Live the Part…and Show Gratitude

No matter what the passion is that drives you, living in that world may seem far away at times. It is important, and this applies not just to the creative world but to any vocation, to live the part of what your passion is. It is very simple to say, very simple to do, but for many this idea seems worlds away.

Think about it, especially those of you making a living or spending far too much of your time earning your way but not jumping into the pool of passion that is rightàthereàin front of-àyou. It is RIGHT THERE. Excuses are just that…excuses. These are bountiful in any cafeteria, pub, or party conversation: “I would love to do that but…” or “I wish I could, but…”, and of course the popular “I just can’t, ok?”.

But you can…of course you can. Will you have a Grammy-winning singing career? Probably not, but if you don’t try, you will never know. If your vocal range limits you to karaoke night at the local pub, then so be it…let that moment be yours. Are you an artist? Create art…even if for only a 10 minute part of your day, it all counts…it all matters.

Lastly…and most importantly…show and express gratitude in everything that you do. In fact, show gratitude for whatever it is that you want to do, say, or accomplish. If you are already expressing thanks for something that has not yet happened, or that you wish to do or have happen, put out that gratuitous energy, as it will come back to you in ways that you least expect. Those of you that are familiar with the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza (http://www.drjoedispenza.com/joedispenza) know exactly what I’m talking about…

In The Balance...

The toughest part of freelance writing and blogging is the balancing act one must perform between a day job, writing related tasks and reading, spending time with family and friends, and the general day to day life things that we all come across.  

Although I would like to think that I have it all under control, there are moments when it becomes painfully obvious that I do not. Life, no matter how much you think you are planning or manifesting, still manages to throw in a series of unpredictable events that quickly lay waste to even the best laid out plans. Things like losing your car for a day or two, or missing a flight to find everything else booked, or something throwing you off your game just enough to give that odd, but not very pleasant, amiss feeling as your day moves forward, can all mess up your rhythm and lead to all those great writing plans going astray.

So how does one maintain the balance of work and writing with life demands? They are all necessary; you need work to pay the bills, and you need writing to feel whole, while you need life to provide love energy exchange with significant others, family, friends, and the universe as a whole. 

Deep breaths....meditation....strength...pushing out and releasing all things negative and anxiety provoking. Accepting that there are some things that will come up that you cannot change the direction of, and that in riding out the wave, things will smooth out, and you will be back on track. Sound easy? Of course it isn't.

But that doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, just that you are evolving. As you adapt and adjust to the changes and events coming and going at sometimes breakneck speed, it almost seems to start getting easier the more insane it gets. For me, the crazier it is, the more focused I am...not that I'm rooting for crazy. I do enjoy a mostly relaxed pace, but in short spurts crazy busy can lead to some crazy grand results. 

Embrace what comes your way, as it is meant to come your way to develop some aspect of your life, career, or spirituality. 

Yes, I know it's not easy, and I have certainly failed at it many times myself. I shake off the failures, regroup, try to learn from what I did wrong, and move onto the next task.

Bucketlist Update

Of, so this week's post may be a little boring, but only because my time is somewhat limited to complete what it was I REALLY wanted to post. So.....remember that bucketlist I created at the beginning of the year? Well, here is my first thirds of 2013 progress report.

Item 1: Complete a Book Idea. I have handwritten out four more chapters, consisting of around 12,500 words. This is a rough guesstimate as it is handwritten words. Grade: B

Item 2: Promote/Expand http://raisiningourhumans.com. I have started to post more regularly on holistic cat topics, as well as putting up a few more funny stories. I still need to add more to the multimedia gallery, but overall viewership of the site is up 31% this year. Grade: B+

Item 3: Raise Awareness of using Natural and Local Goods. It seems that I am chipping away at this one slowly but surely. We do this almost exclusively now, which has been pretty wonderful. Grade: A-

Item 4: Spend More Time With Friends and Family. I'm getting a little better at this, but still have a loooooong way to go. Grade: D+

Item 5: Read At Least One Book Every Three Weeks. I have fallen off the pace a bit, but should be able to catch up to this goal in short order. I only have three completed, but have five in progress. I still find it hard to just pick one book and read it until it is finished. Grade: D+

Item 6: Review an Indie Writer's Book...At Least 6 this Year. I am right on track with two reviews written; that keeps me right on pace with a review every other month. Grade: C

