"Remember this year to use your imagination deliberately and wisely. It really does seem that whatever holds our attention, whatever calls to us, eventually comes calling."
-- Martha Beck
Daily inspirational sayings and ideas are my guilty pleasure. Martha Beck, author and inspirational guru, is one of my favorites. Some time ago she posted the above and it resonated as a continuing theme with other guiding principles that have been showing up at my door, a-hem, desk for the past year or so.
Author Jamie Varon says “It’s the basis of presence: to show up as you are in this moment and let that be enough. You need to let timing do what it needs to do…what’s right now becomes inspiration later.”
Author, coach, and kick-ass cheerleader for writers, Jennifer Blanchard, believes in the same law of attraction that “you will attract to your life whatever you focus on, think about, believe, feel and act on.”
I love these ideas and believe them to be true but only if I do the work to make it so. Sadly, there’s no prince on a white horse or mega million-dollar lottery ticket hiding in a pocket (only my supermarket quarter for the cart in the corral). And that’s the catch. How do I physically do this? What don’t I know? What are the proper steps? What plans do I need to make? What follow up is needed? Who can help? I'm sure you ask these questions, too.
The answers, however, always seem to be just beyond our collective grasp and why, in my opinion and menopause-addled brain, we freeze and don't make any decision at all. Because it's too much to take in at once.
And that’s the key. It’s about the steps. We just need to be brave enough to tackle one aspect, one piece at a time. Only then does the difficulty and confusion wane and become manageable.
The strength is in the trying, the blocking out of white noise and prattle to focus. Slowly, methodically, and wisely so that the reward is enjoyed not at the end but in the journey. There’s no failure here, either. We can start and stop and take detours all we want as part of the learning and knowing where the road does and doesn’t go. Samuel Beckett said: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail Again. Fail better.”
All to answer the call.
Nadine
Thanks so much for sharing a few precious minutes with me. As an active member of the Romance Writers of America, the New Jersey Romance Writers Chapter and the Kiss of Death Chapter, I write contemporary stories of suspense with a touch of romance where hope and heart prove stronger than any weapon and where happily ever after occurs, even if it takes a bloody route to get there.
Strong men and even stronger women are the stars of tales themed around hope and courage after being betrayed by those tasked with keeping the rules. These brave men and women love and laugh and fight to the death like a mother fights for her child, all while trying to balance the professional with the personal. My stories are born on that balance and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have had giving voice to them. All of this sets the stage in my debut novel, Contingencies and my recent release Corrective Measures. All reviews are welcome. Stay up-to-date with new releases via my website with its free newsletter and prologue to Contingencies (along with other giveaways) or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.