On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Transformational teacher, Adam Markel, shares the following inspirational excerpt in his book, Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life:

There are heroes everywhere.

We see them on the news. We read books about them and watch movies starring them. We share their stories.

Whether it’s a larger-than-life hero, such as Gandhi, or the guy who left the job he hated and thrives in his own small business, there are heroes everywhere. Heroes are real, and they’re part of every culture in every country through all of history.

They all have one thing in common: They are heroes because they live the life they dream.

A fundamental part of the hero’s journey, a term coined by Joseph Campbell, is to go from the known to the unknown. It’s about leaving the safe world that the hero knows and venturing to something new and unknown. A place to be tested. Think of Luke Skywalker leaving the farm. Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire. Neo leaving the Matrix. They all left a comfortable, known, but ultimately unfulfilling “normal” life to find themselves and eventually to become heroes.

You don’t need to slay dragons or leave the planet to pivot. But there’s probably no better way to capture the essence of what it means to reinvent yourself.

To pivot, you’ll have to explore the unknown. I won’t ask you to burn your ships or face a dragon. But you may have to leave some of your comfortable routines and predictable patterns.

And in return?

You get to become a hero of your own life. And I believe that, deep inside, that’s what we all want. Because, deep down, we all know this truth: The only thing stopping you from changing your life is you.

The hero in this story is you. It’s your journey. No one can take it from you or do it for you. To pivot, you need to become the hero of your own life.

Because if you can pivot—if you can change your life and live your dreams…

…what can’t you do?

Source: Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Life

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

We all have opportunities and obligations, but a healthy and productive routine can only be found in the long run by properly managing your yeses. And yes, sometimes you have to say “no” to really good opportunities and obligations. You can’t always be agreeable — that’s how people take advantage of you. And that’s how you end up taking advantage of yourself, too. You have to set clear boundaries!

You might have to say no to certain favors, work projects, community associations, church activities, volunteer groups… coaching your kid’s sports teams, or some other seemingly worthwhile activity. I know what you’re thinking: it seems unfair to say no when these are very worthwhile things to do — it pains you to say no! But you must, because the alternative is that you’re going to do a poor job at each one, be stressed out, feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of busyness, and eventually you’ll reach a breaking point.

Truth be told, the main thing that keeps so many of us stuck in a debilitating cycle of overwhelm is the fantasy in our minds that we can be everything to everyone, everywhere at once, and a hero on all fronts. But again, that’s not reality. The reality is you’re not Superman or Wonder Woman — you’re human and you have limits. So, you have to let go of that idea of doing everything, pleasing everyone, and being everywhere.

In the end, you’re either going to do a few things well or everything poorly.

Now it’s YOUR turn…

Yes, it’s your turn to embrace the difference between being committed to the right things and being overcommitted to everything. It’s your turn to leave space on your calendar, to keep your life ordered and your schedule under-booked, and to create a foundation with a soft place to land, a wide margin of error, and room to think and breathe.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:

Living freely and lightly in the “unforced rhythms of grace” sounds good, doesn’t it? I’m sure you have had enough heavy stuff in your life. I have, too, and I want to live freely. It’s nice to know that with God, we don’t have to worry about things, figure everything out, or carry the burdens in our lives.

It is refreshing to realize that we don’t need to know everything about everything. We can get comfortable with saying, “I don’t know the answer to this dilemma, and I’m not going to worry about anything because God is in control, and I trust in him. I’m going to rest in Him and live freely and lightly.”

Worry isn’t restful at all. In fact, it steals rest and the benefits of rest from us. The next time you feel you are carrying a heavy burden in your mind or find yourself worried or anxious, remember that you can live freely and lightly with God’s help.

Source: Quiet Times with God by Joyce Meyer

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

Many of the most meaningful results you will ever achieve in your life — the milestones, the relationships, the love, the lessons — come from the little things you do repeatedly, every single day.

Regardless of your unique talents, knowledge, life circumstances, or how you personally define success, you don’t suddenly become successful. You become successful over time based on your willingness to try again and again — to create little daily habits that amass gradual progress, through thick and thin.

So, what do your little daily habits look like?

You really have to sort this out and get consistent with what’s right for you on a daily basis. Because failure occurs in the same way — it’s gradual. All your little daily failures (those that you don’t learn and grow from) come together and cause you to fail big. Think in terms of running a business:

You keep failing to check the books.

You keep failing to make the calls.

You keep failing to listen to your customers.

You keep failing to innovate.

You keep failing to do the little things that need to be done.

Then one day you wake up and your whole business has failed. It was all the little things you did or didn’t do on a daily basis — your habits — not just one inexplicable, catastrophic event.

Now, think about how this relates to your life: your life is your “business!”

Too often people overestimate the significance of one big defining moment and underestimate the value of making good choices and small steps of progress on a daily basis.

Don’t be one of them!

Keep reminding yourself that almost all of the results in your life — positive and negative alike — are the product of many small decisions made over time.
The little things you do today, and tomorrow, and the next day, truly matter!

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.