tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26482755648761402432024-03-10T13:51:30.360-04:00WATTS WORKSDeveloping a Greater Vision and a Finer Spirit of Love, Generosity and AchievementLynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-39564123662475454882014-06-21T07:53:00.000-04:002014-06-27T13:52:45.214-04:00Top Ten Ways NOT to Follow Your Passion<br />
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There's a lot of talk about discovering your gifts, and finding your passion these days. This week I attended a networking meeting and talked with a great group of women who have not only found their passion but are actively following it. I met <a href="http://www.idearoadshow.org/">Ann Casey</a> who just finished a mystery novel and is all set to launch it. I met <a href="http://www.southcherokee.com/">Osa Marten</a> who owns a driving school. She has just started blogging and is so excited about the results. I met <a href="http://www.widowsgps.org/">Laury Beesley</a> founder of Widows GPS Inc. She lost her dad at sixteen and then her husband passed away seven years ago. She's created the kind of support for others that got her through. It was inspiring just talking to everyone.<br />
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Are You Following Your Passion? </h4>
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I also talk with a lot of people who complain about not following their dream. Most of them are waiting for something to happen so they can really start living. I hear a lot of 'if onlys' or 'somedays'. Here are the top ten ways <i><b>guaranteed</b></i> to make sure you <i><b>don't</b></i> wind up in the energetic networking group that I just mentioned:<br />
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Top Ten Ways NOT to Follow Your Passion</h4>
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<li>Decide you don't really have one. You must have been napping when God was passing out the talents and gifts.</li>
<li>Decide you don't have the money or resources.</li>
<li>Decide you don't have the time... maybe someday when you win the lottery or retire or the kids are grown.</li>
<li>Decide your circumstances have to be perfect before you move ahead and of course you aren't any where close to that.</li>
<li>Decide the critics who discourage you must be right and put more faith in them than in yourself.</li>
<li>Decide to give in to your fatal flaw: depression, poor health, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia-- we've all got one.</li>
<li>Decide the one half-hearted try that failed was surely a sign that you weren't meant to succeed and give up.</li>
<li>Decide the past ten+ years you've put into researching your passion aren't quite enough yet to pull the trigger and go for it. </li>
<li>Decide you're too old to go for it now. Maybe if you'd started when you were younger.</li>
<li>Decide you're too young to go for it now. Maybe when you're older and more experienced. </li>
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Have I left anything out? How am I so familiar with all this excuses? I've used them all at one time or another. At one point in a mastermind group that I was a part of, I voiced my concern that following my passion was going to take a long time and I was already into middle age. What if it didn't work out? Wouldn't I have wasted my time? Know what my brilliant coach said? <i><b>"You're going to be doing something for the next several years anyway, right? Why not follow your dream?"</b></i><br />
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So what about you? Which excuse are you using? You're going to be doing something for the next several years anyway, right? Why not follow your dream?<i><b> </b></i><br />
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Want to a guide to help you discover your passion and start the journey? Check out my coaching packages: <a href="http://lynnewatts.com/coaching-for-success/">Coaching for Success</a><br />
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Join me and the rest of the Called Woman Creative Team for a free teleseminar. Sign up here: <br />
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Lets get started! Like this post? Share with friends on Facebook and Twitter!<br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-26942611082488496492014-06-16T09:42:00.000-04:002014-06-16T09:55:40.928-04:00Oliver North and the Three P's of Career Transition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Saturday evening I visited the BEST Bookstore in Atlanta, <a href="http://www.foxtalebookshoppe.com/">Foxtale Book Shoppe</a>, in order to meet the delightful Oliver North and get a copy of his latest book Confederate Lies. What an experience! First of all the crowd was amazing. My friends and I arrived one hour ahead of time and there were already about thirty people in line. While it continued to grow, we chatted with local folks about everything from great local restaurants to who they were giving the book to (many were father's day gifts). Foxtale did a great job of keeping everything organized. Once North arrived and started signing books, the line moved quickly. Despite the long line, North spent a few moments asking every person who they were purchasing the book for and inscribing a special note for each recipient. He was warm and personable, posing for numerous pictures and chatting with everyone. What a warm and special moment! </div>
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Later, I got to thinking about the transition that North made from retired military to political commentator and television host, writer and author. Whether you agree with his politics or not you have to agree that he has successfully transitioned from one career to another. As someone who has recently retired from a school counselor career of 20 years in order to pursue my new career of author, speaker and coach, I'm interested in what it takes to successfully move from one career to another. Here is some advice that I would have for those in similar situations:</div>
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The Three P's of Career Transition</h3>
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<li>Plan ahead--Develop a plan on several levels; financial, career and social/emotional. </li>
<li>Practice your plan: Begin working the plan before you retire. This means develop a
budget and start living on that budget. Begin your new career on a
part-time basis and develop the necessary connections to prevent feeling
isolated.</li>
<li>Procure ongoing support: Connection is important. For many people who leave an organization to become an entrepreneur, an author or a part-time employee, there is a loss of the social atmosphere and culture of the workplace. Create a new support system through networking and joining groups in your field. Find a coach or mentor who has already successfully made the leap and have them work along side as you create the life you want.</li>
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Are you in transition from one career to another? Are you looking to discover your passion and reinvent your life? Need help with the Three P's of Career Transition? I'd love to help! Check out my coaching packages here:</div>
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<a href="http://lynnewatts.com/coaching-for-success/">http://lynnewatts.com/coaching-for-success/</a> </div>
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Need a book that will walk you through discovering your passion and reinventing your life?</div>
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<a href="http://lynnewatts.com/TheCall">http://lynnewatts.com/TheCall</a> </div>
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Here's what Dan Miller says about <i><b>The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life</b></i></div>
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I urge you to do something special for others and yourself-read <i><b>The
Call</b></i>. The investment of your time will come back multiplied with more
personal insight, joy and victory and will illuminate the way for others
whom you touch along the way.<br />
~Dan Miller,<a href="http://www.48days.com/"> http://www.48days.com/</a>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-47361024348936377582014-06-09T07:58:00.000-04:002014-06-09T07:58:19.558-04:00Your Story Matters--Tell It!<div style="text-align: right;">
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One of my favorite gifts that I received when I retired last week was this lovely canvas designed by Kelly Rae Roberts. She is a favorite artist of mine since she began her career as a social worker and does this extraordinary art that combines quotes and collage. Even though I don't know her, I feel we share something in common and her art pieces always speak to me. This one says, <b><i>Your beautifully, messy, complicated Story Matters, Tell It</i></b>. Don't you just love that? Do you believe that your story matters? Are you telling it? <br />
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My Unremarkable Story</h3>
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One of the reasons that I failed to tell my story in the past was because I believed it was not extraordinary. After all, the story of a shy introvert who was so afraid of her voice that she tried to live under the radar while she waited for permission, waited to be discovered/rescued and waited for her life to be "just right", isn't a story worth telling... is it? To have a story to tell, you need one that's remarkable, don't you? You need to have scaled mountain peaks, and overcome great obstacles, and slain a few dragons. I hadn't done any of that so what was there to tell? <br />
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It's All in Your Perception</h3>
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It wasn't until I started telling my <b><i>unremarkable story</i></b> that I learned that telling my story could be an inspiration to others. It could bring comfort, hope, and challenge to someone else who felt the same way. And then this amazing thing happened. As I told my story, it became a <b><i>remarkable story</i></b> because through telling it I was no longer the shy introvert who tried be invisible and didn't make a difference or take a risk. I became the shy introvert who moved beyond the story I told myself to the confident, capable, make a difference in the world person that I am (most of the time!) today. That's a remarkable story isn't it? It's a story of overcoming personal challenges, scaling seemingly impossible mountains of doubt and slaying some internal dragons. Turns out there's a lot to tell. And there's a lot of people who need to hear my story to give them the encouragement and the strength to slay their own dragons. <br />
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What's Your Story?</h3>
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Do you believe that you have a story to tell? Are you afraid that it's too unremarkable, too messy, too imperfect, too shameful, too embarrassing to tell? Who needs to hear your story? Begin today to share your story. Maybe you only share it with one person at first. Maybe you start slowly and cautiously, but please start. Because your story does matter. Tell it. Someone is waiting to hear.<br />
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Want to read my whole story? You can find it on Amazon:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983680612/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0983680612&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20&linkId=73BDQT6U34VCJA4F">The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0983680612" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Want to discover and tell your story? Need help finding your passion and reinventing your life? Sign up for my Thirty Day Challenge. You get a download of my workbook: <b><i>Dream Achiever: Simple Steps to an Extraordinary Life</i></b> and two one hour coaching calls so that you can put the workbook into practice and tell your story! You can sign up here:<br />
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<a href="http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/">http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/</a><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-26655782887743607732014-05-24T07:07:00.000-04:002014-05-24T07:18:30.311-04:00The Lesson I Learned from a Couple of CupcakesLast week several teachers and I received a card and cupcakes from a grandmother of one of our students at my school. <br />
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<strong>The cupcakes were delicious</strong></div>
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<strong>but the card... was priceless!</strong><br />
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I've enlarged the card so that you can read it. The part that really resonated with me is repeated below:</div>
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<em>I just want to thank all of you for Casper's remarkable turn around. Last night I baked you these cupcakes and well, they scorched a little. I was mortified! Started to throw them out and start over, but it was late, I was tired and was going to skip it till another day. <strong>Then my son said to me, "So... they can eat around the burnt part." Then it hit me isn't that how life is? We eat around the burnt part to get to the good?</strong></em></div>
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Who knew you could learn so much from a couple of slightly scorched cupcakes? It's true though isn't it? For every crazy -hard -dark-path that we must navigate there is light at the end and often that light turns out to be a splendid glorious sunrise. There is something in me and you that wants to avoid that dark path. We want to throw away the burnt cupcakes and start over, but if we persist and "eat around the burnt part" we find some deliciousness waiting. </div>
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Five Lessons Learned from Difficulties</h3>
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After a lifetime of trying to avoid risk and failure, I've finally learned that there is much to be grateful for in difficulty and adversity. Here are five things I've learned:</div>
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In every adversity, there is an opportunity. It's not always easy to see. It takes a certain perspective, even sometimes the advantage of hindsight to find it.</div>
