Choosing the Words I Want to Instill in My Soul

I can’t help think about the negativity we are bombarded with daily. We can’t get away from it and it’s all some people talk about. If it isn’t the newspapers (but not the InterTown Record because we don’t go in for that depressing media-hype), it’s TV blaring everywhere, radio commercials, Facebook trends, and people constantly on their i-Pads and cell phones.

I refuse to put up with it! Remember all the repetitive messages imprints into your soul! After all, repetition is how we learn – how are parents taught us words, alphabet, multiplication tables, etc. We are taught to repeat over and over to learn. 

So think about what all this negative messaging does to you. Is that the kind of stuff you want to embed in your very being? What about all the commercials trying to get you to buy products? How often will you need to be told, “Buy my product and you will feel great” before you totally believe it? And the saddest part is, these commercials do not have to tell the truth.

Think about it. How have we all been being brainwashed all these years? How often have you been told something multiple times only to find out later it really isn’t true? (There are even findings now that some of the history we’ve always been taught isn’t the real truth.)

Well, I refuse! I put my foot down and I will no longer buy into what the media is trying to force me to believe and buy. 

This made me think more of my new plan to be a better me. I am happy… and most of the time I am. This is one phrase I repeat and in reading more of positive I Am theory.

How am I going to do this? How am I going to make myself even more positive and manifest my goals? This idea of bombardment of words from TV and commercials gave me an idea. What if I take colored index cards and colored markers (I’m all about pretty color), write down little positive sayings, and post the cards all over the house? This way, wherever I go, I’m getting the messaging that I choose to put into my soul!

For instance, I started with a series of I AM cards. I am love. I am peace. I am happy. I am healthy. (You get the picture.) I am a writer. I am a photographer. What I am and what I choose to be.

Then I changed it up a bit. “I make a great living being a writer!” I am taking lines from the “Tao te Ching” and “Course in Miracles” among other great books to help me reinforce the good. 

One of my favorite sayings I read years ago came from Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life.” She said, “In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole, and complete.”

I’m going to go back through some of my books and write up new cards. Imagine what our lives could be like if every one of us filled ourselves with positive, loving, peaceful thoughts?

Today I wrote: “I am breaking old brainwashed concepts” (all those years of being told I was ugly, fat, unprofessional, etc.) and “I am building new, better me by positive reinforcement and reminders of the wonderful person I am.” 

And a trick to this is feeling what is written. When I write “I am peace,” I am feeling it and believing it. The more I repeat the words, the more I do feel it and it makes me happy. And of course, the best to do is “I am LOVE” and feeling the love; a universal, omnipresent love. (Note the feeling between saying, “I am Love” as compared to “I am loving.” To me, the “I am Love” makes it radiate outward.)

What do you think? What would you put on your positive reinforcement cards? (I’m calling them PR Cards – a double entendre as to the other meaning of PR as in public relations because this new me will be out in public.) 

Have a fantastic day, Everyone! 

Book Update

I got so wrapped up in working on the final draft of my book that I haven’t taken the time to blog for a couple of days – heck, it’s been a week. Of course, I’m not just working on that project as other things need to be taken care of.

I’ve made it back through Day 9 as of this moment; only 14 more to go before I’m finished, plus writing the epilogue. I’m printing out copies with a few photos to pass on to Nan, who is proofreading for me. It’s never good for authors to proofread their own work. You get so caught up in your work that it’s easy to miss simple grammatical errors or spelling. Also, another point of view can alert you to the fact that a section might sound awkward or confusing to a reader. There’s nothing worse than reading a good story, but you can’t enjoy it because of the bad grammar and spelling; and for a lot of people, those glaring errors jump off the page in your face.

The finishing of the final draft doesn’t mean the book is ready to go. There are many, many decisions to make. There’s layout and design, choosing the size of the book, the type of paper to have it printed on, front and back cover designs, copyrights, and that’s on top of deciding to just go with a print on-demand-company or to go with a real publisher. These are not easy decisions and this is not even talking marketing, yet.

Print-on-demand is a popular way to go and it’s relatively easy (just remember none of this is as easy as it sounds). However, with the thousands of books being printed this way, what makes your book stand out? And with anyone being able to print anything, your book is mixed in with a lot of poorly written material. These print-on-demand places do not do any editing on proofreading. They are set up and print only. They could care less whether the writing is any good.

