writing – Page 40 – Write 2 Be

Being Optimistic Is Giving Me More Drive

January 4, 2013 jcladyluv

The first week of the New Year has actually started off pretty good. I mean nothing miraculous happened, nothing earth shattering or life altering, but on the up side nothing terribly bad happened (at least nothing that I couldn’t handle). I’ve actually been rather productive, at least more than normal, and while there are still things on my to-do list for the week that haven’t been completed yet, I would say that I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.

That’s not saying that I don’t have a lot of improvement to do, especially in my time management skills, but I am a work in progress (as we all are) and I have progressed into not beating myself up over the things that didn’t get done. I just know that I have to be more determined and more persistent in getting my list completed next week. I do have some major things that I have to tackle over the weekend in the efforts to finish putting the magazine together and that is actually going to be my main focus for the weekend.

I don’t know why I have not mastered the art of time management yet but I really hope that I can shuffle things around a lot better in the coming weeks. I have been replacing most of my negative thoughts and fears with positive outlooks and all in all (unlike the last few years) I am feeling very optimistic for this year. Well I hope all of you have had a very productive first week of the New Year and that all of your projects are off and running.

I have the Write 2 Be Productive and Prosperous… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15^th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts on https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com. Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page. Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

Tapping Into the Inner Child In All of Us

January 3, 2013 jcladyluv

I wrote yesterday about the fears that hold me back and releasing those fears. Writing it down was quite therapeutic in many ways. Then I read a blog post this morning from one of the many that I follow that made me think about when I was a child.

When we are children there is rarely anything that we are afraid of. We are told (well I wasn’t told this but most children were and I believed it was true as well) that anything that you want is possible if you put your mind to it and go after it. Children don’t really see the negative when it comes to their dreams and the future that they think up for themselves. They try time and time again and they NEVER give up.

Think of how many times your children have tried to persuade you into getting something that they wanted and were relentless until (most likely) you finally gave in or miraculously made it happen. My best friend Ms. L. and I are always having the situation where our kids are asking for something that they really want (because everything kids want is a matter of life or death in their mind) and it usually seems impossible for us to get them those things but their faith is unshakable and they hold firm to the fact that they are going to win out in the end.

Meanwhile we are both scratching our heads trying to think of how to make what they want possible. Needless to say, some miraculous way we manage to be able to give them their hearts desire and all the while they never had any doubt that we would. In their minds it was always going to work out to their benefit and just the way they wanted it. Now that’s some kind of faith. Just imagine if we could all tap back into that childlike faith when it comes to our dreams and our hearts desires.

I go to the skating rink all the time and I watch these kids do all of these tricks and amazing things on skates and it’s not that they are all trained to do them, it’s that they are fearless in trying. They don’t care if they fall because they’ll just get back up and try it again. They don’t care if they don’t get it the first, second, or third time around, they will just keep going until they finally do get it. Meanwhile the adults (myself included) are watching in awe, wishing that we could do just half of the things they are able to do instead of actually just going out and trying it.

If we could all just stop standing by and watching while everyone else is doing the things that we long to be doing then just imagine what we could do in this world, for our lives, for our children’s lives. We keep limiting the things that we can do but should we be. I mean obviously we can’t miraculously (by ourselves) make the world the better place that I’m sure we all desire it to be and yeah sure we can’t actually hold the whole world in the palm of our hands but why the hell can’t we at least try.

Perhaps we could try looking at obstacles and struggles from a child’s point of view; with unyielding faith and unstoppable determination. Think about it this way, children seem to get everything that they want simply because they believe that they will. So let’s try having a little more faith and a lot less wonder. They more you keep wondering about whether or not something is going to happen, the more you are actually wondering away from the very thing that you want. Don’t wonder away from your dreams, just have faith that they ARE going to come true.

I have the Write 2 Be Persistent and Determined… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Releasing the Fears That Keep Holding Me Back

January 2, 2013 jcladyluv

Okay so as a part of my drive to make this year much better then the last couple of years, pertaining to my writing career, I suppose it would be helpful to address the things that hold me back from progressing the way I should be. I realized that when I blog the things that I need to improve upon and work harder at that it helps me to hold myself more accountable in making sure that I do just that.

So today I was thinking about all of the new avenues of freelancing that I want to get into and the magazines that I want to write for and I started to feel myself, once again, making excuses for why it just wouldn’t be possible for me to do those. Three thoughts always pop in my mind when I start to feel confident enough to try something different or shoot for something that seems out of reach at the moment.

