The Regrets and The Thankfulness of This Writer

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 There have been so many times in my writing journey when I've been filled with regret. I have also had myriad reasons to be thankful. No doubt, each of you would have items to list under each heading. 

My Regrets:

• sending a submission too soon--not letting it sit a while and then edit a few times
• not beginning my writing journey until I was in my mid-fifties
• not digging deep enough when writing a personal essay
• never getting around to creating a website
• never having a book published
• not majoring in English in college

My Reasons To Be Thankful:  

• that I had the courage to try writing later in my life
• that I have been fortunate enough to be published many times
• that I have met so many wonderful people in the writing world
• that I have been of some help to others through this blog
• that I have continued to grow as a writer
• that I found a wonderful online critique group
• that I found a talent and used it
• that I tried different kinds of writing and found what works best for me
• that I never gave up despite those newbie difficulties all writers encounter

Looking at the regrets list, I can say that some of them are in the past and not able to be changed. There are a few that I can work on and maybe add them to the thankful list some day. The ones that are not fixable will stay as regrets, but I'm certainly not going to brood over them. 

I'd much rather dwell on the thankful side. I can be happy about these accomplishments. They are all positives and many are ones that can continue as I wend my way on my writing journey. 

Make your own lists of things you regret and those for which you are thankful. When you become discouraged about your writing, check that thankful list again. Then make a vow to try again tomorrow. 

Look at the lists you made. Which one is longer? If it is the regrets side, do some serious thinking about how you can change some of the items you listed. Decide to let go of those that cannot be improved upon. If your longer list is the thankful side, pat yourself on the back. You must be doing something right.