I’m happy to say that I’ve been back in full swing writing the sequel to my last book, “The Mind of a Heart.” My apologies to those of you who have been waiting to see what happens next to the main character of that book. I had hoped to have it done sooner but it’s been a bit more difficult getting back to writing while living in Florida. I’ve been trying to “get my groove back” and it feels as though I finally have. I’ve written over 60 pages and 10 chapters in the last few days. My deadline is my birthday, March 15th, to have the book finished, edited and sent to the publisher.
It’s funny what motivates us to get back into doing the things that we love to do. So often we’re doing so much for everyone else and making them a priority that we forget to focus on ourselves. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last month or so is that no one is going to make me a priority if I don’t make myself one.
Life can be strange sometimes but I’m beyond happy that I’m writing again and am finally finishing my next book because it means so much to me.
Do something that makes you happy and make yourself a priority.
“Never let anyone steal your brave because of their fears and insecurities, never let anyone steal your pretty because they have an ugly personality, and never let anyone steal your sparkle because they don’t know how to shine.” ~Anne Dennish~
Sometimes all we need is a memory to pop up to remind us of a life lesson. This was mine from many years ago.
A good friend of mine had stopped by my house many years ago. We hadn’t seen each other in months, and it was a much-needed break for me that day. We had a nice visit, but it was something that she said as we said “goodbye”, that stuck with me for many hours that day. She said: “What happened to you? You lost your pretty, your sparkle and your brave! Go get that stuff back!”
Wow, point taken, and she was right. I had lost my pretty, forgotten about my brave, and had most definitely lost my sparkle. My task on that day was to figure out what happened to it all and the next was to go and get it back. It wasn’t the thing that I had wanted to do that day, but after all, if I’m going to share my experiences with all of you and tell you how I got through them then I had to practice what I preach or at least practice what I write about!
So, what happened to my pretty, my brave and my sparkle?
A lot of things happened.
Yet it isn’t so much about “what” those things were but “why” those things happened. And as always, I believe that what we allow will continue and that we have to set up healthy boundaries in our life and not allow them to be crossed.
It’s easier said than done.
So, on that day I had to look in the mirror and be truthful with myself. And yes, the truth, even our own truth, can hurt.
And it did.
I had work to do that day and I was more than ready to do it. I knew then why and how I lost my pretty, my brave and my sparkle.
I lost it because I lost sight of its importance to me and that those three things are a part of me. I forgot to love myself the way I want to be loved, and I lost sight of myself as well.
You see, I’m as human as you and even I have to be handed another experience in life to remind me of a life lesson that I had forgotten and needed to remember.
Only I am in charge of changing myself; only I am in charge of my feelings and emotions; and only I am in charge of my actions and reactions.
After all, don’t I always say that “everything in YOUR life begins with YOU?”
On that day many years ago, I remembered that “everything in MY life begins with ME.”
I woke up this morning with gratitude for another day. I made my first cup of coffee and sat on my front porch to watch the sunrise. It was peaceful and as I was sitting there watching the burnt orange skies of the sunrise, I was writing my “to-do list” for the day. In fact, I write a list everyday! The truth is, I have many of those lists cluttering my desk, yet not one of them is ever completely checked off as “DONE!”
I began to think about “why” the list doesn’t get done. Some days I’m tired or my allergies have gotten the best of me. Some days I lack the motivation and energy to get those things done. Some days I allow situations that aren’t my problem or concern to distract me.
And I made a decision that there will be no more of that nonsense!
This morning a new idea was born in this already over-crowded mind of mine: “What about making a to-do list for ME?” Why not make a list of things I want to do or need to do to stay focused and balanced, to feel healthier, and to have more energy to accomplish the tasks on the other list?
So, today, instead of writing yet another “to-do list” filled with tasks such as “make a doctors appointment, go to the post office, run to the food store, reschedule the dentist,” I wrote a “to-do list” for me and I think it’s a good thing for all of us to do.
Write a list of things that are just for YOU! It could begin with morning coffee and meditation, a 20 minute daily walk, yoga, healthier eating, or changing habits that don’t enable you to live your best life.
Life gets busy and we may find ourselves distracted by outside influences that are not our concern. We lose sight of taking care of ourselves. I know that in order to accomplish anything in my life, let alone my day, I need to feel whole, healthy, focused and balanced. I’m sure many of you feel the same.
I’m starting my Monday morning in a different way today. I’m starting it with a “to-do list” for me.
What’s on YOUR “to-do list?”
Let’s see what YOU need to do for yourself to live your best life.
If I’ve learned one important thing in life, it’s this: that if I’m thinking about someone I’m going to reach out to them to let them know that they were on my mind.
Because how else would they know? It’s easy to say “I thought of you all day” or “you’ve been on my mind lately,” yet it’s another thing to back those statements up with the actions. After all, as I always say, it’s the actions that make the words true.
I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me to get a private message, text, or better yet, a phone call from someone who begins the conversation with: “I’ve been thinking of you and wanted to see how you’re doing.” Or “I’ve missed you.” Or “you crossed my mind today and I wanted to let you know that I love you or that I just wanted to hear your voice.”
That means the world to me, and I know it means a lot to the people in my life that I take the time to do that for. No day is promised, and I make sure that when someone crosses my mind I let them know that they did.
We’re human and we all want to know we’re loved, or needed, or appreciated or thought of throughout the day, the night, or every now and again. It’s what keeps us going and makes us feel good, feel loved, feel happy. It’s what makes us want to do that for other’s.
Who did you reach out to today? Did you let someone important to you know how you feel about them? Did you take a moment to let someone know that you were thinking of them? Did you stop what you were doing in your day to let someone know that you love them? I hope that you did.
And who reached out to you today? I hope someone did.
“It’s the actions that make the words you say to someone true.”
It only takes a moment to let someone know that you’re thinking of them and that moment can make all the difference in the world.”
I’m so happy to be part of the Hamilton Radio family as I go live with my first radio show! My topic today is “Life Is A Mindset And Everything Begins With You.”
I write about this subject in one form or another every year, and this year is no exception.
As the New Year quickly approaches people start talking about their “resolutions.” There’s things they want to do and things they want to change in their life so they make a list of “resolutions.”
I threw that concept out years ago because to me, resolutions were nothing more than making promises to myself that I couldn’t keep. They were goals for sure, but seriously, how many of us actually stick to those resolutions? I always tried, failed at some, then beat myself up for not doing what I had wanted.
So, years ago I realized that the only way for my life to change was by learning the lessons that life had handed me, by learning from my mistakes, learning from my experiences, and so I decided to have my “New Year’s Revelations!”
I ask myself some important questions throughout the month of December: What opened my eyes this past year? What did I learn about myself? What type of people are in my tribe? Am I taking care of myself and loving myself enough or giving too much of myself away? And what do I need to let go of that has no place in the New Year coming up and in my life?
These are the questions to ask yourself and answer honestly. You see, when you have those “revelations” about yourself and the year that’s about to come to an end, you take those lessons and truths with you. You begin the New Year with a better understanding of yourself, your life, your situations and the people in it. And when you do that, the New Year will bring all that you want it to: love, happiness, joy, adventure, new beginnings, new opportunities; the possibilities are endless.
Don’t put added stress on yourself by making “resolutions.”
Take the time to think about your “revelations” and begin the New Year in a positive light. All things are possible if you just believe in yourself!
Anne Dennish - Writer/Author 