It turns out I didn’t really like any of the blog themes I tried out recently. Not as much as I like my current theme, anyway. So what’s a girl to do to get some change? Take a different route, and spruce things up a bit.

I decided to make just a few cosmetic changes to this theme to suit me(like the color on my h- tags here to blue from gray). Behind the scenes, I’m going to try to get more into the PHP of things and customize a theme. A new pet project that I’ve been wanting to get into. I’m taking it behind the scene so I can spend just my free time until I get it where I want it.

I want to make my own theme from scratch one day. For now I want to be able to use themes I like and customize them as much as I want.

Complementing Current Skills and Interests

I’ve mentioned from time to time how important it is to be cross trained. It can improve your understanding of seemingly unrelated topics. In college, I tried really hard to get out of taking Chemistry I. My contention was, I was never going to have a job that required that. My boss at the time explained to me that it would touch all of my jobs. He said beyond teaching about chemicals, it would train the thinking process.

I passed the class and hopefully I got the benefit that he pointed out. Can’t really say for myself. But what he said to me taught me to embrace the many things I’m interested in and to pursue them even if they may seem unrelated. If there’s an interest, within reason, pursue it—you never know what it might lead to. That’s my take, anyway.

Do you find growth opportunities in minor challenges? What do you do about that?

Related posts

1. 6 skills to increase your marketability
2. Cross Training for Personal Gain
3. Good Stuff during Slow Times

I believe in life-long learning, which is why I pick up on skills, tips and techniques wherever I can. But, there must be more structure right now to get to the next phase of marketability. I’m taking the big plunge and have decided to pursue computer certifications. It’s a win win solution and I’ll tell you why.

What the heck does that have to do with writing?

It’s kind of involved. I like fiddling with the innards of computers. I’ve done it as needed for minor things. Unjamming copiers, adding RAM and drive bays. I was learning so much on the job, until they canceled the program and I was forced back into my regular position.

And certification is my way to work out two things. First, I’ll be better positioned for a computer job. Second, that job will let me relax about finances (a little) and write with less stress and distractions. Third, getting a good position means I’ll be able afford the tools of my writing habit. Like paper, pens and printer ink, and postage in case I want to send snail mail submissions.

Why go through all the fuss of certification?

Seriously, that’s an easy question for me. Some employers require certifications to trust that you know what you’re doing when you walk through the door. For others, it just makes them more willing to trust that you can prove yourself once you walk through the door. Either way works if you’re the one with the certification because so many positions list it as a requirement to be eligible for consideration. Here’s the thing though, it can work in my benefit to have it, too.

Three BIG benefits are why I’ve decided to go for it, finally.

1. It puts employers on notice that I’m are interested in using a particular skill set.
2. It puts me in the lead when others equally skilled, don’t have the certification.
3. It can get me more money.

So, I’m not putting down the writing. Computer work will give me the space to write without the pressure of saying I have to do this for money. No, I’m not trying to be able to write for free. Just peacefully.

A Few Concerns

I have to find the training or learn it on my own. Not sure which way I’ll go with that.

Paying for the training, or self study, and the exam will mean that I have to work with what I have more effectively than I have so far. I’ll let you know in a few months how it turns out.

I think I can…I think I can…

I’ve been on this blog in quite a while. It occurred to me that I need to put this blog away, retire it and continue with my writing work blog, The Word ‘Mage Blog. While I was away, I worked on other projects and on my other blogs.

Some interesting things have occurred in my life recently. Hurt feelings, choices, soul searching and prayer have brought me along the way to a positive observation. What helps me is keeping my journal. I write for review and for keeping track of my journey.

On the Right Track

I battle with fear and feelings of inadequacy as I know many people do. And, sometimes those thoughts lead to useful self-evaluating, soul-searching review of what is for me in this world. I’ve asked these questions again early this year for two reasons.

1. I have been reviewing what makes me happy and what makes me money. I want to be sure they blend seamlessly. And that leads me to number two.
2. I want to be fairly certain that I’m putting my full forces behind the best possible choices for my future. Time is constantly running down and I feel renewed and inspired continually to be sure I’m making all of it that I can.

I’ve been working on my blogs, web design projects and traveling. I find that I like what I’m doing and want to step it up a bit. Even increasing my workload is not going to do everything. It’s time to get certifications in areas that have them. So, that will be my focus for now. And it gives me another reason to continue this blog.

Blogging Focus

Sometimes I feel like I’m the last person to do everything. Then I remember that there are people newer than I, and for them and me, I want to record my mini journeys along the way. These stories that I read from others help me a lot, and I want to try to pay it forward.

I’ve written about journaling from time to time because I think it’s really helpful for many reasons. And interestingly, it’s longer just about talking about journaling here. This blog has become an online journal for me and I want to let it continue in that line for now.  Since writing is the common thread through all that I do, nothing has to change on the face of things.

Still, to celebrate the decision and focus, I think I will change the face of this blog. I’ve really enjoyed this theme. But really it does feel a little—clinical. I want it to be a warmer setting. So, that will be the big change for this site. And the fact that I will be keeping it a while longer is a great thing for me. I hope you ultimately think so too.

So, I close out the first quarter with a clearer purpose for this blog. And, I have the validation that other avenues I’m pursuing are important and correct for me, as I work to have multiple streams of income.

As you may have noticed, making a fortune is not the main purpose for blogging. It’s just so that any who walk my way through writing and life, may benefit from where I’ve placed my feet, whether to follow or not. What benefit do you find in personal blogging?

