Category: Learning
-
The Lone Writer…
Writing is a lonely act. Struck by inspiration, we choose to make something of it or move on and forget the flash of brilliance, all alone. No one holds my hand while I turn jotted notes into blog entries or scenes for a short story or novel. It is my ten fingers poking at the…
-
Tomorrow…
How was your Today yesterday? Was it busily preparing you for today, this day? You have a brand-new gift. Every day. A do-over that can add a beautiful bead to your string of days. What grain can you implant today that will transform to a pearl? Oysters coat such seeds with something called nacre, layer…
-
Mantras Make Things Happen…
Another ELAN Principle is “Make Things Happen.” ELAN, which stands for Elevating Life Attitudes Now, is a self-improvement curriculum I created and facilitated many years ago, but I still rely on the tenets to work on my own “life in progress.” One of the most effective ways to make things happen is to write a…
-
Watch Your Mantra…
One of the ELAN Principles that I strive to live by is “Watch Your Language.” It promotes good verbal practices such as choosing words carefully, deciding to speak or not speak and refraining from gossip. It also means to monitor your thoughts. The words you feed into your brain can nourish or deplete your soul,…
-
Relax…Wake UP!
Last month a smoke alarm battery announced its death when we returned home after an overseas flight. We foggily climbed a ladder and replaced it with the last spare battery. Done. Fixed. Ah, complacency, the zone where all is at rest. Relax, until… Wake UP! Another failing battery brought peaceful slumber to a screeching halt. At 1:30…
-
Divots…
Divots are holes dug into a perfect green field by an overzealous or misdirected swing. Golfers merely replace the detached lump, stomp it into the earth and call it good. How do we react when we goof up and ruin the perceived perfection of a pristine life? Pristine and perfection are ideals, not to be…
-
Pivot 2…
Creatives lay their souls bare when they usher an object of beauty from their private world into a public one. We are called to birth (yes, it is that long and difficult) a one-off thing and then share it with an audience greater than one. Patience is key. Sending our work to flight too soon…
-
Command Z…
I made a mistake while writing recently. Let’s face it, mistakes abound while in the creative frenzy, when the pure joy of tapping on keys ushers in that flow zone. No problem, though, since a press of two buttons and presto, change-o, it is undone. Undo. What a perfect invention. I cringe at the memory…
-
Marvelous Multiplicity…
What if you were really good at one thing? What if it was at the exclusion of all else? Recent conversations have revolved around the frustration of being good at many things, but never the outlier. Can you relate? I challenge you to see the beauty of the world of multiplicity. Find a comfy spot…
-
Two Quotes of the Week…
“To the possession of the self the way is inward.” Plotinus, AD 205-270 “Inner space is the real frontier.” Gloria Steinem, 1934-
Patty Mayeux Blog 