The Secret to Real Progress

By Suzie Carr
@girl_novelist

We all have things we want to accomplish. We set out with great intention only to be sidetracked by our psyche urging us to turn the other way and enjoy the lure of things within easy reach instead. Maybe it’s that we want to be savvier with our money or get into better shape or gain more knowledge so we can prosper in our careers. These things all take time, focus, and drive. They require a significant amount of patience and motivation to acquire.

Short cuts just seem easier, don’t they? 

We’re all smart enough to know that to make any real progress, we must do the work. We can’t expect to run a company successfully without first acquiring the skill sets. We can’t expect to have a bestselling novel without first putting in the long hours of writing the book. We can’t expect to have healthy bodies without first treating our bodies with the respect of good nutrition and sensible exercise routines.

The reality then is that we need to work to get ahead on those things that we deem important.

As with any new venture, we set out on new goals fueled with what seems like a super human power. We might spend hours writing some fabulous scenes, reading a book on finance, or tackling the first week of a grueling exercise program. We feel on top of our game, fueled by euphoria from the first scene that took us on a glorious ride, from the first stock papertrade that went well, or from the first inch lost on our waistline.

Then, week two comes around and we find ourselves tempted to let the firm focus grip slide a little. Our old habits are staring us in the face begging for attention. To break an old habit, we need a sticking motivation something that will stand firm in the face of temptation.

A powerful motivator is usually an emotional one.

For instance, when it comes to my health, the drive is deeply rooted in a promise I made to myself after a great friend passed away 2 years ago. I will never again take my health for granted. He died of cancer too early in life and he would've given anything to have a healthy body. I have one, so I'm constantly reminded that I have to treat it with respect. It's almost like if I don't, then I'm disrespecting his battle. This is strong motivation for me tied inextricably to my emotions.

We’re all motivated differently. To find success, we must discover what makes us tick. If we don’t know yet what that thing is that’ll keep us strong in the face of adversity, we need to vigilantly keep searching for it.

Here’s one way: Reach out to others who are role models and doing what you want to be doing. Find out what keeps them focused and see if it mirrors your philosophies and touches you on an emotional level.

Never give up on your journey to discover the power that resides within you. It’s in all of us. 

Wishing you ultimate success in all you do,

Suzie Carr

I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to the NOH8 Campaign (www.noh8campaign.com) and to Hearts United for Animals (www.hua.org) .

Check out my series of LGBT fiction.

Balancing Act

By Suzie Carr

@girl_novelist

Yesterday, I spent the better part of my day desperately trying to get in the zone. I even drank four cups of coffee, but to no avail, I couldn't focus. 

Finally, listening to my body, I surrendered to the lazy afternoon. 

This is highly unlike me. I’m that crazy go-getter with a mile long to-do list and more goals than would be humanly possible to accomplish in one lifetime. Despite this, I realize that every once in a while, we all need a day to play hooky. It does the mind good to rest it and let it run loose without restraint. So, yesterday, after fighting the urge to relax for too long, I loosened the grip and just let myself enjoy a beautiful afternoon free of work, of demands, of anything that required too much focus.

I needed to do this. Lately, I’ve scheduled my days to the minute. I believe goal setting and actions are critical to move forward in life. But, I also I believe if a person charges full force ahead leaving no room for fun, for wonder, for freedom, she will fall flat and run out of steam.

Balance is key.

Every once in a while, we all need to take time out to just be. So, after spending the morning running around like a wild woman clocking one important task after another, I ran out of steam and had nothing left. That’s when I surrendered. I let the tension roll off of my shoulders and embraced some downtime.

I breathed in some beautiful fresh air, basked in the unseasonably warm February sunshine and let my mind wander off to the beauty of the birds flying above and the fluffy white clouds floating on the backdrop to the prettiest periwinkle sky I’d seen in a while.

The result? Today, my mind is clear. My breaths are deeper. My heart is open to the possibilities of a brand new day.

Bring it on! I am recharged.

Here’s hoping you find that sweet spot of balance in your life, too!

Suzie

I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to the NOH8 Campaign (www.noh8campaign.com)

A Personal Mission

I start my day at 3 a.m. 

I start out each day with a clear purpose, knowing exactly what I want to accomplish in that first critical, creative hour. I set out with coffee in hand and then plow into my determined project for that day. Once 4 a.m. strikes, I’ve made a tangible dent into one of my many life affirming projects.  Then, I relax into a fun romp through my social networking sites as a reward. 

The rest of my day follows suit. I tackle those projects that I deem most life affirming first, then drift for a few deserved minutes into surfing the net for fun. By the end of a week, I’ve accomplished my weekly goals. By the end of the month, I’ve accomplished my monthly goals. And by the end of a year, I’ve accomplished my yearly goals.  

This is strict to some, but it works for me. And, that is what is most important. Find what works and stick to it. 

For me, the only way to clearly reach my goals is if I know what they are and become intimately familiar with them. I do this by writing a personal mission statement at the start of every year. In it I detail what I’d like the end result to be. Then, I set out to create it.  

“"The best way to predict your future is to create it." - Stephen Covey

Many people stumble when it comes to writing a mission statement because to write one takes time and clarity. I found if I start with the end in mind, I am more successful in deciding exactly what it is I want out of life. You might find it helpful to imagine your 80th birthday celebration. What would you like to have accomplished in your life by that point? What would you like for people to say to you as they hug you and eat a slice of cake alongside of you? The answers you come up with are the things you should be focusing on in your present life. Write them down. Create action steps to achieving them by setting up daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals that point to their completion. 

It’s never too late to start living your dreams. Just don’t wait too long because life is speeding by every second of the day! 