The following are general life areas that very important. And they can bring to bear, a great deal of negative stress. Negative stress is the chronic, debilitating stress that threatens to block your productivity.

Stresses have threatened and succeeded in impeding my work on occasion. Still there are ways to manage them that can shorten their stay.

1. Health: Most of us get sick from time to time. But if you start to notice the same minor illnesses popping in often, it may be an indicator that you need to change some things.

Often times poor health is a result of missing your sleep, worry, and of poor diet. It may have been okay to lose sleep for days on end when you were young, in school, playing, but for work being sleepy can make you punchy and destroy your focus.

So, to help put off chronic, minor health issues, to think clearly and work most effectively, it’s important to get your proper rest and sleep. Worry can be alleviated by sleep, which points up how circular this situation can be. Worry can also be alleviated by keeping a journal, #7 below.

2. Diet: A healthy diet can affect your work day. There are many options to choose from and dietary suggestions are all over the internet, if you’re healthy enough to eat what you want. If not, consult your health care provider. Here are some suggestions that I followed that help me.

1. Eat fruit for breakfast.
2. Let your first drink of the day be water.
3. Eat light lunch to fuel your body without over filling.
4. Between meal snacks should be brain foods.
5. Dinner should be nutrition packed and not too heavy. If you eat before an evening workout, allow for that drain by having a healthy snack or juice after.

3. Tools: I have simple equipment to do my work. My tools need to work. Computer, external drives, scanner, phone. And I get a little bent out of shape when they don’t work.

When my external hard drive is really behaving oddly. It turns on and off as it pleases. Once for 2 days I fiddled with the thing, the outlets and the connections. I was about to pull it apart when I moved it to a different outlet on my surge protector, (again). A few seconds later, I heard the familiar whir letting me know it was booting up. Finally I called in because it made no sense. From my detailed description of my experiences and experiments, I was diagnosed with needing a new power cord. Since I replaced that I’ve had no more trouble.

Needless to say the experience of possibly losing my external drive gave me a lot of stress.

1. It’s not just backup, it’s also primary storage for many files
2. It’s larger than my internal drive, so it’s not like I could move it back to my computer at all
3. It was giving my problems at a time when I really wanted to focus on the project I was in the middle of

Make sure your tools are current and in good working order. Learn all you can about the tools you use, so that you can use them efficiently, without having to learn every time you use them.

Make sure you have the proper backup system for your needs. If you don’t have a backup system and you don’t worry about it, it may be because you never lost critical data. In that case, preempting such an experience will save you more than you know.

4. Family: My family will make demands from time to time, with no regard to my work or my plans. They make noise, ask questions, make plans, and assume I’m available.

Most times it’s light-weight stuff that I can easily counter. However, there are those times when the pressure to accommodate and comply is stepped up. You know when you can be available. When you can’t protect your space like your income depends on it—because it does.

Over time teach your family that your work and activities matter, even if it is work at home. Some people take it less seriously when you’re at home.

1. Keep a schedule that allows time for family and activities—unless that’s not part of your reason for working at home.
2. Have your boundaries of space and time set clearly for family members to see.
3. Leave home sometimes when there are unavoidable schedule conflicts. You don’t want to miss deadlines if you can help it.

5. Friends: My friends pressures are far different from my family. It’s passive rather than active, like with my family. They invite me to things, and the enticement takes on a life of it’s own. Once the invitation is received and the phone is hung up, I spend my time trying to make happen, whatever was asked.

I get caught up in the vacillation. Yes, I can go. No. I better not. But if I move this and hurry that, then I might just make it. But, wait! I can’t rush that; I’ll miss something.

If none of this sounds familiar, never mind. But, if you’re like me and have great friends that don’t push you into anything, only try to include you, then you know the pressure inherent in being included in fun stuff. This is just another area where self-discipline can see you through. You don’t have to be perfect, just good.

1. Schedule in fun activities when you’re not working.
2. Put your work first. If you can finish it, so much the better. If not, be aware of how much time you’ll need to get the job done and take that time.
3. Reschedule with your friends, if you have to. Friends will understand.

6. Community: We are social creatures. That means we require some measure of social interaction. If you work alone all day, and all night when you’re pressed, you need to find social interactions. It takes more than staying abreast of things by reading the news listening to the radio. Social interaction is how you keep your finger on the pulse of humanity. And isn’t that what you draw on to write whatever you write?

While this is less obvious for people who live with families, it can be a problem for them too. If you’re a writer, (1) you need to be able to communicate with an audience of at least one; (2) you need to be aware of topics and trends that proliferate the airwaves if you write time specific pieces; and (3) you need to network to get your ideas shared.

1. Talk to people online via social networking.
2. Get out and connect with friends and family.
3. Read blogs on topics that interest you and leave useful comments.

Find the fun side of participating. As people who write out of passion and drive, we do have a tendency to want to isolate. Often we feel that this is our more natural state and participation is purely an effort. (Maybe I’m just telling on myself.) In either case, it’s important to make that effort. Finding common ground with others can be a major source of positive reinforcement and knowledge. You’d be surprised at the many things you can learn from people.

7. Writing: It’s not just for work. Writing helps you to work things out, the list out your concerns before they become worries. Keep a personal journal for writing out your random thoughts. It can help you to organize your thoughts. Eliminating the chaos in your thoughts can make you much less stressful throughout your day.