1) There are so many writers that are better then me, what if my writing isn’t good enough to compete with them.

2) What makes me qualified enough to speak about certain aspects of writing if I’ve never done it before.

3) What if they just don’t like my writing style and they say no. What if the no’s just keep coming?

Those are the things that scare me about having my own writing business and having to do this thing all on my own. But those are the things that I also promised myself I would not let stop me this year. I can’t really stop those thoughts from creeping back into my subconscious from time to time but I can figure out how to combat them with positive thinking and find a way to move past those negative thoughts so that it doesn’t become a bump in the road for me.

Putting them out there, writing them down so that they become more visible and not just a voice inside my head accentuating all of the negative, actually really does help. It helps me realize that these are fears I can deal with. I may not be the best writer in the world (I’m not really sure who could claim that title) but I am a good writer and all I can do is work on making myself better and keep on knocking on those doors until people do say yes. That’s what I’m going to do. So for anyone out there is tired of hearing no from people and who may be feeling a little defeated, just keep knocking on those doors. Someone will say yes, but only if you keep on knocking.

I have the Write 2 Be Courageous and Bold… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Ready for the New Year!

December 31, 2012 jcladyluv

I wish I could explain my absence from the blog saying that I was in just such a writing frenzy that I couldn’t tear myself away from my novel, or my articles, or my work for various clients in order to blog. Unfortunately I can not say any of that. I had intended on getting a lot of work done last week but intentions do not necessarily mean action and I hate to say that I did not put action into those intentions.

I had time away from having to do homework for school and my daughter was even gone for a few days with her father but the time just disappeared into thin air. I did some reading and I did some planning in my head but as for them making them to the actual physical form of being on paper (or on the computer screen), it just didn’t happen. I’m not going to make excuses because there aren’t any.

If I waste time dwelling in what I didn’t do that was supposed to get done by now then nothing still gets done. I promised that in this coming year that I was going to direct my focus on the things that I can control in my life and not continue harping on what I couldn’t. I can’t go back in time and change things to be the way that I want them to be so I will live in the present and just do better.

I’ve already made my lists of the accomplishments that I WILL get done in 2013 and I am already in the mindset to accept that things must change and that all of my efforts will be directed towards making the changes that need to be made in order to get back on track. Hopefully all of you are geared up and ready for the New Year and have your plans of action ready to be put in motion. Happy New Year everyone and let’s make this the year it is meant to be!

I have the Write 2 Be Empowered… What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

What If the World Were to End Tomorrow?

December 20, 2012 jcladyluv

The New Year is approaching and, as you know, I am one of those people that like to plan things out thoroughly. Of course I know that there are only so many things that I can actually plan but I do like to pretty much plan out the things that I need to accomplish step by step to get the bigger goals completed.

This year there is some skepticism around whether or not any of us will even make it to the New Year seeing as though the Mayan calendar has the world ending tomorrow. While I do not actually believe that the world is going to end tomorrow (although God might have other plans, and in that case I’ll be very surprised) it did get me thinking about how many people there must be out there scrambling to get their life in order before tomorrow gets here.

I am interested to know how many people are suddenly doing the things that they said they would never do before just because they think they won’t be around after tomorrow. How many of us would actually be doing the things that we are supposed to be doing (while we’re busy procrastinating) if we knew we wouldn’t have time to complete our goals and satisfy our purpose.

I must admit, I almost wished that I believed that the world was ending tomorrow, because even though I have managed to kick my plans into high gear lately, I imagine I might be in overdrive if I thought for one second that what I would have to do tomorrow is explain to God at the gate leading to heaven why I didn’t do all the things he told me to do with all of the time he had given me.

If the world were to end tomorrow I’m not sure that I would be happy with what I had done with the time that I was here. It makes me just want to strive even harder then I had already planned to next year to make sure that I start actually fulfilling my purpose. I suppose I had better go and get busy before the real doomsday actually does get here. Have you all done what you feel you were sent here to do? If the world were to end tomorrow, would you be happy with the legacy you are leaving behind?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

What a Better Writer I Will Be…

December 19, 2012 jcladyluv

As the New Year approaches I become a little more anxious for the year to come. Not necessarily because I think that something miraculous will happen (one can still hope though) but because I am going into the year more focused on what needs to be done, and more importantly on what I have to do to get those things done. One thing is for sure, I could stand to become a much better writer because as a writer, your learning is never done. Below I listed several things that I will plan on doing in the year 2013 to become a better writer and maybe some of these things can be things that help some of you as well.

