PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
How to own up to the truth, clear your conscience, and regain credibility.
It’s hard to admit when it happens, because we never think we’re the problem. But the truth is out there, and it’s not always pretty.
Sometimes, We’re Just Plain Wrong.
Whether spouting off unchecked facts and figures, telling someone else’s story after sprucing it up to match a personal agenda, or being involved in an activity with the potential to affect others in a negative way, taking a wrong turn in mindset or behavior is common, even encouraged.
For some, it can be instinctual — and that’s where the danger lies.
So why do some people insist on standing their ground — unwilling to recognize there might be more to learn or know about a situation, person, or…
RELATIONSHIPS
How to co-exist with your partner in a mature, harmonious, and responsible way
From an early age, we’re taught the concept of keeping score.
Through games, sports, and sibling rivalry, the benefit of having bragging rights is presented as a method of measuring ourselves against others in many of life’s situations.
It can even get a bit niggling at times, for example, which sister got the bigger piece of cake, who can jump the highest, or run the fastest, or rack up the most dates for the weekend — all qualifying factors taken into consideration when comparing ourselves to others.
Accompanying this allegedly important notion of keeping track is a consistently competitive mindset.
While thought to spark motivation and inspire us to become our best, this idea that we have to maintain an edge — a level…
LIFE
Forget the script and start free-wheeling your way to the finish line
The bucket list is defined as ‘‘a list of things that one has not done before, but wants to do before dying.” It allows us to reflect on what matters most to us, our personal values, and identify important life milestones and experiences that we want to have in our lifetime. — Stanford Medicine
The movie was interesting, even entertaining. And the storyline inspired the concept of creating a “bucket list” of adventures, experiences, and challenges to be completed before leaving the planet on our final journey.
It caught on, and the idea of having a scripted promise to ourselves…
WRITING
The truth and consequences of the writing game
“Until you know who you are you can’t write.” — Salman Rushdie
The game of writing success takes many shapes and forms
And the guidelines aren’t always clear or easy to interpret. That’s when doubt, frustration, and anxiety come into play — rearing their confusing, unwelcome heads front-and-center. Because while most of us are typically good sports and play well with others, we don’t always have a clear picture of the rules.
This concept is encountered all too often in our writing efforts
Seems like every day, I discover something new, different, unusual, unheard of, or hypothesized to be taken into consideration. All good stuff, and important to factor into the ever-changing equation.
Whether a burning desire or flight of fancy, writing takes courage
It’s usually on the list of most people’s dream occupation — being a writer. There seems to be something mystical, even esoteric about the profession.
Why?
Maybe it’s the fantasized notion of creating unique masterpieces, or being able to write on an independent schedule — without a boss or supervisor — and having the freedom to take a day off whenever the mood strikes.
And while writing is a noble and rewarding endeavor, the truth is many may not have a true calling. Or patience.
It takes more than a naive interest to sit down and express your thoughts to…
WRITING TIPS
Present your articles with a high appeal factor and positive first impression
My husband calls me analytical.
I prefer to think I’m detail-oriented, with a touch of obsessiveness when it comes to making sure my articles are ready to break out of the gate before I click the green “Publish” button.
To be fair, my husband’s assessment is spot-on. Because I have an incessant need to go through the details — several times if necessary — to calm my mind and convince myself I’ve done everything possible to prepare my stories for their debut.
In this article, I’ll describe the first impression a reader will see — what I call the icing on the cake.
Because that’s the first thing your teeth sinks into.
For me, this includes the title, subtitle, kicker, and photo. I’ll be posting follow-up…
HEALTH/FITNESS
Preparing your body for an effective workout is the key to building strength
Many years ago, my husband and I made the decision to find ways of incorporating exercise into our busy schedules.
Knowing how important fitness was to our overall health, we committed to being diligent in designing a fitness regimen we could live with — without excuses or regret.
For example, to keep us motivated and on track, we keep a canvas bag with a change of clothes in the car so we’re always ready to fit in some form of physical activity, whether scheduled or as an unexpected opening we can take advantage of in a positive way.
Most of the time, we work out in a local gym.
Fortunately, we have a couple options to pick from near our home. …
MINDSET
Trust in your instincts and stretch the elastic edges of your mind
Seems like most everyone has advice to offer, or a sad story to tell, or a problem to spout off about. And it can be challenging not to get caught up in the drama and issues others are so desperate for us to engage in — and believe.
In the past, I was the same way.
Like a willing lamb gently led to slaughter, my guard would drop, opening the door to a potential salvo of negativity or irrelevant life-fiction. It’s not that I was overly trusting or even naïve. I just didn’t know any better.
Fortunately, through experience, mistakes, and personal revelation, my mindset has adjusted.
While still curious and interested in what others have to say or…
MEDIUM
Keep your comments thread focused, relevant, and clear of outside debris
It can be exciting to open your Medium profile page and see that little green circle in the upper right corner.
Regardless of the number it shows, the significance lies in knowing there are a few people out there who are seeing your work. And they might be clapping, highlighting, or — the holy grail of acknowledgement — leaving a comment.
WRITING
Thinking outside the box is the key to unleashing your creative spirit
Through the years, I’ll occasionally read an article making a case that writing should be approached as a job.
The rationalization behind this theory lies in the notion that we’ll become more successful if we prepare ourselves — mentally, emotionally, and physically — to embrace a specific mindset for writing by dedicating a place and time in which to be creative and churn out work we can be proud of at the end of the day.
The basis of this concept lies in scheduling our writing efforts by blocking out segments of uninterrupted time and eliminating distractions in an effort to protect our commitment to the process. …
