Do. Or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
In case you missed the news this week, Disney now owns Lucasfilm, which I suppose makes Leia an acceptable nomination for the next Disney princess. Whether or not you are a maniacal Star Wars fan, elements of the movie have made their way into your life as they seeped into our culture over the last forty years.
The above quote from Yoda is one of those things.
I've heard it, I've used it, and I'm guessing you probably have to. If you haven't, then you've at least seen Nike's version at some time in your life, Just Do It.
The mentality behind both of those famous statements is that "trying" makes failure an acceptable option. By saying "I'll try" you are saying that part of you thinks you won't actually succeed. Yoda and Nike both think that's a recipe for failure.
Think of something you've always wanted to do. How many times have you started? How many times have you quit?
I've been thinking about this a lot this week as many friends of mine gear up for NaNoWriMo.
If you've ever wanted to be a writer but aren't sure if you have it in you, I encourage you to tackle NaNoWriMo. You're only a day or two behind right now, so there's no excuse not to jump in. The idea is that you write a 50,000+ word novel in a month.
It's doable. That is what got me started writing (though I did it in June, not November, but still). Because if you nail your butt to the chair and hammer out 50,000 words, you can look at it and say, "I did it. Now is it any good? Is it something I want to pursue?"
If you never get those 50,000 words down? Well, you don't have the option of moving forward.
(One note here, if you do hammer out a novel this month, DO NOT assume it's ready to go come December. The only way you can throw down 50,000+ words in a month is if you ignore editing and rewriting entirely. Please don't assume a publish-ready book will spill from your fingers in 30 days unless your name is Nora Roberts. I think she spits books out in her sleep.)
I'm not in a position to write a new novel this month, but I have other things I want to do. So I'm making November Anti-Procrastination month for me. I have friends doing NaNoWriMo, so I intend to utilize and join in the encouragement but with some slightly adjusted goals.
Won't you join me? Throw try out the window and let's get it done. Where do you want to be on December 1. Break it into mini-goals - one for every day of the month of November. Not do them. No try, no maybe, no we'll see.
I think it's time we all take advice from a small, wrinkly green muppet in swoosh decorated sneakers. Let's do it.
This month I'm getting back into my favorite jeans and finishing some book proposal submittals that have been sitting on my desk for a while. What are you going to tackle this month?
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motivation. Show all posts
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Power of Stress ~ Life Lessons from Procrastination
Have you ever had one of those moments where someone makes a casual remark and it hits in just the right spot? Suddenly their off-the-cuff sentence has opened up a world of understanding about yourself.
This happened to me the other day.
I've been busting tail for the last two weeks to finish a project for a friend of mine. I've had it for a year. I didn't touch it until two weeks ago. Oops.
As I was running around the house crying and freaking out, because over the course of a year I'd lost an essential piece of the project, I wondered how my life ended up in this situation so often.
I always seem to be one step from the edge of the crumbling cliff. Miraculously everything meets deadline, but I'm nearly dead by the time it gets here.
So I complained to my husband. That's what he's for, right? (Just kidding, honey!) He calmly continues what he's doing (which, coincidentally, is helping me look for the missing item) and says, "I think you just like stress."
My gut reaction was, "I do not! Who in the world wants stress?"
But then I started thinking about it. The honest answer was, "I do."
I think it's the sense of urgency, the dare of the deadline, and my desire to be as lazy as possible that make stress such an integral part of my getting anything done.
And I don't like that about myself. I don't think God cares for it either. Crying jags, loss of sleep, and shredded nerves don't add up to life more abundant.
Is stress a necessary factor in accomplishing your goals? So many authors write to the deadline - letting that be the thing that finally turns on their juice, whether it's creative or desperate. It's the essential requirement for sitting your tail in the chair and getting it done.
If that's you, I invite you to join me. The post is shorter than normal today because I'm getting up and doing something. Today I shall do something well before it's deadline is on the horizon. I am laying the groundwork for productivity to come easier later.
Today I am changing my life. Because I don't want to crave stress.
Are you joining me? Put your anti-procrastination goal in the comments below. You can do this. And so can I.
This happened to me the other day.
I've been busting tail for the last two weeks to finish a project for a friend of mine. I've had it for a year. I didn't touch it until two weeks ago. Oops.
As I was running around the house crying and freaking out, because over the course of a year I'd lost an essential piece of the project, I wondered how my life ended up in this situation so often.
I always seem to be one step from the edge of the crumbling cliff. Miraculously everything meets deadline, but I'm nearly dead by the time it gets here.
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| photo from Wiki Commons |
My gut reaction was, "I do not! Who in the world wants stress?"
But then I started thinking about it. The honest answer was, "I do."
I think it's the sense of urgency, the dare of the deadline, and my desire to be as lazy as possible that make stress such an integral part of my getting anything done.
And I don't like that about myself. I don't think God cares for it either. Crying jags, loss of sleep, and shredded nerves don't add up to life more abundant.
