Reboot!

There have been many changes in my life recently and surely and hopefully there will be more.  As I continue on my journey, I look for new and exciting ways to reset when I get stuck in a rut.  One rut I was stuck in was beginning to show up in every area of my life.  I was not eating the way I should.

Since returning to the workforce a little over 2 years ago.  I slowly began trading my healthy clean food for quick and easy solutions.  A few pounds started to find there way back to the places I had worked so hard to keep them away from. My skin started to break out again, I was tired and irritable, and I was catching colds.  It was clear that I needed to reboot!

A couple of days ago I purchased another juicer.  I gave my old juicer to my brother.  I remember when I got my first juicer and made my own juice everyday with fresh fruits and vegetables.  I felt great and I didn’t have those annoying cravings for junk.  Now I am back on track and my son has jumped on the bandwagon with me.  I have so much energy and I am getting back in the groove.

I have also made meal plans for the week and beyond.  What a difference!

Now that I have so much more energy and a renewed spirit, I will also be writing more blog posts (another thing I had quit doing in my slump).  I have so many wonderful experiences to share.

I would like all of us to find little ways to reboot.  We should search for those things that make us happy and do what it takes to add them in our lives.  Sometimes you need to reboot or build a tribe to help you along the way.  Whatever the case my be, renew and refresh!

Write on Wednesday #46 What is your book about?

Like many writers, I plan on finishing a novel.  I have been working on one for a while.  I have had some articles and short stories published, but I have yet to have a published novel.  Many of my friends and acquaintances ask if I have written, or in the process of writing a book.  When I tell them  I am working on a novel, the next question is “What is it about?”

Years ago attended a writing workshop in my town and sat in a room filled with aspiring authors.  When it was time for us to ask questions, one of the attendees raised her hand an asked for tips on getting an agent.  Then she went on to tell what her book was about.  After about 5 solid minutes of awkward starts, backtracks, and confused faces, she ended with “I have a title.  It’s called Saturday Night at the Disco.” Even as I cringed along with everyone else as she bumbled through her attempt to describe her book, I wondered if I could do a better job.

Part of my current job is helping students succeed academically.  I help them with time management, study skills, critical thinking, etc.  I am often looking for various ways and techniques on how to improve study skills.  One method is the Feynman Technique. If you are not familiar with the Feynman Technique, it is essentially  explaining something in  language simple enough for a young child to understand and, by doing so, you too are gaining a better understanding of the subject.  After explaining this technique with several students I realized that this technique is a great way to fill plot holes and confusion in you own work.

If you want to be a published author and plan to go the traditional route of finding an agent, you will have to write a query letter.  You will have to be able to sell your book in a few sentences.  One way to do this is with the Feynman Technique.

 

iBourgie’s Guide to Writing your Query Letter Using the Feynman Technique

1. Write down your tentative title.
2. Write down the plot as if explaining it to an 8-year-old child
3. Review what you have written (or if you have an 8-year-old handy, ask them to read it to see if they can follow it.  If they cant..
4. Look for the confusing parts and clear them up.  This may be a great time to also look through your work to see if that confusion exists in it as well.
5. Finally, make any adjustments using plain language

I really is that simple.  If it is too hard for you to apply this technique, you have a little more work to do.  Enjoy the journey!

Keep it Simple

In life we often try to make things more complicated than they are.  If we can just take the time to listen to what our hearts, minds, and bodies are telling us, we can face the world and all its challenges with confidence.

 

New Experiences

New experiences is the first thing I say to may son when I wake him up in the morning.  He is not a morning person like his mother.  He needs a little extra encouragement. Actually this practice didn’t happen intentionally.  I was saying, wake up little Nigel.  So the next morning after the first day of school, I said it again.  Then Nigel said, “Mommy, I want you to say new experiences like you did yesterday.”  Actually, that wasn’t what I said, but it was a good practice to start.  Now I say it to him every morning when he wakes up.

I have been putting that practice into action in my own life.  I am very fond of rituals and routines and I think that is just fine, but there are times when you need to give new things a chance.  I recently started drinking coffee.  Now I love it!  I don’t drink it every day, but I enjoy a good cup of coffee.  I don’t use it as a stimulant as I have been accused of being caffeine personified, but I drink it for the taste.  In the past I refused coffee because I felt that I had no use for it.  I viewed coffee as a means of staying awake or jolting one from a groggy morning, things I never had an issue with.  One day I decided to give coffee a try.  It happened in a very strange way.  I was watching an episode of Satisfaction on Netflix and I saw one of the characters making a cup of coffee with a french press.  The whole process looked interesting and I wanted to try making coffee that way.  That particular way of making coffee appealed to me for its simplicity. So I purchased a french press, a hand-crank ceramic burr grinder, bought a bag of coffee beans from a local coffee shop, and made my first cup of coffee.  I enjoyed the process of heating the water, grinding the beans, and waiting patiently for the coffee to steep.  I found the experience to be therapeutic.  It is nice slow down and savor an experience, and now I have a new ritual.  It forces me to slow down, take my time and really enjoy the moment.

I would not have gained this new ritual had I not been willing to try something new.  I have learned to let go of feeling that I cannot benefit from something that is not necessarily marketed to me or the identity I have assigned to myself.  I must remain open to new experiences.  We all must let go of notion that something is “not for you” or “you are meant for something like that.”

I would like to challenge all of us to try something or experience something new. Try a new food.  Visit a different place or just take another route home from work.  See what’s out there!

 

Seven Myths of Meditation

Meditation has entered the mainstream of modern Western culture, prescribed by physicians and practiced by everyone from business executives, artists, and scientists to students, teachers, military personnel, and – on a promising note – politicians.

Source: DeepakChopra.com •  Article | Blog | Posts

Write on Wednesday #45

Today’s Writing Prompt:  On this day…

Today is a very special day for me.  Over 40 years ago, my best friend was born.  She is an amazing, beautiful, and successful woman and I am so glad that she is a part of my life.

For today’s writing prompt, pick a day that is special for you and find out what other things happened on that day in history.  Use this to inspire your writing.  I have listed a few links below to help get you started.

 

http://www.on-this-day.com/

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/on-this-day/?_r=0

Introverts Are Born To Connect More Deeply With Others, Here’s Why

Learn more about introverts and why they are wonderful partners, and have a profound ability to connect deeply with others.

Source: Introverts Are Born To Connect More Deeply With Others, Here’s Why