1. Write in a notebook. The physical action of writing can help you connect more deeply to your quiet, nagging thoughts.
2. Write in private where you are free to be fully uncensored, and don’t censor yourself.
3. Think about the fact that you’re not writing solutions, but problems concerns and observations. Often the solutions will come.
4. Keeping a journal can also help you to be prepared for other eventualities that upset your balance.

So that’s it for these seven stress areas. I hope you got something out of some of them. There are other areas that can stress you, putting you out of balance, and making productivity very slow. Be vigilant and be pro-active to counter the effects of stress.

If you have stress areas, how do you deal with them?

Reasons to Have Faith

Fortunately, I do have things, skills, knowledge and drive, that I can draw on. I know how to do stuff and I know how to get through the slow times, but I get hung up.

Sadly, I still struggle with an on-going consciousness rife with self-doubt. The moment I get things wrong or mess them up, it brings me to a place of intense despondency. (And I think that might be an oxymoron.) That is the time when I think that there’s no point in continuing. It’s time to give up and throw in the towel. But I get through it.

I’ve actually gotten better about this over the years. And I’ve added tools to my arsenal of doubt-fighting. I read other writers, blog writers who are real people writing about their experiences.

Blogging people have in common that they are willing to share their fallibility. And in so doing, they make me know I am not alone neither in making mistakes nor in trying to avoid them, correct them, or learn from them. Among these same fallible people, I find individuals who don’t give up because they know they’re supposed to grow. I find and I learn from people who push themselves and others to be better, to do better, and to start where they are.

To read from some of the people that help me to continue to grow and keep the faith, visit the people on my blogroll. It’s a short list but these are the guys who get me through. There are others who I learn from and still more who show me what not to do. These guys maintain blogrolls that are great resources along with the great content they provide.

Stemming the Motivation Fall-off

A major lesson I take from working towards a goal: Your motivation has to come from within. And when your spark is flickering as if to go out, it’s critical to know what fuels your fire and tap into it. Have you even read something that made you want to pick up your pen, or change the way you do a thing? Have you ever taken a walk, or stretched, or visited a gym and had your ideas fall all out of your head on your way home?

Such an experience happened to me recently. In the throes of not completing my NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words, self-doubt started to bleed into everything. My story line became suspect. I thought there was no way to pull it off. My poems came under fire of my evil critic. The final verdict: Favor the world and just give up.

My anguish over this obvious failure, plus the words of my critic, plus any negative feedback I have ever received, told me that I was wrong to continue. It was best to stop now and spare the world. It was time to focus on my day job and quit the tomfoolery of wanting to be a writer, a poet, one paid to string words together on paper—again. (It didn’t matter that I’d done it before.)

What Helps?

Self-Acceptance
Release yourself from the pressure of having to perform. If you fail, you don’t necessarily die, you just have to start over or revise your schedule. Accept wherever you are and keep breathing. (I don’t participate in the writing projects that say write or die–I just take it to heart that much sometimes.)

Exercise
It’s different for everyone but there is one, often more than one solution to help you. There was one for me. My solution came to me after I was reduced to tears, after I was forced to acknowledge the failure I am. I gave up. I let go and moved away from the work. I got some breakfast and stretched. It was actually a workout that pulled out sweat to camouflage my tears. Endorphins are a writer’s best friend.

Reflection
I began to recall my skills and dreams that got me to this point of wanting to write. There were good things I’ve done, and have yet to do. Appreciating that I didn’t miss all my goals helps too. I remembered that I had a skill which while not perfect, was present for me to cultivate it. And I thought about how the novel manuscript is still alive as long as I don’t throw it away.

Journaling
If you don’t keep a journal, consider trying it. My journal helps me to get things out of my head as the jumble it is. Laying them out on paper can often bring me surprising clarity and enhanced focus.

Movement
I went right back to the activities that worked to scare the hell out of me. Continuing the poetry and the novel manuscript (albeit not on time) is moving forward. That is a how I am a giant success. I move forward in the face of my fear. Sometimes I even stick my tongue out at it.

Related Post

• i love my personal journal
• 5 benefits of keeping a personal journal

I made my list last night, and allowed for Twitter and Facebook and blogging. After that, it was down to the projects that had deadlines. Two things went into this plan.

Time to Play

Twitter and Facebook are like play time for me. It’s where I get to relax, share with and learn from others. It’s my personal growth resource and that’s important. People try to say social media is bad, like guns and hate mail. You know, I find it’s always the person driving the vehicle that determines it’s benefit or danger.

And there are those who say it’s useless. The stats paint a different picture. If you are participating in marginal activities and hear naysayers in your head, it can be distracting. Know what’s important to you and include it in your tasks. Including the lighter tasks breaks up your day in positive ways.

Clear Outcomes

Sometimes my list is murky at best, with varied what ifs and maybes, and open ended deadlines. Those lists are helpful guides. Still, when I can be concrete, it helps me to formulate a clear vision in my head. Visualization helps me to know where I’m headed, how I’m getting there and when I’ve arrived.

Knowing What Comes Next

Generally, I like to go with the flow. And I like that flow inside of structured time. This afternoon, I’m going to be free and veg out in front of the TV for two hours. I’m going to indulge a guilty pleasure and watch back-to-back episodes of Murder, She Wrote. I’ll be sitting in the midst of a pile of books on writing and one for book club meeting this Sunday. And when I’m done with that, the next thing on my list will be waiting for me.

So, I have my list of things to accomplish. The goals are clearly delineated and I’m free to get to them however I see fit. And, at the end of the day, when I’ve put a line through as much as I can do I will feel content as long as I’ve done my best.