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The only people who experience a life free of failure are the people who never take a risk or try any thing new. If you take a risk sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always learn.</div>
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You can turn any difficulty into a learning experience if you will focus on being a learner instead of a loser. Rather than emphasizing that you failed look for what you have gained. I never said it would be easy...</div>
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Difficulties make you more empathetic to others, especially those who have experienced similar ones. It can help you forge close relationships. It also gives you an additional way to serve others by sharing what you learned.</div>
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Some of your greatest work will be accomplished out of the most difficult times of your life. My book, <a href="http://bit.ly/TheCAll">The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life</a> was written in the midst of some of my most depressing days.</div>
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What about you? What have you learned from the difficulties in your life? When you eat around the scorched part, do you find something good?</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-17304121361056014292014-05-16T14:42:00.000-04:002014-05-16T14:46:38.060-04:00Two Essentials for Turning Dreams into Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are some inspiring women out there and I bet you are one of them. You probably have friends who are inspiring to you as well. Last Sunday, I meet my friend Carol at church to give her a couple copies of my book, <strong><em>The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life.</em></strong> She planned to give them to two of her friends who were venturing down new paths in their lives. Peggy has a dream of helping kids become better readers. She is graduating with an Educational Specialist degree in Language and Literacy so she can move forward in creating a business in that area. The second friend, Lurlene, is a woman in her 50's who has a lot of dreams for the future and is also in the process of getting her masters degree. Bet you know women like that who are making a dent in the universe!<br />
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We all have dreams don't we? Sometimes they are big lofty dreams of starting a business and sometimes they are small whispered ideas of someday, I'd like too... Ever wonder what is the difference between women who are dreaming and women who are turning dreams into reality? Two things:<br />
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<strong>1. CREATE A PLAN</strong>---Dreaming is wonderful. It is visionary. It is energizing and creative. It is a great start. But what if you always dream but never create a plan? Well, one day you will wake up and wonder where the time went. One day you will wake up and say, "I wish I had..." instead of "I'm glad I did." The difference between a dream and a goal is <u>a plan</u> and if you really want to make your dream come true, I'd encourage you to start outlining that plan right now.<br />
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<strong>2. TAKE ACTION---</strong>Once you have a plan, you must take action. Followed by more action, followed by more action. Often people create a plan and then tweak the plan. Then they research the plan some more and contemplate tweaking it again. This is getting lost in analysis paralysis. Once your plan is good enough (not perfect--it won't ever be), move forward. Consider and evaluate the result, make changes as necessary then move forward again. You are not a chicken hatching an egg. You are an eagle learning to fly. Don't teeter on the edge of the nest too long. You may have to take a leap of faith to make things happen.<br />
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So, who inspires you? Who do you inspire? Are you making a difference in the world with your dreams?<br />
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Need help with moving forward in your dreams? Join the Called Woman Creative Team for a FREE Teleseminar Sunday, May 18th at 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time. You can sign up here: <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
Click on the teleseminar tab.<br />
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Looking for inspiration to make your dream come true? I have two books to help you move forward:<br />
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Lets make it happen!Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-25110281726617433222014-05-03T09:06:00.000-04:002014-05-03T09:06:01.866-04:00Top Five Mistakes I've Made in Marketing My Books <ul>
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I'm getting ready to publish my fifth <strong><em>Wyatt the Wonder Dog</em></strong> picture book! It's always exciting to be at the<strong> end</strong> point of publishing a book but it really is just the <strong>beginning</strong> of marketing something new. I've made plenty of mistakes in marketing...some of them very recently. But I always try to learn something from them, so I want to share some of the biggest mistakes I've make and the insights I've learned. <br />
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#1. <strong><em>Not Critiquing/Editing my Work</em></strong> - This is huge and yet I know how hard it is to ask for and accept an honest opinion on something that you have put your heart and soul into. Sometimes it feels almost like asking someone to give you advice on your own child, then getting your feelings hurt when they tell you that you've got a brat on your hands. However, as the writer, we are just too close to the material to adequately review what we've written. Author, Terry Kay says you need two types of critique partners: one who is brutally honest and one who loves your work unconditionally. Make sure you find one of each to steer you on the journey.<br />
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#2. <strong><em>Not Clarifying Your Ideal Customer</em></strong>: Especially when you write a children's book, it's easy to think that you can just promote your book anywhere that there might be parents hanging out.... and isn't that just about everywhere? The truth is you need to clearly identify who is your audience and then establish a presence in that market. Knowing your ideal customer means you know everything about them. What are their interests? What age are they? What are the problems/stressors that they deal with everyday? Where do they shop? Just because a lot of parents take their kids to a festival, does not mean they will be interested in buying a book while they are there. On the other hand, a Christmas bazaar at the local church where there are lots of women buying Christmas presents, might just be the ideal place. <br />
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# 3. <strong><em>Not Educating the Potential Customer About the Benefits of the Book</em></strong>: Most of us just expect our readers to know how great a book is intuitively. After all we've spent so much time writing and rewriting the story, we could recite it by heart. Don't expect that everyone else is equally engaged. Do they know how it can change kids lives? Do they know how funny, touching, clever the story line is? Do they know about the free activity guide, lesson plan and discussion questions in the back and the numerous freebies that you've incorporated into the website? Expecting potential customers to find you and your book and then beat a path to your door without educating them first about the value is like expecting to find a needle in a haystack...without even looking.<br />
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#4 <strong><em>Not Consistently Engaging Your Readers--</em></strong>too many first time writers focus intently on getting their book into print on Amazon and then sit back waiting for the big bucks to roll in. If that was your approach, I bet you are still waiting... To effectively market your book, you need to think like a marketer <u>all the time</u>. That doesn't mean you turn into the sleazy salesperson you hate. It means that you look for opportunities to share your book, establish relationships and nurture your readers, even when you haven't just launched a book. You can do this in numerous ways; a blog, an email list or an ezine, but make sure that you are thinking like a marketer 24/7. <br />
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Want to help me with choosing the title to my newest book? Check out the poll in the sidebar and vote for your favorite! <br />
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Join the Wyatt tribe and help me with launching my newest book. You can sign up here!! <a href="http://www.wyatthewonderdog.com/">www.wyatthewonderdog.com</a><br />
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Stay tuned for the newest Wyatt book...Coming the first of June!!!</div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-11275256103097734722014-04-19T10:42:00.001-04:002014-04-19T10:44:58.857-04:00Self-Publishing Overwhelm-Top Five Time Wasters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a picture of my friend and fellow teacher, Susan. She is putting together an arts festival for our school and an arts career day while helping with testing and teaching her usual 25+ classes a week. Can you relate? You're trying to balance your day job, your family and social life and then on the side you have this dream of writing and publishing a book. Who am I to tell you it can be done? <br />
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You know that I've done it but I probably had time you don't have. Maybe I have a family that isn't full of drama and demanding of my time and energy. Maybe I have a job that pays me to just show up and I can use lots of free time to write and research. Maybe I have plenty of money and resources. Let me assure you none of these things are the case.<br />
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Moving forward on a dream, a goal--any goal takes time and focus. It takes setting priorities and identifying ways to carve out extra time and energy. Here's the top five time wasters that I've had to to address in order to be creative, write and publish five books in four years:<br />
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1. <strong>Plan and prioritize</strong>--Spend some time each day and each week in setting priorities and establishing your focus. So many people jump out of bed, rush around to get to work on time and once they get to work, address each task as it rears it's ugly head. This is responding to the urgent rather than the important. Take time to plan and prioritize first thing every morning. You'll be amazed what a difference it makes.<br />
2. <strong>Planned neglect</strong>- This is the second technique that I've used to accomplish my goals. It means that you resist the call of so many simple things that eat into your time. It is deciding that you will wait to unload the dishwasher until later, maybe tomorrow. It is skipping those things that can easily be done but that suck up your time relentlessly; checking email, posting and reading on Facebook, fixing another cup of coffee and chatting with a co-worker. Of course we all need a break and a little reward from time to time but make sure it comes AFTER you have completed your first priority.<br />
3. <strong>Work in your strengths</strong>-I hire people to do many of the things that I either don't do well or just plain hate to do. Does it cost money? Of course. But my time is better spend creating content that I can sell and make money with rather than saving money by cleaning my own house or doing my own taxes. You probably have lots of things that you do but someone else could it do better and more efficiently.<br />
4. <strong>Networking and Learning</strong>-I belong to a women's networking group and a Christian authors' guild that meet monthly. I'm involved in an online coaching class that meets weekly and I'm in a ten week uplevel my business class. I attend several conferences every year. Is that part of my overwhelm? Yes and no. I do tend to overdo it a bit, but continuing to learn and grow is one way to stay energized. I am also constantly learning new concepts and techniques to improve and streamline what I do. Don't sacrifice learning and networking in order to accomplish your dream or you will quickly become burnt out and frustrated. <br />
5. <strong>Celebrate small victories-</strong> Sometimes we get so focused on the work we forget to stop and celebrate our accomplishments. I finish the book but now have to focus on publishing. It's published but now I have to focus on launching and marketing. You get the idea. Take some time to pat yourself on the back for accomplishing each milestone. Schedule a celebratory party and enjoy!!<br />
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Join the Called Woman network and receive the Called Woman Manifesto!<br />
<a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
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Follow the publication of the next Wyatt the Wonder Dog book (coming the first of the summer), and get a free audio of Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Being Organized.<br />
<a href="http://www.wyatthewonderdog.com/">www.wyatthewonderdog.com</a><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-13926678098222981562014-04-12T09:49:00.000-04:002014-04-12T09:49:37.026-04:00The Top Five Questions about Self-Publishing<br />
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I get a lot of questions from writers who are interested in self-publishing their book. I've been self-publishing books since 2010 and I still remember that first year when I felt so lost and unsure of how to start and what path to follow. Here are the top five questions I get from aspiring authors:</div>
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<li><b>Where can I find an illustrator for my book? </b> Sometimes you can ask people that you know. I found an illustrator by asking art teachers at the school where I work. There are other possibilities though. Online you can use <a href="https://www.odesk.com/">https://www.odesk.com/</a> or <a href="https://www.elance.com/">https://www.elance.com/</a> find an illustrator. Another possibility is checking with the art department of a high school or college to see if there is a student that would be willing to illustrate your book. </li>
