The Questions We Ask Ourselves, and God (Part 2): How Did I End Up Here?

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”

~ Unknown  

The way our lives unfold is due to a series of choices.  We wonder to ourselves how we ended up in whatever rough spot we are in but it is often because of the choices that we have made over a period of time.  Not just one choice, because one misguided choice would be simple to bounce back from.  Sometimes it is a succession of choices made that lead us down the path that landed us at that point in our lives. 

But you must then take into account where here really is.  We often get so caught up with the struggle we are in the midst of that we aren’t focusing on realizing what it is we need to do to get out of that moment.  I am extremely guilty of wallowing in whatever overwhelming mess my journey seems to be taking me through.  Sometimes it takes me awhile to stop dwelling on the obstacle long enough so that I can see a way through it.  I usually tend to waste a lot of time asking ‘How did I get here?’ instead of realizing that maybe, for that particular part of my journey, here is exactly where I needed to be.   

Everything happens for a reason and as many times as you will hear that saying, it will probably always take a while for it to sink in.  We give so much energy and time to what we can’t change, the obstacle that is sitting dead center in the middle of our journey.  It’s time that is wasted.  It is time that you can not get back.  And all the while, as you stare at that obstacle wondering why you chose that path to begin with, the obstacle is still sitting there.  You staring at it and questioning where it came from does not move it out of your way.  

Wherever your ‘Here’ is, make sure you don’t waste too much time questioning the obstacle instead of moving through it.  And don’t forget to take the lessons you’ve learned with you to your next stop in the road.  

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

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The Company You Keep Could Be Helping You Sabotage Yourself

Number 5 on my list yesterday was ‘Keeping people around you that are not going to give you a swift kick in the ass’ and a part of that is not surrounding yourself with people who constantly try to do everything they can to bring negativity to you.  It is always good when you can separate yourself from those that do not support your goals and that do not believe in you.  But how do you separate yourself when the people or person who is against you is your family, not just family members, but your own mother.  

My mother has never been supportive of my dream of being a writer and she has been very verbal about the fact that she thinks that my pursuing that dream is a huge waste of time.  She made her point again today that I am wasting my time with this writing ‘stuff’ as she referred to it.  

Years ago that would have bothered me.  That would have eaten away at me and seeped inside of my soul with her words eventually starting to be projected in my own voice.  That would have sent me into months and months of questioning my dreams and whether I could really make them happen.  I would spend months thinking to myself that if my own mother doesn’t believe in me, then who else will. 

Like I said, that would have been me years ago.  That would have been a form of me self-sabotaging myself by way of my mother’s negativity.  Now I know that I can not completely cut my mother off (well I could but she did give birth to me so that would be wrong) but I have learned to distance myself from her.  More importantly, when she starts to talk about how my goals and dreams don’t matter and that their not worth the time and effort I am putting into them, I have to learn how to cut her off (respectfully of course) and tell her that I can’t be around the negativity.  

I know that you can’t really tune out or walk away from every negative vibe that tries to come within your orbit, but you can’t make your dream a reality if you don’t at least try.  Negative energy just breeds more negative energy so if you allow it into your inner circle then you also allow it to influence your spirit.  So if you are keeping people around you that are only bringing negative energy to you then it is time to distance yourself from them.  Stop sabotaging yourself with the company you are keeping.  Until tomorrow…Remember that your kin is not always your kind! 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

10 Things We Sometimes Do to Sabotage Ourselves

I was thinking of all the ways and things people do to sabotage themselves.  Largely, I was thinking of all of the things that I am doing that are making me sabotage myself.  Unknowingly, this week has turned out to be one of looking inward at myself and reflecting on the things that I want and most importantly what I need to change within me to get those things that I am striving for.  I had no idea that was what this week would be for me but I am tired of feeling as if I am watching the life I want pass me by.  So I made a list of ten things that people do to hold themselves back from success. 