Do you find that planning helps or impedes your progress?

Writing Projects

This year, I re-upped for NaNoWriMo and I think it’s going to be good. So far, the writing is leading me in interesting ways. The characters are developing and populating effortlessly. And feels like it’s okay because it’s early in the month. I say feels like because it’s been a very long time since I sat to write a long story. And I don’t remember ever having had any measure of discipline about the process.

That’s completely not the case with NaNoWriMo. If you’re not familiar with it, this project gives writers 30 days to write 50,000 words. Your manuscript is likely to be crap, but it’s not the goal to write the next great American novel. Your goal is to get the 50,000 words written in 30 days–period. You finish it, upload it for verification, and you win.

Now, if that wasn’t enough activity for the month, I heard about the 2009 November Poem a Day Chapbook Challenge over at Poetic Asides. Writing poems is more my interest since I’ve done that for many years. I’m participating in that project too. And I’m keeping up, though it’s a little strained right now.

Getting it Done

The challenge now is to pick a schedule that accommodates everything. Because, at 1 poem and 1667 words a day, I can do both easily. When I sit down to write, the words come easily right now. I have to try to write during my optimal writing hours. So tomorrow I’ll be waking very early to write, something I stopped doing quite a few years ago.

The Journal

Since the writing is fiction and poetry, I’m logging it over at my other blog, Telling Stories. You can visit there for details and updates. And I’ll be updating the meters here in my sidebar. As for this blog, I may either step up my writing or fall off for a bit. Please be patient with me, as I’m not retiring this site yet.

Connect With Me

If anyone is participating in NaNoWriMo or PAD Chapbook Challenge this year, best of luck to you! You can add me as a NaNo writing buddy by clicking on my participation badge in the sidebar. And of course there are all the other ways you can connect with me.

If you want to drop me a note of encouragement or advice, please feel free to leave a comment. I always want to hear about useful things that might help me or someone else.

Recently, I watched an emotionally charged video. It was a sad story of a young girl sentenced to life in prison at age 16. At the time she made the video she’d already served 13 years. Her story, her voice, her tears were evocative, certainly. I felt compelled to be angry on her behalf. I was even skeptical of a commenter who said the young woman’s sentence was justified.

Beyond the fact that the content affected me emotionally, it got me thinking about just what made it such a powerful video.

What Made it Effective?

I wanted to know just how the producer/editor team was able to work me so? What elements t made this video speak so clearly to me? And I compared it with TV and movies to see what gets me so invested. Here are some of the things that can engage me deeply with what I’m viewing.

1. Believable characters - The woman had a believable demeanor.

If you look like you’re lying, I’m gonna shut down. And, I suspect I’m not alone in this.

2. No excessive expression - The woman cried but not throughout.

Overly dramatic, thespian-class delivery has the  same effect of causing me to shut down. It makes me not believe what I’m being shown.

3. Sense of fair play - She agreed she needed punishment, but thought her sentence was excessive.

Sharing opponents’ points, even some, makes me feel like I’m being fair and reasonable with a good sense of comprehension. And, really, most of us want to think we’re being fair, right?

4. Detailed the situation - The speaker told what her relationship was to her victim.

Sharing your relationship with the subject of your article isn’t always necessary or possible. But when you can, you’re tapping a potential wellspring of empathy, sympathy and compassion from your audience if you deliver it right. The persons who put this video together did a good job of cultivating my interests and swaying my opinion

5. She was brighter than her circumstances - She had positive things to say about her circumstance and possible future.

When I see the heart strings videos, movies, news segments, I always want to have a small hope at the end. For me there’s nothing worse than being brought low and LEFT there. This was not the video to leave me laughing and dancing. However, it imparted a measure of hope, even though a brighter day needed major changes in something.

What Reaches You, Reaches Others

The weight of the video was on the young woman speaking. In fact, no one else was heard or seen on the video. Not even the interviewer, although the speaker was obviously answering questions. From this solo expression, I still came away with the sense of the rest of the story. And I considered that my reaction probably would be in favor of the interviewee even after hearing the rest.

Whatever you write, no matter how sad, violent, disappointing, cutting, it’s important to give back in replacement of what you pull out of your audience. When I wrote medical stuff, the diseases were really scary to contemplate. But there’s hope. We never ended on the grossness of the ailments. Instead we’d go back around to the front tying in with whatever the upside might be. Yes, disease x is debilitating, but it’s reparable and preventive. And your kids don’t have to have it either.

Using these five points, I write to get the attention of my audience. It’s not the same for every type of writing but I look for chances to use them in my writing assignments. I’ve been using variations of these points to get attention for many years, and they still come through.

Try it out for yourself. Look for ways to use these points and let me know how it works for you.

I was tired, chronically running on E, and sleep didn’t matter. It was a draining experience. All the life seeped out of me before the workday ended. By close of work, it was all I could do to get home and crash.

It was more like slide, really. All the energy I once had to go to the store or run other errands after work was gone. In fact, I was too whatever to sleep. I would just lie across my bed sometimes for hours, until I found the strength to shower, eat, and go to bed.

What was sapping the life out of me was work. It turned out I was doing the wrong work, or it was a negative work situation. And, when work is a problem, it can easily spiral into life. It took me a while to figure this out, and then to acknowledge it.

The first problem: I have what I call “The Chameleon Syndrome.” Whatever people want from me, I want to deliver—whenever I can. The second problem: I’m very sensitive to being out of harmony with myself. The wrong work created such negative dissonance as to cause physical, adverse reactions, certainly mental and emotional glitches.

