And Play

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.

Neil Gaiman

All work and no play is no fun! I truly got to appreciate a moment of play today after work. It really lightened my mood and brought me joy. I want to say that I live for these moments but the truth is I forget to have these moments nevermind live for them. That’s why I wanted to write about my evening, to remind myself to play.

I was packed up to go home with not very much motivation to drive. Since I wasn’t eager to drive, I took my sweet time to head out the door. On the way out, I had to pass a brand new corn hole game just built and donated. You know what’s awesome, we got to break it in. We cheered each other on, I got one bag in the hole, and I even got some coaching! It was fun. I’m terrible at corn hole but it really broke me away from the grind.

What ways have you made time to have fun this week? Did you forget?

Keep Going

As long as you keep going, you’ll keep getting better. And as you get better, you gain more confidence. That alone is success.

Tamara Taylor

This is meant to be encouragement to keep going. It’s ok to be new at things. It’s ok to work on getting better by making mistakes. Let yourself get better. Let yourself gain the confidence over time. New behaviors, skills, crafts don’t happen just cuz we want them to. They happen because we invest in them. Keep going, you got this.

Rocket Ship

If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.

Sheryl Sandberg

I’m inspired by this quote today. I haven’t been asked to take any rocket ship rides lately (or ever). Tomorrow, it could happen and reading this quotes has just expanded my world from impossible I’ll never ride a rocket ship into, Yes, I’d love to ride in your rocket ship. Life is supposed to be filled with hopes and dreams. We’re supposed to have some impossibilities in our imaginations that we desire that could only slightly possibly probably not but maybe be fulfilled. We have that ability as kids and over time the world kinda destroys our ability to have hope in our dreams. This quote reinvigorates me. It reminds me that my impossible dreams are worthy and I’m worthy enough to dream of them.

Would you say yes to riding in a rocket ship? What are the dreams you have that feel impossible? I’m interested to hear from you.

Act of Kindness

A tiny ripple of hope.

These words remind me of The Butterfly Effect. To summarize, The Butterfly Effect is when something as small as a butterfly flapping it’s wings can create something as mighty as a tornado weeks later. I share that to say this, a tiny ripple is enough. Your small acts of kindness are enough no matter how tiny and inconsequential they seem.

Writers are Human

I had to make my most favorite writers human.

I have the tendency to place great writers behind glass, where I can’t touch them. When I sit down and read words that touch my soul, it makes me feel so small. Words do mean a lot to me. I often make them much bigger than what they are on first read( or first listen). So over the past few years I found myself in love with the writers who didn’t hide their humanity. In fact, they used their humanity as the basis for their works. I love Henry James and his eloquent writing. I got his journals and was slightly disappointed at his lack of elegance when it came to daily writing. One day he collapsed and simply described it as a “bad day.” There was no coquet. No romantic gesture by some well dressed woman who saw him go down. I realize that fiction isn’t supposed to be a mirror of our realities, but I couldn’t help but expect him to be as romantic as his stories. I think we all have these moments where the people we look up to aren’t what we expected. At the same time, it helps me to appreciate writers who share their humanity, the good, bad, and ugly that we stow away to fit the part. Bukowski, Rimbaud, Plath, and throw some Hunter Thompson in there, and a few other writing mentors that walked beside me, they all liberate me with their authenticity. I hope that I can liberate others the same way they did for me.

Spirit and Writing

To lose our connection with the body is to become spiritually homeless. Without an anchor we float aimlessly, battered by the winds and waves of life.

Dr. Anodea Judith

I like to have plans with my editing sessions. 65k words is hell to edit with no guide on what to look for. I know the quote is talking about about more spiritual connection with the body but it helps to not float aimlessly in novel writing too.

How do you edit your novels?

Writing Fantasy

Writing doesn’t take up enough of my life but I haven’t gone a day without doing it. I used to have writing dreams of going off to a cabin in the woods and writing my days away. I stopped dreaming about them for a while but right now an away writing sesh sounds amazing. I think I’d sleep for the first three days then write my heart out the rest of the time. Throw in some ice cream and take out, ::deep sigh:: -dream come true. Sounds peaceful and adventurous sprinkled with a bit of productivity.

Gentle and Encourging

When you encourage others, you in the process are encouraged because you’re making a commitment and difference in that person’s life. Encouragement really does make a difference.

Zig Ziglar

Words of affirmation are important to me. But let me explain where I learned it from. I learned it from watching mentors around me and by making my own decade worth of mistakes that using encouraging words and gentle guidance lasts significantly longer than using fear based learning. Fear based learning is quick and powerful. You could even see instant results. Unfortunately, those results don’t last and often lead to other long term behavioral issues.

First of all, it’s embedded in our society so it’s not only accepted it’s expected. Let me rephrase that, it was expected. Things are changing though. A lot more leaders are leaning more toward gentle and encouraging teaching methods. It brings me so much joy.

Team

There are times when I want to build brand new things with a team but you know what, teamwork is hard work. People show up with their own desires, passions, and goodness, they also show up with their hurts and learned behaviors. With that being said, as a team, you’re there to work together to support everyone’s uprising. That’s how you win and that’s how you keep winning. There’s no better way to make big positive change in an ever changing world than to support those around you.

Which leads to this, you gotta know how to support those around you. What makes you feel supported isn’t always what makes others feel supported. But it’s always best to start with knowing yourself. What makes you feel supported and what makes you feel unsupported. Once you know those things about yourself share them with the team so they can rise with you. And then when it’s their turn to say “oh wow that really makes me feel supported” or “oh wow I’m not really feeling supported when you do that,” you’ll know this isn’t a personal attack against you. We all have our own unique stories which is why it’s more than ok, it’s imperative, to say these things to our teammates.

Question Time
What are some things that make you feel supported? What are some things make you feel unsupported?

I feel deeply supported when people respect my time. (Like my heart flutters a little bit. lol probably because I was a stay at home mom and I didn’t really get “time” as strangely as that sounds.) Which means I feel unsupported when people don’t respect/value my time.

I feel unsupported when I don’t set/commit to intentional time for myself but boy does my heart feel full of support when I DO set/commit to intentional time for myself!!

Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

Patrick Lencioni

Challenge and Progress

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

George Bernard Shaw

It feels good to finish things that both challenge me and add progress. Forward momentum is part of being alive. The challenging part is learning to enjoy the process. Before I started writing novels, I didn’t understand the importance of taking things slow. Now that I see how long it takes me to write a freakin novel, everything else gets finished much quicker. So it’s not so bad. It’s frustrating that my novel isn’t finished but it’s nice that there’s other things I can finish and feel proud about.