Correct Your Mind

When you correct your mind, everything else will fall into place ~ Lao Tzu

Even as you start to achieve milestone goals, negative thoughts can still creep into your dream journey. Like the quote says, I've found that correcting my mind always helps me move forward.

I've been working hard at positive self talk for along time, over twenty years. I still have my moments of insecurity and negativity that requires me to refocus. What helps me is to peel away the negative comments and tones to try to understand the intended message.  That can be hard and frustrating sometimes, but it's easier to move forward.

Listen for the intended message, tune out negative and extraneous comments, and I'm sure you'll be able to learn from the message.

How do you tune out negativity?

______________________________________________________________

Is it possible for two Civil War veterans to find their place in the world on the Kansas Prairie?
 
When the War Between the States ended in 1865 many Americans emerged from the turmoil energized by their possibilities for the future. Frank Greerson and Gregory Young were no different. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Frank yearned for his own farm, away from his family—even at the risk of alienating them. Gregory, an only child, returned home to claim his inheritance to help finance their adventure out west.

Between the difficult work of establishing a farm on the unforgiving Kansas prairie, and the additional obstacles provided by the weather, Native Americans and wild animals, will their love and loyalty be enough to sustain them through the hardships?

Purchase A Place to Call Their Own from iTunes on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod today!

Then request an Authorgraph, an electronic inscription, from me.

Join the conversation:  use #APTCTO to talk about the novel on social media!

Each Day is a Wonder

What I know for sure is that every sunrise is like a new page, a chance to right ourselves and receive each day in all its glory. Each day is a wonder ~ Oprah Winfrey

Do you have your routines in place?  The best combat I have against avoiding working on your dream journey is to schedule it in your life. Once I started scheduling it, I knew I had that time available to work and gradually I became excited to work on writing in the mornings.

Now I use the word scheduling loosely.  For me, it simply means after I get up and workout, writing is the next agenda for my day.  I generally have a word count goal or an editing goal and then I'm off to the next portion of my day.

Sometimes, those, I do schedule tasks according to my morning schedule.  I work a job from 1 pm to 9 pm, so that's when I get most of my writing done.  With that work schedule, that also means I have to use that morning time for different appointments. When I have those appointments, I do schedule my week so that I accomplish everything I need to.

Do you schedule your work or just try to fit it in?

______________________________________________________________

Is it possible for two Civil War veterans to find their place in the world on the Kansas Prairie?
 
When the War Between the States ended in 1865 many Americans emerged from the turmoil energized by their possibilities for the future. Frank Greerson and Gregory Young were no different. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Frank yearned for his own farm, away from his family—even at the risk of alienating them. Gregory, an only child, returned home to claim his inheritance to help finance their adventure out west.

Between the difficult work of establishing a farm on the unforgiving Kansas prairie, and the additional obstacles provided by the weather, Native Americans and wild animals, will their love and loyalty be enough to sustain them through the hardships?

Purchase A Place to Call Their Own from iTunes on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod today!

Then request an Authorgraph, an electronic inscription, from me.

Join the conversation:  use #APTCTO to talk about the novel on social media!

Thoughts, Words, Actions

Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature ~ Thich Nhat Hank

I think that anyone following a dream goal is worthy of respect.  Today's quote speaks to that even further.  I think it's just as important to build your dream with dignity and ethics as well.

For every step you achieve in your dream journey, there are hundreds (or thousands) behind you looking up to you.  When we share our accomplishments on social media, we have all these followers looking up to us for guidance and example.

What example does your dream journey hold for others?

Energizing Moments

You can find energizing moments in each aspect of your life, but to do so you must learn how to catch them, hold on to them...and allow yourself to follow where they lead ~ Marcus Buckingham

When I quit smoking, I experienced an energizing moment one Saturday morning when I woke up and had the energy and desire to clean the house from top to bottom.  I no longer had that smoker's hangover that drained all my energy.

As I completed my bachelor's degree while working full time, I had energizing moments as I completed my coursework and learned new things I could put immediately into practice.

