Five Years a Writer

Back in another lifetime when I was searching for my first house to buy, the real estate agent, Cheryl, urged me not to attend open house showings for properties beyond my financial ceiling. “You’ll only torture yourself by looking at places you cannot afford but would like to live in,” she said. “Limit yourself to showings within the range of your money and you’ll end up with a good place to live that won’t bankrupt you.” Good advice indeed, and I ended up with just such a house. It suited me well, until it was time to move on.  I often think of Cheryl’s advice in relation to any number of things, including, most recently, new year’s resolutions: Make ones that give you what you need, maybe stretch you a bit but don’t break the psychological bank, as it were. Resolutions should match your ability to achieve them. Otherwise why bother? They will only ever be fantasy, never motivation. Other people’s standards or expectations are beside the point. Know yourself and design your resol...