Month: July 2023

Is My Best Really Good Enough?

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I did not win Camp NaNo. Now to be honest I wasn’t as confident this time that I could complete the goal that I had set for this month-long writing challenge, but I held out hope. Right up until the last week I was still hoping that I could push myself harder to finish the task. I did the best I could, but it just wasn’t good enough. Why couldn’t I just buckle down and do what I know needed to be done?

Now one of my amazing friends would probably remind me to have grace with myself. They might even point out that given my current situation it was a win just to have tried and the logical side of me would agree with that. Right now, I’m thinking emotionally and I’m a bit upset with myself. I feel like my best simply wasn’t good enough. Although in terms of writing lately nothing feels like I’ve been doing a good enough job. It doesn’t help that the depression monster is visiting me.

I haven’t really written much of anything since, well since becoming essentially homeless and I am very angry with myself about it. I want to force myself to write but every time I sit down to do so all of the things that I’m stressed about flood my brain instead of words to fill the page. Now I know what you’re thinking. But you’ve been writing blog posts, for example this very post, and isn’t that writing. Yes and no. I consider this more me writing about what I’m feeling, updating you on what’s going on and where my head is at. The creative writing isn’t really flowing the way that I want it to. The way that it should be. That has got to change. I miss writing and I miss the continuity of a writing routine where I can say I wrote a certain number of words, or pages, or hours, in a day. I have to get back to that part of me.

Perhaps this next challenge that I am partaking in for the month of August will help with that. I’ll just say it’s writing something that I’ve never actually written before but have been longing to write. To find out what this challenge is stay tuned to my YouTube channel for the announcement tomorrow (August 1st) because I’m really excited about it. I’m excited to get back to the creative side of writing and not just a little bit on one day and then maybe a little more a week or two later. I’m excited to write something new and I’m excited to write with some consistency and since this is challenge that I’m doing in a collaborative way I feel like that will encourage me all the more to just sit down and do it.

I hope that I can do it. I hope that I can get back to that creative part of writing that I love as much as breathing. If you have been feeling like you haven’t been doing enough in any particular area of your life, you’re not alone. Know that you are doing the best that you can, even when it doesn’t feel that way. Give yourself a bit of grace and then get right back at it and try again. You can do this and so can I. We’ve got this!

Until next time… #BeDiligent #BeMindful #BeEmpowered

Link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/55b817f1

Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Link to my Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FHOYNA8LFMHG?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_4

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jimmetta.carpenter

https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

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https://twitter.com/jcladyluv

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https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Also check out my new Red Bubble Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Write2BeMatters/shop for some cool and fun stickers and also check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74026650 and think about becoming a Patron!

Never Be Afraid to Take Up Space

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I started thinking last night about how tired I have been feeling. Not just in the physical sense of the word but also mentally and emotionally. I mean in terms of how long I’ve been fighting to make all the things in my life, all the dreams I’ve had for my life, all of the passion I feel towards writing happen and still nothing. Now I’m not saying I haven’t accomplished anything and I certainly never had any expectations of being some overnight success but I will say that I had expected to meet some sustainable level of contentment by the time I was in my 40’s. My level of success doesn’t necessarily equate to fame and fortune (not that those two things wouldn’t also be nice), just simply being able to keep myself afloat and perhaps be able to be in a position to help others. Neither of which have happened clearly as I am currently living out of a hotel room, and even that is in jeopardy from day to day. Some days I just want to give up the fight.

On those days that I just want to throw in the towel and give up I always seem to come across something that motivates me to keep on going. Be it a verse in the bible or an inspirational talk from someone I admire, or sometimes both, something always sparks that drive to just keep hanging in there and go forward, don’t look back. I watched a short speech from actress Sheryl Lee Ralph last night (here’s the link in case you wish to be inspired as well) and she talked about all of the no’s she’s heard in her career and the power that believing in yourself holds. She pondered on what would have happened if she had stopped and given up with every no she heard or every door that closed in her face. She certainly wouldn’t have been in the position to have won her first ever Emmy in her 60’s and become the second African American woman to become an EGOT (Whoopi Goldberg being the first).

She talked about how powerful just the simple act of believing in herself truly was. She had made a promise a long time ago in her career, after hearing a very loud and absurd no from a producer, to always give herself permission to take up space in whatever room she entered, whatever creative field she wanted to dip her toe in. She would not give up on herself no matter what. The truth is if you don’t believe in you then why would anyone else. It’s not that I have never believed in myself. Quite frankly most of the time I think that I am the only person that believes in me but there are days where even that is in question, and I start to wonder do I belong in this field. Are the decks stacked against me for a reason? The doors keep closing, so maybe I just should stop knocking.

