Tag: Motivation

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

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

https://www.write2bematters.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

The Numbers Don’t Always Tell the Full Story

August 16, 2021 jcladyluv

They say that numbers don’t lie and I think to a degree that is certainly true but I don’t believe you get the full picture of anything when you are solely looking at the numbers. I released my novel out into the world last Friday (https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter) (yes on the 13^th, I know) and I was asked by a couple of different people if I had checked out the numbers yet to see how many people purchased my book on the first weekend of its release. I simply said ‘no, it’s not the most important thing so I’ll look at it later.’

Now I don’t mean that to suggest that I don’t care whether or not people buy my book because I absolutely want people to not only buy the book, but to like or even love the book. When I say that it’s not important I mostly meant that I had to manage my expectations and to do so I had to see the bigger picture of what mattered. What mattered the most to me was getting it out there, for starting to ball rolling on what I intend to be a very lengthy publishing career where I roll out at least two books a year if not more.

What matters is that I can say that I am a published author and people can go and look at what I produced and what I am very proud of. What matters, maybe more than even those things, is the people who may have been afraid to put their work out there, who actually read my blogs or watch my YouTube channel and see that I’ve done it and feel motivated and inspired to do the same. If I can be a light on someone else’ dark journey, that to me matters more than just about anything. There is so much that I want to do with my writing career but above anything else is to be an inspiration to others.

I am not going to lie and say that I don’t want to sell a ton of books and have people love them as much as or even more than I do but my purpose is always to affect someone else’ life in some way, even if it’s just in a tiny, miniscule way. Don’t we all just want to make a difference? Isn’t that what we are all walking this earth for, to make an impact on other people’s lives? Just in releasing my book I have been sent messages on Twitter, through email, and Facebook about how inspired people were that I just didn’t give up, or how proud they were of me. That means more than any analytics report.

In this life we can’t always rely on the numbers to convey the impact we have on one another. The numbers don’t calculate the fire you may light under someone else simply because you didn’t give up on your dreams. The numbers don’t take into consideration that person who reads something you wrote and came acroos just the right words that they needed to get the help they’ve been too proud to ask for. The numbers are just that, numbers. They don’t determine the heart of a person or the impact one leaves behind on another. So don’t focus so much on the numbers that you forget about the purpose of why you’re doing everything that you’re doing in the first place.

Until next time… #BeBold #BeMindful #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

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

https://www.write2bematters.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

I’ll Clap For You While I’m Waiting

August 2, 2021 jcladyluv

I saw a post by one of my friends on Facebook the other day and it just had such a great message and in that message there’s a bit of a lesson. It read “Until it is my turn I will keep clapping for others.” It goes in line with the theory that we should be lifting people up and not waiting for them to fall. I truly believe that if you can’t learn to celebrate the wins of others than you will never truly win when it comes to your endeavors.

I don’t mean that you will never get a victory of some sort in your life but just question to yourself, how can we expect good to come to us in our lives if we are secretly hoping and wishing that other people fail so that we can take their place. And whether you know it or not, there are people sitting in the corner just waiting for you to fail. Those would also be the same people, at least I have found, that are also constantly wondering why nothing good ever happens to them.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that when I was younger, in my late teens, maybe early twenties, that I didn’t get slightly jealous of other writers who I may have thought were not quite as talented as me who were getting major book deals and opportunities that I thought I would have been getting at that age. However, looking back now, those same people who got those early wins are also people who I have never seen a second book from and who are now trying to ‘find themselves’ because they didn’t know what to do with the success they had that early on. I think I would’ve been one of those people. I think that I would have not known what to do with success at that point in my life and that it was in my best interest that I had to work a little (okay a lot) harder to get any kind of acknowledgement.

I stopped being jealous of other people’s wins somewhere in my mid to late twenties because I realize that there is enough room for all of us to win. There doesn’t have to be just one winner or one successful person. I don’t have to be jealous because someone is getting a win at the right time for them because I know that my turn will eventually come, when it’s time for it to come. I celebrate the wins of everyone because whether they know it or not they are lighting the path for me to come behind them and when it is my turn I hope I light the way for someone else.

I really think that we have to learn to cheer on those on the journey alongside us because in a sense when they win so do you. You learn something from their win, you gain wisdom from their win, and you are motivated to push harder by their win and that in itself is the prize. Clap for your brothers and sisters racing this race called life beside you because there is room for us all to cross that finish line.

