Stress Management

September 27, 20160

Stay Calm and Get It Done

I began this Mindful Musing in the Tom Bradly International Terminal on my way to Bali for a long awaited book-research trip. Since then I’ve enjoyed a thirteen hour flight on EVA Airlines, during which time I stretched much, slept little, watched movies, and ate jook for breakfast—a rice porridge also known as congee made with minced pork, and in this case, sprinkled with dried bits of fish. The jook was a particularly auspicious treat since it’s comfort food for the heroine of my ninja vigilante thriller. All in all, a good beginning to my real life adventure that now, apparently, includes a typhoon in Taipei!Read more

Empowerment, Exciting Stuff, Motivation, Writing

May 31, 20160

Finding Our Tribe

Even when engaged in a solitary endeavor such as writing, community matters. Perhaps more so. How else can we truly connect except by helping one another, sharing stories, and rejoicing in each other’s success? It is far too easy to lose ourselves in the obsessive passions that drive us forward or to succumb to the demons and worries that threaten to hold us back. Whether we are consumed with career, school, exploration, creativity, or mastery, our lives are benefited by meaningful interaction with our tribe.Read more

Calming Emotions, Health, Mindfulness, Relationships

March 1, 20160

How to Choose NOT to Worry

Worry is an action that occupies our thoughts, eats our time, and taints our present with anxiety about the future. It’s not, as many believe, an inescapable extension of love or empathy. Nor is it a demonstration of awareness and planning. It is not a byproduct of anything. Worry is an action. And that makes it a choice.Read more

Health, Mindfulness, Motivation, Writing

January 31, 20160

How I Met My Writing Deadline: Caring for Others and Self

An emergency with my elderly parents sent me flying out of the house with a hastily packed bag, numerous tins of whole leaf tea, and of course… my laptop. What more could a writer need? When two days turned into nine, I had a few more ideas! Fortunately, the most important necessity could be found anywhere at any time.Read more

Calming Emotions, Health, Mindfulness

December 28, 20150

Reflections on Gratitude (Insights from a Fractured Tooth)

Who knew a blast of air on a fractured tooth could render a badass ninja into a trembling kitten? Okay… I suppose I would have expected it if I had given it prior thought. But here’s the thing: I don’t have problems with dental work. I don’t leap from the chair like a Halloween cat and claw the ceiling every time the dentist pokes at a tooth. In fact, my biggest concern is staying awake in those comfy reclining chairs. But when that air blasted my nerve, I embedded all twenty of my claws so deeply into ceiling panel I didn’t think I’d ever come down.Read more

Calming Emotions, Empowerment, Motivation, Perspective, Writing

November 2, 20150

Energize the Waiting

“I love to wait!” said no one, EVER. And yet, we can’t seem to a avoid it.

We check our emails on the hour (or minutes) for responses from agents, editors, and casting directors. We stare at our phones (and test the connection), willing them to ring with news of that hard earned promotion or the house of our dreams. We pace our floors (or pound our heads) waiting for test results and customer service, plumbers and computer techs, heartthrobs and children. And no matter how fast we work or how efficiently we manage our affairs, every series of actions seems to be followed by an even longer and more grueling period of waiting for some omnipotent entity to say YES!Read more

Calming Emotions, Communication, Mindfulness, ShowBiz

June 7, 20150

Reflections from a Beach Girl

In 1986, I recorded with Brian Wilson. I was a young singer at the time and thrilled to be hired (along with two fabulous women) to sing on his album-in-progress. This was during a difficult time in Brian’s life when he was struggling to get back into his music. A couple years later, he would come out with his critically acclaimed solo album. But in 1986, he was in the midst of his struggle with music and his longtime therapist, Eugene Landy.Read more

Communication, Empowerment, Mindfulness, Motivation

June 1, 20150

When to Leave – How to Stay

Knowing when to leave is as important as knowing how to stay. Note that I did not say “when to stay,” I said “how.” There’s a difference. It’s not just a matter of timing. If we choose to stay, and we want to feel empowered by that choice, we have to know how to stay, well.Read more

Mindfulness, Motivation

August 1, 20140

Sleep on It

Have you ever had one of those grueling days when the river of creativity was so obstructed that you could count the literary drops that seeped through the cracks? I hate those days. It’s as if all my doubts, assumptions, and distractions have joined forces to build a damn, leaving me floundering in a dry and wordless riverbed.

Time Warp

Time, like everything is relative. It depends on our temperament, our work load, our environment, our relationship to people, our stage in life, our health, and myriad other things. Our perception of time fluctuates throughout the day, week, month, or years. It varies according to topic, people, and circumstance. So while we would like to think that the past is the past and the present is the present, that is not always the case. The past for one person might be the present for another. It might even be perceived as the future for someone else. Talk about confusing! Is it any wonder that our differing perceptions of time can cause such conflict and heated emotions?Read more

Calming Emotions, Mindfulness, Perspective

January 1, 20140

Stopping the Stress

Stopping the stress
“Most of us, at some point, struggle with too much work, too little time, too much risk, or too little stability. The pressures build and the stress kicks in and, suddenly, we forget that we’ve manifested these conditions in our lives for a reason.Read more

Empowerment, Mindfulness, Motivation, Relationships

July 1, 20130

Generosity of Spirit

What is generosity of spirit? For me, it is willingness to offer meaningful support without fear for self. Sometimes that support will take a financial form, but more likely it will come in the form of praise, thanks, promotion, assistance, compassion, or simply time. I imagine that this half of my definition resonates with most people, but what about the last part? For me, that little tag, “without fear for self,” is the most important part.Read more

Calming Emotions, Mindfulness, Motivation

January 1, 20130

Doubt Arising

Doubtarising Negative thoughts can take over our minds like weeds in a neglected garden. Given time, those suckers dig in deep. But while pulling a mature weed is darn near impossible without an Olympic tug-of-war team behind you, pulling a new weed is easy. The trick is to take them out when they first appear.

Perhaps the worst of these insidious thoughts is doubt. Doubt is a weed on steroids. It undermines every positive idea, project, or relationship we try to grow.Read more

Motivation, NINJA, Writing

September 1, 20120

Praising the Process

I used to be all about the result—now, I’m about the process.
I’m a happier person today than I ever was in the past.
Do you think these things are related? I do.Read more

Tag: Stress Management