Tag: ELAN
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Moving…
Several of my friends are moving to new homes, new neighborhoods, or new jobs. Although I’m not going anywhere, I am moving. I don’t need to move on or move up, only forward. My night dreams are invaded with walking on uncertain paths, surrounded by strangers. It matters not where I’m headed, only that I…
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Ideal, Ideal Day…
What is your ideal day? I have a few. The simplest is cozying up in my writing closet, punctuated by playing piano and reading. Simple, not easy to pull off given the rarity of white spots on the calendar. I had the grandest ideal day at the New Orleans Fairgrounds, soft-shell crab poboy in hand,…
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Front Loading…
In the realm of time and space and all things that must fit within, I like to remember to front load…my day, my week, my priorities. Setting aside writing time first thing in the morning tells my brain and my heart that writing is an important enterprise. Front loading the week means the first three…
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TAB Continued…
Revisiting Thought, Attitude, Behavior – how does it apply to personal relationships? Do you have a wonky one that is less than copacetic? Have you noticed bad behavior toward your partner, sibling, parent, child or even neighbor or co-worker? Your perpetual irritation may seem justified. After all, they always say negative things, or they never carry their share of…
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TAB…
TAB is one of my favorite reminders of the importance of watching your language. We don’t often think about the steps that lead to our behavior. It is what happens, deal with it. But there is an attitude that drives that action. Beyond that, there is a thought that informs that attitude. Thought, Attitude, Behavior. …
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Watch Your Language…
This is one of my favorite ELAN Principles because the words we choose directly affect our perception and thoughts. We may have no power over the actions of others, but we have control over our words. We choose our internal language. It takes practice, but we can adopt a more positive dialect. In the tiny,…
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Adopt a Policy…
Maybe there is a catchier way to say it, but adopt a policy means to make a decision once about an issue that comes up repeatedly. Then stick to it. When we had a landline, I decided to always respond to the urgings of telemarketers with “I have a policy to never participate in phone…
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Jammie Pants…
I recently enjoyed a jammie day; no places to go, no people to see, no chores to do. Sure, jammie pants have become everyday wear since March 2020, but a free day with no required log-in or check-in is a rare, beautiful gift. Too many such days strung together would make a dull person, indeed…
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Running Downhill…
Is week two of the new year too early to feel a loss of momentum from that wide-open-to-every-possibility optimism we held last Monday? When we told the world we would go ahead and make our own day by honoring that which matters to our creative selves? Even though I’ve made great strides in preparing novel…
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Go Ahead, Make Your Day…
Happy First Monday of 2023. What do you hope to accomplish today, this week, this year? Perhaps some lofty goal set in the fresh perspective of a new year already seems overwhelming. This is the time to honor that goal, lofty or not. Tend to it. Nurture it. Break it down to daily divots of…