Where's The Passion - Shirley S. Tye

A person with passion for something has deep interest for that something and because of the passion has energy to complete the task.  Passion is the driving force.  Well, that’s what I’ve noticed. 

When I was a distributor working from home, my leader asked me; “What are you passionate about?” She was trying to discover what motivated me so that I could apply that passion to that one thing and thereby increase my sales.  But alas, I couldn’t answer the question because there were and still are many things in which I’m interested.  I couldn’t put my finger on the main point of focus and so needless to say, I wasn’t successful with that home-based business even though I liked the products and the company, and the company’s philosophy.

I simply lack focus.  I have eyes like a housefly; compound eyes composed of many individual visual receptors which create a board field of vision. Perhaps I’m subconsciously afraid to miss out on something if I increase time on one thing and reduce the time on others. Must we sacrifice something to accomplish what’s important to us?  

The only thing that forces me to focus on one thing and get the job done on time is a deadline.  But of course, then I push everything else aside and pour all my energy into that one job.  That is focus but it isn’t balance.   

Doing what is important to us without neglecting our responsibilities to our families and employers can be a tricky balancing act. Time is a difficult thing to slice into equal parts so that there is enough to go around. I really must discover what is important to me now and prioritize those things.  Perhaps then I’ll be able to focus and finish some of those writing projects that are collecting dust. Oh, my, this will be like panning for gold.  But here I go.

Poised for the Final Act - Dayna Mazzuca

To be strong is to be balanced. The Bible talks about being "bold and stout-hearted" as the work of God. The finished work. That He delights in our strength. Our boldness.

This means reconciling the act of revelation (e.g. writing our best thoughts as they come to us through the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit) with the act of relating well to others. Of speaking bold, strong and true (e.g. finding our voice and trusting God with the rest). And then standing, as they come to the microphone to say, "Wow." or "Thank You."

As people come forward to say, "Congratulations," the goal is to stand tall. Do not demure or back away from what you put forward in faith. Stand behind your words.

This way the world will not only hear what you have to say from the front of the room. They will be able to receive what you have to offer face to face. The circle will be complete. You will have done your job. Yay!

This is what it means to balance the last bits of the writing life: the completed project with the congratulatory response, which can be unsettling and put you off balance.

The Final Act of the Writing Life: The words on the page read out loud to an audience. The message delivered. The truth spoken. The story told. Bravo!

Balanced with the Human Response to Praise (always a danger to an unsettled ego): The response to what you read and how you read it. The pats on the back. The flowers and champagne. The new outfit. The reward and hugs all around. Way to go!

To Write Strong to the end: we need only be true to the call of God on our lives.

To Respond Well to Others' Response at the end: we need only remember
God is pleased with us (too!).

This might sound like too much joy. Too many balloons floating against the ceiling. Too many bubbles in the bath! This might sound like a strange way to achieve balance in the writing life. But I believe that getting this part right will give us capacity and patience and endurance to do what we need to do to get to this point. This is where we want to be. In total Happiness Overload. Crazy successful on the page and off. With publishers and with people. But mostly—mostly with ourselves and with our God. The rest is all—as they say—gravy!

But I say - without the gravy, who wants to sit around and peel 100lbs of potatoes?! But with the gravy... bring on the peelers! bring on the writing schedule. bring on the writing/life balance along the weekly way - so we can get to the Good Stuff at the END: the Very Happy End!! - Where we nail the writing! nail the reading! and nail our response to others' (very positive!) response. That is GRAVY. BRING IT ON.

(or do you think that sounds a little crazy?)


www.daynawrites.com

The Search for Equilibrium by Glynis M Belec

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Balancing game. I sometimes think it is called the Juggling game; at least in my house. And some days it even shifts from juggling to struggling to tight-rope walking. 

But am I complaining? Nope. I am rejoicing. I am rejoicing in my season. I do get a little frustrated because of my lack of available hours, but I plod on and use my agenda faithfully, reminding myself that God has me exactly where he wants me. 

