I didn’t have a clue when he was with One Direction. Boy bands aren’t my thing. But then, he started appearing in movies (did you see Dunkirk?!), and showing up on James Corden’s show (which I love! Do you watch Carpool Karaoke?), and then I heard this song on the radio and thought, OMG, it’s like he’s channeled the Beatles, and I fell in love.
But he’s so much more! It’s like the Beatles, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie have all reached out to touch him. I think I’ve watched the following video about fifty times already. It never fails to make me smile. Maybe it will be your new fave. And I love the pearls!!
Isn’t he adorable? And what a voice! My taste in music roams from heavy metal (Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch) to classic rock (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Heart, CCR). I also like classical—especially love Beethoven, Bach (any dirge-y organ thing), and anything played on the cello! I detest most country and western, unless it’s something like classic George Jones, Hank Williams, or Willie Nelson. Love the Blues (Howlin’ Wolf, BB King).
How about you? What do you like to listen to? Any favorite music videos?
Outside, the sun’s shining, the temperature is a nippy, slightly breezy 41 degrees. I’m ready for it to get warm enough for me to start working on the pool. It’s an icky chartreuse at the moment!
I’m a little tired after “mom duty” last night, but it’s nothing a strong cup of coffee won’t cure. Then I’m going to tackle bills, do some housecleaning, and maybe, just maybe, write a little today…
Contest
Complete the puzzle then tell me what you can’t wait for…
It’s obvious what I can’t wait for. 🙂
One commenter will win a $5 Amazon gift card!
Dreams are visions of what we can become. But dreams are also an invitation to doubt, to wonder if you’re good enough, or if you have what it takes. When I retired from the Navy, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a published author. After 100 rejections, I quit counting as I figured I knew how to achieve a rejection. Then, after 9 ½ years, I finally sold. The journey taught me many things, which I’d like to share with you.
-Take yourself seriously: If YOU don’t, no one else will.
-Associate with people who inspire you, and encourage you to achieve your dreams. Encourage and inspire others as you move toward your dream.
-Set a clear goal: Once you know exactly what you want, break down steps to achieve it. If you’re unsure how to start, read biographies of people who have achieved a dream similar to yours. What steps did they take? Are there comparable avenues you can pursue?
-Success is a compilation of small steps toward one focused goal.
-Affiliate yourself with professional organizations: Join accredited groups to educate yourself about the industry you’ve chosen. In addition to net-working, you will have opportunities to learn from local or on-line sources.
-Self affirmation: Each morning reaffirm that you are good enough and clarify your goal of the day. Then, move forward with positive, focused steps.
-Permission to fail: Success is not a moment, but a journey. As we grow within our craft, there will be times when we fail at a certain step. Focus not on the failure, but on the lessons learned. What worked, what didn’t? Move forward and make wiser decisions with the knowledge learned.
-The way we act and talk about our goal reflects our commitment to it: What are you telling yourself? “I WILL do this!” Or, are you assuring yourself that one day you’ll really try?
-Give the gift of example: When you make the choice to follow your dream, you are doing more than commitment to self, but teaching your children an important life lesson — dare to dream, and follow through. So, be bold. Believe in yourself.
I hope you’ve found inspiration from my comments. Remember, there is no right path, but the steps right for you. Believe in yourself!
*How do you encourage others to go after their dream?
I sincerely wish everyone health, friendship and happiness for the New Year!
Contest
***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, “A New Year’s Guide To Achieving Your Goal!,” on Delilah’s blog between 3 January 2020 – 12 January 2020. The winner will receive one of Diana’s mugs and a tote.
Christmas 2019 is over, and the New Year is finally here. 2020! A clean slate just ready for my plans and plots. I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions anymore. I used to make them, but I found that by the end of January they were already a distant memory. Now, I just try to make general goals for the year and hope I can stick to them.
