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#Trust30 Intuition

Intuition by Susan Piver

The secret of fortune is joy in our hands. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you could picture your intuition as a person, what would he or she look like? If you sat down together for dinner, what is the first thing he or she would tell you?

See that avatar/ guardian to your left? She’s the personification of my intuition. Yes, my intuition is a sailor-suited soldier who carries a big scythe. If you could take a walk in my shoes, you’d realize a woman like me needs a powerful intuition like that. Over dinner, she’d remember me that I’m a pillar for my family, and I have some cracks to seal in my foundation. I’ve got to recover and adjust, and I’ve got to rebuild. I’m on the right path to get there, but I need to keep focused and present. My present will affect my future, and I must be mindful of how my present affects my future.

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#Trust30 Speak Less

Speak Less by Laura Kimball

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know I. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?

On Sunday I discussed that I’m facing challenges with regards to becoming an English consultant. I began working on this project over a year ago, having first purchased ElectrateEditorials.com on July 20, 2010. I’ve been overanalyzing and brainstorming my business for far too long. I had been blocked by the need to search for a job outside the home, a move, more job hunting, and attempting to balance living with elderly parents and young children. In Gainesville, I would have simply hopped onto the bus and ridden up to campus to spend time working on my projects. Here, we need a vehicle to get to and from practically anything. A very big obstacle? I don’t have a driver’s license. There, I said it. I’m a 27-year-old wife and mother of 3 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and I don’t have my driver’s license. It’s very complicated, but I just don’t have much driving experience. For most of my adulthood, we lived in a city with a public transportation system. Brian only just got his license last October. My message to all of you: NEVER let your child move out without first obtaining his or her driver’s license. It’s a lot harder to get driving experience as an adult.

Anyhow, I’ve identified that I need to speak up, set aside more time to work on this endeavor, and earn some money to cover my overhead. If I actually get this business running and succeed, I’ll achieve a goal — I’ll live my dream to become an English consultant and work for myself, from my home. I’ll spend my days doing what I love — writing, editing copy and documents, and tutoring students from various backgrounds. It brings me great joy to see a student improve his or her writing and receiving glowing remarks from teachers and professors. I love putting ink to paper, typing letters to screen. It pleases me to see errors corrected. My enjoyment of my work would take the “work” aspect out of it.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Confucious

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#Trust30 Dreams

Dreams by Michael Rad

Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.

Here are my top three dreams, in no particular order: 1) buy a house with at least 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a pool, and enough land for a fruit and vegetable garden, a private picnic area, and room for the kids and pets to run around; 2) become a successful English consultant, spending my days tutoring, writing, and editing, all while paying the bills in full and living comfortably — NOT paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meet; and 3) maintain good health. Above all else in the world, these are the top three dreams I’d like to live.

What’s holding me back from buying that dream house? Why, money, of course. I’m actually smitten with this house because it meets all the criteria, plus it’s ridiculously inexpensive. I first saw it listed at $289,000 earlier this year. Now, $259,000 is still above my budget, but a girl can dream. In order to purchase a home, we need to save for a down payment and net enough income in order to pay for the mortgage. Saving and netting more income is easier said then done, too. Unexpected expenses keep popping up, and income has been tenuous at best. Finally returning to the workforce should help alleviate some of these issues, but getting passed the following hurdles should increase our chances to fund this dream.

What’s holding me back from becoming an English consultant? At the end of the day, I need to take responsibility for not getting things accomplished. I don’t necessarily have to let other people’s drama come between me and getting work done. I tend to shy away from asking for help, too. I simply need to assert myself more often and go to the library or some equally out-of-sight-out-of-mind location where I can concentrate on the details of my business. To advertise my tutoring services locally, I’ll have better luck with low-tech marketing strategies, which require a certain amount of ink and paper. Ink and paper cost money, so there’s that money obstacle again. Speak up, earn money.

What’s holding me back from being healthier? I’m uninsured, I don’t have enough room to grow my own garden, I don’t have enough money to purchase tons of fresh produce, and I’m not as assertive as I should be with regards to exercise. Insurance and food = money. Asserting myself in order to get exercise = speak up.

While I’d absolutely love to snap my fingers and make money working for myself, I know that I’m not done working outside of the home just yet. I also need to bring out my voice more often. Over my lifetime, I’ve become more assertive in some ways, yet I still need more work in that regard. However, I will again reference the fact that I fought hard for my HBA2C, and my fighting paid off. Some days I’m a stronger fighter than others, but some times I just want to relax and live peacefully. I get tired of fighting. Right now, I can’t afford to stop fighting. I need to fight until everything works out the way I’ve dreamt it should. It’s time to roll up my sleeves, get some work done, make some money, and fight my way to happiness.

