dreams – Page 6 – Success Strategies

What’s That One Thing That You Are Afraid Of?

Fear isn’t real. It’s something we tell ourselves.
Will Smith

A writer asked a group the Question what is the one thing that you are afraid of. Fear often grips us whether real or imagined. My interest sparked, I peered into the responses of those who were quick to chime in. Here I share:

Just simply taking a quick glance at the responses, most are not real. They are in our imagination and stays there for a while. Personally, I was afraid to jump out of a plane. I did a tandem jump and faced my fear. Many fear things like job loss, health, and loss of loved ones. But today, if there is something you fear as we start a new year, face it and move beyond your fear. Remember, fear isn’t real. It is something we tell ourselves.

Thinking that there is something waiting for me on the other side of the shower
Walking up the basement stairs at night
Ending up alone
The fear of my husband dying from an epileptic seizure due to low blood sugar
Unexpected knock at the door and the person stands in an area where I can’t see them
If I fall sick and no one knows
The concept of eternity scares me. Living forever
I am terrified of plugs being left on when there’s no plug in there. I am convinced it will cause a fire.
I’m afraid I’m going to wake up one day and it turns out I never let my ex
That I will be popular and people will be bugging me all the time
Being held down, weight on me and not being able to breathe as in swimming under water
I have an irrational fear that I rub my eye I will accidentally slop and gouge out my own eye
Dying alone in my home of a heart attack or something and having no one realize it for weeks
Someone staring back at you
Public speaking
A deer will run out in front of my car during a late night drive in the country
Chicken bone being lodged in my throat
Waking up in a house fire
Ceiling fans that one is going to get lose and fall on me
A plane falling out of the sky and crushing me
Falling off a cliff
A plane crash
Fear of Success

Cheers!

That Wretched Year…

My uncle sent me a New Years greeting that all my dreams will come through. Got me thinking about him. Retired, does he have a dream? Sure. We all have dreams. Then it took me back to a sports newscaster who retired the day before after decades in the business. It was his life. He loved it. And we love him.

But what’s next?

I thought about this wretched year as most people would describe it. Ravished by loss of life, hope, shame as most middle-class experienced wants and needs in a world rocked by a mysterious pandemic. Never before has cleanliness been so top of mind.

But what’s next?

Year Of Innovation & Creativity

Personally, 2020 was one of innovation. Creativity soared as mankind tried to survive. Children became computer wizards as they had to learn to use the tools that adults used in business to get things done. Seniors did the same. Those previously fearful of computer are now experts at zoom able to turn on or off their videos depending on whether or not they want to be seen during church services. Entertainment became virtual from tik Toc to Instagram and Facebook lives. Innovation Soared.

But what’s next?

There Is Hope

As we step into a new year, 2021, most are hopeful. They’re hoping that the wretched 2020 year will not repeat itself. For me hope is the most important thing. That being said:

I wish you health.
I wish your needs satisfied beyond what’s required
I wish you leftovers to share with others
I wish you smiles that goes deep within
I wish you a year filled with extravagant laughter
But most of all I wish you peace that only the spirit can provide.
I wish you solace that you will be able to stand firm holding onto the only one with strong support.

So as we wave this wretched year goodbye, we join together to welcome the new filled with renewed goals, dreams, aspirations. A future bright and beautiful beyond compare.

Cheers to you and yours as you cross over into a bright future.

Muah!

That Goal…Clutch It Up

My mom clutched it up! That’s what Jakob shouted when the news came of the neighbor’s new born baby on Christmas Day. To 10-year old Jakob, his goal is not to get just one gift at Christmas for birthday and Christmas. He wanted separated gifts. So he cheered his mom for clutching him up and giving birth early January.

Microwave Society

Caused me to reflect on our goals. Sometimes we give birth to our goals prematurely and it doesn’t last. Our microwave society want degrees in weeks. Marriage before couples meet. We have become so hastened that we find it hard to wait on the 30 second microwave heat. Yep. We have become an impatient society.