Wishing you success along the way,

Suzie

I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to Chely Wright's LikeMe foundation (http://likeme.org/) to help provide support, resources and education to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends. 

Take Action

I always like to start out a new year with several ambitious goals. I write them down and hang them up where I am inspired to read them every single day.


To achieve them, I must take action. This often requires me to take leaps and face risks, conquer the inner voice in my head ranting impossibilities, avoid sinking into self-pity when things don't go as planned, and stand up to those who try to dismantle momentum with their stories of failure.


The truth is, no one is going to understand your goals the way you do. They will not understand what fires up your passion, what keeps you going day and night chasing your dreams, and what not achieving them would do to your spirit. So it's critical you hold tight to your truths, convictions, and ideals and understand them intimately.


The world is filled with unrealized potential and unfulfilled dreams. It is also filled with amazing feats, unstoppable fervor, and limitless inspiration. We have a choice - to take action on our dreams or allow others to steer us in other directions.


I think Will Smith's character summed up this choice perfectly in the following scene:





"If you want something. Go get it. Period." Powerful words to live by.


Wishing you much success in the pursuit of your dreams,


Suzie

I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to Chely Wright's LikeMe foundation (http://likeme.org/) to help provide support, resources and education to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends.

All The Right Moves

When the student is ready, the master appears. ~Buddhist Proverb

by: Suzie Carr
@girl_novelist

I’m goal-oriented. I have my goal list pinned to my corkboard, taped to my bathroom mirror, even displayed on a dry-erase board in my hallway. If it’s in my sight, I’m going to tackle it. So, naturally, it comes as no surprise that I’ve failed to put certain bucket-items on these lists, items like ‘go skydiving’ and ‘sleep under the stars without a tent’ and ‘run a marathon’. After all, out of sight, out of mind, right?! Admirable as these are, I love my feet safely on the ground, my head resting against a tempurpedic pillow, and my relaxed state of mind during a manageable three mile run. 

My goals are slightly less adventurous.

I just recently added a new practical goal to my list, and this one will most definitely come as a surprise to all. You see, I’m about to admit something no novelist should feel comfy admitting… I stink at typing. Up until now, I have never had a clue how to type like a writer should. So, new to my list is: Keyboarding 101.

A little crazy, right? I’ve written three novels and am writing my fourth now, and I am just now learning what ‘home keys’ are. I am also just learning that my left pinky depresses the ‘a’ key and that the ‘?’ key is near the ‘shift’ key and not on the top row where all the other important symbols are located.

I can get by alright with my cavewoman style typing methods, but clearly a better method exists.

So, for fifteen minutes every day, I load up my Keyboarding Pro software and challenge my fingers to move in ways they’ve never moved before.

I often wonder how much time I’ve wasted over the years hitting backspace and delete. In a day’s time, I would bet I hit them a thousand times. Well, now, three weeks into my lessons, I am happy to report that I typed the last 300 or so words of this blog hitting backspace only twice (big smile).

What about you? Is there a new skill you have always wanted to learn, but haven’t gotten around to learning it? What are you waiting for?

Enjoying Life,

Suzie Carr

****
I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to Chely Wright's LikeMe foundation (http://likeme.org/) to help provide support, resources and education to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends.

Follow me on Facebook to keep up on my latest projects! www.facebook.com/suziecarr.author

A Worthy Goal

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."
Zig Ziglar

by: Suzie Carr
@girl_novelist

After several years of living enviously and vicariously through other people’s good fortunes, a friend said to me, “If you don’t take charge of your life, someone else will.”

Up to that point, I had been living my life afraid to assert myself, afraid to rely too heavily on unrealistic dreams. So, this phrase, swimming in truthful murk, stung like hell.

I couldn’t think of a single moment in time when I’d morphed into this person who allowed obstacles to cut into my dreams. But, somehow I’d allowed these challenges access to my primordial self, turning me into a victim of happenstance instead of a warrior claiming victory over my life.

No more my brain screamed.

My friend’s phrase had spun me into action. Compelled to act, I immediately set a goal to improve upon three areas of my life that I felt were most important to regaining my self-worth and well-being: to educate myself on how to invest, to get into the best physical shape of my life, and to write my butt off so I could work towards my lifetime dream of becoming a full time novelist.

That afternoon, I sat down at my dining room table with a pen in hand, and scribbled down the action steps I’d need to take to accomplish these three ideals. To see a goal in writing actually made it come alive for me. I couldn't ignore what I wanted to achieve a moment longer.

I broke each action step down into daily tasks and carried them with me in my pocketbook. When the craving to sleep in a little longer or watch some addictive television show tempted me, I thought about my daily list and how empowered I’d feel at the end of that day if I had checked off all the items.

With each day that passed, I became more and more determined to learn about bearish and bullish markets, to challenge my body physically with a good run or kettle bell workout, and to refine and publish my three novels.  Amazing what a little action each day could do for a gal!

Now, as I look back over this period of time, an easy smile rests on my face because all those little acts have added up to something powerful and tangible. I feel more alive than I did when I was in my twenties, I feel more financially empowered for my future, and I feel more grateful than ever that I am connecting with hundreds of readers a month now through my novels.

I have taken back the control and am continuing to steer my life in the direction I want it to go.

For the first time in my life, I am realizing that I can do anything I set my mind to doing.

I came across a great blog that speaks to the importance of setting goals. Randall Rogers talks about how setting goals is universal.

Here's to setting great goals,

Suzie Carr

****
I feel it's critical to support the community, and so I've committed to donate a portion of my book sale proceeds to Chely Wright's LikeMe foundation (http://likeme.org/) to help provide support, resources and education to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends.

Follow me on Facebook to keep up on my latest projects! www.facebook.com/suziecarr.author