Is stress a necessary factor in accomplishing your goals? So many authors write to the deadline - letting that be the thing that finally turns on their juice, whether it's creative or desperate. It's the essential requirement for sitting your tail in the chair and getting it done.
If that's you, I invite you to join me. The post is shorter than normal today because I'm getting up and doing something. Today I shall do something well before it's deadline is on the horizon. I am laying the groundwork for productivity to come easier later.
Today I am changing my life. Because I don't want to crave stress.
Are you joining me? Put your anti-procrastination goal in the comments below. You can do this. And so can I.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Milestones ~ My Journey So Far
Sometimes milestones are big and obvious and you know they're coming. Like birthdays, anniversaries (whether marital or work related), and Christmas. They're on the calendar, other people are talking about them and they are easy to spot and catalog.
Other milestones catch you by surprise. Something significant happens and it makes you turn around and realize just how far you've come.
That happened to me this week.
Two years ago, I suffered from insomnia while I was pregnant with my third child. This isn't a good thing when you have two other small children to care for. It makes you really tired.
Playing computer games got old and I had too much restlessness to sit and read a book. TV was too loud and could wake up someone else in the house. So I started writing. This isn't new. I've started books before on numerous occasions. I came across a notebook with the beginning of a book I wrote in 3rd grade. It has a lot of company.
This time, it was different. This time I finished it and I looked at it and realized I actually liked it. It was good (or so I thought at the time). I showed it to my husband and a good friend of mine.
About a year ago they convinced me to get serious about it. To really go for it and figure out what it took to get it published. I looked into writing groups because it seemed like that would be a good source of help and encouragement. (It totally is, by the way. If you are seriously wanting to write, I highly suggest joining one or two.)
The first GRW (Georgia Romance Writers) meeting I went to, they were announcing the finalists for that years Maggies - a writing award with categories for published and unpublished writers. Soon after this I got serious about my writing, started a blog, took some online classes, and attended GRW's annual conference.
GRW announced this year's Maggie finalists at Saturday's meeting.
I am one.
It made me realize just how far I've come in a year. And that is a good feeling.
What moments have made you look back and realize just how far you've come?
Other milestones catch you by surprise. Something significant happens and it makes you turn around and realize just how far you've come.
That happened to me this week.
Playing computer games got old and I had too much restlessness to sit and read a book. TV was too loud and could wake up someone else in the house. So I started writing. This isn't new. I've started books before on numerous occasions. I came across a notebook with the beginning of a book I wrote in 3rd grade. It has a lot of company.
This time, it was different. This time I finished it and I looked at it and realized I actually liked it. It was good (or so I thought at the time). I showed it to my husband and a good friend of mine.
About a year ago they convinced me to get serious about it. To really go for it and figure out what it took to get it published. I looked into writing groups because it seemed like that would be a good source of help and encouragement. (It totally is, by the way. If you are seriously wanting to write, I highly suggest joining one or two.)
GRW announced this year's Maggie finalists at Saturday's meeting.
I am one.
It made me realize just how far I've come in a year. And that is a good feeling.
What moments have made you look back and realize just how far you've come?
Friday, August 3, 2012
For the Love of the Game ~ Life Lessons from the Olympics
Swimming is drawing to a close in the Olympic games. Of all the incredible athletes and stories, Missy Franklin has caught a great deal of my attention.
What I find most incredible is that she has turned down sponsors and endorsement offers in order to maintain her eligibility to swim with her high school swim team.
Can you imagine? Lining up on the blocks at a high school swim meet and seeing an Olympic gold medalist to your left would be incredibly intimidating.
Most likely Missy has many years of swimming prowess to cash in on, but to turn down potentially millions as a teenager boggles the mind. It's possible, and even probable, that after the Olympics she won't swim her senior year swim team, but the fact that she did it last year is enough to show her love of the game.
She still has plans to turn down endorsement offers in order to swim in college.
So often we look at what's in it for us, or we think, my skill level is higher/lower than the other people involved, so why should I contribute? Sometimes we need to just do it because we enjoy it.
Have you ever loved something enough that you just wanted to participate as much as you could?
What I find most incredible is that she has turned down sponsors and endorsement offers in order to maintain her eligibility to swim with her high school swim team.
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| Not Missy Franklin, but a kid that looks very happy to be swimming. ;) |
Most likely Missy has many years of swimming prowess to cash in on, but to turn down potentially millions as a teenager boggles the mind. It's possible, and even probable, that after the Olympics she won't swim her senior year swim team, but the fact that she did it last year is enough to show her love of the game.
She still has plans to turn down endorsement offers in order to swim in college.
So often we look at what's in it for us, or we think, my skill level is higher/lower than the other people involved, so why should I contribute? Sometimes we need to just do it because we enjoy it.
Have you ever loved something enough that you just wanted to participate as much as you could?