Now as I writer, I find energizing moments everywhere:  on television, in church, overheard conversations in public places.  I keep notes and ideas for other novels stored in my files.  I have plans for novels and non-fiction books that helps provide me a solid publishing schedule for the next 11 years.  It's these ideas that gnaw at me when I'm watching TV, trying to work, or concentrate on other things. 

What energizing moment have you had lately?

Happy Easter

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another ~ Williams James

For everyone who celebrates Easter, I wish you a happy one.  If you don't celebrate Easter, I wish you the universal message of hope that the day brings to me.

No matter what your beliefs, I hope that you are spending the day exactly as you choose.  Whether you take the day off to spend with family and friends or are hard at work on your dream journey, I hope the day turns out for you as stress free as possible.

Luck

I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity.  If you hadn't been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn't be lucky ~ Oprah Winfrey

I love this quote by Oprah Winfrey and yesterday I was reminded that I always need to be prepared.

Last Wednesday, I joined a weekly writer's critique group.  I found them on a Writer's Meet Up web site and when I saw that they meet on Wednesday mornings, I jumped at the opportunity to join them.  And I was prepared with my piece for the day.  But what I didn't have with me were business cards.

When I sold Tupperware and other product through party planning companies, I was taught to always have business cards and catalogs with me at all times.  I usually did and met people all the time who wanted my products, did parties, or even joined me in the company.  But why did I forget that yesterday and on one other occasion I networked with other writers?  I am out of practice.

When I was a manager who interviewed people, one of my favorite questions was "Do you consider yourself lucky?"  My favorite answer was something along the lines of "I create my own luck," or "I feel blessed."

What are you doing to create your own luck?

Your Most Victorious Joy

The pathos and the gift of life is that we cannot know which will be our defining heartbreak, or our most victorious joy ~ Alexandra Fuller

No matter what your dream journey, I think it can be bring both heartbreak and joy.  The heartbreak comes when goals aren't met or your dream gets rejected.  The joy comes when you meet milestone goals or meet company goals.  That's the amazing thing about dream journeys:  they come with a plethora of emotions, both heartbreak and joy. 

Although the the first three months of the year are about to come to a close, it is not too late to discover and start a dream journey this year.  If you've been following me, you know I have made New Year's Resolutions in January and didn't get going on them until April or May.  It's not too late for you.

Even last year I made a New Year's Resolution to finish my first manuscript, A Place to Call Their Own.  I didn't seriously sit down and consider finishing it until the end of February.  Once I figured out the final plot points, I was done within a month.  Then I was ahead of my publishing plan by submitting it to agents and publishers by the end of the year.  Now, A Place to Call Their Own has been accepted by Musa Publishing for publication later this year. 

Have you reached goals in January that you didn't start until later in the year?  Or have you started goals later in the year and had success in achieving them? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Engaging the Social World

Engaging the social world without empathy is like going to the mall without any money or pants on; it can be done, but you're bound to have problems ~ David Finch

I am finishing up my application for the Lambda Literary Foundation's Emerging Writers Retreat later this summer (wish me luck).  This meant preparing a "biography and artistic statement" about what it will mean to me to be accepted for the this retreat.  Yes, this harkens me back to the college application days.

One of the things I think I would gain from the conference is the chance to network with other LGBT writers.  Although I have a lot of online friends and contacts, I rarely get the opportunity to meet and talk with people in person. 

Community is important no matter what your dream journey.  Finding friends to celebrate successes, ask for advice when the going gets rough, or share ideas just helps me keep going some days.

What does community do you for you on your dream journey?

Ready to Make Art

I see your life as already artful, just waiting and ready for you to make art ~ Toni Morrison

Remember, art is not always the creative things; there is art in our everyday jobs and careers. On this St. Patrick's Day, I challenge you to find the art that is within you and do something with it.

Have a great day!

Stop, Sit, Listen

...There are times when we stop.  We sit still...We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper ~ James Carroll

I'll never forget the day that a co-worker shared with me that she wanted to write a novel.  That was 2006.  That one brief comment in passing opened up possibilities for me that I had not imagined before.  You see, she reminded me that I, too, had once dreamed of being a writer.

