Life Lessons for Single Moms - Guest Article, Part 4
Here is the last installment of the guest article by Lee Silber of Creative Lee Thinking. I hope you have benefited from his wisdom and are beginning to apply his suggestions to your life. Let me know how things are going for you. Enjoy!
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31. Take Time For Yourself. I was once the kind of person who would create things-to-do lists that were a mile long. It would have taken me months to complete the things on my list. Now I build white space into my list of tasks. It's almost like I plan for spontaneity. Try leaving some room in your busy life for unexpected things to come your way and take time for yourself.
32. Make Memorable Moments. Some people call me the life of the party, the fun uncle and the person to call when you are feeling down. What I want to create is memorable moments in other people's lives. It is the same in my own life. I am always trying something new, never allowing myself to get into a rut. I will also stop and take a mental snapshot to burn a particularly pleasant experience deeper into my memory.
33. Take It One Pitch At A Time. I read an article about pitcher Al Leiter who said that the secret to his success was to take it one pitch at a time. He couldn't change the last pitch or predict what would happen three picthes from now. All he could control, and thus concentrate on, was the pitch he was about to throw. I have used this philosophy for my writing, promoting and presentations. By being present I am able to focus on what's right in front of me. That kind of clarity is key to overcoming procrastination and fear.
34. Pursue Your Passion. I have had flashes of "everything is right in my world" but many times what I am passionate about is not profitable. I know that I need to "do what I love and the money will follow" but for some reason this is an area I need to work on. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot right with my life, but what I really want to do (open a retreat center on Kauai) remains out there.
35. Appreciate The Small Things In Life. Many times we wait for the big moments in life to celebrate. There are so many simple things we do daily that are special moments. Some people keep a dairy, others meditate and still others tell their significant other about their day. Try to take note of the small things that make you smile during the day.
36. Don't Fight Change. I'm old school and was fearful of change—especially new technology. I felt like I was being left behind. Then I figured out I needed to focus not on the technology itself, but on how it could help me reach my goals. This simplified things. Now I go with new developments that serve my goals and not worry about the rest.
37. Don't Compare Yourself To Others. As a competitive person it's hard to resist the temptation to see how I stack up against those around me. This is a losing game because some people will consistently have more and trying to catch up to them can leave you deep in debt and cause you to do desperate things. It's good to strive to be, do and have more but don't forget to appreciate who you are and what you have.
38. Empathy Is Everything. Seeing (and feeling) things from another person's perspective is one of the most vital skills you can learn.
39. Find Work You Love So Much You'd (Almost) Do It For Free. Most of my fan mail comes from creative people who hate their day jobs. They are also trapped in those same dreaded jobs because they must make a certain amount to survive. I have found that the freedom of finding work you love—and being able to pursue it—can come from cutting back and living on less. Not having to make as much money means you may be able to do what you truly desire, even if it doesn't pay top dollar.
40. Figure Out Your Uniqueness And Celebrate It. When I was an Economics major in college I was living a lie. I am, and always will be, an artist. I fought the fact that writing, performing, presenting and creating were my strengths. I would beat myself up because I was bad at math and struggled in science. Now I celebrate my creative self.
Copyright © 2008 by Lee Silber. Reprinted with permission.leesilber@earthlink.net • http://www.creativelee.com
_____________________________________________________
31. Take Time For Yourself. I was once the kind of person who would create things-to-do lists that were a mile long. It would have taken me months to complete the things on my list. Now I build white space into my list of tasks. It's almost like I plan for spontaneity. Try leaving some room in your busy life for unexpected things to come your way and take time for yourself.
32. Make Memorable Moments. Some people call me the life of the party, the fun uncle and the person to call when you are feeling down. What I want to create is memorable moments in other people's lives. It is the same in my own life. I am always trying something new, never allowing myself to get into a rut. I will also stop and take a mental snapshot to burn a particularly pleasant experience deeper into my memory.
33. Take It One Pitch At A Time. I read an article about pitcher Al Leiter who said that the secret to his success was to take it one pitch at a time. He couldn't change the last pitch or predict what would happen three picthes from now. All he could control, and thus concentrate on, was the pitch he was about to throw. I have used this philosophy for my writing, promoting and presentations. By being present I am able to focus on what's right in front of me. That kind of clarity is key to overcoming procrastination and fear.
34. Pursue Your Passion. I have had flashes of "everything is right in my world" but many times what I am passionate about is not profitable. I know that I need to "do what I love and the money will follow" but for some reason this is an area I need to work on. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot right with my life, but what I really want to do (open a retreat center on Kauai) remains out there.
35. Appreciate The Small Things In Life. Many times we wait for the big moments in life to celebrate. There are so many simple things we do daily that are special moments. Some people keep a dairy, others meditate and still others tell their significant other about their day. Try to take note of the small things that make you smile during the day.
36. Don't Fight Change. I'm old school and was fearful of change—especially new technology. I felt like I was being left behind. Then I figured out I needed to focus not on the technology itself, but on how it could help me reach my goals. This simplified things. Now I go with new developments that serve my goals and not worry about the rest.
37. Don't Compare Yourself To Others. As a competitive person it's hard to resist the temptation to see how I stack up against those around me. This is a losing game because some people will consistently have more and trying to catch up to them can leave you deep in debt and cause you to do desperate things. It's good to strive to be, do and have more but don't forget to appreciate who you are and what you have.
38. Empathy Is Everything. Seeing (and feeling) things from another person's perspective is one of the most vital skills you can learn.
39. Find Work You Love So Much You'd (Almost) Do It For Free. Most of my fan mail comes from creative people who hate their day jobs. They are also trapped in those same dreaded jobs because they must make a certain amount to survive. I have found that the freedom of finding work you love—and being able to pursue it—can come from cutting back and living on less. Not having to make as much money means you may be able to do what you truly desire, even if it doesn't pay top dollar.
40. Figure Out Your Uniqueness And Celebrate It. When I was an Economics major in college I was living a lie. I am, and always will be, an artist. I fought the fact that writing, performing, presenting and creating were my strengths. I would beat myself up because I was bad at math and struggled in science. Now I celebrate my creative self.
Copyright © 2008 by Lee Silber. Reprinted with permission.leesilber@earthlink.net • http://www.creativelee.com
Labels: empowerment, self-care, single moms, tips
posted by Rich Single Momma at
11:12 AM
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