I'd Rather Regret the Things I've Done Than Regret the Things I Haven't Done



I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done ~ Lucille Ball

I hope everyone is having a relaxing and productive day, whatever that means for you. For me, that has meant getting up and getting the chores done and cleaning up the patio and rearranging the pots. Now that the chores are done, it's time to get productive with my writing and other activities.

Whatever goal or vision journey you are on, things can get tough and sometimes it's hard not to question the journey. I hope you're through that stage and moving forward. I hope you would rather regret some of the things that you did along the journey, than regret not starting the journey at all.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Without an Open Mind...

Without an open mind, you can never be a great success ~ Martha Stewart

As I've been on my journey writing my first novel having an open mind has been the most important assets on that journey. I always have the most success and learn the most when I have been open to receiving the lessons Intended for me to learn.

Just one of those lessons was to join Twitter. For two years, I resisted the "coaching" to join Twitter to build a group a platform. In just five months, I'm at nearly 2000 followers, and that feels great. I've increased my blog followers from 0 to 79 in that time as well.

Just this week I was asked to do a guest spot for a blog on Internet marketing, and that feels good. I don't confess to be an expert at this, nor are very many of my ideas, original, but I'm excited to share what I know and what I've done with others.

Reaching out and helping others is part of my vision of being an accomplished author; it's the sole purpose of my blogging efforts. This guest appearance will be another step in realizing that vision.

Whatever journey you're on, I hope you're reaching small milestones and I'd love to hear them in your comments!

I Can Do This

Think to yourself, "I can do this" ~ Jill Badonsky

Twenty one years ago today, I started working full time. Since then, I've made no less than four major career transitions on this day/week. I also had two follow very close behind in September, which means I was interviewing during this month in preparation to transition in September.

And here it is the beginning of the month and I'll have posted to the blog two days in a row; I'm two for two for August.  And I have a good feeling about the rest of the year, as far as my writing goes. Work on A Place to Call Their Own is moving along very well. I hope to get the first draft done by the end of October so that I can participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). That will leave me the colder winter months to work on editing and finishing touches.

No matter what goal journey you're on, just keep thinking to yourself, "I can do it." Even Oprah just admitted this week that being the CEO of the OWN Network is ten times harder than running her daily show. And she's committed to making OWN successful doing what's worked very well for her in the past: allow it [the network] to serve her purpose and to serve her viewers.

And if I can do it, you can do it.

Have a great week!

Here's to Life's Conveniences

Here's to life's conveniences ~ Jill Badonsky

Today in Kansas City, it was over 100 degrees and it's supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. Thank goodness for air-conditioning.

Another of life's conveniences is the farming equipment that our farmers have today.  I'm knee deep in researching harvesting in the 1860s for A Place to Call Their Own. And even though I was a "town kid," I knew that much of the farm work, even in the 80s, was done in air-conditioned cabs of the tractors and combines.

So here's to life's conveniences, most specifically air conditioning, during this extremely hot and humid summer. And here's to meeting my #writinggoal for the day.

Here's to Your Jeans Feeling Loose When You put Them On

Here's to your jeans feeling loose when you put them on ~ Jill Badonsky

It's definitely not jeans weather in the Midwest, but humor me for a moment. What does it feel like when you put on your jeans and they are just a little loose? Most of the time, it's a nice surprise. It's a nice surprise because maybe you've been working on a goal to lose a bit of weight. Maybe it's just a nice surprise because you changed just a few routines.

Whatever the reason, doesn't it feel great to experience just a little bit of success? I have to tell you, it feels wonderful. Just yesterday I was able to write a blog post and in A Place to Call Their Own. I was dead tired by the time we were done watching the movie and doing that writing, but I got it done. I slept great and had a wonderfully encouraging comment when I woke up the morning. What a successful day in my writing life!

And that energy is fueling my desire to reach my goals today. Yesterday I wrote about finding the routines rooted in your reality. The only thing I would change about yesterday and today is getting my goals accomplished earlier in the morning before going to work. Maybe I just need to listen to the cat in the morning when he starts whining, feed him and then feed my soul the day?

Be sure to celebrate and marinate in any little piece of success you can achieve towards your dreams. Remember what that feels like on the days when goals and routines feel like chores that have to be done. Remember that especially on the days when working towards your goals feels like the worst chores that have to be done.

Have a great week, everyone!

Every Time I Close the Door on Reality, it Comes Through the Window

Every time I close the door on reality, it comes through the window ~ Jennifer Unlimited

Every time I've been successful with any goal, it's been about creating routines. At work, I accomplish tasks by following routines. I teach my staff to get their work done by routines as well.

I count quitting smoking and finishing my bachelor's degree as two of my lifetime achievements thus far. Both of those goals were achieved by creating routines and following them. (In the case of quitting smoking, it also meant breaking old routines.)

Publishing a novel is the next of my lifetime achievements. Everything I've read about accomplishing this goal says to follow three important routines: set aside time to write, read other novels to develop your craft, and start building a platform.

Reading is never a hard routine for me. If all else fails, unless I'm extremely exhausted or worn out, reading is the one routine I get accomplished.

Writing every day is a routine I've had to work at. I've tried to change up the time of day I write, I've tried to change up how much I write each day. I am continually adjusting that schedule and trying new things.

Aspiring writers have to be careful about building a platform using social media. If more time is spent on Twitter and Facebook and other sites rather than actually writing, that can actually be a detriment to a burgeoning writing career. I, too, was a slave to Twitter earlier this year. There were days I didn't get any writing done, but I guarantee that I got my daily "mentions" done.

The crazy thing about the routines is that only I can figure out what works for me, and only you can figure what might work for you. Just like my writing routines: only I can get them figured out and make progress. Lately, this includes multi-tasking. Because I didn't get up and get my writing accomplished this morning, and I am committed to getting some writing done today, I'm completing this blog while watching a movie.

Create your vision, set your goals, then develop and follow the routines needed to accomplish your goals. Make sure those routines are rooted in your reality so that you can follow them faithfully and accomplish your dreams.

Make it a great week everybody!

The Creative Process and Your Vision



We need creativity in order to break free from the temporary structures that have been set up by a particular sequence of experience – Edward de Bono

My professional work life has calmed down and I'm been achieving some more balance again. I'm back to blogging a bit more than I did in June and I'm back to working on A Place to Call Their Own more regularly.

Although I wasn't actively working on my writing projects during the month of June, I was constantly thinking about them. My vision of earning a living through writing and my goal of finishing the novel this year kept me going and helped me pick things back up a couple of weeks ago.

Whatever journey you're on, use your creativity to create your vision. Once your vision is created, keep it in front of you. That way when there are roadblocks, like my stall in June, you can get around those roadblocks.

I hope everyone is staying cool during this heat wave that is affecting most of the U.S. For me, that means there's no excuse not to stay in and get some writing done. What about you? What are you working on inside since it's so hot outside?