It took me two years to come up with a premise for my first novel and four years to write that first novel. Now I have a publisher for A Place to Call Their Own and it's scheduled for release later this summer.

Sometimes your dream journey reveals itself in the subtlest of circumstance, be prepared to listen to those whisper from those other worlds.

What "whispers" have you heard lately and where have they taken you? 

Trapped in Amber

Some of my old memories feel trapped in amber in my brain, lucid and burning, while others are like the wing beat of a hummingbird, an intangible, ephemeral blur ~ Mira Bartok

Along the dream journey there are going to be some good memories and some bad memories.  Hopefully you'll have more good than bad. 

Hopefully one day you will be able to laugh at some of the bad memories.  I'll never forget the time when I started selling Tupperware and I first used a garlic press.  I didn't know a clove was just a part of the bulb.  When the taco recipe I was using called for one clove, I used six and then stopped thinking that was a lot of garlic.  And boy, were those some garlicy tacos that night!

And I'll never forget the first full day when I quit smoking.  After work that day, I knew at that moment I would never smoke again.  Now sixteen years later, I can say I haven't smoked in sixteen years.

Most recently, I still relish the day that I got the email from Musa Publishing expressing interest in my manuscript.  I'll never forget that euphoria of reading and rereading those words over and over again that night and sharing them with friends and family. 

What memories, good or funny, do you have trapped in amber in your brain?

Tranquility Within Ourselves

When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere ~ La Rochefoucauld

As crazy as it sounds, the more progress I make, the more calm I get.  The more progress I make, the less stressful this whole business of publication becomes. 

Maybe it's because along the way I've learned more about my dream journey and what it takes to be successful.  Maybe, I've gained more confidence in myself and abilities along the way. 

I think the cool thing about reaching stretch goals are the residual benefits along the way.  Following strict routines in my writing has led to more success at work.  Last year's goals was to finish one novel and I was able to finish two.  The confidence I'm showing to others garnered me nomination and election to our church's Session (board).  All that from pursuing a dream goal of writing and publishing a novel.

What residual benefits have your realized in your dream journey?

An Inhabited Garden

The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers, & cities; but to know someone who thinks and feels with us, and who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden ~ Johann van Goethe

Have you figured out what wakes you up each day or what excites you so much you're unable to sleep at night?  Did you know that there's probably others out there, on the same dream journey as yourself?  Even at the some point along the way?

Belonging to a community of other people actively engaging in their dream journeys has been very helpful for me.  Social media makes that even easier in today's world.  There are Facebook groups, Twitter hashtags, and Google+ communities you can search to find others actively engaged in your similar dream journey.

For writers, one of my new favorite communities is the Writer's Dojo on Google+.  What's your favorite online spot to find community?

What You are is Wonderful

Today and every day, take as your personal mantra:  "I am what I am, and what I am is wonderful," ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

Who but you is more deserving of accomplishing your dream goal?  I hope you feel the same.  If you're on a dream journey, most people are not.  If you are still chasing New Year's Resolutions, most people are not.  You're already a step ahead of most.

What do you do to stay strong when the going gets tough on your dream journey?

It Continues to Entertain

I was born inside the movie of my life.  The visuals were before me, the audio surrounded me, the plot unfolded inevitably but not necessarily.  I don't remember how I got into the movie, but it continues to entertain me ~ Roger Ebert

Sometime, when caught up in the throes for accomplishing my goals, I've forgotten to slow down and enjoy life.  There was a point last summer when Monday used to come and I'd already be exhausted from all the work accomplished on my writing over the weekend.  Then the week seemed to drag on until finally Friday came once again.

Now don't get me wrong.  There will be times when deadlines will loom, there will be goals to accomplish on someone else's timeline to meet.  Hopefully, most of the time that will be temporary.  When it gets to be boring, mundane, or the norm, that for me is the time re-examine my routines to make a change.  Remember - accomplishing a dream goal should be fun.

