ring in the new year, and completely forgot about an assignment my life coach gave me until about an hour to midnight: pick a word for the new year.

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions much.  People get this idea in their heads that they’re going to be a different person the second that ball drops and go big and vague with it (I’m going to get in shape, I’m going to eat better, I’m going to get a better job, etc.).  A new start is an intoxicating promise.  People tend to forget what “eating better” actually entails, they don’t bother to specify what they want out of a “good job” or define what it means to them to get “in shape”.  When my life coach suggested a word for the year, I chose one at 10 minutes until midnight.

My word of the year for 2024 is INITIATIVE.  

Not only for the Dungeons and Dragons reference, mind you.  As I’ve been working through the past couple of months, I’ve noticed a change in myself.  A change in my motivation and the kind of content I’m producing reflecting a newfound sense of motivation and curiosity as I pursue the goals I always thought of as far-fetched.  In taking initiative to produce a finished novel, I find myself breaking down these big, starry-eyed goals into pieces.  Today I finish a chapter.  Tomorrow I have coffee with another local author.  The day after, I post a chapter on Tapas.  The day after that, I make a reel for Instagram.  In this way, my online presence grows.  I find a way to join these disparate aspects of my online presence together and hope it helps people find me.

More than just my ongoing creative projects, though, I see myself taking initiative in talking to people.  I can see myself stepping out into my community, into my workplace as a louder voice.  That solitary aspect of my life moves into the background as I learn how to express my ideas to others, speak out and be heard.  I reach out to friends before they reach for me, throw myself into groups of strangers with similar interests, find myself surrounded by creative and intelligent people of all kinds.  All because I took the first step and put myself in a position to join them there.  All because I took the initiative.