Kory M. Shrum's Blog, page 12

#Mondayblogs: Baby steps #motivation #inspiration #BetheChange

What is a “small step”?
Since this month’s challenge is all about small steps, I thought it would be a good idea
to define exactly what a “small step” is. After all, I highly suspect that small steps are relative.
What is a small step for me, might not be a small step for you and vice versa.
So here is my proposed definition:
An act that does not discourage or intimidate.

Now, this is just a fancy way of saying that when I’m about to do a small task, I’m not inclined to think “Oh god, I can’t even! That’s too much! It’ll take forever! Maybe I’ll come back to this after a nap and bar of chocolate…” Blah blah.
And again this varies. For example, you might be a great runner (I am not). A small step for you might be “I’ll just run 2 miles today” and this will seem like a small step if you are used to running 6-8 miles in one go. For me, healing from my ankle injury, I’d have to break it down even more.
Small step 1: Locate running shoes. Just find them! Don’t commit to anything else…
2: Found them! Can I put them on?
3: I’ve got them on! Maybe I’ll just step outside and see how it feels.
4: Oh, this is nice. Maybe I’ll just walk around the block.
5: Turn on some “pump up and jam” music.
6: Oh this is exciting! Let’s pick up the pace. I’ll jog the rest of this block!
7: I love this song! I’ll just go farther down the street…
And so on. You get the point.
The important thing to remember is that a “step” should be a task small enough that is doesn’tdiscourage you. This is essential because starting is the hardest part.
It really is.

More on that tomorrow.

#Read a #poem: Life by Henry Van Dyke

Life

Let me but live my life from year to year, With forward face and unreluctant soul; Not hurrying to, nor turning from the goal; Not mourning for the things that disappear In the dim past, nor holding back in fear From what the future veils; but with a whole And happy heart, that pays its toll To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer.
So let the way wind up the hill or down, O'er rough or smooth, the journey will be joy: Still seeking what I sought when but a boy, New friendship, high adventure, and a crown, My heart will keep the courage of the quest,
And hope the road's last turn will be the best.

9 #Quotes to #Inspire you #BetheChange

So this month's challenge is all about small steps. So to inspire your small steps--and mine-- here are 9 quotes that declare the importance even the tiniest step in the right direction:


9. A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.  Lao Tzu
8. The man who moves a mountain begins by moving small stones. A Chinese Proverb
7. Do small things with great love. Mother Theresa
6. Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson
5. Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. Robert Collier
4. You need to be content with small steps. That's all life is. Small steps that you take every day so that when you look back down the road it all adds up and you know you covered some distance. Katie Kacvinsky
3. Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. -Vincent Van Gogh
2. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your overwhelming tasks into small managable tasks and then starting on the first one. Mark Twain.
1. Each step reveals a new horizon. You have taken the first step today. Now I challenge you to take another. Dan Poynter

Jesse Sullivan news #amwriting

It's coming!




The first three Dying for a Living novels will soon be available on audiobook! ACX (afflliate of Audible) is currently reviewing the audio and then the books will be available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible.

You know what that means! This is your heads up post about another giveaway. As with all audiobook releases,  I do a giveaway. I know it's soon after our giveaway for Dying Light's audiobook, but no one is complaining right? A free audiobook--in this case THREE--is always welcome.

Stay tuned! 

3 #Blogs for a Better You #amreading #BetheChange

I won't lie. After a hard Michigan winter and an ankle injury, I've added a few pounds. And even though I can't do much now (still on the ankle-mend), I am on the look out for ways to jump back in once the swelling goes down.

In my search, I came across a great blog post by Leo (of whom you guys know I'm a big fan). So in the spirit of a "small steps" approach (in line with this month's challenge), here is an awesome reblog of that nature:

A 12-Step Program to Eating Healthier Than Ever Before
I've also found it super easy to be *mean* to myself about my injury, about gaining 7 pounds, and about what I perceive (incorrectly) as slow progress. If any of you out there tend to beat yourself up, you might want to read this post on self-compassion:
A Simple, Powerful Self-Compassion Method

And for those of you who are terrible about making time to read (I'm so guilty!), here are some "small steps" to adding more books to your life:
The Delightfully Short Guide to Reading More Books
Okay, folks. Hope this helps you along your "small steps" journey. More soon.

