If there is no way, Create one.
19 Things To Inspire Your Writing…
I sat staring into the distance. Pondering. What to write? What to post? Haven’t we all been there at one time or other? Times when we don’t know what to write-be it social, blog, or book. Jen dePaula shared 40 Things to inspire your writing. I liked 19 and share these below.
- Share a motivational or inspiring quote
- Share a link to your new blog post.
- Highlight a fan with an @mention and thank them for their support.
- Share what you’re currently reading and tag the author.
- Do a #TBT (Throw Back Thursday) by sharing an old picture.
- Share one of your favorite writing tools (whether it be digital or a physical tool).
- Share an interesting article or blog post that someone else has written – be sure to tag them in the post.
- Share a picture that your child (niece, nephew, friend) drew.
- Share some of your favorite songs/albums you like to write to.
- Highlight a fellow author and share a link to their website – it’s always great to help and promote fellow writers.
- Share a writing tip.
- Share a Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram page your followers should check out (not necessarily your own).
- Share links to an old (but relevant) blog post – keep those posts alive!
- Join the conversation on a trending topic.
- Write a Haiku.
- Give a shout-out to people who inspire you.
- Share a link to your favorite blogs or podcasts.
- Share a review or testimonial of a new product or service you’ve had a good/bad experience with.
- Recommend other authors or friends others should follow.
Hope these will help to inspire your own writing in whichever form you choose.
Cheers!
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To Fail Or Not To Fail? Entrepreneurs Speak…
Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough. ~Og Madino
To fail or not to fail? That is the question. Fail Fast. How about don’t fail at all? That was the statement James Altucher posed in a public forum. Entrepreneurs jumped in sharing their beliefs, values and thoughts on the concept of failure. Names have been omitted as I share excerpts:
What It Means To Fail
- A person who hasn’t failed is more likely to have never been successful
- The message of “fail fast” is not to encourage failure. What it speaks to is moving action with ideas instead of analysis paralysis and never-ending planning. No amount of analysis and planning can prepare you for the reality of launching something. This is what “fail fast” means. It does not mean to emphasize failure. Build it (now). Measure it. Learn from it.
- The wisdom in “failing fast” is that you should test your ideas hard and fast. If it’s going to fail, better know sooner rather than later. But, yes, failing is not fun at all and shouldn’t be a badge f honor unless you can speak to what you have learned from it.
- Fail fast is not supposed to be taken as a literal plan. It is a frame of mind entrepreneurs are suggested to take when there is a large unknown. The fact that it’s unknown means you have no guarantee that you won’t fail. So it makes more sense to operate in a way where you have affordable failures instead of large ones you can’t rebound from.
- Failures are shameful, painful, and not shared. Experiment, test for the good and bad. Do something you don’t like to confirm. Get in touched with yourself. Be clear with your goals etc. You will feel more success and fewer setbacks with how you learn and experience the world.
- We ought to believe in our ideas and craft them in a way we believe failure is not possible. The idea of “fail fast” sometimes naively lures us into playing the game to fail rather than to win
- Is it possible to never fail and be trying new things? Pushing things to its edge or standing for things? The opposite of failure is not trying anything because its risk-free in our world. So being willing to fail and even fail big speaks to a conviction to do something maybe extraordinarily new. Failure stings …but so does living with little drive and not learning from past experiences/experiments.
- Edison’s approach of saying he didn’t fail 100 times; he learned 100 things. I prefer to teach people and make them better not punish failure. Of course I believe in study, preparation, and teamwork to minimise the chance of failure. If our approach is “failure is not an option”, then you are like that ex-CEO of Yahoo who infamously posted how she didn’t have Plan B or Plan C, because she didn’t plan to fail. I have never met people who have used failure as a badge of honor but have met people who told me how they used an instance of failure to learn and get better.
- If you have never failed, you haven’t pushed yourself or taken challenges and put yourself out there.
So there you have it. Entrepreneurs and leaders sharing their thoughts on failing fast. What’s your take? Do you agree?
Personally, I believe never trying is a certain path to boredom, apathy, and remaining stuck. Try something new today.
Cheers!