I don’t want a cheap, shoddy piece of work. As good a writer and editor as I may be, I still make mistakes. I still need, and appreciate, someone else looking over my work before it goes out to the public. I want my books to look professional and classy. The writing, though time-consuming, is the easy part. From there it gets difficult and to do a good job is not cheap. If you want quality work, you need to pay for it – from editing to designing to printing. And if you don’t have the expertise, then be willing to pay someone who does.

Ouch! But this is the type of work I want to do. I’m learning. Maybe there will come a time when I can do almost all of it myself (as I thought I could in the beginning), but I’m not there yet.

On to Day 10... and I still haven't come up with a title.

Roller Coaster Writing

I left on my 2015 trip a year ago tomorrow – a year, an entire year, has passed and I am just getting to the end of the first draft of the book. Of course, there were important issues throughout late spring, summer, and fall that kept me from completing the task. “Too Cold for Alligators,” the book about my 2013 trip took a year and a half to write. This book will take as long. What happens when you take a hiatus from a project? How do you get your mind back on it?

My entire life isn’t solely about writing, especially for someone who is not “just” a writer; I’m also an artist and photographer. My job is editor and freelance writer. Then there are the life issues that get in the way and taking time for family and friends. There are also the chores of daily living and surviving. So what does this mean to my life as a writer?

I just couldn’t jump right in where I left off after being away from the writing for six months. I had to re-look at what was previously done to catch up to where I am in the storytelling. I had to get the feel back, get my mind in gear, while at the same time, continuing to deal with settling into the new house, getting the renovations done, and doing the weekly job requirements of being editor of the InterTown Record newspaper.

Other considerations come into play. I get calls to do an occasional photo project. I see scenes which would translate well to charcoal and pastel drawings. I get mail from various venues looking for artists. (I only participated in one show last year and it’s the same one I’m currently doing.) There’s also the other ongoing book that I’ve been working on for a couple of years. What does all this say about me being a writer?

2015 was the Year of Letting Go. 2016 is the Year of Possibilities. A shift is taking place and I’m not totally sure what this means yet. I enjoy being an artist and a photographer. I am professional. But the call to write is very strong and becoming more so. Perhaps it’s time to become more focused on one medium and the first thing that always comes to mind is I AM A WRITER! So, what do I need to do to focus more on my writing?

This morning I went back to a list I started awhile back on what to pay attention to for travel writing. I love making lists, but I am also concerned with the time spent making them. Could the time be better spent doing the actual writing?

Maybe, maybe not; my goal is to improve my writing skills and if I can develop a go to list, it can help when I have to take a hiatus to tend to other life issues. A list will help me get back or stay on track. My mind easily jumps from one topic to another and I often feel I spend too much time refocusing. What kind of shift am I feeling here?

Perhaps focus is the key word. The pull to write is so strong now that maybe it’s time to put the other creative aspects of my life aside. That doesn’t mean I’m giving them up totally and the photography does go with my writing. My desire to be a travel writer and share the information I discover with others is overriding everything else. Maybe it’s time to give in to it.

I am already planning a trip for 2017, so I need to get this book finished and published and I need to finish the New Hampshire book I started a few years ago. Wow, I guess I’ve made a decision here. This year I will concentrate on being a writer and author. (At least today).

Working on the Latest Book Continues

I was doing well with the blogging for a few days then I got distracted. I got sidetracked onto issues for which I have no control. New self-study set up a few revelations – a good way to start the new year – but now I have to get back to finishing the book. Three days, Jan. 20, will mark the year anniversary of leaving for the trip. 

I’ve been slowly whittling away at writing the book these past two months and it’s coming along. I write the chapters using journal, blog, and pocket notebook. I research historical information online to add to the story. Then I go to the photo program to edit pictures, and from the prints, I go back to the chapters to add better descriptions while editing and tightening up the grammar. I reached Day 19 of my 23 day journey and went to edit the photos taken of the day spent exploring Fredericksburg, Va. 

