For most people a bookstore is just another store that happens to be filled with books. For me, it's a sanctuary. There's something terribly exciting about being surrounded by all that knowledge. If there's anyplace I can surely get lost in time and space, it's at a bookstore. After a couple of hours of browsing, I'm compelled to quickly make a decision on which book or books to purchase before my husband has to propel me toward the doorway sometime before the bookstore closes its doors and shoves me out on my ears.
For me, a bookstore has always been a welcoming, inviting place to hang out. At first I find myself browsing the new releases and eventually end up in various areas, not necessarily searching for anything specific, but searching nonetheless. I'm simply compelled to look at, and ultimately admire, books. And it's quite amazing how certain books seem to call out to me as if they silently communicate a message they unknowingly sense I need at that time of my life.
The library has much the same effect, minus the smell of freshly brewed Starbuck's coffee. I can spend hours browsing the library's shelves and seldom do I leave with less than 4 or 5 books on several subjects. Funny, I seldom read each book cover to cover, but I always end up with many books. Much like a child in a candy store, I can't make up my mind. I want them all.
They are so much more than bound covers and words between pages! Books have indeed become an integral part of my life, much like my best friends. Since I'm always looking for answers, I'm always looking to expand my knowledge to share with others. Books provide both. Of course, they're also a great escape and an excellent source of entertainment.
My life-long goal has been to be one of the inspiring authors who grace the shelves of the bookstores I frequent. It's not an easy road, to be sure, but a road worth traveling. There's simply something magical that transpires between an author and a reader and my deepest desire is to be among those who make a lasting impression upon my readers and to leave my words behind long after I'm gone. It's a legacy I look forward to.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Left Brain vs. Right Brain
When you walk into a room, what do you see? Do your eyes sweep the room, taking everything in at once? Or do you look at each element and pick out the details? Do you study shapes and sizes of objects? Are you fascinated by the textures and colors of nature? Or would you rather figure out the most efficient way to balance your checkbook? How you answer these questions may determine if you are right or left brain dominated.
At times I'm convinced that I'm a left-brain individual. I tend to be analytical, logical and detail-oriented. But then again, I can also be intuitive, impetuous, artistic and creative, all of which are right-brain characteristics. I'd always been interested in this fascinating part of being human. In fact, last year my two hemispheres had their own discussion about it without my knowledge. Here's the dialog of the left and right sides of my brain:
Left brain: "Look what time it is! We've got to get back to work."
Right brain: "Leave me alone. I'm reading."
Left brain: "But I'm bored. Oh, wow! Look at that snow! I bet there's at least six inches on the ground. It'll take us at least an hour to get home. Then we have to make dinner, wash dishes, make lunch for tomorrow, take a shower and..."
Right brain: "Stop distracting me! Can't you tell I'm busy? Get a life, will ya? We've only got 45 minutes left of this hour, thanks to you and your distractions!!"
Left brain: "Ok. I'll think about something else. I should have gotten gas yesterday. This morning it was 25 cents more. I'd give anything to have the gas prices of 1972. Gosh, I miss 1972. Life was much easier back in '72."
Right brain: "Bob Seger wrote a song about 1972. I miss it too…life was easier. Hey, maybe I should write a book about owning a 1964 Beetle in which the heater never, ever worked and the necessity of always keeping a blanket wrapped around your legs. Hmmmm, winter, car, skating, being a kid. You go ahead and worry. You do it enough for the both of us anyway. I'll just keeping traveling down memory lane. I'd rather go there than back to work anyway."
Forty-five minutes later, left brain goes back upstairs, sits at the desk, and starts working, while right brain is silently planning the next story idea and admiring all the colorful trees on the path down memory lane when suddenly, it sees a bear on a deserted country road while thunder rumbles in the distance…
At times I'm convinced that I'm a left-brain individual. I tend to be analytical, logical and detail-oriented. But then again, I can also be intuitive, impetuous, artistic and creative, all of which are right-brain characteristics. I'd always been interested in this fascinating part of being human. In fact, last year my two hemispheres had their own discussion about it without my knowledge. Here's the dialog of the left and right sides of my brain:
Left brain: "Look what time it is! We've got to get back to work."
