Words of Encouragement

by Diana McCollum

I am going off this month’s topic weddings and blog about affirmations.

We all have them whether ones we made up and say to ourselves. Or special ones we've found on line or in a book we've read etc. 

I find mantras or affirmations helpful especially when going through a tough situation.

A friend on a writing loop, Barb, mentioned the book: Zen to Done. It is the ultimate simple productivity system. There are several good quotes in this book. My favorites are:

1) "The beginning is half of every action." --a Greek Proverb.

I take this to heart because for the past six months or so, I've had trouble starting or finishing anything. I make lists so I can scratch off what I've done. But find at the end of the week, 9 things out of 10 are not done. So, I'm saying this little reminder, that if I get started on the next thing on the list I will be half way there and finish it to completion.

Another affirmation I like is one I saved  from Pinterest:

2) "No one ever injured their eyes by looking on the bright side." Unknown.

When I'm feeling depressed or things aren't going the way I think they should, I think about this quote and what it means to the particular situation I'm in. Because there is always a bright side, a glass half full!

This one is for health:

3) "The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure." --Tibetan Proverb.

My husband and I have started sharing meals when we go out and find our hunger is satisfied and 

the fridge is not full of to-go-boxes! Which also makes me feel good. We've also been watching more funny movies. Comedy is a great distraction from every day life and problems.


At breakfast out this morning, one of the grief counselors I had in the class I took on dealing with grief, stopped by our table. She knows the situation with my husband going through cancer treatments. She talked with us quite a while and uplifted both our spirits. She told my husband to remember his treatments are a chapter not the whole book of his life.

When she left he said I feel a lot better after talking with her. He was pretty much down this morning thinking about his treatment at 2:00.

The affirmations  are just a few of the ones I review off and on, but I DO make sure I look at one of the quotes each day and sometimes more than one.

What words of encouragement help you through a tough situation or just daily life?

Staying Sane in Tough Times

When the Blog Queens Judith Ashley and Sarah Raplee were brainstorming ideas for 2018 monthly themes for the Genre-istas we were committed to being up-beat so how did we come up with “How To Keep Going in Tough Times?”

Because there is a secret to surviving tough times that is up-beat in that when we are on the other side of it, we feel better.

Our newest Genre-ista, Aussie Romance Author, Dora Bramden’s post yesterday shows exactly what the benefits are of surviving tough times. You’ll see her post at the end of mind so keep scrolling down (after leaving a comment and clicking the link) to see what she shared.

As for me, how do I survive tough times?

I’ve a couple of mantras that are true for me:

1.    All behavior is purposeful and that applies to the highs and the lows. Why am I choosing to be sad or depressed or angry? There is a reason.

2.    The only person I can control is myself. This one puts the onus of finding “the answer” or actually “My Answer” squarely on my shoulders.

I’ve found that focusing on what I can do is immeasurably helpful. And that is the basis for a new book that is almost out. Staying Sane in a Crazy World is written. I need to update my bio, add the copyright page and a couple of other things but the book itself is finished. Oh and it needs a cover!

The truth is I could do the copyright page, etc. today but the cover? That isn’t where my skill set is. I will admit I made a stab at it yesterday and after more than an hour of “trying” I admitted I could spend several more hours and not have it look the way I wanted because I could not find a graphic to depict a “crazy world.”

For those of you who’ve read this far, I’ve an offer.

If you click on this link and leave your first name and email address, I will send you a Free Copy of Staying Sane in a Crazy World as soon as it is ready for publication. It isn’t a long book, under 10K words but it is chock full of information and ideas about how you can create your own personal Staying Sane Plan.

What’s the catch? I’d appreciate your writing a review and even telling your friends about it but other than that, no catch.

Here’s the link again.

Your free copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is waiting for you.

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