Humor & Inspiration in Writing: Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Kaley Tallman & Grounded Soul Massage

The best of plans goes awry. The Humor & Inspiration  features were going like clockwork. Until they didn't. Authors and bloggers dotted the schedule, but illness and life kept a couple from submitting on time. Feeling nervous, I reached out to my Facebook connections and my friend Kaley Tallman offered to fill in. 

To help you understand how amazing Kaley is, allow me to share a bit of insider information:

1. Kaley is a self-made business woman. Regardless of many obstacles, she has established her own massage therapy practice in Northern Utah, Grounded Soul Massage. 
2. She is a healer. Kaley is not only well-trained, but her hands work magic. Her focus is on improving her clients' quality of life.
3. As well as a meditative nature, Kaley has a wonderful sense of humor. Both qualities aid her clients in tapping into a place of peace, understanding, safety, & personal well-being.
4. Kaley is a giver. Among other things, she donated time during Parent Teacher Conferences to treat elementary teachers to a little TLC. 

Over the years, I have enjoyed Kaley's levelheadedness, professionalism, and whit. We have laughed and learned together, and Kaley has been an integral part of my healing process. I am pleased to share her with you now. Enjoy her words of wisdom.

* * *

Recently, my friend Sarah Boucher posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for a guest blogger this week. Without thinking too much, I volunteered. I figured it would be a great opportunity to get out of my Comfort Zone.

To be honest, I had a difficult time deciding what I wanted to share with a new audience. She suggested something to do with health, wellness, and inspiration. And being a massage therapist and self-employed, I thought it would be easy to share this kind of information.

As it turns out, I have been feeling stuck on what to share.

Today on my Facebook news feed, there was a picture that said, “Have total belief in yourself. Your future success depends on it.” This reminded me of a theme that has been showing up for me daily.

My future success depends completely on me being willing to step out of my comfort zone and believing in myself.

It is scary and thrilling all at the same time.

Every day, I get to create my future.

I share all of this to hopefully inspire you, the person reading this. It's okay that you feel stuck and vulnerable. Heck, I feel that quite often. However, I find my daily inspiration in the people that I meet or even a little reminder on my Facebook news feed.

I invite you to step out of your comfort zone and have faith in yourself. 

You just might be surprised at what can happen.

* * *

Isn't she marvelous? Kaley isn't a writer in the conventional sense, but she blogs, runs an inspirational Facebook page, and was recently featured in an article about  Myofascial Release Therapy. 

To learn more about Kaley, Myofascial Release, or Grounded Soul Massage, find her on Facebook, Twitter, or on the Grounded Soul Massage website. Happy healing!

Meet the other writers featured in the Humor & Inspiration Features: 

Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 

Prairie Wife in Heels: The Idyllic Country Life 

Anne Goodwin: When Words Behave Like Toddlers 

Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Heidi Doxey: British Book Invasion

Carol J. Hedges: So You've Published a Book...

Allison Maruska: Four Steps Away From the Cliff
Colleen M. Story: Writers with Personality
Tamara Copley: The Magic of Humor
Sarah E. Boucher: Beating the Blaaahs
Jenniffer Wardell: All the Best Jokes

Dead. Dead. Deaded.

Deadlines. Have we ever discussed the fact that the word itself features the word dead? It's like diet, whose root word is obviously die. Die! Die! Die!

Uh, sorry. Where was I? Oh, yes. We were going to discuss the fact that meeting some deadlines might make you question your purpose in life. Or at least your sanity. Sometimes the worst deadlines are the ones we set ourselves. Today marks the close of the summer when I tried to kill myself off with the Mother of all Deadlines.

For me, summers are sacred to writing and playing. Last summer I not only edited Becoming Beauty for publishing, but I also wrote the bulk of Twelve (except it's now retitled...uh, I'm not telling yet) and took a number of vacations. This summer the plan was to submit Twelve and jump into writing the next book (which is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin). But I never could have guessed what would happen instead.

Allergies and severe carpal tunnel syndrome curtailed most of my summer writing activities. Exactly half a chapter of Book Three has been set down, which was disappointing. But luckily, my ducks were in a row to submit Twelve to the publisher. I knew that as soon as I went into surgery I wouldn't be allowed near my laptop for weeks. (What I didn't know was that during recovery I wouldn't even have the desire to write.) So, after getting all the comments back from beta readers, I pushed through my story. Twice. The dreadful surgery week arrived and a few more personal tragedies and family dramas took my attention away from writing. Finally, I shut myself in my room, ignored my lovely parents, and started finalizing the submission process for Twelve. I think a little angel must have been watching over me because the process was more upscale the second time around. Luckily, I had most of the elements ready or nearly ready. It took a about 90 minutes to prepare everything, an extra five minutes to stare at the forbidding SUBMIT button, four seconds to take a deep breath, and a millisecond to tap that silly red button and bid farewell to my baby.

Then, the Waiting Game begins. It's different going into it the second time because I know what to expect and I have a back-up plan. Also, I know the editors, marketing directors, and cover artists and I've already spoken to a number of them about this project. And I'm VERY excited and hopeful!