There are no photos in the Dropbox folder between Feb. 8 and April 24! Panic rippled through me. (I use Dropbox because I can access all my files from any computer.) Noooo! Does that mean I’ve lost the last pictures of my trip? Stop, calm down, think: this means I imported the last photos onto the HP PC, not into the Dropbox folder. The PC crashed the end of April but Schyler was able to rescue the entire hard drive and put in a generic folder on the new Apple MacBook Pro. Maybe, just maybe, I can find those pictures. 

I looked in the photo program where he told me to look. The pictures were not there. My heart broke, tears filled my eyes. What am I going to do? I started looking through every file on that old hard drive. It took over an hour and a little more freaking out, but I finally found the file holding those photos. I made notes of the entire path (and it is quite a path) through the various files to get to the one I needed.

However, it’s a read only file. I cannot edit or do anything to the picture. When I tried, it said the file was locked. I clicked the unlock button and read that I have to duplicate the picture and save it elsewhere. This means my editing process just took on a few more steps; tedious and time-consuming, but doable. 

This was a set-back. Now I am moving ahead again. Maybe when I get this book finished, I can figure out a way to go on another trip. There are still so many places to explore and favorite sites to revisit. Oh, I soooo want to travel!

A Revelation

I’ve talked recently about a shift in perspective that started a couple months back. I got distracted while reading “We Are Market Basket” as negative big business beliefs rose to the forefront. There’s a reason I don’t let myself get caught up in news media and the miasma of the horror going on in the world. I pulled myself back into my little world.

I have to stay with who I am. “Start from where you are,” says Pema Chodron in the book of the same name. I return to my core beingness, the I AM (with a little help from Dr. Wayne Dyer). This past week has filled me with a reawakened awareness; some remembered from previous work/reading and some from new readings, and taking whatever resonates as truth within me.

I took a break for a photo shoot and a lot of the old self doubts came charging in. Am I good enough? Will the customer like what I did for them? Am I charging accordingly? Now is a good time to put the new studies into effect and right now my mantra is “I AM___! Repeat it! Feel it! Believe it!” (The blank space can be filled with every positive I can think of and see and want myself to be.) 

I spent the morning writing as I do every day. The writing helps me see my thoughts and not just feel them. I take into consideration words of advice and support from others. 

A revelation came through: My entire being goes into every project I do no matter what style or medium! When someone hires me to do a job or if I am writing, drawing, painting or even in conversation, there’s a complete package of who I am that goes into it. This is HUGE!

What that means is ALL of me goes into the project. I may be working on photographs, but the writer, artist, healer, and life-experience-wisdom keeper is also present. All the training and classes I’ve ever undertaken is within me. It’s there when I work and it comes out in the project. It’s the love and joy and excitement that bubbles inside and comes out into pens, brushes, camera, and conversation.

Some of the doubt in the past was a fear that I’ve never focused on one medium or stayed with any one “guru.” I worried that people wouldn’t see me as worthy or truly professional because I don’t have degrees. However, if I made a list of every class every taken; every seminar attended; self-help book read; work in shamanism including sweat lodges and fire walks, Healing Tao, and massage therapy, and more -- it’s mind-boggling.

This doesn’t mean I don’t have room to learn. Every day is opportunity to learn (or realize I already knew) something. It’s exciting, and that’s how I look at life – exciting and interesting. 

So, I am a unique package-deal when you deal with me.

To Find Peace, Be Peace

Often in my editing work, I put my own beliefs aside and stay open-minded. I don’t have to share the same views of others to do the best job I can with the editing. Many times I put the context of what is being said aside and focus on grammar, punctuation, and flow; just doing the job (which I love).

However, yesterday there was an article that really touched me. It was from David Keller, the pastor of the South Newbury Church. His message was about peace and he said, “Taking care of our desire for peace, brings peace.”

Wow, how could I forget? Lately I’d been allowing my thoughts to get caught up in the negativity of world violence, political dealings and lies, and the lack of ethics in big business. And I know: what you think you become – which is one of the reasons I usually avoid the news and all the crap the media tries to pound into us.

Keller’s words made me remember something I read years ago. I had done a short stint with studying “A Course in Miracles” and remembered I have a couple of small books with selections from the bigger study. I dug through my piles of kept books and found them. One is called “A Gift of Peace” and the second is “Accept This Gift.” The selections within are short pieces, easy to read, but are also inspiring and make you think.

