Well, it looks like 2018 isn’t exactly shaping up better than 2017, as we’ve already had one illness followed by an injury followed by another injury. And we’re only on day 10 of the year!
I seem to be mentally and emotionally stable enough right now in order to handle it all. I’m not the one injured, and my change in parenting strategy (that whole being empathetic thing) seems to be working to reduce the amount of kid whining/wailing, which helps keep my stress level down. But for the sake of my husband, I do wish Life would give him a pass and stop tormenting him.
On a positive note, I’m on track to meet two of my goals with the Colonel’s challenge. I’ve lifted 18,110 lbs so far, and logged 4 hours dedicated aerobic activity. I don’t count stuff like chasing my kids around because it’s hard to keep honest timing records with that. I’m behind on my sit-ups, but 60 every single day is a bit tough for this squirrel to manage. Here is the current lifting schedule:
T, Th, Sat – 2 sets of 10 reps for each exercise:
60 lb Deadlift
60 lb Lat Pull-Down
25 lb Leg Extensions
25 lb Leg Curls
15 lb One Arm Row x 2 because I have 2 arms
45 lb Squats
It comes out to a total of 4900 lbs per night, three nights a week.
Writing wise, I have found I continue to hone my skills in the art of confusing the heck out of people. I succeeded again this past week to make my local critique group say WTF is going on in this chapter (hint: I didn’t give any visual indications or written triggers to indicate that the character’s brain was getting flooded with memories that had been previously hidden from him). I rewrote it using italics and added in the character’s dead brother informing him that he was going to be getting all these memories back, so hopefully it’ll be less confusing this time around. I’m going to let it sit and return to it in a week to see if it still makes sense. In the meantime, I’ve been beta-reading and critiquing some truly excellent stories, so that’s a brightening of my spirits.
What hints do you have for staying positive? Do you enjoy exercise?
What thing do you excel at when writing?
Keeping positive is hard when hit with thing after thing after thing. Taking time (no matter how small) to yourself and just breathing helps. I think exercise does too (when your healthy). I started a nasty cold on New Year’s Day. I decided to look at it like 2017’s leftovers and will not let it impede on 2018. 😉
It’s me, checking your checkbox! 🙂 I think I miss them because of the location. Can you move them up to before the post comment button?
If someone replies to this, I’ll let you know when I’m notified.
Well now, I simply must reply! I’ll have to check the setting for the plug-in to see if I can move them or not. I only added the plug-in for another author who I was hosting a guest post for, and they wanted to be notified anytime someone posted a comment.
Commenting to myself.
That’s what’s great about critique groups. They let you know when you’ve failed to convey something. That’s valuable feedback.
Good luck with your fitness goals.
That’s a good workout routine. I go more for cardio but I’ll throw in weights sometimes. And yes, I hit the gym four to five times a week and either walk or jog the other days.
Great job on the Colonel’s program! Sorry you guys have been plagues will injury and illness again. Doesn’t seem fair 🙁
I’m having fun with the Livestrong program. We’re getting trained on the Strive machines this week, and yesterday I found out my single leg press is 250 and my arm press is 150 pounds. I’m in a lot better shape than most of the cancer survivors there, and I attribute that to how active I’ve always been. Here’s to staying in shape!
Staying positive is work. Listen to music, sounds for relax or classical, read something uplifting or study something uplift e.g. The Greatest Salesman in World by Og Mandino–a story that can be used as self-help with strong uplifting message or similar reading for the heart and mind specifically, meditate, talk to a friend, write or write in journal, create and say positive affirmations, create something, do something fun and I enjoy, sketch-doodle, watch something uplifting, color, make a conscious, aware effort, to stop the negative thought and put something positive in its place.
Two thoughts cannot be held in your mind at the same time, which is why mantras/affirmation statements can also be helpful as well as prayer. It forces you to switch focus from one thing to the other. List making can do it too, lol.
The Seven Laws of Mind I have found helpful in deep thought and reflection. There is a truth here that the logic cannot deny. “Law of Substitution — We cannot think about 2 things at the same time. If a negative thought enters your mind ~ try to think of God instead or a positive choice. If that is too big a reach at the time, use any fond memory or other pleasant thought. Jesus, the Master Teacher, said, “Resist not evil” ~ meaning turn from it and think about something else instead.”
