career

Working Through Transition Stinks!

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Rural area outside of Paeroa, New Zealand

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I have started my second novel.  It is hard to work and plan your work when you are in the midst of change.  I will be moving to another state in the next few months – or at least, those are the plans – and I feel disconnected in some areas; one of them work.  My husband and I are moving south, to a simpler lifestyle, and to a rural area, where I will have to slow down to the pace of slow internet, among many other things.

Once we arrive, our efforts will be on restoring (just the two of us) an old farmhouse that will be our home.  That will take all our time.  Most likely, I will be offline for sometime, and will blog very sporadically.  We will hope for a wi-fi signal, mostly in the evening, as we will be staying with my sister and brother-in-law, for a short time.  We will change our pace and lifestyle totally – this is a big change we are in for, one that will require a lot of focus and effort, as well as patience.

This upcoming change has tied my hands a bit with my writing.  I have several projects that I cannot evolve due to this, and in a way, I am in some kind of limbo now, and very limited as to the work projects that I can take on.  This has left me feeling stuck for a while; however, it is making room for finishing my second novel.  It gives me some time to plan, but I cannot start much now.  This is as working against my grain, since I am one to dislike sitting for long with projects or decisions.  According to my personality type, working like this truly sucks – it stinks.

My writing has come to a halt in certain aspects.  Not due to lack of work, but to the limits to advancing my writing career, as during that time, I will not be able to commit to long-term or big projects, or maybe any writing projects at all.  Now, I cannot commit to long-term projects that will require my availability during that time.  So this is my dilemma.  For now, I can only dedicate this transition time to some short-term projects and to  finishing my second novel, maybe start my third one.  If anything, once I am in a position of stability again, I will have two, maybe three, ready to publish novels, and I will be able to resume my long-term writing projects.  It drives me nuts to not be able to go all the way with something, to feel restrained.

Have you gone thru a big change or transition? Please, feel free to share any coping tips and techniques that relate to handling your work during transition.

 

The Power of Change

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I have met people who do not like change.  They simply don’t like things around them to be different, whether change is for the better or not.  There is risk in change – the unknown.  For some people, this is scary; simply put, they prefer the known to the unknown.  The known comforts them.

I welcome change, whether good or bad, if there is such a thing as bad change.  I believe that when we see our circumstances to be changing for the worst, it is just a matter of perception.  Change always bring something new and different.  With this, it brings the opportunity for new challenges, growth, and new lessons.  It brings the chance – requested or unrequested – of creating something new of the experience or change.  In a way, change is creation.  Change is always forward, even when it is perceived as a step backwards.

Some people may disagree with me on this.  For example, if you were to lose everything you own, you would perceive this as a negative change in your life.  However, this could be the best opportunity for you to start anew, to create a second life, an exciting opportunity.  Yes, no one thinks of being in that situation, and I don’t know of anyone that would consciously welcome it; however, many people in today’s economy have gone thru similar change.  The perception of this change is what will make them powerless or powerful individuals.  This is the power of change.

Turning Point

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It took some time to master the courage to follow my dream of writing – and going through many jobs as well.  There are three things that I love – Writing, Real Estate, and Art – of this I am sure.  Writing is me, Real Estate is pure beauty, and Art is an outlet.

When I decided to write, my goal was to write my first novel.  I am happy to say that I did that and I started my second novel.  During that time, I got distracted doing other assignments – all related to my love of writing –  however, this has taken me away from my dream of becoming a novelist and it has taken all my time, leaving me with little time to write my next novel.

It dawned on me that  I had deviated from my dream and that I was at a turning point – I realized that I had to turn back.  Many times, we set sail on the right path to later discover that we have deviated from it doing something similar to what we were set out to do in the beginning.  Once more, we find ourselves mustering the courage to turn back, and setting up the sails to a different wind.

Roses by Magic

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A rose bush.

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Sitting at my computer for long hours is a bit tiring, so I try to walk around the house, for short breaks or to get some  coffee.  Today, I glanced outside thru the screen door that leads to the backyard.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the rose-bush full of dark red roses – a magical blanket of red.  When did it happen?  As if by magic, the rose-bush that was just sticks a few weeks ago, turned into a marvel of nature.  Although I was not paying attention, the change did not happen from one day to the next – it took some time; slowly the lush leaves appeared, and later, the breathtaking roses.

