"Fail. Fail again. Fail better." This is a quote by Samuel Beckett. And here is another one by Thomas Edison: “I didn’t fail one thousand times. The lightbulb was an invention with one thousand steps.” I think we hear many times throughout our lifetime how it doesn't matter how many times we fail as long as we keep on trying. If we stop at the 999,999th time, it might have been that millionth time that could've been the one to work. For me, I've been constantly learning about writing both … [Read more...]
Day 24: Writing While Drooled Upon
Really, this just means to not let anything get in the way of your writing. I know I could have what seems like a million and one things to keep me from writing. To be honest, I think I let many excuses get in the way of doing so. If I was more disciplined I think I could find the time I need. But, for whatever reason, I can't seem to find the motivation within myself to become disciplined. It's almost like it's a vicious cycle. I know right now it has a lot to do with the time of year. You … [Read more...]
Day 10: Working Out
When I first glanced at the topic I thought about how I've been trying to work out on a daily basis by walking anywhere from a half hour to as long as 2 1/2 to 3 hours each day. It seems like most people who haven't worked out in a while dread starting a new exercise routine. When you first start out the body tends to become sore from the new way it's being used. But once you've gone a few times the body becomes accustomed to this and you actually begin to love how you feel after a … [Read more...]
Day 9: Getting Permission
I wasn't sure what I'd write about when I first saw the topic. In the book it talked about "But from grade school to college, most students would tell him that they didn’t have permission to write about themselves; the teachers gave them the subjects to write about. Established writers would tell him they had to write what editors wanted. If this has a familiar ring to you, or if you feel you need permission to write about yourself or whatever you need to write about, I give you permission. Now … [Read more...]
Day 8: The Voice that Chirps and Chirps
We all have those little voices inside our head. Sometimes it's just one. Sometimes negative. Sometimes positive. And sometimes they even go to war with each other. Kind of like the character Kronk in Disney's movie "The Emperor's New Groove". Whenever he's about to do something he shouldn't, an angel with a halo clothed in white appears on his left shoulder and a guy who seems to appear as a devil with horns and a pitchfork dressed in red pops up on his other shoulder. One represents good. The … [Read more...]
Endings…
Aren't they bitter-sweet? Some can be fantastic, like when you write the last word of your book and can say, "The End." And other endings may bring nothing but sadness and grief, like losing a loved one. Either way, the ending may be sad because even though you may be happy that your done with whatever you were doing, you may still miss that time spent on it. I think of the extras on a Blu-Ray or DVD where the actors, actress, or the director will say how happy they are the movie is done yet … [Read more...]
Morning Person or Night Owl
I have been for as long as I can remember a night owl. When I hear about those people who can get up every morning at four or five on their own without an alarm clock I'm dumbfounded because if I allowed my body to sleep as long as it wanted it'd sleep until 10, 11, 12, even 1pm. Yeah, I know, that is really late. But then I can also stay up until 3, 4, 5am … [Read more...]
FALLing into Place
Nothing in life is ever easy for most of us. It's the things we work hard for that tend to be the most rewarding in the end. Compare someone who started from the ground up in a business and worked hard to make it a multimillion dollar one or the child born into wealth who never had to work a day in his life that when he turned eighteen he just expected much of the same. Who will appreciate what he has more? Hopefully it would be obvious that the guy who worked hard as the one who did doesn't … [Read more...]
Choosing to Fail
Think about this quote: "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." —Malcolm X I've heard this before but put another way. The gist is if we never try anything new we will never know if we will succeed. It's those who are willing to fail who become the successful ones. Throughout my life, and especially in my adult life, I've tried many things and have failed many times. I've tried to do several business from home. I've wanted to do many different things. I've slowly learned … [Read more...]
FALLing apart
In life there are those moments where it feels like everything around us is falling apart. Sometimes they are only a small fall and other times we biffed the big one. The worst time for me, as anyone can imagine, was during those sixteen long days while Mari lay in a hospital bed deteriorating in front of me. My world began to crumble with every turn for the worse that happened to her. No matter how hard we hoped or prayed, our little girl continued to get worse. E. coli is no joke and should … [Read more...]
