MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 11/26/12

Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Path? Path! I don't see no stinkin' path. I'm treadin' water over here.

Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.

Is it just me or is there something wrong with the construction of that fortune? I admit the right-hand end of it was torn off (not sure what happened) but I think the last two words are in the wrong order. So, I'm gonna run with it. I'd love to see what you think the Fortune Cookie Guru intended to write.

That said, I feel the snarky response is not far off the mark.

I've never been able to say I've clearly seen a path laid out for me. Probably just be me, but mostly I am playing it by ear here. There are certainly parts of life that seem mapped out (childhood/adolescence/adulthood, elementary/junior high/high school/college), but after a point, I feel that life becomes an interesting mixture of plans and leaps of faith.

I freely admit that sometimes I should have planned more, and other times I should have taken a flying leap, but mostly, I've tried to make the best of what life or "fate" has dumped, er, shafted, uh, assigned me. Just kidding with the negativity. (Mostly)

No, honestly, I've been very fortunate and I expressed my gratitude on my Thanksgiving blog over at Words, Women, Wisdom last week. So I'm not going to recap it here.

But in my humble opinion, today's fortune is more about perseverance than about blind obedience. If you select a goal and you truly invest in that goal, don't let yourself be distracted. But IF you get distracted or suffer a roadblock, cut yourself some slack and then get yourself back on track.

This is especially apropos my NaNo. I was so far behind at the midpoint it wasn't even worth discussing. I had made a formal commitment to my blog sisters in specific and the world in general to get those 50,000 words in 30 days and at the midpoint I was WAY below halfway. Thankfully, I didn't give up and equally thankfully (mostly due to poor planning on my part earlier this year), I had vacation to use or lose. Soooo, I used last week to make a serious dent in my NaNo goal. I put myself in my chair and I didn't get up except for essentials, and I did it. I caught myself up and then I kept at it until, when the dust cleared, I reached 50,000! Yeppers, I did it! And now, because the story isn't done, I'm pushing on to see just how far I can get before this Friday.

Wow, see what happens when I start with a poorly constructed fortune? I end up with a rambling blog post. So, life path clearly defined or not, I intend to persevere, one goal at a time. What about you?

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE 8/12/12

"You will be successful in everything."

SNARKY RESPONSE: Okay, first, Fortune Cookie Guru, you no longer "foretell" anything, instead offering only platitudes, and now you're pandering. Someone, pass me another cookie, at least I can get my sugar fix.

"You will be successful in everything."

No one believes that one, but I truly believe that you can be successful in anything you pursue with dedication and determination. Granted a measure of "realistic expectation" must be dumped into the mix, but you can't get there from here without hard work. This applies to all facets of your life, but here I'm talking about writing.

What is success anyway? Is it a measurable point in time or checkbook balance? To be successful, you have to determine first what it is, and then what is involved in getting there.

Does being a successful writer mean being on the New York Best-Seller List? Then, more than likely, you need to chart a course for one of the Big Publishers and build your platform to attract their attention. Very few folks get to the NYBSL without that kind of support.

Does being a successful writer mean being published, period? Then, determine what medium is best suited to your type of writing. Self-publishing doesn't carry the stigma it once did, but it doesn't serve the best interests of every writer. Small presses are carrying a lot of water now and could be just the team to take you over the goal line. ePublishing offers versatility and relevance in an electronic age, but is it your final destination or a stepping stone?

All of these venues are valid "end goals" and I encourage you to investigate them all as you plot your course.

For me, the goal is to see my story in print, be it on paper or electronic, and to be judged a good enough writer to be paid for it. Crass, yes, but think about it. If you've spent days/weeks/months/YEARS working on something, investing all that time and effort, you can't be blamed for expecting some recognition.  And what better recognition than to have someone exchange their hard-earned money for it. It's not crass, it's about a craftsman being recognized for his trade. And you, my dear writer, are a craftsman, be it prose or poetry, fiction or non, long or short.

Additionally, I would add that any goal you set for yourself (1) is not set in stone--you can change it at any point, it's YOUR goal after all; and (2) is a moving target in that the outside influences on attainment should be factored and adjusted accordingly. Regularly review your goals, check your target for validity, and then be flexible enough to adjust as required.

Finally, "they" say, "Success is a journey, not a destination." (I can't find a definitive citation, but it's bandied about regularly) While it may sound to the snarky like a cop-out, it's a valid point. Even if we don't attain that grand goal, the fact that we continually strive to attain it makes us different from those who don't even try.

That, my dears, is worth celebrating as much as the rest!

So, how do you measure success?

MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE 7/2/12

"From now on your kindness will lead you to success."

SNARKY RESPONSE: And "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Yeah, that little comment will likely get me struck by lightning.

Or, "no good deed goes unpunished." Ouch! Okay, I'll stop!

From now on your kindness will lead you to success.

So, seriously, the fortune cookie sage has handed me an old adage and attached a carrot. The Golden Rule is a universal maxim to which most of us aspire. However, when the act is not spontaneous, but must be actively chosen, there is that tiny bit of self that wonders why, what's in it for me? And here is where the fortune cookie sage dangles that carrot—because kindness will lead me to success. Tiny bit of self is hereby appeased.

However, I must ask, is kindness with an ulterior motive truly kindness? This is perhaps were the fortune cookie sage shows his true "sageness" because he does not explain what act(s) of kindness or what kind of success. Not knowing means you cannot be selective in your kindness but must be kind in all possible instances. And in the end, I believe, kindness is its own reward in that momentary (or longer) sense of warmth and connectedness which is what we all crave, is it not?

Makes ya' kinda go hmmm, doesn't it?