Stay tuned!......? (IWSG)

I was about to write "about a month ago" - but the truth is - I have lost most of my sense of time the past... however long.... Let's try again.

It has been my intention to start blogging more. I wrote a post once about why I struggled with this - the gist of which was that I didn't know what to write about. Then one day I sat pondering about what kind of posts I like to read and which one's I don't. For instance - everyone has been engaging in the A-Z Challenge, and I found that my absolute favorite blogger this time around was Lexa Cain. She posted about haunted places. It was awesome. I was totally engaged and excited to read about the different places. It had to have been quite and endeavor and I was impressed. However, even as I thought that I might have found something I'd enjoy writing about - basically, micro-history posts - I realized that in my current place in life, doing such posts frequently would become overwhelming for me. It would have to be a once a month thing. So I tucked that idea into my bag and kept thinking.

I recently stumbled upon a blog (briefly, and I can't remember the name of it) on which the writer was recording her journey out of debt. It was intriguing, and personal and I liked that. However, it felt a little too personal for my telling and I couldn't think of anything in my life that I wanted to share with the world that way. It got me thinking however, of the idea of learning from others experience. I have recently had a strong desire to change my schedule and start waking up early. I looked at the hours I spend doing things and decided that if I became that morning person that I longed to be, that I would be able to accomplish just a bit more each day. I decided I would begin a Morning Experiment. It was something that I could tie into writing and was feeling passionate about - so I tucked that idea into my bag and kept thinking.

You see, I felt that I could be pretty impersonal on the web. I have a lot of good reasons why... I mean... the only reason you really need is: It's the internet. But, my absolute favorite blog to read - which I never miss a post on - is that of Patrick Rothfuss. He has such a captivating voice, I like reading it even when the content is only so-so. He manages to share just enough of himself, without exposing his life to everyone. This finally convinced me that I need to talk about SOMETHING I was passionate about. I am passionate about writing - but, I don't have much to say about it. I'm passionate about my job, but that's not for me to share (as per HIPAA :). I'm passionate about the Wombat, but no one wants to read post after mushy post about someone else's lovey-kins. So I thought, and thought, and wondered if maybe I had a NeuroEmotional Complex (NEC) about it. Then I smiled, because that was something else that I was passionate about. You see, I'm not a practitioner - and I am not trained in the NeuroEmotional Technique, but after watching it done and having it done on me for years, I have learned how to do it, and the Wombat and I will use the technique on each other when we feel the need. Some of the biggest writing hurtles I have ever had were overcome because of this technique. So I decided that the personal piece would be an occasional Wed-NET-day post, in which I would share my experience clearing a trapped emotion and what happened because of it. 

So I began tucking this idea into the bag, but now the bag was kind of full. I looked in there at the shiny new ideas in there and I began to feel insecure. Who was I kidding? I can barely manage one post a month with IWSG!... but... I suppose I could do some NET about blogging... it may prove helpful and then I could write about that to get started... and if I got up earlier, I may have those few extra minutes to throw a post together... and daggnabbit I need to find sometime to do some research and enjoy learning, lest I become a complete workaholic. Maybe I can do it after.... so..... stay tuned.....?

Monthly Visit (IWSG)

Well, friends, I am sad to say that not much has changed since last month. Work is still kicking my butt and writing has been taking a back seat. It's always embarrassing when the first Wednesday of the month rolls around and I realize that I haven't managed to pump out a single blog and my book progress is atrocious. That being said, work really has been kicking my butt. Oh yeah, and the Wombat has been suffering through a mid-life crisis at the unripe age of 25, and frankly, it's taken a toll. That being said, I am hopeful to say that we are on the upswing, and as is my nature - when I am on the upswing I like to up the ante. Anti? Antee? Ante... We'll go with that.

Goal time. We will be having the good fortune of being able to fly back home to our Portland roots in the upcoming, and will be seeing some of our awesome fam. This got me thinking, "Wow, when people ask me how my book is going (cause at least one will probably ask), what do I want to be able to say?" That got me ruminating. I thought, "Maybe if I can say I am halfway, I'll feel like I am sharing good news!" So I made that goal. However, I then realized that I was pretty close to that point and if that's all I required of myself between now and then, I would be making it nigh-on impossible to achieve my extraordinarily vague long term goal.

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So I coaxed out the Wombat and we got to work - which typically means he listens like the Saint that he is while I ramble off ideas and reasons and ho and hum for exorbitant lengths of time. Eventually, Saint Wombat and I emerged triumphant and walking right alongside us was Mr. Insecurity.

You see, I am pretty careful to only make goals that are achievable. After all goal's need to be "S.M.A.R.T." - and A stands for Achievable... but... I am at that uncomfortable desperate point in which my greatest motivation to complete my book in the allotted time is that I can't bare for it to take longer than that!

So me and Mr. Insecurity have become unfriendly friends of late. However. If I believe that sometimes, under extreme circumstances you need to fire a friend. Don't give him any advance warning- but I think Mr. Insecurity is gonna be next on the incendiary list.

So here's to new goals! Here's to June 13th! June 13th - the day in which I celebrate the birth of my very best friend Saint Wombat and - if when everything goes right - the day that he celebrates finally getting to finish reading the story that he's had to wait years to get to.