Friday, June 1, 2012
I Want To Make Someone Miserable ~ Life Lessons from A Sleepless Night
When you're starting out on a new venture, in the back of your mind there's always this niggling dream to be the next big thing. As a romance author there's the dream of being the next Karen Kingsbury or Francine Rivers. Or if I'm feeling ridiculously ambitious the next Nora Roberts.
A Christian musician might dream of being the next Chris Tomlin or want to cross over and be the next Adele. A computer programmer wonders is his pet project will be the next Facebook or Google. There are people aspiring to be the next Donald Trump or Stephen Colbert or Barack Obama.
My aspirations changed over the past week.
The Articles That Planted the Seed
Earlier this week, I came across this article by Jon Acuff. In it he talks about a band that many of you have probably never heard of. A group called Seryn. He went to two different concerts by this group - one with about 12,000 attendees and one with 60. The group gave the same effort, energy, and amazingness to both groups.
Last Friday, Laurie Alice Eakes wrote an article about avoiding pride and arrogance while promoting yourself and your books. The fine line between being prideful and being confidant is difficult to walk. What should our aim be? What should we strive for?
The Moment Of Agony
Also this week, a new book by one of my favorite authors came out. I have a lot of authors I like but only two are on what I call Auto-Buy. I pre-order their books just because it has their name on the cover. I know when they're released. I wait in agony for the Kindle download (or in this case the UPS guy because I accidentally pre-ordered the paperback version instead of the Kindle version).
Until recently there was only one author on my auto-buy list. For years I have looked for her book every summer. And I have yet to be disappointed. The problem is that every year it comes out, I buy it, and then I tell myself to read it at a normal pace.
I never listen. I stay up insanely late, telling myself "just one more chapter" until I either pass out from exhaustion or finish the book. The next day I'm tired, cranky, and miserable because I didn't get enough sleep AND I have to wait a whole year before I get to read anything new by that author. While I had every intention of savoring and drawing out the pleasure of reading the book, I devoured it in a matter of hours.
The author I recently added to my auto-buy has a book coming out today. I'm guessing another sleepless night lies in front of me. Both of them publishing in the same week - they're cruel.
A New Goal
While it would be great to be the next Karen Kingsbury (seriously, who doesn't want that many sales?) I've set myself a new goal. A new dream.
I want to make someone miserable.
I might not ever make hoards of people agonize over the release of my next book, but if I can make one person yearn for it, then it's worth putting my heart and soul in it. If someone is yawning at work the next day because they "just one more chapter"ed their way through my book the night before, that will be my trophy.
Lynn comments on nearly every blog I write. Lynn, you have no idea how it makes my day to see that email telling me there's a new comment on my blog. If she is the only one who reads it, then it's still worth putting all the effort and thought and time into these posts. I'm assuming she comments because she likes them and gets some benefit out of them.
Finding Your Goal
In whatever you do there is the apex goal and then there is the true reward. Figure out what the true reward is for you. Maybe it's having one person use your song as their alarm song. They want you to be the first thing they hear when they wake up in the morning.
Don't measure your success on it's size, but on it's quality. While it'd be wonderful to be the next Steve Jobs or Billy Graham, it's also great to be a manager that helps employees grow, the pastor of a small town church that's winning souls, or the singer on the corner that brightens someone's day every time they pass by you on the way to work.
Define your quality goal and then seek it. If fame and fortune comes with it, great. But don't make that your target.
Photo Credits: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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| By Danado0ona via Wikimedia Commons |
My aspirations changed over the past week.
The Articles That Planted the Seed
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| Desmanthus4food, via Wikimedia Commons |
Last Friday, Laurie Alice Eakes wrote an article about avoiding pride and arrogance while promoting yourself and your books. The fine line between being prideful and being confidant is difficult to walk. What should our aim be? What should we strive for?
The Moment Of Agony
 |
Until recently there was only one author on my auto-buy list. For years I have looked for her book every summer. And I have yet to be disappointed. The problem is that every year it comes out, I buy it, and then I tell myself to read it at a normal pace.
The author I recently added to my auto-buy has a book coming out today. I'm guessing another sleepless night lies in front of me. Both of them publishing in the same week - they're cruel.
A New Goal
I want to make someone miserable.
I might not ever make hoards of people agonize over the release of my next book, but if I can make one person yearn for it, then it's worth putting my heart and soul in it. If someone is yawning at work the next day because they "just one more chapter"ed their way through my book the night before, that will be my trophy.
Lynn comments on nearly every blog I write. Lynn, you have no idea how it makes my day to see that email telling me there's a new comment on my blog. If she is the only one who reads it, then it's still worth putting all the effort and thought and time into these posts. I'm assuming she comments because she likes them and gets some benefit out of them.
Finding Your Goal
Don't measure your success on it's size, but on it's quality. While it'd be wonderful to be the next Steve Jobs or Billy Graham, it's also great to be a manager that helps employees grow, the pastor of a small town church that's winning souls, or the singer on the corner that brightens someone's day every time they pass by you on the way to work.
