My Biggest Distraction=My Thoughts!

Now that the morning coffee is beginning to sink in, I find my self pondering… well, just pondering. I’ve been thinking, admittedly too much, about motivations, distractions, mental road blocks, and life in general. With everything going on out there in the real world, it is hard not to take it all in and internalize the significance of it all, at least for me. (I hope I am not alone)

Lately, I’ve been internalizing the global tumultuous forces, both human and those exhibited by forces of nature. I have to admit, that I whine, I complain and I outright throw tantrums at times over circumstances in my life that in reality I suspect that I really have no business fretting about in the first place. After all, how many people are there that would gladly take my place; that would love to have my problems. In reality, I have it pretty good; I’m sitting here writing this in my easy chair, on my laptop, connected to the world via my wireless internet system. I have a roof over my head, a roof that we own (or are actively pursuing ownership of). I have a family who loves and supports me. I have friends who have helped me create a network of support. Yet, I have the audacity to complain, and sometimes, to feel sorry for myself.

Then after all of this pondering I remember that we are all individuals, we are all unique, and just as we can be motivated by the success of others, we can also be motivated by our individuality. We all have different circumstances, and we cannot individually solve all the world’s ills. Collectively, it’s certainly worth the effort, we can each do our part. We can offer support, offer aide and do the best that we can with what we are given. Being sensitive to the needs of others, we can help make this world a better place - one person/circumstance at a time.

My heart goes out to everyone in Japan affected by the recent forces of nature and subsequent breakdown of man-made resources. I feel for the people of Libya, and Egypt. I pray for those involved in military strategies. (Read Mark Twain’s [a little background info] War Prayer.) However, I have to move on; it is what must be done. I am not an activist, I am not sure I could/or should be; there are other people better suited for the role, but I will do my part. I will do whatever I can to help out when help is needed. I am not a superhero, although there are times that I try.

So, I think, I ponder. While the act of thinking may be dangerous, we all do it, and must be allowed to do so. With that being said, I now find myself wandering. I must put aside my musings, and return to the work at hand; I must set down my distractions and press on toward my personal goals. It’s what we all do, it’s how we survive.

For fear of endorsing something I would not otherwise endorse, I leave you with this: If, having read my post, you feel motivated to do something, to make a donation; then by all means seek out the appropriate avenue to do so. If, you feel like commenting, please share your thoughts.

Do you ever find yourself... distracted?

Having spent the morning thinking, I’d call it productive pondering, but that may be a tad on the dishonest side. Any how, I know that I must put aside the distractions, even the ones in my head, in order to be productive. Yet I persist in the pontificating. In my last post, I asked you to share what motivated you. Today, I ask you to share your distractions. Maybe by sharing them we can work together to avoid them and work toward more productive uses of our time. Until then, I’ll do the best I can to put my thoughts in a box and save them for a rainy day. ;) 

What Motivates You?

Earlier this week I had to reset my goals for March Madness. No, it’s not basketball. I actually know so very little about basketball, other than watching Son #1 play, that I can guarantee that I will not likely be writing about it anytime soon; unless it is about Son #1 activities. Getting to the point, a friend of mine suggested that I check out Denise Jaden’s blog and the March Madness Challenge. The basic premise of March Madness is that we set our book-related goals for the month the intent being that we work in an online community of like-minded individuals checking in each day Monday through Friday at a different colleague’s blog site, tell each other how we are progressing, share areas where we need help or may have fallen short, and support each other through to completing our goals. It’s such a brilliant idea, I have to admit that I am a bit jealous that I didn’t think of it; but I didn’t Denise did, and she and her colleagues get the credit they deserve. Whether you are a writer or not, this is a group worth following, they are, in order of check in day: Denise Jaden, Shana Silver, Angelina C. Hansen, Shari Green, and Craig Pirrall. I recently They are worth the read, they are all very inspiring.

