Day in the Life: exciting news ‘under construction’

Photo by WebFactory Ltd on Unsplash

Although still “under construction” (aren’t we all?), behind-the-scenes work continues on my new website, as well as the launch of Always the Write Time once-monthly emails that contain exclusive content, free giveaways for eNews subscribers, special promos to win fun book-related goodies and previews of my upcoming real-life “fairytales.” Spoiler alert: Stay tuned for my latest sweet short story featured in Woman’s World April 12 issue (on sale April 1)! I promise your inboxes won’t be bombarded — and your support would mean the world to me. Connecting with readers who believe it’s always the write time for hope for new beginnings, humor in the messy middle & heart for happy endings will help me better craft the stories that you want to read. As a thank you for signing up, you will receive a complimentary PDF of my Top 5 Sweet Romance Reads for 2021.

Visit my home page at chrismadayschmidt.com, and click on the “subscribe” button to be added to Always the Write Time free monthly email.

Pertaining to work: doing what you love, loving what you do

Early in my vocational pursuits, my father told me I would be lucky to find a job that not only pays well, but one in which I enjoy. Although you will never have to work a day in your life, if you choose a job you love (according to Confucius), and “the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” per Steve Jobs, I believe to do what you love and love what you do requires removing ourselves from the equation to ask: How does my work impact or bless someone else—a colleague, customer or stranger I might never meet? Perhaps Kahlil Gibran got it right when he penned: “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”

How can you do what you love and love what you do?

Image source: associationsnow.com.

 

 

Delete, delete, delete: A better way to break free from toxic thinking

The other day I sat in a messy space of negativity. You could say I wallowed in it (not a pretty picture). The following morning, I began writing an email to a friend listing all the moody details. After about 20 minutes of spewing onto the “page,” I backspaced through the majority of the conversation. At the same time, a lightbulb popped on to reveal an ah-ha moment: If we could visualize ourselves backspacing (or deleting) over a negative script in our minds—hurtful comments received or spoken, limiting beliefs that continue to bombard our thoughts—how would that affect our moods, our days…the quality of our lives? Personally, I prefer to live without any reminders that I “screwed up again” and to focus on the clean page. To fill that space with positive affirmations, words of gratitude and encouragement (to myself and others). And to quickly “backspace” whenever I find myself trapped in another endless loop of toxic thinking.

How do you keep from rehashing negative thoughts?

Let’s play: Can you describe your life in a six-word sentence?

I love these types of questions. As someone whose day job and part-time gig (aka the writer’s life) revolves around all things words—such as word counts, both minimum and maximum—I often play little games with myself; e.g., have you ever counted the number of words in any of the blog posts I’ve written over the past several years? Spoiler alert: 168. Even creating a story with 750-800 words stretches me in different ways than writing a 60,000-word manuscript. And that’s because it requires concise word choices sans the “fluff.” In the Bucket List Journey, which I embarked on at the beginning of 2021, one of the 365 questions includes a challenge to identify six words that condense the finite essence of our lives. Non-writers might also enjoy playing along. For me—within the framework of this moment—the six-word sentence that best illustrates a snapshot of my journey can be summed up as Living the life of my dreams.

What six words describe your life today?

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

No. 1 game-changing life hack from 2020

I know, I know: the calendar professes 2021. And that means the proverbial clean slate. Yet, I continue to marvel at the lessons I learned in 2020. One of the best—and I dare say “game-changing life hacks”—happens to be my “discovery” of the podcast. OK, I realize podcasts date back to 2004. (I never promised I’m a quick learner—just that you can teach old dogs new tricks). But when the catch phrases work from home, curfews and self-isolation served to shrink our respective corners of the world last year, my introduction to podcasts provided a way out, so to speak. Podcasts, for me, became an open door to expand my knowledge base on such topics as tips and techniques for authors, writing as a business, online “church” and more. And the best part? You can subscribe—for free—to any and all subject matter that piques your interest. My favorite this week? Write Now podcast with Sarah Werner.

What’s your game-changing life hack from 2020?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.