When following your dreams, try and stay out of your own way.
So instead of following them … Lead with them.
This requires skill, determination and vision, then scratch the first two and focus on your vision.
And release your attachment to the outcome.
It’s amazing how easy it is to stay out of your own way, then.
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Writing the story of a person, business or service is a very personal experience – especially for the writer. To express someone else’s thoughts and ideas accurately, this writer attempts to define the true essence of the subject matter. “What do you really mean?” is the question I answer for myself –and for my clients, pretty much. Then, I get it down on paper using appropriate words, bringing it to life.
The right words, yes … but also, I use format to help tell stories, too. What’s the best way to describe stand-out attributes? Headline? Poem? Long sentence? Music? Picture? Spanish? What kind of feeling lives behind the words? All CAPS? Italic? Bold? How long do I want to hold another’s attention? All these things communicate a thing’s true essence. Especially together, with words. Thoughts and ideas don’t live in a vacuum … can I create an environment in which it can live? Thrive? A moment?
For a writer, this train of thought is second nature. For this writer, at least.
Photo Credit: Flickr, GRwitters
Who am I? What is my earthly purpose? How can I make ends meet? What makes me happy? …
How stressful is that?
“Live the questions and life will move you into the answers.”
Sage advice. Even though I don’t know where it can lead, I’m starting to live my questions instead of searching for answers. Like this one: What if?
I’m a PC, and I let my PC update programs automatically.
When these updates fail, an error code is produced … so many times, it’s an unknown error. To me and my computer.
Try and get help with it, and you enter a virtual door that opens to a door that opens to a door that opens to another door. No help, though (Was this helpful to you? No. How can we make it more helpful to you? Exit.)
It’s quite fascinating to me that computer illiterates like me can even update our computers so seamlessly to begin with. Still, I keep wondering about that unknown error “646.”
Each time I turn off my computer, it tries to update itself again –with no luck. Poor thing.
I can feel PC pain. Which is a little like back pain that wakes you up at night. As the poet Rumi says, “No need to snore like a buffalo when this wonder is walking the world.”
Tee-hee.
I have (too many) moments in my life when I feel alone, not good enough. I’ll step away from my computer, my office, my doubts – and look for a reason to believe.
I search for it in poetry, and read from A Year With Rumi, by Coleman Barks:
January 6 – Sometimes I Do
In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that light becomes this art.
I look for the spark in other people’s work, like seth godin’s Blog:
January 6 – Soles
There’s a sign on most squash courts encouraging players to wear only sneakers with non-marking soles. I’m not sure there’s such a thing. If you’re going to do anything worthy, you’re going to leave a mark.
I hear musical theatre in my head, especially Stephen Sondheim:
Anything you do, let it come from you, then it will be new …
give us more to see …
I cry a little and give thanks for synchronicity.
Welcome, New Year. I’m expressing my resolution as an affirmation:
Make room for the New. New Mind, New Health, New Balance.
This way, I can celebrate my renewal each day by affirming it … instead of referring to it as a number on my To Do List. As something I can get to later.
It is true; I am always refreshed by the start of each year – right now, a new decade, too – I like to mark it on the first day, then ease into my resolution routine thoughtfully, making sure it’s right for me. I tell myself this. Like starting a diet on New Year’s Day, only to re-start it on the next Monday, after cheating with a holiday desert. I was a perfectionist then.
No more. I’m not perfect. What a release.
This is day four.
Make room for the New. New Mind, New Health, New Balance.
Photo Credit: Flickr, Z_dead
I’m tired and drained. Make something.
A full moon.
A total lunar eclipse.
The first day of winter.
This hasn’t happened since 1638.
Traditionally a time of reflection for me, I am taking the next 10 days in gratitude for all the gifts of 2010 … and to rejoice in the wisdom of uncertainty, 2011.
ENJOY THE WINTER SOLSTICE, MY FRIENDS!
A lovely holiday message from my client, brainywoman.com, available to download from the home page!
La Jeune Martyre by Delaroche
Signaling a time of reflection. Seeing things as they are. Or differently, perhaps.
Gazing into the crystal ball, as a year comes to an end – the end of a decade, this year.
A ritual for the thoughtful, ranking right up there with family gatherings, caroling, cookie baking and auld lang syne.
What next? What do you see?
Look, or you could miss the promise of something new. Bling.
Find your sparkle.
Photo Credit: Flickr, stefanweihs
Sageland Creative 