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)

Enthusiasm

By Suzie Carr

@girl_novelist

I woke up this morning feeling tired and a little cranky for no particular reason. I set out walking my dogs, Sunshine and Bumblebee, in a state of mindless abandonment, getting irritated when they took too long to sniff a patch of grass. As I rounded the bend at the end of my street, my female dog, Bumblebee, became super excited over a tennis ball she found sitting lonely on the sidewalk. You would have thought she discovered a lifetime supply of dog biscuits the way her tail wagged and her ears perked.

In that moment, we all came alive, awoken by Bumblebee’s enthusiastic energy. After this, she pranced around the neighborhood holding onto that ball like it was a part of her exuberant being now, grateful that the day had presented her with a beautiful gift.

Gratitude – the golden ticket to enthusiasm.

As she pranced, I felt inspired to catalogue things for which I was grateful – the mild air, the light breeze, my two healthy dogs, my safe neighborhood, etc. I pranced alongside Bumblebee and Sunshine for another fifteen minutes, and by the time I walked back into my house, my list was still not complete. My heart overflowed with gratitude for everything I had been gifted in life.

My entire demeanor transformed from sleepy to enthusiastic by simply shifting my focus to gratitude for everything and everyone in my life. Thanks to my Bumblebee this morning, I caught her enthusiasm out of her gratitude over her new toy. Now, who knows? Maybe someone I come across today will catch some of her enthusiasm from me.

Here’s hoping!

Suzie Carr

The Power to Forgive

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." – Epictetus 

By: @girl_novelist

I once held a grudge against someone for three months over something hurtful she said to me. I carried that grudge around like it was my suit of armor. It justified my bitterness. I’d go to sleep at night and allow this grudge to take up refuge in my dreams. I’d wake in the morning and further allow it to accompany me through the day and diminish my spirit.  To sum up this span of time – I wasted three good months of my life. 

Forgiving someone is hard. At that moment of giving in, you feel like you’re selling out. So, you hold tight to your ideals for the sake of standing your ground and you wait for that moment when vindication seeps in and makes you feel good again. 

I waited three months for this person to apologize for her hurtful words. The apology never arrived. Instead, I was left with nothing more than a dreaded feeling that I had lost a battle and she had won. 

Then one day I was having lunch with a good friend of mine, complaining about how much worse I felt towards this person still after three long months. My friend placed her fork down, then reached out for my fork and placed mine down, too.  She grabbed hold of my hands, stared me straight in the eye and begged me to let go.  “Be the better person and forgive her.”

The pressure of my three-month burden suddenly suffocated me.  I wanted to let go. 

The weight of carrying around this anger for so long had created such an imbalance, such a burden, such an emotional drain on my soul that suddenly I needed to shed it. I wanted to sleep a full night again. I wanted to wake up feeling light and happy. I wanted my peace back. 

I spent one whole week writing and rewriting an email to this person trying to find the right words to describe the pain she had caused me, and how I wanted to just move on and forget everything. These drafts grew to the size of a chapter, stretching out for thousands of words. Every new draft seemed to negate the very thing I was trying to do. I was telling her how wrong she was and how I was going to be the one to set it right.  She’d never read this and think, yeah, let’s hug now and be best of friends again.   

So, a week later, thousands of words into it, I decided on this instead: “I miss you and I love you.” 

I hit send and the weight of the world fell from my shoulders. 

I learned that sometimes the best way to show your strength is to be humble with it and come in like a gentle breeze. 

Wishing you lots of peace, 

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.

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.

Inner Secrets Is Now Available!

After many months of writing, refining, editing and polishing, Inner Secrets is now available! I had so much fun writing this book and creating the characters. This may sound strange, but I actually miss them!

I am deeply grateful to @editor_girl (T.A. Royce, editor of all 4 of my novels) for her outstanding advice, expert eye, and keen editing ability. In addition, I thank Felicia H. and Dawn M. for reading the final draft and offering their helpful insights.

This story is one that deals with the themes of forgiveness and consequences to every action. It is a novel for anyone who enjoys delving deep into the heart of romance, temptation, genuinity, and friendship.  

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Happy New Year!

Suzie

It is available in paperback, kindle and in the kindle lending library.

Holiday Wishes

I am sitting in my living room all snuggled up with my pups as I write this post.

I am feeling incredibly fortunate right now to have great health, family, friends, and the support of so many people. During this time of holiday cheer, I want to extend my deepest appreciation to all of you who have helped make this year even more special. Through Twitter, Blogger and Facebook, I've come to meet some pretty dynamic people over the course of this year, people who have inspired me, lifted me up, and humbled me. I've created friendships, met new mentors, and developed a network of people with a wealth of resources and information. It's been a fantastic year!

Additionally, through your support of the purchase of my books, I have been able to send some of the proceeds to The LikeMe organization, an organization dedicated to providing education, support and resources to LGBT individuals, and their families and friends. Thank you for all of your support!

My holiday wish for you all is that you have a safe, happy holiday with your family and friends. Be sure to splurge on some pie, cookies, and chocolate! I will be!!!

Happy Holidays!!
Suzie