1.) Write Every Day— I know that there are some that would argue that you should never force yourself to write if you are not feeling “the muse” to write. However, I believe that writing everyday is important in becoming a more effective and insightful writer. It’s just like a regular job. You can’t wake up and just say I don’t feel like going so I’m not going to go. This is my job and I will make a stronger effort in the New Year to treat it as such.

2.) Read Every Day— Okay lately I have not been the avid reader that I once was and that I still would like to be. There’s been this reason, or that reason, why I haven’t been able to plant my but in a chair and read, but really there’s no valid excuse. I know that reading more makes an even stronger writer. So in this year I am going to not only make a promise to just read more, but rather to read everyday. Whether it’s just a couple of pages, or even just a page, so long as I read.

3.) Share My Writing More— I’ve always been apprehensive about joining a writing critique group or any type of writing community. It’s not that I haven’t but I just haven’t embraced the concept as much as I should have been. So in my effort to make my writing better and stronger, I will share my work with others more this year.

4.) Take Better Care of Myself— I am already learning that taking care of myself will make it even more possible for me to do those things that I strive to do in a successful way. I feel myself becoming stronger as a person as I begin to place more priority in taking care of me, and that is making me an even stronger writer. It also makes me a more confident writer. I have to keep reminding myself to take better care of me so that in the long run I become stronger and more successful in everything else I want to do.

5.) Don’t Let Writer’s Block Get In My Way— I have had my struggles with writer’s block in the past and I have allowed this to be the reason why things were not able to get done. Because of that excuse, I have many novels started and not finished and many missed opportunities that I have let slip through my fingers. I am not going to use this excuse anymore because it is just that, an excuse. If I have to balance multiple projects so that if I get blocked on one project, I can simply move to the other project, then that’s what I am going to do.

6.) Take a Writing Course— As a writer it is also important to keep the knowledge of the craft sharp. This requires honing your craft more, not only by reading on the craft of writing, but also in taking a course on writing. I would like to say that I can take several courses in the next year to be able to sharpen my writing skills, but realistically, I may not have the money for that. But I think I can manage one course at the very least.

7.) Research More— I have always loved research. From historical events and historical figures, to the places in the world that I dream of traveling to. I have to admit I haven’t done much of it in this past year but that’s what I want to get back to.

8.) Become a Better Marketer of Myself— Okay I know that it doesn’t sound like this has anything to do with actually writing but if I’ve learned nothing else over the past year it is that if no one sees all of your hard work then you don’t get your writing noticed. In order to get more of your writing out there for all to see I have to become better at marketing my writing myself, and my brand. I admit I have A LOT of work to do in the area of marketing myself but it is definitely a focus for me in the year to come.

9.) Attend Writer’s Conferences and Events— This goal may present some challenges because a lot of writer’s conferences and events these days are just not as affordable as they once were. They actually used to have writing conferences that were free (go figure!) for those who, like me, just couldn’t afford it. However, I am going to make an extra effort to at least make it possible to attend one at some point this coming year.

10.) Do Things That Scare Me— Fear is something that I struggle with so much. There’s so many things that I haven’t done, simply out of fear. So if I can do something that scares me, not just one thing, maybe something every month or every week, then perhaps I can learn to stop being so scared of things that I just can’t control. Perhaps then I will actually achieve all that I want.

You won’t find too many writers who will say that they are at a point where they don’t need to learn more, do more, or be better than what they already are. If you do they are either the greatest writer that has ever lived or they are fooling themselves. We all get comfortable sometimes in the accomplishments that we have made and in how far we have already come. Often times we forget that there is still so much more left to learn, and more left to do, and even further to go. We grow as writers, when we acknowledge that we have a lot of growing left to do!

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Lessons to Be Learned From a Media Mogul—Russell Simmons

December 14, 2012 jcladyluv

I think Russell Simmons has always been right there at the top of my list of people to watch and learn from within the media industry. What I think I admire most about him is the fact that he almost doesn’t want to be noticed and he is rather shy about his success and what he has managed to achieve in his life and in his career. That kind of humble attitude is something that I think a lot of successful people could stand to learn because just as easily as the success has come, it can go away just as easily without the right attitude.

