Wednesday, April 30, 2014
"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential..." Confucius
"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." Confucius
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
If you're going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill
If you're going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill
If you're going through hell, keep going.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html#mY6gUWs3512Rbwt9.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html#mY6gUWs3512Rbwt9.99
Monday, April 28, 2014
Good leadership
"Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people."--John D. Rockefeller
Sunday, April 27, 2014
"You have brains in your head."
"You
have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer
yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know
what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go."--Dr. Seuss
Friday, April 25, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Throwback Thursday All our dreams can come true!!!
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage
to pursue them."--Walt Disney
Well as a writer you follow the story as it presents itself
and this week has kind of been a never give up themed week. So in honor of the
theme this week and this being Thursday here is a story of never giving up from
my past.
In 1994, I was a junior in high-school and had very little
clue of what I really wanted to do with my life. I wrote my first story in
second grade and had written off and on since then. My 11th grade
academic English teacher challenged us to come up with our own soap opera that
could actual make it as a series. Nothing against soap operas or those who
follow them, but soap operas weren’t for me. So I came up with a dramatic television
drama and pitched it to my teacher. It wasn’t exactly the assignment, but it
was close enough and even back then I must have been one hell of a salesman.
My dramatic television drama was called “Nam 365 days
of hell;” it was kind of like the television series China Beach.
My main character was a young Lt. Colonel named Chuck Miles. He had above
average intelligence but he was a little bit of a loose cannon. He was a
patriot true and blue, but he bucked the system on more than one occasion. Miles
was one of those boy scout type characters that the bad guys takes out back of
the wood shed and beats him until a new man is born. The evil that he is trying
to protect the world from transforms him into a man that believes in Illegal
Justices. Illegal Justices are justified means of acting in an illegal way to
serve justice because the bad guys don’t operate within the law so sometimes
you have to operate outside the law to bring forth justice. (Illegal Justices
sounds like a great title of a book.)
As I recall, I received an “A” on the project that ran the
whole year long. For most of the students their projects ended with the school
year, but mine didn’t. The character I created was so vivid to me I needed to
write more of his story and I set out to do so. I used the “Nam 365 days of
hell” as the back story for Miles and I fast forwarded the story to the present
day. What would Miles have been in 1995? He’d be a fierce CIA agent, but he
would have done something by now to get him blacked listed. So with that a book
started to form a book that would became known as “The Last Winter,” a book
that I would take twenty years to write.
What does this have to do with chasing your dreams? Well
today marks the release of the print version of “The Last Winter”. For twenty years, I have changed and perfected Chuck Miles as a character. I
have built a story around him that one of my fans has said that it rivals something
Clancy
would write. Before “The Last Winter” I couldn’t see myself as a commercial writer
and now that it has been published, I can’t see myself as anything but a
commercial writer. It is kind of funny that I created this character and
because his story had to be told he transformed me into a writer.
I had the courage to pursue my dreams over a twenty year span,
even though at times I didn’t know what I was chasing, but I took a leap of
faith and now all my dreams are coming true.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Believe in yourself
"Believe
in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but
reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or
happy."--Norman Vincent Peale
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan."--Jim Rohn
"If
you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into
someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not
much."--Jim Rohn
Monday, April 21, 2014
Chasing your dreams one step at a time!!!
"Our
greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always
to try just one more time."--Thomas A. Edison
As you follow me, you will find that I
tend to jump around a little. I believe it is the writer in me that wants to
write the story at hand. This week I thought maybe we would start a little different.
I have been doing a lot of self-inventory as we study the art of happiness.
What is it that makes me happy? Great food, great music, and good friends to
name just a few of the things that make me happy. Writing, of course has to be
in the mix, but ultimately it is following my dreams that makes me happy. I
guess you could say chasing them for a lack of a better word.
As I cruised Facebook this weekend, I
came across a post from a young struggling artist. She talked about how for a
decade she had worked as a full time hairstylist and how fulfilling that had
been. In this post, she thanked those who had made her career a success and
even had a picture of her empty work station with the first dollar she ever
made sitting on the counter. She then explained that there are chapters to life
that wouldn't be there if it wasn’t for the previous chapters. As a writer this
made me smile, because each chapter in a book ties together to make the story.
I have often said that the pixels of life are more important than the final
picture.
