Category Archives: Inspiration
Sunday Inspiration
Three Steps, No Failure
When asked about her extraordinary success, recording artist and motivational performer Jana Stanfield said, “I believe in the power of small steps to create great changes.”
Jana left a lucrative career as a broadcast journalist and moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of securing a recording contract. While waiting for her breakthrough, she signed up for voice lessons and took classes in song-writing, stand-up comedy and dance. She took advantage of Open-Mic nights and sang for free in the evenings. With the help of a small producer, she made a few recordings.
None of the record companies were interested.
Continue reading on the Sisterhood of Suspense blog.
Happy National Day of Encouragement
The first proclamation for the Day of Encouragement was made by Mayor Belinda LaForce of Searcy, Arkansas on August 22, 2007. In September, Governor Mike Beebe of Arkansas signed a proclamation making September 12, 2007 the “State Day of Encouragement” for Arkansas. Later, President George W. Bush also signed a message making September 12 the official “National Day of Encouragement.”
Here are ten of my favorite quotes about encouragement…
“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” Alexander Graham Bell
“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” Harriet Beecher Stowe
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” William James
Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment. Stephen Covey
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt
“If you dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.” Walt Disney
“Everything will be okay in the end.
If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”
Ed Sheeran
A Message for All Teachers
Honoring Saint Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa)
It’s official.
Earlier today, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint at a mass in St. Peter’s Square. Two miraculous cures of the sick after Mother Teresa’s death in 1997 have been attributed to her intercession.
Born Agnes Goinsha to Albanian parents, Mother Teresa dedicated her life to helping the poor. She began her charitable work in the slums of Calcutta and later founded the order of Missionaries of Charity. Today, that network has grown to over 4,500 nuns, operating nursing homes, orphanages, hospices, and other programs around the world.
Honored by many world and religious leaders including Pope John Paul II, Indira Gandhi, and Queen Elizabeth, Mother Teresa has also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1979) and Congressional Gold Medal (1997).
My favorite quotations from Saint Teresa…
Peace begins with a smile.
In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.
Some people come in your life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.
Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
You have never really loved until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
If you do something out of duty, it will deplete you. But if you do something out of love, it will energize you.
Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.
Black Belt at 72
“The journey was the cake. The black belt was the icing.”
That’s not the comment you would expect to hear from someone who has achieved the highest belt rank in karate. But then 72-year-old Gloria Smith is not the typical karate practitioner.
A quick look at her back-story…
• Eight years ago, Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery and radiation treatments.
• One year later, she retired from teaching at age 65 and decided to take up Tai Chi at the Academy of Martial Arts in Mississauga, Ontario.
• Two years later, she noticed a promotion for an eight-week class in karate. She signed up and was hooked by the end of the course.
While on the five-year journey…
“The more I got into it, the more I realized that martial artists are more than just people who can take a punch and roll on the floor and stuff like that. It’s a total way of life. You learn discipline, courtesy, respect.
“Nobody ever once said to me, ‘You’re too old.’ ‘You can’t keep up.”
This past Sunday, Smith celebrated this spectacular achievement with her husband and son. In a recent Toronto Star article, she stressed that her journey isn’t finished. She will continue training to move up the degrees of black-belt status.
Head instructor Ian Jay added his own congratulations: “There’s nobody who’s achieved their first-degree black belt in their 70s within our schools, so that’s very rare. This was new territory. She’s doing something that no one else has done.”
BTW…There are about 3,000 students enrolled in the Academy’s schools.
Takeaway for new retirees and wannabe second acters…
• Structure your days.
• Take note of all God-nudges and God-winks. If an announcement or brochure catches your attention, pursue it.
• Enjoy the journey!!
Source: Toronto Star, August 29, 2016
Achieving F.O.C.U.S
While journaling (and complaining) about my lack of focus, I received an email inviting me to a webinar featuring best-selling author and educator D’Vorah Lansky. Intrigued by the title—“5 Time-Generating Secrets to Get More Done and Have More Fun!”—I signed up and took notes as I watched and listened.
I paid special attention to D’Vorah’s acronym for F.O.C.U.S.
Fine Tune Your Projects List
Optimize Your Email
Concentrate on What’s Essential
Unplug and Take Time to Recharge
Streamline Your Social Media Systems
Here are D’Vorah’s suggestions:
1. Gather all To-Do lists and create a Master Projects List. Set deadlines for completion and organize the items chronologically.
2. Schedule specific email-checking times during the time. Use a timer if you are easily distracted.
3. Create folders—Receipts, Writing Ideas, Publishers—and tag each incoming email accordingly. Only emails that require immediate attention should remain in the In-Box.
4. Identify your most productive times during the day. Do not check your emails during these times.
5. Clean your desk or work area at the end of each day and make a list of the six most important things that must be completed the following day. Leave the list on your desk and discipline yourself to attend to each item.
6. Factor in “fun time” each day. It could be as simple as taking a fifteen-minute dance break, playing with your cats, or having coffee at your favorite café. Setting aside time each week for a longer activity such as a movie, lunch with a friend, or “Blow with the wind” time is also important. When we recharge regularly, we can stay energized even during the toughest of times.
7. Schedule fifteen-minute blocks of daily social networking time. On the weekends, set aside a one-hour block to roam online.
Any other tips?
Happy Serendipity Day!
Today is Serendipity Day, an officially recognized annual event and special day to celebrate unexpected and much appreciated grace.
Here of ten of my favorite quotations about serendipitous events…
The universe is always speaking to us…sending us little messages, causing coincidences and serendipities, reminding us to stop, to look around, to believe in something else, something more. Nancy Thayer
There’ll always be serendipity involved in discovery. Jeff Bezos
Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns on the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure—do it well, enjoy it—and then, not now, think about what comes next. Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Sometimes serendipity is just intention unmasked. Elizabeth Berg
Unless you leave room for Serendipity…How can the Divine enter? Joseph Campbell
History is an intricate web of timing, people, circumstances and serendipity. Don Rittner
In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts. Peter McWilliams
Serendipity: Look for something, find something else and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.
Lawrence Block
What people call serendipity is just having your eyes open. Jose Manuel Barroso
If you use it intelligently, Twitter can be a form of engineered serendipity. Jason Silva
Small Doses of Inspiration
While I enjoy attending workshops and lectures, sometimes I need inspiration in smaller doses.
During my teaching years, I would pop my head in a neighboring classroom and chat briefly between periods. Those three to five minutes of conversation would be all that I needed to receive (give) encouragement and support.
As a writer, I have to think outside the box if I want that small dose of inspiration. I could call a friend or family member, but the conversation could easily extend beyond five minutes and derail my daily writing practice.
I found the solution in the most unlikely of places—YouTube.
Continue reading on the Sisterhood of Suspense blog.
