Wise with Time

Time has flown by quite quickly this past year.  Have you ever experienced time, either speeding up or slowing down?  When we experience joy and having fun, it feels like time went by too quickly.  Then the other side of time, when we can feel time slowing down, looking at the clock, and revealing that there is more time than we realized.

I prefer time to feel slower, so I can accomplish more, play more, enjoy life more.  Write more!  Why is it that when we are bored, time seems to go slowly, and the opposite of when it goes too fast?  I have felt that being silent, with eyes closed and just being present... a gift to myself, that I, we can experience a sense of no time.

The clock can show our progress, and sometimes the lack of it.  The concept of time is fascinating, and I hope that we all use our time wisely.

~ Mary Ammon MacNeith

THE   WRITE   PATH

My blog, Shift Your Life Now, was created in 2019.  Before that I had a blog called Making Lemonade.  The reason I engaged in having a blog was to finally concentrate on writing, in its simplest form, while sharing my thoughts of ideas and inspiration, as words can be expressed visually when we watch, read or listen.

When I was young, I loved watching TV and movies.  Many of you know that the film Star Wars had a huge impact on me, in in all aspects of production and in spirit.  At a young age, I began to write puppet shows and plays.  In high school, I knew that being a writer would be my passion, to share knowledge and be entertained by it.  I received my bachelors degree in screenwriting, yet over time, that knowledge became outdated.  Then Hollywood came to me, via the computer, with ScreenwritingU.

The last Career Launch was an extra especial event for me, from Hal and Cheryl, and the experience propelled my purpose as a writer.  Then an invitation to SuccessMasters in December of 2020 illuminated my writing course through speech, which I had been on for a very long time.  Finally, last year’s Fearless Writers marathon of marketing was a huge highlight on my path.  When a manager told me my TV show could last for ten years, I was in awe that I had created something that would inspire and resonate for a long period of time.

Hal and Cheryl, I give to you my profound gratitude, for your passion of visual storytelling and sharing the amazing skills you have given to your many students, like myself.  You have provided more than just mastery of the lessons to compose stories.  You have enlightened my pathways towards my writing career, and thousands of others as well.

I thank you from the fullness of my heart, Hal and Cheryl, for your support and being my North Star.

2022 - Two

2022 - TWO

"Second helpings anyone?"  When there is a delicious meal, some want seconds of what they just finished on their plate.  Second chances in life, maybe with a family member, friend or lover.  And speaking of an intimate knowing, that the number two also means a couple in a relationship or, "I need a couple more hours to finish up my project."  

It takes two people to play and balance on a see-saw.  In a story you have a protagonist and an antagonist dancing to and fro, back and forth in the plot opposing each other, then bringing the story back into balance in the end.  Yet how do two opposites really attract?

It takes two to Tango.  Love Birds, well, it would be odd if there were three or more snugging together, eh?  There are two sides to a coin, and two sides to every story.  In tennis they hit the ball with a forehand and a backhand with the same racket. 

A couple married for more than 50 years, and a pair of shoes that danced to their hearts content, the number two stands for our passion to unite and sometimes oppose one another.  Find the balance in life and second helpings are waiting for you.

2022 - One

 2022 - One

One can be a lonely number, yet despite 0 being the first number in the chain of numerals, the number one is listed first of the steps to any path or project.  

"What shall we do first?"  Or, "What's the first step in our action plan?"  Finally, do we write the first page starting with zero?  No of course not, we start with the number 1.  One is not really lonely because it pairs nicely with all the other numbers, zero through nine and from the teens and then beginning with the 100's, 1,000's, and so on.  Why am I writing about the number one?  Well, I've have an assignment to write eight blogs within a month, so why not talk about numbers.

The meaning of the number one is basically a new start, or new beginnings.  I have a new beginning of turning my TV show outline into a first draft.  There's 1st place for a someone who wins a race or a contest.  The number one can also mean unity, such the defacto United States motto E Plurabus Unum, "Out of many, one."  According to Lisa Boswell, number one is related to leadership.

So, enjoy starting a new project or journey, whether it's only you or one group of people.  Lead with the heart and your path will be paved with adventure.

#Perfection

Life is perfectly imperfect.  We humans like the idea of #perfection in our lives, and for many that leans heavier in their workplace.  I know from experience that being perfect in one’s job, to complete all the tasks and not have any mistakes, would bring satisfaction to the worker and their leadership.  However, there is usually not enough time or care put in the workplace structure to embrace flaws, as a way of growing a company and improving the wellbeing of their employees, and thus creating a type of “perfect” place to enjoy their work. 

It’s natural for us to strive for #perfection in our careers, so we can attain what we feel is the ideal situation for which we can celebrate victories in our employment.  “When is ‘good enough’ an acceptable goal?” (Andrew Scott).  I believe an acceptable goal of what can be perceived being perfect, is when one takes a step back and knows in their heart that the concept has been reached, and nothing more needs to be done.

#Perfection is an opinion.  One person’s sense of completion is another person’s head tilt with, “Umm, maybe I need to tweak it in a different way.”  Thus it isn’t perfect.  Maybe the tweak is necessary and maybe it isn’t.  Is every human’s point-of-view perfect?  We can strive for #perfection, whatever that meaning is for those who desire to embrace it.  Yet, I see perfection in the beauty of a sunset, the smile of child and the perfectly imperfect world we live in.

~ Mary Ammon MacNeith