On Accomplishments, Goals, and Donuts

On the internet, the question has been (repeatedly) raised: “There’s only ONE MONTH left in the decade. What are your accomplishments? “

This question has been weighing on my mind, and perhaps if it had been worded differently, as in “what have you done” versus “what are your accomplishments”, it wouldn’t niggle at me so (and yes, I’m that nitpicky.)

If I had been asked “what have you DONE” I could say I lived in the UK, I traveled throughout Europe, I moved to Texas, I went to the American Music Awards (thank you, Kohl’s), I wrote a lot of blog posts, was published in an anthology and on Mamalode, I’ve started two books, I’ve read HUNDREDS of books, I’ve SNUBA’d in Jamaica (which I didn’t think I could do with my not-asthma), I’ve done two cross-country road trips with my daughter, I’ve broken both feet (not at the same time) doing spectacularly inane things, I’ve made a few people laugh on Twitter and Facebook (and not just because of the broken feets), sewed a throw pillow, colored my hair pink, AND I’ve raised two great kids.

But. I don’t consider most of those things to be accomplishments (aside from the Anthology and writing a shit-ton of blog posts no one read but my mother and my mother-in-law, possibly.)

The problem is, the more I thought about what I have accomplished, the more my mind goes to what I haven’t (because imposter syndrom is a thing, yo’.)

I haven’t: lost that 10 pounds (and may have put on 10 more), FINISHED writing a book, been brave enough to submit writing to other places, learned to crochet or knit (although I can make a great first chain), settled into my life here in Texas, decorated my powder room*, finished the wall collage in my living room, reorganized the garage, or figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

(*There may be more than one reason as to why I still don’t feel settled here.)

In a flash I realize I’m being too hard on myself and maybe taking myself too seriously, AND when I wonder if I have simply set my bar for accomplishments too high I find this from author Suzanne Park (go preorder her romantic comedy novels and yes, these are affiliate links and I may earn a little something if you buy something using either the one for her adult fiction or her young adult fiction):

So maybe the next decade is the one where I really, finally put myself out there.

In the meantime, with a little more than a month left in this decade** I have time to accomplish a few more things SO WHO WANTS CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUTS?

** Unless you’re a purist who says the next decade doesn’t start until 2021, in which case I’m GOLDEN

Inspired by the prompt: Write a post in just 10 lines.
I may have cheated adding photos, but I’m a rebel.
With lame accomplishments.

I love a good prompt from time to time. Here’s my response to Ten Things That Make Me Stupidly Happy.