It is hard work to learn how to create positivity that lives within you instead of being knocked around like a scape of paper depending on the whim of the weather. Focus on the positive is the key and practice every second, minute, hour or day, makes it become a natural reaction, creating a habit, which is why it is such hard work to do and then to maintain. Yeah still learning but better at it but still not a master or an expert at staying in the zone long term.
My list of staying positive during the struggles is long because I search and work at it for at least 2 1/2 years. I don’t think perpetual happy a normal thing either but learning how to control your thoughts helps in all walks of life. Not that I think we are supposed to always be there but it can turn our normal into a positive state of mind on the long term and in difficulty. Just the trying has help so much to my overall state of mind.
Okay I know comment way too long — lol — stopping. Wishing you the best always. Juneta
Sorry there’s been illness and injuries. Hope things start to get better!
Glad your critique group was able to help you out! I should probably let other people (besides my husband) read my WIP at some point so I can get feedback and not just try to figure everything out on my own.
I wish we still had weights. Just an elliptical now.
I’ve read dozens upon dozens of self help books. One can’t stay positive all the time, but it really comes down to what we say to ourselves in our head. Plus we have to be careful who we hang out with. Negative crabs will just drag us down with them.
Sorry for the illnesses and injuries at the start of your year. But glad you’re being positive. It’s hard to hear something is confusing in your manuscript, but something good to know. I think you’ve got a great strategy to sit on it for a bit.
And I ‘m so impressed with your exercise schedule!
NO!! I want this to be your year! Tell hubby to stay inside and avoid anything dangerous/accident-ish looking. Maybe January is just residual from 2017, and February will be the beginning of awesomeness. 😉
I don’t exercise. I should, but I don’t. But I feel like I move a lot all the time doing normal, every-day things. (This is what I tell myself when I think about working out.) But good for you for sticking with it. I would’ve given up January 2nd.
I’m sorry to hear your hubby is struggling. Your workout routine is very impressive! I’m trying to get back into yoga. My new DVD set arrived the other day, I’m waiting for my latest migraine to pass to I can get started. Woot Woot!!
Have a beachy week!
Elsie
Staying positive is a valuable key to staying on top of life. It sounds like you are going forward the best way. I try to take that approach to juggling my illness and my writing. All the best, Loni.
Your workout sounds rigorous. I started going back to my gym this week. I rode the bike 10.6 kilometers and was happy about that. I wouldn’t worry so much about the writing progress. You’re in a critique group and you critique. There’s a learning effect there. At least, I learn a lot when I critique other people’s work.
All the best and I hope things calm down for your hubby.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
It seems, when you’re a mom, even if the injuries or illnesses aren’t yours, they still give you extra work.
Excellent job staying with your fitness and writing schedule. It’s totally all right to confuse people in the early drafts. LOL
Oog, that’s a lot. >_< Both a lot to have happen in only ten days, and a lot of weight to lift on a daily basis. I'm not entirely sure how you handle either one. Best of luck with getting your book stuff straightened out – I've been in a similar place, where what I write makes perfect sense to me because I know what's happening and yet I've left out a crucial detail that would make a reader understand. But it's one of those things that, once you know you do it, you can watch out for it in the future. Hope yours works out.
That is impressive. Both the exercise and the skills in the art of confusing the heck out of people. I only share one of those. Won’t say which. Anyhoo… I demand health in that family of yours! 2018 will be better! Make it so, number one.
I remember trying to describe a scene without any written triggers (thinking that they were a form of telling) and discovered how quickly I could confuse my critique partners. It’s important to (gently) help guide the reader through a scene.
Great job with the exercises. 60 sit-ups a day is pretty tough.
Your exercise goals are impressive!
My best tip on remaining positive is to try seeing everything in perspective. When I do that, I find that even the worst parts of my life really are no more than blips on the radar. That hopefully don’t signify cruise missiles heading my way. 😛
I read somewhere that keeping a list of three things you’re grateful for over 21 consecutive days will retrain your brain to focus on the positive. Not sure if it works yet, but I passed the 21 days and decided to keep going. It’s a nice, quick, journal-of-good-things-that-happened at a glance, and it can’t hurt.
Sorry to hear about your husband. I felt the same in Nov/Dec re: my boyfriend. It was one thing after another. It’s awful to watch someone you love go through that.