<li><b>Who do you use to publish your books?</b> At the present time I use Createspace which is through Amazon. I have used various other online publishers but the most economical and user friendly is definitely Amazon. It is fast, customer service is available 24/7 and the quality is equal to anything else I have tried. There is an affiliate link in the sidebar of this page.</li>
<li><strong>What do I need to consider when choosing a publisher?</strong></li>
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<li>What is their customer service like? Can you contact them in the evenings and on weekends?</li>
<li>Do they charge extra to make additions and changes?</li>
<li>Do they provide additional services such as formating or illustration? What does it cost? </li>
<li>What will the final cost be to you to purchase books? </li>
<li>Will they obtain the ISBN number or copyright for you?</li>
<li>Can you obtain a proof prior to giving the final okay printing?</li>
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<li><b>Are there other options for publishing books besides online publishers? </b> If you are going to be selling your books yourself, perhaps as part of seminars or workshops that you do, you might want to consider getting your book printed by a local printer. If you chose this route, you will need to obtain the ISBN number yourself and have someone format the book for publishing. </li>
<li><b>Where do I get an ISBN number?</b> If you use an online publisher like Createspace, they will purchase and provide the ISBN number for you. If you are going to actually print the book yourself using perhaps a local printer, you will need to pay for and obtain your own ISBN number. Here's <a href="https://www.myidentifiers.com/isbn/main">the link</a> You can buy one or several ISBN numbers at a time. It is more economical to buy several which is what I did. When you are ready to use them, you just go back into the site and add the title and other information about the work. </li>
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Well there you have it. The top five questions I get most often about self-publishing. Would you add anything to the list? What have you learned self-publishing?<br />
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Check out my website for the Wyatt the Wonder Dog Books:<br />
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<a href="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/">http://wyatthewonderdog.com/</a></div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-44976248508885197272014-03-30T08:42:00.000-04:002014-03-30T08:52:34.844-04:00It's Time to Get Off of Your Big But!In my <a href="http://lynnewatts.blogspot.com/2014/03/three-essentials-for-achieving-your.html">last post</a> I wrote about the many dreams of our Called Woman Conference participants. Most people that I talk with know they have a dream. Sometimes it's still a little vague and needs to be developed but still, most people have a sense of a calling or purpose for their lives. What keeps us from moving forward and taking the next step? What keeps us from defining that calling and developing an action plan? I think most of us are challenged by some big BUTs. I'd like to write a book, BUT I don't have the time. I'd like to change jobs, BUT I don't have a college degree. I'd like to make more money, BUT the economy is too bad. I'd like to make a difference in the world, BUT I'm not talented enough, smart enough, educated enough, rich enough. Do you have a big BUT that is keeping you from accomplishing your dream? Listen to this story of a young man who took a simple idea and didn't let a big BUT hold him back...<br />
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It's time for all of us to GET OFF of our BUTs and take our dream to the next level! It's okay if the next step is a baby step. The important thing is to begin where we are and move forward one step at a time. What is the next step that you need to take to move forward? <br />
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Need some help creating a plan? Listen in to our free teleseminar on The Amazing Power of a Mastermind group, Sunday, March 30th at 8:00pm EST. You can learn about it and register here: <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/">http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/</a><br />
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Join our Reinvent You mastermind group and harness the power of an accountability partner and coach to take you to the next step. You can read all about it and sign up here: <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a> Registration closes April 5th. Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-36655236984261081282014-03-21T09:22:00.000-04:002014-03-21T09:22:58.402-04:00Three Essentials For Achieving Your Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezH8gP0p6R4iWRbTceHlO_HhFKWNslNytlaKV93QYl-CFJe1PNTUyCz1Dm9o9l_w93j1Emlnccgi63Fc4RU0TDBuq2tzvqq7JJYOdV2q5Ntu1lFXxxRxfnv4a7DQM2hXSY6aGt7L7ZVw/s1600/20140315-a-called-woman-group-sharpened.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezH8gP0p6R4iWRbTceHlO_HhFKWNslNytlaKV93QYl-CFJe1PNTUyCz1Dm9o9l_w93j1Emlnccgi63Fc4RU0TDBuq2tzvqq7JJYOdV2q5Ntu1lFXxxRxfnv4a7DQM2hXSY6aGt7L7ZVw/s1600/20140315-a-called-woman-group-sharpened.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></div>
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Do you have a dream? I hope so! I'm reminded of the song from one of my favorite movies, South Pacific. The lyrics go something like this: "You got to have a dream. If you don't have a dream... how you gonna-have-a dream come true?" At the Called Woman Reinvention Convention 2014 we had a lot of dreamers who are invested in making their dreams come true!!<br />
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<h3>
The Dreams of Conference Participants</h3>
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This year proved to be one of the most exciting conferences yet as we listened to speakers, gave away books and other resources and shared our stories. Everyone had a story to tell of overcoming great odds; depression, negative mindset, difficult family situations, financial problems, lost jobs. Nevertheless there were plenty of dreams expressed. We had each participant write down their dream and drop it in a bowl as they came in. At lunch we read them and gave away inspiring books. Here are some samples of the dreams:<br />
<ul>
<li>Retire, travel the world, live at the beach</li>
<li>Have a full time ministry of a children's ranch</li>
<li>To have financial security</li>
<li>To have a successful speaking and writing career</li>
<li>Transition to my own business</li>
<li>Write a devotional on Isaiah</li>
<li>Be successful in selling and writing educational and fiction books for children</li>
</ul>
Everyone left renewed in spirit and empowered to take the next step in making their dream a reality. Listen to one of our participants who attended the conference the day after learning that her job was being eliminated:<br />
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<h3>
Three Essentials to Take the Next Step</h3>
In my presentation on, "Where Do I Go From Here? I shared the three essentials that you must have to take the next step and turn a dream into a reality. Here they are:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><strong><em>Be a learner</em></strong>--It is so important to continue to learn through books, classes, online training and conferences. At the present time, I'm taking three classes; one at a local university and two coaching/training programs which I access online. As long as you are learning you are growing.</li>
<li><strong><em>Be a risk taker</em></strong>-- Just learning new things isn't enough. You have to take action. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be big. Just a tiny step counts. But it takes action to achieve a dream. No one ever finds themselves in a new place by sitting still.</li>
<li>Finally, find and<strong><em> join a supportive group</em></strong>. Nothing is harder than going it alone. For many dreamers, our co-workers, friends and family members don't have the same vision and don't offer support. It is necessary to find or create a supportive group. Here are some possibilities that the Called Woman offers:</li>
<ol>
<li>Join our Facebook page. You can comment and ask questions: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thecalledwoman">www.facebook.com/thecalledwoman</a></li>
<li>Join <a href="http://www.48days.net/">www.48days.net</a> and in particular our Called Woman Group. It's another great place to get support and advice.</li>
<li>Join our Reinvent You Mastermind Group just starting up in April 2014. You will have three coaches devoted to making sure that you have the support and information you need to achieve your dream. You can read all about it and sign up on our website here: <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a></li>
</ol>
</ol>
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Do you have a dream? What is your next step? How can I help you achieve it?<br />
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Like this post? Please share on Facebook and Twitter!<br />
<ol>
</ol>
Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-55494033675349005982014-03-08T11:11:00.003-05:002014-06-12T15:02:43.025-04:00Is It Time To Start Dancing?<img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-681 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Senna-214x300.jpg" src="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Senna-214x300.jpg" height="300" title="Senna" width="214" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You know that you’ve been sitting on the edge of the dance
floor watching the dancers swirl around you and wishing someone would ask you
to dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course you don’t know how
and that’s been a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You hoped by
just watching you’d catch on but now it’s become obvious that to really learn,
you’re going to have to actually take action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re going to have to make eye contact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re going to have to move past the fear and take the first step. We’ve all been there haven’t we?</span></div>
<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
You Know It's Time to Stop Watching and Start
Dancing</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's a sign if you've said:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’d like to do something else but I only have
____ more years until I retire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hoping I
can make it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This job is a chance for me to learn patience
and how to handle difficult people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have to remind yourself several times a day
that patience is a virtue.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You dread Monday morning and TGIF is more like a prayer than a catchy phrase.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You decide that learning patience is over-rated.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chocolate is more than a guilty pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something you need to get through the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What if you stopped watching the world dance by and started
dancing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if you took a teeny tiny
risk and tapped your foot to the music or made eye contact with that guy… the
one who’d ask you to dance if you gave him a nanosecond of a chance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Here’s what I want you to know:<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t have to know how to dance perfectly to
step out on the dance floor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everyone who’s dancing now… they started on the
sidelines too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t have to wait to be asked to dance… you
can give yourself permission to dance anyway<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s more important to dance with the music than
to dance according to the rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s not as scary as it looks and there are
people out there to encourage you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-683" data-mce-src="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Senna2-214x300.jpg" src="http://wyatthewonderdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Senna2-214x300.jpg" height="320" title="Senna2" width="228" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Won’t you join me in the dance?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There's one more week to sign up for the <strong>Called Woman Conference 2014</strong>, where you can <strong>Discover Your Passion and Reinvent Your Life</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/">http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-79159898411870859322014-03-03T15:49:00.000-05:002014-03-03T15:49:00.184-05:00Five Questions You Might be Asking About Finding Your PassionIt was just a few days after a second record breaking snow and ice storm hit the Atlanta area, when I was walking through the woods near my house and saw this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdiEdP0D5QviXmg86TDnFQMBOXNv7SYxz_Yn_Z5WWjM4rAW3ZxJc-kXcsnDTmdP7DWvvwSfRAg41agihk2F9upEB7hO6jkaUXM1ff6T4KctyErJcfwTb1mgow_hzy5X5ZpcaEjj7Z-3M/s1600/jonquilplain.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdiEdP0D5QviXmg86TDnFQMBOXNv7SYxz_Yn_Z5WWjM4rAW3ZxJc-kXcsnDTmdP7DWvvwSfRAg41agihk2F9upEB7hO6jkaUXM1ff6T4KctyErJcfwTb1mgow_hzy5X5ZpcaEjj7Z-3M/s1600/jonquilplain.png" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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Isn't it amazing how something so beautiful and promising as a bouquet of jonquils can appear following a tough time? This patch of daffodils were blooming away right in the middle of a thicket of thorns. It had only been a couple of days since the snow storm that turned my neighborhood into a winter wonderland. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGbTnWrCLuuvXfXVftWxnf8PreU_sf181IIIwBb68zjXrpUIPk4eiN5i8_5NJgr74UQ1VKP1B8VhdIBKq7uqOzqnoPU8ckY4mthYYkVYfqpK0bgQSq4KPJgIqQxMZwXURCjs_yh17irA/s1600/snow2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGbTnWrCLuuvXfXVftWxnf8PreU_sf181IIIwBb68zjXrpUIPk4eiN5i8_5NJgr74UQ1VKP1B8VhdIBKq7uqOzqnoPU8ckY4mthYYkVYfqpK0bgQSq4KPJgIqQxMZwXURCjs_yh17irA/s1600/snow2014.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Five Tough Questions about Finding Your Passion </h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
