Inspiration and Genius…

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eye off the goal.”  ~ Henry Ford

 

Need Some Inspiration?

“Begin doing what you want now….We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand — and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late.”
~Marie Beynon Ray

Overcoming Fears

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~Van Gogh
http://www.full-confidence.com http://full-confidence.blogspot.com/

Climbing toward a Dream

I always loved this picture of a ladder reaching to the sky. When I first decided I wanted to write, I drew a symbol like this as my logo. I pictured myself climbing that ladder to success, rung by rung, each rung representing a new skill, a new publication, a new height. And slowly, I started learning and climbing.

Some of the most important steps along the way were joining SCBWI, participating in critique groups, reading craft books, and taking classes. I even added an MFA to my goals. But the most important step was doing the writing itself. I’d read somewhere that to become an expert in any skill, you needed to put in 10,000 hours and write 1,000,000 words. So I did.

And the work began to pay off. First in small writing assignments and then in books. During the early writing years, I drew another picture in addition to that logo–a stack of books. A tall stack set up in a spiral shape. I was reminded of that recently when I decided to take a picture of the books I’ve written in the past five years. That drawing looked almost exactly like this:

Interestingly enough, some of the titles I put on those books were related to the topics of these books. I’m a big believer in using visualization to achieve goals, but I was surprised at how much the two stacks resembled each other.

I’ve seen so many writing dreams come true  in 2014. This past year has been filled with book contracts and book releases and speaking engagements. All of it fun, although sometimes exhausting. Sometimes the sign hanging behind me at this reading was definitely a reality.

  One of my long-term goals was signing at BEA, and I not only got to do that, but I got to watch friends and a CP sign too. And that was one of the highlights of the year — seeing so many friends and acquaintances making their dreams come true.

And 2015 is promising more of the same. Several CPs have signed book deals, and I know more will follow. I’m looking forward to what this year will bring. And wishing all of you a move up to the next rungs of the ladder to your dreams.

Feeling Overwhelmed by Life?

Sometimes when problems pile up, it’s easy to get discouraged. Here’s one family’s refreshing way of teaching their daughter to never quit, never say can’t. It’s amazing what someone with a “can-do” attitude is able to accomplish. After watching this, you’ll never look at your problems in the same way again. And often, life has even greater surprises in store.

Too Much to Do?

Here’s some great advice to fit the most important things into your days,

 

Some of the best advice ever for becoming successful.

What comes first: Happiness or Success?

In one of my Facebook groups, we were asked what one thing  — if it happened — would make this a GOOD year for us. That was an interesting question, and it really made me think. What I realized, though, was that my year was already better than good. In fact, it was pretty awesome. And I have so many things I’m looking forward to this year.

I’ve also had some fantastic things happen over the past year, things I’ve always wanted have become reality. But the truth is: Every year I’ve lived has been good — awesome, in fact. And each one has been better than the one before it. And I expect they’ll get even better in the future.

Then I saw this TED talk, and I discovered why. Most people think success will make them happy, but according to Shawn Achor, the exact opposite is true. Happiness brings success.

He lists five things that will lead to both happiness and success. Four of them I’m doing regularly, and the fifth one sporadically. Who knew these simple practices could make that much difference in life? But I do agree that they are key to a positive mindset. I have a few more suggestions I could add to his list, but for now, if you aren’t doing these, why not give it a try?

 

Author Success—The Laws of Sowing & Reaping

 

 

Writing can be a long, hard process. Kristen Lamb explains this well.

Kristen Lamb's Blog

Life has many irrefutable truths. One? We get out of life what we put into it. We will get out of our writing what we invest. We cannot expect large returns from a social media platform if we rely on robots (automation) and connect randomly and half-heartedly. Social media is about relationships and being fair-weather friends has limited effectiveness.

Sure, there are flukes, people who run face-first into blind luck. But, one thing I’ve learned is the harder (and smarter) I work, the “luckier” I get ;).

When we take hold of a dream, we are assigned a sort of spiritual plot of land. Depending on the dream will depend on the plot. If we want to grow fresh peaches for our family, we don’t need a thousand acres. But, if we wish to make a living as a peach grower? We’ll have much more land and work ahead.

Same…

View original post 1,444 more words

Believe in Yourself

Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. ~ Henry Ford

Confidence, Love, and Dreams

Be the person you were meant to be. Succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Walk into your future with confidence. Follow your heart. Believe you can do it, and you can.

 

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ~Van Gogh