These two problems caused me a great deal trouble. The second problem caused me to be deeply unhappy and dissatisfied. The first problem kept me returning for more. I learned this had been my pattern for many years. Only as I got older, the physical and mental reactions intensified.

I was sad—actually sad. And much of the time, nothing helped easily. Tears came easily. My work was tapping me, even my reserve, and giving nothing back. I wasn’t sure why. It was easy stuff for me. And yet I made horrible, egregious mistakes. It was as if my subconscious mind was yelling at me and I was too deaf to hear. So it acted: If I wasn’t aware enough to quit, it was going to get me fired.

Hard to believe, right? I know. I didn’t want to see it for what it was either. Lucky me, I know this to be true. (That was sarcasm.) You don’t have to take my word for it. The problems are real. And the solutions are attainable. Look around. Ask around. Read up.

In fact work—W-O-R-K—is the 4 letter word that is taking on a new positive connotation. It is the case that the face of WORK is changing, and so is the feeling toward it.

Why the New Attitude toward Work?

Let’s face it, most of us have little problem with the idea of working. And that’s good because people have more external pressures to work now, than ever. We just want a little peace on the job, right? Right now, many of us are feeling the pinch of not being able to find work we love. Interestingly enough, we’re less inclined to settle for passable jobs in less-than-optimal work environments.

More and more people are coming to understand that it is important and feasible to be happy in their jobs. In fact, being happy in your work goes beyond reasonable, it’s actually common sense. So, with increasing frequency, people are discovering that the key is to find their passion and have that be their work. It’s reminiscent of Neo and the others waking from The Matrix, isn’t it? Very cool! You can wake too.

Check Yourself and Your Workplace

It’s a far cry from the times when people were forced to abandon family traditions to pursue their dreams. Still, the idea of uprooting yourself, redressing your life situation is big, without a doubt. It’s important, then, to know that you’re making the right choice. If you’re anything like me, you look to yourself as possibly the problem, and you try to figure out what you’re doing wrong. But what if there’s more than you who’s a problem?

Adria Richards posted a video at AskAdria.com called 10 Signs Your Boss Sucks¹. She discusses indicators on the job that may mean you need to leave. Gossip and disrespect can really make your work life a misery. These are 2 of the issues mentioned. Watch her video and see if any points sound similar to your work situation.

Gretchen Rubin has listed 12 questions to as yourself during your review of your job situation². She suggests you take a look at your interactions in the workplace, with your boss and peers. Consider whether or not you know what’s expected of you. Then ask, do you have the tools you need? Her questions present a good frame to review your work situation.

And if you need to, change yourself to suit your work. You know how I said I have to check myself first? The reason is so that I can be as sure as possible that I’m making the right choices. If it’s the work I chose, I’m going to try to love what you do, like it or not. It may be only a minor attitude adjustment is needed. However, it may turn out that you need a new boss or a new line of work.

Ultimately, no change will matter if you don’t know what motivates the change. See how important it is to know what you are passionate about?

This new, possible work environment is looming before us, there for the taking. It’s almost a nebulous, ethereal goal when looking out from the throes of discontent. Still, people are moving toward this new work plan en masse, to earn their livelihood in an equitable and peaceful environment.

How to Find Your Passion

You don’t only check yourself to see if your in the right frame of mind. You have to look within for another reason. Remember I mentioned my chameleon syndrome? You may have that too. You need to ask: Are you doing what you’re passionate about? Or is it what everyone expects of you? Determining whether or not you’re doing what your passionate about, is an integral part of your peaceful work experience.

The barrier that must be torn down is one borne of conditioning. Whether it’s being groomed for the family business, the family hopes, or what teachers told us; we learned to behave as expected. (I did, anyway.) Many people know they want something new, different from what they’ve done for years. But, they can’t quite hear their heart-song any more. The first thing that must be done is to find your passion, which brings me to my final resource.

In the picture above my niece and nephew proclaimed they were conducting an experiment with the last of their bubbles liquid on the patio table.

When I think of doing the work I really enjoy, I’m reminded of doing work that feels like child’s play. Once I get started, the hours might pass like minutes. Sometimes I get a twinge in my stomach when I have to stop. You know that poke that makes you want to keep going when it’s time to put your toys work away? That twinge is what I’m referring to.

The final resource I want to point you to is Four Steps for Living Your Flame³, by Kirk Byron Jones. In it, he presents inspirational and faith based reasons for pursuing our passions as well as steps to help find purpose, to find what burns within. Read his message and try the four steps to help you find your passion.

Please take a moment to complete my poll, in the sidebar. Are you doing the job that keeps you inspired?

Are you getting the message from your body that your life needs to change? Get passed your blocks of getting by and pleasing others, and hear from yourself.

Remember the child’s play stuff you like to do. I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment, link back from your blog, or email me at sharils@blogaboutwriting.com.

Resources:

1. 10 Signs Your Boss Sucks, from the video archives at AskAdria.com
2. Are You Happy at Work? 12 Questions to Ask Yourself, by Gretchen Rubin
3. Four Steps for Living Your Flame, by Kirk Byron Jones

Related posts:

• love what you do…like it or not
• getting to the sweet spot of writing work
• balance: have your cake and eat it too

You can’t Put Sleep Off Safely

It’s not because your brain turns off. Quite the contrary, in fact. Many people claim to need 3 or 4 hours of sleep and they’re fine. And, while they may actually be able to function, they are putting their bodies at risk by obstructing some very important activities. During sleep, your conscious mind shuts off and your unconscious mind gets busy. Your unconscious mind does some pretty amazing things physically and mentally.

