Category Archives: Change your thoughts

Weekly Word: Perseverance

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Today’s weekly word: Perseverance

There will come a time when you think everything is finished. That will be the beginning.- Louis L’Amour

This quote can apply to a lot of things in life but it really resonated with me when I was going through the editing process for Blood To Blood.

Contrary to what some people think, there are self-published authors who actually spend much time and money in the editing process, as all writers should. It took me 3 months to write the first draft and 2 years to get it right.

But after all the beta-reads, re-writing and critiques the part that really got me was the copy-editing. You get to the point where, finally, you’re hiring a copy-editor and there’s actually an end in sight. Or so you think. The process took about a month and a half.

But eventually, once I’d read the manuscript 3 more times after the final, final, final submission from my fabulous copy editor, I did get to the point where I, with butterflies in my stomached, realized there was no more editing to do.

Or so I thought…

Yep, as I was reading the book out loud to my 8 year-old, we came across an instance of the word “the” which should have been “then.”

It just goes to show you, no matter how far you think you’ve come, there’s always some more to go. I’m grateful for making it through that journey! How about you? Any tales of perseverance to share?

Weekly word: Perseverance

Weekly Word from Lao Tzu

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Today’s Weekly Word from Lao Tzu is brought to you by the letter Y…

A thousand-mile journey begins under your feet. ~ Lao Tzu

So true! The last thousand-mile journey I completed ended when I finally published my first novel, Blood To Blood. That was a couple days ago. That particular journey only took 3 years (but that’s another book). And you know what? I’m ready for the next journey.

How about you? Are you traveling right now? Or did you just complete a journey? Wanna talk about it?


Weekly Word: Got a Problem? Change Your Thoughts!

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“You are the only problem you will ever have and you are the only solution.” ~ Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor, and many others, says it’s really up to us how we react to people and circumstances in our lives. So true. No matter what you are experiencing in life the key to coming out on top is your own reaction to it.Your ideas and thoughts are what you are and what your everyday life becomes.

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Try this: If you’re unhappy with the way things are going, try changing your thoughts into the kind of thoughts you think you might have if everything was going the way you wanted. Just imagine your perfect day and how you would think, what your thoughts would be in that perfect environment. Now think that. Don’t stop. Watch what happens.

Change thoughts, change your life. That is just the start.

Weekly Word: Failure, Failure. FAILURE.

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Forget about the consequences of failure. Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success. ~ Denis Waitley

Anyone who knows anything about failure know that it has the power to temporarily render you hopeless. No matter how enlightened and present a person is, there is always that split second where everything just sucks.

Epic Fail

Weekly Word: Failure, Failure. FAILURE.

Weekly Word: Failure, Failure. FAILURE.

 

But what happens after the split second of darkness? Does it stretch out to become a few seconds… or a few days… or a couple months? And then what? After an epic fail when do you pick yourself up and try again?

“Failure” is no big deal; honestly it’s like an opinion. Everyone has one; most have many. As a writer I’ve had so many I can’t remember them all! And I don’t consider them failures at all, because I always picked myself back up and kept going in a more informed way. How many times have you heard of folk who hit rock bottom, supposedly, right before something wonderful happened for them? If that person hadn’t picked themselves up would they have achieved success?

Weekly Word: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

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A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go though the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain. ~ Mildred White Struven

The process of transformation

The process of transformation

Blood To Blood’s heroine, Angel Brown, goes through epic struggle in order to pursue her dream of becoming a singer.

As I wrote about her struggles I thought of my own life challenges and the conflict my friends were experiencing. There is no way you can go through life without encountering what Iyanla Vanzant refers to as “The Valley.” During those dark times, you discover what your soul is truly made of.

The dichotomy is amazing: on one hand you don’t want to experience the pain (who does?), and on the other hand the pain, heartache and hard knocks are exactly what makes you stronger, more brilliant and takes you to a level you otherwise wouldn’t be.

Kelly Clarkson says it nicely in her song “Stronger”:

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone


Lyrics | Kelly Clarkson lyrics – Stronger lyrics

The fire of transformation happened to Angel, me and I’m sure you can tell a story or two about your own personal trials.

