I have an attitude problem. How’s that for a Sunday morning confession?
No, I don’t have the bitchy attitude, although my husband might disagree and I’m not being haughty or arrogant.
Nope, the attitude problem I have, believe it or not, is one of discouragement and lack of faith. Not, the Faith, that’s another subject. Lack of faith in my ability to write.
My muse has left me high and dry, and the 40,000-word novel I’ve struggled with is taunting me each time I open the file. Prompts I used to enjoy doing are drawing a blank. It’s as if the words and thoughts in my brain have gone on vacation without me. An invite would’ve been nice.
I had the entire house to myself yesterday, and writing was on the agenda, but the ghost of my mother appeared. I ended up reorganizing my cabinets and scrubbing the surfaces clean till they sparkled. Yeah, those cabinets just had to be cleaned, three days before my housekeeper is due.
By the time I finished, the day was more than half gone, I was exhausted and had screwed up a knee. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the evening recuperating, bingeing on the Hallmark channel, and getting weepy over stupid stuff.
The truth is I didn’t want to write yesterday. And being a bit obsessive about my house, I welcomed the ghost of my mother. She’s the one I blame for that little personality trait. We learned early on; a clean house is a Southern woman’s obligation and an excuse to get out of anything.
Yep, right now, I have a piss-poor attitude about writing. And, to make matters worse, I’ve committed myself to the A-Z Blogging Challenge in April. Oh no, with my brain on vacation, I’m not feeling any pressure.
April is looming, and I needed to get out of this slump.
Self-help books of all kinds have always been a go-to resource for me. Over the years, I’ve saved encouraging and funny quotes for times just like these. So, this morning I searched out the old file out to get inspired. The first sheet I pulled from the folder had me wondering, but I persevered.
Really?
Then I discovered two of my all time favorites. A quote about Attitude, by Rev. Charles Swindoll and Faith (author unknown).
You can find the entire quote from Attitude by clicking on the link but here is an excerpt.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life…
It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill…
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have,
and that is our attitude.” Charles Swindoll
I encourage you to read the entire quote. It will give you an attitude adjustment. And as far as faith, well at some point we all have to believe.
Faith
When we walk to the edge of the light we have
And take that step into the darkness of the unknown;
We must believe that one of two things will happen –
There will be something solid for us to stand on
Or, God will teach us to fly!
I’ve always liked the idea of wings. What about you? Do you ever have doubts? I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.
Resolutions – “The firm decision to do or not do something.”
Aw, New Year’s Resolutions – that time of year when everyone takes a step back, looks at all they did or did not accomplish and makes a list to do better, starting day one of the new year. I for one hate New Year’s Resolutions.
No matter my good intentions, I never fulfill them. I start out with enthusiasm and gusto, just like everyone else, but by the end of the first month, I’ve already marked one from my list. By three months, two more have fallen by the wayside, and by the sixth month, I’ve crumpled the list and thrown it in the trash.
As much as we all want a do-over and that’s what New Year‘s resolutions are – an attempt to do-over the things we botched last year. The truth is, life rarely grants us a do-over; it is what it is. We do the best we can each day. Sometimes we screw up and sometimes we knock it out of the park; that’s life. If we’re smart, we learn from our experiences and move forward.
“I did then what I knew best, when I knew better, I did better.” Mayo Angelo
If you made New Year’s resolutions – good for you. I hope you achieve every goal on your list. For me, I’ll put one step in front of the other, take a deep breath, and move forward. After all, as long as we’re moving forward, we are accomplishing things, making an impact, and living life. That’s all any of us can ask of ourselves.
To all of you, I wish only the best for you and may we all move forward in 2016. What about you? Did you make resolutions for the New Year?
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter @sheilagood, and Contently.
Christmas Day is less than a week away. It’s a time for family, swapping gifts, enjoying a banquet of food, and reflecting. In the midst of this joyful time, our country is in tumult and many families are suffering loss. Hate, division, and fear are rampant. People feel disheartened and distrustful of each other. We are bearing witness, like it or not, to a low point in our nation’s history. But, all is not lost.
As we gather around the tree and banquet table this Christmas with our families, let us not forget the real reason for the season, the birth of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to God for the good things in our lives. Lift up in prayer those brave men and women in uniform, who with their sacrifice, keep us safe. Remember the less fortunate, the troubled, those who are mourning, hurting and in despair and extend our hearts and hands to our fellow man.
We all want to be better people, better writers, parents, and citizens. My prayer for all of us, this Christmas season, is we shall succeed. As I look back on the year and plan ahead for the next, I realize I have many things left to say.
To my family, I love you; you make me a better person and to all you, my readers and friends, I am a richer person because you graced my life.
May we never forget the real reason for Christmas, a season of love, hope, and redemption, for all of us.
Thank you for stopping by the Cow Pasture, and I wish for you and your family a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.
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