A Worthwhile Tapping

I've been practicing typing a lot lately.

I want to do something well, increase my skill level in something I like doing.

Most of the activities I enjoy aren't so black and white.

When I write a poem, it might be delightful in the opinion of one person, but not worth finishing in the minds of a thousand others. Same goes for a meal I spend time preparing or a song I sing.

Not so with typing. You either pressed the right keys at the right time or you didn't. As you practice, you are likely to improve, and there's a satisfaction you feel when you see that occurring. Any time spent practicing is not wasted--assuming you're not doing it to avoid a more pressing task like making sure your bills are paid on time or taking out the trash that is stinking up your kitchen.

I hate wasting time. That doesn't mean that I don't relish doing things that aren't incredibly valuable. As long as I'm enjoying myself (and it's moral :) then I can feel good about spending time doing all sorts of things. However, when I pour myself into something and have hopes of certain results which don't pan out, it's very painful.

That's why I have a half written novel rotting deep within my computer.

I've spent countless hours pouring myself into it, but I got to the point where I realized I'd be miserable if it was rejected endlessly by publishing house after publishing house. To know I had spent so much time investing myself in something when I could have spent all that time helping people or honing a useful skill would drive me crazy.

I've considered paying for a writing course in which a published author would take my hand and walk me through the finishing of my novel, but then I think I'd be even more crushed if it didn't find an audience.

I guess that, for me, the joy of writing isn't enough. Perhaps I'm just too practical for that. Maybe that's bad. Maybe it's not.

I want to know my efforts are accomplishing something more than just filling up a page that a few people will politely look at.

And so I continue visiting www.typeonline.co.uk and smile as I witness my scores improve.