Physical Regeneration

The health benefits of sleep should entice you to get the rest you need. Your body heals at an accelerated rate with the natural production of a proteins that help to repair the body. Proper sleep allows your body time to get rejuvenated from regular activities of life, as well as extra exertions.

Mental Regeneration

There is much that remains unknown about the way the brain works. What is known is quite interesting. When you dream, your brain actually works through events and problems. You may not recall the dream the next day. However, it may happen is that you discover you have a solution to a problem, answer to a question that had eluded you the day or days before.

What is Proper Sleep?

No, it’s not an official term. It speaks to what I’ve found to be optimal conditions for sleep for me. Say you’re tired, it’s been a long day. No way you won’t sleep. I’ve had nights when I know that I was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. But it takes more than a full day, tiredness, or even exhaustion to get your best sleep. To get the full benefit of sleep, it helps to get enough hours and be in a good sleep environment.

Enough Hours

You can push yourself relentlessly, trying to make everything happen when you insist. It probably won’t work: you could likely put everything and more in jeopardy. And you still won’t have your work done.

I tried to push myself to work until the wee hours of the morning, during the weekdays. Then on the weekends, I would sleep for most of the day. People call this make up sleep or some such thing. In the short-run, it works—kind of, temporarily. But, there are long-term dangers, including permanently disrupting your sleep pattern. You can see how that would interrupt all the other beneficial things that sleep does, right?

I can. And actually I did see first hand. I once met a lady who was hospitalized for hallucinations and odd behavior. The cause of her problems was prolonged sleep deprivation. Once you can’t control your sleep patterns, the problems can snowball quickly. At the time of being hospitalized, this lady’s sleep deprivation was about a week and it was a matter of not enough hours, not zero hours of sleep.

Find out how much sleep is optimal for you, and try to stick with that as often as possible. You can look it up and see what the accepted standards are. Then experiment to learn what works best for you.

Good Sleep Environment

There are things you can do while you’re awake, to improve your sleep time. Exercise and nourishment are very important to having good sleep. Here are some more things you can do to enhance your sleep environment.

1. Sleep in a dark, cool, quiet room. Other environments may cause you to wake in the night, or to sleep fitfully.
2. Sleep at night, when you’re naturally inclined to. Unless you work over night regularly, you want to sleep when your body’s internal clock dictates.
3. Sleep on a firm bed with good pillows. Firmness will support your back and spine, reducing the chance of soreness.
4. Sleep on clean, allergen-free bedclothes.
5. Try to only rest in your bedroom. By keeping your work in another area, you are conditioning your mind to go into relaxation mode when you enter your bedroom.
6. Put away your worries and stresses of the day. I add this especially for any who suffer from anxiety attacks like myself. Try meditation to calm your racing thoughts and put them aside until after you sleep.

Benefits of Getting Enough Sleep

So what are the benefits of sleep? We have deadlines to meet, titles to work out, topics to research, perspectives that we need to decide on, just to get started. There’s a better alternative to forging straight through: SLEEP when you’re supposed to. Take a look at some of the benefits of sleep:

1. Improved memory
2. Improved alertness
3. Improved creativity
4. Clear thought processes
5. More energy
6. Improved social experiences
7. Better digestion
8. Better work sessions
9. Greater resistance to getting sick
10. Less stress in difficult situations

It’s a fact that you can work through your day, better, when you’re rested. You’ll be alert to new ideas, making almost intuitive connections. And, really, it’s nice when you wake and have solutions and new, creative ideas. Now, isn’t that worth turning off the computer and putting away the puzzles of the day?

Try to get the sleep you need on a regular basis. Reschedule your tasks to fit your work into a work day. Make yourself content with accomplishing all you can in your work day; this will go a long way to preparing for sleep.

If you’re a skeptic, like I was, try it for yourself. Take one or two weeks off from pushing yourself to the limit. Get good sleep and see what changes for you. Please share it in a comment below. Or if it’s long, post it on your blog and leave the post link in a comment below. I’d love to read your story.

Further reading:

• Sleeping Well: What You Need to Know
• How to Get Better Sleep by Diana Rodriguez
• While You Sleep, Your Brain Keeps Working

Related posts:

• healthy habits for writers
• daydreaming and i’m thinking of…
• Anxiety, a poem

Big Benefit

It calms me down. Recently, I was so wound up and put out over something not in my control, until I couldn’t focus on writing. Seriously. It demanded attention, if nothing else, to complain since I couldn’t make the situation right.

When I put it on the page, it helps—every time and without fail. From there, I can meditate and get centered. From this calm space I can get to work. Because, I didn’t just write out problem, I actually write it out of the way. So, it’s easy to let in the work writing ideas.

Like Talking to a Friend

If you have a situation that pops up and throws you all out of whack, try writing it out. It’s your journal so if you feel the need, you may include expletives. It’s even alright to say what you really feel about that last gift from your boss. This is not the place to censor yourself. Quite the contrary, it’s where you free yourself.

Say it how you feel it. If you get it right, you’ll find that you have a better handle on what gave you fits in the first place. You may find that it wasn’t all that serious. And, you may even find that a solution has presented itself.

Ultimately, you will find release in that you have the best sounding board ever. That’s what happens for me. You see, my journal is my unconditional, ever-present, non-judgmental audience. And who doesn’t need that?