(Plus One Bonus Question)</h3>
Whenever I talk to women about finding their passion and then taking action, I usually bump into the same tough questions and concerns. That's why I created the <strong>Called Woman Conference 2014, The Reinvention Convention</strong>. I wanted to provide answers and support to living your best life NOW. Here's the top five questions I get and how we answer them at the Conference:<br />
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<br />
<ol>
<li>I don't know what my passion really is.... How do I find it?</li>
</ol>
<ul><ul>
<li>Best-selling author <strong>Joel Boggess</strong> will be talking about his book-<strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937879305/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1937879305&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Finding Your Voice: Sort Through the Clutter, Discover Clarity, Confidence, and Direction</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1937879305" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">Finding Your Voice: Sort Through the Clutter; Discover Clarity, Confidence and Direction</a></em></strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
2. I know my passion, but I don't know how to make it happen... What's my next step?</div>
<div>
<ul><ul>
<li><strong><em>Joanne Miller</em></strong> (wife of Dan Miller of <strong><em><a href="http://%3cscript%20charset=%22utf-8%22%20type=%22text/javascript%22%3E">48 Days to the Work You Love</a></em></strong>) and <strong>Dorsey McHugh</strong> will be presenting a session on <strong>Unleashing Your Creativity</strong></li>
<li><strong>Kathy Brunner</strong> will be talking about how to <strong>Be Your Own Boss</strong></li>
<li><strong>Nadine Mullings</strong> will be talking about <strong>Using Social Media to Grow Your Business</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
3. I know what I want to do but no one supports me... How do I find the support I need?</div>
<div>
<ul><ul>
<li><strong>Colleen Miller</strong> of LightenUp Consulting, will be talking about the Importance of <strong>Laughter and Play in Our Lives</strong></li>
<li><strong>Erin Shaw</strong> will be presenting on <strong>Start Today and Make a New Ending</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
4. I know what I want to do but I'm afraid... How do I get over my fear?</div>
<div>
<ul><ul>
<li><strong>Kim Wiggins</strong> will be talking about the <strong>Importance of Mindset</strong></li>
<li><strong>Lynne Watts</strong> (Yours Truly) will be talking about <strong>Where Do I Go From Here?</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
5. I know my passion but I'm having a hard time finding balance in my life.<br />
<ul><ul>
<li>Wellness Coach <strong>Sheri Barnes</strong> will be talking about <strong>Sitting Down is Killing You!</strong></li>
</ul>
</ul>
6. Bonus Question: I'm perfectly happy right where I am--I don't want to make any changes.... Do I need to attend?</div>
<div>
<ul><ul>
<li>This conference is not for everybody :)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
Do any of these statements sound like you? Have you wrestled with them alone? <strong>The Called Woman Conference 2014</strong> is <span style="color: blue;">March 15th in Marietta, Georgia</span> and it is designed to help you answer them. Here's what you get when you register for the conference:</div>
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<ul>
<li>A full day of inspirational speakers who will give you direction to plot your course for realizing your dream</li>
<li>A catered lunch at the conference.</li>
<li>A goodie bag from <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Revive Day Spa</strong> filled with samples and coupons from our sponsors</li>
<li>A Friday night, Wine and Cheese Reception to Meet the Speakers</li>
<li>A signed copy of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life </strong></em></li>
</ul>
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<b><i>Find out all the details and sign up here: www.acalledwoman.com</i></b></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b><i>I'll be there...will you?</i></b><br />
<strong><em></em></strong> </div>
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</i></b>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-17781313613385097932014-02-24T20:54:00.000-05:002014-02-24T20:54:13.216-05:00Taking the Next Step to Living Your Best Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today, I was talking to a friend about the <strong><em><a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">Called Woman Conference 2014</a></em></strong> and she asked why I created this conference when there are so many other conferences and workshops out there. Here's the answer: I have a passion for life stories and I want to help other women live their best story. So many women are terrifically unhappy in their jobs and their lives. They are women who are waiting to live their life... later. When they can retire. When they find another job. When the children are finally independent. The <strong><em><span id="goog_1681315757"></span><a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">Called Woman Conference 2014-The Reinvention Convention</a></em></strong> <span id="goog_1681315758"></span>was specifically designed for woman and their challenges. It is a day where women can feel encouraged, energized and empowered. It is where women can take the <strong><em>next step</em></strong> to changing their life story. <br />
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What Do You Get When You Attend the Called Woman Conference?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Speakers who will encourage, empower and challenge you. All of our expert speakers are carefully chosen with you and your needs in mind Here are some of our topics:</li>
<ul>
<li>Unleashing Your Creativity</li>
<li>Finding Your Passion with Clarity and Focus</li>
<li>Social Media and You</li>
<li>Be Your Own Boss</li>
<li>Mindset</li>
</ul>
<li>Time to network and interact with other like minded women.</li>
<li>A catered lunch and a Meet the Speaker wine and cheese reception the night before the conference</li>
<li>A guarantee that you will leave the conference encouraged and empowered or your money back... and we will still love you :)</li>
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<strong><em>Our Bonuses</em></strong>: (So you can take some of the webinar home with you)<br />
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<li> A Copy of <strong><em>The Call: Perfect Dream, Imperfect Life</em></strong> in the Called Woman Goodie Bag provided by our Sponsor: <strong><em>Revive Day Spa</em></strong> in Woodstock, Georgia </li>
<li>Downloads of webinars with 8 of our speakers discussing their areas of expertise.</li>
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Are you ready to rewrite your life story? Are you ready to stop waiting and take action? Won't you join us and take the next step in writing your best life story?<br />
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<a href="http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/">http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/</a><br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-88799024327171725362014-02-20T23:01:00.002-05:002014-02-20T23:01:37.409-05:00What Are You Waiting For?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It happens to me almost every time that I present at a conference. A couple of weeks ago, I finished my presentation (this time it was on blogging and how to get started) and someone comes up to me afterwards and with a very wistful look in their eyes says, "You know, I've always wanted to write my story, but..." Sometimes they tell me they just haven't found the time, or sometimes they tell me they are waiting until they get a job that isn't so demanding. Maybe it's family responsibilities or financial issues that are holding them back. There is always something that has gotten in the way, but still they know that they have this story that is just busting to get out. I understand. Really, I do. I spent most of my life waiting just like that too.<br />
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What Are You Waiting For?</h3>
I used to believe that if I waited long enough, something would eventually happen that would clarify what I should do to turn the dream of writing and publishing a book into a reality. I thought the stars needed to align, my family needed to be happy and successful, my life peaceful and harmonious. Once all of that was in place, I expected someone to walk into my life and perhaps announce, "Any one here interested in writing? Maybe you'd like to publish a book someday? Well, follow me!" Would it surprise you to know that never happened? <br />
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<h3>
Stop Waiting and Start Taking Action </h3>
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My life changed when I quit waiting and instead I began aligning myself with powerful mentors, reading books, taking classes, attending conferences, joining network groups and participating in critique groups. Did I do all of that at once? No. It has been a gradual process but one thing lead to another and today I rarely have a moment where I'm not learning more about the business of writing and teaching others about it as well. Currently, I'm involved in two classes related to blogging and one coaching program all at the same time. Oh, and I'm still working full-time. Am I overwhelmed? Of course. Am I excited and encouraged? Yes!<br />
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Are You Sharing Your Heartfelt Message? </h3>
We all have a calling, a message, a story to share. Maybe yours doesn't involve writing or teaching. Maybe you have another gift that you aren't using. But you know it's there, don't you? Even if you haven't unwrapped it in such a long time that you've almost forgotten it, you feel it stirring don't you? Wouldn't you like to recover that dream and breathe life into it? Aren't you tired of waiting? <br />
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The<strong> Called Woman Network</strong> is designed to help women find their calling and reinvent their lives. Sign up for the email list and receive regular inspirational messages designed to encourage and empower you. <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">http://acalledwoman.com/</a><br />
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Sign up for the <strong>Called Woman 2014 Reinvention Convention</strong> on March 15th in Marietta, Georgia. Spend a day discovering your calling and reinventing your life. What are you waiting for? <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/">http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/</a><br />
<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-21181095850952520192014-02-17T15:44:00.000-05:002014-02-17T19:06:25.627-05:00Overcoming the Tyranny of the Urgent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm retiring in a few months, (62 days to be exact but who's counting?). A lot of people say to me, "What will you do with all that free time? Do you have grandchildren that you will be watching? a part-time job that you will be working?" The answer to that question is that I don't have grand-children or a part-time job but I do have a business that I run part-time now and that I will be able to devote full-time effort to after I retire. How do you start a business while you are working full-time? How do you manage a business when you don't have a full-time job to report to? The answer is organization and scheduling.<br />
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Most of us live our lives by being reactive instead of creative. In other words, instead of living intentionally by creating a plan, a schedule, we react to whatever is going on around us. We start our day with a vague notion of something we'd like to accomplish. Then we hear the ping of an email or a text message and immediately stop what we are doing and respond. A co-worker stops us in the hall and we take on a new task or responsibility. A phone call or a memo redirects our day. We allow the tyranny of the urgent to swallow up the important tasks in our day and at the end of the day, we wonder where our time went and why nothing of substance is accomplished.<br />
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<h3>
Living a Creative Life </h3>
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Living a creative life does not mean that we ignore the necessary tasks and the relationships in our lives. It does not mean if there is an emergency, we don't respond. Lets face it though. Most of the things that we are distracted by don't enhance our relationships and they aren't emergencies. The things that draw us away from our goals are the black hole of social media, the endless but mundane tasks of our world or the vegging-out-in-front-of-the-television type of activities. We all have the same amount of time in our day, but how we plan out our time is the difference.<br />
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You Can't Really Manage Time</h3>
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You can't really manage time because it is, well, time. You can't corral it. You can't stop it or speed it up. But you can manage your activities. The problem most people have is that they try to manage their time by keeping track of information and priorities in their mind. The brain is not designed to hold on to and maintain a list of everything that you need to accomplish. The brain is designed to be used as a problem solving organ. The other thing that we know about the brain is that the brain is drawn toward congruity and completion. This is why it is important to have goals. Our brain will then want to align our daily activities with those goals. It is also drawn toward activities where completion is a given. This is one reason that we often find our selves emptying the dishwasher when the plan was to contact three possible clients or write 1,000 words on the book. We can easily see the end of emptying the dishwasher or sorting the mail. Other tasks are not so clear. This is why having a system for managing our tasks is so important.<br />
