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A Progress Report for January


Sometimes I sit around writing my own obituary in my head. It’s not that I plan on dying, or that I’m that old, but I just wonder what my legacy would be. If my family had to sum up my life to this point, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be a lot to say. Let’s highlight my first twenty-six years. I hit a game-winning shot against Nettleton—truly the type of shot you dream about as a kid shooting hoops in the driveway—to help Paragould High School make it to the state tournament in 2004 (this is the highlight of my short and mostly uneventful athletic career); I won the Citizenship Award my senior year, which my mother says is way more important than any academic or athletic award; I wrote for the Paragould Daily Press for four years, and I still have people say they miss my column (but you guys can quit lying to me already); I married a girl who is way more intelligent and athletic than I ever dreamed of being; I graduated from college, twice; and I have an adorable puppy that takes up all of my free time wanting to play fetch or sleep on my lap.

That’s it.

Look, I’m not trying to complain. The other night Kasa asked me to name the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. Kasa immediately recalls watching her brother get hit by a car. Me? I thought and thought and thought, but I couldn’t come up with anything. I’ve never suffered a serious injury (I’ve never even broken a bone), had someone close to me die, or been devastated by failure. I realize that compared to most people, my life has been perfect. Most of that is due to a strong support system and has little to do with my talents.

I try not to take these blessings for granted. I won’t go back through my spiel about mediocrity and being content with my life, so I’ll get right to the point. I set a few goals for myself at the beginning of this year. I want to leave behind something that those around me can be proud of. If you know me, you know that I am terrible at lists, goals, planning, etc. However, as I get older, I find that actually seeing my goals and having a plan can make a difference. It’s probably all in my head, but that’s okay.

I set three goals for myself to achieve by March 25, which is my 27th birthday: start an online website/journal that features quality writing, live a healthier life (this is more a personal thing, not something for other people to be proud of), and finish writing a book. Should you care? Probably not. However, just knowing that one person may read this and ask me how things are coming one day in the future helps to motivate me. I need accountability.

So far, I’ve been pleased with my progress.

If all goes as planned—thanks to some help from a few great people who are willing to listen to my craziness—the website should be up and running in the next couple of weeks. Will people care? Probably not, but I’m going to do it anyway. (If you have a second, go check it out: Dribbling Ink)

On Saturday, I finished the first month of Insanity. Luckily I’ve done the program before, so my body didn’t feel like mush all of January. During the second month, I plan on changing it up and adding a few things. I still don’t eat like I need to—I can’t help but devour carbs and sugar and turn my nose up at fruits and vegetables—but I am making progress.

My final goal is where I’m falling behind. I have a few projects started, a couple of ideas for new projects in my head, and a lot of doubt about my writing. All of this has made me hesitant, which in turn lead to me writing very little during January. Needless to say, I have a lot of ground to make up in February, but I am optimistic. Step one: writing another mediocre blog about my mediocre life. Check.

Here’s to more progress in February.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm interested in you guys' "parenting" chemistry with the new pup. Please don't write again about mediocrity.
Jacob Cooper said…
Well, you'll be happy to know, I think I'm finished with self-reflection for a while.
Anonymous said…
Looking forward to the book.

Anonymous said…
Writers write. It is the only thing that sets them apart from non writers. So get started and stop thinking.
Anonymous said…
Good. Just live, Jacob! That's where you've failed my dear boy!

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