Until next time… #BePositive #BePersistent #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Make the Choice to Invest in Your Own Dreams

July 19, 2021 jcladyluv

I was having a conversation with someone last week about purchasing a graphic design program for my creative endeavors after the free trial that I am currently using runs out. Their response was to ask me why would I do that, it’s too much money to spend monthly and why wouldn’t I just find another program that has a free trial run? I thought about what they said for just one second and then my response to them was “it’s an investment in myself and if I’m not going to make the investment in me than how can I expect anyone else to”

Now I assure you that this has not always been my way of thinking. I am cheap and when it comes to whether I can get something free verses having to pay for it, I used to be the person that would take the sub par free item over just paying for the product that I really wanted, in which case I usually regretted later. Now I still like to get things on a budget but with age comes wisdom and thus the understanding that when creating products for people to consume or putting books out that I have to be willing to put my money where my belief is.

If I believe in myself (and I absolutely do) then I have to be the first one to show that I believe in me. Otherwise how can I really expect anyone else to put their belief in me? The saying you get what you pay for comes to mind because things that are of good quality aren’t free or they surely won’t stay free for long and sometimes going with something that seems practical is not necessarily the better choice.

I am re-releasing my first novel, under my company (finally) in August and I have two poetry books that will be coming out soon after that as well and there are things that need to be done concerning these releases that will require me to further be willing to invest in myself. I also have products that I’ve created for writers (and bookish people in general) that I have to invest in as well because I want people to like the products that I put out there.

It’s hard, when you’re not overwhelmingly rich, to be able to invest in everything that is needed, at least all at once. I believe in my dreams and I believe in the message that I put out there to the world so it’s not a choice in my eyes. To those that would argue that I’m investing in something that I don’t even know people will want to buy but my counter to that is well if I don’t put the best possible product out there, if I don’t invest what needs to be invested, then it won’t be out there for people to even consider. No one can buy what hasn’t been put out yet. When you are passionate about something and when it’s your dream and you’ve been working towards it for a really long time then isn’t the investment worth it? Take the time to invest in yourself and in the things that you are passionate about. I promise you that it will all be worth it in the end.

Until next time… #BeGrateful #BeMindful #BePersistent

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

Another Side Note: If any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

When the Journey to the Dream Gets Frustrating Just Keep Praying for Strength

July 12, 2021 jcladyluv

The way my determination is set up, I can’t quit! That sounds like such an obvious statement right? I know you’re probably saying of course you’re not going to quit! People don’t just quit on their dreams! Oh but you would be surprised how many people I see give up right before they get everything they wanted. Being an entrepreneur or a self-employed creative individual is extremely hard work and it is not for the faint of heart and there are so many, many days where you are going to want to quit, you just can’t.

I had one of those days last week where I really was just like “I put a lot of work into all of this and I have not begun to see the results I need to see by now and maybe it’s just all for nothing” and that thought process can really alter your level of effort sometimes if you let it. By the end of that day of feeling like that I ultimately decided that I was not going to be the real life version of that cartoon character drawing where you see the little man picking his way underground and he gives up just before breaking through the wall to the other side. Also in the same cartoon drawing there’s a mirror image of the man picking his way and that little man actually makes it through to the other side of the wall. And why is that? That would be because he didn’t give up. I was not going to be the one who got so close and gave up right before the moment I achieved what I wanted.

As all of you here know I have been at this for a long time and the scope of what I want to do overall with my writing and my brand is vast and I get frustrated sometimes when I see people doing something similar to what I’m trying to do and they make a huge mark for themselves in such a quick time but then I also know that I will look for some of those same names a few years later and nothing and what I’m going for is longevity and longevity takes time.

I have created products that I’ve been working on creating for the last couple of years now and finally they are out there in the world and I’m not seeing what I want to see yet but I know that it is going to take time. The only question is am I willing to wait and of course the answer to that is yes.

I have a book coming out in August (well it’s actually the re-release of my first novel) and I want it to do well but am I going to get the support I am hoping to get? I don’t know the answer to that. I do know that I have several more books to put out after that and that if I quit on the first one, the others will be most likely doomed before they even get out there.

I suppose the point of this post is to remind those of you out there with your big dreams and your ambitious drive to be your own boss and to make doing what you love your source of income and your job that it’s going to take time. Time in which you are you going to have to put an extreme amount of effort for what is going to feel like not nearly enough support for what it is you do and what you bring to the table.

Time in which you are going to be the only one who sees the bigger picture of what it is you’re trying to accomplish. Time in which the dream is not going to make sense to anyone else and you will have the people who say they love and support you telling you to give up, that it’s not worth it in the end. Don’t listen to them! Those are the people without dreams at all or the one’s who stopped short of breaking through and just gave up. I know you are going to get tired and frustrated and even angry, but just don’t quit! You’ll never get there if you do! You just have to keep praying for strength when the journey to the dream starts to get frustrating.

