Category: Writing

“Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

Each morning the sun shines upon the only day you get to live: today.

What you do with it is, in most ways, entirely up to you. Yes, there are circumstances beyond our control that will invariably affect us. But our responses? Those are ours. No one else’s.

So rather than call it a disaster, or a failure, or any other number of negative monikers, instead call it your masterpiece. And don’t put it off until another day.

“On August 18, 1920, Tennessee was the last of the necessary 36 ratifying states to secure adoption. The Nineteenth Amendment’s adoption was certified on August 26, 1920: the culmination of a decades-long movement for women’s suffrage at both state and national levels.” – wikipedia

One hundred years of amendment nineteen to the US Constitution, which states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

I want to say that I think voting should be easier than it is. Maybe attach it to the social security card, giving an instantaneous voting right once you turn 18. No need to register.

That wouldn’t it be wonderful if Election Day in this country was a National Holiday, so that every citizen could partake. Somehow.

Voter turnout in 2018 was the highest recorded in a century for mid-term elections. And that was 49.3% of the voting-eligible population. Hell, in 2016 it was only 60.1%, and that was a presidential election year.

One hundred years ago, people fought and protested to gain rights that we now don’t really appreciate. Voting is one of our primary instruments in the governance of this nation. That so many don’t participate tells me that somewhere along the line a disservice has been committed.

It’s too late to fix this year, and I’m fairly certain that voter turnout will be immense anyway. But it should be something that is considered going forward.

For more information on the celebration of Amendment Nineteen, visit the Library of Congress website.

I’ve been playing around with the new block editor on Word Press for a while now. I’m not quite a fan yet. And, at the risk of sounding old-fashioned, I think I prefer the way it was.

That’s a bad habit we get into. Getting stuck. Liking the way it was so much, we’re not willing to really explore the way it is… or the way it could be.

As I contend with the blocks here on Word Press, think about what you are fighting against – some change that you’re hesitant to accept. Just possibly, it could be better than what was.

Sometimes we mix up our sense of self with some external feedback. A failed project, suffering relationship, lost job.

You are not a failure because something failed. You are simply the creator (or a part of) something that failed. It doesn’t define you, just as you don’t define it.

Remember that, even after failures, we keep going.

I know, I know. For months it’s been COVID-this, corona-that. And we’ve all been thinking about how to live our lives without the fear of uncertainty or ambiguity hanging over us.

If you’re like me, you thought about creating something during this time. If you’re also like me, you didn’t. At least, not to the level that you had intended. And while I would like to say that I was productive most of the past four months, it seems that I don’t have very much output to show for it.

Moving forward, it’s important to take stock of where your energy is going. What are you spending time on, and is it moving the ball down the field at all?

We all have creative energy. It has to be spent somewhere. Whether that’s writing, playing an instrument, photographing the world, or whatever. Don’t let that creative energy fade away. Just make something, anything.

And start right now.

Well, a lot going on this week. Primaries. Stock market swings. Cover coverage. The Democratic presumptive nominee selecting his running mate.

So, just because, here’s that announcement. One could argue that these are quite historic times we’re living in now.

Sometimes we get into a habit of doing things a certain way. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m a huge proponent of routine. Yet, at times, it’s disrupted. Nothing we do or say will change that. So how do we deal with disruption?

I recommend taking it one step at a time. A huge response from you isn’t going to fix the problem. In fact, it may exacerbate it. Give it a chance to breathe. Explore the change, and lean in to the discomfort. You may find that the change really turned out to be a good thing.

Or, at the very least, it’s probably something that you can live with.

Telling yourself it’s okay, that everything is going according to plan, provides positive feedback that we all strive to receive. Not giving yourself that feedback is doing a disservice. Considering our time upon this earth is limited, and they’re only so many things a person can do, one must remember that moments are precious.

Just try your best, and be okay.

For two days now I’ve written about the importance of messaging when getting your point across. Whether to convince a client, make a sale, or help a friend, the message is important.

The downside of this effect is that we are programmed to be receptive to messaging. A skilled practitioner of the art of persuasion can often make us do things we’ll regret in the end. That couch you didn’t really love? The knives that you didn’t really need – even if the scissors can cut through coins…

That vacuum cleaner the guy at the door promised would revolutionize how you clean house.

There are numerous examples of salespeople selling. Prominent social scientist Robert Cialdini has a set of books on the topic (Influence, Pre-Suasion, and Yes!).

There are courses that tell how to get your way in business, at home, in picking up prospective partners at bars. It’s a world of persuading and being persuaded.

While it’s not possible to completely insulate yourself from the onslaught of marketers, salespeople, talking heads, and con artists, it is important to be prudent. Forewarned is forearmed.