You can have anything you want, you just can’t have everything.

My life would be a whole lot easier if I wasn’t a writer.

I would have a lot more time on my hands.
My To Do list would be a lot shorter.
Time management wouldn’t be such a bear.

But, I am a writer.

My dad is fond of saying, “You can have anything you want, you just can’t have everything you want.” This particular bit of wisdom annoys me, partly because it feels limiting, but mostly because it’s so damn true.

You can’t say “yes” to one thing without saying “no” to something else. All choices involve sacrifice.

Artists are known for sacrifice. Writers, painters, performers – all of them choose their art over other things – security, comfort, leisure, even relationships.

We make ourselves vulnerable by opening our hearts up to the world. We sacrifice the safe anonymity of the non-artistic life, choosing instead to willingly subject ourselves…