Let me interrupt this normally scheduled writing session to pass along this message of hope. H-O-P-E.

Hold On Pain Ends.

I’ve never heard this acronym before. I’m seeing it tonight for the first time. Hold On Pain Ends. It stopped me in my tracks. I stumbled on this quote tonight in a random google search. No, I wasn’t searching for hope. And I’m not in a depression or funk. I’m busy as crazy, doing what I love, and loving doing it, crazy as that sounds.

I actually clicked my way to it with a “quotes about Pinterest” search. Mixed in with quotes about the social media platform, Pinterest, were quotes that were also being posted on Pinterest.

There have been times in my life that hope has eluded me. And without hope, I wasn’t able to move forward in love and joy, or at all. I was stuck. Without hope, I was sad and depressed. And in pain.

“The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar there’ll be sun.” We all know that song quote. It’s so popular and relevant that the song is being heard by a whole new generation with the remake of the comic strip, book, broadway musical, and now movie, Annie. It’s such a beautiful message—of hope. Things will get better.

I wrote once that H-O-P-E stands for Hold On People Everywhere. That’s still valid. Hope is a waiting game. A game of patience, where sometimes you think the pain will never end. HOPE knows there are better days ahead. Pain-free days.  Little Orphan Annie says it could be as early as tomorrow!

Let’s HOPE (hold on pain ends) it will be soon; because HOPE (hold on people everywhere) is good for us all. 
 
#LoquaciousLindee
Help Open People’s Eyes. Be part of the State of the Union movement. 

Another perspective…You’re trying too hard.

Give It Your All

Give up, give in, or give it your all. There is power in all three. The challenge is knowing when to do what.

Giving up doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’ve all been taught: Winners never quit and quitters never win. Well, sometimes winners make the decision to stop. Stop pursing a course of action that’s getting them no where. There is nothing wrong with re-evaluating a situation and deciding it’s time to try a different tactic, angle, or path. Give up. See what happens when you stop pushing so hard.

Giving in can also be a good thing. “Pick your battles” is a popular phrase used when imparting wisdom to people in relationships. Sure, there will be times to stand your ground, but giving in, letting someone else have their way, is one way you can honor, respect, and accept their wishes. If that helps strengthen the relationship, why not give in? Perhaps your partner will be more willing to compromise next time, when you show them how.

Giving it your all…. Now, that’s a good thing. No matter what the outcome, win or lose, when you give a task, or a person, 100% of your focus–your undivided attention–you win. On some level, you both win. (Even though some win-win scenarios don’t make themselves known for years down the road. And they might appear as win-lose in the present.) Some projects and people are worth striving for and fighting for. For giving your all.

As for knowing when to do what? That’s a bit trickier. After all, onlyyou can say “enough is enough.””

Let your heart, mind, body, and spirit be your guide. When all four parts of you are in agreement–give up, give in, or give it your all–that’s the time to take action.

They all begin with “giving.”

 

 

A Woman of Words and Action            

               I’m not a woman of very few words; my personal hashtag is #loquaciouslindee. Loquacious, meaning, very talkative. I make my living talking; I’m a trainer and motivational speaker. I’m not EF Hutton, but when I talk, people listen. (Except for my kids. And my sweetheart on occasion.)

 

            Most people say there is a time for talk and a time for action. Is the trick knowing when to stop talking and start taking action? Or is talking part of the taking action?

 

                I like to think so.

 

           Words have power; they carry energy. They are the starting point to any good plan. Although they can be the starting point for bad plans as well. Whether clever and well-executed or lame and hair-brained, don’t all plans start with words?

 

            Eleanor Roosevelt said, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” The difference between a wish and a plan is the talk used to define that plan. But when it’s truly time to get something done, take a page from a Mae West script; be a woman of few words but lots of action.

 

            Take that talk and channel it in to tasks; specific, step-by-step items you can check off a list. Take the time to plan it. Talk it out.Keep talking until it becomes a reality, one action at a time.

 

             Eleanor and Mae both had it right. 

 

 

Another Year; Another ResolutionIt’s January 13th and I’m just now posting my New Year’s Resolutions—but no hounding or judging allowed! I’m been out practicing.

This year? No more looking for the magic—we are it!

I’m it; you’re it. We are all it. We’re magic and comical and well-intentioned and ever-hopeful, or maybe that’s just me.

It seems I’ve spent a lot of my life living in the bad. And now that I’ve got more years behind me than ahead of me, it’s time to embrace each day. That means finding the good that’s all around. It’s not that I’m a Pollyanna; I know bad is around me, too. But when it comes to what I can focus on, I choose good. I choose to see the magic. In me; in you. In all we say and do.

That’s this year’s resolution.

Well, one of them. J

Commit to a Crappy First Draft

Commit to a crappy first draft.

Those words sparked my spirit, paused my brain, and pushed-in a new understanding of “process.” The process of writing a book. No end in sight; just characters running melodramas, Young and the Restless style, in my psyche, lassoed and defined through my fingers and on to the page not often enough. I wasn’t committed to a deadline–or a timeline for that matter–except for the voice that kept pressing me from inside…”write the book, write the book.”  The problem was, I was editing the book before writing it. Concern for what others would think had stopped me from writing. I’d lost site of the story in my head for the worry of what others would think. “Not the problem, write the book,” the voice said. Hemingway made it possible. It didn’t need to be good.

Not only can I commit to a crappy first draft and the process of writing, I can commit to Gandolf’s philosophy, “All good stories deserve embellishment,” and just tell my story, in any order, in any way, in any fashion; it is fiction after all. I am a product of all I’ve experienced. It’s not an autobiography. It’s a story; a romance. The characters will appear when it’s their time to speak. In the meantime, the word is “intent.” What do I intend to do?  

