Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 31
June 14, 2017
In Others’ Words: What are You Ignoring?
Sometimes … sometimes I get too focused.
On my laptop. My iPhone. The laundry. The errands I need to run. (Grocery store. Check. Dry Cleaners. Check. Drop my daughter off at volleyball camp — only she does the driving, not me. Check.)
I’m getting things done, yes. But that thought I keep having — the longing inside to take a day or two and escape to the mountains? I shove it aside while I pay too close attention to the dailyness of it all.
I’m ignoring a desire for more. For the chance to look up and see a night sky filled to overflowing with stars. The chance to hear the melody of a mountain river rushing over rocks — one of my favorite sounds. To step outside normal — and I do appreciate normal — and embrace the beauty of mountains reflected in a lake.
What good is it — everything out there past our regularly scheduled lives — if we don’t take the time to see it?
In Your Words: What in the world refreshes your soul? (Yep, there’s a double meaning to the question.)
June 12, 2017
In Others’ Words: Haves versus Wants
If I could sum up today’s quote in two words, they would be: Be grateful.
We can spend a lot of time thinking about what we want — what we don’t have or what we think we deserve. Oftentimes what we have is never enough and setting our minds on “wants” creates a mindset of discontent. And then we get whatever it is we want … and even that doesn’t satisfy because we want something else. We want more.
But if we devote ourselves to being grateful for what we have — even being thankful for small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10 NLT) — than we cultivate an attitude of contentment. What we have isn’t just good enough … it’s good.
One year I focused on the word “content,” as in being content. A memento from that year sits on the mantle in my living room: a small, hand-stitched sign that says, “Be happy with what you have.”
You know what I discovered that year? What I had was enough. What I had was really, really good — and I’m not just talking about the “stuff” I own. I’m talking about the people in my life — family and friends — and the opportunities that have come my way. Yes, I bought a lot less during those twelve months because I was happy with what I had. But I also saw more clearly past the things and counted the blessings of the relationships in my life.
In Your Words: If you stopped right now and looked up, looked around, what is one thing that you have that you would be thankful for?
In Others\’ Words: Haves versus Wants http://wp.me/p63waO-2m5 #InOthersWords #begrateful
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\”A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2m5 #quotes #begrateful
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June 7, 2017
In Others’ Words: Who’s Got a Secret?
The women’s fiction series I’m writing? One of the themes is secrets.
The funny thing is, I’m not a fan of secrets. I’m not saying I’ve never had secrets. I’m just saying I don’t like harboring them.
If asked, I would say growing up has meant realizing how damaging secrets can be and recognizing the need to reveal them — in the proper way and at the proper time.
Do some secrets go unspoken? Of course they do … and I think there is a particular sadness when the truth is never spoken out loud.
I’ve taught my children to be careful not to pledge to keep a secret. Keeping another’s secret can be risky for them — and risky for the other person, too. Our family is all about surprises — birthday surprises, holiday surprises, “just because” surprises. A surprise is meant to be fun — to celebrate someone else. A secret? Too often there’s some sort of harmful or humiliating intent or you-should-know-this-but-I’m-not-going-to-tell-you element to what’s not being said.
In Your Words: Secrets? Surprises? Or both? What’s your take on secrets?
In Others\’ Words: Who\’s Got a Secret? http://wp.me/p63waO-2lW #InOthersWords #quotes
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\”Everyone has secrets. It\’s just a matter of finding out what they are.\” #steiglarsson #quotes
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June 5, 2017
In Others’ Words: Where are You?
Life is a mixture of making plans and embracing surprises, isn’t it?
Sometimes we succeed in navigating the roadmap clutched in our hands. Other times, we follow a detour or willingly toss the map aside and jaunt off on an unknown adventure. At the end of the day, we discover ourselves on a road we never thought we’d travel, oftentimes a long way from where we ever expected to be …
… and right where we needed to end up all along.
My little “homebody” heart fell in love with a man intent on a military career. After we pledged our lives to one another, I found myself saying goodbye to home over and over again … and ending up where I needed to be over and over again, too. I grew with every move mandated by Uncle Sam. My perspective changed. My circle of friends — of family — criss-crossed the world. Courage uprooted fear as “I could never” was replaced by “Oh, yes, I can.”
Some of my dreams came true, even as some of them were set aside. And some unexpected aspirations surprised me when they eclipsed other, longstanding hopes. I was no longer where I’d intended to go … but yes, I’d ended up where I’d needed to be. And I was available for what was around the next bend in the road, too.
