Going out on a limb

So today I went a little bit out on a limb -- for me, anyhow. After another energetic conversation with my colleague and friend Rob Ziol, I picked up on one of his most major messages of the day -- to which I subscribe wholly: he wants to remove the word NO from daily general usage. Imagine the "loser-attitudes" we have created in ourselves just by believing that little word! Imagine how we have limited our possibilities in life.

With that in mind, I created a Facebook group called, "I am done with NO... Start finding a way!" This group is for all who believe that the word NO should be banned from all dream-planning, goal-setting, problem-solving, child-rearing, loving, working, exercising, BREATHING. This word has assisted to create a society of loser-attitudes that I want to assist in evolving into winning attitudes. Not quite sure *how* I am going to do this, or how much I can do to help others change this attitude -- it just seems like a great place to start, with myself, and then sharing the opinion with others (via a worldwide social network).

It's a little crazy, a little out-there and daring, compared to how I live every day yet why should we be limited in how we live just because of hearing we cannot do something? Who has that right to tell you NO? (Unless you are a child and your parent tells you NO for safety reasons, family values, lesson teaching, budget limitations, etc. Which by the way, makes me want to stress now that children are EXEMPT from joining this group simply because hearing No from a parent is generally a good word to heed AND I do not want the outrage of your parents spread all over my blog and facebook group...)

One more caveat. As those dear to me know, I often roll my eyes over my husband Bob's "just be happy" attitude. This is NOT one in the same with his belief. I am not saying deny all obstacles existing and live in dreamland instead, I am saying you see the obstacles, acknowledge them, and walk around them. Or trudge through them. Or talk the obstacle out of the way. Perhaps negotiate with it, compromise with it. Find a way to win. And trust me, this does not guarantee that you will be blissful and happy and skate through your life -- you will likely hurt, you will cry, you will experience pain of sorts -- and you will experience joy, success, and accomplishment.

Perhaps a great way to demonstrate how saying "yes" can net miracles is to post stories I hear from actual people -- folks I know -- who have believed in doing something, accomplished something -- despite meeting up with the word NO quite a lot. Instead of walking away defeated, those folks tried again, perhaps a different way, or with more energy or renewed creativity. If you are one of these folks, email me your story, I will post it! If you know of someone, tell me about him or her, tell me how this person became better just for going forward. I intend to tell you about the special individuals in my life I personally know who finish the races they start; they will inspire me to live a better life. Right now, this is exactly what I need.

Negativity be GONE! Join me. You'll be amazed at how you'll LIVE.

Random Thoughts on a Monday

So, I have no followers. Guess that is what happens when you attempt to create a Blog and then do nothing with it and tell no one about it. Perhaps I will post a few more times and *then* tell people. Must decide who all I want to let in to this attention-deficit life of mine.

Lately my life has been all about random thoughts.... Either because I am ADD or just way too busy? Who knows.

-- If I did not have a to-do-list at work I would not be able to actually perform four jobs to 80-percent capacity as I now do. Some day I would love to do only two jobs at 100-percent, wouldn't that be cool? Gone are the days of 40 hour work weeks, expecting to accomplish the list. It just revolves, moves forward to this week's agenda.

-- Mondays. Mondays pretty much always suck. I have tried taking a vacation day on Monday, to hide, yet then my Tuesday at work becomes my Monday. There is no escape, so why bother... face it, get through it. Blog to procrastinate.

-- So Savanna's math teacher emails me today, in short choppy incomplete sentences, and tells me that Savanna's mistakes are all about lack of attention to detail. My child suffers from the same deficiency as her mother: NO FRICKIN' TIME for ATTENTION to DETAIL. She is lucky Savanna even does her homework. She's in high school, hell, it's a major deal she even SHOWS UP. [note to self: regarding home to-do-list, speak with Savanna about ... what? cuz I forgot already.]

-- Regarding running. Too many choices for the weekends! Too many races, too many good people and tempting offers. Used to be such a small community, now I wait in line to be put on the waiting list.

-- How close do you have to be to a person to take the liberty of pointing out inconsistency in stories? Omission of vital details = lying. Do you get that?

-- It's usually best not to lie, period. `Cuz then you don't have to remember who you told it was just an emotional affair and who you told it really did get physical.

-- You have been driving without a license since DECEMBER, and suddenly on Easter you think you'd best skip dinner at my house for fear of being pulled over? Or was it just nerves over your job interview Tuesday? It has nothing to do with me? Tell Mom to lie better for you, her clueless look speaks volumes.

-- I know this is the information age, and the social networking sites have made it appear that I really DO have 400+ friends. But from YOU I expect a return call. Wait, I take that back -- from YOU I expect a call *before* I call you.

Oh, and if you are one of those people who expects me to call you first -- can you remind me just in case I forgot?

Thanks. -- S.

A Tentative Introduction

You'd think a writer-at-heart would already have a Blog, would already have a following -- would want to share all the intricate windings of thoughts that somehow form my single view of life. But no, I have been as far as creating a site, without posting a word. Who will read it? Who will openly criticize? Who will creep into my thoughts without being traced? Or worse still, who will care? Who really *cares* what I think or feel, or wants to take precious time to read my words on ultra running or a day in my life?

Perhaps you will care.

And so I begin.