Now, I am not a follower of any one religion or faith. I pull concepts from many that hold what I believe to be true and good. Every so often, something really resonates within me when I read it. 

“Nothing outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can give you peace.” This line sunk to my core early on as I realized that I am in charge of my own happiness. My happiness and inner peace can only come from within me. If I rely on someone else or something else for that, I am only setting myself up for disappointment.

“Offer peace to have it yours.” I take this line to mean if I am not willing to feel peace towards others, how can I feel it within myself? It is easy to project how we feel onto others. I know, there are times when I’m feeling miserable and, in those moments, I don’t care who knows it. But, in that moment, if I remember to breathe and think peace, I become peace. (No, it isn’t always easy. It’s work. But it’s worth the effort!)

What would this world be like if the media were putting these kinds of messages in the news?

What would it be like if we could carry peace in our hearts?

Can I, every time I start to think a negative thought or how horrible the world has become, can I turn to peaceful thoughts instead?

What do I feel as peace? Breathing in, breathing out; flowers; birds; beautiful landscapes, remembering good conversations and good meals with friends, letting my eyes see the beauty around me. And this reminds me of the old Navajo saying, “Walk in beauty every day.”

I have to remember that. I have to remind myself every day. It comes easily when I stop letting my thoughts run rampant; when I stop focusing on the negativity of the world. No wonder I refuse to listen to news. (That doesn’t have to mean I close my eyes to the world.)

“The only way to have peace is to teach peace.”

Keeping Humanity in Business

I love the branch where I do my banking. Every time I walk in there, they speak to me by name, not just the teller at the window, but any of the other bankers in the offices who see me. Even if they are with another customer, they will say, “Hi Sasha” or give a wave. That personal relationship with customers is so welcoming. We don’t get that enough anymore. 

Customers in line often speak with each other and comments are often made to include anyone listening. It makes for a less tense atmosphere and the waiting in line is more enjoyable. The tellers are smiling and are willing to include other customers in their greetings and not just the one standing directly in front of them at the moment. Yes, the actual financial transactions are private and low-voiced, but the overall ambiance has that old-time community everyone-knows-everyone feeling and all are made to feel welcome. 

I thanked the teller for that type of welcome and smiles. She said corporate headquarters is trying to put a stop to the open friendliness. She said they are trying to stand up to the orders. They believe in being customer friendly and it makes the day less tedious.

I find that so sad and have seen that happen more and more as the years go by in various businesses, especially big corporate-type businesses. It seems that good business training goes against personal ethics. People are taught that be a successful business, one must be hard, ruthless, uncaring to the people. The overall feeling that comes down the line is the only thing that matters to the business owners is the bottom-line profits.

They don’t really care about the customers and care even less for those who actually work for them. Oh, they have all the pretty words, commercials to catch people’s eyes, et. al., but that’s all show. The good-sounding words are just words used to placate customers and make them think that the corporation really cares for their customers.

But what is reality? Products are made much cheaper and when was the last time you got any good customer satisfaction if you had a problem? Or what did you have to go through to get that satisfaction? How many phone calls do you have to make? How many phone message recordings to you have to go through? And it’s a miracle when you can get through to a real person – and one who can actually help you.

I digress. I just totally believe that big business now-a-days has gotten out of hand. People no longer matter. They get our business, have our business, but they don’t need to care about us or their employees. They sit in their ivory castles and play with numbers. They buy out other businesses, lay people off, and put more work onto people already in their employ…

We are human beings. We are social creatures. It’s important to have interactions and to speak with others. It’s important to be welcoming and smiling and compassionate with one another. We have feelings! And we should be proud of how we feel. And the corporate, unfeeling world should not take that away from us! 

So, with how I am viewing business now-a-days, to walk into a place and be greeted by name is refreshing. To hear other customers chatting with each other (and it doesn’t have to be conversations, but just that they are willing to speak) is wonderful. To have the employees (bank tellers, clerks, baggers, sales people, etc.) act as if they are really glad to see you makes a big difference. That bit of joy can spread.

Let’s spread more joy! Let’s not allow the corporate model of business behavior take away our humanness. We are people! We deserve to be treated with respect. This is more excuses to buy local; support local.