Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - R is for...

Rambling roses

You have a date with your journal, and you really love the time you spent writing down your thoughts, but you have no idea where to start. Happens to all of us. Novice or experienced journal writers.

You have a peek at a daily prompt or pick a letter from this blog, but there is nothing that speaks to you. Is there any advice to help? Yes, there is.

Think shallow to dig deep

Sometimes we know what we need to ponder, but it is difficult to get going. So the approach not difficult to manoeuvre, you start by using the simplest writing technique known to man: word association.

Take a dictionary (book works better, but some online dictionaries will give you a random word) open it and use the first word you see. Write it down. If you don't know the word, learn the meaning and make a sentence with it. Write down the next thing that comes to mind. And the next thing. You can write a sentence about the word that pops up, or just jump to something new.

Keep on doing this for a few minutes or until the words you need to write flows out of your pen.

If nothing happens, relax, ramble some more, but don't force yourself. Your mind may need a little time to process the thing you need to ponder, but until then, pick a word.

Ramble on dear friend

When I need to ramble, revive, repress, rhyme or ring, I pick an object on my desk and whine about needing to put it away, or clean it, or replace it. My favourite is the small fish tank that I bought a while back. There are no fish but I love the sound of the water while I am writing or reading. You can also pick from 6 prerecorded sounds of nature, but I just love to hear the sound of the water.

It can be powered by a USB port. This is a feature I like because I can plug it into my backup battery pack, and use the bright 6 LED light when the power is down.

See? Rambling already and about an empty fish tank.

Today's prompt is to get you going when you feel that words fail you. What other tricks do you use to get going on your journal entry?

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - Q is for...

My favourite Quote

Don't you just love words starting with Q? In English there are quite a number, but in Afrikaans, my home language, words starting with Q are rare indeed.

But when it came to the challenge this time, there was no doubt that my Letter Q would be for Quote. So here is my all time favourite quote:

 I have it printed in large font and stuck up on the cupboard door in my office facing me. All I have to do is look up and over my computer screen and there it is. My inspiration, if you like. The essence of what I feel I could become: dream plus action equals goal...in sixteen words.

What is your all time favourite quote?

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - P is for...

Physical challenges

Do you set physical goals for yourself? If you take part in competitions I am sure you do, but what if you have no interest in competitive sports? Or at least not want to take part at a competitive level, what do you do to keep moving?

To journal or not to journal

It is easy (relatively speaking) to use your journal for issues related to emotional issues and challenges. But setting yourself physical challenges, with your journal, can be a challenge in itself.

So what do we mean by physical challenges? Losing weight? Sure. Doing something creative? Always. But what about a sport-type of activity, such as t'ai chi? Um...yes?

I think you can do anything you want to apply your journal too. Because it is about a journey of life experiences to find your happiness.

You might need a calendar for taking part, or learning a new activity, when you are taking classes or join a club. But your journal can be there too...

It is a journey after all

Why do you want to learn Spanish? Or take up painting? Or master t'ai chi Sun Style? Something drove you to make that choice in the first place. Whether you were bored, or wanted to challenge yourself, you made a choice to step out of your comfort zone.

That choice places you on a new path in your life experiences. And your journal is the companion you need to take with you on that journey.

Your feelings will range from excitement at doing something new, to frustration at not learning fast enough, or self-doubt at choosing something that seems to be beyond your capabilities. But persistence is the key and noting your development in your journal will be the guide to the achievement of the goal.

We live in a world of instant-gratification. We want everything now; it is the same with new skills or challenging goals. But achievers are not people who give up, they are people who persisted until they have mastered the goals they set for themselves.

When you go back to the read the start of your journey, you will see how much you have grown in your happiness experiences and will feel more motivated with your next goal.

Book Feature: Provocative (White Lies Book One) by Lisa Renee Jones

Provocative (White Lies Book One) by Lisa Renee Jones Release Date: April 18th
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book one in the sexy and intense new White Lies duet by Lisa Renee Jones!

There are those moments in life that are provocative in their very existences, that embed in our minds forever, and sometimes our very souls. They change us, mold us, maybe even save us. But some are darker, dangerous. If we allow them to, they control us. Seduce us. Quite possibly even destroy us.

The moment I walked into Sonoma’s Reid Winter Winery and Vineyard and made eye contact with Faith Winter for the first time was one of those moments. Provocative because I know at least one of her secrets, of which, I suspect she has many. Provocative because she believes I was a stranger to her when we met, but I am not. Provocative because I sought her out, with no intention of touching her. But now I have. Now I want her. Now I have to have her. But that changes nothing. It doesn’t change why I came for her.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

Hi everyone!

