Success is showing up

Be successful...show up.

How do you define success?

• Having lots of money in the bank?

• Being the go-to guru in your specialist field?

• Retiring before legal retirement age?

For me, success is all about the effort and attitude I put into my project. Little effort means not much to show for the time spent on the project. I can't regain time I spend. I can only move forward and choose to use my time to work toward my goal. If I put a ho-hum effort in to write my book each day, it's going to take me a long time to finish the book. If I arrive at the keyboard bursting with energy with the intention of getting lots of words on the screen, I know I've already succeeded. My attitude has gotten me on my way to achieve my goal.

Aiming for success is applying yourself to today's task - now, in this moment.

Some days showing up at the keyboard is difficult. It's usually because I feel distracted by random thoughts about all kinds of subjects demanding my time and wanting to be written. This includes my characters knocking on the door to come inside with me, too. To help me achieve the success on these crazy mind days, I take 30 minutes to an hour of my time to write out my thoughts and then I meditate to still the mind so that the creative process can begin. This hour is time well spent because it makes me more productive. It's better to spend an hour to clear the mind than to fight my way through the hundreds of things I'm trying to remember.

A computer works best with no bugs tripping the process and so our mind works best with fewer random thoughts.

Are you succeeding today? Have you shown up for success this week? I'd love to hear how easy or hard it was for you.

Distractions at Distractions Espresso

Distractions Espresso, Southport.

It's happened...a broken toe! Of all the times I've hit my toes on a bed leg, corner of the wall or chair leg, I have never broken a toe ... until now. I really whacked it this time.

I can be a bit clumsy sometimes. Mainly because I don't always watch where I'm going because I'm caught up in my creative world with all my characters chatting to each other. I can't resist getting in on the action with them. They are usually acting out my story ahead of time and they are unaware of me having a life.  You don't need to be writing a book to whack your toe against the chair leg though. I was clearing the breakfast table when it happened. I yelled and said a couple of words under my breath that will remain unpublished and I shed a few tears. Yes, tears!

It hurt a lot, but I was in denial. My son was staying with me at the time and we were anxious to go out for a coffee at Distractions Espresso in Southport. Great coffee, by the way. I thought it might distract me from my hurting toe. It did!

By the end of the week though it was really painful. My son had returned overseas so there were no more distractions for me. Being sad to be on my own again my thoughts returned to the niggling ache on my left foot. A friend said I really should go and see about it. I did and the result was a broken toe. It is now bound up next to my little toe with a supporting strip of  bandage tape. The doctor told me it's the only way it can be treated. I'm glad because I though I was going to have to wear one of those moon boots.

This little event has taught me a few things:

1.  Slow down when I'm clearing the dishes, or better still, have someone do them for me.

2. Distractions, such as coffee at Distractions Espresso, are definitely good when one has an aching foot.

3.  Take the time to let the toe heal. That means sitting back with the foot up from time to time eating a bit of something sweet, like chocolate.

4.  Too much chocolate is bound to put on weight because I'm not walking my regular 6 ks. per day. When I can walk again, it's going to be agony in a different way.

5.  Waiting three weeks for the pain to settle so that I can do the walk is really, really annoying. I can read great books though, like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

6.  I promise my feet I will slow down around all things that are traps for authors who think they live in a world where chair legs don't matter.

Ah, almost three weeks down ... three to go.

Have you ever had a broken toe? I'd like to hear your story and any handy hints that you might have to keep me out of trouble while I'm resting.