Define your quality goal and then seek it. If fame and fortune comes with it, great. But don't make that your target.
Photo Credits: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Friday, May 4, 2012
Great Responsibility ~ Life Lessons from Jewelry
For those of you who joined the blog during April, Friday is when I post Life Lessons such as the ones I blogged on every day for the A to Z Challenge. Only I use the whole alphabet.
While they are normally longer than the A to Z posts, they aren't always quite this long. I had a lot to say today. ;) Keep reading. It's worth it.
Most of it stays in heaping piles on my dresser and I have to dig my way through it to find the matching earring. Every couple of months I take an hour and sort it all back into my various jewelry boxes, but it gets jumbled up again a couple weeks later.
But there are a few pieces that always get put back where they belong. Special pieces. A necklace and earring set of Mother-of-pearl and aquamarine flowers from my husband. An emerald ring from my parents. A watch and pair of gold earrings from my grandparents. A heart-shaped pendant made from shells that my now-husband gave me while we were dating.
Because these were given with special care, with particular reasoning and motivations behind them, I take better care of them. I feel a greater responsibility with them. Not because they are monetarily valuable - I doubt the shell pendant is actually worth all that much - but because I would be devastated if something happened to them. They've been entrusted to my care and I take that seriously.
Sometimes God gives us gifts like that. Gifts that He expects us to take extraordinary care of. Things we can't risk taking for granted because we'd be crushed if He took them away.
Over the past month I've been awestruck by the realization or how many of these gifts God has blessed me with recently.
The list goes on and on, including several more personal blessings that deal with my family and the youth we work with at church.
I am truly awed by how much He's given me. And I'm also terrified.
"To whom much is given, much will be required."
No, I'm not quoting Spiderman or President Obama or anyone else you've heard say that phrase. I'm quoting Jesus. The whole verse, Luke 12:48, reads thus:
"But the one who did now know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more."
And this is why I'm terrified.
This isn't like jewelry where all I have to do is make sure it doesn't fall off somewhere and that it gets back to its correct home in the jewelry box.
This is God showing up and saying, "I have given you much because I have shown you my incredible power. I have displayed my presence in your life. Now you have the responsibility to do something with that."
I feel more compelled to raise the quality of my blog. (No more tossing out my draft the night before and saying "That'll work.") I have been charged to push forward with my writing. (No more saying, "It's not good enough yet to show to anyone who can actually do something with it.")
When God displays His glory in such magnificent ways, our excuses can't stand up to the evidence of his presence.
When has someone given you something you felt a special burden to treat well?
Has God blessed you with an overwhelming gift that you are terrified you won't be worthy of?
While they are normally longer than the A to Z posts, they aren't always quite this long. I had a lot to say today. ;) Keep reading. It's worth it.
Special Things
I like jewelry. I like it a lot. I have a lot of it.Most of it stays in heaping piles on my dresser and I have to dig my way through it to find the matching earring. Every couple of months I take an hour and sort it all back into my various jewelry boxes, but it gets jumbled up again a couple weeks later.
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| My shell heart necklace. First jewelry my hubby ever gave me. |
Because these were given with special care, with particular reasoning and motivations behind them, I take better care of them. I feel a greater responsibility with them. Not because they are monetarily valuable - I doubt the shell pendant is actually worth all that much - but because I would be devastated if something happened to them. They've been entrusted to my care and I take that seriously.
Sometimes God gives us gifts like that. Gifts that He expects us to take extraordinary care of. Things we can't risk taking for granted because we'd be crushed if He took them away.
Special Blessings
Over the past month I've been awestruck by the realization or how many of these gifts God has blessed me with recently.
- Advancing to the Semi-Final round in the Genesis competition. (I mentioned that in Tuesday's Post)
- Tripling my blog subscribers over the course of the A to Z Challenge (Unbelievable! I'm so glad that all of you are here!)
- An exercise accountability partner and a plan that is making a huge difference for me. (Also details in Tuesday's Post)
- An amazing start to the group blog that I co-founded, Regency Reflections.
The list goes on and on, including several more personal blessings that deal with my family and the youth we work with at church.
I am truly awed by how much He's given me. And I'm also terrified.
Special Responsibilities
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| No, these are not my eyes. They're kinda creepy though. |
No, I'm not quoting Spiderman or President Obama or anyone else you've heard say that phrase. I'm quoting Jesus. The whole verse, Luke 12:48, reads thus:
"But the one who did now know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more."
And this is why I'm terrified.
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| Yeah... I want to go hide, too. |
This isn't like jewelry where all I have to do is make sure it doesn't fall off somewhere and that it gets back to its correct home in the jewelry box.
This is God showing up and saying, "I have given you much because I have shown you my incredible power. I have displayed my presence in your life. Now you have the responsibility to do something with that."