Let the waiting game begin!

Meanwhile, summer is pulling to a close and I'm heading back into kindergarten teacher mode. (No worries, it just means LOTS of amazing stories, my dears!) And since we're on the subject of school, in 100 words or less, turn in an essay on the subject: My Summer Vacation. Due immediately! Drop it in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!

Hell, High Water, & Deadlines

Stuff happens. And it happens when you have other plans. Like vacationing for the summer. Or writing another book.

Eight years ago, I started teaching at a new school. That first year we survived what I call Hell and High Water. The upstairs flooded. We kept teaching. The power went out for five hours. In the dead of winter. We kept teaching.

Because of the many challenges that have come my way, this summer has felt oddly like that year. Hey, I thought, why don't I apply the stick-to-it-iveness I learned as an educator in public school to my summer writing career? So today, my writerly (and not so writerly) dears, we're chatting about facing Hell, Highwater, and Deadline with grace. (And only a little swearing.)

Hell-o
I've already talked to you about my crazy health issues this summer. People have more hellish problems than what I've faced, but it has certainly thrown off my groove. Just like last year when my dad had a heart attack in the middle of everything. Nothing makes you more nervous than when someone you love is hurting physically, mentally, or emotionally. The trick to overcoming the hellish things that come your way? Take care of yourself and make sure you take time for yourself. 

Hi, water!
Also, I've talked about the changes in my career. It's pretty rough facing all the goodbyes and huge changes, but it's necessary. What I haven't mentioned is that my friends and family are going through some pretty heinous things this year as well. Words like cancer, Hashimoto's disease, court dates, and unemployment keep rolling in like waves endlessly burying me and mine. How do you deal with that? Share the love. Keep close to those you love and hold tight to the beliefs and practices that keep your heart and mind in the right place.

Dead, deady, dead (lines)
Lastly, we've discussed the woes of editing. (Now there's a process that never ends. It's like laundry, but with words.) Last summer, I was vacationing AND editing Becoming Beauty at the same time. I hate deadlines. Self imposed or otherwise, they come right in the middle of all the drama and the good and bad times. They're obnoxious, but without them, little would get done in a timely manner. Here's how I cope with the drama of deadlines:

• Get organized. Schedule in all the things that I need to do and prioritize tasks in order of importance. (Even when you're crazy busy, it's amazing how good it feels to check things off the list.)
• Ask for help. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you can't do it on your own. We all need a healthy support group to bounce ideas off of. (And occasionally laugh like a crazy person with.)

Good luck, my dears! We all deal with a healthy amount of turbulence in life and writing. Take a breathe, eat a cupcake, and jump back in. If it helps, I'm in the same muddled mess.

I'd love to hear your tragedies and triumphs in overcoming them. Leave me a comment!

What Doesn't Kill You

Okay, usually I'm not a whiny pants. I usually suck it up and try to get on with my life. My mother has always lived with the mantra: 

Seriously. But occasionally life sends you a curve ball and you either make time for it or you get smacked in the head and risk brain damage.

Anyway, I'm the kind of girl who thinks everything is all right. Except when I spend the better part of two years feeling like I'm suffering from a nasty cold. Doesn't make a girl feel like a princess when she's always honking her hooter or sneezing so loud that small children are terrified. Not cool. When the problems persisted, I finally spoke up. Like all my friends, the doctor said, "Sounds like allergies." 900 injections later it turns out that I am allergic to trees, weeds, grass, mold, and dust. Awesome.

Also, I spoke up about the numbness in my hands. And Ta-Da! After another horrible test, I was diagnosed with severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Even better. However, my wonderful massage therapist has been working with me to minimize the damage until I can receive surgery in the next couple of weeks.

As obnoxious as it is to find out that you're allergic to your life and that your craft is in jeopardy, it's better to find out that you can recover from it. No matter whether your passion is writing, art, mommying, or anything else, you will be more effective if you take time for yourself and your health.

These are my top To-Dos:

• Drink water. Keep your brain and body hydrated or they don't work as well as they should.
• Exercise. Even if it's something low impact like walking around the block. Or chasing your kids around the park. (And hey, my pool is open all summer. Come on over.)
• Visit the doctor regularly. Ask questions about anything out of the ordinary. (Believe me, finding out that you have 20 allergies and carpal tunnel in the same two week period isn't fun. It's better to investigate things before they become serious.)
• Search out holistic remedies. They're typically cheaper and more comfortable than traditional medicine. So why not?
• Play. You may not think it's important, but your brain needs time to unwind too. I am at my most creative when I take time for myself. Laughter may not be the best medicine, but it certainly doesn't hurt!

What do you do to protect your health? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment! Meanwhile, I'll be all allergy-drugged-up and chilling at the pool! Enjoy!

Also. my Happy Birthday Giveaway is still going on. Enter to win a signed copy of Becoming Beauty or an Amazon Gift Card. Good luck!