  1. Procrastination
  2. Making Excuses
  3. Pointing the finger at everyone else but yourself
  4. Doing a whole lot of planning without a lot of doing.
  5. Keeping people around you that are not going to give you a swift kick in the ass
  6. Not going after every possible opportunity that you can get your hands on
  7. Not taking care of yourself (both mental and physical health) before you take care of others
  8. Open their minds to change and do something new
  9. Say yes to everyone and continue to say no to yourself
  10. Over think everything instead of just doing 

Okay so that’s my list of which I am probably guilty of more than half of those things on that list.  Tomorrow I will go a little further into self-sabotage and what we can do to stop sabotaging our own destiny.  

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

Conquering Fear Doesn’t Happen Overnight

It is typical for someone to give good advice to others without ever really taking that same advice themselves.  I’ve written a lot about not letting fear, whether it is fear of failure or fear of success, stop you from going after your dreams.  I stand by that advice but sometimes I just can’t seem to take it myself.  It isn’t that I don’t want to let the fear go, it just seems that I can’t.  I get moments where I feel fearless and ready to conquer the world.  Then something happens to set me back and I get afraid.  I find myself afraid that I won’t succeed, then afraid that I will.  

I spent a lot of time last night assessing exactly what it is that I seem to be doing wrong, or rather what is wrong with me.  Why it is that I keep missing opportunities simply by not going after them in the first place.  I look at my best friend Ms. L and watch her hustle her ass off to climb further and further up that ladder.  She’s doing what she loves to do and she is going into it all fearlessly.  Now Ms. L and I are both in pursuit of the same thing, success doing what it is we love to do.  We have different avenues of the media industry that we want to conquer but we are both passionate about creativity and writing and making a living at it.  I just can’t seem to mirror that same fierceness she has to hustle.  

I sat in my bed last night trying to figure out why.  Was it that I didn’t want it as bad anymore?  Is it that I just feel that I am not cut out to be my own businesswoman after all?  Can it just be that I am not hungry enough for it?  No, none of those things apply to me.  Then I realized that I’m still afraid.  I thought it had gone away.  I thought I had talked myself through the phase of being too afraid but somewhere along the way it crept back in.  I’m afraid of succeeding but mostly I’m afraid of failing at everything I’ve ever dreamed of.  

What I also realized in my moment of self analysis last night was that if I don’t try and give it my all then my fear will come true anyway.  I fail without even trying to succeed.  Not trying will be failing.  I wish I could say that the fear is gone now.  I wish that I could say that once it passes this time that it will never creep back in.  But I can say that I know that fear is not going to help me get what I want and what I’m destined to have; success.  For anyone out there experiencing a serious case of fear, you are not alone.  We will overcome it and climb our way up that ladder.  It just might take us a little bit longer than others.  Until tomorrow…Remember that Fear stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

Critics Are Everywhere

“It doesn’t matter if a million people tell you what you can’t do, or if ten million tell you no. If you get one yes from God that’s all you need.”
~Tyler Perry 

There is negative energy everywhere.  People will try and tear others down simply because they are succeeding at something and they are envious.  There may be someone out there who doesn’t like the fact that someone else is hogging what they see as their spotlight.  There all critics in their own right and just like we can’t always rely on the negative word of a book or movie reviewer for the next book we will read or movie we will see, we can not rely on the critics who say that we will never become what we know we are destined to become.  

I got another Inspirational Corner message in my email from Tyler Perry today.  He shared with his fans a clip that was sent to him which, at first glance, looks like a barrage of negative comments hurled at him to discourage him.  But as you go on watching the clip, it phases out the negative comments and goes on to display and show all of the comments of encouragement for Tyler, both by his fans and the many actors and actresses he has worked with throughout the years.  

Just like that clip, Tyler Perry has managed to tune out all of the negative comments of people who just might not have gotten his vision, and focus in on the words of encouragement and empowerment for him.  There were so many people who told him no.  There were so many people who told him that there was just no place for him in the industry.  People told him that the world just wouldn’t buy what he was trying to sell.  He had been shut down so many times by so many negative critics but he never let that stop him.  Look at him now.  