I feel more compelled to raise the quality of my blog. (No more tossing out my draft the night before and saying "That'll work.") I have been charged to push forward with my writing. (No more saying, "It's not good enough yet to show to anyone who can actually do something with it.")
When God displays His glory in such magnificent ways, our excuses can't stand up to the evidence of his presence.
Special You
When has someone given you something you felt a special burden to treat well?
Has God blessed you with an overwhelming gift that you are terrified you won't be worthy of?
Eyes and raccoon photo from MorgueFile.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Finding Inspiration... and Addiction
I have a new addiction. And while my time spent on it certainly needs to be managed, there's been some significant benefit out of it as well.
Recently I discovered Pinterest. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a virtual bulletin board. When you surf the web, you can "pin" a picture to your board and it will maintain the link back to the website you pulled the picture from. So if you find a great recipe, you can pin the picture to your food board and then get back to that recipe later. Such a fabulous idea.
You can then look at your friends' boards and repin awesome things that they've found. You can also see what's popular and look at things lots of other people that you have no connection whatsoever with what you have found. It's addictive to sit there and thumb through tons of great ideas in a single place.
I first got on it with very good intentions. When I'm plotting a book or working on a character, I have a word file that I end up copying and pasting a lot of pictures in from the internet. Now I just pin them to my inspiration board. I wish I could say the majority of my pins have been work related, but sadly, I cannot.
Organization tips, clever tricks, and cute home decor ideas cover most of my boards. Ideas of things to do with the kids or craft projects make up another large chunk. What I am truly happy to say is that these inspirations have not stayed mired in cyberspace. I have actually done some of the projects I pinned!
It has also inspired me to look into finding creative ways to accomplish some of the things I need. For example, I am going through and cleaning out and organizing all the closets in my house. I need some storage bins to help with organization. I have a lot of diaper boxes (which, if you don't have kids, are really sturdy things!) and I have a lot of fabric from my aunt's last house clean-out. I covered diaper boxes with fabric and voila! Pretty organization bins that cost me only the glue to put the pieces together. I feel so crafty.
Where do you go when you need inspiration?
Recently I discovered Pinterest. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a virtual bulletin board. When you surf the web, you can "pin" a picture to your board and it will maintain the link back to the website you pulled the picture from. So if you find a great recipe, you can pin the picture to your food board and then get back to that recipe later. Such a fabulous idea.You can then look at your friends' boards and repin awesome things that they've found. You can also see what's popular and look at things lots of other people that you have no connection whatsoever with what you have found. It's addictive to sit there and thumb through tons of great ideas in a single place.
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| Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Organization tips, clever tricks, and cute home decor ideas cover most of my boards. Ideas of things to do with the kids or craft projects make up another large chunk. What I am truly happy to say is that these inspirations have not stayed mired in cyberspace. I have actually done some of the projects I pinned!
It has also inspired me to look into finding creative ways to accomplish some of the things I need. For example, I am going through and cleaning out and organizing all the closets in my house. I need some storage bins to help with organization. I have a lot of diaper boxes (which, if you don't have kids, are really sturdy things!) and I have a lot of fabric from my aunt's last house clean-out. I covered diaper boxes with fabric and voila! Pretty organization bins that cost me only the glue to put the pieces together. I feel so crafty.
Where do you go when you need inspiration?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
How Do You Save Time - A Peek at My Readers
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| Image courtesy of MorgueFile |
Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. - Peter Drucker
I want to be both. I want to be efficient and effective.
So help me out here! What are some of the ways you make things more efficient? Got a link to a project that will help people be more effective?
Throw it in the comments and let's all up our effective efficiency quotient today!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
What's the good word?
When December started I was telling myself that this year I would NOT make New Year's Resolutions for one reason: I am notorious for setting huge goals for myself and then becoming literally depressed when I don't make them. I did not want to set myself up for that.
Then I read this post about focusing on a single word for the year in order to make changes in your life. I have since seen the concept in a few other posts attributing the idea to Debbie Macomber. I don't know who started it and really I don't think it matters. The point is that the idea is, in my opinion, a really good one.
The Concept
Here's the idea. Think hard about what you want to change in your life. Pick a word that encompasses the essence of that. For me, it came down to finding the root reason of why I wanted to change all the little things I could think of. Once you have that word, focus on it for the year. As you go about your daily life, keep that word in the front of your mind. Are the decisions you're making and the things you're doing helping you accomplish whatever that word means?
It sounded simple and like something I could really do, so I'm giving it a go.
The Plan
First, I had to come up with my word. After a lot of thought, I came up with this:
Then I read this post about focusing on a single word for the year in order to make changes in your life. I have since seen the concept in a few other posts attributing the idea to Debbie Macomber. I don't know who started it and really I don't think it matters. The point is that the idea is, in my opinion, a really good one.