Until next time… #BeFearless #BePersistent #BeInFaith

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

We Learn From the Mistakes We Own Up To

July 5, 2021 jcladyluv

There have been quite a few stories in the news over the past week regarding the issue of accountability. Some people who no longer have to be held accountable for their actions, and some who are being held accountable but the overwhelming public thinks they should not have to face any accountability at all.

Now I am someone who tries to the best of their ability to follow the rules and I’m not perfect so I’m not going to sit here and say that I’ve never broken any rules. However, those times that I have broken the rules I had to deal with the consequences of my actions. It is because of those times, and those consequences that I have become stricter about trying to hold myself to following the rules for any given situation, because I understand that there are consequences that will follow if I don’t.

I think that if we let people off the hook for breaking the rules we only send them the signal that it’s okay to continue breaking any rules they want and then they never learn anything from the experience. We don’t always like the rules set by other people and their organizations but just because we may not like them or agree with them doesn’t make any one person more special than the next who has to follow them.

People make mistakes because they are human and obviously we’re never going to get everything right. The thing about making mistakes is that if we don’t face them, own up to them, and be forced to deal with the consequences from making those mistakes then we don’t learn from them and we don’t grow. Life is about a series of experiences and choices and about learning that our actions, whatever they may be, good or bad, have consequences.

Until next time… #BeAccountable #BePersistent #BeBrave

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

Don’t Let Someone Else’s Disbelief In You Become Your Reality

June 14, 2021June 14, 2021 jcladyluv

There are so many people who have big dreams and visions for their lives and they never even try to accomplish them. They essentially give up before they even begin. What’s more surprising about that is that the reason they don’t try is not because they don’t have the passion to do so, but rather because someone else told them that they wouldn’t achieve it. I don’t have to imagine how someone can let someone else’s predictions for their lives become their reality because I was almost that person.

I had a mother who constantly told me that I would never accomplish anything that I dreamed of doing and who did her best to keep me down in terms of my goals and my vision and for a really long time I allowed her to keep me from trying at my full potential. Mind you, there was never a time that I wasn’t trying (because the calling to write was just too strong) but I know that I held back on the level of try that I had because I believed what she said about me.

There was a lot of things I had to go through and realizations that I had which made me come to terms with the toxic person that my mother is and made me understand that I just would never really have her support and that was okay because I knew what I was meant to do and what my dreams and goals are and only I am responsible for the level of tenacity I have.

Now what I really want others to realize and see for themselves is that they can’t let other people’s ideas of what your life is supposed to look like affect what you want your life to look like. Their perception of your aspirations is not your problem nor should it ever become your reality. If you are still struggling to figure out what your purpose and vision is for your life I encourage you to sit down with yourself and God, with some paper and pen and really think about what it is you want and then put a plan of action into place to go after it.

If you already know what you want but you are grappling with others opinions, stop! Their opinions don’t matter. God and you are the only two opinions that matter and in all honesty, truly it’s only God’s opinion and purpose He has for your life because sometimes what He has planned for us isn’t even what we planned for ourselves. Make your own path and don’t let the outside noise cloud your focus.

Until next time… #BeBold #BeFearless #BeEmpowered

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

When One Chapter Closes…

May 24, 2021 jcladyluv

For the last week or so I’ve been doing last minute prepping details for my daughter’s high school graduation. It’s been a mixture of things from frustrating (just because of the tediousness of all the details), and exciting, and of course extremely emotional. Even though my daughter technically turned 18 on the first day of May I knew my actual job wasn’t really done until she successfully walked across that stage and received her high school diploma.

And yes, of course I know that a parent’s job is never actually done, but from birth until high school graduation is one really long chapter and once it closes the next chapter is going to look a bit different. I know this next chapter is going to be me parenting an adult child. I have to balance knowing when to trust that I raised her well enough to make the right decisions for herself and her newly adult life while knowing when to covertly sneak in and steer her in the direction I know is best for her but still making her think it was all really her choice lol.

I’m laughing but not really because isn’t that what we do when you strongly advise them to do something, giving them the benefit of our experiences. After that we just cross our fingers and hope they make the right call and that if they don’t make the choice we would’ve made, pray that your child is right and you are actually wrong because then that means they will be okay.

I am praying that I did a good enough job and that I instilled in her what she needs to make the decisions that will make her journey, not easy, but worthwhile. I don’t know how this new chapter of parenting and this brand new chapter of adulthood for my child is going to go and I wish I can say I’m one of those people who embrace the excitement of finding out along the way but you guys know that I am not that person lol.