At today’s check in, Craig Pirrall encouraged us to take a look at our goals and our motivation. He shared the notion that when we see a great work of art, we often fall into one of two groups. Group One: Wow, I think I can do that as well! Group Two: There’s no way I can do that! (I paraphrased a bit). Thankfully, residence in Group Two is often temporary, and we find a way to pick ourselves up and move on toward our goal.

In response to Craig’s blog, today’s check-in, I find that I have a strong tendency to waffle between the two groups. Brilliant works of art inspire me. I see them and say “Wow! Maybe I CAN!”  I remind myself of the fact that some of the greatest artists of various sorts were not necessarily recognized in their time, yet they pressed on, they kept at it, they DIDN'T GIVE UP! And I won't either! Then there are the days where I look at the same work of art and I tell myself, “No way! No matter how hard I work, I will never be THAT good!” I will never be able to achieve so much as shred of the greatness of *insert name here*. Then after some ice cream, chocolate, fizzy beverage, cake, or any number of other guilty pleasures, I realize that there is a major difference between me and *insert name here*. I am NOT *insert name here* and no matter what I do, I can't be *insert name here* because we are two different people. I can work hard, I can be inspired by their success, but I will never do the things they do, because I am not them, we are two separate people. We are all different, and it is through celebrating those differences that we achieve greatness. I am who I am. I can’t be *insert name here*, and I can’t be you. I pick myself up, get back on track, and set to work making me the best me that I can be. I will do the best I can. Who knows, maybe someday, someone will look at me and say, "Wow, look what they did, I can do it too!" or "Wow, I could never be that good!" The truth of the matter is that we are all human, and yes, no matter who you are you CAN do what you put your mind to achieve. The up side of being human is that we can imagine what we will become; the down side of being human is that we can let that the idea of that image control who we become rather than realizing that we are in control of our future. Our inspirations, our motivations, our goals change as we grow. We keep on keeping on.

Thank you for reading. If you have a minute, tell me about what motivates you. What are your inspirations? What keeps you going each day?

What keeps me going each day is the AWESOME support network that I have both here in the real world and in the online virtual world. We are a team. In honor of the season of basketball – GO TEAM!

How Do You Sleep at Night?

You lay there with the events of the day unwinding in your head. Slipping in silently is tomorrow's to-do list. Floating around, sometimes hovering are the appointments and the deadlines for the rest of the week that simply MUST be kept. Amidst all of this, you are supposed to relax and fall asleep. Yeah, right; not me. I can keep it going for hours.

There are people I know who are fortunate enough to fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. I am not one of those fortunate few. Awestruck, I ask myself how they do it, but that leads to more pondering and less sleep.

So, I ask you this: what do you do to unwind? How do you sleep at night?

Starting a Conversation

It is always difficult to start a new relationship. There are always intentions, aspirations and expectations that get in the way. I have found that the best way to begin any relationship is with a clean slate. That is easier said than done, I know, but I want this start off fresh.

That being said, I'll begin by telling you a little about myself. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and what they didn't know they assumed. I went to college and completed a BA in Speech Communication. I like to write, I like to read, and I love getting to know new people. So that brings me to my intentions with this blog. My intent is that we (the greater we) will actually have a conversation.

I believe that a lot of what is wrong with the world today begins with the fact that as a global society we just don't talk any more. We have adhered to technology and feel like we are communicating, but we miss the fact that we are in fact not saying anything at all. Therefore, I think that it is about time that we put that technology to use and we START talking. START communicating. It is my expectation that if we start here, we can spill the conversation over into our real lives and we will resume a conversation with our loved ones that involves sitting down together, picking up the phone to TALK not to text, email, send a picture a comment or whatever else it is we do on the devices we call phones, send an actual letter... you get the idea.

I know this is short, but beginnings often are. I'll start. Hello, how are you? Who are you? Let's get to know one another. Is there something on your mind that you would like to share? Spill it. Share it. Let's talk about it. I won't judge and I don't bite, and I won't let any one else do so either.