Across from her I stood. Watching as she carefully arranged the papers for delivery. Unknown to her was the intrepid fact that her department would be cut the next day. No amount of hard work could Criticizeor change that fact. Decades ago who would ever have thought that society would change. Newspapers were no longer being read by the mass and the company had to cut back. Sad as it was the staff had to be reduced to save what little of the company that could be salvaged to its new online medium.
Peter Drucker was wise when he said there is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all. Tempted? Let’s examine our lives today. What are we doing so well that should not be…
Writers Write. Readers Read. Together they are one
I am always intrigued by stories, especially those told by others about new beginnings. Here I share as writers told how they writing journey was inspired.
I wrote to escape the loneliness of my husband who had to work away from home as we transitioned to the cold north.
When I moved away from my childhood friends
My short essays and fiction have all been written from my life.
It must have been engrained in my blood
A nosey irritating neighbor who believed I needed company
Daydreaming during a long commute that had dialogue and scenes that demanded to be written down
26 months solitary confinement with short stories from my childhood as a start
A terribly boring book I read to my son at age 6. I knew I could do better
God gave me the desire to write
The pandemic and Quarantine made me take the plunge
A dare from a neighbor
Getting into trouble for talking in the study hall and being assigned to write a 500 word theme to write on anything I wanted as punishment. Next day I turned in a 13 page short story.
My first novel resulted from an ugly divorce
The loss of my beautiful baby boys.
The ideas and content come to me in dreams. I have to just put them in order.
Car accident that left me disabled for a while
A dream and three nouns
My right (creative) side of the brain dying a slow death in a left side dominant (rational) job
My imagination
Sitting in the airport for a 2-hour-layover, waiting on a flight to hunt with my kids. The rest is history
Nature walk with just me and headphones
Interesting new beginnings! How about you? Do share how your own writing journey began. Here’s mine.
You’ll never be brave if you don’t get hurt. You’ll never learn if you don’t make mistakes. You’ll never be successful if you don’t encounter failure.
Unknown
My daughter’s Little 9-year old team lost the game in the basketball finals. Naturally, he was disappointed. Sulked all the way home. But later he came to me a little brighter, and said he remembered a Quote:
“You will never succeed if you don’t encounter failure”.
Then he walked away. I know his future’s bright because that’s what you do when things go wrong, You get back up and try again.
So today I encourage you to never give up on your dreams, goals and aspirations.
2020 The year of the pandemic which shocked many. There is hardly anyone left untouched. Rich, middle class or poor. The lives of many were turned upside down as lives were lost, jobs cut, business closures as the world simply stopped. As the year draws to a close in this fourth quarter, a social media tribe was asked the question:
What’s the best thing that 2020 has taught you?
Susan Ancillotti
2020 Learnings
Here I share excerpts captured as entrepreneurs chimed in:
Always have more than one income
Be willing to pivot rapidly
To love peace and calm over a frenetic stress filled life
Building a completely online business around your purpose is pandemic proof
Just get it done
Be true to yourself while honoring others to do the same
The need for true leaders to step up
That so many people put ‘fear’ in the gas tanks instead of filling up everyday on ‘love’
Take full self-responsibility for health and spending time with loved ones
Doing nothing differently
Containment
Plan B
Don’t book a holiday until the last minute
I can rebound
Be yourself. Don’t follow the crowd
What is your opinion of the year? Any omitted from this list? Do share. We would love to hear!
Actions are visible, motivesare secret. ~Samuel Johnson
Affluent, distinguished, go-getter one day she suffered a stroke. In an instant Alice’s life changed. Weekly physical therapy became routine to return to normal. Sadly, the job she previously had also left her.
Despondent she wanted to know what to do. She decided to search before the end came. Sad and down she called. We talked and talked for days, weeks and after several rounds of coaching she excitedly announced to her peers that she got another job….one directly related to her dreams. She felt alive again.
Sheryl, a journalist for well more than a decade was tired of her job. But each time we talked about her career change… it seems she got pregnant. Two children later she decided she had enough. It was time to take the leap. She acted. Today she’s excited about her new job and her career change.
When the newest version of your book GreenLight shows up next to a celebrity’s, what do you do? You promote! GreenLight audiobook is now available wherever you listen. On medium such as ListenUp, OverDrive, KOBO, Libro.fm, scribd, googleplay, and more.
Feeling down or discouraged? Listen in now. Or Gift it to someone who is sick, fearful or demotivated during this very long period of the Pandemic.
Booklovers Reading App
Naive to the fact there are many reading apps available? As a writer I guess it’s important to know the different media available as a resource. So too should booklovers. So I delved in and here I share 9.
AMAZON KINDLE
AUDIBLE
BLINKIST
GOODREADS
LIBBY BY OVERDRIVE
COMIXOLOGY
EPIC!
MARVIN 3
SCRIBD
Hope this has enlightened you to review the lust and select one or two as your favorite. Oh and by the way, if your own medium is missing, do share. We would love to hear.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
― Maya Angelou
A public writers forum asked the question “what is the single biggest challenge you as a writer face?” Here I share responses as writers chimed in:
Writing everyday
Marketing
Not enough erasers
Find an agent
A full-time job that isn’t
Learning all the required skills – writing, editing, cover art, publishing, marketing, salesmanship, accounting …
Identifying my audience
Details
Time
Reviews
Getting books sold
Selling myself
Lethargy
Butt in chair
Discipline
Marketing costs. Dispite what some may say, it is expensive to self-publish. Editor, copy editor, cover design, copyright, ISBN numbers, authors copies, advertising, website, domain name, contests, give-aways, and on and on it goes
Self-Doubt
Stay Motivated
Writers block
The list goes on. Are you a new or published author? Is anything missing? Do share. We would love to hear.
A new writer shared her Instagram name. It was nowhere close to her real names . I beckoned to her… smile in tow…”you do make it hard, don’t you? In haste she retorted “it’s so my employer can’t find me”.
I smiled.
Our Lives In Compartments
How many of us are like that? We live our lives in compartments trying to separate our true selves from what those around us see publicly.
To Hide To Be
It’s a hard choice but sometimes you have to hide in order “to be“. I pray one day that you will be able to just be. To reveal your true identity and just be the you that you want to be.
Goals. The Path. When You Can’t See Clearly, Slow Down or even Stop. ~ Dr. Shelly Cameron
The news reported sisters returning from a trip to Disneyland. The driver a mom in her early 20s, could hardly see due to immense fog and rain. She accelerated to get past the fog. Sadly, she drove head-on into another car that caused two fatalities. One family member said they couldn’t see clearly and that’s what caused the accident.
Innovation and Industry Disappearance
A friend shared with me a compilation of research that discussed the demise of Kodak whose name years ago was synonymous with photos. Gone. Disappeared. Artificial intelligence has taken over business. Before the pandemic, if we consider the likes of Uber, where a driver shows up at the click of a button to take you wherever you want to go. Airbnb vacation rentals has created disruption in the hotel industry. Social…
My greatest fear is dying without accomplishing my own dreams.
A middle-aged woman was deeply depressed. She had helped her children succeed in life. When they bought their first house, she was there. When they had their kids, she was there. A child needed to be picked up, she was there. However through a series of events, she began reflecting. She got stuck and locked herself away from others. When we finally spoke, she shared that she loves her kids and was happy with their success, but her greatest fear was dying without accomplishing her own dreams.
The Selfish Few
Aren’t we like that at times? We are always there for others to the detriment of our own dreams. Those who step out and go after their dreams without considering others are termed selfish. The challenge is for us to find the right balance. The balance to remember our own goals, dreams and aspirations while assisting those we care about with achieving their own.
Dream Home
Lets take for example buying your dream home. Consider what it would take. Search the requirements for you to qualify for a mortgage with a lending institution. Start searching. What location would you like to buy your dream home? Does it need to be close to your job or are you willing to relocate and move to a different area? Out of state or instate? Out of the county or within the county? Next, consider what would you like to have? Two, three or four bedrooms? How many bathrooms? Do you work from home and therefore need an office? Questions, questions, questions. You’re right. Answer them all. The progress will enlighten.
Dream Job
Is it that you would like to change careers? If so, start researching careers that interest you. Do you need to get an education or certification to get into that field? If so, what education do you need? How will you afford the training? Will you need to get a part-time job to help boost your finances? Will your company cover the training expense? And if they do, will they expect you to stick around after you graduate? There is also the option of scholarship or student loan if you qualify.
Aspiring Author
What about a hobby? I’ll use writing because I love to write. Have you dreamed of becoming an author? What will you write about? What are you interested in? Fiction, non-fiction? Biography? If so, where do you start?
The point of these examples is to emphasize that there is always hope for those who dream. They can still come through despite your age, finances, and anything else that you consider a stumbling block. Simply start with clarifying the dream, the goal. Create a timeline. It will help you track your progress and boost your psych as you accomplish each step. Once done, dig deep into making them real. Disregard anything negative that will distract you. Many have accomplished dreams no matter their age. There is always hope. George Foreman regained the heavyweight title at age 45. Colonel Sanders franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken at age 62. The media recently shared a 99 year-old woman who decided to get a tattoo and a daredevil bike ride simply to cross it off her bucket-centennial-list. She is definitely still dreaming.
Today, I encourage you to go after your dreams. Whether you are young or more mature, don’t let age stop you. After all, age is just a number.
One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
— Henry Ford
Ever been afraid? I have. I lived with my grandmother in a nice house when I was growing up. When I was 10 years old, I passed the entrance exam to attend a prestigious high school. It was located close to where my parents lived so I moved to live with them instead. The only problem was… the house was old and antiquated. Being close to school I did not want the students to see where I lived because I feared they would tease me. So for all my high school years, I hid from them. Only close friends knew. The other challenge was that I was well known at school because I was active on the track team as well as other extracurricular activities which made it worse. I ‘really’ had to hide.
At the end of high school, we were evicted when the house was condemned which as it turned out was kind of a good thing. People love to stay in their comfort zone. My parents had no choice but to move.
Since then there were many other times when I was afraid. Such as having my first child, making my first presentation to a big audience at work both locally and internationally. Not to mention the time I jumped out of a plane doing a sky dive! So as most of you know, I have never let fear stop me from doing anything I want to do. I do things even when afraid. Fear is my driver. I guess I owe that to that old house.
Over 20 years later and after a career dedicated to managing people in organizations, I now spend my time
Helping organizational leaders giving them advice and solutions on how to manage their people problems
Helping individuals who wish to make a career change but are afraid to take the leap
Helping aspiring authors write their first book
Essentially, if you are stuck in fear and afraid to do what you want to do for many reasons, lets connect. I can help you get pass your fear because I have been there.