I just pray that this next chapter for her will be everything that she wants it to be and that I will be able to be there for her in the way that pushes her forward and motivates her because I didn’t have a mother that cheered for my dreams and that supported my creative endeavors. I didn’t have a mother that I could even go to for advice about how best to follow my dreams so I have tried to be that for my daughter.

I just hope that I did my job well so that she can walk her journey with confidence and assuredness that she can, in fact, have everything that she dreams of, as long as she’s willing to put in the work for it. Graduation day is tomorrow and thus this chapter will be closed and a new one can begin. I’m just crossing my fingers and I’m going to cheer her on the whole way through.

Until next time… #BeBrave #BeEmpowered #BeFearless

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

Side note: I have a new Author Newsletter that I would love it if you signed up for http://www.tinyletter.com/Author_JCCarpenter

And if any of you would like to buy me a coffee and donate to my creative endeavors then please feel free to https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter

A Little Repositioning Can Change Your Perspective

March 29, 2021 jcladyluv

I’ve spent the last several weeks getting new items to redo my office area. Now my home office is positioned in a small area in my master bedroom so it’s not a whole room I’m working with, just a section of my room. Now I bought a new, larger, desk which gives me more space to work with for my laptop and also for when I do any hand writing or whatever else I want to do that’s not on the computer.

So when I bought the new desk I also had planned on just revamping my whole area to be more efficient and allow me to be more productive. I wanted to get some things I’ve needed for quite some time now and for that I had to also reposition the way things were already to make room for those new things and to make a more professional set up. In doing so I realized even more that sometimes changing the way things are situated, even in the same exact area as they were before, can often change your attitude and your efficiency as well. It can sometimes bring a new perspective to things.

I have been writing for most of my life so I never needed a specific set up to simply do what I do as easily as I breathe, however, there is something to be said for having a professional setup (at least what I deem in my mind as the professional setup for a writer lol) that makes me truly feel like this is the business that I’ve been setting it up to be. Even though I’m not finished putting the final touches on everything in my newly revamped space (which you’ll see soon on my YouTube channel linked below when I upload my office redo) but I’m typing this post now in that area and I already feel different about my work and my productivity in this space.

Now my true dream office setup would require an entire room but seeing as though my daughter has decided to wait until the Spring of 2022 to start college (she feels she’s not quite ready to go straight into college just yet) there won’t be a whole room available anytime soon. I think that I’ve created, or have started to create, the ideal setup for the space I have to work with now and I love it so much. I feel different sitting in this space already and it’s amazing how just simply shifting some furniture around and adding a few necessary items can change how you feel about the work that you are doing.

If you are feeling a little burned out or as if you are not being as productive as you could be, then perhaps all you need is to shift some things around in the space that you are in. Even if it’s just buying a few new trinkets or items to spice up your office décor that is still something that can make you feel like you’re writing in a brand new space which can allow you to have a completely new feeling about the work that you are doing. Try switching things up a bit to make you feel more productive. You have to make things work in the best way that you can because productivity is all in the eyes (or rather fingers) of the person getting the work done.

Until next time… #BeIntentional #BeProductive #BeMotivated

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g

It is Now Planning Season

November 30, 2020 jcladyluv

So today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and I know that I’ve been MIA for the last two weeks. I realized that I had to put my total focus on writing my novel for NaNo these last few weeks. I actually put quite a few things on the back burner but it all paid off because I did it! I won NaNoWriMo!

Now while that does not mean that the book is finished because it is most certainly not (I’m not sure a book would ever be completed for me in 50,000 words lol) but the pressure of finishing those first chunk of words of my novel is over and now I can relax a bit. I say relax but really relaxing is the last thing that’s really going to happen in the month of December.

December is the month of planning for me (and a lot of other writers frankly) in which I start taking a hard look at the year of 2021 and what I want to happen over the course of that year, the goals, the vision board, the reading lists, the books I plan to write and publish, the merchandise I am releasing, the new things for the magazine, my YouTube channel, my newsletter, and other things. Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?

Yeah it’s overwhelming when I lay it all out like that but I am a planner and a person who needs goals to strive to reach and while I may not reach all of them (Lord knows I did not reach my goals in 2020—but who did lol) I will definitely feel better about myself if I know that I am at least giving it a try. So what do all of you do to get prepared for the New Year? Are you feeling a little shy about planning for 2021 given the year that was 2020? Share your planning methods with me if you’d like! Until next time… #BeMotivated #BePrepared #BeFearless

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

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