Get to the end? Yes, eventually. Enjoy the process? Yes, it’s cathartic. Serve a purpose? Oh yes, for those that love has turned upside down, held under water, and made gasp ravenously for a freeing thought, this love story is for you. My intent is to write it, and to write it every day with that intent—to get to the end. The timeline will take care of itself. I’m committed to taking action.

Action is a crappy first draft.  

Chase Your Dreams: Lead Your Dreams

Why follow your dreams when you can chase them? Why chase your dreams when you can lead them?

 

I like that you can “chase” a dream, as opposed to “follow.” Sometimes followers lag behind; can be thought of as slow. Chasers, on the other hand, move at a faster pace…and when chasing a dream, the faster the better. Most people want to catch a dream quickly.  

 

But why do either, follow or chase, when you can take charge of the dream and “lead”? Notice I didn’t say “take control,” I said “take charge.” Control is an illusion. We think we have it, but what we really have are “outcomes.” And outcomes happen whether you’re in control or not.

 

“Leading” is a category and mind-set of its own. Set a direction on a dream, set an intent, and a desired outcome; help propel yourself towards it. Imagine the outcome, see yourself doing the work; let life work with you to help you succeed.

 

 

The quicker, the better.  

Drop the F-Bomb

When most people drop the F-bomb, they add the word “f*@k” to the sentence. When I drop the f-bomb, I mean I’m dropping it from the sentence.

 

            I used to use the f-bomb all the time. It is, after all, every part of speech, pronouns to adverbs. The Peevish Penman’s blog site spells it out, adverbs to expletives, The Nine Parts of Speech and the F-Word. It’s funny, worth the read; my favorite example is prepositions. J

 

            But I read once that using the f-word was a sign of hidden anger. A quick analysis of the times I was inspired to use it confirmed that. I’m pretty passionate when I use the word, and yes anger has been part of that word selection at times.

 

            I also use the word when I’m excited—or surprised! It’s more about the intensity of the situation. It’s like the word “douche.” You only call someone a douche when they’ve done something extremely lousy and crass. F*@k is kind of the same way. It represents an extremeness; intensity; a uniting of energy released in a word that invokes a myriad of reactions.

 

            Being a speaker/trainer, I don’t use the word professionally. Too many variables and interpretations; too many people with time to be offended. My friends, however, have heard me use the word plenty. Too much, I think. So I’ve dropped it from my vocabulary. (Except for today when I had a minor relapse and used it in every sentence on a 10 minute tirade. Phewh…that felt good.) And now I’m dropping it again.

 

            There are plenty of other words to choose.  

 

A Conduit with a Can-Do-It Attitude

   A conduit is a “means of access, communication” states the World Dictionary. It doesn’t list examples or show pictures, but if it did, I’d be there, you’d be there, we’d all be there. Isn’t communication, after all, an essential part of who we are and what we do as living, breathing human beings on the planet?

   Aren’t we all conduits of some sort, passing information from one person to another, one situation to another?  When problems arise it’s because communication breaks down, which usually means a “conduit” has been mocked, ridiculed, or chastised in to silence. Don’t let that happened! 

 

    It’s the steady flow of information that keeps people on task, projects on time, and the world spinning reliably on its axis. A person with a passion, purpose and a “can-do” attitude will continue to relay information because that’s what conduits do. Especially after a communication breakdown!

 

   We are all conduits for each other. It’s our job to keep the information flowing, like a global game of the kids party game, Telephone, except today we have cell phones, text messaging, email, and the social platforms to help in our quest.

 

   What can you do to keep the information flowing? Be a conduit with a can-do-it attitude. 

Quantum Surprises begin by Breaking the Habit   Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

by Dr. Joe Dispernza.

 

Dr. Joe’s a master at simplifying quantum physics so we can understand HOW energy creates our realities. I’m half-way through the book and I’m excited to get to the “how to” exercises. (There are a few realities I’m planning on creating.)

 

As Yoda would say, “You must unlearn what you have learned.” Breaking the Habit is teaching me why my heart, mind, and body hang on to past experiences—especially the hurts—and continue a feedback loop of stinkin’ thinkin’ that cripples my progress forward. Dispernza refers to it as “re-mind”; when your mind plays the same story again and again.

 

“The difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.” Who said that?

 

Dipernza’s view is that change creates quantum surprises. And quantum surprises are the Universe’s way of honoring your intention. But you can’t be too specific. You have to anticipate in thought and with feeling specifically what you want, but then you have to let the Universe fill the need.

 

Break the habit of old thoughts, become very clear in your intent, and stand back and let the energy fall together.

 

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might get what you need.” That was Mick. J

 

The best way to do yoga—3x a week.

treepose1.jpg

   It’s a commitment thing really.

   If you’ve done yoga, you’re probably nodding your head, but if you never have, you just don’t know…

   There is real growth in all that stretching; not just your body, but your mind. It’s like the brain cells elongate with the stretching of the body cells. I reach over my head in Vrksasana (Tree Pose) and I feel every part of my brain expand. I’m able to think farther.

 

   Goodbye stinkin’ thinkin’ and hello brighter tomorrow. A better tomorrow. And that’s just from one class!

 

   Imagine what good I could do with that kind of positive vibe 3 times a week! Why wouldn’t I want to do it 7 times a week?!!

 

   (Yes, I know, a body needs rest. And so does a brain.)

 

   3 times a week…it’s like compound interest on good vibes, where the principle keeps increasing and so does your well-being.

 

   The best way to do yoga? 3 times a week, this week, next week, and every week after.

 

   Who knows where a good stretch could lead me?  😉