In Your Words: How has your life not gone according to plan — allowing you to end up where you needed to be all along?
In Others\’ Words: Where are You? http://wp.me/p63waO-2lM #lifequotes #InOthersWords
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\”I may not have gone where I intended to go … \” http://wp.me/p63waO-2lM #lifequotes #perspective
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***
Today is the last day to enter the Here Comes Summer Celebration Contest! The contest ends tonight at midnight. You could win:
1. A complete set of all my trade novels:
Wish You Were Here
Catch a Falling Star
Somebody Like You
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Almost Like Being in Love
Autumn Brides
2. A complete set of all my e-novellas
You Made Me Love You
Can’t Buy Me Love
You Can’t Hurry Love
A November Bride
3. 1 of 5 copies of Almost Like Being in Love
(That’s a total of 7 winners!)
Today is the LAST CHANCE to enter the Here Comes Summer #giveaway! Be 1 of 7 winners! http://bit.ly/2rr7f94 #chrisfic
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May 31, 2017
In Others’ Words: Be a Team
All teams are made up of individuals. Sport teams. Business teams. Ministry teams.
But if the team’s focus is on all the separate people who make up the team instead of the overall goal of the team, the group will stall out. You can’t get anywhere if you’re divided by the wants of a variety of different people.
Individuals are chosen for the need — the goal — of the team … not the other way ’round.
It’s not that teammates don’t care for one another — of course they do. The best groups support one another. Believe in one another. Even pray for one another. But ultimately, their efforts are united for more than one person’s dream. They want the win — whatever that means for that particular group of individuals.
Work together. Strive together. Win together.
In Your Words: What’s your favorite memory of being involved with a team?
In Others\’ Words: Be a Team http://wp.me/p63waO-2lx #InOthersWords #quotes #teamwork
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\”The way a team plays as a whole determines its success…\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2lx #quotes #BabeRuth #teamwork
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***
Summer is a great time to relax and read! Enter the Here Comes Summer Celebration Contest for your chance to add some romance to your TBR pile! The contest starts May 30, 2017 and ends at midnight June 6. You could win:
1. A complete set of all my trade novels:
Wish You Were Here
Catch a Falling Star
Somebody Like You
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Almost Like Being in Love
Autumn Brides
2. A complete set of all my e-novellas
You Made Me Love You
Can’t Buy Me Love
You Can’t Hurry Love
A November Bride
3. 1 of 5 copies of Almost Like Being in Love
(That’s a total of 7 winners!)
Win a stash of #books for the summer in the Here Comes Summer Celebration! #chrisfic #giveaway https://promosimple.com/ps/ba1c
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May 29, 2017
In Others’ Words: True Success
There are many definitions of success, but this one by Dr. Kelly Flanagan tops my list:
“… success is what happens when you make your true self your lived self.”
We can accomplish so many things — academically, professionally, personally — but unless we are being true to ourselves, all our victories ring hollow.
We can allow someone to place a ribbon around our neck or we can grasp hold of an award certificate with our name on it … but the victory is tainted unless we’re living an honest life.
Conforming to someone else’s demands of who they think we need to be so they’ll give us their stamp of approval makes us smaller. Agreeing to others’ definition of who we are snuffs out the spark of divine originality inherent in each of our lives, shackling our freedom to be our true selves.
Success then, isn’t so much “to be or not to be,” but more “are you living as your true self?”
In Your Words: When have you experienced living your true self?
In Others\’ Words: True Success http://wp.me/p63waO-2l7 #InOthersWords #quotes #truesuccess
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\”…#success is what happens when you make your true self your lived self.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2l7 #quotes @DrKellyFlanagan
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***
Summer is a great time to relax and read! Enter the Here Comes Summer Celebration Contest for your chance to add some romance to your TBR pile! The contest starts May 30, 2017 and ends at midnight June 6. You could win:
1. A complete set of all my trade novels:
Wish You Were Here
Catch a Falling Star
Somebody Like You
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Almost Like Being in Love
Autumn Brides
2. A complete set of all my e-novellas
You Made Me Love You
Can’t Buy Me Love
You Can’t Hurry Love
A November Bride
3. 1 of 5 copies of Almost Like Being in Love
(That’s a total of 7 winners!)
Win a stash of #books for the summer in the Here Comes Summer Celebration! #chrisfic #giveaway https://promosimple.com/ps/ba1c
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May 24, 2017
In Others’ Words: Unexpected Celebrations
Our perspective affects our outlook on life.