Russell Simmons is someone who has really built an empire to be admired. He has created a company that spreads positive messages throughout the music and media industry. He promotes empowerment within the younger generation and has produced many different types of creative programs that enriches the industry and the people within it. Through all of his accomplishments he has remained humble and eager to share what he has learned throughout his life with the rest of the people who are just as eager to get to the level that he is at. I wanted to share the lessons that I’ve learned from his journey to the top.

1.) If You Don’t Believe in You, No One Else Will Believe in You— You have to be your best cheerleader. You have to have the confidence in yourself that you want everyone else to have in you. You have to trust in yourself and your abilities to do what you have set out to do. You have to be your biggest fan.

2.) You Can’t Be So Willing to Receive Without Being Willing to Give— In Russell Simmons book, Do You! He says “instead of waking up trying to figure out what you can get, you should be waking up trying to figure out what you can give.” A lot of people gain their success doing something that can benefit others as well as themselves so we have to remember that it can’t just be about what we get out of accomplishing our goals and our dreams, but also about what we can give to the people in our communities, in our states, in this country, by fulfilling our purpose. For instance, Russell Simmons has taken his success and funded so many foundations and projects that help to further the communities and places that he reaches out to. Lady GaGa has used her success to build a foundation that helps people dealing with issues surrounding bullying and to help encourage people that it is okay to be who they are born to be. What we do has to matter in more places then just our bank accounts and our own wallets.

3.) You Have to Stay Open to Change— Everything is not going to stay the same. It can’t stay the same in order for those on their journey to success to actually reach their goals. You have to be willing to change with the situation at hand and adapt to what has become the reality of things and not reside in the circumstances of how things were. I have learned that change is simply inevitable and trying to fight it and keep change from happening is only hindering your growth and your progress. You can not succeed staying right where you are, unchanged. When I think of it like that I say “bring on the change.”

4.) Always Be Honest With Yourself— Yes of course you should try your best to be an honest person all around but when I say be honest with yourself, I mean be honest about who you are, faults and all. Other people’s criticisms will always bother you but they won’t hurt nearly as much if you are already honest about who you are and you know yourself and the areas where you can improve and areas where are satisfied with the person you have become.

5.) Don’t Give Up YOUR Vision Just to Grab a Chance at Success— Along your journey, there will be people who will get just as excited about your vision as you are, but then they will try and convince you to change it. They’ll say “maybe it will be better if you do this,” or “maybe you’ll have a better chance at it if you do it like that.” They will have you believing that their suggestions to your vision will propel it forward. That is simply you, relinquishing your vision to someone else, to do with it what they will. Your vision is yours and should never be shaped and molded to fit anyone else’s views.

Being open, not just to change within your circumstances, but the changes that take place within yourself, is an important part in succeeding. You can’t take your life and your career, your dreams and goals, to the highest heights without changing some things up along the way. More importantly, you can’t do that without staying true to yourself and true to your vision.

People will try to hold you back. People will try and change what your vision is into what they think it should be. It will sound convincing and it will sound like they know exactly what they are talking about and that maybe you should be listening to them. But it is your vision and your dreams. Don’t let anyone take your dreams and try and change them. Hold onto them and make them a reality, but do so in your own time, and in your own way. Believe in yourself and what your vision is and when you make it there, to the top, don’t forget to help someone else up along the way.

I have the Write 2 Be a Visionary…What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Lessons to Be Learned From a Media Mogul—Steve Harvey

December 13, 2012 jcladyluv

I probably would never have put Steve Harvey on this list of people I admire as a Media Mogul about a year ago. Mostly because I hadn’t really saw him that way until I started researching just how many things he had a role in within the media industry. There was once a time where you would here the name Steve Harvey and the first word that came to mind was Comedian. Now there are so many other things that would fit in a description of him.

He fought hard to be noticed for something other than just being a Comedian and to be respected as a true change within the media industry. And he did so with some simple principles that he follows from lessons that he has learned while on his journey. I wanted to share some of those simple principles and lessons with you and hopefully they will help you in your journey as they are beginning to help me in mine.

1.) Taking Care of You Has to Take Precedence— If you don’t take care of yourself, then you won’t be around to take care of the family and people that you love. You won’t be able to accomplish the things you dream of doing. Health is a priority that far too many people take for granted and keeping yourself healthy is going to allow you to build up your endurance and stamina to work hard to get the things that you want and to hold onto the things that you want.