I’m so excited that PROVOCATIVE is available now! Just a few notes: if you order PROVOCATIVE this week only you will get $1 off and it will only be $2.99 - I will be increasing this price at the end of the week! You’ll also receive the FREE novella Rebecca’s Forgotten Journals (these are NEW journal entries) in the back of your copy!

PS - if you missed your chance to receive any of my bonus scenes from Amy & Liam, Chris & Sara, or Ella & Kayden, this is your last chance to get them! Register your order of PROVOCATIVE here - http://bit.ly/2pkQ49b and you’ll receive them early next week!

Check out the Trailer: http://bit.ly/ProvocativeTrailer

READ CHAPTER ONE ➜ http://lisareneejones.com/duet

Read PROVOCATIVE Today!

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

B&N: http://bit.ly/ProvocativeBN

iBooks: http://bit.ly/ProvocativeiBooks

Kobo: http://bit.ly/ProvocativeKobo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34602810-provocative

Book two: SHAMELESS will be out on July 11th!

Amazon US: http://bit.ly/ShamelessAmazon

Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/ShamelessAmazonUK

B&N: http://bit.ly/Shameless_BN

iBooks: http://bit.ly/ShamelessiBooks

Kobo: http://bit.ly/Shameless_Kobo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34602828-shameless

GIVEAWAY

Prize: $100 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy - a modern girl we all can identify with.

In addition to the success of Lisa's INSIDE OUT series, Lisa has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is presently working on a dark, edgy new series, Dirty Money, for St. Martin's Press.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women's Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaReneeJones/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kWFra1

Twitter: @LisaReneeJones

Stay in touch with Lisa by joining her mailing list:

http://lisareneejones.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Website: http://lisareneejones.com

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - O is for...

Open to new experiences

If you have recently started to keep a journal, you have already opened yourself to a new experience. It is easy to start something, a new hobby, writing a novel, keeping a journal. But few people persist to gain the long term benefits of doing anything new.

Hobbies take time to learn the new skill or technique. Writing a novel is not an overnight exercise (trust me, I know!) and writing the first draft is just the beginning of a fairly lengthy process until it can be published (irrespective of the publishing route you choose).

But journal writing is a different story. With no end goal in place (like a published novel, or a finished model aeroplane) it can be difficult to continue with the practice.

Experience the new

Don't leave out other things or other experiences in your life, when writing in your journal. If you have an unresolved issue, leave writing about it for a while. Do something new - and allow yourself to live in the moment of that experience.

Find a new restaurant? Pick a dish you have never had before and take your senses on a new journey during the meal. What did the dish smell like? What new flavours have your tasted?

Volunteer to look after a friend's pet if they go away for a weekend. How did you feel about looking after something that doesn't belong to you? Did you feel more attuned to the animal's needs? Were you scared that something might happen to it?

A change in direction

Often we feel frustrated or unhappy in our jobs and look around for something different. If you have made such a change, how did it make you feel to leave the familiar behind? You will always find difficult colleagues no matter where you work. How are you dealing with your new situation? Has the previous job taught you things that you can better use now with new people?

New is not always nice

Many people resist change and often fear what those changes could bring. Use your journal to help you identify the things that you fear when it comes to change. Allow yourself to be more open to the opportunities that may come your way.

If you are more open to new experiences, you might find that they were not so scary as you thought they were going to be. There is happiness in understanding new things about yourself. Using your journal to record the new journey you will be better prepared for the next new thing that may come along.

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - N is for...

Nutrition

My favourite food 💜

It is one of the more popular journals that many people start off with, a diet journal. You are supposed to note everything that you eat and drink during the day to spot where you are going wrong or to count the calories of your diet.

It can be successful to help you recognise where you are cheating if you are following a specific diet regime.

While this probably worked for many people, it didn't work for me. It was a disappointment when I realised that just making a list of what I consumed, wasn't helping me at all. I needed to figure out what I did wrong, but not just what I ate, but my behaviour and emotions, at the time.

You may already know that diets fail because they are temporary. As soon as you return to your 'normal' way of eating, you often regain the weight lost, and in many cases more than where you started from.

So if a diet journal wasn't the answer, how could keeping a food journal actually be of some benefit?

Food vs Feelings

When we write in our journals we note our feelings and thoughts, so why should those be excluded when we keep a food journal? Is our food behaviour not often linked to our emotional states?

Do you eat when you are sad? Or bored? Or lonely? Or depressed? Or happy?