My message today is to say that even the most successful people that you see today have been told no and have been told that they would never get to where they were trying to go.  They did it by letting the negative comments roll right off their back and putting their focus into the words of encouragement that helped fuel their desire.  They never gave up until they were right where they said they were going to be, at the top.  So to all of the future success stories out there that are climbing your way to the top, don’t let the critics slow down your rise.  Until tomorrow…Just press on and tune out anything that’s going to get in your way!    

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

10 Commandments of a Successful Writer

Today I started thinking of things that I could do to be a better, more successful writer.  Things that I am not already doing or that I am not doing enough of.  I began thinking if there were Ten Commandments for a writer what would they be.  So I compiled a list of some things that I think should be a commandment for a writer to follow, at least one that wants to be successful at it. 

  1. Write Every Day (No Matter What!)
  2. Start a blog and blog frequently, if not everyday
  3. Make your presence known on the internet.  If you don’t have one already, get a Facebook page, a Twiiter account, and a LinkedIn account.
  4. Maintain your presence on the internet by committing yourself to social networking daily
  5. Read about the Business of writing and your craft.  You can never know too much about what it is you love to do
  6. Trust your talent and your skill.  If you don’t believe in your talent, who else will
  7. Get a thick skin because there will be rejection letters, probably more than you would ever like to see, but you have to keep believing in your talent.
  8. Read consistently.  You have to be a great reader to be an even better writer.
  9. Network with other artists, not just writers
  10. Start calling yourself a writer to the rest of the world because you are one. 

Well the list probably isn’t perfect but those are definitely some things that I know that I need to work on to become a better and more successful writer.  What would you guys add to this list or better yet, what would your list read?  Until tomorrow…Always strive to be a better writer than you were yesterday! 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

The Power of Believing

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” 

~Frank Lloyd Wright  

I was watching The Talk earlier today and they were going around their table asking if anyone believed in psychics.  There was one woman that said she didn’t, two women who were proud to say that they do, and the other two women who said that they believed in psychics but that they would never give into that belief by actually going to see one.  I sat there watching as a person who does believe in them.  I will even admit that I actually got a reading from one a long time ago and it was pretty accurate (for the most part).  I got to thinking why it is that some people don’t believe, some people believe whole heartedly, and some believe but don’t want to give into their belief.  

The power of what you believe in can carry you through many things in life.  Just as well, the power of you not believing can carry a lot of weight too.  When it comes to your life, your goals, and your dreams, you have to believe.  No one else can believe in your dreams for you.  The question is how strong is your belief in you?  I think that people (like me) who believe in psychics, believe because they want to have a road map of how things are going to turn out.  They want to know if what they want out of life is going to become a reality.  They want someone, in this case a psychic, to give them something to believe in, some kind of assurance.  They want that psychic to give them a reason to believe.  But a psychic can’t really do the believing for you.  That’s all up to you.  

You know they say that all you need to do to make your dreams come true is to believe that they can.  No one has a magic crystal ball where they can look and tell you whether or not what you believe in will come to fruition.  There’s no way of knowing whether or not all of your hard work will pay off.  But there is power in believing.  We have to remember that no matter how hard the obstacles may seem to get or how impossible they might seem to overcome, nothing is more powerful then the belief that we have in ourselves and in our dreams.  Until tomorrow…How powerful is your belief in your dreams? 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

Make a Pledge To Yourself Today

Okay so I wasn’t really sure what I was going to post about tonight but then as luck would have it I came across something that someone had given me a long time ago.  It was a pledge that they had made up for themselves to remind themselves of the goals they have and that they should never give up on them and to strive to better the next day and the day after that.  I believe I was having one of those days where I was doubting everything about me and my dreams and my capability of making them happen.  So they passed this on to me to lift my spirits and so that I can be reminded by looking at these words every time that I needed to be reminded.  So I decided that I would pass these same words along to you.  I hope that you get at much out of these words as I have gotten.  

A Pledge To Myself 

Today I pledge

To be the best possible me

No matter how good I am

I know that I can become better 

Today I pledge

To build up the work of yesterday

Which will lead me into

The rewards of tomorrow 

Today I pledge

To feed my mind knowledge

My body strength,

And my spirit faith 

Today I pledge

To reach new goals,

New challenges

And new horizons 

Today I pledge

To listen to the beat of my drummer

Who leads me onward in search of my dreams 

Today I pledge to believe in ME

 

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

Planting One Seed At a Time

“Most of the time multitasking is an illusion. You think you are multitasking, but in reality you’re actually wasting time switching from one task to another.”