2.) Some Rules Are Meant to Be Broken for All the Right Reasons— Of course most rules should be adhered to in general. However, there are times when it is okay to toss the rule book out the window. Rules like “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket,” or “always have a plan B,” are rules that people will tell you to live by because it’s the practical thing to do. It makes sense for some, but for those out of the ordinary people whose dreams go way beyond the scope of anyone’s imagination, those particular rules only set you up to fail. Some rules truly were made to be broken.

3.) Just Because Other People Place You in a Box Doesn’t Mean You Have to Remain There— Just because people label you as one thing, doesn’t mean that is the label you have to accept. Everyone put Steve Harvey in the box as Comedian and that was it. Just another one trick pony. But that is not where he chose to stay. He didn’t want to just be known as a comedian. So he stepped out of that box and became an Actor who not only went and took on acting roles but who actually got his own television show, a Radio Host of a nationally syndicated radio program, an Author of a book that is now a major motion picture, and now a television game show and talk show host. See what can happen when you think outside of the box.

4.) If You Don’t Work Hard for Your Dream, No One Else is Going To— You can’t expect other people to work hard to help you get where you want to be if you aren’t willing to work ten times as hard. The goals and dreams you are working towards are yours, no one else’s. If it means you have to wake up early and go to bed late in order to make things happen, then that’s what you are going to have to do. Yes it is wonderful if you manage to surround yourself with a team of people who are on your side and are working to help you further your dreams, but they’re not going to work any harder then they see you working. You can’t really rely on anyone else to help you get to that place of success, just yourself. Your work ethic is what is going to get you there and it’s what’s going to keep you there.

5.) Everyone That is Around You is Not There to Help You— When you are younger you thrive on how big your social circle is. When you get older you start to realize that your circle of “friends” may be too big. What will hold you back from becoming successful like you are striving to be more than anything is having the wrong people around you. Some people are just simply too toxic to have in your life. They want to ride on your coat tales and if you don’t take them with you they will try effortlessly to drag you down right back to where you started. These are the people who, while they say they want to see you succeed, what they are really hoping you do is fail. These are the people that you don’t need around you, but you have to know that and realize that before it’s too late.

There are so many rules that you aren’t supposed to break. There are practicalities that everyone is supposed to take with you through life. But sometimes being practical is just another way of playing things safe. There is nothing wrong with saying that you have a plan for your future, you know what you want to do, what you want to be, and where you want to go in life, and focusing on that goal and that dream, without a back-up plan.

I heard once that sometimes back up plans are for those who are not really sure what it is that they want. Now I don’t mean people with multiple roles within life such as being a singer, an author, and an actress. That is simply a person who had a broad vision for their future. I mean those who go down one path and then prepare something to fall back on that is practical but not necessarily something that they are passionate about.

Why isn’t it okay to put all of your eggs in one basket if there is no other basket that you are interested in pursuing? There are all kinds of rules that people will try to make you adhere to and labels that people will place on you. Who says that you have to live by anyone else’s rules or labels but your own?

I have the Write 2 Be Different…What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Lessons to Be Learned From a Media Mogul—Oprah Winfrey

December 12, 2012 jcladyluv

Who hasn’t ever admired all of the accomplishments that Oprah Winfrey has been able to achieve. I sure have a lot of respect and admiration for the empire that she has created and built up, literally from nothing. What I admire most I think is the humble beginnings that she came from and how, not only did she never let any of that get in her way, but she in fact let it drive her forward.

Her success came in small doses and she savored those lessons that she learned along the way. She didn’t rush her success and she didn’t hold onto any of the negative criticism that she received from others who tried to make her be someone she wasn’t. I wanted to share some of those lessons that I have learned from Oprah Winfrey and plan on implementing on my journey to where I want to go.