My goals this year are fairly simple. I want to keep a consistent release schedule for my books. I have two ongoing series, my Terras Five Cyborgs and my Northern Rockies Werewolves. Although both are romance, one is a sci-fi series and the other is a paranormal. My hope is that by alternating between the two, I will be able to keep both fresh and not start to recycle the same plot with different characters in each successive story. I find my muse gets bored and stale if I just stick to one universe. (I’m sure a psychologist would love to explore that idea!)
Click on picture to pre-order!
On a personal front, I want to continue to spend as much time as I can with my grandkids while they are still willing to be seen in public with me. I have a day planned to see the latest Star Wars movie with the oldest four (ages five through thirteen) this weekend. We’ll go to the afternoon show, get pizza for dinner and then they can have a sleep over. I love going to the movies with a group of kids. They aren’t embarrassed to show their enthusiasm for their favorite characters!
As five of my grandkids live within a fifteen minutes of my home, and one of them goes to high school a mere three blocks from me, I have an revolving door policy that means they are always welcome to drop in, be it for few minutes to grab a glass of water or to stay overnight and make popcorn and watch a movie on Netflix or Disney plus. I cherish these times, and hope they always feel welcome to drop into my home unannounced. Being a grandmother is one of the best things that ever happened to me!
I am also determined to be more active. Since my day job is a desk job, and writing is also very much a sit still kind of activity, I have to find hobbies that make me move (unfortunately reading isn’t active either!) This fall I entered Merlin the Wonder Dog in an advanced agility course, and it turns out he loves it! Santa brought him a set of weave poles for Christmas so now we can practice at home. Come spring, I’m considering letting him compete in the local agility competitions.
Lexi is much younger, really just a pup (maybe a year old?) so I am working on basics with her. So far she has mastered not looking terrified all the time, and sitting on command. I spent a lot of time getting her not to cringe and crawl when anyone looked at her so I hesitate to teach her ‘down’. Right now we are working on leash manners. As in, walking while on leash as opposed to dropping to the ground and playing dead.
So that’s it for my plans for 2020! Here’s hoping it’s a wonderful year for all of us,
Happy New Years, everyone! I hope you had a party, friends and family, drank some bubbly! It’s nice to celebrate the passage of time. I’d love to hear how you welcomed in the new year!
I didn’t do any celebrating last night. My mother was released into our care from the hospital yesterday. We’ll have extra support from hospice, but it’s up to us to care for her, 24/7. So, last night I slept with the baby monitor next to me, with her in the next room, so I could hop up whenever she needed help.
We’re glad to have her back home. It’ll be work, but she’ll be happier in her own place, with her family around her.
Her care, her future and ours, is a bit up in the air, but I still made plans for what I want to accomplish writing-wise. This is a snapshot of my workplan for the first quarter of 2020.
Does it look like gobbledygook to you? Okay, it looks crazy busy, and it is ambitious, but I have to try to get there. While mom sleeps, I’ll write. Kind of like now.
I am blessed with family that pitches in. My brother and his wife have been RVing around the country, but they’re presently parked in our pasture, ready to pitch in with whatever we need done, for as long as we need them here. Last week, my sister flew down to keep mom company when they moved her to a larger hospital in the city. That was a huge help.
My dd lives right across the road with her big family, and yesterday, her husband tore down her bed and put it in storage before hospice workers arrived with a hospital bed and lift. Her room is set up like a hospital room now, and we’ve got all the supplies in—gloves, masks, menthol inhalers (my dd has a sensitive nose), bed pads, etc. We’ve done this before—for my grandma and my dad. We’re set. We know how to do this.
I moved into my mother’s office with the bare necessities of what I need: my laptop, planner, a watercolor notebook, and a portable set of watercolors. The baby monitor is next to my laptop monitor, so whenever she’s awake, I’m in there with her, checking on her comfort.
Probably more details than you guys want. All writers live these exciting lives, right? Gorgeous cabana boys at poolside… Well, we’re people, too, and sometimes life isn’t easy.
But I have plans. Stories to tell. I’ll find the time to write them! ~DD
