New! Read my Blog, or my Monthly Column Debbi is the owner of Mack Research and Writing, providing articles, reports, case studies, white papers and otherwise assisting businesses and organizations with communications needs. She has also done research for legal and reference publishers and attorneys. A select list of clients and writing samples are available here. Debbi is also a mystery author, whose published work includes a novel, Identity Crisis, a hardboiled mystery featuring lawyer/sleuth Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae, and a short story in Chesapeake Crimes I, an anthology written and edited by members of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Submitted for Your Consideration February 2010 Zen and Ambition Lately, I've been having trouble wrapping my mind around the idea of reconciling ambition with Zen. Most of us know what ambition is, so I won't go into a lengthy explanation. But, in short, I think of ambition as aspirations. I think of ambition in terms of long-term goals we'd like to accomplish (whether that's traveling around the world, curing cancer or writing novels for a living -- gee, guess which one is my main ambition). Zen, on the other hand, is a much more complicated subject. If Wikipedia is to be believed, it has a complex etymology. And the word is often associated with Buddhism. One of the tenets of Buddhism (Zen or otherwise) is to be "in the moment." As this post from Zen Habits (a great source on this topic) points out, to be in the moment, means to really appreciate what's happening right now. To really taste your meals, see the beauty of things around you, enjoy the company you keep, etc. I think it all sounds wonderful. Heck, I've even written a column about the need to slow down now and then and smell the roses. My question is, how does aspiration fit into this? How would we find a cure for any disease (cancer, lupus, dystonia -- just thought I'd throw that last one in) unless people aspired to find that cure? I'm sorry, but they're not going to find it by simply idling away their time at the beach or on their back porch. But let's focus the discussion away from health problems that need a cure, poverty, environmental pollution, illiteracy, inadequate health care and all those other pressing problems and focus on one main ambition -- to make a living as a fiction writer. How does one balance the need to plan a marketing and promotional strategy with the desire to be "in the moment"? How can one be completely "in the moment," while trying to build a writing career? Is that even possible? In fact, how can a person possibly be "in the moment" all the time, while spinning out scenarios in their head about plot developments in a story. How could one come up with interesting, fully fleshed-out characters and interesting dialogue, while being "in the moment"? Surely, there must be some kind of middle ground between being "in the moment" all the time and building a fiction writing career. I'm not sure I have an answer. But I do have a few suggestions. You see, another term for being "in the moment" is "mindfulness." It means you are fully aware of what you are doing and feeling in that moment. Now, as I write this, I am trying to be fully aware of what I'm doing and why. I'm doing it for a purpose. One that may not be recreational, but I'm aware of doing it and limiting my time on it, accordingly. I'm giving this column the attention it deserves, then I'm moving on. Because you have only so much time. And it should be used as well as possible. Being mindful of my time and my desires, I set aside a schedule for doing things to reach my professional goals, but also set aside time to enjoy my life. Because, in my opinion, what's the point of having these goals, if you have no life to enjoy. So, I go out of my way to set aside time to call or email people. Get together with family and friends whenever possible. Establish relationships with others. Help other people with their questions about writing and publishing. I've also made time to put my work aside and travel. My husband I spent two weeks in Italy last September, plus we flew out to Oregon for our niece's wedding. Time and energy well spent, in my opinion. All these things have enriched my life. At the same time, I've continued to work toward my goal of being (what I'd call) a "working author." The reality is that everything I do is the result of choice. I choose when to work on my career goals and when to focus more on my personal relationships. I try to do all things with a sense of awareness of what I'm doing and why. And I harbor no regrets about what I've done before. Just listen to Steve Jobs' wonderful inspirational speech. There's a lot to be learned in his first two points about "connecting the dots" and the upside of "getting fired by Apple." "Love what you do" and "don't settle," he says. Truer words were never spoken. However, his answer to the last question about whether he would do what he plans that day, if this were the last day of his life, seems a bit, um, simplistic? Evaluating each action as if it were one's last can't truly guide our daily actions, can it? Because if this were my last day, I wouldn't be working on this column. I wouldn't be working on a novel. I'd be spending my remaining hours doing something more immediately gratifying. And the reality is, we can't do that every single moment of every single day. So we have to strike a balance between what we must do to attain our goals and what we must do to enjoy personal satisfaction. For the record, I do understand Jobs' main point -- that career goals and personal satisfaction can dovetail. However, seriously, would I be doing any of this if it were my last day on Earth? I don't think so, for the simple reason that building a business (a fiction writing business, in this case) takes time, planning and strategic decision-making. Making a go of the writing business doesn't happen overnight (or even after you get one book published). This is why I'm still struggling with how to balance ambition and Zen. And while I may not have all the right answers, I'd like to think I'm asking the right questions, at least. January 2010: Decisions Are Hard December 2009:The Wisdom of Bill Withers November 2009: Are You REALLY Thinking Outside the Box? October 2009: Found in Translation September 2009: How a Twitter Skeptic Became a Twitter Convert August 2009: Kindle-ing Interest in My Novel July 2009: Morning Rush Hour June 2009: Small Victories May 2009: Balancing Act April 2009: Friends and Followers March 2009: The 4-Hour Workweek: It's All About Tim February 2009: My Friend is Dying January 2009: Spontaneous Combustion December 2008: Support Your Local Bookseller November 2008: In Tough Times, Think Marketing 101 October 2008: First Times September 2008: A Trip to Aqaba August 2008: Little Lies (Or How Weeds and The Sopranos Are Really the Same Show) July 2008: Having the Last Word on Words June 2008: Opportunity Knocks (Even When it Knocks You Down) May 2008: Zen and the Art of Spring Cleaning April 2008: A Virtual Crowd March 2008: Four Great Reasons to Hire a Freelance Writer February 2008: Beyond the Bend January 2008: Green Thoughts December 2007: What Goes Around Comes Around November 2007: Bitten by the Bug