Item 7: Spend Five Days A Month In Nature: Unplugged. Failed. Period. Although I have an excuse with my recovery, I am not going to use it here. Something I must improve on. Grade: F

Item 8: Increase Spiritual Pursuits. I have been doing my meditations when I am called to do so. I find them to be especially strong the day after a new moon and the day before a full moon. Wonderful things are happening here, even though my lower brain still yells a little too loud at times. Grade: B-

Item 9: STC. This one is still slowly brewing, but making baby steps like progress. Grade: C-

Item 10: Master Polish. Bardzo dobry! (Very Good).  Ha! I wish! I am getting much better with my grammar, which has made me more confident when learning new vocabulary and putting together sentences. Speaking is still a challenge, but reading, writing, and listening are going well. Grade: B

Item 11: Continue to Frequent the Little Guy. Done and done. Rarely do I step foot in or spend money with a chain. Grade: A-

Item 12: Shameless Self Promotion. I'm getting better at doing this, but spend most of my promoting time promoting others, which itself is wonderful. I graded myself up a bit because of this. Grade: B

Item 13: Aviation. Not much progress made here, but I am looking to turn this around soon. Grade: D-

Overall: Grade C. I made some good progress in some areas, but lackluster progress in others. A very noticeable all or nothing trend that I need to fix in the coming months

Back To It...

It has been a while since I last posted, but I am happy to say that this will be changing immediately. I was out of commission for a while due to a medical issue that needed to be addressed. This time away, though not spent writing, led to some grand realizations and a few changes in how I will approach my writing from this point forward.

The changes will be seen not only here, but also in my writing style as well. This new style of writing so far seems to be influenced by some of the classic prose I read during my recovery, as well as my growth in understanding for English grammar as a whole, brought on by my learning of Polish. My learning of Polish led me down a path of learning more about Polish literature, particularly from the renaissance era. Some of what I read really struck a chord in me, both in the style and various manners of composition. 

I hope that you all will still receive the same or enhanced enjoyment in reading my new works. As always, critique away.

Namaste.

2013 Bucketlist Item 13: Aviation

I love aviation...I mean I LOVE aviation. My girlfriend and I make every effort to attend the annual EAA Fly-in event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which has stoked this passion for both of us. In attending these air shows, we have met so many wonderful people that have introduced us to so many great and powerful ways that aviation can be used. It boggles my mind each year I attend of how much of a difference this private, passionate, air force provides.

Some of the tasks these pilots have accomplished were volunteering to fly supplies into disaster areas, flying supplies to remote relief efforts or in support of missionary work being done in places that most of us has not heard of. The inspiration that we draw from these pilots is fantastic. 

Flight lessons and flight school is expensive...too much for our budget at the moment. I have found different things I can do until the time comes for flight school. Joining the EAA is priority one, followed by devouring flight school manuals, stories about flying, and any flying publications that I can find. I did this quite a bit in the past, but in recent years have dropped it for some reason. 

This is a passion that I no longer wish to suppress, and am going to encourage this in myself this year to fan the flames of passion for aviation.

2013 Bucketlist Item 12: Shameless Self Promotion

A must as I continue to immerse myself into the freelance writing arena and as I move forward with my first book. The more people that are aware of my brand, the easier it will be to get what I write out there. Pretty simple…but yet not so much so.

Getting your name out there and promoting is a must do for anyone trying to get their art out there, no matter what the art it is that you are creating. It is also one of the hardest tasks on the list, and most art minded people I have come across would love to stay far away from marketing and invest their time in their work.

What is the best way to balance the demands of marketing and self-promoting with the time needed to create the actual art that you are working to promote? I am finding that so far, I tend to swing wildly from one direction to the other. I want this to be the year that I find that balance I have been working diligently to achieve.

2013 Bucketlist Item 11: Continue to Frequent the Little Guy

This is something that was started last year that I wish to continue expanding on this year. Almost all of the food, like 90-95%, is purchased from local stores from local farms and food product makers. There is a rare exception where something is needed that does not come from this area, which has made shopping and eating an incredible experience. Add in a CSA for a weekly bushel full of goodies, and we are all set.

There are still improvements to be made, and in seeking goods that are made locally or by the “little guy”, I hope to improve furthering my disconnection from the big boy chain stores and keeping my dollars locally to give to those that truly deserve them.