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.
-Kelly McGonigal
The Biggest Enemies of Willpower…
Tag: writers
Your Words Matter. Online Literary Magazine…
Your Words Matter- Your Words Have Power
Dr. Ralph Hogges
YOUR WORDS MATTER – WORDS HAVE POWER
Words can create the Power of Faith and Hope.
Words can create the Power of Love and Compassion.
Words can create the Power of Unity and Cooperation.
Words can create the Power of Truth, Honesty and Fairness.
Words can create the Power of Freedom, Justice and Equality.
Embracing our Literary Voices,
The Enduring Power, Creative Joy,
And Beauty of Words,
We Unleash Our Infinite
Power of Imagination and Creativity.
— Ralph Hogges
Access the work of Literary Artist in the November, 2021 issue here
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Poet’s Defining Moment. The Story Of A Mother As Told By A Daughter…
The Story of a Mother as told by a Daughter.
A Literary Conversation with Author & Poet Susan Lycett Davis (Dr Sue)
A Miami Book Fair annual Author Feature
Living a HIP Life is a Great inspirational stocking stuffer available from Dr Sue and on Amazon
Listen in https://bit.ly/3C1cQ76
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GreenLight’s Trunk Or Treat Candy Squeals…
Try New Things
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!
Cheers!
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Stuck In A Rut? Books For Career Changers…
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 Rescue will 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.
Cheers!
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The Great Resignation…
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.
Learn How That Fear Ditch It
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Show Up. That’s All He Did.…
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.
Cheers!
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Sell More Books This Holiday. Here’s How…
Writers write. Readers read. Together they are one.
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The holiday season brings many opportunities for authors. Families, co-workers, friends, networkers and even the Grinch shop for the perfect Gifts for book-lovers. From fiction, non fiction, Poetry, Sci-fi and sweet holiday romance for those hallmark enthusiasts who dream not only of movies but to curl up in the warmth of Christmas bliss. Their goal? To get lost in the world of the ideal relationship.
Marketers go crazy to capture the holiday magic for those on the naughty or nice list. So why shouldn’t authors…well author-preneurs participate? It’s become a common trend for non-traditional publishers to want to optimize the sweet fruits of their labor. They want to see their hard work nicely wrapped under the Christmas tree or at minimum, stuffed into Christmas stockings.
So how can authors prepare? I was chatting with a group of self published and traditionally published authors who long to boost their holiday sales. Why have the books gathering dust on Amazon’s platform or even yours? It seems the practice is to write it, publish it, and forget it, with the hopes that writing and publishing the book will attract sales. Not so. It does not work that way. Not for any type of author. The point is, after your book is published… unfortunately that’s when the hard work begins. You have to make the world know that it exists. So here are a few simple tips to help get you started. Don’t be overwhelmed. Choose one, two or a few and prepare for the most wonderful time of the year.
Create That Holiday Plan
- Create a plan for the holidays. I am a firm believer in the saying if you are not planning you’re just practicing.
- Evaluate where you are now and where you would like to be at the end of the holiday period. For example, you could include factors like doubling or tripling your year-to-date sales. If you are an experienced author with several books, take a loo at your past holiday sales. Project an increase in sales over past years.
- Plan to up your Marketing and Promotional strategy. Sometimes just a little effort goes a long way from doing nothing at all.
- Update your book covers. Make it festive (easier if you’re self-published) but whatever you do, make sure your cover looks professional.
Your Holiday Author Platform
- Become more visible
- Get your website holiday ready
- Update your Amazon Author Central profile
- Get more amazon reviews
- Make your book covers more festive
- Update your book description
- Update your author bio. It’s a good idea to edit and review often on your amazon page. You would be surprised when you look back you seem to be looking at a stranger who essentially is a person you hardly recognize. Think of this like a resume. Update frequently.
- Get a professional photo done and spread it across the different media networks
Build That Strategic Audience
- Set up or expand your mailing list
- Write blog posts
- Create a newsletter… if that’s on your agenda
- Find and connect with your audience. Engage, engage, engage them
- Offer free holiday shipping
You may also like From Books To Bucks
Get Social
- Update your Social Media Profile
- Do a holiday-themed hash tag search
- Dig a little deep and find out who your followers are
- Create images of your books in holiday settings on instagram
- Create your own 12-Days of Christmas
Show. Don’t Tell
- Increase your book reviews. Aim for 25 which means you have to go after many in order to get this done. You will receive promises but usually only lower percentage will come through
- Create gift bags and other swags for giveaways
- Create holiday videos. Already doing that? Do some more
- Have a series? Make the first book FREE
- Prep your own 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways
Holiday Party Connect. Collaborate.
- Collaborate with other authors in Holiday Book Events
- Participate in Holiday Book Guide
- Gifts for the Poetry Lover
- Gifts for the Sci-fi lover
- Gifts for the child reader enthusiasts
- Invite your fans to an “ask the author” virtual Holiday party on social media
- Get involved in local festivities (holiday markets, local fairs etc.)
- Contact local independent bookstores
Hope these few tips will help get you underway. There are tons more but these few will get you started. Don’t get overwhelmed. Choose one, two or a few and Sell More Books this Holiday!
Cheers!
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What’s Life All About?
Life is what you make it
What’s your life all about? That’s the question i asked 10 year old Xavier. Seriously and Without hesitation he replied Video games, basketball, God, watching TV. Gotta give him credit, he knew exactly what he was about.
At that young age, life can be easy. But what about you and me? As we grow older it’s important for us to ‘get a life’ as the common saying goes. Mine is about and encouraging personal growth of anyone in my sphere of influence.
Today I encourage you to Reflect, start planning and take action.
What’s your life all about? Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
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What Are The Requirements To Be A Writer? 25 Authors Share…
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!
Cheers!
You may also like Write. Just Write
Photo by Djordje Petrovic on Pexels.com
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What Happens When Your Goal And Dream Become Theirs?
It’s Your Choice
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.
Cheers!
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It’s August Goal-Seekers. Anything’s Possible With These Quick Tips…
It’s August. Anything’s Possible
Dr. Shelly c
It’s August. Way past mid-year. How are your Goals progressing? Go check the list and the strategies you wrote. Didn’t record them? Sad… because that’s the first step in your goals being manifested. But no fear, it’s never too late. Write them down now. Add strategies…you know… those ways to achieve them. Don’t forget to include deadlines to hold yourself accountable.
Connect With Your Network
Progress slowed? Pandemic in the way? Frustration aside, if you’re a writer, keep writing. Don’t stop. New entrepreneur? Keep plugging. Keep pushing. Build in that daily motivation and that resolve to never give up. You will get there.
Need to change that frustrating job? Don’t quit. Plan. Revisit and update your public profile (Resume, LinkedIn). Connect with your network. Get those leads. Don’t forget the traditional job search methods and applications but do combine it with networking. It’s one of the primary ways to get a job and other leads.
Dive into the book Ditch It Switch for help. Valuable tips included.
Need help? Let’s connect.
Cheers!