The Concept
Here's the idea. Think hard about what you want to change in your life. Pick a word that encompasses the essence of that. For me, it came down to finding the root reason of why I wanted to change all the little things I could think of. Once you have that word, focus on it for the year. As you go about your daily life, keep that word in the front of your mind. Are the decisions you're making and the things you're doing helping you accomplish whatever that word means?
It sounded simple and like something I could really do, so I'm giving it a go.
The Plan
First, I had to come up with my word. After a lot of thought, I came up with this:
Healthy
Your first thought is probably that this is a redressing of the age old resolution to lose weight. Partly, yes it is. I do want to lose weight. I want to be physically healthier. I also want to be emotionally, socially, financially, and spiritually healthier.
I'm hoping that by focusing on this word, when I want to hit snooze on the alarm clock one more time, I'll have to consider which is healthier - snoozing five more minutes or dragging myself out of bed to exercise? When I want to splurge on something, which is healthier - the short-lived happiness of a frivolous purchase or a well-stocked emergency fund? Is it healthier to fret about my problems or pray over them?
If this works, by this time next year, I'll be in a much better state all around.
The Accountability
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| photo by Gumuz (Flickr), CC-BY |
I'm sure there is a statistic or study about this somewhere, but people stick to things better when someone is holding them accountable. This, my loyal readers, is where you come in. Every couple of weeks I am going to report on my word. What things have I done to make myself healthy? Where am I struggling? If you don't see this post from me, feel free to check on me. (Doesn't this cat look like it's about to jump out of the screen and get you?)
I invite you to join me in this adventure. Come up with a word and post it below. When I give you my update, you can throw in yours as well. We'll hold each other up and together we'll make better people by this time next year.
So what's your word going to be this year?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Fresh Start
Ah, January. The time of year when we all take a deep breath and try to start over. What is so magical about January First that gives us a clean slate? To a certain extent Mondays have this same elusive magic. How many times have you said I'm going to do better starting next week? Something in us craves that fresh start. We are desperate for the ability to draw a line in the sand and start over.
But there's nothing magical about January. There's nothing that happens when the clock strikes midnight that will suddenly turn you into someone who likes healthy foods, knows how to manage their money, and actually gets to places on time. You are still the same person at 12:01 as you were at 11:59. Don't get me wrong, people can change and sometimes that imaginary freshness is the catalyst it takes, but for most people it's a temporary high followed by the status quo low.
Did you know that you can actually have a fresh start? There is actually a way to take the mess of the past and leave it there? Jesus offers you a clean slate - forgiveness for all of your sins when you accept Him as your savior. If you haven't done that, every new year's resolution is futile.
If you have given your life to Jesus, ask him to take this mental imagining we have of the new year and make it a truly new beginning. In my regular Tuesday post, I'll tell you about my life change that I'm making this year. In the meantime, what about you? What are you asking Jesus to help you change?
But there's nothing magical about January. There's nothing that happens when the clock strikes midnight that will suddenly turn you into someone who likes healthy foods, knows how to manage their money, and actually gets to places on time. You are still the same person at 12:01 as you were at 11:59. Don't get me wrong, people can change and sometimes that imaginary freshness is the catalyst it takes, but for most people it's a temporary high followed by the status quo low.
Did you know that you can actually have a fresh start? There is actually a way to take the mess of the past and leave it there? Jesus offers you a clean slate - forgiveness for all of your sins when you accept Him as your savior. If you haven't done that, every new year's resolution is futile.
If you have given your life to Jesus, ask him to take this mental imagining we have of the new year and make it a truly new beginning. In my regular Tuesday post, I'll tell you about my life change that I'm making this year. In the meantime, what about you? What are you asking Jesus to help you change?
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Value of Time
How much is your time worth? That question means different things to different people. For some people it means calculating the hourly wage they earn from work. For others the answer is defined more abstractly in happiness, fun, and fulfillment. Still others find the worth of their time in the results seen around them: the growth of their children, the success of a business, the effect of a ministry. Even if you use your hourly wage as a guide, there are still a lot of hours in a day not accounted for by your paycheck.
No matter how you define the value of your time, each person is given the same amount of it. "No one's rich, nobody's poor/We get twenty four hours each" Chris Rice, Life Means So Much You can listen to the whole song on You Tube
It is pretty much impossible to equate my time with a dollar amount. Believe it or not, most writers don't make a whole lot of money. Particularly writers trying to get their first book published, like me. We make nothing. :) I was, and really still am, a bit of a reality show junky. I love competition shows like Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, HGTV Design Star, etc. I have gone through spells watching the dating shows as well. When I started writing, and I mean really writing in the I-want-to-get-this-published kind of way, those shows were the first thing to go. The results of time spent writing/learning the craft meant more to me than the results of time spent watching someone's dreams get crushed.
The question boils down to what means more to you? What enriches your life the most? Maybe you enjoy golf but you love the results of investing time in your kids. In order to get the most time doing what you love (playing with the kids), you may have to give up what you like (playing golf). Is that difficult - Yes, Extremely. Is it worth it - Yes, definitely.