She went on to thank her family and
friends for making this chapter a success, for putting up with her crazy music
schedule. Then she announced that she was moving to Nashville, TN to pursue her
music career full time. Then she closed with this: “Excited? YES Am I scared?
OF COURSE! I'm human! But this is a dream, and like every dream, you can't make
it a reality if you don't give it your all and try!” What a courageous young
girl to have the guts to pick up and move to a strange place in an effort to
further her dream.
As I finished reading her post, it made
me realize sometimes your dreams won’t just happen. Sometimes working it isn’t
enough and sometimes following your dreams won’t yield the results you need.
Sometimes if you want it bad enough, you have to pack your bags and chase your
dreams. You have to be proactive instead of just waiting for something to
happen. It is kind of like when someone says, I wish I’d win the lottery and
then they tell you they never buy a ticket. You have to play to win. In the 1990
movie The Hunt for Red October, Sean Connery’s character Captain Ramius say’s “When
he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result his men were
well motivated.” This is true with your dreams.
Sometimes you have to step out with no guarantee there will be something
there to catch you. They don’t call it a leap of faith for nothing.
For more information on the up and
coming music star I was talking about check out http://www.jessiebrownmusic.com .
Jessie Brown is the real deal and I believe she will make a splash in the music
world very soon.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Easter Sunday 2014
"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later."--Og Mandino
Quick Sunday post because it is Easter Sunday and that is one day that should be all about the family and not about work. I used to work for a company that would only shut down three days a year and Easter Sunday was one of them. I missed yesterday as well so this will have to be the weekend blog for this week.
This is why I love Easter because it is all about salvation and new beginnings. It is about changing who you were yesterday. Even if you don’t subscribe to the Christian faith, you can still learn from the story. We will revisit this in a future blog, but for now enjoy this holiday with the ones you love and we will catch up on Monday…
Quick Sunday post because it is Easter Sunday and that is one day that should be all about the family and not about work. I used to work for a company that would only shut down three days a year and Easter Sunday was one of them. I missed yesterday as well so this will have to be the weekend blog for this week.
The last few weeks we have been talking about our “Happiness
Tanks” and those “Emotional Siphoners” that try to drain your tanks. I came
across this quote last night by Og Mandino and it made me think of our discussions
the last few weeks, "always do your best. What you plant now, you will
harvest later." I believe this with all my heart. If you plant negativity this what you will
harvest later and if you plant positivity, then you will harvest all things positive.
This is why I love Easter because it is all about salvation and new beginnings. It is about changing who you were yesterday. Even if you don’t subscribe to the Christian faith, you can still learn from the story. We will revisit this in a future blog, but for now enjoy this holiday with the ones you love and we will catch up on Monday…
Friday, April 18, 2014
We Win as a Team, we Lose as a Team
TGIF, can I get an Amen? It has
been a long emotional week for me, how about everyone else? Does it seem like sometimes
the 1,440 minutes to each day are longer than others? It has seemed that way to
me several days this week. When those bad days happen, I revert to one of my
mottos, “the failures only make the successes that much sweeter.” As I finish
up the day today, I am planning a weekend filled with “Happiness Tank” filling
activities. Do you guys have anything special planned for this weekend? If you
do have something planned, feel free to leave a comment here or catch me on
Facebook at CDR_Writing. Happy Friday! I hope you like today's Fun Friday Blog.
Those of you, who know me, know
that I love to coach my kids in any sport they do. I have been labeled the motivational
coach. I may not win a lot of games but
my players are forced to think about more than the game at hand. I believe that
the kids can learn a lot about life out on a field or court. I thought as we
closed the week in honor of the softball/baseball season, I would share some of
the rules, mottos, and a pep talk that I use on the diamond. I hope you enjoy.
Coach's
pregame pep talk:
Coach's
pregame pep talk that starts, "it is what it is," which every girl
repeats out loud. It continues with, "Just like life the softball field
will produce things that we have no control over and when those situations
arise, we will have to adapt. We pray that we can adapt enough to overcome the
adversities we will face and if not we will go down fighting. Because when you
fight with all of your heart and you pull
from those long hours of practice, nothing else matters, not even the scoreboard.
We all win, we all lose, and nothing else matters as long as we give it a good
hard fight until the last out. To win is great, to lose is to learn, and to
never give up well that is everything in life. Now go out there and show them
who we are." The team usually breaks to "1, 2, 3, Sisters" or
"1, 2, 3, Family."