There’s No Sin in Failing, the Sin is in Never Trying— You always hear people use the excuse “What if I Fail” when it comes to trying something different but you rarely here anyone ask the question “What if I actually Succeed”. Not trying is the greatest harm that people can do to their dreams. It is always better to try and to fail than to have never tried at all.
There’s Nothing Wrong with Setting the Bar High for Yourself and Your Life— I’ve always had people tell me that people shouldn’t have such high standards for what they are going to get out of life. For a moment I’ll admit that it seemed that the higher I set my standards the more I ended up being disappointed by the outcome. I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t the high standards that ended up disappointing me, it was the lack of belief that I had in accomplishing those high standards that left me disappointed. Now I realize, the higher the standards the better, so long as you believe that you can attain them.
Having the Ability to Forgive Can Allow Your Journey to Move Forward— Oprah particularly likes to drive home the fact that forgiveness is not for the other person, it is for you. It made sense to me when she pointed out that if you don’t allow yourself to forgive the people that have hurt you in your past you will remain stuck in your past with all of that hurt and anger. Forgiving others for their mistakes allows you to move forward and become a better version of yourself.
Always Be the Best You— You can’t really get anywhere trying to be what everyone else wants you to be and trying to live up to other people’s expectations for you. All you can ever really do is be the best you and fulfill the purpose and expectations that you have for yourself.
Do Something that Scares You— If you never do anything that scares you, something that is different from your normal activities, then that means you’re never really taking any risks. Taking risks is scary. Starting a brand new company and working for yourself is scary. Putting yourself out there to market your business or the book you’ve written is scary. Doing something that you’ve always dreamed of doing but never took the chance to do (like sing in front of a room full of people) is scary. But in the end all of those things bring you to an end result that could be amazing if you are not too scared to take the risks.

You know there are so many people out there (myself included) who were always told to be more like someone else and so that’s what we aimed for. I can remember so many times saying that I want to be the next Oprah Winfrey, or that I want to write as beautifully as Maya Angelou. I was always striving to be a version of someone else that I thought was so great and so talented when the reality is that I can never be anything other than myself. Why spend so much time trying to emulate someone else’s talent, someone else’s goals, someone else’s dreams, when that will never get me what I want.

Truthfully, just as there is no one that is ever going to be like that one person you strive to be like or that person whose talent you wished you had, there is also never going to be anyone like you either. You have a talent and a uniqueness that is all your own and that no one else could master but you.

I am just going to take what I admire about the people who are where I want to be and the lessons that I have gained from them and fuel my journey with that knowledge. While I may never be as successful as Oprah and I may never change the world in the ways that she has, who knows, I may be more successful and I may change the world in a whole different and remarkable way.

I have the Write 2 Be Unique…What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Shifting the Focus

December 6, 2012December 6, 2012 jcladyluv

So every year in December I try to prepare for the year that is coming. I can’t help it, I’m a planner, that’s just who I am. I make lists (yes I am an extreme list maker) for different avenues of things in my life. Typically I make 3 lists (goals for the year, books to read for the year, and writing projects to accomplish for the year) but this year I added a list (goals towards better health) which only adds to the expectations I place on myself.

There is one thing that I am changing about how I make my lists. Usually I push the envelope with the lists I make in the fact that I make them highly unattainable and marginally off focus, hoping to push myself to a higher standard to achieve them. This time I am making the lists not only with a more realistic expectation of completion in mind, but also with a different focal perspective in my sights as well.

I think that a part of my problem in the previous years (also one’s that just did not go as great as I had planned) is that my focus was on the wrong things. My focus was shifted on things that I just didn’t have any actual control over; things that required me trying to work my way around the plans that God already has worked out for me. I’m realizing now that there were things that I should have been directing my focus towards, things that are actually in my power to control, things that are where my focus needs to be, that I just wasn’t concentrating on the way I should have been.

Quite possibly, the reason why all of my plans for previous years were not going accordingly is due to the fact that they were my plans for me and not God’s plans for me. It’s not that I don’t also want the things that God has mapped out for me, it’s just that my focus got off track on other things that I thought I wanted and they weren’t necessarily what was right for me to have (at least not at this time). I was focusing on the wrong things. I was placing my energy into things that weren’t right for me. I was putting time into forcing something that was out of the realm of God’s plans. I was getting off track.

Now that I’m in a better place, a place where I can clearly see that the direction I was going in was leading to the wrong destination, my focus has shifted. My mind is clear. I know where my energy and time needs to be placed and everything else that comes as a result of that, is whatever is meant to come to me. My writing career hasn’t been what it should have been by now because I wasn’t focused on that. I thought I was. I had even managed to convince myself that I was steadily focused on that. However, my actions were just not matching what I was saying.

I wasn’t putting the energy and time into doing the things that I, as a dedicated and passionate writer, need to put into it. I was focused on other things that just weren’t worth my time. I wasn’t focused on the number one thing for my life (besides my daughter of course) which is my writing and my career. I’ve got it now and I’m back on track. Next year should be really interesting!

I have the Write 2 Be Ambitious and Driven…

What is your Write 2 Be?

Jimmetta Carpenter

Writer/Editor

The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)

Writing as “Jaycee Durant”

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

http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/

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

Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15^th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com. Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page. Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: