The First Couple of Years

The first couple of years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not.  A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. If you are just starting out or are still in this phase, you gotta know that it's normal and the most important thing you can do is a lot of work...It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions ~ Ira Glass

I ran across this quote this week and it spoke volumes to me.  It's exactly what I needed to hear right now.  I am in the midst of completely re-writing my first novel and preparing it for a possible publisher. 

I knew that the beginning of the novel needed some work, I was just stuck on how to adjust the beginning of the story to make it all work out in the end.  I also finally figured that out over the weekend and now am well on my way to getting the manuscript massaged and in shape for future publication.

If you think about, any job or task you undertake takes a couple of years to get really good at it.  I remember the first couple of years of being a corporate trainer.  After a couple of years, things just got easier and I did better. 

So, whenever you feel like you want to quit your dream journey, listen to the voice that tells you to keep on going.  Eventually you'll start producing the real work that you believe can.

Live Like a Fruit Fly

It's been a while since I've posted a book review.  But after reading Live Like a Fruit Fly by Gabe Berman, I wanted to post a review.

If you have ever been asked to read a book by your manager, your direct sales sponsor, or anyone else, but hate to read, then this is the book for you.

Using the analogy of a fruit fly's life, Gabe basically lays out the principle that a fruit fly doesn't live that long, but immediately sets about to live it's short life.  It doesn't wait for all the things that we humans sometimes let get in the way. 

The book is written in direct, informal language.  I could actually "hear" Gabe's New York accent as I read his words.  That's one of the reasons I recommend this for anyone who doesn't like to read.  Another reason is the short chapters.  If you're trying to create a daily reading habit and the thought of reading a whole book is daunting, Gabe's chapters are short but powerful.  If you read one chapter per day of this book, it would definitely be baby steps towards creating a daily reading habit.

Live Like a Fruit Fly is definitely on my list of recommended reads for anyone searching for their destiny in life.

Have You Gone Back to School Yet?

I had the honor of giving the Children's Sermon in church today and wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy!

So I had planned for some children to be here and I thought I would open with something like, has school started yet? And since it’s been a while since I’ve spoken like this in front of any group, I feel the need to start the same way for fear of losing myself in my notes, sooo has school started yet?

No, I didn’t think so, but I had to ask or my notes would be out of order!   I’ve been long overdue to get into graduate school so hopefully in a year or two I might be able to answer yes to that question.

But regardless of whether or not anyone present today is going back to school, I just wanted to share with everyone how much love the month of August.  For me August feels a bit like the New Year.  After the weather starts cooling off, I just feel a bit more productive than during the warm summer months.  For me, this is probably because my father was a high school teacher so for many years, our town hosted the annual county fair, and my mother's birthday is in August, so it's no wonder that August was like the New Year for my family.    I started my first full time job August 1, 1990 and then exact four years later on August 1, 1994 I was transferred to Colorado with that job and since then it like many of my major career and life changes have happened during this time of year.

It didn't take me long to figure out most adults look at our lives during January, during the New Year, when most of us make goals or resolutions for what we'd like to accomplish for the year.   For me, God's gift of the changing season means that we still have four months left of this year to accomplish your New Year resolutions.  And that’s why they’ are called New Year resolutions, because we have the whole year to accomplish them.  So think of the end of summer like it’s like the beginning of first semester and you have until Christmas break to get your goals accomplished!  That’s my challenge for everyone this week.

Now if  you think that these notes seem to be speaking mainly to adults rather than to elementary schoold-aged children, that's because we rarely have children in church.  So we call the Children's Sermon the time for all God's Children at Central Presbyterian.

Have a great week, everybody!

The Color Blue

Here's to all the shades of the color blue ~ Jill Badonsky

I love today's quote because blue is my favorite color.  It's always been my favorite color, even when it wasn't as fashionable as it is today.  But that's OK, because I stuck with it through the 1990s and now it's back. 

My sticking with the color blue is like sticking with a dream goal.  You have to stick with it through the good and the bad to see it through.  Now that I have some professional feedback, I am working through the editing and re-writing process on A Place to Call Their Own.  I am placing all other projects on hold, except reading for research for The Higher Law and reading a newly published book for a friend and writing a review.

Write now, pun intended, nothing is as important as getting A Place to Call Their Own published.  Just like in the past even though there were other colors more fashionable, blue was always my favorite color.

Hoping to be Struck by Lightning

A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning ~ James Dickey

I think most dreamers are hoping to be struck by lightning, in both a good and bad way.  And by dreamers,  I mean those who are actively pursuing a stretch dream goal.  Of course we all want to be energized and meet our goals.

But the other part of being struck by lighting are the frustrating things that come with pursuing our dreams.  Look at all the artists we see in tears on results night from the reality shows that we watch.  If you're a dreamer pursuing a dream, you know the frustrations come from all directions.

So you just have to push past it all and keep developing your craft, your art, and your skill.  I'm going through that now.  I have heard from another publisher who needs me to polish the manuscript and has given me some direction in doing so.  I also have a direct contact so I don't have to start over with a query again!  That's one step closer to achieving my dream of being a published author. 

How are you hoping to be struck by lightning?  I'd love to hear!

Choose Your Mascot

A horse is the protection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful- and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane experience ~ Pam Brown

Have you chosen a mascot for your dream journey?  I like penguins of all types, but my mascot is the emperor penguin.  I admire the tenacity of the birds to endure the antarctic conditions to raise their young and survive year to year.  It's kind of like the tenacity one needs to achieve their dreams.

When I sold Tupperware, each manager team had a team name and once your team reached a certain goal you got your own theme song.  The team name and team song were part of the team spirit my distributors instilled within all our smaller teams.

So what's your mascot for your adventure?  I'd love to hear!

The Human Adventure is Just Beginning

It isn't all over; everything has not been invented; the human adventure is just beginning ~ Gene Roddenberry

What are you waiting for?  Are you chasing your dreams yet?

Have a great rest of the weekend!