Right brain: "Leave me alone. I'm reading."
Left brain: "But I'm bored. Oh, wow! Look at that snow! I bet there's at least six inches on the ground. It'll take us at least an hour to get home. Then we have to make dinner, wash dishes, make lunch for tomorrow, take a shower and..."
Right brain: "Stop distracting me! Can't you tell I'm busy? Get a life, will ya? We've only got 45 minutes left of this hour, thanks to you and your distractions!!"
Left brain: "Ok. I'll think about something else. I should have gotten gas yesterday. This morning it was 25 cents more. I'd give anything to have the gas prices of 1972. Gosh, I miss 1972. Life was much easier back in '72."
Right brain: "Bob Seger wrote a song about 1972. I miss it too…life was easier. Hey, maybe I should write a book about owning a 1964 Beetle in which the heater never, ever worked and the necessity of always keeping a blanket wrapped around your legs. Hmmmm, winter, car, skating, being a kid. You go ahead and worry. You do it enough for the both of us anyway. I'll just keeping traveling down memory lane. I'd rather go there than back to work anyway."
Forty-five minutes later, left brain goes back upstairs, sits at the desk, and starts working, while right brain is silently planning the next story idea and admiring all the colorful trees on the path down memory lane when suddenly, it sees a bear on a deserted country road while thunder rumbles in the distance…
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Dan Miller and 48 Days
Do you love your job? If the answer is YES, then don't bother reading the rest of this post. If the answer is an astounding NO, then please read on.
Last summer while going through a personal career crisis as well as suffering from work-related stress and anxiety, I was searching for some answers and I inevitably found myself standing in front of the "Entrepreneur" section at Barnes & Noble, hoping that something would "grab" me from that shelf. I wasn't even sure what I was looking for when this book seemed to jump out at me. It is called, "48 Days To The Work You Love," by Dan Miller. I'd never heard of Dan Miller, but my friend Debbie had told me about Dave Ramsey and when I saw his name as the foreword writer on this book, it merited retrieval from the shelf. Upon thumbing through the pages, I soon found myself intrigued by what I saw and gladly made the purchase, anxiously returning home to start reading it. Little did I know that book of 224 pages would soon change my life.
Dan's philosophy is that we not only can pursue work we love and fulfill our purpose, it is our obligation to ourselves and our fellow man (woman) to do exactly that. He explains that work should be something we enjoy doing, not hate. I found myself underlining so many things in this book that I had bought a special pen just to keep in the book so I wouldn't have to search for one while reading. Right from the start, Dan explains how vital it is to love what you do. A quote from one of the first few pages says, "You could perform as others expect and get a paycheck, but you are not likely to experience meaning, purpose, peace, or fulfillment in work you loathe." This was an eye-opening statement if I ever read one.
I had made the decision to leave my job for many reasons, mostly because I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do at the right time. Physically, I was incapable of performing at a level I knew was expected to keep up with the increasing demand of the industry. Mentally I was exhausted and knew if I didn't make a change soon that I'd be in trouble. Spiritually I searched for meaning in my own life and how to make the last half of my life the best. I knew it wasn't going to happen if I kept up the insane pace I had been struggling with. The book was encouraging and informative. Dan wasn't just a life coach, he was a life-saver.
In today's struggling economic climate, the challenge of finding work is harder than ever. Unemployment is reaching frightening proportions. Because of this, finding a job with so many people out of work can be overwhelming, and finding "meaningful" work sounds impossibly daunting. Enter the endless cycle of negative reinforcement. How do you break this cycle?
After reading 48 Days, I believe that not only is it possible to alter the course of our work life, but that the dire straits of a failing economy may actually be the catalyst needed to fuel the creative engine and get the ideas flowing in ways that being in the "comfort zone" and routine of a good economy would never encourage.
Another quote from the book is: "It is often in the midst of change and challenges that we find our own true direction." A wonderfully inspiring statement!