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#Trust30 Invent the Future

Invent the Future by Cindy Gallop

A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

My favorite quote of all time is Alan Kay: ‘In order to predict the future, you have to invent it.’ I am all about inventing the future. Decide what you want the future to be and make it happen. Because you can. Write about your future now.

Eight in the morning, the sunlight peeks through the curtains, gently urging my to begin my day. I roll out of bed, switch on the kettle, and begin preparing breakfast. I sit down with my family to eat something healthy and delicious while sipping a steaming mug of tea. A quick glance at my to-do list and calendar motivates me for the day’s tasks and events. I pour some water and take my vitamins. I get dressed and cleaned up for the day, spend about half an hour to an hour tidying up around the house, then sit down with my laptop. I check social networks, email, Google reader, etc. for about an hour before moving onto some exercise or meditation. All my house-keeping issues are in order by lunch time. I prepare another healthy, delicious meal for lunch and ensure that I’m half-way to my daily water quota. After lunch, I’m off to tutor a student/ write posts/ edit copy/ consult with clients/ work on my books. My passion for words inspires my work – and fills my bank account. After spending my afternoon working, I prepare a family dinner. We sit around the table, nibbling salad, protein, starch, veggies, and fruit. The kids tell us about school/ friends/ whatever’s alive inside of them that day. We clean up and gather for a family activity. By nine, I’m writing my nightly pages, processing the day’s events. I take a shower and get ready for bed. At eleven, it’s lights out – bliss!

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#Trust30 Come Alive

Come Alive by Jonathan Mead: “Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.

Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral?

If I had one week left to live, I certainly wouldn’t be tearing my hair out searching for jobs that might not fulfill me. I’d much rather spend that last week having picnics and playing board games with my family. I’ve been preparing to re-enter the workforce, preparing to be a business owner/ freelancer, preparing to get back to life as I once knew it. Obviously, I can’t just stop the former two items, but it’s time to stop expecting a “return” to normalcy. Things can’t go back to the way they used to be. That’s an etched mark on the timeline now. It’s time to stop waiting for the life I planned and start living the life I have. (Loosely paraphased from an Honest Tea bottle cap via an old friend.)

This past week, I began writing manageable to-do lists — items I knew weren’t contingent upon variables like illnesses, family issues, and the like. I resolved to do everything in my power to eat healthy breakfasts and lunches, mind my snacking, and get moving. The sense of accomplishment alone made up for any unexpected dilemmas that I faced this week. These simple goals can help me to feel a sense of accomplishment on a daily basis, rather than stressing over the long range planning. It’s all about baby steps. As Marla Cilley would say, it didn’t get this way overnight, and it won’t get fixed overnight.

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#Trust30 15 Minutes to Live

15 Minutes to Live by Gwen Bell: “We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.
1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

Chasing dreams. That’s essentially all I’ve done so far. I’ve chased dreams that always seem to elude me — sometimes by mere steps. All too often, I’ve fallen into the same rut most average Americans settle for each and everyday. The 8-to-5 rat race, spinning the wheel, chasing the cheese, and doing what The Man tells you to do. I dream of something more. If in the next 12 minutes I cease to exist, I’m going out with regrets of things I haven’t done. Dreams I haven’t achieved. Enjoying each and every day to the fullest. Don’t make that mistake. Make your life worth living. Find joy in the simpler things. Don’t settle. NEVER settle. Life isn’t perfect, and it never will be — but that’s no excuse for thinking negatively. Playing the victim won’t win you sympathy for ever, nor will it change the situation. If you don’t like something, do what you can to change it. Please be advised that this is not applicable to people. People have to want to change in order to change. Nothing you say or do will make them. Also, a wise woman once told me that you can teach people a lot of things, but you can’t teach someone to care. You either care or you don’t. It’s in your best interests to be one of the ones who cares, though. The ability to care makes you stronger.

Don’t just chase dreams. Take steps to reach them. Don’t cry. Don’t whine. Just do. Get it done, even if you’re not getting paid for it. Do what you love. Do what inspires you. Practice your passions. Quit worrying about what everyone else thinks because it’s all arbitrary in the end. We’re all going to meet the same fate, so we might as well live our lives with gusto. Make time to be unaccountable, too. The saying about all work and no play absolutely holds true. Working all the time leaves very little time to enjoy hobbies and interests. Passions become burdens if we’re always working. There’s no reason why you can’t sip some tea on the porch or lounge in the hammock. Just let it go. Again, it’s all arbitrary. And make sure to smile and laugh often. We’re not meant to function on angry mode all the time, nor are we meant to function on anxiety all the time. How is that a life worth living? Stressing yourself into an early grave? Just let it go already! It’s just complications we’ve created for ourselves. No other species creates such complicated procedures to go through their lives. We’re unique.

And with my final three minutes, I want to remind you that we need love. Love your family. Love your friends. Love for the sake of loving. Love is a necessity in life. Loving and caring are both very important. And of course, love yourself. No one else knows you the way you know yourself.

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