Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford
Goals, write them down. Then work them. In a recent post Yendi shared her 10 Goals. Years ago when I was expecting, I went to Lamaze class where my only child at the time would play with the instructor’s teen, Yendi.
Big Goals
Recently Yendi reflected how she wrote down her 10-year goals. Many reveal that they cannot even think that far. In Yendi’s case her dream was to enter and win the Miss Jamaica World contest. She worked it and yep, she did it! From the entry to the steps to win it … and that she did.
So make sure that your goals are BIG so you can’t miss them when they come through!
How old are you now? What dreams are you carrying. Take the time to write them…
Do you know why some people succeed while others don’t? It’s simple. They never give up.
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar
Motivation And Success. The Link
Motivation is important to success. Give a push start or a power boost to a struggling entrepreneur today. 101+ Empowering Quotes For New Entrepreneurs will ignite their new year with the desire to keep going when they feel like giving up.
Successful people press on when the going gets tough and they become discouraged. J. K. Rowling
The Meaningful Job Decision
Did I make the right choice when I was headhunted? Selena revealed that her 9-to-5 job was an exciting rollercoaster journey. Four years earlier, she was headhunted by a giant company to manage its flagship location. They had called her many times, but she avoided interview invites because of her job’s loyalty. She was not sure how to tell them that she had landed a new opportunity. As time progressed, she went away to a distant country then returned to her home country, hoping that the headhunter would have forgotten, but they had not. On arrival back home, she was invited to an interview. This time she went. Not surprisingly, she was offered the job at twice the salary.
Help someone you know move on from a difficult, stressful job. It might just be that they have been doing the job for 5, 10, 15 years and just want a change. With the book Ditch it, Switch it, you’re sure to give them the ignition to make the decision as they step into the new year.
Quiet Peace In The Midst of Life’s Storm
At three in the morning I received the most devastating news. My daughter’s Godmother had lost her 15-year-old granddaughter. She had died of a massive Asthma attack. I screamed—quietly. I asked the Lord why, why, why? I did not understand. As I sought answers, her aunt encouraged that she did not understand either, but she was safe in the Lord’s loving arms.
Months later as the still grieving mom received a copy of the book My Safe Place, she sat feeling comforted. It brought a sense of peace that quieted her heart. Consider those who mourn this holiday season. Give the gift of prayer and daily inspiration to those who are hurting from sickness, mental incarceration, and loss. GreenLight and My Safe place provides that comfort. Gift it now.
Poetry
A poet’s work … to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep
Salman Rushdie
Poems revive the soul and encourage the heart. Charmaine speaks these in her book I write. You Recite.
Purpose And Meaning
Nothing brings me more joy than a life dedicated to the personal growth and development of others. Life is about helping others along life’s way. Choose your book today and make a difference in the lives of your friends, family or foe.
Over To You
Which book has made an impact on your life? Do share, we would love to hear.
Literary Conversation With Reggae Music Matriarch Miss Patricia Chin and Retirement Guru Miss Patricia Reid-Waugh. These Pioneers Encourage Professionals who Fear Retirement that age is just a number. Big things can happen at any age. Here’s how They did it
The biggest enemies of willpower: temptation, self-criticism, and stress. These three skills —self-awareness, self-care, and remembering what matter most— are the foundation for self-control.
Try new things. That’s what I did. I tried something new. Never did a trunk or treat before. I’m not an artist unlike my daughter. I’m a creator of written work–books, poems, short stories, and an encourager through daily Motivational Quotes on instagram. But my desire to participate in the Calvary’s annual Trunk or Treat event caused me weeks of agony. As I prayed I needed help. I searched the net. The ideas gleaned were generic based on movie characters, celebrity look-alikes and such. As I agonized, I shared my concept with a friend who is a creator of art…of things unique. She joined me in the vision and it emerged into something concrete.
How I Did It
My vision was to share from my book GreenLight: When God Says Go. It’s from a series of writings and I wanted to bring it to life. I got boxes and art supplies from Michaels. Bought tap lights from Amazon to portray all green traffic lights. Painted them with green art paint. Cut holes in the boxes and glued the tap lights into the holes.
I learnt that it was important to make sure your trunk matches the trunk host so I duplicated the above and cut additional holes into the box for my arms. I added my name to a piece of art board and glued it onto a head band to wear as the name of a street, green wig in tow. Remember, I am not an artist but I was pleased with my creation and the kids seemed delighted by the tap lights. I got many kiddie ‘asks’ to tap the lights as I wore them while the adults looked on intrigued. Pictures always tell a story, so here are a few.
How did you spend your time trick or treating? Do share. We would love to hear!
Get a life, not a job! What Color is your parachute? are some of the books that speaks to those who want a change. Yes you! You want the change but are afraid to let go. To go try something new.
