Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.
Dale Carnegie
March 10, 2019
March 10, 2019 By
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
Colin Powell
February 19, 2019
February 20, 2019 By
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.
Jim Rohn
February 10, 2019
February 10, 2019 By
I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.
Neil Gaiman
YEAR-END RECOLLECTION
December 15, 2018 By
At the end of every year, I get anxious and reflective. I look back over the last twelve months and judge how well I’ve accomplished the things that were important to me, how well I’ve treated the people in my life and how well I’ve taken care of myself. No matter how broad my shoulders or how big the “S” is that I think I wear on my chest, that’s a lot of stuff.
Some years, I’m happier with my analysis than others. When I look back at 2018, I’m content with how I handled myself this year. Of course, I could have done some things better and a few items died. I couldn’t resurrect them with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But 2018 had its successes too. I celebrated another wedding anniversary, which was a joy. I signed a publishing contract for a book it took me over a year to write and I self-published two romantic suspense’s novels which were a new venture for me.
As I prepare for 2019, I’m anxious — wondering if I’m doing enough to make myself a better person, to accomplish more. I want to take another step. What can I do better? How can I continue to grow? This year has taught me, that I underestimate how much I can accomplish in 24 hours. In my busy schedule of checking off my to-do list, life gets hectic and can take on a momentum I hadn’t planned. I need to allow time for when things may go amiss and, I need to allow time to cherish what I have and all that I’ve received.
But I’ve learned not to stress out too much about the things I don’t get to check off as having completed. It’s part of the journey. I’ve also learned that the time I spend with family and friends brings me the most joy. When I’m with people who love me, there is no judgment, no reviews to worry about and no cues I have to hit. I need to put more visits like that on my list.
As we close out another year, I wish you and yours peace and happiness.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
November 25, 2018
November 25, 2018 By
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt
The Days Before
October 12, 2018 By
In a few days, my fourteen single titled book is dropping. It’s entitled Fear of Dating. You’d think after that many books the whole writing and publishing process would be easy for me. That I’d have a formula, a process, or a list of all the items required to ensure I’ve done absolutely everything I can to make this book PERFECT, that I’d walk through this process like the expert, I pretend to be. But, that is so far from reality.
The moment I push the button to put the book up for pre-order, I begin to get nervous. As if this were my first time writing and publishing a book. I wonder if the writing is good enough, if there is anything else I can do to make it better, if I’ve done enough to promote the book, if readers will receive the book with enthusiasm. My list of doubts goes go on and on. As the release date grows closer, the anxiety increases.
I don’t know if this is normal for all authors, but this is my experience. I want to think many writers/authors have questions about the things they’ve written just before they let it loose on the world. Every day I spend time checking and double-checking all the things that I need to do. Making sure I’ve included all the acknowledgments, the proper links, that I’ve placed it on all the available sites and a hundred other small things. I feel like I have a blinking-neon light over my desk warning me of something else I need to do.
Part of the publishing process for me is trusting that I’ve done the best that I can this time. My hands are sweating, my head is swirling, and on October 18th I will wake up nervous that my email is full of messages stating something has gone wrong—like there are no words in the book, just a bunch of blank pages. I’ll run to the computer and double check everything. Then I’ll turn my attention to reviews. It’s a process with no end. But one day, I’ll have to stop thinking about Fear Of Dating and move on to the next book that is awaiting my attention.
I could be doing something that is easier, like knitting sweaters for my dog, who doesn’t complain about anything that I do, but it wouldn’t bring me the kind of joy that writing does.
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
September 13, 2018
September 13, 2018 By
Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.
James E. Faust
August 28, 2018
August 28, 2018 By
Your protagonist is your reader’s portal into the story. The more observant he or she can be, the more vivid will be the world you’re creating. They don’t have to be super-educated, they just have to be mentally active. Keep them looking, thinking, wondering, remembering.
Janet Fitch