I write every day. At least, I have for the last 501 days.

Yesterday was Day 500. It’s the last badge from 750words that is advertised on the ‘about badges’ page. So today, when I looked, there it was, that beautiful spacebird badge I’ve been working toward for longer than 500 days. I reminded myself I couldn’t quit when I was so close.

[Note: I have no idea why all of them are birdlike, but it begins with an egg at zero days, a turkey after 3, and we moved through a Pegasus and Phoenix to get there.]

Today is Day 501. It’s not time to quit today, either. I’ve practiced many forms of meditation with yoga, tai chi, and being seated with a quiet mind. Yet writing is one of the things that calms me and keeps me going, which makes it a form of meditation. It’s not how everyone uses writing, but it’s one reason I pursue it so doggedly.

New goals are ahead, and I’ve also been working editing into a daily schedule this month. I’m struggling with it for several reasons, but I’m slowly improving.

Another lesson from yoga applied to writing: The parts we resist the most also teach us the most. I know I read that type of article the first time and it spoke about the poses. A friend of mine hated chair pose so she taught it in class every week. When I started, my least favorite pose was plank. It’s hard to believe how long ago that was.

When I edit, I’m looking at my words again, changing them, tweaking them, sometimes ripping out entire pages of fluff where I wonder what I was thinking or how I could have possibly thought it would fit in the book. I’m also starting to see how it’s improving, the book is turning into something better, prettier, maybe good enough to share with a few trusted friends. Soon. After the rewrite.

What are you struggling with? How do you go about solving the problem and creating goals that you’re excited to reach for? I’m going to pick another number: 555? 600? Those numbers seem more possible now.