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Begin Your Day or Week with a Brain Drain</h3>
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The first step of managing our tasks is to figure out what we've stored in our brain. You can't organize or schedule tasks until you know what is calling out for your attention or what you should be paying attention to that isn't a squeaky wheel. At the beginning of the day and at the beginning of each week, take a piece of paper and write everything that you can think of that is on your mind to do. Include even the silly and ridiculous things that you are worried about or just obsessed with. Honesty counts here. No one will see this but you.<br />
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<h3>
Create an Organized List</h3>
Next, take another sheet of paper and divide it into four quadrants. At the top of each section write the following categories: Time wasters, Have-to-dos, Top Priorities, Maintenance Tasks. Now take all the things from your Brain Drain and put them in the correct quadrant. You probably know what time wasters are. Have-to-dos are all those tasks that must get done regardless of whether you want to do them or not. These are things like completing all the paperwork for taxes or paying bills. Top Priorities could also be labelled Money Makers if you are running a business. Sometimes creative types get so involved in the creative part of the business that they neglect to give priority to selling the product or running a marketing campaign for an upcoming event. For me this includes book signings, book festivals, countdown campaigns on Amazon. When you are running a business it is important that you spend a good part of your time working in this quadrant. Otherwise you find that you have a hobby but not a profitable business. Finally the last category is all the things that you do to maintain a business but that don't perhaps result in quick return. For me this relates to the actual writing of articles or books. It means contacting speakers and vendors for the Called Woman Conference. Sometimes items from the Maintaining the Business category are moved to the the Top Priority category. This is a fluid vehicle for organizing your tasks and may change day to day.<br />
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Create a Daily/Weekly Schedule</h3>
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Once you have all your tasks divided into four categories, you need to get a calendar and schedule your time for the upcoming week. It can be a huge calendar that you put on the wall or something on your computer. I like to use my Outlook Calendar on my computer. I organize my week on Sunday afternoon so that I know what I have coming up for the next week.<br />
Begin with the obligations that you know you must show up for and block out those times. Do you work a 9-5 job? Block out those hours. Do you have a doctor/dentist appointment? Does your child have basketball practice twice a week? Block out the time for that. Now look at the time that you have left surrounding those obligations. It may be a little or it may be a lot depending on the season of your life. If you have young kids, there are certainly times to be blocked out for family time and children's activities. However, there will still be blocks of time, no matter how small, that you can use to accomplish your goals. Now start plugging in the activities in your Top Priorities and Maintaining the Business quadrant into those blocks of time. Be reasonable but be proactive. Chances are you won't get up at 4:00 AM every morning to work on that novel you want to write but you could get up at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning to garner some quiet time to write creatively before the rest of the family gets up. Maybe evenings are a better time for you. Two nights a week you give up watching television and instead put in two hours of networking and creating a marketing plan on the computer.<br />
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Use a Timer</h3>
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There is something incredibly compelling about a schedule that is written down. There is something powerful about knowing how you are going to spend your time and being accountable to a schedule, even if you are the only one who created it. Once I create my blocks of time on my Outlook calendar, I even have alerts that let me know it its time to begin a certain task in 15 minutes. If you don't have a system like this, it's okay. Use a timer to create boundaries for the task and set it for the block of time that you have designated. Don't allow outside urgent activities and requests to overcome the important work that you are doing.<br />
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Learning to identify the important activities in your life and structuring your day and your weeks to direct your energy is a necessary part of living an intentional life. It is how dreams become reality and goals are achieved. A goal is simply a dream with a plan. <br />
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Want to spend a day discovering your dream and reinventing your life? Check out the <strong><a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">Called Woman Reinvention Convention</a></strong>, March 15th, in Marietta, Georgia. <br />
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Join our free webinar on February 22 and hear one of our speakers: Sheri Barnes when she talks to us about Discovering the Fountain of Youth. You can sign up here: <br />
<a href="http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/">The Fountain of Youth Webinar</a><br />
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Like this post? Share on facebook and twitter!<br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-2777312233036635992014-02-08T09:09:00.000-05:002014-02-08T09:09:45.860-05:00"My Life is an Empty Shell"--Finding Your Purpose<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHIfswnN-xZpizaiUDdIVKauE3W6AfQwNx7H5A3dM_TxbSpsoynyQtWG79KsRHgdX9r_faf8Vr6G7wwzZMC3ZKio1MhB7VUNX_LS0hgVCFXvoxDT8iSb2TKE588_y8nzm_23NaD8g7FE/s1600/shellquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHIfswnN-xZpizaiUDdIVKauE3W6AfQwNx7H5A3dM_TxbSpsoynyQtWG79KsRHgdX9r_faf8Vr6G7wwzZMC3ZKio1MhB7VUNX_LS0hgVCFXvoxDT8iSb2TKE588_y8nzm_23NaD8g7FE/s1600/shellquote.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
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Unless you live in a cave, you probably heard about Atlanta's Snow-pocalypse 2014. Motorists were stranded in cars for hours while others were stranded at the office. Students were stranded on school buses or at schools overnight. I was talking with someone recently about how they survived the disaster. The worst part for her was being stranded at home. She lives alone and has no children she told me. "I was bored to tears with being stuck at home for three days," she said. "My life's an empty shell and I didn't know what to do with myself." An empty shell? Really? <br />
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Finding Your Calling</h3>
I believe that we all have a calling, a mission that we have been uniquely gifted for. We've been given talents and abilities that complement that mission. How sad that someone feels so empty that being snowed in for three days, meant she almost went crazy. Don't get me wrong. I can get a little cabin fever myself when stranded at home. However, the number of projects and interests that I have is so numerous, that I rarely get bored. Three days for me, meant time to catch up on writing, planning, communicating with others, reading... I could go on and on. <br />
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So often people let life happen rather than making it happen. They meander from day to day, without goals or a clear direction. When disaster or tragedy strikes, they have few resources for coping with it. Something as small as being stuck at home with no one but yourself for company becomes a major ordeal. I understand this mindset. My early years were spent wishing, waiting and wondering if I'd be able to accomplish my dreams. I thought that the stars had to align, the universe had to be generous and the right people had to wander into my life. I gave away my power to anyone and everyone. My life was at the mercy of my circumstances rather than me looking for the opportunity in the circumstances. I didn't set goals and I certainly didn't create an action plan to make my dreams reality. I had an exhaustive to-do-list and I was very busy but without any clear direction. I said yes to anything and everything without evaluating whether or not it fit in with my purpose. Living life intentionally has changed my focus and my life.<br />
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Living Life Intentionally</h3>
How do you live your life so that instead of thinking of it as an empty shell, you experience a life of abundance? It first takes a change in your mindset. Rather than looking at life as something that happens to you, you begin to see life as something you create. Much like a writer writes a story or a film-maker creates a film, your job is to determine the plot, the direction of the story arc of your life. Of course you can't control everything. I understand that. But you can control your reaction. You can control what you do with the events that occur. You can begin to look for the possibilities in everything. Even when there are no impending changes, you can remain open to the possibilities that are all around. Sometimes you even create change! A great book that addresses this style of living and our tendency to cling to status quo is <strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399144463/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399144463&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0399144463" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">Who Moved My Cheese?</a></em></strong> by Spencer Johnson, M.D. There are two approaches to life in this book. Hem and Haw enjoy the comfort of the status quo without ever anticipating or preparing for change. Sniff and Scurry enjoy the present abundance but also plan for the future and notice the evidence of the changes that are coming. They explore the world around themselves. They discover new experiences that are even better than the past. They anticipate and find abundance rather than scarcity. What character do you identify with? Hem and Haw or Sniff and Scurry? Are you waiting for good things to appear in your life or are you out looking for them and making them happen? <br />
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Join Called Woman speaker, Colleen Miller, Sunday, February 9th for a free webinar on Toxic Relationships. Sign up here: <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/">http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/</a><br />
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Want to spend a day networking with other women and discovering your calling? Attend the Called Woman Conference on March 15th in Marietta, Georgia. Read all about it here: <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">http://acalledwoman.com/</a>Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-39163053426479282682014-01-25T09:39:00.000-05:002014-01-25T20:17:09.715-05:00Joshilyn Jackson's Book: Someone Else's Love Story is an Amazing Read!I just finished reading <a href="http://www.joshilynjackson.com/jj/biography/">Joshilyn Jackson's</a> latest book, <strong><em>Someone Else's Love Story</em></strong> and I can see why it is getting rave reviews!<br />
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This is a book that asks some thought-provoking questions such as:<br />
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What is destiny? How do we shape our own destiny including our own love stories? <br />
How does our perception influence our relationships and our actions?<br />
Are there miracles?<br />
How are science and theology interwoven?<br />
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The main character, Shandi Pierce captivates the reader with the first sentence of the book: <strong><em> I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint at the Circle K</em></strong>. Who doesn't want to know what happens next? Both characters have complicated lives. Shandi is a young single mom torn between warring divorced parents who have their own shattered love story. In addition, she is trying to cope with her own history of being drugged and assaulted by a stranger who fathered her three year old son Natty. William is coping with a tragic car accident which resulted in the loss of his wife and young daughter. A brilliant and autistic geneticist, he is positioned perfectly to solve several of Shandi's questions. In turn, Shandi and her son Natty provide a means for William to move beyond an impasse in his grieving. Their evolving relationship provides a setting for teasing out other love stories in the novel.<br />
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Witty, personal and engaging, Joshilyn Jackson was the high energy author at a book signing at <a href="http://www.foxtalebookshoppe.com/">Foxtale Books</a> in November. Surrounded by old friends and new fans, she entertained her audience with tales of her treacherous drive to the bookshop in the Southern monsoon like weather that Atlanta was experiencing. She referred to her sad lack of direction, by comparing herself to a self-propelled vacuum cleaner that simply bangs from place to place without any notion of where it's been or where its going. Apparently her husband reminded her that the comparison is not totally accurate though since the Roomba, as you know, <em>CLEANS</em>. Jackson entertained the audience with a history of the book from the conception of her characters to her pantster method of writing (wherein she writes by the seat of her pants). Sometimes a character's surprise revelations resulted in frequent rewrites. In general, it takes her about two years to complete a novel.<br />
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I highly recommend this book as one of the best I've read this year!!<br />
