Tag: Writing
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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…
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EOY Countdown…
Happy Last Monday of 2022. It is time to celebrate small things, which through the power of dedicated and daily moments have grown to mighty accomplishments at the crescendo of year’s end. This is a sneaky way to talk about goals and (gasp) dreaded resolutions. (I have only ever kept one resolution and that was…
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The Piddly Diddlies…
I recently flipped my schedule upside down to honor writing time. My previous modus operandi was to clear the endless slate of daily chores first. Did you catch the word endless? Those piddly diddlies never go away, so writing time never came. Now, I follow a practice taught by author Ellen Sussman (book review here). Writing…
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Merry, Happy all the Holidays…
This End of the Year time is crammed full of celebrations and traditions, as varied as the homes and spaces we occupy. For me, listening to Christmas albums spinning on an actual record player while wrapping presents is a tradition as old as decorating dozens (and dozens) of homemade sugar cookies with loved ones. New…
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Watch out, Someday…
We all have deep desires, many of them common to the human condition (belonging, being loved, loving). Some are just fun, others so deep we barely know them. Maybe they hide in a closet on the “Someday” shelf, waiting for enough time (money, support). I often feel locked out of that closet after hearing a…
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Embrace Your Flamingo
Writing is a lonely business. Sure, inspiration comes from the world around you, but it can only become your unique combination and cadence of sounds from the confines of your tiny, cozy writing closet. Writers agree: the act of writing is a solo enterprise. The odd worldview, the passion, and the drive, can make one…
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The World is Your Oyster…
But you have to shuck a lot of shells to find that pearl! This last Monday of November we continue our discussion of Casting a Wide Net while Focusing on Your Goal. A broad worldview is important if we are to know without a doubt that we are laser-focusing our skills and attention in the…
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Fishing and Focusing…
The fourth ELAN Principle is Cast a Wide Net, with a subtitle of Focus on Your Goal. Sound confusing? In order to reap the benefits of focus, we must bring many experiences into our lives. So much about the ELAN principles (and these blog posts) is about uncovering our true passion based on innate characteristics…
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High Praise…
This Monday we continue the sticky wicket of loving and honoring ourselves without sounding self-righteous, ego-centric and (horrors!) conceited. To honor someone is to hold them in high esteem or respect. There will be more discussions in future posts regarding the correct offer of respect only when one is deserving. For now, respect means to…
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Love Yourself = Honor Yourself
The third ELAN Principle is Love Yourself. Yeah, yeah, we have heard it before. Easy to say, so hard to do. If love = honor, all the more difficult. After all, we are taught to be humble, and rightly so. But that does NOT mean to hold feelings of dishonor, derision or disrespect toward oneself.…