I’ve been using Susannah Conway’s Unravelling the Year Ahead workbook, which was mentioned in the last post, to help me define my goals for 2013. She’s all about choosing one word (and only one word. Ah!) to define your entire year. For a wordy bookworm, it’s hard for me to imagine picking just one word. One! What about an adjective too? An adverb? Please?

Susannah used ‘brave’ for last year. I like that. Brave. It’s a strong word. I wanted something similar. Something that invokes passion and power. And awesomeness. Basically, the Thor of words. I would use “fierce,” but my years of obsessively watching America’s Next Top Model marathons have ruined that word for me. So no. No fierce.

But still, I need a Thor of a word to define this incredible year I’m planning. I need the Chris Hemsworth of words, people! Sexy, strong, and preferably Australian.

I got out my trusty notebook to brainstorm, poised my pen, and then that small voice in my head whispered to me. All writers know that pesky, little voice. It’s also known as “the muse” and the reason we do silly, ill advisable things like become writers in the first place. It’s also the reason why non-writers think we’re crazy.

And I agreed with those weird non-writer types (What do you do with your time when you don’t write anyway? Watch TV? Nap? See the sunshine?) when the voice whispered the one word that was supposed to define my year.

Imperfect, she cooed.

Oh, muse, you’re so silly. That word most definitely does not describe Chris Hemsworth. Let’s try sexy or powerful. Or what about ab-tastic? I like the idea of an ab-tastic new year.

Imperfect, she insisted.

No, muse. You must have had too much to drink (A common problem with muses, I think). I would never ever ever want to describe my life that way.

IMPERFECT, she bellowed.

Oh shit.

My muse and I did not speak for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, I woke up wondering where in the hell my muse would have gotten that dirty word. Had she fallen into the wrong crowd? Because this A+, 100% girl hardly ever utters that word. It’s not in my vocabulary, it’s not my style to be imperfect. That would mean I wouldn’t have lived up to my potential. That something had gone wrong. That I would have failed.

In  my ignore-the-muse-with-the-internet-stupor, I surfed mindlessly until I landed on this post by author Neil Gaiman (who I found via the always wonderful Matt Cheuvront). He writes about “the wish” he has for us all this new year.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

Ah, now I get it. Sneaky, little muse. The best ones are, I suppose.

I’ve written before about how my perfectionism often turns into procrastination, but never really realized how bad it was until 365 days of 2012 were behind me with little to show for it. But you know, my commas were in the right place and my budgetting spreadsheets were formatted oh so properly.

This is the year of doing real work. Honest to God, painful, actual work. Work that may not be perfect, but gets something done. Work that means something to someone.

Cause frankly, I have no patience for the semi, pseudo, half work that I’ve been doing. Work that looks pretty (Color coded filing system, how I love thee!), but has no substance. Work that’s left unfinished in hopes for the inspiration of a someday. That’s not me anymore.

Since quitting teaching and leaving academia behind, my main theme has become no longer waiting to start living my life. The rest of my life starts today. I’m no longer telling myself I have to wait until the end of the school year to have the life I want. I wish all academics the same. Even with the classes, the students, and the grading, we deserve a life of our own.

For 2013, I hope you find your Chris Hemsworth of a word. Even if it’s not as sexy, powerful, or Australian as you would like. I hope it’s a word that challenges you to do more, have more, and be more than 2012. And I hope that word inspires you to do real, actual, awe-inspiring, soul-shaking work.

Here’s to 2013! Here’s to Doing Something! The something that warrants capital letters, mind you.

{Readers–What’s your Chris Hemsworth of a word to define 2013? You can choose fierce if you want. I won’t judge!}

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