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Are you writing your own love story or living someone else's? Wonder about finding your passion and creating your own destiny? Join me and other creative women for the Called Woman Conference 2014-The Reinvention Convention. Check it out here: <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-46505297185751160032014-01-20T07:59:00.001-05:002014-01-20T07:59:53.319-05:00Five Ways to Beat Procrastination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We all are bitten by the procrastination bug at one time or another. Sometimes it is putting off doing things that are necessary. For instance, we know we need to get our taxes done but oh, how we hate actually diving in to the work. Sometimes, it means putting off doing something that isn't required but that if we would only do it, we would be so much happier or comfortable. For instance, we know that we don't have to stay in a thankless job, but the agony and uncertainty of procuring a new one keeps us stuck. When we are struck immobile by the dreaded disease of procrastination, what should we do to move forward? Having succumbed to the tyranny of procrastination on many occasions, I have some recommendations:<br />
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Get Going</h3>
I know, I know...that's the problem! What if you lower the standards so the job is less intimidating or overwhelming? Do it anyway but promise yourself you don't have to do a good job or even stick with it very long. You just have to start. For instance, I might tell myself that today, all I have to do is start putting all the tax information into piles and tomorrow I will complete the next step. Or I tell myself that I don't have to write a good blog post or a lengthy blog post, I just have to get something down. Sometimes that is all it takes to get me going and then I continue just to get it done. Or maybe I start and then wait until tomorrow to move to the next step as planned. Either way the road block of procrastination is broken. <br />
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Determine the Meaning</h3>
Sometimes procrastination or resistance has meaning. If you know the meaning, then you have choices. Ask yourself the following questions:<br />
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<ul>
<li>What was the last thing you did related to the task? Have you not started at all or are you part way through?</li>
<li>Where do you need to go from here? What is the next step?</li>
<li>What is the price of doing the task and the payoff for finishing?</li>
<li>What happens after I finish this?</li>
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Maybe you were into a project and stopped because the direction you were going in is the wrong direction, maybe it's just uncomfortable. Resistance could be a sign that you need to change direction. Or reconsider the next step. Maybe finishing something has its own message. When you finish the class then you'll have to look for a job or perform a different responsibility so you put off finishing by procrastinating. There can be a very important message in the resistance. If you can figure out the <strong><em>why</em></strong> of procrastination, you may also discover what it will take to move forward. <br />
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Draw Your Way Out</h3>
Use the technique of branching or mind-mapping. In the middle of the page write down the task you are avoiding and circle it. Then begin branching out from the task and write every reason you can think of that you are avoiding the task. What are you afraid of? bored with? frustrated with? distracted by? Answer each branch with a response. Separate fact from fiction. Solve problems and determine reasons that are too silly to even address.<br />
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Schedule a Time to Begin</h3>
There is something compelling about a list and a time frame. Schedule a time to begin the task. Schedule a time to end or at least to take a break. Then stick to your schedule. It is especially helpful if you clear your schedule of other appointments and distractions. Tell yourself that nothing can interfere with the plan. Then show that you are serious. I often do this with accomplishing writing tasks. Saturday mornings are usually my time to write. I try not to let other obligations infringe on that time. If it is unavoidable, then I reschedule for another day.<br />
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Talk to Someone</h3>
Set up a time to talk to someone who is not only a good listener but also someone who can encourage you in a responsible way. Make sure they know that you don't need a 'yes' man; you need someone who can help you see the procrastination for what it is. Then unload all your frustrations and concerns about the task you are avoiding. Now it's your turn to listen. Have your mentor tell you what they hear and what they see the next step as being. Caution: pick someone who is empathetic and resourceful rather than someone who is in a similar position. Remember how misery loves company? This isn't whine together session. This is a compassionate kick-in-the-butt session.<br />
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Procrastination is a problem that challenges us all at one time or another. Check out the books on my bookshelf for some additional resources!<br />
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Want to determine your passion and kick start your life? Check out the Called Woman Conference 2014. It's the Reinvention Convention!! <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
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Like this post? Share on Facebook and Twitter!Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-50516179718422145672014-01-17T12:10:00.001-05:002014-01-17T12:10:43.881-05:00Best Indie Book Store Creates Best Book Launch with Karen White!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.foxtalebookshoppe.com/">Foxtale Book Shoppe</a> in Woodstock, Georgia was recently named by <a href="http://www.atlantamagazine.com/bestofatlanta/">Atlanta magazine</a> as the <b><i>Best Indie Bookstore</i></b> in the Atlanta area. That's quite an honor because there are lots and lots of amazing bookstores around. I love Foxtale for many reasons but probably the main thing I like about them is their book launches. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently attended a book launch for <a href="http://karen-white.com/">Karen White's</a> newest book, <strong><em>Return to Tradd Street</em></strong>. Some of my friends are avid fans of this series about psychic realtor, Melanie Middleton who solves mysteries and sells houses while nurturing her on and off romance with Jack Trenholm. I had no trouble enticing them to attend the book launch. My youngest daughter was in town after the holidays and once she heard cupcakes were also involved she was eager to attend as well. She took a picture of us after we decorated our cupcakes at the cupcake bar...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">Karen White arrived with her dog in tow. She explained to the crowd that he was not only the inspiration for General Lee, the dog in the book, but he is also her constant writing companion. </span><br />
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Karen shared lots of information about her inspiration for her books, her writing process and her plans for upcoming books. Gracious and personal, attendees felt like one of her inner circle. One of the women present was such a fan she single handedly created an interest in some of Karen's earlier books which have been out of print. There was an opportunity to buy a raffle ticket and win a basket of her books and other goodies. Another giveaway was the chance to have to have your name used as a character in an upcoming book. Proceeds from the raffle benefitted the Wounded Warrior program which is near to Karen's heart due to a nephew who was injured in Afghanistan. The event ended with an opportunity to have a book signed and to spend a moment talking personally with Karen.<br />
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Although I bought the newest book, I haven't started it yet because Karen's books are so addictive, I know I won't be able to put it down. I'm waiting for a few days of free time to relax and relish the story. You know, one of those lazy evenings in front of a fire and no work to report to the next day....<br />
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Foxtale and Karen White are experts at putting together a successful book launch. I've written about it <a href="http://lynnewatts.blogspot.com/2013/06/five-amazing-book-launches-and-five.html">before</a> but here are some of the key components and how they were incorporated into this book launch.<br />
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<h3>
How to Create a Magical Book Launch</h3>
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<b><i>Be Remarkable</i></b>---Most of the book launches have a theme, decorations and refreshments that coordinate with the theme of the book. <i><b>Return to Tradd</b></i> <b><i>Street</i></b>, begins with the main character pregnant, so the cupcake bar featured decorations and icing in pink and blue. There have been book launches that included coffins and book launches that included costumes. You just never know what new thing will be featured but you can count on it being unique.<br />
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<b><i>Be generous</i></b>--Karen's use of a raffle to benefit the Wounded Warrior program was a wonderful way to give to a charity. Once guests understood the reason for the raffle, there was an outpouring of support. <br />
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<b><i>Develop relationships</i></b>--Karen was as interested in hearing from her readers as she was in sharing herself. She took time with each to talk and share. In addition, she gave away two opportunities through the raffle for readers to get their name used as a character in her book. This was a truly clever way to engage readers! Writers who stay engaged with their readers through Facebook and other social media continue to nurture those relationships. Currently, Karen is touring various book stores and she keeps readers up-to-date with regular posts and pictures. <br />
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<b><i>Be grateful</i></b>-No one likes someone who feels the world owes them something. I haven't met many writers like this but they are out there. A successful writer (a successful anything) puts others first and is more interested in giving than getting.<br />
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<b><i>Be real</i></b>-Readers love to know the ins and outs of writers' lives. Karen shared that she has many qualities in common with the main character in her Tradd Street books including perhaps alphabetizing her spice shelf and being just a teeny bit structured...<br />
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Like this post? Share with friends on Facebook and Twitter!!<br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-60869150304417136932014-01-05T07:47:00.000-05:002014-01-05T07:47:43.889-05:00Five Ways to Make Sure Your Goals Fail<br />
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January is the time of year when everyone makes a fresh start. Whether your goal is to get in shape, lose a few (or a lot) of pounds or find the work you love, everywhere you turn there is is advice you can heed and products you can buy. Gyms are full of newly dedicated enthusiasts and classes are starting in every imaginable category to motivate and create the life you dream of. Where will you be three months, six months down the road? Will you be riding high on the wave of success or disappointed once again by failure? Will you be blaming a lack of willpower and motivation to create the life you desire? Here are five ways to guarantee you will fail again this year.<br />
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<li>Don't set priorities--If you create goals but then allow everything else in your life to take precedence over that goal, then you can rest assured that you will fail. Want to start an exercise program that you stick with? Make sure you schedule it into your day and treat it like any other appointment that you might make. You wouldn't schedule a doctor appointment and then allow other events to encroach on that time would you? Would you schedule breakfast with a friend and then sleep in instead? Treat your goals with the same respect that you treat other appointments in your life and schedule a specific time to work on them each day. Let the important people in your life know that the time set aside for that goal is sacred and treat it that way yourself.</li>
<li>Don't be specific--Goals that are vague are a wish list not a goal. If your goal is to get in better shape or to write more or discover your passion, then you haven't created a goal, you have a wish or an ambition. Successful goals identify the behavior that goes with them. Work out daily for 45 minutes and lose 20 pounds in the next 6 months is a goal. Spend 30 minutes daily writing and create a blog post once a week is a goal. Make sure you know not only what you wish for but how you will go about accomplishing it. </li>
<li>Don't develop a support group--goals that are created without a support group will probably fail. Not telling anyone about your goals unless you are sure they will discourage you from even trying, is a recipe for failure every time. This is why people who join Weight Watchers or Alcoholics Anonymous are so often successful. They have a consistent group of cheerleaders who want to see them succeed. You can have a formal support group or you can create your own informal one but everyone needs to hear "good job" and get a pat on the back sometime. In addtion, everyone needs someone to spur them on when they are feeling like giving up. Make sure there is someone like that in your life. </li>
<li>Expect failure-We get what we expect and if you don't create and focus on a vision of success then you will instead create and accomplish the vision of failure that you imagine. This is why it is so important to spend time actually visioning the accompishment of your goal and then live as though that goal is already accomplished. Be the person you want to be and live as if that were already a reality. Then when you accomplish your goal you won't be adjusting your mindset and actions to a new reality, you will already be living it. This is a major distinction. </li>