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Mistakes: Don’t Cling. Move On…
Don’t cling to a mistake because you spent a long time making it. Look back, connect the dots. Learn from it and move on.
Cheers!
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The Most Important Step You Can Take…
The most important step a man can take. It’s not the first one, is it? It’s the next one. Always the next step. ―
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I’m Never Gonna Stop The Rain By…
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turnin’ red
Crying’s not for me
‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complainin’
Because I’m free
Nothing’s worrying me
The lyrics of this song reminds us to Drop worry and fear. Fear of failing. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Some even fear success.
Today, let’s aim high. Let’s take control and Free Fall. Chances are we will remain in control, just like the Ant who never seem to fear things that appear bigger than it is. Often the fear is just in our mind. Today, let go. Drop the worry. Drop the Fear. As Bob Marley said
“every little thing is gonna be alright”.
Cheers!
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How Much Do You Value Your Life?
One day a young boy asked his father, “what is the value of my life?”. Instead of answering, the father told his son, “take this rock and go sell it at the market. If anybody asks the price, raise two fingers and don’t say anything”, instructed the father. The boy then went to the market and a woman asked, “How much is this rock? I want to put it in my garden”. The boy didn’t say anything but raised up his two fingers, and the woman said “2 dollars? I will take it”. The boy went home and told his father, “a woman wants to buy this rock for 2 dollars”. The father then said, “Son, I want you to take this rock to a museum, if anybody wants to buy it, don’t say a word, just put up your two fingers”. The boy then went to the museum and a man showed up wanting to buy the rock, the boy didn’t say a word but put up 2 fingers and the man said “$200? I will take it”. The boy was shocked, went running home and told his father, “A man wants to buy this rock for $200”. His father then said, “Son, the last place I want you to take this rock is to a precious stone store, show it to the owner and don’t say a word, and if he asks the price, just raise up your two fingers”. The son then ran to a precious stone store, he shored the rock to the owner, “Where did you find this stone? it is one of the rarest stones in the world, I must have it! How much would you sell it for?”. The boy put up his two fingers and the man said “I will take it for $200,000”. The boy not knowing what to say, ran home to his father and told him that there’s a man that wants to buy the stone for $200,000, his father then asked, “Son, do you know the value of your life now?”
“It matters where you decide to place yourself”
You see it doesn’t matter where you come from, where you were born, the colour of your skin, or how much money you were born into. It matters where you decide to place yourself, the people you surround yourself with, and how you choose to carry yourself. You may have lived your whole life thinking that you were a $2 stone. You may have lived your whole life surrounded by people that saw your worth for only $2, but everybody has a diamond inside them, and we can choose to surround ourselves with people that see our value and see the diamond inside of us. We can choose to put ourselves in a market or put ourselves in a precious stone store. You can also choose to see the value in other people. You can help other people see the diamond inside of them.
Choose the people you surround yourself with wisely. That can make all the difference in your life.
Something To Think About…
Beautiful Extract from Sean Buranahiran
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Entrepreneurs Share Their Top 3 Skills Needed For Success…
Tough times don’t last. Tough People do.
Entrepreneurship improves productivity, spurs innovation, and creates jobs. This is the notion postulated by the Center for American Entrepreneurship. Thriving for independence and financial growth, many are the aspirers who long for the zeal of owning and managing their own business. But do you have what it takes to dive right in?
In a Shark public forum the question was asked” What three skills do you think Entrepreneurs need to be successful? Hundreds chimed in sharing both skills and traits.
Entrepreneur Skills
- Sales, Marketing, Relationships
- Leadership
- Selling, Communication
- Salesmanship
- Financial Intelligence
- People
- Negotiation
- Ability to Sell Ideas
- Negotiation, Sales and Persuasion
- Time Management
- Delegation of Authority
- Resourcefulness
- Creativity
- Positive Attitude
- Strategic Planning
- Market Research
- Control, Vision, and Sense of navigation
- Critical Thinking
Entrepreneur Traits
- Persistence, Self Awareness, Patience
- Discipline, Resilience, and Faith
- Work Ethic
- Confidence
- Empathy
- Tenacity, Never give up, Endurance
- Work Hard
- Adaptability, Perseverance, Problem-Solving
- Determination
- Mindset
- Foresight
- Introspection
- Self Discipline
- Faith
- Passion, Drive, Persistence
- Hustle, Grit, Gratitude
- No Fear
So there you have it. Excerpts of the skills and traits entrepreneurs believe to be essential to their success. Sure there are more! Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
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Move. As Far As You Can. As Much As You Can…
If I am an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move. ~Anthony Bourdain
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On A Budget? 9 Gifts That Cost Nothing But Is Invaluable….