Recently I have been thinking about some big names of presidents, vice presidents, CEOs and others who saw themselves through the eyes of their titles. Those grave responsibilities that others who see them approaching decide to literally jump! Jump out of respect or fear that they would be fired.
And yet….these same executives have found themselves on the other side of life pondering what next? Most do not plan for their next steps simply because they so identify with their current roles that when something does arise that through no fault of their own, they find themselves like a fish out of water. They ponder…what to do?
Then there are those who are not at that level (yet) but find themselves hating the very thought of getting out of bed each morning. They tell themselves were it not for the kids college funds, the mortgage, bills, or the thought of what will I tell my friends if I am no longer employed? stay stuck in the mouse trap. Churning. But making no cheese.
Tis sad. But then again, life goes on. Before they know it, 5, 10, 15 years have passed in the same position…no fulfilment from their daily toil.
That’s where my book Ditch It, Switch It comes to the rescue. If you are brave enough this book is for you! Ditch It if you want to change career and take the brave step into entrepreneurship. Or Switch It. Go do something entirely different. A dear colleague made the brave decision to step out of media into a completely new field. Though afraid, she did it anyway and now is enjoying the fruits of something she never thought she could do. Quite refreshing she says with a big grin.
Job DemotivationSigns
Job will make you sick . Signs are
Headaches
Insomnia
Tiredness
Depression
Anxiety
Low self-esteem
Lack of confidence
Irritability and other warning signs.
The book Mid-Life Career Rescuewill help you:
Discover a job you love, and find your passion and purpose
Boost confidence, courage and self-esteem
Flame the embers of inspiration and enthusiasm
Identify and find your skills, talents, strengths, and point of brilliance
Reduce stress, insecurity, anxiety, depression and self-doubt
Improve health and well-being
Break free of a job you hate and be happy
Successfully make a career change after 50
So don’t be afraid to ditch it. Plan it. Try it and for sure with time, you’ll have no regrets.
Your Career: Ditch It, Switch It. In January I published the book,Never expected so many to heed it! Our society is experiencing the Great Resignation!
But yes it’s your time to do what you’ve always wanted to do.
It’s through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we’ve always mapped our path. ~Michael Dell
Steve Harvey
Opportunity comes when we are ready for it. Comedian and entertainer Steve Harvey share his story about his writing jokes for a colleague for sometime in exchange for $10. One day the guy didn’t show and he was encouraged to go check out the venue himself. Curiosity got the better of him and he did. He subsequently put his name in the bag for a future show but was called on when another contestant didn’t show. Suffice it to say he won and the rest is history.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs showed up to classes out of curiosity after he was fired from the company he started. His curiosity led to one of the greatest innovations of all times. The iPhone which global users compete daily with its competitor, the android.
Les Brown
I also think of Les Brown who was yearning for an opportunity in radio though he didn’t have training or experience. One day the host didn’t show because he was sick or something and he was invited to fill in with just music on the radio. Les Brown proceeded to be the talk show host. And the rest is history.
Opportunity. It’s Your Turn
What opportunity do you need to show up to? Are you ready for it? What desire(s) do you have? Make sure you are ready because you never know when the opportunity will arise. If you are not prepared then you may miss it.
Always Show up is my mantra. Do it today. Is there any personal story that you can share of an opportunity gleaned just by being there? On the other hand, is there an opportunity you missed because you did not show up? Do share. We would love to hear.
Set your Goals High and Don’t Stop until you Get There
Richard Byerley was ‘officially’ the oldest person to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. Byerley reached the summit in October 2010 at the ripe old age of 84 years and 71 days. However, his record was surpassed by Martin Kafer (85) and his wife Esther (84) in October 2012 (Kilimanjaro Guide).
Not to be outdone, the oldest woman to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m; 19,340 ft) Angela Vorobeva, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, at age 86 years 267 days, on 29 October 2015 (Guinness book of records).
Naturally, these examples of goal achievement is no small feat. What of athletes, professionals, politicians, and more? We all have goals. But what really are they? Are goals just a wish or a figment of our imagination of some ideal place that we want to be in the future? Think carefully…
Binge Watching is the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.
Dictionary.com
Patty’s text excitedly read “hey, I’m here binge watching your YouTube videos”. Hmmm an untapped medium, I thought about it and decided to share a few of the top videos. Below are 9 listed and shown below for your convenience. Go grab a snack and tune in. Build your personal growth as a writer, leader, new entrepreneur and more.
What does it take to be a writer? That was the question asked in a writers’ forum. Some think it’s rather scary to become a writer. They believe they can’t do it. But isn’t that the case with many new feats that we decide to embark on? The unknown is scary. But I always encourage you to step out afraid, scared, trembling… but do it anyway. Here I share basically verbatim responses as Professional Writers dived in assiduously with their opinions.