Just remember once you get on the other side of the tunnel, show your gratitude and say thank you to that hardship for helping you become the butterfly you are today.

Weekly Word: Watch Your Thoughts

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Weekly Word: Watch Your Thoughts

Watch your “Thoughts,” they become words. Watch your “Words,” they become actions. Watch your “Actions,” they become habits. Watch your “Habits,” they become character. Watch your “Character,” for it becomes your “Destiny.” ~ Frank Outlaw

This quote says it all. My son memorized this when he was 7. I was so thrilled, I patted myself on the back like “Yeah, you’re a good mom.” A week or so after, he forgot it.

Oh well.

I’m assuming it’s somewhere in his subconscious, coloring his emerging character and personality.

Weekly Word: Watch Your Thoughts

Weekly Word: Watch Your Thoughts

Either way, I’m going to buy this poster and put it on his wall.

Seriously though, this is a favorite quote of mine and I’d like to get your thoughts on this. Do you think this is true?

 

Weekly Word: Daily Actions

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“Anytime that you notice you’re not feeling well, ask yourself ‘What am I thinking?’ Usually it’s a negative thought.” ~ Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield usually hits the nail on the head when it comes to the how. How to take the law of attraction and make it a practical application to daily life. This installment sees him give some advice on things we can do everyday to change our lives and reach the goals we’re striving for. Good stuff!

Whenever I find myself having “one of those days” I think about my thoughts about what is going on in my life. It would be easy for me to say “Oh, X Y and Z is happening, and that’s why I feel this way blah blah blah.” But the real truth about what’s going on is my thoughts about X Y and Z and the blah blah blah.

One daily action I am working on making a habit is training my mind to work for me and not against me. Yep, it’s hard, but the benefits are immediate.

Weekly Word: Inspiration and Work

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“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.” ~ Chuck Close

Part of the writer’s dilemma is writing, and finding the time to write in a busy schedule. Writing on a daily basis is ideal, but making the time to write, for many of us, is an art.

saraswati I like this particular quote because it reminds me that the work of writing is the most important thing. When I’m writing my creativity flows and I feel the need to write more. There’s a connection with the practical doing of writing and actually getting it done. This doing can be applied to anything, not just writing.

So yes, inspiration is great, but without the doing the inspiration is wasted. Even if you don’t feel inspired, do what you need to do anyway. Whether it’s writing or any other creative endeavor, just do it.

Make it a habit, break it down into manageable steps, tackle the biggest job first, and before you know it you’re not stuck waiting for inspiration. You’ll be actually taking action to make your ideas a reality.

Weekly Word: The Importance of Rituals

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“Will power doesn’t last, but rituals can last a lifetime.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Anthony Robbins talks, actually rambles in an amazing way, about not only the importance of rituals (aka habits) but exactly how to go about changing your life and achieving your goals, whatever they are.

I love the practical way he approaches this topic and how this can be applied to anything and anyone regardless of background, age or situation. Right now I am building a habit of effectively planning and managing my time. I am making progress but I’m not going to say it’s easy. It is not! But it is do-able because I am able to break things down into small steps and take it, sorry for the cliche, one step at a time.

 

Weekly Word: Your Habits = Your Life

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

This is one of so true it stays posted on my wall. When things are not working smoothly in my life I usually take a look at how that connects to my personal habits. Then, adjusting my personal habits accordingly fixes the issue, or at least improves the situation, the majority of the time.

Angel Heart

For example, when I for whatever reason start putting off doing little chores at home, that procrastination builds and spreads, like a disease, to all the other parts of my life. Soon I am putting off big things and not staying on top of important things. Once I reverse this and address even the smallest of matters in a timely fashion (like finally washing those dishes, or replacing the batteries in the chirping smoke alarm) that energy also reverberates to the other sections of my life (staying on top of my work schedule, paying bills on time, etc.). Effective planning  is a habit I am currently in the process of building (emphasis on effective).

So the message here is to make sure that what you do repeatedly, your habits, are serving you and facilitating the type of life you want to live. If they aren’t let them go, replace them with actions that do serve you, and watch how your life changes for the better. As Zig Ziglar says, self discipline is the key to excellence!