I have a lot to say, however, since I don’t have much time at the moment, I’m going to say this fast.

I want to encourage everyone to stay encouraged and stay focused on their dreams.  Time is of the essence.  I saw a quote not too long ago on the movie ‘Gone with the Wind’ that said “Don’t squander time.  That’s the stuff life’s made of”.  How true that is.   I’ve had to learn that the hard way these past couple of months. 

The truth is, sometimes it’s hard to remain focused on your dreams.  But stay the course!  Life is short and the time you waste is time you can’t get back. 

Thanks for reading

Calie Renee

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you ever get tired of trying to please everybody, only to find that in so doing you’re not being yourself and that in the whole trying to please everybody process, you end up being miserable? Been there, done that. I have tried to be, say and act, many times opposite of how I felt just to appease my friends and family. I’ve put on the mask, played the charade, only to find myself miserable which ended up making everyone close to me miserable as well.

Not being who you really are, or who you were created to be can and will eventually bring you to a breaking point. Look, you were created in the image of God. You are unique. You are special. There is no one else like you on the face of the earth. You are who you are and you need to make the most  of it.

There’s just something about using words all put together in a beautiful way to express your mood, feeling or state of being. The written word allows others to experience what you were feeling at that moment in time. It can convey what you want to say and the message you have sometimes in a way, perhaps a vocal voice could not do justice.

OK, so I’m rambling here. I’m in one of those moods. The bottom line here, I guess, if there is a line at all, is that writing is cool. It is or can be an expression of who you are. And it works especially during those moments that you just don’t feel like talking, but need to get some stuff off your chest. Hey, you can even write about being ticked off at someone, letting out all of your anger, and then tear it up so no one ever knows the full extent of your anger. That sure beats blowing a relationship with spoken words you can’t get back.

I knew someone who did just that. Whenever they were really mad at someone, they would write down everything in an email they wanted to say (no holding back), and then rather than send it, they would go to bed. The next morning, after they had cooled off a little bit, they would go and delete the letter they had written. The great part about this is, they had let out their pent up anger, gotten over their moment of rage, and the other person didn’t have to hear or feel the whole hurricane force gales. A friendship was saved.

So, why not try it. Grab a pen, grab some paper, or nowadays just grab your laptop, and go create some written expressions. It may just be what you needed.

Every writer knows that there is nothing worse than having a paper due, a deadline for an article, being in the middle of a great story, or writing the lyrics of a killer song when all of a sudden it happens— Writer’s Block. Your thoughts just stop, go away or disappear.
They vanish into that unknown zone (probably the same place that socks go to once you put them in the dryer).

Every writer reading these words and even those that aren’t, have experienced Writer’s Block. It is, to say the least, an extremely frustrating zone to be in. But, there is hope. You can overcome this moment of complete frustration and stress. And here are a few suggestions to help you quit pulling out your hair and get back to your writing.

1)    Go for a walk. Not only will the fresh air do you good, but the exercise will calm you down.

2)    Take a bubble bath. Just relax your body and mind for a moment. You’ll be amazed at how well your mind will react to a little pampering. The bath will help to relieve stress and with less stress, you will be able to think more clearly (not to mention, you’ll smell better.)

3)    Listen to music. Music has been used through the ages to soothe ill moods (in the Bible, David played the harp and sang songs to King Saul to rid him of his bad moods). Classical music has been used in classrooms to stimulate creative thinking. Music also motivates. Think about it, how many times have you heard the Rocky theme song and felt like you could go conquer everything that got in your way? Music can help.

4)    Exercise! Go work out. I know many of you don’t even want to hear this one, but exercising is good not only for your body, but for your mind as well. When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins into your body that actually gives you energy, and helps relieve stress and even depression.

5)    Write a different part of your story, song, article, poem or whatever. In other words, steer clear of the point you froze up on and move to a different point. If you got stuck on the chorus of the song, write another verse. If you got stuck in the middle of the story, go write the ending. The point is, get away from where you are for the moment. Change gears. It’ll get you up and over the hill.

These are just a few suggestions that will hopefully help you through your moment of anguish. Writer’s Block can be a pain in your aspirations, but it won’t last forever. As with all other stressful areas of life, this too, shall pass.

"Dream as big as you can dream and anything is possible..."

During an interview for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps was asked how his dreams of becoming an Olympic gold medalist and one the world’s best swimmers came true. His answer? “If you dream as big as you can dream, anything is possible. No matter what you set your imagination to, anything can happen”. According to Michael, dreaming is one the only things he does better than swimming. So, he dreamed the biggest Olympic dream he could and guess what? It came true! Michael finished the 2008 Beijing Olympics swimming meet with not one, not two, but EIGHT gold medals giving him a grand total of 14 gold medals and making him the greatest Olympian of all time!

Michael Phelps, to me, is one of the best examples of how dreaming, positive thinking, determination, and hard work can pay off. Not only did Michael have a dream, he worked hard and was determined to see his dream come true - in other words, he ACTED on his dream.

You see, there’s a big difference between having a dream and acting on it. Anyone can dream, but it’s those who act on their dreams that see them come true…

There are probably some people out there who’d disagree with me- people that might even say that Michael Phelps just “got lucky” or probably had the means to pursue what he wanted to do all along. Those people are what I’d like to call “Nay sayers” or “Pessimists”. They have dreams, but are too rational and practical to ever see them come to pass. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being rational or practical- as long as you don’t let it get in the way of dreaming or following those dreams.

I’m sure as Michael Phelps was growing up, a lot of people thought he was crazy- and understandably so, becoming a world famous Olympian swimmer is a HUGE dream- one that takes years to see through. Michael probably had many people tell him that his dream was unattainable and impossible–Michael heard them, but he didn’t LISTEN to them. He didn’t let words of doubt and discouragement from other people affect him from pursuing his dream. Because of it, Michael Phelps is LIVING his dream!

The point is, everyone has dream. And whether some may want to or not, everyone DREAMS. Just remember that only difference between dreamers and those living their dreams is ACTION.

That’s right, the only difference between YOU and those who have attained their dream is that those LIVING their dream were determined and willing to work their butts off, despite their situation and DESPITE what other people thought.

So what are you waiting for? Dream. Dream big. And take action.

A- Always staying focused

C-clearing your head of all doubts and discouragement

T- Thinking only positive thoughts

I- Insistent upon working hard

O- Outlining the necessary steps needed to reach your dreams

N- Not stopping until you reach them