"Oops, I did it again..." Clearly, I'm feeling a little Britney Spears-like today.
Imagine that. Me, a superstar...Nah, it's just me being late -- again! It's Tuesday. And, yet, here I am posting that "Motivation for Mondays" thing. Well, with all that's going on in my life right now, I gotta be consistent in some way. So, today, we'll work with the title. Next week, back on track, I hope, unless my daughter's baby arrives. Then, Monday might turn into Wednesday or Thursday, or...
The point is: please be patient. Remember, we're all about no judgment here. We're all about growth at our own pace. Which reminds me, although we're all that, I still want you to post. Keep us updated. You can get behind, but remember to get back on track, even if you're a little off-track or even off-off track. It's okay. Just stay with the program. So you don't read on Monday mornings. Tuesdays are good. Two chapters at a time are good. Shorter updates are good. The point is, we're all here for the full ride, to complete the full book. I'm hoping you'll love it enough to want to do it all over again.
So, please. Stick with it. I know you're going to see the change you need.
Now, on with my update...
CHAPTER 8
Chapter 8 saw me slowing way down on the TAW exercises and activities. Seriously, I wrote the Morning Pages only once this week, and I can't recall that I actually scheduled or did an Artist Date. (So, see? You don't have to do it all, all the time.)
And I know that's okay because I always bounce back, sometimes at a slower pace than others. But I'm still hanging in there. I'm still strong. I am producing work, and I'm marketing like crazy. I am feeling successful, regardless. I'm feeling strong.
STRENGTH
It's a good word. I wrote that in my Morning Pages without even thinking of the purpose of this chapter. It's on Recovering a Sense of Strength. It had been an entire week since I read the chapter, or even wrote in the journal, and, yet, I connected. I really liked that. It made me feel good to know I can and do acknowledge my own strength, seemingly without the need for a book to remind me. I can do this on my own. How are you feeling about this in your world?
LOSS
Chapter 8 talked about losses. Again, another serendipitous moment for me. Remember, I lost Clooney two weeks ago. And I'm now preparing for a gain -- the birth of my grandson. It's a miracle how life continues to even things out for us, even when we least expect it. It's like Yin and Yang are discussing things behind our back, making plans we don't know about, and then, poof!
I believe there's definitely a spiritual connection to what we must give up in order to make room for something new. It seems like a natural balance occurs when you begin to realize how the universe works with you. If you don't think this way, if things don't seem to be going your way, try making a request out loud. Ask for what you need -- if for no other reason than to acknowledge the need for yourself.
And always expect the best. I don't know what that means. It means whatever you need it to mean at any given moment. But I write this now in nearly every e-mail I send out. So I'm not only giving the message to myself, I'm also giving it to others. Expect the best! There, now it's yours to use.
And if you're feeling any resistance, any resistance at all, pay attention to that. I find when I'm feeling resistance, it more than likely means I'm not ready for whatever change I thought I wanted. I take a step back and evaluate the pause. It's probably not yet time for me to make that call or do that thing, whatever it is. I have learned to respect the pause.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
I highlighted several things in this chapter that I'll note here, to see if these had any special meaning for you as well:
_"Every end is a beginning." I highlighted this in yellow several years ago, and I still believe this today. It puts a positive spin on things, doesn't it?
_"The key to career resiliency is self-empowerment and choice." I also highlighted this several years ago. Yes, indeed! This is still true for me. What's next? the chapter asks you. Action, it says. Take action. Always take action. I think I'm very good at this.
_"Most of the time, the next right thing is something small." I love this. It's about baby steps. It reminds you that you don't have to take big, expansive leaps to make a difference. You can move at your own pace. And no one can tell you what that is. For writers who need to send out pitches, you can send out one a week and be okay with that, if that's all you have time for. Or you can send out hundreds. Whatever works. The key here is to be honest with yourself. If what you're doing isn't working, then maybe you do need to take more baby steps or push yourself to the leap level. But it's still your choice. Just listen to your gut. Wasn't that the message of chapters past? It's still a good one.