The Race Is Not For The Swift

But remember, the race is not for the swift. The race is for the steady. For those who are consistent in what they do. We are not talking about procrastinators. We are talking about consistent effort. Consider marathon runners and athletes, They work hard consistently and in the long run become winners. So let’s be patient and clutch up those goals. We too will achieve and experience success that lasts.

Cheers!

Forge Ahead…

To Look back is to forge ahead.

To make a difference was my simple desire. Most if not all of us want to be successful in life. So I devoted my research to the topics of Success and Leadership. Afterall you have to lead yourself to be successful. It’s hard work.

My research began in 2010 and was published in 2013. To reach the masses I did the peer reviewed business journal article followed by my first book Success Strategies. 8 books later, I am still going. Still making a difference in the lives of aspiring authors helping them to publish their own book, encouraging those new to entrepreneurship and those who wish to switch jobs but are afraid to venture out into the unknown. It’s scary but it works.

Thanks to those who were at my side at the kickoff. Here are memories in pictures thanks to Nordia.

What Gets Measured…

What gets measured gets done
William Thompson, Scottish Physicist

Love To Travel? Inherit An Ancestry 2nd Passport From Any Of These 5 Countries…

Travel is love. Travel is a dream come through for those who love to fly, set sail, or some even trek to heights untold. Mount Everest anyone? Well here is some good news! To avoid the hassle of getting a visa to enter enjoy your getaway vacation, Travel and Leisure surprised us with the list of countries you can gain a second passport from. Our grandparents or great-grandparents who came from any of these wild destinations just upped our inheritance. Take a look:

Italy
Ireland
United Kingdom
Spain
Germany

Take a deep look at your ancestry and see if you qualify. Then get packing!

Cheers!

21 Authors Share How Their Writing Journey Began…

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.

Cheers!

The Price Of Success…

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.

See you at the finish line.

Cheers!

Entrepreneurs Share Positive Learnings From 2020. Here Are 15…

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!

Stay positive,

Cheers!

What’s Your Why? Here’s Mine…

Success Strategies

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.

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My Favorite Getaway Space…

The sun, sand and sea is my favorite place to be.

I was asked to write about my favorite space to share with a visiting friend. I must confess that my love of nature transcends everything. It provides inspiration and a peace that boosts my writing prowess. That said, as my friend Chrissie comes for a 5-Day-visit, I will steal away to the island that captivates. None other than Captiva Island in Sunny Florida. It is a place I getaway to whenever I need to relax and unwind. When you get to Captiva Island, it feels like you are away from all the worries and cares of the world. Indeed the perfect distraction. The rooms overlook the bay or garden, your choice dependent on your budget.

Once I hosted a group business session at the end of the year to this ideal place. The goal was to reflect about plans for the new year with entrepreneurs and career changers. Suffice it to say, the two-day retreat and planning session went well … with participants so relaxed that it provided the right spot to add a bit of future gazing.

Back to my friend. Chrissie is an entrepreneur. So I figured that would be the ideal getaway place for her. Not only is she guaranteed to relax all week, there is no doubt the time would go by in a flash through this envious plan.

5-Day Getaway Plan

Day 1:
Road trip to Captiva
Lunch at Wicked Wings, a low-keyed hole in the wall pub that satisfies starving travelers before hitting the road to their final destination

Day 2:
Relax in the Sun, Sand, Sea engulfed in a delightful adventure riding the waves

Day 3:
Spa Day – Body massage, Facial, Mani and Pedi, a sure rejuvenation for the exhausted

Day 4
Shopping and Late dinner at the Harbor Side Bar and Grill

Day 5
Early morning beach wet. Late breakfast followed by reluctant afternoon ride back to the fast life.

Where’s your favorite getaway space? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

The Biggest Challenge Writers Face….

Success Strategies

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