<li>Don't create an action plan-Goals that are created without a plan for <u>how</u> to accomplish them will fail. This doesn't mean you have to have every step in place but it does mean that you have to have the first few steps in place. <em>Self-publish a book in the next year</em> or <em>find a new job</em> are all goals but what is the first step? What will you do to move down the path of accomplishing those goals? Write down everything that you can think of, big and little steps and then divide the steps into things you can do daily, weekly, monthly. No matter how tired or unmotivated you are, do something every day toward accomplishing your goal. Set aside a specific time each day to work toward the goal (see #1).</li>
</ol>
Well there you have it; five ways to ensure that you will fail at your goals. Sound like too much work? Sound overwhelming? Think you'll just pass and keep-on-keeping-on with the status quo? Sounds familiar.... see # 4.<br />
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Want to learn more about setting boundaries and accomplishing goals? Join Called Woman Speaker, Erin Shaw in a FREE webinar on Sunday, January 12th as she talks about: Fence Me In--Setting Boundaries in 2014. You can register here: <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/">http://acalledwoman.com/teleseminars/</a><br />
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Want to spend an entire day discovering your passion and reinventing your life? Join us for the Called Woman Reinvention Convention 2014 on Saturday, March 15th. You can register here: <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/">http://acalledwoman.com/sign-up/</a><br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-63029931502774304652013-12-30T07:44:00.000-05:002014-02-04T09:37:53.883-05:00Lynne's Three Life Lessons for the New Year<br />
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<a href="http://liveitforward.com/">Kent Julian</a>, a fabulous speaker and friend, recently asked a question on his blog; What would you say to help people live into their bigger story? I love this question! It recognizes that we are all living a story for others whether we mean to or not. Secondly, it acknowledges that we have a large measure of control over that story. Of course, we can't engineer all the circumstances of our lives. We don't choose our families and we certainly don't have control over other's choices. However, we can determine to a large extent our reaction to the circumstances of our lives. Here are my three life lessons that steer my course and I believe help me live into my bigger life story.<br />
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<h3>
Live Life on Purpose </h3>
So often people let life happen rather than making it happen. This has been the greatest lesson I've learned. My early years were spent wishing, waiting and wondering if I'd be able to accomplish my dreams. I thought that the stars had to align, the universe had to be generous and the right people had to wander into my life. I gave away my power to anyone and everyone. I didn't set goals and I certainly didn't create an action plan to make my dreams reality. I had an exhaustive to-do-list and I was very busy but without any clear direction. Living life intentionally has changed my focus and my life.<br />
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<h3>
Look for the Opportunity in Everything </h3>
Living intentionally doesn't mean that I don't face opposition, failure and tragic circumstances. Of course my life, like yours, has events and relationships that are discouraging and disappointing. Sometimes I can make changes that improve the situation. Sometimes I can't. But I can say that if I look hard enough there is always an opportunity in the midst of it all. Maybe it means that I change my perspective. Maybe it means that I learn something that I can share with someone else who is going through a similar concern. Always it means that I have grown and changed in someway for the better.<br />
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<h3>
Learn Something New Everyday </h3>
There have been times in my life when I tended to cling to the same routine, the same habits and the same environment. My goal was to feel comfortable and keep the status quo. Being open to learning means being open to change. It means moving beyond your comfort zone into new territory. This is true in simple things as well as in the bigger events in my life. Here's a recent example of my being resistant to change and learning. I've driven the same way to work for 20+ years. It involves traveling down a winding, dark two way road before the sun is up. It is fine early in the school year, but once we move into the winter months and the weather involves rain, fog and even occasionally, snow the drive in the dark is treacherous. Nevertheless I persisted in traveling the same road believing that to change and drive on the expressway to my work would be even worse. This year when my arrival time was made even earlier, I finally decided to try it one day and see if the drive was better. Guess what? It is a huge improvement!! Why did it take me so long to try something that was so simple? It was an unwillingness to learn and try something new. Learning something new is an ongoing challenge but I continue to look for ways to learn and change even though it means doing things that are uncomfortable.<br />
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What about you? What advice would you give to others to help them live their bigger life story?<br />
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Want to spend an entire day learning to live intentionally, finding your calling and making it a reality? Join us for the Called Woman Conference-The Reinvention Convention 2014: <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-88055854883166929972013-12-23T21:53:00.000-05:002013-12-23T21:53:11.780-05:00My One Word for 2013<a href="http://www.imagechef.com/" target="_blank"> <img alt="ImageChef.com - Get codes for Facebook, Hi5, MySpace and more" src="http://cdn-img1.imagechef.com/w/131223/samp9b73e48acffee953.jpg" /> </a><br />
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It's the end of the year and I have a quick little test for you. Don't you just love pop quizzes?<br />
<br />
When I think about 2013 and my plans for 2014, I am...<br />
a. Not setting goals. They never worked before and it is a waste of my time.<br />
b. Evaluating my past year and not only setting new goals but focusing on the baby steps necessary to get there.<br />
c. Feeling totally overwhelmed. I'm not sure what I accomplished last year and what do I want to accomplish next year???? Maybe I'll just take a nap and think about it later.<br />
<br />
During the holiday I'm <br />
a. Kicking back and sleeping in, over-eating and over-spending. After all that's what holidays are for, right?<br />
b. Holiday? What holiday? I'm keeping my nose to the grindstone. Holidays are just like regular work days, except now I'm also exhausted from cooking, shopping, cleaning...<br />
c. Enjoying some time off with family and friends. I have a system in place and know the steps I need to take each day to keep things running smoothly.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Feeling Overwhelmed?</h3>
<br />
This time of year, people love to ask you, "Are you ready for the holidays?" Trying to do it all can be exhausting. I know. This is especially true for women. We're trying to energize and renew relationships, honor family and spiritual traditions and work a job or run a business. We're trying to balance all those spinning plates in the air and cringing everytime we hear one crash.<br />
<br />
Distractions are everywhere; elaborate Pinterest style decorating, shopping for the perfect gift for everyone and attending every holiday extravaganza or event. As we are pulled in every direction, finding time to connect with family and friends in meaningful ways is a challenge.<br />
<br />
<h3>
My One Word for 2013</h3>
<br />
There are lots of ways to bring calm and order to the chaos. One way is to create focus. In 2013, I created focus by picking one word to define my year. It is a touchstone. A light to guide you. An intention to redirect you. <br />
<br />
My one word was joy. It came to me quite spontaneously as I was setting goals and planning my upcoming year. I felt I had survived two previous years of great change, loss and family upheaval. I was truly ready for a new focus and beginning. <br />
<br />
How did this word influence my year? It gave me something to look for, thus creating focus for my mind. It also gave me something to intentionally create. As I made plans, I made sure that joy was a part of each goal. I planned celebrations and get togethers with friends and family. I even looked for and found joy in sadness and disappointment. I saw the word everywhere I turned; in my daily devotional, signs along the road and in conversation with others. It was a constant reminder of my focus for the year. I can truly say that focusing on that one word made a huge difference in my life. <br />
<br />
<h3>
My One Word for 2014</h3>
<br />
As I move into the new year, I'm already planning for my one word that will guide me forward. Again the word came to me quite spontaneously: adventure. How will this happen? As I set the intention for 2014, the word adventure will be a reminder to incorporate the spirit of adventure in everything that I do. It seems the perfect word for a year in which I plan to retire from a 21 year career of school counseling in order to move forward with my other interests of writing and speaking. <br />
<br />
What about you? How will you create focus for the upcoming year? What will your one word be for 2014? <br />
<br />
Want to develop your focus? Change your world? Join the Called Woman network at <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-6108557067093563792013-12-14T09:13:00.000-05:002013-12-14T09:13:29.665-05:00The Power of Asking<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I belong to a lovely group of ladies called The Thursday Sistas. They are caring, compassionate and a little crazy. I love them all. Here's an example of the craziness that goes on: the email from my good
friend Barb about the upcoming get together read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>Good morning Ladies,</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>We are meeting at my
house this evening at 6:30p.m. If this has already been sent then don't read
it. I mean it, don't read it. You are just wasting your time. Seriously, stop
reading this if you already know this information. Ha!!!! Hope to see everyone
tonight.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>Love ya,</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em>Barbara<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The response from Kellie
read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><em>I<strong> couldn't control myself and I read this email
three times!!</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><em>I won't be joining y'all tonight because I will be
catching up with another friend who can only get together tonight, and we just
gotta do this. Scheduling dinner with this one is as hard as getting in to see
the wizard.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Have a great time and I’ll catch up next time.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Kellie</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Made me smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is my question: How often do you do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often do you repeat something that is a
waste of time, or unsuccessful, even when you know ahead of time what the
result will be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know you’ve heard it
before but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but
expecting different results. Is that you?</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;">The Power of Asking</span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">One area where I fail over and over is
expecting that people will just recognize or acknowledge something without me
pointing it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Call it mind reading or
just plain wishful thinking but I often think that people will just know that I
need something or want something without me having to ask for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t tell you about all the missed
opportunities that I have experienced because of this, but I can tell you about
some of the unbelievable things that have happened. Just. Because. I Asked.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Four years ago, I was bewildered and dead in the
water with my writing career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no
idea what to do with the children’s stories that I had written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was using them in classroom lessons and I
had unsuccessfully tried the traditional publishing route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day I decided to ASK Dan Miller of<a href="http://www.48days.com/"> 48 Days to the Work You Love</a> in an
email for his advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He chose to answer
the question on his weekly podcast and today I have published four children’s
books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because. I Asked.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Last year as I began planning the <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">Called Woman Conference</a>, I wanted to expand the number of speakers that we had at the
conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had no budget and no
resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to put out a call
for proposals online and see if we would have any speakers interested in
presenting a thirty minute breakout session at the conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was seriously worried that no one would
respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had over twenty proposals
submitted and chose twelve speakers who came from as far away as Arizona to
deliver outstanding presentations. Funny thing is that this year, I have people