And author Robert Brault’s mindset makes me smile.
We all know the traditional, here-they-come-again celebrations. Birthdays. Independence Day. Thanksgiving. Yom Kippur. Christmas. Weddings — and the subsequent anniversaries. Graduations.
But what other special occasions can we celebrate besides the ones already prewritten on most calendars? The photo above is recreated at every Deep Thinkers retreat, an annual writers conference that meets in Destin, Florida. Attendees always take time out for a photo shoot and from the very first one a dozen years ago, there’s been a feet-in-the-sand photograph.
What other moments can be celebrated? How about:
An unexpected rainbow
Someone else’s success
The overflowing noise and activity of family gathered all around for no special reason. It will be quiet again soon enough.
The lessons learned when we fail
In Your Words: What special occasion (that’s not on the regular calendar) would you celebrate this week … or sometime this year?
In Others\’ Words: Unexpected Celebrations http://wp.me/p63waO-2kR #InOthersWords #quotes #celebratinglife
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\”There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to #celebrate.\”http://wp.me/p63waO-2kR #quotes @RobertBrault1
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May 22, 2017
In Others’ Words: The “How” of Criticism
We all face criticism at some point in our lives.
As an author, I invite criticism into my life — sometimes known by the kinder, gentler term of “feedback.” Every novel I write goes through several rounds of edits where my editors tell me what’s working and what’s not working. My Preferred Readers — a small, select group of women — also talk me through my manuscript after I submit it to my editors. And readers also post reviews of my books. Positive reviews are gold for an author. Harsh reviews? Well, that’s more like getting hit upside the head with a brick.
The best criticism I’ve received both encourages me and challenges me as an author. When an editor starts off with words like, “Here’s what really worked in your manuscript” I’m all the more receptive to comments like, “Can you explain this section? I was confused by your character’s motivation” or “You need to rework your timeline.”
The next time we face criticism, we should ask ourselves: What was said that nourished my growth? Of course, we can’t ignore the “this isn’t working” assessment, but we can start with the positive. More importantly, when we offer criticism to someone, we should stop and think: How can I nourish this person’s growth instead of destroying it?
In Your Words: When has criticism nourished you and helped you grow?
In Others\’ Words: The \”How\” of Criticism http://wp.me/p63waO-2kO #InOthersWords #quotes #criticism
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\”Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man\’s growth…\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2kO #quotes #FrankAClark #criticism
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May 17, 2017
In Others’ Words: Heart Sutures
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser is anything but a stranger to this blog. He’s often the one to get the conversation going in the comments. I count him a treasured friend — this, despite the fact that we’ve yet to meet face to face. That’s the wonderful thing about friendships: they are not limited by geographical boundaries.
His poetic and profound words “Life tears our hearts; and love sutures them,” were written either as a response to a previous blog post or in one of our back-and-forth emails. That same day, I asked if I could quote him.
Ironic, isn’t it, how love can both break and heal our hearts. Life is heartbreaking, yes. And what rends our hearts the most is the moments when we choose to love … to risk … to step outside our safe existences because we want more than lives limited to this-much-love-but-no-more.
We risk … and are rejected.
We give … and are found lacking.
We say yes to someone … and they say no to our offer of love.
But the only balm to a broken heart is love. Bitterness makes a heart brittle. Love mends a wounded heart, allowing it to love again … to love more … to love better, even after a loss.
In Your Words: How has love healed your heart?
In Others\’ Words: Heart Sutures http://wp.me/p63waO-2kF #InOthersWords #quotes #choosingtolove
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\”Life tears our hearts; and love sutures them.\” #quotes @BudekSchmeisser #choosingtolove
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May 15, 2017
In Others’ Words: Hearing the Silence
Sometimes it isn’t so much what we say as it is what we don’t say.
I used to to think the more I said, the better chance I had of winning an argument … of influencing people and making friends … and yes, well, making my point.
Talk, talk, talk meant effect, effect, effect, right?
Wrong.
The power of persuasion doesn’t always lie in our words. No. Sometimes our most profound statement of truth is found in our silence.
I’ve learned when to stand up for truth. I’ve also learned when to step back, knowing the truth — the hard, hard truth — and remain silent. Just like actions, sometimes silence is louder than words.
In Your Words: When have you chosen silence over words?
In Others\’ Words: Hearing the Silence http://wp.me/p63waO-2kA #InOthersWords #quotes #silence
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\”Sometimes you have to be silent to be heard.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2kA #quotes #StanislawJLec #silence
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