___ is the new ___

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So this is how my mind works. Or doesnā€™t.

I was so discombobulated with the whole Blogger Idol fiasco yesterday that I couldnā€™t even think about what I wanted to write for today. The idea of coming up with a topic was exhausting, so I decided to do what a lot of NaBloPoMo bloggers do.

No, ye of little faith, I didnā€™t throw in the towel.

I looked for a prompt.

There were a lot of really fascinating ones but they seemed to involve way too much thought. Like Write a post in the style of (or simply inspired by) a favorite author. Or Explain your biggest regret ā€“ as though to a small child.

Definitely food for thought but the equivalent of chewing a well done steak when all I wanted was to suck down spoonfuls of Ā ice cream.

Then I came across this one, which sounded both intriguing and manageable:

Click over to your favorite blog, and pick out the 4th and 14th words (that arenā€™t ā€œtheā€ or ā€œanā€). Drop them into this phrase:

ā€œ_____ is the new _____.ā€

Thereā€™s your post title. Now write!

I am obsessed with Orange is the New Black andĀ I had just finished reading a gorgeous post called ā€œTesting the Wearyā€ on one of my favorite blogs (Transitioning Mom) by one of my favorite people (Mary Lanzavecchia), so I was totally inspired.

Here was Maryā€™s first paragraph, with the words I was supposed to use in bold.

Iā€™ve sat down and started several different posts again this morning. However, the words are blocked, thoughts jumbled, and my heart disinterested.

This meant my post would be ā€œStarted is the new Blocked.ā€

Perfect.

I realize that may sound crazy to most of you, including my husband who supports my enthusiasm even when he has no idea what Iā€™m talking about, but it totally resonated with me.

The very first post I wrote this year was about the word I was choosing for 2013. That word was ā€œdo,ā€ and I talked about how well it fit in with the life-changing new philosophy I had recently embraced, ā€œDone is better than perfect.ā€

All year, because Iā€™ve been so determined to ā€œdo,ā€ Iā€™ve tried to overcome any feelings of being ā€œblockedā€ by just getting ā€œstarted.ā€ See?

This was like coming full circle to me!

I felt completely validated, like I had been given a sign that I had truly fulfilled the promise of my word. What a great way to end the year!

Then, for some reason, I glanced at the prompt again, only to realize that the word I was supposed to skip in Maryā€™s paragraph was ā€œan,ā€ not ā€œand.ā€ That meant that not only do I probably need glasses but that I HAD DONE THE WHOLE THING INCORRECTLY.

I was supposed to be writing ā€œAnd is the new Are.ā€

Are you kidding me?

That doesnā€™t even make sense.

So I took a deep breath, downed an entire trenta Starbucks iced tea while I pondered the implications of my error, and came to this conclusion:

Whatever.

My post for the day is finished, Iā€™ve completed my NaBloPoMo obligation, and once again I’ve proved ā€“ at least to myself ā€“ that done is better than perfect.

28 thoughts on “___ is the new ___

  1. Done IS better than Perfect!!! I couldn’t agree more! And as I sit here with a prompt for my next post, I need to just get started so I can get it Done … realizing it doesn’t have to be perfect!

    1. Ha! I actually posted Ruth’s first but used the wrong link and had to re-do it! Are you seeing a pattern here?! xo

  2. Hi Lois! So if I’m reading this correctly, you’re saying that doing something half-assed just to be able to say that it’s done is better than not doing it perfectly or at all? I like that and will use it to my advantage!!

  3. I would need a case of Red Bull and a keg gilled with Soy lattes to keep up with you. Done is so much better than perfect, cause in the end, we end up with a bigger slice of Lois.

      1. Lisha, you echo the thoughts that ran through my head this morning. Lois, you echo the thought that runs through my head every day! xo to you both, and Elin, too, if she’s lurking around here. šŸ™‚

  4. OK, I so totally don’t even know where to start! (Except that I’m apparently a Valley Girl before my second cup of coffee.)
    First, I’m honored to even be mentioned on you blog.
    Second. your flattering comments made me swoon.
    Third, I love Orange is the New Black, indicating yet another way we are kindred.
    Fourth, And is like An so, as far as I’m concerned, you, like totally, did this correctly.
    Fifth, I love your word of the year idea! This is the second time in a week I’ve heard about this idea (which I think is telling me something.)
    Sixth, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT is going up on a wall somewhere in my house.
    Seventh, YOU. I love your words, your humor, your inspiration!
    And last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU! xoxo

  5. I just wrote DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT on a sticky and stuck it in front of my face above my monitor. THAT is perfect. (The rest of this post is pretty darn awesome, too, but that phrase is the.very.best.) Thank you!

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