Sleep is awesome, but time spent with God is better. So I have a goal to start avoiding the snooze button and reaching for the Bible instead.
Chocolate rocks, but I think a healthy body in the long run is worth more than the temporary taste of bliss. So I'm planning on working in exercise after Bible reading.
There are even areas of ministry that I love and am good at, but not at the expense of time with my family. (A caveat on this one - these are things God has provided OPTIONAL opportunities for me to do. If He has CALLED me to it, it takes a much higher priority. It gets done.)
Starting in October - hopefully, this is the plan anyway - on Mondays I'll be posting about ways to save/more efficiently spend time and money. Why? Because I think it's important. Because the more time you save the more time you have to read. :) And when I get published, I want you to have some time built in to be able to read it.
What about you? What are some things you would love to spend time on but other things bring more value to your time spent?
No matter how you define the value of your time, each person is given the same amount of it. "No one's rich, nobody's poor/We get twenty four hours each" Chris Rice, Life Means So Much You can listen to the whole song on You Tube
It is pretty much impossible to equate my time with a dollar amount. Believe it or not, most writers don't make a whole lot of money. Particularly writers trying to get their first book published, like me. We make nothing. :) I was, and really still am, a bit of a reality show junky. I love competition shows like Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, HGTV Design Star, etc. I have gone through spells watching the dating shows as well. When I started writing, and I mean really writing in the I-want-to-get-this-published kind of way, those shows were the first thing to go. The results of time spent writing/learning the craft meant more to me than the results of time spent watching someone's dreams get crushed.
The question boils down to what means more to you? What enriches your life the most? Maybe you enjoy golf but you love the results of investing time in your kids. In order to get the most time doing what you love (playing with the kids), you may have to give up what you like (playing golf). Is that difficult - Yes, Extremely. Is it worth it - Yes, definitely.
Sleep is awesome, but time spent with God is better. So I have a goal to start avoiding the snooze button and reaching for the Bible instead.
Chocolate rocks, but I think a healthy body in the long run is worth more than the temporary taste of bliss. So I'm planning on working in exercise after Bible reading.
There are even areas of ministry that I love and am good at, but not at the expense of time with my family. (A caveat on this one - these are things God has provided OPTIONAL opportunities for me to do. If He has CALLED me to it, it takes a much higher priority. It gets done.)
Starting in October - hopefully, this is the plan anyway - on Mondays I'll be posting about ways to save/more efficiently spend time and money. Why? Because I think it's important. Because the more time you save the more time you have to read. :) And when I get published, I want you to have some time built in to be able to read it.
What about you? What are some things you would love to spend time on but other things bring more value to your time spent?
Monday, August 8, 2011
Jet Skis and Jumping Off
I went to the lake with my family this weekend. In addition to being a totally fabulous weekend, I learned something.
My uncle has a jet ski. Jet skis have always fascinated me. They look like so much fun zipping around the water and making waves. My husband adores jet skis. He gets on them and whips around the water making whirlpools and seeing how fast he can go before totally wiping out. Last year, I was pregnant with our third child so taking a ride on the water rocket was out of the question. This year I decided to go for it.
My first thought was to ride doubles with my husband. After all, he knew what he was doing and I didn't. That was a little more weight than the old jet ski could handle, causing us to do a slow roll into the water before we even got started. It was highly entertaining to my family and, incidentally, the only time anyone managed to get a picture of me on the machine. The choice became to go for it alone or not try at all. So I go it alone. I'm sitting on the jet ski in the middle of the lake, feeling very unstable, very unsure of myself, and very aware that if I fell off, there was no way to get back on and I would have to float in the lake until my family came in the pontoon boat to rescue me.
My first ride was an embarrassing mesh of spurts and stops as I tried to figure out how the throttle worked. It would spurt forward, I would panic and let go, and the jet ski would rock around in the water like a cork. I made my way unceremoniously to the dock.
My second ride was even worse as something turned out to be wrong with the jet ski and it stalled out every time I pressed the throttle. No go again.
Our last day at the lake I figured it was do it now or wait another year to get the chance to try again. I decided to go for it. After all, what was the worst that could happen? I could wipe out, drink lake, and float around until my family came to get me. So I got on and held down the throttle. It was glorious. I loved it! I wasn't making whirlpools or maxing out the speedometer, but I was really riding! I loved the wind and the power and the thrill. And I didn't fall off. Not once. The day before I had been so hesitant, so careful, that I was inconstant danger of tipping the unstable craft. But when I just went for it and gave it everything, I had the best time.
What do jet skis have to do with writing? Obviously my Regency England characters aren't going to be hopping on then for a quick jaunt across the channel. The thing is this: It is time to just go for it. I can't keep saying "It needs one more edit" or "I hope I can get this published someday". I have to just go for it. While my financial situation right now doesn't allow for entering copious amounts of contests and joining all the writer's guilds, there are still things I can do to push down the throttle on my writing career. And if I wipe out and get totally rejected? Well, my family's still on the pontoon boat, and that's not a bad place to be either.