Instead of just writing down a list of all the food and drink you consumed during the day, also note the circumstances when you did. Also, note the way you felt before and after eating or drinking.

Did you eat because you were hungry, or should you rather have had a glass of water? We often confuse thirst with hunger, and then eating something won't help if you are getting dehydrated.

By making these notes I realised that I was getting headaches more often than usual. I drank more water and the headaches went away, until I actually had a real headache, then drinking water alone didn't solve the pain without a painkiller.

I am not going to tell you how I adjusted my lifestyle when it comes to food because it works for me. It addresses my issues in terms of food and my physical and emotional needs.

You need to resolve this for yourself. Keep a food journal for two or three weeks, and note your feelings and other circumstances at the same time.

Fix your own food issues

Only after the allocated time is past, do you go back and analyse what you have written. If you eat when you are depressed, you might need to consult someone who is way smarter than I am about these things. Or a dietician, or perhaps a friend can help.

If you are bored, get a hobby. They are not just fun, but creative activities will also help you in your journey to happiness, and you might lose a few pounds in the process.

Food is closely linked to our emotional state of mind, and we need to make sure that our health is always a primary concern, even if you are satisfied with your body weight.

Whatever you find and decide, make sure it is the best, most healthy solution for you. Keep noting your progress in your journal - living a healthy life is a lifetime journey after all.

Live in Balance: On leave, on veggies, and ongoing stuff

My leave finally got underway before Easter weekend and I have been merrily typing away at both blog posts for the Challenge and a new story I. It is going so well, that I will achieve my word count target for Camp NaNoWriMo at the middle of the month.

Hydroponics Project

Like many of you I love fresh vegetables. I have a vegetable garden, or rather had one, but have not been planting anything for a few years purely because of the time needed to look after a garden like that.

So to ease some of the burden of weeding (and the strain on my back) I have been researching the practicalities of setting up a hydroponics system for growing our own veggies again. I have now reached the point where I am busy buying the pipes and fittings, the planting pots and the water reservoir to get things going.

I have drafted Francois to help with the stands that support the system since my welding skills are way too rusty to attempt to do it myself. We went out shopping this weekend so I can order what I need and have it delivered while I am at home this coming week.

The only thing that I need to research some more is the pump I need. I have a submersible pump, but I think it is too small for the size of my project. While out shopping I saw quite a number of pumps, but I need to know what size I need before I let myself be talked into buying the wrong thing.

My Goals for 2017 are ongoing

A colleague of mine mentioned that she too was going on a diet. After about a week she had lost weight and mentioned that it wasn't easy. I agreed with her because I am on that same journey.

You will of course, understand my trepidation about getting on the scale yesterday morning, if I tell you that I went on a chocolate binge this past Thursday. Putting it off wasn't going to change the outcome, so eventually I got on and nearly fell off - nothing. I gained nothing. This could only mean that I lost some weight during the week, but clearly regained it on Thursday. Really stupid of me, I know. I could have had a chocolate, and still lost some weight if it hadn't been for the bingeing idiocy.

What did bother me more was the stress I put on my pancreas as a result of all that sugar. As someone that has to look after her blood sugar levels, I acted incredibly irresponsibly. While I hope the damage wasn't bad, I am suffering the aftereffects of all that sugar - my sleeping patterns have changed. It will take a few days and a good healthy diet, to get back to normal. And normal is what I need to work on the creative projects I want to do while on leave from work.

Balance is the key, not depriving myself of a sweet. I am losing weight, I shouldn't compromise my health by being stupid.

Reading and moving

About two weeks ago I volunteered to be an advanced reader for a book being released on Tuesday this coming week. I read the book and wrote my review and now it is back to my research books for the blog challenge.

In recent times I often find myself unable to sit still. Sure my back complains if I remain in one position for too long, but this is something else. Then it hit me: Tai Chi. I have been lax in my daily practice, so that too is priority for the week ahead. I love learning the 40 forms, but will have to go back a lesson or so, so refresh my memory before carrying on with the next lesson.

Lots of things to do, but looking forward to the days of relaxing with my art and writing projects.

Until next week!

The A-to-Z Challenge letters for the coming week are as follows:

Monday: Letter N…for Nutrition

Tuesday: Letter O…for Open (prompt)

Wednesday: Letter P…for Physical

Thursday: Letter Q…for Quote (prompt)

Friday: Letter R…for Ramble

Saturday: Letter S…for Share

If you missed any of the previous letters, here is a quick recap (just click the letter!)

A   B   C   D   E   F   G  H  I  J  K  L  M