Overcoming Obstacles: Methods to My Madness

Greetings and salutations for the happiest New Year of your life!

Last time I posted in the OO (Overcoming Obstacles) Ramblings, I said I would talk about a Method to My Madness.

The Method to My Madness involves staying focused and how all this writing that I do ties in together.

As I have told you previously, I have a single-minded determination which I believe serves me well and which is getting me to the end results I desire. It has been proven time and time again that if you want something badly enough you can acheive it given enough time to pursue it.

The problem is: Do you know where you want to go? I did not but after a good deal of self-study, I began to learn about beginning with the end in mind. (Sound familiar? It's because I have read and been coached in Stephen Covey's "7 Habits." You'll find more about the 7 Habits in a book called "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." )

Covey's Habit # 2 states: " Begin with the End in Mind. " Habit #2 teaches that successful people know that they must find a focal point in the future to move their purposes toward. You must determine your destination before you set out to get there.

WOW...It's the first of the year. A new start for the rest of your entire life. What better time to get into your own head and figure out what you want. I am not trying to boss you around, reader, but if you want to know how to get what you want out of life you are going to have to define what it is that YOU WANT.

And, in the meantime, drawing from an earlier Digressions article I wrote wherein I quoted a song by Sheryl Crowe "It's not having what you want - It's wanting what you've got." (Click Here to See CD ) . Get satisfied to be in a state of progress and on the way to reach your goals--don't be impatient or discouraged because the goals are not already acheived.

Thinking in terms of where you are going, consider writing a personal epitaph today. Not just for this year, but for the rest of your life. Once you know where you want your life to end up, you can then begin to work on goals to get you there.

If you will recall, I have earlier stated my Core Values. I call my values the "Tombstone List" because it made sense to me that I could arrive at these by a focus on what I wanted to do with the rest of my life through this exercise. (If you have trouble realizing what you want from life, or setting goals and getting them to come to fruition, I'd recommend that you look for this book at your local library, or purchase it for yourself: Living What Matter's Most - Hiram W. Smith . This is Smith's wonderful and helpful guide for recalibrating personal priorities and living according to your values.)

The word Epitaph is defined as a brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person. My focus for the rest of my life is currently clear because I created my Tombstone Wish List, aka, my Core Values-- my very own Epithaph.

Here, once again is my own list clearly stated and one which I review daily:

At the end of her life, Brenda strived to:

-Live a life that God approved of; and to be defined by God and not man. (Core Value #1)

-Love extravagantly; be an excellent mother; and, to support her children with her resources, her acceptance, approval and love. (Core Value #2)

-Be independent of others who were negative, toxic, and who were not supporting of her life and her goals and as a result received the desires of her heart in all things. (Core Value #3)

-Increase her knowledge daily, and never stopped learning. (Core Value #4)

-Live boldly, and to let others do the same without criticism from her. (Core Value #5)

Now, in order to fulfill these things, I must stay focused on how I want to be remembered, and to let nothing get me off of that course. And, what a better way to stay focused than by writing this blog entitled The Notary Fringe so that I can share it with other notaries.

Next time we talk, I will tell you about how you can create a focal point of success through Notes for a Good Ending,

Until then, I remain, your humble notary publisher
bringing you reports from the fringe of my notary life.

Brenda