I think that is the best advice I can give anyone who is dealing with a juggling act - plod on and trust God! And use an agenda or list of some kind - device or pen and paper. Doesn't matter as long as you have a reference. Balance for me comes at the end of the day when I feel accomplished and see that I crossed off at least half of my list and everyone was fed and happy along the way. 

Summertime adds to the number of balls I am tossing in the air, too; my darling grandchildren spend lots of time at my house. But how can I complain about that? Just part of the joy of having a home office and a flexible schedule. [Not many know of my late nights!] 

Maintaining an equilibrium works for me most days, although like I said, I don't get everything done in a day and battle frustrations and a temptation to feel sorry for self and drift into a depth of despair while planning my own pity party. 

But then I am reminded by God's Word that, yes, there is a time for every event, including solid writing time. Seems no one likes to attend a pity-party anyway even if I serve a delicious dose of 'why me' and generous helpings of  "how can I cope'.  It's much more fun when I rejoice in where I am instead of whining about where I want to be. 

Juggling things takes effort. Jesus is a good place for me to look to see how to juggle things properly. He had the same 24 hours I have now and the demands on Him were greater than I can even imagine. I only have to cook, clean, write, take care of people I love, run a business, and put up with hardship now and again. Jesus had to put up with huge demands of the day, not to mention the weight of the sins of the world. 

Ah, yes. Part of my pursuit of balance is suddenly replaced by the realization that no matter what I do (want, hope for, long for, write on my list) it will never be perfectly achieved. All I can do is my best and remember that God is going to be there to catch me if I fall (or drop a juggling ball or two!) 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Finishing School. Book Review by Brenda Leyland

Finishing School
The Happy Ending to That Writing Project
You Can't Seem to Get Done

by Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton

TarcherPerigee 2017

An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

“Not finishing a piece of writing can feel like the death of a dream. . . . Many writers start strong, with big ambitions, but eventually reach a crisis of completion.” CARY TENNIS 

Sound familiar? Has your beloved writing project reached a crisis of completion? Maybe you don’t know how to finish it or something keeps getting in the way of finishing it. Maybe you don't even want to finish at this point, though you know deep down you do. And, when you think about working on it, often feelings of shame, failure, and guilt show up, which certainly don't help. If that's the case, dear reader, take courage -- I might have just the book you need. Hot off the press, Finishing School promises to help writers out of their slumps and get back on track.

“Finishing School restores order to your work. It helps you set aside a realistic number of hours each week and define a task that can be completed in whatever time you have. Every week you finish something and, week by week, you get the project done.”

Finishing School is a breath of fresh air. Bestselling author Anne Lamott is quoted as saying, "I love Cary Tennis's mind, and heart, and work." I agree. It's about Tennis and Morton offering a simple method, without fuss or too many rules, to help you complete the project. All without judgment.

The book is filled with great self-discovery anecdotal material by both established authors. Divided into two parts, they first identify their own struggles with six emotional pitfalls that cause many writers to falter, even give up. Perhaps you recognize them: Doubt, Shame, Yearning, Fear, Judgment, and Arrogance. In the book's second half, the authors talk about the Finishing School method and how it works.

Cary Tennis convened the first class of Finishing School and Danelle Morton was his first pupil. Both had long-dormant projects they were desperate to complete. Their journey of discovery in this school  eventually became the basis for this book. Tennis encouraged his students to give their project the status of 'most important work in your life'—setting it in a ‘sacred’ place in your mind and reminding you to honour your commitment to it.

Although the book was written for writers, the method used is easily transferable for anyone who has a large task they want to finish. As Tennis says, “If finishing this project is something you really want to do, you have to go after it with everything you have within you.” Finishing School is the book that could help you do it.

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Sensitive Reader Discretion: A small amount of cuss words are scattered throughout the book.

Brenda Leyland is working on her Project 60: gathering the memories of a lifetime lived thus far. She invites you to visit her blog at It's A Beautiful Life and connect with her on Facebook.