For it is in Giving that we receive
My personal joy is to give! I treasure any opportunity to give! The act of giving has always brought me even more satisfaction than the recipients of my gifts. These days being on a strict budget has brought with it the stance to be even more creative than I was in the past when giving high-priced gifts. I ran a search for gift ideas to still meet my giving needs to others. I pounced upon LiZ Evans Huffington Post’s article 20 Gifts That Cost Nothing To Make But Might Be Priceless. From the list my top 9 Favs are:
Birthdays, Christmas, Graduation…Gifts That Cost Nothing
1.When Skies are Gray. Give this to anyone in your life who may be going through a tough time. Give them a stack of cards or books with inspirational quotes that will help them ride the wave during difficulty times. They can read when the going gets tough.
2. A Tell-Me Notebook. Give a blank spiral notebook to a parent, grandparent or other and ask them to write in the notebook any stories they would like to share. LiZ suggests that they do not need to worry about good writing. It’s just to write their stories when they feel like it. I’d add it’s also a way to leave their legacy. Can’t tell how many times I wish I had captured stories from my mother and grandmother.
3. 50 Things I learned by… Capture 10, 30, 50, or any number you would like of the things you learnt from someone celebrating a birthday milestone or other such occasion. I am certain this will be a wow moment as they reflect on the difference they had made in shaping your life.
4. Magic Car Wash. Spouse birthday? Steal away the car and take it for a detail while they are at work. Then return it after without their knowledge. Tons of smiles will shine for sure.
5. Freedom From Responsibility. Take the kids and give them the night off. Nicely decorate this gift in a card, box and deliver with a specific agreed date included. Did this for my daughter and her husband. They were elated!
6. Read This When... This gift is for a college kid who is away. Write a series of short letters and label them, read when you’re home-sick, fail an exam, think you’re in love etc. Of course there are paid services to help you to do this but why go that route when with a little effort, you can do it.
7. Park Tour Permit. Select 3-5 parks and throughout the year, plan park tours. Give this gift to your young kids and at the end of the month, summer, or year, together decide which park was the best and rate what they liked most. For sure this journey with the kids will be exciting!
8. I Love you Now and Later Letters. LiZ encourages you to write 2 letters to your intended recipients sharing why you love them. Then ask them to read one now and then later at an agreed time to open the other. It could be a year or two, depending on your intention. For me it could be a letter to my daughter when she starts college and then again when she’s graduating.
9. Remember This Book. Capture anecdotes, inside jokes, and stories of your loved one’s journey and read together at intervals. Certainly will keep the love alive.
So there you have it. A little creativity and effort makes such a difference when giving gifts. Personally, one occasion comes to mind. A coworker during a pixie gift exchange asked for a handsome, rich, loving man for her pixie gift. Luckily I had her name (yikes)! I set to work. Got on the computer and searched for all those criteria. Found the ideal guy for her (per the search engine..smile), printed it and wrapped it in a huge gift box with a Big Bow! You can just imagine the laughter it brought to the entire team! Memories shared year after year!
So go ahead! Give the gift of creativity, smiles and function. They are the absolute best!
Are there any experiences you remember? Do share. We would love to hear!
Cheers!
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New Experiences…
New Beginnings…
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. ~Albert Einstein
Birthdays, anniversaries are milestones that mark times to reflect and look to the future. They provide opportunities to change, rekindle, reconnect, cut loose ties, and more.
Reflections
If today is a special day for you, Celebrate and enjoy:
•New Beginnings
•The launch of a new Business
•Marriage
•Family
•Happiness
•Fulfillment
•Love in abundance
•Great friends
•Laughter
•Things that matter
Cheers to beautiful you!
