You are currently browsing the Learning & Personal Growth category
It has been such a great week I can hardly sit still and get any work done.
It started on Monday when I had my first artist date in months. It was an amazing day. Incredibly rejuvenating.
Then, I felt so good and had so much energy that over the next two days I finished the e-book I had been working on for weeks.
Then, to top it off, yesterday I had the opportunity to teach a workshop for the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners entitled “Increase Your Internet Presence – Starting With Twitter.” I had a blast!! The attendees were great. They asked lots of questions and were generally interested in how they could use social media to expand their business.
Since I LOVE to talk about anything and everything related to business and technology the two hours flew by in the blink of an eye.
That joyful, excited, “I could conquer the world” feeling lived on for the rest of the day, into the night and flowed over into this morning.
It wasn’t just the success of the workshop that has me feeling so good, and I know that I will return to normal and will have some down days in the future, but it was the combination of all the events of the week that has me on cloud nine.
First, I recognized me need for some time alone and identified exactly what I needed and scheduled an artist date for myself.
This gave me renewed energy and peace of mind.
It was also like having a soda pop explode after it has been shaken. That’s how I felt. Ideas were fizzing all over the place.
Next, I spent two straight, twelve/fourteen hour days working to finish my e-book. It was fun although tough at times, too. Obstacles always pop up, but I was passionate about it and that changed everything. It didn’t feel like work.
Being in the flow, creating some thing from nothing and seeing the ideas in your head begin to take shape in the real world is a feeling like no other. It is like flying. It’s freedom. It’s exhilarating.
Then, the workshop yesterday. The opportunity to interact with and engage people on a topic I could talk about all day was pure FUN!
Plus, watching people’s eyes light up and the light bulb go on over top of their heads when they finally get a concept or they have a new idea of their own is just as rewarding as the teaching itself, if not more so.
That’s what teaching is all about to me – opening people’s minds and hearts to a world of possibilities.
Now, today is Friday and I can hardly sit still. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. There are so many gifts everywhere I hardly know where to start.
This is a feeling I like having. I like having ideas. I like knowing I can turn those ideas into reality. I like knowing that I can contribute and make a difference, no matter how small the scale.
I know I’ll settle down soon and begin working. After all, I did settle down enough to write this post.
I learned a lot about myself this week.
This week taught me what I need to stay sane, happy and productive…
Time alone
combined with
doing things I enjoy and having fun
balanced with
intense periods of creative productivity
mixed with
connecting with and interacting with possibility minded people
equals
a very happy Sandy.
If you are a subscriber and received my newsletter this past Sunday you know that I made a big decision last week that involved turning away from an old way of life and turning into a new way of life.
Following that turning point I realized that if I am going to make this new life work it needs ALL of my time, attention and energy.
And, I am ready to give it everything I’ve got.
But, before I can do that I have some old business to attend to. I have to say goodbye and close down New Route Logistics, my consulting company.
I have to say, that I was quite proud of this website and its content and of my business’ overall vision and purpose.
New Route Logistics was a BIG step for me. I started it at the end of 2008. It was originally conceived as a partnership, but that fell apart and I decided to move forward on my own. It was exciting and I learned a lot, even though in the truest sense of the word, it was a dismal failure.
It never captured my imagination or my heart for any length of time and never received my full attention. Spending forty hours or more working on a project bid that 99.9% of the time was never committed to was more like my day job than a dream job.
It was never a monetary success, but it provided me with many priceless gifts.
It proved to me that I could take action despite not knowing how to start.
It proved to me that I could take action despite my fears and self doubt.
It showed me the power of taking one small step at a time.
It gave me courage to keep trying.
It fed my desire to start something of my own.
And, it opened the doors to new possibilities.
Today I am in the process of taking down the website for New Route Logistics and saying goodbye.
I took a few screenshots for my memory book and thought I share them here.
1. Stare at a blank screen and NOT write because I think everything I write has to be perfect, groundbreaking or insightful.
2. Get a drink of water.
3. Do a load of laundry.
4. Open the refrigerator.
5. Close the refrigerator.
6. Google my name.
7. Google someone else’s name.
8. Watch a YouTube Video.
9. Make a cup of tea.
10. Make a new to-do list.
11. Spend too much time on Twitter.
12. Get tired of Twitter and head over to Facebook.
13. Text message a few friends.
14. Organize my email inbox.
15. Vacuum the carpet in my office.
16. Watch a Hulu “sick day collection” episode.
17. Cook lunch and linger too long at the kitchen table chatting with my husband.
18. Peruse the iTunes store.
19. Read too many blogs.
20. Make a pot of coffee.
21. Pop a pot of popcorn.
22. Balance my checkbook.
23. Stare at a blank screen and NOT write because I think I have nothing to say worth reading.
24. Open the refrigerator again to see if anything new has magically appeared.
25. Feel disappointed.
26. Close the refrigerator again.
27. Add some things to my to-do list that I’ve already done so I can cross them off.
28. Go to the post office.
29. Stop at the store.
30. Rearrange my bookshelf.
31. Take a reading break – one that lasts four hours.
32. Stare at my vision board.
33. Skype a friend.
34. Rearrange the icons on my desktop.
35. Shred some junk mail.
36. Get a glass of water.
37. Wash the dishes.
38. While I am in the kitchen get a snack.
39. Check the thermostat.
40. Adjust the temperature.
41. Open the front door and stare at all the snow.
42. Throw some old bread and crackers out for the birds.
43. Watch a Murder She Wrote episode on DVD.
44. Make another cup of tea.
45. Make some notes.
46. Peruse Amazon.com.
47. Check to see if my Kindle needs to be charged.
48. Shuffle my journals and piles of notes.
49. Clean my glasses.
50. Stare out the window.
51. Check my email.
52. Send some Tweets.
53. Read a few more blogs.
And, then before I realize it the day is over.
