Christina Katz wrote this week about the role of passion in being a prosperous writer.
Passion is something I think I get. I am passionate about books, about writing, about my family, about kids, about self-discovery, about football, about crafts.... Actually, there are a LOT of things I am passionate about. Maybe too many at times!
Christina encourages writers to exercise caution when it comes to passion - recognizing the "dark side" of passion when good sense and good manners get lost. Balance is key.
So, if I become obsessed with reading every book I can get my hands on because I just have to keep up with my blog and I just have to know how the story ends or because I know so-and-so will love it if it is as good as it sounds, and my house gets messy and laundry piles up and we live on junk food and my family is neglected, I have taken my passion too far.
If I try to do everything that I am passionate about all at the same time with no sense of priorities or any kind of reasonable expectation, I will get overloaded and stressed out. I will be doing everything - at least for awhile - but not of it will be done well because I will be trying to do too much.
But if I create a plan, give myself grace when I just can't keep up with the plan, and periodically re-evaluate the plan to see if it is still feasible and doing what I need for it to do, then I can keep my passion in balance with the other things in my life. That balance will help me be successful - "prosperous" - in a variety of areas.
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