Posts by Jef
“This Is Your Life” by Banderas
Angele, a fellow student in the Mayo Clinic Wellness Coach Training Program, recently asked me to describe a song that inspires me during a practice coaching session. After thinking for a few seconds, I gave her the song title by a favorite artist that is meaningful to me. The next day, “This Is Your Life”…
Read More ...Wherever You Go, There You Are
Even lost souls can find new directions. They begin by reaching for a new thought, which creates a new belief, and these lost souls feel their way to a new beginning.
Read More ...The No-Excuse 100-Word Writing Challenge
Join me for the No-Excuse 100-Word Writing Challenge. The objective is to move beyond creative block and procrastination to craft a micro story in a few minutes. In doing so, you can reprogram the limiting belief that you are creatively blocked, lack enough time to write, and you’re a hack with no talent.
Read More ...Seek Better Nourishment from Your Relationships in the New Year
In our modern, hectic lives, we often find ourselves plowing full-steam ahead to keep pace. We reach for the quickest and least nutrition options to quell our hunger. Because we gulp down our food, we don’t realize we’ve sated our appetite long before we’ve quit eating, or we continue to graze unconsciously. Later, we admonish ourselves for our behavior. Still, we tend to repeat this habit until the dissatisfaction with the reflection in the mirror surpasses our relaxed approach to our nutrition.
Read More ...How to Make Time to Do Things You Enjoy in the New Year
When I was a kid, I once asked my Mom why people made resolutions to do things they didn’t want to do in the new year instead of doing more of the things they wanted to do. She apprised me with a wary look and reminded me that children were to be seen and not heard before throwing back a plastic glass of cheap champagne.
This memory came back to me as I considered how busy 2019 had been for me—especially when I had told friends at the end of 2018 that I planned to slow my roll in the new year. I still have not replied to my friends’ birthday wishes posted to my Facebook page back in September, let alone organized my photos from my vacation to Iceland to share with others.
Read More ...Set Intentions Instead of Resolutions for New Year
Instead of setting resolutions for 2020, I’ve decided to set intentions. Although a dictionary shows the words are similar, I find many people infer a nuance between the two words.
Read More ...How to Survive Your Fourth Week of NaNoWriMo
Research shows it takes twenty-one days to make a new activity a habit, so after three weeks of writing daily for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), you have established writing every day as a habit. In addition, your word count should be around 35,000 words. You’re in the final stretch, and the 50,000-word finish line…
Read More ...How to Survive Your Third Week of NaNoWriMo
The beginning of the third week of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) feels like you’ve just reached the top of the mountain, and you’re gazing down at your final destination—the charming village in the valley below. Sure, you still have to descend the mountain; however, your body has gotten used to climbing and works faster…
Read More ...How to Survive Your Second Week of NaNoWriMo
In many ways, the second week of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) feels like a race where you blew out of the starting gate, sprinted over the hill, and then developed a stitch in your side. Your endorphins have abandoned you. You’re tired. You’ve drunk too much coffee. You said good morning to your children,…
Read More ...How to Survive Your First Week of NaNoWriMo
When a blogger friend casually suggested I attempt National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2004, I naively took the bait and signed up. On November 1, I dragged my big-ass laptop to a bookstore, ordered a cup of coffee and a muffin, and began pecking out a story that first took genesis in 1987. Two…
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