I kept up my routines last summer and within four months I had written my second novel.  I think I was really suffering from change in job and excitement from accomplishing so much last year with my writing.  I kept on and now I'm working on editing and submitting the second manuscript to publishers and agents.

What do you do to keep your dream journey fun and interesting?

Leaving Things Undone

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone ~ Lin Yutang

Do you ever rush around trying to get everything done, being super-mom or super-dad at home, super-employee at work, overachiever with your peers on your dream journey?

Do you ever wish you could just leave one or two things undone and leave it for the next day?  Why don't you?

Although I've been coached all my life to just get things done today, by parents, managers, etc, there is a certain beauty in my writing of leaving just a little bit for the next day.  Whenever I am actively writing, I stop at my writing goal for the day.  Even if the words are flowing out of my fingertips, I stop when I reach my goal.  Why? 

Because then the ideas continue to marinate in my mind and my writing gets better the next day.  Even when I was in sales, I stopped at the number of phone calls/sales activities I made for the day.  Again, even if my last three calls were bookings, recruit interviews, or sales, I stopped.  Why?

Because the next time I made my calls, I was even hungrier to get on the phone and make my calls.  Leaving things undone has definitely made me more excited to get back to the task and more creative when I return the task.

Are you able to leave things undone for the sake of excitement and creativity?

All That I Have Met

I am a part of all that I have met ~ Alfred Tennyson

Are you sharing your success with other peers on the same dream journey?  I sure hope so.  I've learned so much from peers when I was in direct sales, training, and now banking.  And, as you know, I love to share with you the routines and methods that have helped me achieve my goal of becoming a published author.

What have you shared lately?

If An Echo Sounds

I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all, to keep alive in our hearts a sense of the inexpressibly human ~ Richard Wright

I've heard Oprah call this echo a whisper in her mind.  Many people hear this whisper or echo, but very few follow what they hear. 

What is whispering or echoing at you this year?  It's the beginning of a new year and you have eleven whole months to accomplish what is echoing back at you right now.

Do you hear an echo right now and then you hear another whisper that says, "but not right now?"  That's fine.  I decided to quit smoking in January but didn't start until April.  That was sixteen years ago.  I also decided to go back to school in January and didn't start until the summer term that year.  I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 2000.

What's echoing back at you this year and what are you doing about it? 

The Soul's Holiday

Solitude is the soul's holiday, an opportunity to stop doing for others and to surprise and delight ourselves instead ~ Katrina Kenison

In December, and sometimes spilling over into January, I like to reflect upon the previous year and develop my goals for the next year.  Sometimes I do surprise myself.

Since January 2, I have been self-editing my second manuscript, Disappear with Me.  My surprise for myself is that I think I'm going pursue it and put A Place to Call Their Own away for a little bit.  It needs some work and I've worked with those characters and their story for five years now.  I think it's time to put them away, focus on Disappear With Me, which is a better story and better written.  Then I'll come back to A Place to Call Their Own and help that story along.

I've resisted this all year long.  A Place to Call Their Own is a simpler story, like most first novels.  Because I wrote it first, I wanted it to be published first.  Then my readers could see the improvement in my writing.  By publishing Disappear With Me first, I am setting some higher expectations for myself and others.  This is very scary for me.  But it's step in the "write" direction for my publishing career at this time.

When you have surprised or delighted yourself lately?  I'd love to hear!

Open Your Heart

The possibility for rich relationships exists all around you -- you simply have to open your eyes, open your mouth, and most importantly, open your heart ~ Cheryl Richardson

No matter what your dream journey, the going can be lonely sometimes.  Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person trying to write a novel and be published in today's publishing world and no one else has had the struggles writing that I have.  Hah!

The cool thing about today's social network society is that there are millions of other writers to connect with on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, you name it.  It's nice to be able to build community and gain insight from others who are doing the same thing that I am doing. 

Again, no matter what your dream journey, you should also be able to seek them out on the various social networks.  Like the quote says, you just have to be open!

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions around social networking this year?  I'd love to hear!