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The Positive Slant On Business had a post called Reverberations of Praise about what can happen when you offer praise.
The Positive Slant On Writing was a Writing Tip on Wielding Perseverance in life and your writing.
Here on The Positive Slant On the Path was My Two Cents on Affirmations and what I think they can really do.
From the Files, Rants and Raves featured a review of the documentary on Muscle Shoals and its singing Tennessee River.
From the Files, Scenes and Musings was really a rant in the heat called Winter Woes from Head to Toes.
Hope you enjoy what’s blooming!
I contend that we need four supports in our life in order to feel balanced and keep ourselves in good shape. Balance is so important in life. It is how we maintain and persevere.
Time
We need time to tend to our own care: to eat well, take exercise and nurture our spirit (Whatever that may mean for you – attending church, visiting art galleries, reading good books . . .) What is a good life without time with loved ones? Hearth and Home provide the heart of a balanced life. Time to ourselves for quiet thought, is equally essential.
Money
It is a fact of the life we live, that most of us need money. We must have it for our very survival in this hurry up-keep up world. No hearth, no home without it. Money fuels us. It makes things happen. It creates a comfortable life around us. Money can be very handy for generosity, too. We give more when we have more to give.
Connection
We are all passionate beings at our core. And we crave connection to fully express our love. We truly need each other. Susan Jeffers, PhD. said, “I believe our craving in life is not to be loved, but to love…ourselves and others.” I’m calling this the gravity that holds it all together. Without it life is flimsy and can more easily topple (or turn upside down).
Purpose
There is no more stable ground than purpose. To be of service is what we are all meant to do. Purpose drives us and without it we feel lost. Purpose runs on faith. With faith, belief in something, our lives make sense.
I woke up the other morning thinking these two thoughts. For me, this is another one of those elegant, but unlikely combinations.
Many times when we think of Perseverance, images are conjured of gritted teeth and clinched fists. Stiff backs of determination to pursue, no matter what the weather.
Grace, on the other hand, evokes the feeling of moving easily. It has a reflective quality. A deep down assurance of Purpose. Grace makes one think of charm and balance. It’s got forgiveness all over it. Seems so gentile next to Perseverance. But the truth is, Grace may move delicately, but it continues to move.
Grace, I believe, is also the stuff that Miracles are made of. Grace from the light of God fills Miracles and makes them shine brightly. Grace keeps the dazzling light going.
What if we use Grace with Perseverance? When we add them together, we have far more powerful fuel. With Grace by our side, we can keep going with ease, we can flow along willingly and with agility. And a song in our hearts.
Julia Cameron’s book, “Finding Water” gives us a powerful but softer way to look at Perseverance. She shows us that it can be a very spiritual tool in living our lives well and doing what we choose to do. With these two features working hand-in-hand, we can keep moving with ease and willingness.
It is, officially, NaNoWriMo. That’s National Novel Writing Month. Though I think this is a noble endeavor, I haven’t yet been able to wrap my mind around the practicality of writing an entire novel in a month. Being a strong believer in rewriting, I’m not sure I could do it. However, I see the value in that even if one comes out with a hastily tossed together first draft, it’s a whole lot better than none. Having something in the works can provide ample motivation to keep going.
But, alas, though I have a novel, it has taken me far more than a month to write it. Started in the early 2000’s and put on a shelf somewhere mid-way through the decade, to make room for more practical writing assignments. I’ve resuscitated it over the last year or so and making slow, but steady progress, through the monthly meetings with my blessed critique group. Giving much of my time to non-fiction writing these days, it’s not always easy to find time for fiction. This constant attention keeps it in my life.
This is why I’ve set up my own National Novel Month (NANOMO) exercise. I’ve fashioned it to fit into my schedule and style. My process is simple: Every day I must do something on the book. It doesn’t matter how much. Some days I work on organizing the scattered papers. Another I might write a whole chapter. I could take notes on what is to come or read a few pages of notes. It’s okay if some days all I can do is think about it for a few minutes. It doesn’t matter what I do or how much time I spend. It’s about giving attention to it each and every day.
The point of this, as Julia Cameron says in Finding Water is, “it does add up.” I plan for as much of the long Thanksgiving weekend as I can to work on it. Last year, when I did this, I was raring to go by the end of the month! My small efforts every day had built into a head of steam. I dug in and got a whole lot done!
It’s a good lesson in perseverance. Whatever you pay attention to adds up. You can use this for all kinds of things like making money, improving your look, or getting into college.
I honor the Novel this month by choosing to give it my time every single day.
“There are two ways to complete a task: 1. Do more. 2. Let go.” – Alan Cohen
This makes a lot of sense. It may be that you have to get busy, get off your duff and do more to forge toward completion. Sometimes you can’t see that the end is just around the next bend. There may well be times when you’ve just not done what was needed. Perseverance is key to completing anything you undertake.
But there are other times when you’ve done all you can do and it’s just not coming to an end. It’s important to know when it’s time to give up. At this point, if you want completion, in order to keep the books clear, you must let go. It may be time to decide that you’re not going to finish it. Have done with it, move it aside and get to the next thing.
However, letting go does not always mean giving up. It may mean letting go of your heavy hand in the mix. Letting go of the need to complete the task. Or letting go of your need to be the one to finish it. Sometimes you have to trust and allow the Universe (or someone else) to see it through. The world may be asking you to release and let the flow of life take it from there.
The Positive Slant On the Path 