Coach Cecil's 5 Rules:
1: We Win as a Team, we Lose as a Team
2: Team = T-ogether E-veryone A-chieves M-ore
3: We will start this season as individuals, we will come together as a TEAM and at the end of the season, we will be a family.
4: We will not condemn, criticize, or fight amongst ourselves. Instead we will use that energy to pick each other up when we fail, because we will all fail from time to time.
5: We have no room for legends and superstars, because our twelve united together is better than your one apart.
1: We Win as a Team, we Lose as a Team
2: Team = T-ogether E-veryone A-chieves M-ore
3: We will start this season as individuals, we will come together as a TEAM and at the end of the season, we will be a family.
4: We will not condemn, criticize, or fight amongst ourselves. Instead we will use that energy to pick each other up when we fail, because we will all fail from time to time.
5: We have no room for legends and superstars, because our twelve united together is better than your one apart.
Player
Motto: “I am determined to play my game to the fullest of my abilities in an
effort to be a productive part of this team. I will strive to be a productive
ambassador that will represent my communities with pride, respect, and
integrity. I understand that it is just a game and I look forward to learning
about life through my sport. And hopefully with all things being equal, I will
help my team win some games.”
Parent
Motto: “It is my duty to support this team, coaches, and players in a
respectful uplifting manner. I understand that the coaches are volunteers and
that they are in charge of this team. I understand that it is just a game. I
also understand that I am here as a fan and that I am the 11th person on the
field. I will strive to be a productive ambassador that will represent my
communities with pride, respect, and integrity. And at the end of the day all
things being equal, I hope to cheer my team on as they win some games.
Team
Motto: “We are determined to play our game like the way we have practiced. We
strive to be productive ambassadors that will represent our communities with pride,
respect, and integrity. We understand that it is just a game and we are looking
forward to learning about life through our sport. And hopefully with all things
being equal, we will win some games.”
Coach
Motto: “It is my duty to teach my players the fundamentals of their chosen
sport, while guiding them to be productive ambassadors of our community. I
understand that it is just a game. I also understand that I am here to teach
and lead these players through the little life lessons that I will share. And
at the end of the day all things being equal, I hope to guide my team to win
some games.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Throwback Thursday A Bond of Life
Happy Thursday to all my Blogging friends! It is once again
throw back Thursday; the day that I don’t have to think so hard and I am still
able to give you my followers a quality blog. It has been said that I am too
close to my readers and followers, but that is where I love to be and I write
to you as if I am telling a story to a close friend. It has been said that I
will never make it as a main stream commercial writer because I tell it like it
is. I am too honest in my writing. I don’t
put much stock in those statements seeing how the only time I hear them is from
my critic or heckler. I know that sometimes the filter between my brain and my mouth
is always functioning 100%, but that is who I am. I thought I’d choose a
writing that showed that lack of filtering in this throw back Thursday blog. So
in honor of the critics, the haters, the “Emotional Siohoners” and frenemies:
A Bond of Life
3 p.m.
6-03-03
Some of you seem to think that my smile and warm embrace are signs
of forgiveness.
Don’t let your conscience deceive you into believing that your
pardon has been signed.
See, betrayal is a funny beast, especially among friends.
Some lines should never be crossed and some things are better left
unsaid.
Trust is the foundation of brotherly love and without it nothing
else can stand inside the friendship.
With trust, sometimes silence is demanded, silence of sacred
secrets that the world need not know.
Things left unsaid to the grave, secrets even after they close the
casket.
What is right is right.
What is wrong is wrong.
When you are right, you are right.
When you are wrong, you are wrong.
You never turn your back on a friend, because one day you may call
my name and my heart may not let me hear you.
It is all choices in life, choose wisely.
Do not mistake my courtesy for anything more than a humane gesture.
Remember you crossed me once, you broke that trust, and you do not
want to cross that line again.
Trust me; you have never seen the wrath my soul can bring forth.
Loyalty is trust and trust is loyalty, they are the foundation and
pillars of a friendship.
Which did you break?
And how do you plan to fix it, when you have not the know how or
the tools to do it with.
Sadly some things are better left destroyed, some things are
impossible to repair.
Some things are better left in the wind.
A Bond of Life is a passage from my book “The Long Step Forward”
published by Bad T Publishing & Productions.
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