I haven't posted in a while. And I'll warn you, this is all over the place, but I'm working on giving up my perfectionistic tendencies. Join me in a little wandering. Mr. Holland's Opus came to mind today. The movie about a man who thinks his greatest gift to humanity will be a symphony he's …
Tag: motivation
Bad Words & Kool-Aid
There are the usual suspects: just, very, so, well, really, like, that, then. And the reflectives: felt, saw, heard, etc. that insert space between the reader and character. Also and of course (thank you, Mr. King) adverbs- any and all. Especially after dialogue tags like said (which should also be used sparingly). She said sorrowfully. …
Unapologetically Tiger
Improvement is a battle that must be fought anew each day. Your next workout doesn't care how strong your last one was. Your next essay doesn't care how popular your last one was. Your next investment doesn't care how smart your last one was. Your best effort, again. - James Clear Today may not care …
When DID You Stop Beating Your Story?
All writers beat their stories. Don't give me that look; they do. Any writer who wants to be read, who doesn't keep the stories to himself and tries (oh how hard he tries) to find an audience, that writer will beat and be beaten by his stories, often simultaneously. Whether or not he rises again …
I am What I Daily Do, Not What I Wish Were True
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." Carl Jung Atomic Habits by James Clear pulled back the curtain on my unconscious mind and revealed the old man who pulls levers and pushes my buttons and tells me not to mind him at all. That old …
Continue reading I am What I Daily Do, Not What I Wish Were True
Unlike me, Jesus Didn’t Feel the Need to Prove Himself
I stood at the top of the cliff trying to work up the guts. It could be done, had already been done by others. But one could also slip on the rock and not get the distance required to clear the pregnant, jagged outcropping. One could misinterpret her strength and pay dire consequences for doing …
Continue reading Unlike me, Jesus Didn’t Feel the Need to Prove Himself
My Procrastination Protocol
Recently, I read an article that revealed a particular form of procrastination that mimics responsibility. And guess what? I do it. Maybe you do, too. Here's the thing. I am NOT guilty of cyberloafing, and I recently became that person who divorced Facebook and am now living under a rock, socially speaking. I write and …
Spontaneous 1: Uncomfortaville
I am a writer. I have grand thoughts while grinding away on my upright bike. Admittedly, that's because I'm listening to Les Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Sylvester Stallone yelling locker room halftime speeches on volume nine, accompanied by epic soundtracks. I close my eyes, peddle faster at the crescendos. I apply football to writing, weightlifting …
First Day of School, First Triathlon, NO CEILINGS, & First Day of the Rest of Mom’s Life
Today is the first time I have ever watched one of my children get on a yellow school bus. When people were awed that I homeschooled four kids, I used to tell them homeschooling wasn't much different than doing homework together. I take that back. It's one thing to be a cog in the great …
I Resolve, Therefore I Am
...going to get this life under complete control. That's what I tell myself between Christmas and January, the only time I ever think about making a standard work list that includes a time slot specifically devoted to chopping vegetables and organizing the fridge. Here's how resolution delusion plays out: Starting January 2nd, I'm going to …
KL Griffiths 