Happy Valentine’s Day! As promised, here is my 211 word entry for Susanna Leonard Hill’s 5th Annual Valentiny Writing Contest.
The challenge is to write a Valentine’s story appropriate for children that is a maximum of 214 words. The theme for this contest is curiosity.
For more details and to read the other wonderful contest entries, pop over to Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog .
Dr. Wayne Dyer: Divine Love Workshop on Maui
A little over a week ago, the world lost a beautiful soul and an amazing human being. Author of numerous self-help books, an international motivational speaker, Dr. Wayne Dyer touched so many lives in his time on this earth.
I am but one of many people around the world who has been moved and motivated by Dr. Dyer’s teachings. Like most people who followed him, I have read his books, watched his PBS specials and listened to his motivational CDs. I’ve also had the great fortune to attend one of his workshops in Maui.
Skydiving
All too often, I think people get mired down by the responsibilities of life: kids (or in my case pets), family, finances, career etc …. We end up in a routine that becomes comfortable and familiar. There’s a sense of security that comes with that. However, every once in a while, I think it’s a good thing to step outside of that routine and do something that really shakes things up; something that gets the adrenaline going and makes you feel truly alive.
Photo courtesy of canstockphoto.com/tang90246
I’ve spent the last year, researching and learning what it takes to publish a book. After almost a year of doing this, I still feel like there is so much more to learn and that what I know just barely scratches the surface. There are still days when it all seems overwhelming but thankfully, over time, those days are fewer and farther between.
Despite feeling like I’m still a neophyte in all of this, my friend, Adele pointed out, recently, just how far I really have come. She and I attended a Meetup about publishing with an emphasis on what goes into a contract between you and a publisher. During that meeting, I peppered the speaker with questions, and I offered up my experience to others attendees. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but later, on the drive home, Adele commented on just how much I really know and how easily I am now sharing what I’ve learned.
Photo courtesy of canstockphoto.com/PixelsAway
It’s the end of the year and I think it’s time to reflect.
Look back at the last 12 months and try to be retrospect.
Did I have a good year? Did I accomplish enough?
When reviewing my own life, I know I can be tough.
Here is what I did. It truly seems like a lot.
So why then do I feel that really it is not?
During the Wayne Dyer workshop I attended back in January, Dr. Dyer said something that really stuck with me. He said “When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”
For months following the workshop, I diligently adhered to this philosophy; but lately, I realize that I’ve slacked off and fallen back to my old ways.
My husband probably bears the brunt of that. He has told me on various occasions that I always have to be right; I always have to get the last word in … to which I want to respond, “no, you do,” which of course if I did, I’d be proving him right!
Last week I talked about dabbling outside your comfort zone and the benefits of feeling the fear and doing it anyway. There’s another element that comes into play when stepping outside of your comfort zone and that is trust.
In other words, you need to take a leap of faith. By definition, a leap of faith is the act of believing in or accepting something intangible or unprovable without empirical evidence.
Throughout my life I have taken leaps of faith. That said, I know that the leaps I’ve taken over the years have different characteristics.
Photo courtesy of canstockphoto.com/michaklootwijk
Writing can be a solitary profession. It’s really easy to spend the entire day in front of the computer working on your book, working on your blog or researching information on a myriad of topics.
However, there are aspects to writing that aren’t solitary at all. When building a platform to promote your writing, you need to reach out using as many forms of social media as you’re comfortable with. Trying to learn the nuances of the trade is often best learned from others who have traveled this well trodden path. This means seeking out strangers who are willing to share with you the knowledge they have gained.
Honestly, I like the solitary aspect of writing. It’s not that I’m not a social person. I think anyone who knows me would probably say I’m outgoing and sociable. It’s just that hunkering down in front of my computer falls completely in my comfort zone. Reaching out to strangers and talking with them … not so much.
Photo courtesy of canstockphoto.com/leungchopan
Having gratitude means being thankful for what you have today. This can be anything:
All of these should be appreciated and cherished. I wish I could say I am the type of person who expresses my gratitude all the time to all those people and animals in my world who help me, support me, and make me laugh. Sadly, I am not. It’s not that I’m not grateful because truly I am; it’s just that I don’t articulate it often enough.
The truth is, I get caught up in day to day minutiae and more often than not that drives my thoughts and emotions. Family, finances, publishing a book consume my thoughts; dogs, writing a book, keeping up with this blog and running a household direct my actions. This leaves very little time for me to step back and look at the bigger picture. Or, so I think …
Image courtesy of sfoleystudios
Everyone’s life has high points and low points. I hit one of those low points last week. I had entered my book Journey to Jobville in a writing contest. First prize was a publishing contract with Hay House. 2nd and 3rd prizes were publishing packages with Hay House’s self-publishing company “Balboa Press.” I REALLY wanted to win one of those prizes and alas, I did not win … my first rejection! To make it even worse, the day I found out I didn’t win was my birthday so it put a huge damper on the entire day. I was consumed with sadness and disappointment. I tried to shake the mood before going out to a birthday dinner with my husband but I just couldn’t seem to shake it off.