My uncle has a jet ski. Jet skis have always fascinated me. They look like so much fun zipping around the water and making waves. My husband adores jet skis. He gets on them and whips around the water making whirlpools and seeing how fast he can go before totally wiping out. Last year, I was pregnant with our third child so taking a ride on the water rocket was out of the question. This year I decided to go for it.
My first thought was to ride doubles with my husband. After all, he knew what he was doing and I didn't. That was a little more weight than the old jet ski could handle, causing us to do a slow roll into the water before we even got started. It was highly entertaining to my family and, incidentally, the only time anyone managed to get a picture of me on the machine. The choice became to go for it alone or not try at all. So I go it alone. I'm sitting on the jet ski in the middle of the lake, feeling very unstable, very unsure of myself, and very aware that if I fell off, there was no way to get back on and I would have to float in the lake until my family came in the pontoon boat to rescue me.
My first ride was an embarrassing mesh of spurts and stops as I tried to figure out how the throttle worked. It would spurt forward, I would panic and let go, and the jet ski would rock around in the water like a cork. I made my way unceremoniously to the dock.
My second ride was even worse as something turned out to be wrong with the jet ski and it stalled out every time I pressed the throttle. No go again.
Our last day at the lake I figured it was do it now or wait another year to get the chance to try again. I decided to go for it. After all, what was the worst that could happen? I could wipe out, drink lake, and float around until my family came to get me. So I got on and held down the throttle. It was glorious. I loved it! I wasn't making whirlpools or maxing out the speedometer, but I was really riding! I loved the wind and the power and the thrill. And I didn't fall off. Not once. The day before I had been so hesitant, so careful, that I was inconstant danger of tipping the unstable craft. But when I just went for it and gave it everything, I had the best time.
What do jet skis have to do with writing? Obviously my Regency England characters aren't going to be hopping on then for a quick jaunt across the channel. The thing is this: It is time to just go for it. I can't keep saying "It needs one more edit" or "I hope I can get this published someday". I have to just go for it. While my financial situation right now doesn't allow for entering copious amounts of contests and joining all the writer's guilds, there are still things I can do to push down the throttle on my writing career. And if I wipe out and get totally rejected? Well, my family's still on the pontoon boat, and that's not a bad place to be either.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
More Than Just a Book
I am an author. At this point I am not a published author, but one day that will change. Before I can be a published author, I must be an author - not just a writer, but an author. You may be reading this (Praise God if you are, because that means someone is reading my blog!) and wondering what the difference is. Brace yourself, because here it is:
I've actually written something.
That's right. Atop the heap of failed plot outlines, story beginnings that went nowhere, and character creations that never got their story I finally have a completed book. I started this project just like every other book I had attempted over the past twenty years, and then, almost before I realized it was actually going to go somewhere, I finished. I told my character's story and it was good! That's not to say it didn't need work; I've hacked and sliced and rewritten it until my screen looks like a kaleidoscope (I have track changes on). But the story itself is good. I liked it.
Which then brought up the question of, "What do I do now?" The easy answer was to publish it, but as anyone who has done anything in publishing has written all over their blogs - publishing isn't easy. I have three children under the age of five and my husband is a minister. This made the idea of embarking on the publishing journey seem impossible. So I sat before God and asked Him why I should even try. The answer is this: People learn through stories.
Jesus constantly used parables and stories in order to help people understand spiritual truths. People haven't changed that much since God created them. We still identify with stories and learn things God wants to reveal to us through watching other people, be they real or fictional. So I am beginning this potentially arduous journey into the world of publishing because God has given me a gift - the ability to tell a story. It's more than just a book; it's a parable. And God can only use it if people read it.
I've actually written something.
That's right. Atop the heap of failed plot outlines, story beginnings that went nowhere, and character creations that never got their story I finally have a completed book. I started this project just like every other book I had attempted over the past twenty years, and then, almost before I realized it was actually going to go somewhere, I finished. I told my character's story and it was good! That's not to say it didn't need work; I've hacked and sliced and rewritten it until my screen looks like a kaleidoscope (I have track changes on). But the story itself is good. I liked it.
Which then brought up the question of, "What do I do now?" The easy answer was to publish it, but as anyone who has done anything in publishing has written all over their blogs - publishing isn't easy. I have three children under the age of five and my husband is a minister. This made the idea of embarking on the publishing journey seem impossible. So I sat before God and asked Him why I should even try. The answer is this: People learn through stories.
Jesus constantly used parables and stories in order to help people understand spiritual truths. People haven't changed that much since God created them. We still identify with stories and learn things God wants to reveal to us through watching other people, be they real or fictional. So I am beginning this potentially arduous journey into the world of publishing because God has given me a gift - the ability to tell a story. It's more than just a book; it's a parable. And God can only use it if people read it.
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