To Read, To Read, To Build Your Writing Creed. 7 Books On Writing…

grayscale photo of man sitting on brown wooden bench reading news paper during day time

Every Secret of a Writer’s soul; every experience of his life; every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. ~Virginia Woolf

Here are 7 books that will help to strengthen your writing craft:

  1. Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
  2. Working People Talk About What They do All Day by Studs Terkel
  3. How Fiction Works by James Wood
  4. The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
  5. Kill All Your Darlings by Luc Sante
  6. On Writing by Stephen King
  7. Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield

Happy Reading!

Cheers!

Photo by Craig Dennis on Pexels.com

I Was Failing From Success…

I was suffering from success because I was winning but I myself was suffering for the win. I said, ‘this is what success is all about’? So instead of working hard I started working smart”. ~DJ Khaled 

How many of us have been there. Workaholics we call it. Grinding away and end up suffering personally. We don’t take the time to relax and chill. Just do nothing, or play with kids, or our four-legged friends. DJ Khaled calls it “suffering for the win”.

The point is in our quest for Success, Balance is important. When we get there and there’s no joy, there’s no meaning. Find that balance.

Cheers!

 

A Writer’s Heart Desire…

Write. Read. Sleep. Wake. Write. Read. Sleep. Wake. The desires of a writer.

Steps To Achieve Your Writing Goals…

writing-career-goals

 

Bring yourself to the page and write, write, write. Dig deeper than the neat and tidy draft. Disagree with feedback and then admit it’s right. ~Andrea Jarrell

Goals: Show. Don’t Tell…

Don’t tell them your goals and dreams. Show them.

 

 

The 3 Signs Your Friends And Loved Ones Keep You Stuck…

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong. ~N.R. Nanyana Murthy

Many of us have been there. We have dreams, goals and aspirations. But we must share such desires with those closest to us to get their buy-in…and in some cases their approvals. But while we wait, it can create tension, sadness, and disappointment that causes us to become stuck. Stuck because what we want to do seems way beyond our scope of accessibility.

But there’s hope if we recognize the signs of how our loved ones and friends can hold us back from realizing our dreams.

3 Signs They Are Holding You Back

1.Their expectations

Your loved ones and friends can’t imagine you dong anything else. A colleague of mine spoke about having to convince his parents that he wanted to change careers and become an entrepreneur. He was hindered by them because they were proud of him being in his prestigious job that took care of his family.  How could he walk away from that? How will they (his parents) introduce him to their friends? What’s this entrepreneurship endeavor… they asked.

2. Their Investment

Often our loved ones hinder us because they are invested in us and expect us to stay put. Are you the main breadwinner? Will you now be putting them at risk? Is it a co-worker whose job ties closely into your own? Who will they rely on if you walk away? How will they survive?

3. Envy

The worst case occurs when friends, family, or co-workers discourage your progress simply because they envy you. They want to step out themselves but have always been afraid. They don’t have the guts to do it, so they discourage you.

Today, may you find the courage to get up and do what you have always wanted to do. Step out. In some cases it might be necessary to ‘keep your mouth shut‘. Keep your plans to yourself. Then once you have put your plans in place and are ready to go, share your decision. You’ll be guaranteed of moving on to that exciting state where change thrills as you make the leap!

Cheers!

One Book, One Pen Can Change…

One book; one pen; one child; and one teacher can change the world 

Delightful moment shared with Esther Tyson, former Principal of Ardenne High School. She shared Commentary on the Social and Educational Issues in Jamaica, at South Florida’s Book Festival at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center.

Didn’t get to make it? Copies of her book Ah Suh Me See it, Ah Suh Me Say It, available on Amazon.com, as well as copies of my books “Motivational Quotes To Boost Your Success”  and “GreenLight:When God Says Go

Cheers!

When Things Change…

Things Change …

When things change … when you’re thrown off life’s treadmill without notice, it knocks you off-balance. A friend was working with the same company for over 25 years and recently lost her balance when she was told that the job no longer existed. Though the writing was on the wall, when it happened it was like a sharp blow. Separation like death was strange. It was final.

I thought about how I could or should comfort her. But what could I say? What are the right words? Are there any right words? Questions, questions, questions.

As an HR practitioner working in the field for over 20 years I thought about what could I say to her. Here I share a few thoughts:

Rest

First, get some rest. It’s important to face the reality of the situation. After ‘grinding the mill’ for many, many years, it’s important to take some time out to relax.

Reflect

While relaxing, reflect on the next steps. What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? Does the ‘why‘ provide an opportunity to make a change in career path? A change in location? A change in mindset? Begin with the end in mind. Where do you see yourself in the next chapter of your life? Picture yourself 5, 10, or more years down the road accomplishing your goal, then work backwards.

Make A Plan

Prep The Next Steps. Once you decide on where you want to go, make a plan. Prepare for the next steps. Do you have skills that you could sell to someone else as an entrepreneur? What about exploring a different area of work. Know that the novelty of a new career endeavor is exciting. Prep that plan. Write it down.

Step Out

Step out. Act. Act on the plan that you came up with. When you start acting on the plan, review it often…at regular intervals to ensure you stay on track.

So if you have been there, lost your job and remain disappointed, dejected, or even stuck, get with the plan today. Start acting. Talk with a professional coach if needed and get your life back in order. Need help? Lets connect.

Cheers!

Painful. Staying Stuck Somewhere You Don’t Belong…

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere that you don’t belong. ~Goalcast

Do Riches Define Success? 11 Moguls Share Their Definition…

Surround yourself with like-minded and success driven people. ~Nordia C

“True success should be measured by how happy you are”…statement made by billionaire Richard Branson when asked how he defined success. Curious I decided to add to my study and research on success by asking professionals what they think success means to them. Was it all about money/ riches?

Here’s how 11 Moguls shared their spin on success:

  1. Success is how we fulfil our purpose for life and use the God-given talents we have received. ~Christine Stephens
  2. First think of what value we are creating to society before we think about what we can earn from society. When we look at it from that angle, there will always be opportunities to succeed. ~Gregory Turner
  3. Simply put, its achieving any clearly defined goals. ~Sher-Sher Milan
  4. The substance that lies within and is shared with the world. ~Maxine P.C.
  5. Your life’s purpose could be that you are called to do something that is greater than yourself. ~Susan C
  6. Achievement and accomplishments, setting one’s goals and dreams and then witnessing the fruition. ~Charmaine Allwood-Hanson
  7. Flexibility and the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want because you have the means to do it. ~Ashleigh Maitland
  8. We all learn from each other. Passion, skill and talent equal progress which leads to success. ~Monique Calder
  9. Surround yourself with like-minded nd success driven people. Nordia Cameron-cunningham
  10. Success is measured by the difference we make in someone’s life and our contribution to society. ~Hyacinth Campbell
  11. Simple things. It’s important to spend even one minute giving worthy advice. ~Ari-Anna

What’s your definition of Success? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

How Will You Know If You Have Never Tried?

 

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Photo by Igor Costa on Pexels.com

How will you know if you’ve never tried? That’s the question asked by Psychologist Dr. C. Watson. I couldn’t agree with her more. Too often we rationalize why things won’t work. But we will never know unless we try. At times we may look at the experiences of friends, colleagues, coworkers and even family members and use their experiences to judge our own.

Often we are even stuck in our fear of failure. But good things come to those who make the attempt.

Today I implore you to be bold. Step out. Try. Attempt to do the thing that you have always been afraid to do. Who knows? You may surprise yourself and accomplish great things!

Try it today!

Cheers to your success!

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