Please Don’t Sit On The Acorn
Words won’t write themselves — that’s your job.
Are you a climber or a sitter when it comes to finishing a writing project?
One way will get you there NOW.
The other way will get you there—Someday.
This conclusion is well supported by a quote from Kemmons Wilson.
“There are two ways to get to the top of an oak tree. One way is to sit on an acorn and wait; the other way is to climb it.”
Sitting is EASY!
We’ve all probably been a sitter in our lives. I know I have. And there are plenty of opportunities to do so since some oak trees can produce up to 50,000 acorns in one year. Truth be told, I’ve been known to fabricate almost as many excuses for why I haven’t finished my next story.
So why aren’t we all climbers? REALLY… You didn’t just nod your head to that question, did you? Have you taken a really good look at how tall some species of oak can grow? Would you believe 130 ft. high? That’s not a gentle slope — it’s a straight-up vertical climb.
Climbing is hard
If we are sitters, we are also procrastinators — delaying action when it is action that is needed.
Here are a couple of reasons that might explain the sitter syndrome. There are others but these two resonate with me.
- Fear goes on my list. I don’t have enough time to finish. The projects are too big for me. I don’t have the necessary skill or talent. What if I fail?
- Attitude is another item on my list. I’m more motivated if I wait till the last minute. I just don’t feel like doing it now. It’s just the way I am. It’s not that important anyway.
One way I work through and pass the sitter syndrome is to section my task into actionable parts. In my writing projects, I do this by slicing my idea into a minimum of three areas — Introduction, body, and conclusion.