Then I start to shift and think maybe the real problem is that I haven’t given myself permission to take up the space that I need to take up. I’ve been trying to fit in whatever space someone would allow me to be in and is that what truly believing in yourself looks like? Maybe I shouldn’t be knocking on the doors, but rather knocking them down (metaphorically of course lol) instead? Maybe my problem to begin with was aiming to just be content instead of seeking the abundant life that God has told me I’m entitled to (John 10:10). Rather than setting the bar too high perhaps I haven’t been setting the bar high enough. There’s no such thing as believing in yourself too much or having too much faith. After all, faith can make broken wings fly and soar, and enable you to take up all of the space in the world that you need. I’m ready to take up some space, are you?

Until next time… #BeConfident #BeBold #BeFearless

Link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/37f1fbb2

Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jimmetta.carpenter

https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.write2bematters.com

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv

https://twitter.com/write2bemag

https://www.youtube.com/c/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.pinterest.com/jcladyluv/_saved/

https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Also check out my new Red Bubble Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Write2BeMatters/shop for some cool and fun stickers and also check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74026650 and think about becoming a Patron!

From the Ashes One Must Rise

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I find it a humorous kind of irony that being someone who is extremely resistant to change, I find myself in a current state of constant change. As someone who strives to create sustainable hard core routines (didn’t say I succeeded at doing this lol), I now find myself in a state of survival mode daily. While there is a sense of sameness developing, it is still not a guarantee that things will actually play out the way that I plan them to on any given day.

Someone said to me that I will be like the phoenix and rise from the ashes, to which I initially felt uncertain of their assured certainty. Then I saw the image above saying that essentially, only from the ashes of who we once were can we rise up to truly become who we were meant to be. Pretty poetic right? I thought so. I don’t know how much of a Phoenix I would be, but I like the thought of meeting the challenges I face head on and not crumbling into the pile of ash my life has seemingly become.

A phoenix symbolizes strength, transformation, and renewal and I definitely think that I have discovered my true strength going through this ordeal. I also think that it could be a good opportunity to transform, not just my mindset, but perhaps even my surroundings, as I am no longer tethered to any one set place. Now the renewal part is the aspect that I haven’t gotten to yet but I look forward to that day when I can feel renewed and settled again.

It’s true that we can’t always pick the battles that we face but we can choose how we recover from them. We will be worn and battered, possibly even bruised and broken, but if w crumble into the pile of ash, then what does any of it mean. We fight battles to become victorious and there is no victory in not getting back up, in not rising. Sure, we will struggle to stand back up again, and yeah, we will likely have scars to show for it, but what’s the alternative. So whenever you feel the urge to lay down and quit, think about the phoenix that you are, deep down on the inside, and rise! You are becoming exactly who you were meant to be.

Until next time… #BeEmpowered #BeStrong #BeVictorious

Link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/37f1fbb2

Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jimmetta.carpenter

https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.write2bematters.com

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv

https://twitter.com/write2bemag

https://www.youtube.com/c/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.pinterest.com/jcladyluv/_saved/

https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Also check out my new Red Bubble Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Write2BeMatters/shop for some cool and fun stickers and also check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74026650 and think about becoming a Patron!

Starting the Challenge From Behind

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So, Camp NaNoWriMo July officially started Saturday and I am already behind. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most but anyone who knows me, knows that I am very diligent when it comes to all things NaNoWriMo, and I am the person (normally) who needs the everyday badge of participation and has to hit that daily goal no matter what.

Of course, there is grace to be given when things go wrong but I have to say, things have never been quite so out of sorts for me. I am usually very excited about Camp but for July I am just barely enthused. I have a goal mind you, I’m just not entirely confident in my abilities to actually be able to accomplish it. It isn’t because I don’t want to accomplish the goal, I just don’t have all of the tools that I need or would normally have to be able to effectively get the job done.

Now of course, anyone who knows me also knows that it won’t stop me from attempting to achieve the goal anyway. I have a novel to revise and edit and even if I don’t get the whole thing finished, I will still come out of the month-long challenge with something accomplished and given my current circumstances, I’m going to call that a win. So happy Camp NaNo everyone who is participating.

Even if you are not a writer participating in this crazy challenge, I’m sure you have things on your list for the month of July that need to get done. May you accomplish all of the things and also give yourself grace enough to know that even if you don’t check off everything on the list that you want to, you should still celebrate the things that you are able to achieve. Sometimes those little wins add up to even bigger rewards.

Until next time… #BeMindful #BeBold #Be Fearless

Link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/37f1fbb2

Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Jimmetta Carpenter

CEO/Writer/Editor

Write 2 Be Media/Write 2 Be Magazine

https://write-2-be.com/

http://write2bemagazine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jimmetta.carpenter

https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter

https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.write2bematters.com

https://twitter.com/jcladyluv

https://twitter.com/write2bemag

https://www.youtube.com/c/AuthorJCCarpenter

https://www.pinterest.com/jcladyluv/_saved/

https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Also check out my new Red Bubble Shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Write2BeMatters/shop for some cool and fun stickers and also check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74026650 and think about becoming a Patron!