This gave me some insight.  I thought, sometimes, we worry so much when we are following our call, specially when we don’t see results right away.  We tend to shrivel, to dry, and forget that the growth happens slowly; and just as those roses one day appeared in all their splendor, so it will happen if we continue our path and let growth and bloom happen naturally.

On Being Your Own Cheerleader

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Many times, people find themselves in a sea of uncertainty about their dreams and goals.  Many times, the uncertainty comes from outside sources – from the naysayers that have managed to bury the seed of doubt in the dreamer’s heart.  If you are a dreamer that is working hard towards the goal, it is up to you to toughen up and grow some roses in your heart – their thorns will suffocate the weed that is trying to grow from the seed that naysayers planted there.

Many times, you will have to be your own cheerleader, maybe even the only one.  When others fail you, you can always count on you.  But when you feel as if you have failed yourself, it is because you have let many weeds grow in the garden of your heart.  Start weeding out and you will find again your dream.

Me Who, What, Huh?

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I guess it happens in your early forties, but suddenly, you find yourself questioning everything around you – the universe, society, career, friendships … and how you have lived your entire life.  The only thing not being questioned is family – because you are stuck with it.  Somehow, nothing seems to make sense, or at least, have the same meaning it had.  It could be a dramatic experience for many, or an exciting period in your life.  You can analyze everything to exhaustion and become depressed, or you can just enjoy the sudden jolt of enlightenment that seems to break you in  halves.

Eventually, like everything, it will pass, and you will emerge once more.  Depending on what you made of the experience, you will emerge strong or vulnerable – but no matter what, it is still you.  I am convinced that midlife crisis happens for a reason – it is necessary to ground you once more,  just as the “terrible twos” or the “challenging teens.”  Will it happen around your sixties, eighties …?  Who knows.  Me Who, What, Huh?

The Measure of Success

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Success sounds like a distant word for many, unattainable to others, as far as the stars, to most.  This is far from the truth.  Success is just a state of mind and appreciation.  It is what you think is happening in your life after you put effort and work into something. 

Maybe, when we think of success we think in terms of comparing ourselves to very successful people – millionaires, hollywood stars, best-selling authors, novel prize winners … and so on.  However, the true measure of success is very personal.  When we measure our success in terms of another person’s success, we are denying ourselves.  We are saying to ourselves that we don’t matter as much, that we must be like someone else to be happy, that our dreams can only be measured by the dreams of others – who have attained theirs.  We should see the success in others as fuel to propel our own, as mentors, as inspiration, not as a ruler or measure stick.

I have learned to celebrate my small successes and big ones all the same.  I have learned to appreciate every effort and its results, because learning to appreciate small and big success in our lives helps us attune ourselves to receive the fruits of our labor, the blessings, and all the great things to come.  When we learn to see and celebrate the good happenings in our lives, only growth can follow, and we are aligning ourselves for bigger and better things.

Listen, Watch, Wait

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Yesterday’s post was about the need of every artist or creative person to Trust, Be Still, and Listen.  Today’s post is about the importance of continuing with the process – Listen, Watch, Wait.

For many, this might seem stagnant – lack of action – and not too goal oriented.  However, it is just the opposite.  As we listen to Spirit, we learn to see opportunities in a different light, we train ourselves to Watch, to be vigilant for the many blessings that await us as creative beings. 

When we watch, we know that we are watching with positive eyes, and learning to wait – learning to receive.  Many times, waiting is the hardest part, especially for artists and writers who want to see their work in print, published, or on exhibit.  This waiting becomes worry, and worry takes us far away from receiving – receiving all that is already ours, what we have asked for in the beginning.

When we are capable of listening, watching, and waiting, we attune ourselves to our goals.

Focusing Effort

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I have found thru my experience that effort without focus is just hard work without results.  We are raised thinking that hard work is all it takes, coupled with effort and dedication.  Although those are very important ingredients, those have to be focused, directed, and sometimes redirected to accomplish what we want. 

It is easy to get distracted into a ton of effort – I am guilty of it – and forget our focus or take our eye from the target.  It can happen while we are pursuing the target or it can happen without even noticing.  One day, the target gets blurry, and the vision needs to become clear again.  If we are lucky, or in tune with Spirit, we recognize that we need to clean our lenses and re-focus.  This time it becomes a bit easier, because you know how easy it is to lose focus while working hard.  In the end, you emerge a bit wiser, more alert, and thank God for waking you up.