Next time you have a problem that threatens to steal your focus, try writing it out. And if you care to, come back and tell me if it worked.

Related entries:

• healthy habits: mind, spirit and body
• 5 benefits of keeping a personal journal
• gaining perspective the write way

Why is the Job You Love Not So Fun?

You have this job to do, like it or not. It’s fun to write, but this topic bores you. You love this topic, but there’s better information that you need to find. You love this web design, but you need the layout changed, (something you can’t do easily).

Sometimes, as in the last example, it’s a matter of deciding if you need to learn or brush up on a new complimentary skill. If you find that you need the same skill repeatedly, training may be in your best business interest. And isn’t it fun to learn new things?

Other times, it’s just that the yucky part is something you’d really rather not do. Does that sound like attitude to you? It does to me.

If you accept a job and make it your responsibility, it’s not a good idea to give up on the assignment. After all, who want’s to be thought of as unreliable? That’s a reputation killer.

The Good News: You Get to Choose

Bring your best self to the table. If you’re not feeling the vibe of your assignment, it may be that you need to attend to your personal state.
Consider changing your mindset. What is it that you don’t like? It’s a topic that can benefit your employer, otherwise why would they have requested it? If you can’t—really can’t— get into the topic, get into the work.

Watch your mechanics of working. Get to the formulaic actions you take to bring together an article, post, proposal, newsletter, press release, or whatever else you’re into. Let yourself get caught up in the process, and revel in the activity.

Attend to the related events. Who are the people you have to interact with the make it come together? The people you interview, coordinate with, query for details, may have interesting happenings that they can share if you’re receptive to the tangential sharing. Consider it a break, and take it as part of the process–because it is.

Pick out the places for gratitude. Be grateful for the job, sure. And, beyond that, appreciate the highlights of the not-so-fun stuff. After all, you are able to get the work done. It could be that you were sick and couldn’t perform. Yes, you know what I’m saying: Remember that whatever hangs you up about a job, it probably could always be worse. And, if that’s all you can tug on to pull you to the joyous side of work, do it.

It boils down to doing the work because you chose to take it on. Take joy in the things that you love to do; and, even the experiences you don’t relish can bring something to your life—if you let it. If you’re open. If you take it in. You choose in any event. Why not choose joy?

Tell me what you do to get through the yucky parts. Or, do you always outsource that stuff?

Resources:

• Knowing a Little More Saves a Lot
• Getting to the Sweet Spot of Writing

This is the 4th installment for the posts from the healthy habits series. Even with the long pause between installments, I had to return to the set to share these things that have helped me.

Do you ever have trouble concentrating? Do you feel fatigued even when you’ve slept? Two hours ever feel like six? Have you considered it may be your posture that’s giving you a problem? Posture is important for everyone. If you think sitting to write daily gives you a pass on having good posture, you’re wrong. Consider your exertion:

• Sitting up in a chair
• Repetitive stress of typing
• Looking at your monitor(s)
• Concentrating on your topic

You spend your days working at saying things in just the right way. As soon as you finish one article, you can move on to the next in your list of projects waiting for your focused attention. The last thing you need is the distraction of poor posture and the complications it can introduce.

I learned the hard way about the importance of good posture and how it could improve my work life. I was reduced to severe headaches, neck pain, loss of focus, and muscle cramps before I learned that my posture was part of my problem. Then I learned to replace the bad habits with healthy habits of good posture.

Benefits of Good Posture

1. Good posture informs your disposition. Proper posture can call up a positive attitude. When you stand straight and tall, it is a more confident posture than to slouch. When I am upright, I feel more invested in my work, and more positive about it. Conversely, when I slouch, it feels like my heart is not in what I’m doing, and I can be easily distracted.

Also, your disposition informs your posture. You know how when you’re working on something and it starts to fall into place? Do you ever notice that you tend to sit up straight in those times? That’s an automatic reaction to your mental state of becoming more excited and engaged.

2. Good posture adds energy to your life, makes you more productive and more fun to be around.

I have bad posture in general. So, I have to practice at using good posture. And focusing on posture has made me notice my reactions to good and bad stances, physically and emotionally.

When you sit at your desk, do you slouch and stare at your computer? Or do you sit up straight and knock out tasks one after another? If you’re in the latter group, you are experiencing some of the benefits of good posture. You tend to be more relaxed physically, which affects your emotional state as well. You can be focused on work without being tense in general.

3. Good posture is attractive. When you walk straight and tall, your demeanor tends to match. It can help you to command attention when addressing an audience. Opposite to that is slouching, which can sometimes make you seem uncertain, unconcerned, and uninvolved.

4. Good posture tells others that you are self-confident, you matter to yourself, you are involved and present with what you’re doing. I tend to get a better reaction from people when my posture is good.

5. Good posture can help you to have a healthy working life. This is not to say that you should sit for hours on end, even with good posture. Quite the contrary; you should take breaks and stretch.

- Good posture improves breathing. And since most of us are shallow breathers, this is an important consideration. Good posture keeps the ribcage expanded which encourages deeper breathing. More oxygen gets into the blood which improves brain activity.

You are actually more energized when you breathe deeply. Your body runs more efficiently and your thinking is clearer.

- Good posture improves digestion. Using proper posture will allow your organs the space they need to function properly, instead of slouching which can compress your organs.

- Good posture relieves stress on your body. You won’t strain your muscles, bones and joints, so much when you practice good posture.