~ Bosco Tjan

There always seems to be a message of inspiration for me in some part of every day.  Whether it’s in the conversations that I have with Ms. L. (which frankly always hold some source of inspiration), or something that is being said by someone in the gym I go to or on TV, or even if it’s sent in an email.  Yesterday there so happened to be an email that I felt spoke directly to me.  It was one of Tyler Perry’s Inspirational Corner Messages that he sends out to everyone who is on his email listing.  It was a message on how to become successful.  It was right on the money and exactly what I needed to hear.  

He spoke about his success being due to the grace of God.  He spoke about narrowing your focus and planting your seeds.  He essentially said that when it comes to the success that we want out of life for ourselves, all we can do is plant the seed in the ground, water it, and believe.  He advised that to be successful one must narrow their focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, one idea.  That one idea, once made a success, will give birth to all of your other ideas.  If you spend time spreading water over too many seeds you don’t have as much water for one seed, that one seed that you feel is most important to bloom.  

I realized then the reason why I have been feeling so lost lately within my writing.  Ever since this year has started, I have felt so much pressure (that I placed on myself) to tackle everything on my goal list.  Trying to figure out how I am going to work on all of these different projects that I want to get done over the course of this year all essentially at one time.  The rational response is that of course I can’t work on all of my projects at once but the overachiever that lives inside of me wants so badly for it to be possible.  I’ve been wasting so much time trying to work out a plan in my head to make it happen which has resulted in me getting nothing done at all.  

I must narrow my focus.  I must take what is the most important thing to me and concentrate on how I can make that work and make that successful.  Once I thought about concentrating on that one thing, I didn’t feel so lost anymore.  My direction became a little clearer.  If I focus on becoming the well known author that I was meant to be and acquire the agent that I am seeking to find for my next novel, then all of my other ideas will come to fruition.  

I always thought that if I could be really good at multitasking than I could get everything accomplished relatively at once.  However, it hasn’t been working that way so I must shift my efforts to something different, something that is going to work.  Multitasking, I think works for those who have already reached that level of success that they strived to get to.  When you are just trying to get to that level of success you must narrow your focus.  I must narrow my focus and plant one seed at a time and give each individual seed a chance to bloom in their own time.  Until tomorrow…Focus on that one seed and the rest will eventually bloom!  

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress

Someone’s Always Watching You

I was told today that I was a motivating source to someone who I hadn’t even realized was paying attention to me.  This guy in the gym said that every time that he thought about staying in the bed and not dragging himself to the gym he thought about me and my hard work that I put in at the gym, and the fact that I constantly push myself to do more and to push through even when I don’t feel like it.  He said that I motivated him to push through and come to the gym even if he didn’t feel like it.  I was amazed and shocked because this was a guy who was relatively new to the gym and who I would’ve never known was paying attention to anything that I did.  As he was leaving out the door he said that you never know who might be watching so keep up the good work.  

Aside from feeling flattered I felt confused because I never saw myself as motivation for anyone but I suppose that just as there are those that might not realize how much they motivate me, I too, might be recognized by others.  As someone who is naturally an observer I notice people and their actions all the time.  I find myself continually motivated by these ambitious people (unknown to me personally) that I see striving to be successful in everything they do and who are determined to make their dreams a reality.  

I guess if I’m watching others it’s not so far fetched to think that someone could be watching me.  Hopefully someone is watching this blog, and my writing development through the internet world and recognizes that some day as well.  For whoever is watching (or should I say reading) this blog, I write articles on a multitude of topics, I edit manuscripts for a reasonable fee, I am perfectly fine with my blog being turned into a book, and I am always looking for new clients to work with.  Until tomorrow…Work hard and be diligent because you never know who might be watching you!    

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

https://writetobe.wordpress.com/

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/thediary.htm

www.lulu.com/ladybugpress