Category: Motivation
Here’s the Thing-
I was on a hike yesterday with a good friend and her son and we came across this heart-shaped cactus. Isn’t it cute?
You can find love in the weirdest places.
I didn’t love spilling an entire pot of tea all over my writing desk just now. But things are dried and other things are in the washing machine, so all is good. Back to what I was talking about…
Love is everywhere, you just need to be open to it.
I’m taking an online course on mindfulness right now, and it is a good reminder to live in the present. I have so many things that try to pull me into the future-that increase my anxiety-and practicing mindfulness brings me back to the present. It isn’t healthy to sit in an anxious state and that’s what I do unless I work to live in the moment.
I want to enjoy the present, not worry about the future. And that’s what mindfulness encourages.
With all this time at home, I encourage you to take an online class in whatever sparks your particular interests.
Don’t let this time slip by. Sonja
A Little Inspiration For You
This quarantining related to COVID-19 is changing day-by-day and keeping us from roaming around the world. It’s hard to stay at home when you want to sit in a crowd and people watch.
I’ve participated in three Tough Mudders and really appreciated this paragraph in a recent email:
“This is a time that Tough Mudder values ring more true than ever – the only way to defeat this pandemic is by working together – and Mudders know how to do that better than anyone else. In this strange time, in many ways, we have an opportunity to be even more connected.”
I’ve noticed this connection when I am out walking Guinness the Therapy Dog. Neighbors wave at each other and say hello, which didn’t often happen before the quarantine.
I hope this neighborly feeling will extend to the grocery stores, etc. next. There are so many instances that make me feel afraid of what the ‘other guy’ is going to do.
Keep your head up and watch out for your neighbors! Sonja
Never Stop Playing
#WednesdayWisdom
#pitmad
Here’s the scenario: You stand in a hotel and wait for the elevator. Your current manuscript fills your head. You know it needs to be published. You have done your research and know which editors are best for you and your work.
The elevator doors slide open.
Lo and behold! There is dream-editor standing alone in the car. Your time is now. Take the chance!
But you have only the length of the ride up or down to pitch your current work-in-progress (WIP). That’s usually less than thirty seconds. How are you going to boil down your plot and your subplots into such a short time?
That’s the premise of a pitch. Don’t waste the editor’s time with ‘ums’ and ‘uhs’. Don’t squander this opportunity.
Be ready!
#pitmad is an opportunity to go through the same scenario from the comfort of your own home/work/rock. Using Twitter, #pitmad is going on today. Can you feel the anxiety permeating the world? This is the Olympic Trials and we (the writers) want to be selected for the team.
If you’re a writer, get your pitch ready and head over to Twitter! Sonja
Yes, You Can!
Have you ever tried something and failed?
Did it make you feel bad?
Your brain instantly starts to call yourself a failure, a loser.
Here’s the thing: you tried. That’s more than 98% of the population. (Okay, I made up that number.) Lots of people TALK about doing whatever it is you tried; few actually attempt it and even fewer are successful.
The thing to focus on is that you TRIED.
A coach of mine always said that if you don’t fall sometimes, you aren’t trying hard enough. I think that’s true.
When I ski raced, you have to ski ‘on the edge’ in order to win. When you ski ‘on the edge’ you have to be willing to go one way or the other. Which means, you either complete the race of your life or you have a spectacular crash. I have had many (with the evidence of a few broken ribs on MRIs), but also I have my share of wins.
Let me tell you, the wins more than make up for the crashes. I don’t call them failures because they’re needed to get to the wins. Not every idea or plan is golden.
Embrace the tarnish and polish it off the next time. Sonja
This Week’s Quote
#Nature #Outside #Horses
It’s Sunday Funday and I plan to spend it outside.
I would love to enjoy this beautiful weather from the back of a horse. Too bad I don’t have one to ride! But I can use my imagination–
I love the smell of horses, the creak of the leather saddle, the sound of the hooves clopping on a dirt trail. And so much more.
Tell me what you like to do on your #Sunday Funday. Sonja
Today’s Quote