Dan puts "failure" in the right perspective. We can learn to use our failures to bring a higher level of understanding, meaning, purpose, fulfillment and learning to our lives. We have the power to make positive changes if we first identify what our "unique purpose" is on this earth. I am still searching for my life's path, but I feel that since reading Dan Miller's 48 Days book, I now have a compass and road map to get there and I'm about 99% sure that my course involves writing. That's why I started this blog.
SO - whether you are job-seeking, soul-searching or simply need inspiration, please pick up a copy of Dan Miller's "48 Days To The Work You Love." I highly recommend this book as well as "No More Mondays." Both books and so much more are available on Dan's website. If you click on the banner at the bottom of this blog, it will take you directly to Dan's phenomenal website. Sign up for the newsletter and listen to his podcasts! You can download them directly from itunes, as it is explained on the website. Trust me, it'll change your life!
Last summer while going through a personal career crisis as well as suffering from work-related stress and anxiety, I was searching for some answers and I inevitably found myself standing in front of the "Entrepreneur" section at Barnes & Noble, hoping that something would "grab" me from that shelf. I wasn't even sure what I was looking for when this book seemed to jump out at me. It is called, "48 Days To The Work You Love," by Dan Miller. I'd never heard of Dan Miller, but my friend Debbie had told me about Dave Ramsey and when I saw his name as the foreword writer on this book, it merited retrieval from the shelf. Upon thumbing through the pages, I soon found myself intrigued by what I saw and gladly made the purchase, anxiously returning home to start reading it. Little did I know that book of 224 pages would soon change my life.
Dan's philosophy is that we not only can pursue work we love and fulfill our purpose, it is our obligation to ourselves and our fellow man (woman) to do exactly that. He explains that work should be something we enjoy doing, not hate. I found myself underlining so many things in this book that I had bought a special pen just to keep in the book so I wouldn't have to search for one while reading. Right from the start, Dan explains how vital it is to love what you do. A quote from one of the first few pages says, "You could perform as others expect and get a paycheck, but you are not likely to experience meaning, purpose, peace, or fulfillment in work you loathe." This was an eye-opening statement if I ever read one.
I had made the decision to leave my job for many reasons, mostly because I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do at the right time. Physically, I was incapable of performing at a level I knew was expected to keep up with the increasing demand of the industry. Mentally I was exhausted and knew if I didn't make a change soon that I'd be in trouble. Spiritually I searched for meaning in my own life and how to make the last half of my life the best. I knew it wasn't going to happen if I kept up the insane pace I had been struggling with. The book was encouraging and informative. Dan wasn't just a life coach, he was a life-saver.
In today's struggling economic climate, the challenge of finding work is harder than ever. Unemployment is reaching frightening proportions. Because of this, finding a job with so many people out of work can be overwhelming, and finding "meaningful" work sounds impossibly daunting. Enter the endless cycle of negative reinforcement. How do you break this cycle?
After reading 48 Days, I believe that not only is it possible to alter the course of our work life, but that the dire straits of a failing economy may actually be the catalyst needed to fuel the creative engine and get the ideas flowing in ways that being in the "comfort zone" and routine of a good economy would never encourage.
Another quote from the book is: "It is often in the midst of change and challenges that we find our own true direction." A wonderfully inspiring statement!
Dan puts "failure" in the right perspective. We can learn to use our failures to bring a higher level of understanding, meaning, purpose, fulfillment and learning to our lives. We have the power to make positive changes if we first identify what our "unique purpose" is on this earth. I am still searching for my life's path, but I feel that since reading Dan Miller's 48 Days book, I now have a compass and road map to get there and I'm about 99% sure that my course involves writing. That's why I started this blog.
SO - whether you are job-seeking, soul-searching or simply need inspiration, please pick up a copy of Dan Miller's "48 Days To The Work You Love." I highly recommend this book as well as "No More Mondays." Both books and so much more are available on Dan's website. If you click on the banner at the bottom of this blog, it will take you directly to Dan's phenomenal website. Sign up for the newsletter and listen to his podcasts! You can download them directly from itunes, as it is explained on the website. Trust me, it'll change your life!
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