It’s not nearly as bad for you as you think
I put off writing this blog post.
When you leave the office for the day, you may tell yourself, “After dinner, I’m gonna write up a storm.”
Then you sit down to watch TV. One show leads to another…and another. Before you know it, it’s time for bed.
So, like any other red-blooded human, you feel guilty.
It’s not a time management problem.
You don’t write because you don’t feel like it.
The time is available. You just chose to watch TV instead. Or maybe you chatted with your family. Or read a book.
None of these things is inherently bad.
Too much of anything isn’t…
Stop feeling guilty for taking care of yourself
Has anyone ever made you feel guilty for taking a nap?
“Naps are for children,” some say.
“Only lazy people need naps,” others lament.
“If you had slept longer last night, you wouldn’t need a nap,” friends complain.
They all sound reasonable, don’t they? After all, if these people didn’t care about you, they wouldn’t say anything.
They’re wrong.
You can sleep all night and still find yourself feeling groggy after lunch. So what do you do? Press through it and end up feeling even groggier later? Find a place to hide and take your nap anyway? …
How to stop fear before it stops you
Is fear stopping you from doing your best work?
Do you hesitate for any reason at all when facing a challenge?
If you’re human, I’ll bet the answer is yes. Maybe even a “hell, yes!” You may not admit it in public. You might not tell your closest friends. But if you’re honest with yourself, you’ve taken the first step to freedom.
The walk that changed my life
When I was 8 years old, I strolled the streets of my neighborhood every day.
One sunny afternoon, an angry dog charged out from behind a 1960s style ranch house surrounded by pine trees. It felt like a…
3 simple ways to do it right now.
Every comprehensive course on writing starts with a plan to find your writing voice.
That’s bad advice, especially if nothing on the list of choices fits.
You already have a voice. Your best friends know it. Your family has heard it. And deep inside, it’s always been right there with you.
A better question to ask is, “How do I set my voice free and share my best insights with the world?”
Go with the flow.
The other night I was in my bedroom listening to music. I was jamming out to the tunes I grew up with. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
…
And we all do sometimes
Life is tough sometimes.
Other times it’s overwhelming.
If you’ve ever felt like giving up, you’re in good company. All these people went through tough times before they became the legends we know today:
- Abraham Lincoln
- J.K. Rowling
- Walt Disney
- Bill Gates
- Colonel Sanders
- Jim Carrey
- Oprah Winfrey
- Tyler Perry
- Stephen King
Here are some quotes that will lift you up whenever you feel down.
Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. …
How to use anger to move you forward
Last week when I stopped to look back over my life, I got hopping mad.
So many missed opportunities. So much potential wasted. So many well-meaning but crippling comments I’ve taken to heart and built a life on.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever gotten so mad at yourself you wanted to break something? Have you ever wanted to print out pictures of your enemies and use them for target practice?
We all have sometimes, though you might not admit it.
Here’s what my anger led me to do…
You don’t need to know everything.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of Life’s Little Instruction Book said,
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”
The first time I gave a speech I spent my life preparing. The topic was me. As a new member of the Dale Carnegie Course in Human Relations, my assignment was to introduce myself to the rest of the class.
Later I joined Toastmasters International and was called to speak with no preparation whatsoever at every meeting.
Whenever you do something new, your preparation falls between these two extremes. …
Three simple tips that earn you the right to be heard
What scares you most about writing?
I just found an article that listed 15 different fears writers experience. Chances are you’ve felt more than one of these. Here they are:
- No talent for writing
- Not believing you’re really a writer
- Looking like a fool in print
- Having nothing to say
- No life experience
- Feeling the system is rigged (and you can’t win)
- Having your writing rejected by editors, readers, and even your friends
- Failing to live up to your own sky high standards
- Watching others have more success than you
- Selling out to the mainstream
- Writing about the wrong thing
- …
Season your words and actions with grace
Grace is something we all want, isn’t it?
When you’re in trouble, grace means someone else paid to get you out.
In sports, grace means you move with fluid precision and your work becomes art.
To a stranger in a new place, grace moves some to offer their hand in friendship.
When writers show (and share) grace, strangers become friends, followers, and fans.
Let’s look at 3 ways to do that.
Favor
We want to be our reader’s favorite.
There are countless choices. The internet is swollen with blog posts, videos, social media posts, and stories. …
The one thing that drives success
Are you ready for a fresh start?
2021 is just around the corner. Do you have any resolutions? If not, what are your goals?
The first month is the ultimate test for all your plans. You start happy, fresh, and ready to move. As you stretch, your muscles (physical or otherwise) hurt. Your emotions tempt you to give up. Do you push forward? Or do you turn back around and resume your old path?
You wanted to push forward when you set your goal. Is your destination a paradise or a prison? …
