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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Dove Right In!

With every blog post, I've tried to encourage others to live their lives to the fullest, in peace, try new everything, and love everyone. I, mostly, have hinted at leaving your comfort zone, not in that terminology.

Well. I decided to take my own advice.

I wrote a book. It may not be a classic any day. But, I wrote it. I edited it. I designed a cover for it. I self-published it. And, I market it on my own. I learned each step along the way and made mistakes that I had to brush off and start over and start all over again. It's been quite the learning experience. There are still quite a few things left to understand and grasp, but you get the main idea.

Who knew that I could do such a thing? It's not bragging. It's telling you that leaving your comfort zone that keeps you in one place and miserable or stagnant, is not as difficult as you think. I want to shout it from the rooftops but only my neighbors would hear me. Not sure my husband would bail me out or have me committed to an asylum, if I did.

So, that's the main topic I thought of this morning. Whatever it is that you long to do, do it! Whatever it is that you desire to learn or try, try it! It may not be the best, but it will be YOUR best. And that's really all that matters in the long run, right?

I refuse to be 80 years old one day (God willing!) and regretting that I never tried. It's not for the huge amount of sales one imagines. It's not to get my name out there because I publish under a pseudonym. It's not for bragging rights. It's just because I wanted to experience it.

There is more under wrap for this story, as a collection, for other book ideas I have on various topics, and who knows what will come next. We all have a book in us waiting to be written. This is what I imagined from The Five Chinese Brothers and Pippi Longstocking to Agatha Christie and Victor Hugo growing up. I'm an information-junkie and that will never change. My imagination can take any news article and bring up questions to be solved, lots of "what-ifs" and change it into a tale of whatever spills out.

Fear must have no part in any of the process. "What will people think?" "What if it doesn't sell?" "What if it's just baaaaaad?" Who cares? The process was for you and no one else. I want to get this book out there just because I want to share it with others. There is no other reason. If they like it, great. If not, O.K. my feelings aren't hurt. In fact, I encourage ALL honest reviews and opinions. It helps me become a better writer and stronger person than if all my family and friends said "That was fantabulous!" but didn't mean it. The bad comments will never kill you, I've decided.

If anyone is interested, it's here with probably some formatting issues I missed, but the story is a good short-read with more to come.

(Don't forget that review!!)

Book One ,We Were Choi and Lee is being sold on Amazon.com for Kindle, etc. and paperbacks. It's free for Kindle until 8/29/16 as a promotion to jumpstart it!



Reboot Challenge? DO IT! Whatever it is!



Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Time Has Come Today

There was a post in my head that was thoughtful, relevant, detailed, meaningful, planned, and ready to go! And, then I fell asleep.

I think we all know how that goes. If ya don't write it down, it's GONE! Poof!

So, you get this. It's almost as good. Maybe. I don't remember. If I do, you'll be the first to know.

Anyway.

Losing that amazing post DID prompt a consideration of Time and how it passes in our lives. I may have said it before, and not to sound morbid only truthful, from the time we are born, we begin to die. It's just a fact. No one's getting off this planet alive. I made your day just then, didn't I?

This is why every moment we have should be made to count! Every day we wake up should be when we think of what we want to experience and DO that day, what opportunity we want to MAKE happen, not wait for it, and the GOOD we want to leave behind when we are gone. It doesn't matter if our name is in a History book as long as it's in someone's heart and memory.

We should be making experiences, meeting others that are not of the same neighborhood, let alone the same culture. We should be learning a new skill or hobby or language. We should be travelling to see the rest of the World and its inhabitants, and not afraid to do it. We should, simply, speak to a stranger and/or offer help to one. You never know what that could mean to another's day...or life. Strangers are only those who we haven't met yet.

Time has come today to not be afraid to live our lives and not stay in a 'comfort zone' forever.

Those who create anything...art, music, write stories and plays and scripts are successful ONLY because they make that trip outdoors or inside themselves. Yes, the scariest place can be going inside oneself and learning who you are and what you are made of. But, if one lives in the one place, doing the same thing everyday, seeing the same people, having the same conversations, it IS the definition of insanity if you expect something new and wonderful to happen in your life.

We were not made that way. We were not made to be stagnant. That's why we have free Will and free Spirits to fly and move and change and GROW. We were not meant to be depressed at our situations but to have the courage and curiosity to change it. We are meant for so much more.

But we have to take that first step in the unknown direction to start.

Reboot Challenge this week? Don't waste your Time. Soar and be absolutely fabulous at it!