Sometimes life is hard. And sometimes when life is hard, don’t we just want to quit? To stick with the boat analogy, when we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and nothing’s happening — no wind filling our sails — it’s easy to just sit down and wait it out. Sometimes we tell us ourselves we don’t need a lot …
In Others’ Word: Don’t Jump — to Conclusions, That Is!
We all have different goals. Different dreams. Different opportunities. But no matter what we’re aiming for, we all hope to succeed. I’ve attended lots of writers conferences in years past. (Not lately. It’s been more about my daughter’s volleyball tournaments — and I’m okay with that.) When I’m with writers, we talk about the books we’re writing. The books we …
In Others’ Words: Mellow Time
A lot of people seem to like autumn. I’m basing my statement on a casual, highly non-scientific observation of social media comments. Most of them fall in the category of “I love fall” and “October is my favorite month of the year.” Maybe you’re familiar with this quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: “I’m so glad I …
In Others’ Words: An Adventure in Forgiveness
Sometimes the most profound truths require the least amount of words. “Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” Six words. Life-changing truth, wouldn’t you agree? Forgiveness is an adventure that leads us into the wide open spaces of freedom. Unforgiveness leads us to a dark dead end of anger and resentment and bitterness. We have a choice: to forgive or not …
In Others’ Words: Listen and Learn
We all have certain morning routines — habits we’ve fallen into. Things like: waking up at a certain time eating the same breakfast drinking coffee or tea exercising or maybe taking our dogs for a walk getting out the door and on the road at the same time What if we started off each day determining to talk less and …
In Others’ Words: Choose Your Weapon
Our thoughts are powerful forces for good or evil. And no, I’m not overstating this truth. Think about a time when you were juggling some important tasks or facing a major deadline, but still having a good day. And then, for some unknown reason, you found yourself discouraged. Frustrated. Overwhelmed by all you had to do. You’re not sure how …
In Others’ Words: Playing as a Team
I spend a lot of hours watching volleyball players on the court — most often through my camera lens. It’s a long, heavy lens that I invested in just for shooting indoor sports. But I digress. Funny thing about photographing a volleyball team: I focus on the individual players more than I do the team. Where is the setter …
In Others’ Words: Words of Regret
A few weeks ago, I blew it with a family member. I got upset about something and then I let my anger fuel my words. And yes, I regret what I said to that person. But even more, I regret how I spoke to that person. All this year, I’ve said over and over again that I don’t want to …
In Others’ Words: Fail Forward
I like it when successful people talk about their failures. Take, for example, when another writer shares how many times their manuscript was rejected before they landed a contract. (The Help by Kathryn Stockett was rejected 60 times.) Or when a pro athlete shares his struggles. (6’7″ NBA pro Paul Pierce was cut from the varsity team in high school …
In Others’ Words: Life Happens
There are certain things I wish I’d learned sooner in life. This is one of them: “What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.” Circumstances, both bad and good, come and go. But how I respond in a given situation? That can have a lasting effect on me and on others that lingers for years …