6. Good posture improves your rest at night. The best position to sleep in is on one of your sides, either will do, or your back. This keeps you from putting strain on your spine. Sleeping on your stomach can cause spinal strain. The key to any position you lie in is proper use of your pillow. Seriously. Your pillow should prop your head up so that it allows your neck and spine to be straight and not bent.

The Healthy Habit of Good Posture

You may have noticed that there are a lot of reciprocal connections. That’s why I tried to illustrate the connection in a circular connection rather than a straight line.

Let’s review the graphic starting with proper rest. Proper rest allows you to have proper posture, since you’re not drained and dragging. Proper posture will cause less strain on muscles and joints, giving your more energy and alertness in the day. Because you have energy and are alert, you can last longer throughout your work day. Stamina is needed for a regular work day, and a day when all your writing assignments are due. When it’s time sleep, you’ll be able to relax and get into a good sleep position, (lying on either side or back), and have better sleep. Better sleep means that your body will get the proper rest it needs to repair, rejuvenate and revitalize for the next day.

Full circle. And that is the nature of cycles in life and in our bodies. My posture is much better than it once was. Now that I make the effort to get it right, my body and brain function better and that changes my attitude. My attitude, my demeanor in life and work, tends to select my posture.

Using Proper Posture takes Work

• Practice and relax into it. Learn what your body needs. If you’re like me and have a physical infirmity, then you may require a professional assessment. Otherwise, you need to get straight. It’s not a foreign thing. You need to remind your body of the proper posture that you had as a child. We do so well when we start out, and then later learn the bad habits.
• Your spine is the key. To have a healthy back you need to stretch regularly and train your stomach muscles. Tone abdominal muscles work with your back muscles to give your frame the support it needs while allowing easy and relaxed movement.
• Your sleep position matters. According to many articles, and my doctor, the best sleep position is on either side, or the back (with proper pillows), not the stomach. Remember to position your head so that your neck is properly aligned and not bent.
• Your chair matters. There’s a great deal of money invested in the study of ergonomics. This is studied because taking care is a lot more cost-effective then repairing damages. And, sometimes the damages are irreparable.
• Your work setting is critical. Along with your chair, the distance from you keyboard, the elevation of your keyboard and monitor all matter. Avoid positions that take your body out of it’s proper alignment.

Symptoms of Poor Posture

If you’re already noticing serious problems, you should talk with your doctor or chiropractic doctor. You want to replace your unhealthy practices with healthy habits before it’s too late. Because, poor posture can, over time, cause permanent damage to your body.

• Symptoms can include headaches, back and neck pain, muscle aches and spasms.
• Not-so-obvious symptoms can include digestive problems, shortness of breath, pinched nerves, sleep disturbance, and tiredness; things that people don’t readily attribute to poor posture.

There’s a wealth of information available on the internet, also. I want to bring up this really important thing that you can work on to have better health and a better writing life. It’s helped me and it may help you too. Read up, and take care.

Start now. Next time you’re sitting to work, fix your posture at the start. You may have to get used to it, but see if it doesn’t improve your overall performance. Come back and let me know. And, when you consider your posture, how do you interpret your own message to the public? I hope to hear back about your experiences.

Resources:

• healthy habits for writers
• The Importance of Good Posture
• Breathing and Posture for Better Health
• What is Good Posture?

I had a bit of trouble downloading Life Journal 2.0 and Ruth Folit emailed me the solution post-haste, (can you still say that?). Anyway, I downloaded and started using it easily. And I have to say it’s really great.

What got My Attention

If you’re like me, you may be saying I can just keep a word processing files. That was my solution for keeping computer journals. I didn’t know how limited I was by only using WordPerfect® to keep my journals. It’s on your computer, not on the internet, which is a huge point for me.

Life Journal has preset categories for storing journal entries. But it’s just a starter set. You can customize them to fit your needs. The typing area is just as versatile as other word processing applications with all the basic formatting capabilities.

You can have separate journals in one place just like keeping a folder in WordPerfect®, or several notebooks for each work area. Life Journal keeps your files organized easily. The filtering capabilities give it more of a database/spreadsheet feel. I keep my dreams log and my future plans in separate files, and they can be cross-referenced by the categories.

There’s a lot of functionality–easily much more than I’ve used so far. Still, just the basic features I’ve worked with make it worth the time invested in learning the application. I’ll be taking advantage of more of its capabilities over the next month, since I’ve decide August 2009 is going to be a very interesting and busy month.

Try it Out

The program is Life Journal 2.0; you can find it at the LifeJournal website. The best way to find out if you like it, is to download and try it for yourself. You can use it at no cost, indefinitely. There’s no expiration on the free version. And, the limitations on the free version don’t keep you from getting a good feel for its benefits. You may also want to check out their other versions: for writers, Christians and educators.

If you’re in the market for such an application, this is a good one to try. And at no charge, it’s difficult to pass on just trying it.  Come back and let me know. I’d really like to hear what you think about the software and how you made use of it.

In my interview, I answered really good questions that made me think about where I am. It’s something I do periodically but I’ve not done in such detail for someone else. She got my scoop and can read it and find out what else I’m up to.

Visit ChickLitGurrl™. You need to read through this great hub put together by Shon for her readers. It offers excellent insights into authors and their books, and writers making a difference. Her book reviews present the information I look for in reviews. I’ve added titles to my book list based on her site. Don’t overlook her sidebar. Shon makes great use of that realestate to provide us with even more information.

In addition:

Connecting through Social Media: I should mention ChickLitGurrl™ is one of the great connections I’ve made on Twitter. You can visit her Twitter page and learn more about Shon Bacon.