What the hay!?!?! (IWSG)

Alex J. Cavanaugh's Blog Hop

Holy cow pie. It's already been a month? I wish that I could say that I had something unique to share - but I am in the exact same spot as I was last month. I have been so busy at my job that I have been struggling to get the writing in. I have fudged in a line or two between patients - oh!oh! and the Wombat and I went to dinner and worked on clarifying one of my characters! That was fantastic! But wow... I feel like I'm sleeping, working, working, trying to keep my home in slight form of order, working... Yeah... You'd think I was making bank with all this working, but... between the car starting to cause some problems and taxes impending... I can't even nix the time prepping food by subsisting on restaurant pho instead. I have a slight glimmer of hope that work is about to level out a little... but I think I still have to figure out a better system - or finally ask if our little clinic is ready to give it's most valuable (meaning 'only') employee a raise :p 

Well- I have many reasons to motivate me - but even if it just means I will have a new topic for next months IWSG - I hereby make a goal to change SOMETHING for the better.

Happy writing out there! 

Sneaky Post (IWSG)

I'm being sneaky and writing up a quick post from work about work for IWSG! We had a couple slow months there during the holidays - but here at The Clinic we have entered January with vigor and vim! We are super busy, and I have lots of what I call "ExtraCurricular" work to do: flyers to make, handouts to BS into something not BS. I have been working longer hours and my to-do list grows twice as long with every task I complete. I haven't been this busy with work in... well, actually, ever. I've worked long hours and other jobs before - but I've never been as invested as I am here. I'm the only other member of a two person machine! I care about it functioning optimally and I'm invested in it's success. That's before I even get to the stuff I might be included into with the franchise aspect of the clinic. So I am busy - super busy.

I am also on day 19 of my 21 day cleanse and I feel great! This made this last month a little harder - but the truth is I am feeling fan-freaking-tastic now. I have energy, clarity, drive! Which coupled with the aforementioned busyness means that I have luckily had enough energy to take care of some of the mess that is my home as well - which has gotten one person messier since we took in my brother-in-law to live with us (bless his heart, he is minimally helpful, but you can only have such high expectations from someone come down with Epstein-Barr - so I practice patience, and use a little of my very blessed extra energy to take care of the extra mess too).

So my productivity is through the roof of late - which has had both a positive and negative effect on my writing. I have energy and gumption so I have still been doing some writing and I feel like writing all the time! However, for the first time in my life I can genuinely say that I am struggling to find time to write! I have started pecking out words-at-a-time pieces on my iPad in between charting for the doc during patients appointments- but that's pretty hard. It's hard to try to trickle out creativity in between all the logical work. I would consider turning into one of those late night writers - but the truth is - I can't do that anymore without consequences - and knowing how good I can feel and how much I can get done when I feel that good is something I am not willing to compromise on a regular basis.

I have not lost hope, by any means but I am having to take life with firmness and seriousness - which is both wonderful and a bit intimidating. Here goes!

Ya Healed!

I  know it's the day for posting out Insecurities - but I have some awesome news to share.

I am a chiropractic assistant - but not for a "snap, crackle, pop!" chiropractor. I mean, Dr. Cool does that too - and I lurve getting adjusted - but he does more than that. He practices with a more holistic approach treating structural, bio-chemical (fancy word to indicate nutrition), toxicity and emotional problems. It's the emotional - or stress - component that I want to tell you about today.

Alex J. Cavanaugh's Blog Hop

Now I've been receiving treatment for years. I've done the stress technique a ton. It's called the NeuroEmotional Technique (NET). Stress plays a large - and I would like to exaggerate here by adding, TREMENDOUS! - part in our health. There are people whose unresolved health problems are directly related to unresolved stress. In fact, I'm a good example of this, because if my life hadn't been heading down to hell in a hand basket six years ago I don't think I wouldn't have gotten sick at all. But I did. Slowly but surely, over the course of about 3 years. When I hit rock bottom... things were bad. Really bad. Shortly after that is when God showed me every mercy I could have hoped for if I knew it was possible, and found me a job with my doc. It's been a 3 year climb back to the top - but by golly ladies and gents - I am at the top! I never would have thought it possible in that misery that was 2010.

Anyways - that whole story doesn't need to be told to get to my real point. I am here to talk about NET and writing. You see, I have had plenty of NET done regarding writing. It's helped off and on a little here or there, but the subconscious mind tends to be somewhat intractable and often nothing really big came up that could be cleared.

Then, I hit a point where I felt entirely able and inspired to write, but... man, it was hard. I would sit down and write, but every word was pried out of me. Truly, it had been this way for awhile, but I had cleared so much other crap from my head that this irritation was suddenly very obvious. So I had the Wombat do some NET on me (after watching the treatment and getting treated for years, we picked up on how to do the technique on one another - though being married tends to make us go polar sometimes and we know that not all topics or issues should be approached by each other - sometimes you just need to be in the caring hands of your caring doc - which Dr. Cool is.)

I would explain in detail what I got treated for with Wombat, but... first of all I can't remember what emotion it brought up and if I told you details of when it started you'd probably close your browser or blog feed and write me off as a loony. What was isn't really important though. He cleared me of the emotion and I felt a lot better. Didn't think much of it. After all, like I said, I had already been treated for writing before.

Then I sat down to write.

It poured out like melted chocolate. It didn't gush. I mean... I was writing. It takes effort... duh. However, it wasn't like pulling teeth. It came out comfortably. Easily. Happily. I wrote and wrote. Then the next day... well I felt like writing, so I wrote and wrote. The day after that... well I wrote a little more! It felt great! Better yet - it STILL feels great!

So I guess, rather than sharing my insecurities today, I want to just share a little info. Maybe NET isn't for you and that's fine. No judgement on that. If you find yourself really struggling though - sometimes it's not anything you are doing consciously and a little subconscious care could help you tons. So maybe find a practitioner in your area. Maybe look for a counselor - or if you are ready and wanting to make some big health changes find yourself a good chiropractor. You can search for a practitioner here: www.netmindbody.com

Take care! May your writing be forever in your favor!