New Month; New Challenge #BeTheChange

January was "Let Go"...
February was "Be a Good Listener"...
and March is...


Take Small Steps.

I'll be the first to tell you that I tend to be an "all-or-nothing" kind of girl. As you can imagine, this can be problematic for a big-picture dreamer like me. 

I tend to jump on the dragon then get discouraged when it doesn't just roll over in the face of my awesomeness.

But there's plenty of philosophy touting the importance of "baby steps" or "one day at a time. And we all know the saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

But is there really power in baby steps? Or is this just something that unmotivated chumps say? Let's find out!

So this month's challenge is to try and break my bad habit of all-or-nothing, and to adopt more of a tortoise approach, one step at a time.

To help with this exploration of this type of power, I'm trying three things:

*a plank and pushup challenge
*a meditation challenge
*ditch the "all-or-nothing" mentality

The first two challenges are accumulative. The goal is to add a little more each day and then remark on my progress in hindsight. 

I'm a week into the plank/pushup challenge (meaning I've worked up to 1m30sec of plank and 15 pushups--all the way to the ground, off the knees). If I stay on track, this I'll end the month at 4 minutes plank, 40 pushups.

The same is true for the meditation challenge--a little more each day until I'm meditating for 30 minutes on March 31.

Ditch "All or nothing" is just a general term for "I'm going to try not to do everything at once, get discouraged, and then do nothing at all."

Instead of saying "I only have 15 minutes, I can't write today" Instead, sit down and write for 15 minutes. Same for exercise--a 15 minute jog around the block is better than no exercise at all.

I also want to read Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. It seems to also explore this idea of "one-bite-at-a-time" and it's geared toward writers like me.


So that's it for this month! Wish me luck! And I'm wishing you luck too--in all your projects big and small.

#Read a #poem Friday: A Dream Within a Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow! 
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream; 
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone? 
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep! 
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp? 
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave? 
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Edgar Allen Poe

647 Words for Love #withpictures

So there is going to be a new series on the blog inspired by several requests to have more of *me* on here. Apparently, you guys want to know what I'm doing when I'm not pounding the keys in service of the latest Jesse book.  But not just what I'm doing, but also what I'm thinking, what I'm reading, internet finds, and so on.

So each week, I'll drop highlights from that week into a post for you guys. I'm going to run the series as <number> Words for Love. 

The idea is based on a Margaret Atwood quote: “The eskimos had 52 names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love.”

Change "names" for love to "words" for love, as my posts in this series will be an ongoing love letter to my life, so to speak. And the number will be the word count for that blog post.

 Ta-Da! A series was born.

So without further ado:


I woke on a warm (55 degrees) Michigan morning thinking, "I'll ride my bike to work today!"  Two hours later...



#Michigan Weather #Pure Michigan


*I had a dream that we had two dogs and a kitten to choose from for adopting. We knew we could not keep all the animals and though I thought the black kitten was very sweet, I said to Kim “your allergies will kill you” and started looking at a paid service site that would help rehome the kitten to a good home.
At some point, I realized that I had poop all over me, either from the dogs or the kitten and I cleaned up. Then while looking in the sink, I saw the black kitten trapped under the water, realized it was stuck and pulled it out. It spat water out of its mouth and was okay, though it mewled dramatically and acted weak when I put it on the ground. But I knew it would be okay, if a little drama queen. I woke up feeling the dream was very significant.
*I wrote a story about a French bulldog who loves cheese in French and published it on Short Editions. Editorial help from my tutor Lea! Merci! 
*Listening to Unstoppable on audiobook. Bill Nye said something poignant. I fact checked him (sorry, Bill!) 
Of course he was right.


The United States Department of Defense (2014):

“Among the future trends that will impact our national security is climate change. Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels, and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict. They will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe. In our defense strategy, we refer to climate change as “a threat multiplier” because it has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges we are dealing with today. From infectious disease to terrorism, we are already beginning to see some of these impacts.” http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/603440
http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/605221
Why do people still not believe in climate change when the US military is releasing official security statements about it?
No doubt someone just said conspiracy.
*We become human-like 4.4 million years ago. But we’re so much more rational now, right? Nope.
*Bought a wedding cake.