THE ODDS
This part of the chapter I need to re-read. "Stop thinking about the odds and you'll stop procrastinating." Really? I didn't get that. I need to re-read this and consider the meaning, to see how I might be manifesting my own procrastination. Because I can do that very well. I can be the superstar after all, when it comes to procrastination.
What about you? How did this chapter hit you? Any lessons that were particularly jolting or eye-opening? Let's hear it. Post your comments below.
Motivation for Mondays is a part of a weekly Twitter party called #MotivatedMondays initiated by Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter, a regular pets contributor at annarbor.com, and pet blogger in Dexter Township, MI. Together, we post a combination of inspirational notes, links to motivational blog posts, and tips to help kickstart your week ahead. Look for us online every Monday morning--and throughout the day--if you need to kick start your week or want to share your own motivational thoughts.
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6 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving, Jackie. Just want to say that I am incredibly grateful that we have connected again. Here's my week 8 check-in: http://kimhaas.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/taw-week-8/
Check in:
1. I tried to do morning pages twice, but got caught up in dad crap. I'd start, then get a phone call that I couldn't miss. Then, I'd have to follow up, and I'd have a time-line. By the time I'd get through, Andy'd get home, and there's no doing anything that I have to concentrate on when he's here.
2. Didn't do the artist's date this week. Too busy and drained by dad crap. If I did anything for myself, it was sleep.
3. I don't remember any synchronicity.
4. Anything else that contributed to my recovery? Getting things cleared off my plate. Finishing projects and tasks that had been ignored, which allowed me to concentrate on, well, me. Before, I would procrastinate and wind up staying up too late, because I had spent so much time avoiding what I needed to do, that I pushed my day well into the next day. I still have one major task to do, and after today, I'll be able to concentrate on that.
Oh, wait! I did have a synchronous moment. When I was in the grocery store - again with the grocery store - I met a vintner. He was offering tasting of fruit wines, which were great, by the way. I had been thinking earlier in the week about how much I enjoyed press trips. I thought I enjoyed the trips because I like going to different places and learning about them, but what I really enjoy is taking pictures, going to different restaurants and wineries, trying all the different foods and wines and taking pics of those, as well as learning about the background of the vintners and chefs. I kind of made a decision to focus more on that aspect of travel writing, at least make it a bigger part of my repertoire.
I tried everything he had, let him know that I do travel writing and write about food and wine. He told me about the winery, that he and his brother were the third generation to run it, what they're trying to do with their brands. As we talked, I came up with an idea to pitch, told him about it, and he offered to send me the wines he didn't bring.
He sent me the wines. I have a case full of all of their best wines, ports, ice wine, and sparkling wines.
Wow.
We've emailed back and forth, and he's copied my ideas to his PR firm.
I guess I need to get cracking. The universe has spoken.
Please don't forget to take comment on my week seven material. I know I was late getting it in, but I get a lot out of your comments.
Thanks,
d.
Kim,
thanks for showing up again, and your thoughtful comments on the blog. I wish the links showed up in comments so people could click right onto your site, but they don't. I fear I may be the only one of us here who will copy/paste to go see what you have to say. Sometimes, you might consider posting here. Or not. Whichever works best for you.
Diane,
You have your plate full still. I'm not surprised TAW takes a back seat. But keep trying. In Chapter 9, which you'll soon read, Cameron says, you may be tempted to quit the program. Don't. Keep reading. There's much more to do.
I like the wine story. I hope that turns into a pitch and a sale for you. I write about the topic often enough, and I really enjoy it -- the tastings, the interviews with vintners, taking pictures of the vineyards. Arizona has a wine growing region, three, in fact, and it's been fun to watch the progress over the past decade and more. So I hope this works out for you. Vintners are highly creative people, and very inspiring.
Yes, it seems everything takes a backseat to everything-dad. I do my best, though, to never pick up the phone whenever I see the 919/910 area codes. I let all those go to voicemail so I can schedule in the time to listen to and return calls. The calls I know I need to take I've plugged into my phone. I've plugged in the other numbers, too, so I definitely know to not pick up. I kind of get an anxiety attack when I see those area codes. Lots of work to do on that area. TAW is helping. The more I read, the more confident and determined I feel.
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