<strong><em>asking me</em></strong> if they can put in a proposal to speak. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All. Because. I Asked.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">For the <a href="http://acalledwoman.com/">2014 Called Woman Conference,</a> I wondered
if I could entice two well-known and really great speakers, Joanne Miller and
<a href="http://www.findingyourvoiceradio.com/">Joel Boggess </a>to come and speak at the conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought that it would prove to be a huge
draw but would they be willing to come to a conference in another state?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At their own expense?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to ASK and see what would
happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer was yes and we now
have an outstanding conference with great speakers planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All. Because. I Asked. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: black;">What Do You Need to Ask For?</span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">What about you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are you stuck in a pattern of behavior that is unsuccessful but you keep
repeating it anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there questions
that you should be asking that would lead you down a different and more
successful path?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you need to change
your mindset and your planned way of doing things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if simply asking a question could open
up a whole new world of possibilities?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It did for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All. Because. I
ASKED.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Want to attend an inspiring conference that can
change your mindset and reinvent your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Read all about the <b>Called Woman Conference 2014</b> here: http://acalledwoman.com/<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Like this post?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-30447817393345543582013-12-08T07:44:00.000-05:002013-12-08T07:44:12.169-05:00What Are You Afraid Of? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I consulted with an aspiring author. We originally met at an author event where she asked the question, "How would you go about getting a children's book published? I've written a picture book about a dog and I'm not sure what to do next." That could have been me asking the exact same question. The presenting author wasn't familiar with what to do, but I quickly gave her my card and offered to share my journey with her. A few months later we were sitting at my kitchen table and I was giving her lots of information (probably too much information) on how to get started. I love helping aspiring authors because I was there myself just a few short years ago and I truly did not know where to start or who to ask for advice.<br />
<br />
<h3>
What Are You Afraid Of?</h3>
<br />
"I think I need to get over my fears," she said at one point. "I think I'm afraid of success." Again, I nodded. Our fears so often define us and keep us from moving forward don't they? I too have been plagued with fears and still am. What if I fail? What if no one wants my books? What if I'm fooling myself and I'm not really any good at writing? What if I make the wrong decision? What if I work and work at this and nothing happens? What if I have a book signing party and NO ONE comes? Trust me, my brain works overtime on the possibilities. <br />
<br />
Here is my answer to those fears: DO IT ANYWAY.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Are You Asking the Right Questions? </h3>
<br />
In his recent book <strong><em><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1937077594/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1937077594&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1937077594" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters</a></em></strong>, Jon Acuff takes himself on an imaginary plane ride that ends in near disaster. His plane crashes, he barely makes it out alive and the end result is that he is suddenly faced with the big question of "Am I spending my life doing the things I would want to do if I knew I were going to die next month or next year?" We've all thought about this question before. Maybe like Acuff, it has been an imaginary tragedy in our lives or maybe we've been faced with the real thing. But the bottom line is that our lives are finite. If we haven't answered this question and then moved ahead on the answer, then we are not only fooling ourselves. We are wasting our lives. <br />
<br />
Jon answers the question with three things he wants to accomplish in his life:<br />
Write a book<br />
Be a great husband<br />
Be a great father to his children<br />
<br />
Then he asks another question: "What is keeping me from doing those things ? What am I waiting for? If they are important why am I not doing any of them well?" He had two reasons and they weren't pretty: He was afraid to write a book. Talking about writing a book was easier than actually finding out if he had what it takes to do it. He was lazy and content to be an average husband and father. Facing these important questions turned his life upside down. It could change yours as well. <br />
<br />
<h3>
The Number One Regret of the Dying</h3>
<br />
Acuff goes on to quote Bronnie Ware who wrote a book entitled, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140194065X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=140194065X&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=140194065X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />"><strong>The Top Five Regrets of the Dying</strong></a>. A nurse in Australia who spent years caring for the terminally ill, she found the number one regret to be: <strong><em> I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me</em></strong>. Does that hit home for you? It did for me.<br />
<br />
As I talked with the aspiring author in my kitchen this week, I encouraged her to recognize her fears and DO IT ANY WAY. "I was really intimidated by all you've done," she said. "I read your website and thought, How could I ever do that?" I was a little surprised. Most of the time, my fears don't let me count the accomplishments.<br />
<br />
I still feel afraid everyday that the latest idea or venture won't turn turn out. I worry that someone will point out something that was wrong. I worry that it will all fall flat. It was only after her comment that that I started counting up what I have accomplished in four years toward my dream of publishing a book and sustaining myself as a writer, speaker and coach. Three websites, two ongoing blogs, five books, regularly speaking and selling books at events, a successful women's conference that speakers are asking me if they can speak at... Funny isn't it how our fears get in the way of acknowledging reality. How did I do that?<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Key to Success</h3>
<br />
Helen Keller said, "Feel the fear, do it anyway." That is the key to anything I've accomplished. One step, sometimes one very small step at a time, I've built it. Not because I was confident and courageous. I just DID IT ANYWAY. So can you.<br />
<br />
Join the Called Woman network and get regular inspirational messages and information about upcoming events. <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/">www.acalledwoman.com</a><br />
<br />
Attend the Called Woman Reinvention Convention 2014 and get the tools you need to conquer your fears and make your passion a reality. <a href="http://www.acalledwoman.com/sign-up">www.acalledwoman.com/sign-up</a><br />
<br />
Like this post? Share on Facebook and Twitter!Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2648275564876140243.post-27214373442293500822013-11-22T12:57:00.000-05:002013-11-22T13:06:04.697-05:00Lynne's Five Laws of Desired Difficulties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPjWMJVEOorFMHIKJEI6d-kq7geTPBAnuvIm38GYAvZNXg778LiM3ElX2kNTnIS-R8iRnqO1cuZFEDwCuToRmCz0MjwhCu2o4Oxd8hOaF_jVyFS5fXefGRvvh4dNsqlm1T2NAiUPD3SA/s1600/Front+Cover+2x3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPjWMJVEOorFMHIKJEI6d-kq7geTPBAnuvIm38GYAvZNXg778LiM3ElX2kNTnIS-R8iRnqO1cuZFEDwCuToRmCz0MjwhCu2o4Oxd8hOaF_jVyFS5fXefGRvvh4dNsqlm1T2NAiUPD3SA/s320/Front+Cover+2x3-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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My life hasn't been perfect. Has yours? I've experienced everything from the loss of a job to the loss of a parent and husband. I've had interpersonal conflicts and personal failures. I grew up in what used to be called a "broken home" and I've been so shy that I was afraid to try anything new. What have your struggles been?<br />
<br />
<h3>
Gratitude for Difficulties</h3>
<br />
In this season of Thanksgiving, are you ever grateful for the difficulties in your life? Everywhere we look there are reminders to count your blessings. We start gratitude journals and publish what we are grateful for on Facebook. There are whole websites and programs devoted to recognizing our successes and being grateful for them. Do you ever list your failures and losses? Do you ever express gratefulness for the scarcity? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRipG1HNz-AilPj4SVvrvQbPgrCTJ__TmcwsezaAcYL5ntZslL3O1FjA4FA2QHkfYBnSuLI2mGDoFCptTFz_A8KlvZ_q4wPLIBi_GvB1PD7OyvjyIFdOnczbopfGN4H7S-SDbRmJ2fvA/s1600/danbio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRipG1HNz-AilPj4SVvrvQbPgrCTJ__TmcwsezaAcYL5ntZslL3O1FjA4FA2QHkfYBnSuLI2mGDoFCptTFz_A8KlvZ_q4wPLIBi_GvB1PD7OyvjyIFdOnczbopfGN4H7S-SDbRmJ2fvA/s1600/danbio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRipG1HNz-AilPj4SVvrvQbPgrCTJ__TmcwsezaAcYL5ntZslL3O1FjA4FA2QHkfYBnSuLI2mGDoFCptTFz_A8KlvZ_q4wPLIBi_GvB1PD7OyvjyIFdOnczbopfGN4H7S-SDbRmJ2fvA/s200/danbio.jpg" width="134" /></a>In a recent podcast, Dan Miller of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433669331/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1433669331&linkCode=as2&tag=runninthebath-20">48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=runninthebath-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1433669331" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />">48 Days to the Work You Love</a>, talked about his childhood. He grew up in a Mennonite family where money was considered evil and poverty a way of life. There was no running water in his house until he was in the 8th grade. He worked hard on the family farm and was not allowed to watch tv, listen to music or enjoy social or sporting events. He didn't have any support for attending college as education past high school was considered dangerous and unnecessary. Despite all this adversity, Dan is grateful for this lifestyle. Out of it came an independent spirit and love of reading and books. He learned to earn his own money, to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and create his own opportunity. He believes that he is the successful entrepreneur that he is today because of the adversity that he faced in his childhood. Do you have a similar story?<br />
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When I was younger, my goal was to live a carefree-adversity-free-life. I hoped to avoid conflict and failure at all costs. I tried to fly under the radar and stay out of sight. I truly thought this was the way to be successful and move forward in accomplishing goals. I've come to realize that not only is this impossible but it also creates a colorless, ordinary risk-free life. Is that your goal? Or would you prefer an <strong><span style="color: red;">extraordinary</span><span style="background-color: white; color: lime;"> life of</span></strong> <strong><span style="color: blue;">color </span></strong>and <strong><span style="color: #ffd966;">adventure</span></strong>? <br />
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<h3>
Lynne's Five Laws of Desired Difficulties</h3>
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After a lifetime of trying to avoid risk and failure, I've finally learned that there is much to be grateful for in difficulty and adversity. Here are five things I've learned:<br />
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<li>In every adversity, there is an opportunity. It's not always easy to see. It takes a certain perspective, even sometimes the advantage of hindsight to find it.</li>
<li>The only people who experience a life free of failure are the people who never take a risk or try any thing new. If you take a risk sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always learn.</li>
<li>You can turn any difficulty into a learning experience if you will focus on being a learner instead of a loser. Rather than emphasizing that you failed look for what you have gained. I never said it would be easy...</li>
<li>Difficulties make you more empathetic to others, especially those who have experienced similar ones. It can help you forge close relationships. It also gives you an additional way to serve others by sharing what you learned.</li>
<li>Depending on how you handle them, desired difficulties can be the foundation of your greatest successes. </li>
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Avoiding Failure and Risk Means Living an Ordinary Life</h3>
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Some of these have been hard lessons to learn. It is still easy for me to sit back and let life ramble on without direction or purpose while I wait for things to happen. It is hard to step out on faith and try new things that may not work. It is hard to look for opportunities in the midst of tragedy or loss but I do believe it is the best way to live. Rather than trying to avoid failure, I now take planned and intentional risks to live a life that is truly full of color and excitement.<br />
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What about you? How have failures or losses in your life been opportunities? Are you grateful for the desired difficulties as well as the blessings in your life?<br />
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Want to take an ordinary life and make it an Extraordinary Life? Register for the Called Woman Reinvention Convention on March 15,2014 in Marietta Georgia:<br />
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<br />Lynne Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02788918458763274157noreply@blogger.com3