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During a recent flight to London, when asked if I would be joining my colleagues for Happy Hour at the hotel bar, I gave my standard answer: “No, I don’t drink anymore.”
“Good for you,” was the surprised response. “Guess you’re saving a lot of money.”
Although I didn’t want to brag, my colleague was right. I have saved a lot of money by cutting alcohol from my life. But that wasn’t why I gave it up. [Read more…] about What’s the Big Deal?
Growing up, I attended church faithfully every Sunday. It was something we did as a family, (and the rule in our house). While I sat in abject boredom during the sermons, I loved it when the congregation sang the hymns or the choir performed. I’d belt out the words or ad lib during those old-time, gospel spirituals that had everyone standing on their feet and clapping to the beat. We were black and Baptist, and carrying on the traditions of our ancestors. The music seemed to uplift the soul, make a believer out of a non-believer. [Read more…] about You Got to Move
Something happened last week that I’m not proud of. Maybe I’m overreacting. I just like things done a certain way, set high expectations for myself, and am, undoubtedly, my worst critic. I’m a perfectionist. I thought that was a good thing. Now, I’m not so sure. [Read more…] about What Happens When You Rush…
In my early twenties, I realized I wanted to be a writer. Not a writer who wrote just for the love of it. A writer — a bestselling author whose books inspire and stay with readers long after they put them down. And even though I’d been honest with myself and acknowledged my dream, I acted like someone who was ashamed of it. Who was I to want to be a writer? What did I have to say? And would people care or listen? That was the doubt speaking. And while I did write, I approached it half-heartedly, still believing that it was nothing but a silly dream. I suffered from the One Day Syndrome. “One day,” became my mantra. “One day I’ll make my dream come true.” [Read more…] about The ‘One Day’ Syndrome
A while ago on Twitter, I had a number of exchanges with other artists (mostly writers) about what they’d accomplished during the day. The responses varied. Someone had been working on book two of a romance trilogy. Another had polished a short story they planned to submit for publication. Someone else had a Sci-Fi-horror feature in the works. Someone admitted to not having had a productive day. Procrastination came knocking on the door, which they’d answered and let in that sly-smiling curmudgeon. [Read more…] about How to Outrun Procrastination