Characteristics Of Good Writers
Patience and determination
Perseverance, self-awareness, optimism, logic, self analysis, the ability to listen to expert input, communication skills, your own writing voice, attention to detail
A willingness to learn the skills you don’t have and 50 percent sanity and 50 percent raging eccentricity
“What kind of writer? What do you write? But let’s say FICTION. First of all endurance. You’ll write a lot of ‘crap’. I am not sorry to say. It’s just that the first few years of your writing will. General advice aside, you’ll have to work hard by writing, reading, getting the “feel” for a storyline and characters. And get a touch of the flow. You’ll begin to understand what makes a character, drives a character, what characters fear and desire. And most important what they need. You begin to feel the pulse of the story and where it goes on too thin/long and where things could be expanded on. You begin to understand archetypes too. It is a long path. But at some point you “feel” the story is right. My suggestion is to read a lot and watch good movies. Movies with well done stories and characters. Classic movies. I watched Lord of the Rings many times, it heavily uses archetypes and characters with strengths, desires, and flaws. And yes I read the book many times too! You could read Dracula, watch The Godfather and so on. The classics is where many of the deep archetypes lay”.
Imagination
Words. Words written down. Words woven into a great story.
Write. Simply write
First, ‘butt’ in the chair, pen in hand
Desire, persistence, and the willingness to learn the craft – that’s all.
Passion for writing
Read, read and read. Then you write
Commitment, imagination, and a touch of insanity
Tell a complete story. Beginning, middle and end. It’s shocking how many people can’t do this.
A touch of talent and a ton of hard work.
Keep on learning each day and move forward and up.
Thick skin
Lots of practice.
A good writer just needs something important to say
Faith
Learn to Finishing things.
Keep a journal
Time
Just be yourself. Lots of people grow up feeling like the main character of a crazy adventure novel. At least that’s how writing came easy to me. Know that revision and editing is essential. Don’t see it as too daunting and make sure you save your work. Develop that habit.
Mindset and practicing are the most important basic requirements to become a writer. The other crucial steps are the ability to experiment and research. You need to have the ability to think from different POVs and develop a strong ability of imagination by reading a lot. Building up a proper balance between your fingers and mind is important and that may only be achieved by writing on a regular basis.
To be a good writer, you have to have something to say. Writer’s block is a sign you don’t have a message. I keep a diary of daily observations and what they mean to me. Good writers have an uncanny sense of the motivation of others, and they can capture the human condition in words that repeat their/our thoughts. My diary is often the storeroom for those words. I learned long ago that eloquent words come from eloquent thoughts. You have to write them down in the moment or lose them forever. The rest is ‘craft’ (the tools of the trade, so to speak). There are so many writers, so caught up in craft, they struggle with content continually.
So there you have it, authors giving their feedback to newbies and/or those who aspire to start something new. Just do it!
In your own quiet corner you lay at night. You dream about being in the nationals. You work your butt off and that dream finally becomes real. Then you start thinking is the Olympics possible? 4 Years of hard work and sacrifice and it comes through! Millions grin with joy and you cannot help but beam. Then another 4 years to go higher. Is it possible? Can you do it again? You get to work again but pretty soon you realize the dream is no longer yours. You want to back off but start thinking … what will they say? How will they react? But really you no longer want that dream (for you).
Is it worth it to deny yourself and go after their goal? One can only think of the Olympics and the predicament of the athletes who compete. Usain bolt was one. Armed with the birth name bolt, he struck lightening as a little country boy. His natural gift blessed the world for several Olympic seasons then he decided to walk away, to change careers. Many understood but were disappointed. They had saved for several years to getaway on those blissful destination vacay under the premise of supporting their country, while being entertained.
Your Career. Your Choice.
Let’s emphasize. Whatever career you choose, it-is-your-choice. No one else’s. You have to work hard for it. Make sacrifices but in the end if you are successful, it’s yours. Naturally the salary, and the benefits of all expense paid trips are appetizing but pretty soon you get tired and may not want ‘it’ any more. That’s when you need to stand strong. To get the negatives out of your head. To ditch the career when it no longer motivates you. When it seems like a chore to get out of bed. When you feel nauseated just thinking about it. Know that is when it’s time to move on.
But First Prepare
But before you do, make that plan. Prepare yourself adequately. Making a major decision to throw in the towel doesn’t come lightly and leads to consequences. So move stealthily. Think before you leap.
The book Your Career: Ditch It Switch It prepares you and is a valuable resource before you jump ship. Want to learn more? Get it here
What about you? Have you ever had to walk away from a promising career? When you look back, did you do the right thing? Any regrets? Do share. We would love to hear.
