Deanna Rayburn (thanks, Rosanna) on how we use our words can affect what we eventually do:
I've become much more aware of my own lapses into weak and bloodless language, the words that just lie wanly on the sofa, pallid and undemanding. They have no expectations, those words, and they never inspire any acts of greatness.
We say things like, "I'm going to try I'll do such and such today." We basically cut our legs from under us when we give ourselves an out, so that when we fail to live up to what we had intended on doing, we can say to others (and more to ourselves), "Well, I just said that I would 'try.'"
This is one of my weaknesses. In my previous blog post, regarding blogging more, I said:
I'm going to make a comeback.
That has had an effect on my blogging already.
BONUS POINTS: Can anyone think of a song that includes the title of this post? Hint: it's by an Irish band.
Writing it down also works wonders. Committing an idea to paper is making it more concrete and in my mind more real. I took an online artist workshop that had daily homework. One of the goals I had was to blog three times a week. Didn't matter what time it was, but Monday, Wednesday and Friday I set the task to write a goal. I set an iCal alarm for morning, afternoon and evening to remind me to do it, and so far I've been consistent for 3 weeks. :)
GOOD LUCK! (but I know it's more than luck)