After a few days like this I begin to panic.
But, then something magical happens.
I feel refreshed. Invigorated. Creative. Excited.
I love to write again.
I don’t care if every word is perfect, groundbreaking or insightful. I have things to say and I think they are important. I think people may just like what I write.
The words don’t always flow easily and sometimes I still stare at a blank screen, but it now represents opportunity, not failure.
Then writing leads to other fun things, like outlining a new workshop, hacking some code, solving a problem or creating a new art journal piece or a short video.
Yes, sometimes I fritter away the day, but I am coming to realize that frittering away my day sometimes is the best way to feel creative and motivated again.
So, next time I feel a little antsy I am going to give myself a break and fritter away.
No matter how young or old you are comparing yourself to someone else is a very bad habit to fall into.
I know. I’ve been there.
Comparing yourself to someone else throws unneeded obstacles in your path and slows down your forward motion.
Comparing yourself to someone else is an excuse to let you off the hook from trying.
Comparing yourself to someone else makes you feel bad.
Comparing yourself to someone else creates self-doubt.
Comparing yourself to someone else diminishes your accomplishments.
Comparing yourself to someone else is NOT a good gauge to see where YOU are at.
Comparing yourself to someone else stops you from freely expressing who YOU are.
Tonight I caught myself. I read an article about a very accomplished young woman and immediately began to compare how much she has accomplished at such a young age to what I’ve accomplished.
Then I stopped. Her story was inspiring. But, it was her story, not mine.
I appreciate where I am today and where I’ve been. I recognize that all my life experiences have led me to where I am today. And, where I am today is where I am suppose to be.
At The Dreaming Café there are no comparisons allowed.
I won’t compare myself to you or to anyone else, and I certainly don’t want you comparing yourself to me.
Instead, try comparing yourself to you.
Comparing yourself to you helps you recognize real obstacles in your path and provides a realistic opportunity to clear them out of the way.
Comparing yourself to you eliminates your excuses for not trying.
Comparing yourself to you allows you to feel good about where you’ve been and where you are going.
Comparing yourself to you increases your self-esteem.
Comparing yourself to you highlights your accomplishments.
Comparing yourself to you is a good gauge to see where YOU are at.
Comparing yourself to you allows you to freely express who YOU are.
When you compare yourself to you instead of someone else it allows you to focus on what it is YOU want to do and who YOU are.
Read about someone else’s accomplishments, cheer them on, congratulate them, learn from them, be inspired by them and then get back to your own work.
Forget about comparing your age, gender, race, income, education, accomplishments or failures to others who you think are like you.
The only thing you need to do, is start today, take baby steps, start again tomorrow with more baby steps and compare where you are today with where you were yesterday.
Tonight I recognized how far I’ve come and I compared myself to me.
In the past I would have probably wallowed in self-pity after comparing myself to the young woman in the story. But, tonight the comparison lasted but a brief second. And, one day I expect that comparing myself to someone else won’t even cross my mind.
Sometimes the path to self-discovery shows us things we might not like about ourselves.
I’ve recently discovered something about myself that I am no particularly pleased with. I’ve probably known it for a long time, but never wanted to admit it or acknowledge it. It makes me cringe just thinking it, to even contemplate admitting it, but, here goes…
I’m lazy.
Deep breathe. Sigh. It’s done. I’ve said it.
Don’t they say that the first step is just to admit you have a problem?
I’m lazy.
Nope. Admitting it again didn’t make me feel any better.
It’s embarrassing really how easily I can fritter away the hours doing absolutely nothing while looking busier than chipmunk.
Last night I had a million and one brilliant ideas for blog posts, articles, workshops, books, events, art journaling, a video book review, and even an online tutorial for mind mapping.
This morning, blah. Nothing. No energy. No enthusiasm. No activity.
I might as well be wearing cement boots. I just can’t seem to get started. The lazy gene has been activated with a nuclear reactor and I sit here staring into space. (Well, I am writing this post, but that’s not counting for much today.)
Today is an anniversary of sorts and I think that is one reason I am out of sorts. Today marks 90-days since I walked out of the door and left my corporate job behind. 90-days. Twelve weeks. Three months. No matter how I look at it, it just seems like time draining away as my lazy butt sits around and looks out the window.
I can be quite productive when I want to be. And, I’ve had a few whirlwinds the last few months, but today isn’t one of them.
Maybe I’m not lazy. Maybe I am just beating myself up for not being as productive as I thought I’d be over the past 90-days.
Either way, I feel better now. You know my little secret. But, promise me something? Let’s just keep it between you and me. Okay? Thanks.
I’ll be back tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, I might finish that video book review.
Stepping outside my comfort zone this week was actually a lot of fun.
I had all the steps covered, just like I wrote about on Tuesday, but I was still very anxious. So, I added one more little trick…
I decided that for one day I would be an actress and let go of any self-consciousness. I wouldn’t think about what I looked like, or how I sounded. I would walk and talk, ask questions, take notes, make observations and interact with the hotel staff and management as if I was someone they couldn’t wait to do business with.
Guess what, it worked.
Just like an actress though, I was well prepared for my role. I had done my research, I knew what I was looking for and what I wanted to ask. Plus, I had company. Barbara Winter was with me. And, if I do say so myself, we made quite a team.
As things continue to move forward I’ll keep you updated.
Tonight, though, I am relaxing and just hanging out. This is the reward part of stepping outside your comfort zone, and it is just as important to the process as all the others.
The reward, overall good feelings you get and the boost to your self esteem, all make stepping outside your comfort zone fun, and an almost addictive activity.
« Older Entries
