reverb10: Wonder

Great Beyond

This is part of a series of posts for Reverb10 -- an online event to promote reflecting and manifesting. To read all of the posts in this series, just click on the "reverb10" tag over there on the right.

Wonder 

One of the ways I cultivated wonder in my life this past year came to be during a moment of desperation.  I had been unemployed for several months, I was not getting any response to the dozens of resumes I sent out daily, and money was very tight for our family.  It was during these dark days that I decided to try launching my own Virtual Assistant business.

I became very focused at developing a business plan, and preparing list of clients to target.  I joined networking groups, and read and read and read.  A short month later I had my first clients and was getting paid.

The "wonder" comes in when I realized that I was doing all this almost on auto-pilot.  I mean, I was giving extensive thought to my decisions, but the fact that I was thinking about it at all was amazing.  I was simply doing what I needed to do to help support my family.  I was taking initiative and responsibility, and I was doing it all without whining or moaning.

It turned out that my efforts weren't enough to cover a salary for me, but it was enough to get us by until I found a more steady job.  I am very thankful for the learning experience and test in discipline I got from my short time as an entrepreneur, and I know those lessons will carry me through the next stages of my career.

reverb10: Moment

Kara Allyson

This is part of a series of posts for Reverb10 -- an online event to promote reflecting and manifesting. To read all of the posts in this series, just click on the "reverb10" tag over there on the right.

Moment

It's been hard for me to come up with the one moment this past year when I felt most alive.  For the most part, I have been in survival mode, just doing what needs to be done to get the bills paid and get out of bed every morning.  That makes me sad, and more determined that I will not go through another year like that again.

I can say easily, though, that I feel most alive when I am writing, even if I am just venting and cursing in my journal.  Something happens when I put a pen to paper, and even most times when I am working at a keyboard.  I lose myself in what I am writing.  Everything around me gets quiet and I become laser-focused on my words.  I get absorbed and time goes by in a flash without my knowing it.  It doesn't really matter what I am writing -- a journal entry, an article, or a novel scene.

That's why I know that my purpose here is to write.  I have loved to write for as long as I remember, and love it to this day.  I not only love it, I need it.  I need to write, and if I go for periods without it I am left with an empty and unsatisfied feeling.

So here's to thousands of more words that take me to new and exciting places!

reverb10: Writing

tomswift46

This is part of a series of posts for Reverb10 -- an online event to promote reflecting and manifesting. To read all of the posts in this series, just click on the "reverb10" tag over there on the right.

Writing

What do I do each day that doesn't contribute to my writing?  That's easy.

I waste time.

I am a professional procrastinator.  It's a shame I don't get paid for it, because if I did I'd be rolling in the dough.  Procrastination for me is a safety mechanism, I think.  I'm afraid of failure, but I'm afraid of success even more.  That subject, however, is for another blog post (or three).

How do I waste my time?  I spend way too much of my time checking email and Facebook and Twitter and FoxNews and Google Reader.  And when I've exhausted those avenues, I take a nap.  Or I read.  Or I organize.  Anything goes when it comes to finding something to do other than write.

Can I eliminate those time wasters?  Sure I can!  But the question here for me is will I. 

One of my goals for 2011 is to make more time for my writing.  Blogging here is a good start for me.  If I can make it through the month of December -- and I'm going to try really hard! -- that will be a great sign.  Then I can get back to work on editing my novel and getting started on the next one I have outlined. 

So, here's to eliminating those time wasters that are holding me back, and not making any contributions to my goals.  Let's be clear -- I'm  not going to eliminate them altogether.  But the time I spend on them will be cut drastically!  :)

reverb10: One Word

anguila40

This is part of a series of posts for Reverb10 -- an online event to promote personal reflecting and manifesting. To read all of the posts in this series, just click on the "reverb10" tag over there on the right.

One Word

If I had to encapsulate the year 2010 for me with one word, that word would be

s t r u g g l e.

The past year has been a tumultuous one.  With being unemployed for the first four months, losing an aunt, losing an uncle, and financial difficulties, I had a hard time finding my way through the fog.  I found it hard to be grateful, found it hard to have faith, and found it hard to believe in myself.  My writing suffered, my health suffered, and my relationships suffered.  There were times when I found it nearly impossible to drag myself out of bed to face another day, and struggled with my reason for being here at all.

Thankfully I have a wonderful husband and family who supported me.  They let me cry when I needed to, vent when the anger overwhelmed me, and they made me laugh during times when I could not find happiness.  Most of all, though, they encouraged me to keep going -- to push my way through the obstacles and disappointments, and to believe in myself.  I was reminded that I am a powerful woman, and with focus and determination, I can accomplish anything.

This time next year my One Word will be different.  This time next year I will have accomplished great things.  I will have proved to myself that yes, I CAN do anything.  This time next year my word will be

S U C C E S S !

Be sure to watch this space.  Great things are to come!

Reverb10: An Exercise in Reflecting and Manifesting

I think I may have found the perfect exercise to help me finally get this blog up and going the way I would like:

Reverb10

Reverb10 is an annual online event that occurs from December 1 until December 31.  There is a prompt for each of those days for which you can make something, write a blog post, or write a journal entry.  The idea behind the prompts is to help you reflect over the past year, and to plan (manifest) what you want to happen to you in the coming year.

I typically take the last few weeks of December to reflect and to plan for what I want to accomplish in the next year.  I've never used writing prompts, though, and since I am a Journal Keeper by nature, they would be a natural and fun way for me to take my reflecting and planning to the next level.

I believe strongly in goal-setting, and that you get what you ask for.  So I'm excited about this exercise, and I am excited that it is giving me a jumping off point for my blog again.  After all, one of my goals for 2011 is to put The Journal Keeper in high gear and be more disciplined about posting regularly.

So here's to looking back so I can move forward!