Red velvet and buttercream to ensue.

Also, pretty sure Stevie King is so prolific because he does NOT pinterest.
*The settlers are doing well.


*Changed the month on the calendar. March features demonic owls. I pity the photographer who happened upon these creatures in the dark forest one night. Has anyone heard from Scott?


*Tea leaf reading
A huge tree frog at bottom of cup: fertility and abundance
Two fish circling:  a person born under Pisces
An owl : wisdom, knowledge and learning (or a impending run-in with demonic owls)
A tornado: prepare for turbulent weather
Cornucopia: plenty and success in all undertakings
Spaceship: Above and beyond expectations; very fortunate
*We had so much snow that the college actually closed. TWICE. Never happens in Michigan. Sledding ensued.

Unfortunately, I still had to grade 59 essays.

*Discovered Cashore published letters written from Katsa, Po and the crew. I am probably the last Graceling fan to hear about this.
*
The oven was turned on.
Made cauliflower crust pizza for dinner.
Made cookiesfor the neighbors who snow-blowed my driveaway and sidewalk.
Made a hellacious lemon-butter cake, sans candied lemon slices. Half of it is frozen in my freezer to be consumed at my leisure.




*Reading Prince Lestat finally. Most heart-breaking scene so far is Antoine standing outside the apartment of Armand, Sybelle, and Benji, playing his violin like a god until he's welcomed inside. #swoon.
Also, this gem: “the heart had stopped gasping like an open-mouth fish.”

Totally stealing this. Wait for it. You might see it turn up somewhere.

The Power of Listening: Recap and 5 reasons listening can be powerful #BetheChange

So last month (February, for those of you keeping track) was all about listening. I learned how to be a better listener to my friends, family and students using the RASA technique, by eliminating distractions, even by paying attention to how members of the deaf community "listened" to each other.

And I learned not just how to listen to words, but also how to listen to bodies.

It's also important to know when to listen to myself and when to NOT to listen to myself.

Listen to yourself when:

You're trying to BE yourself, but others are telling you to change (this is not to be mistaken for actual poor behavior which should be corrected...)

Your body tells you something. Bodies are very good at letting you know when you're tired, hungry, over-sugared, need a walk, a nap, a night off...etc. But the problem is we often overlook and dismiss our needs in the face of work or other obligations.


Alternatively, DO NOT listen to yourself when:

You're on a downward spiral of negative self-talk. Being gentle with ourselves is directly connected to listening to ourselves and not beating ourselves up about every little thing. No "I'm fat, I'm ugly, I'm stupid, I'm..." We wouldn't *listen* to this nonsense if it came from someone else. So why listen to it when it comes from our own mouths or minds?

So after a month (admittedly, the shortest month), have I confirmed for myself my belief that there is power in listening?

Yes.

Here are my Top 5 reasons for believing listening can be powerful:

1) There is power in leadership and leaders are great listeners.

2)When people feel "listened to" they feel understood. And we tend to feel fondness for those who understand us. Therefore, listening is an excellent way to make allies and strengthen bonds.

3) Listening can be a way to hold your cards close. When you listen, you forgo talking. Talking is a way to reveal a lot about yourself, including flaws and weaknesses. But by listening, you can ask the questions, gather the intel, and keep the conversation going without actually revealing much about yourself at all.

4) Listening detects falsehoods and deception.

5) We live in a world of distractions. Very few people are actually listening or paying attention to the world around them. By listening, it almost always gives you the upperhand because you are more aware of what is happening around you.

So there you have it, the power of listening. And now, a new month, new challenge!

A Jesse Sullivan Novel--Now Available on Preorder

Worth Dying For is now open for Amazon preorders.I'm happy to announce that Amazon has accepted our preorder and the book is now available in the Kindle store. The official release date is May 2, 2016, with the audiobook to follow in July.

If you're not a kindle user, no worries! The book will soon be available on Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes and Nobel's nook, and Kobo as well. More on this soon.

For the kindle-using Jesse fans, get your preorder here.