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This is for the Daily Writing Challenge Group |
| Daily Writing Challenge |
| Topic: Focus Thoughts: This topic presents a double challenge: first I must meet the daily word count; secondly I must remain focused, since focus is the topic. Focus is the effort that it takes to reach goals. If you are a goal setter, and I am, the only way to achieve that thing that you have set before you is to walk towards it. My high school math teacher taught me that the closest distance between two points is a straight line. He thought he was teaching geometry. He was actually teaching success skills. The first point is where I am currently standing in life. The second point is where I want to be. The straight line is my focus. Focus, straight-lining, is important. We must always progress to our goals. We must consider the distractions, stop only as necessary, and always keep the goals before us. There are two ways to get to our goal. We can take the path of the arrow, which speeds directly to the bulls-eye. Or we can take the path of the bumble bee, meandering across the garden and touching every flower along the way. I must confess that I prefer the path of the bumble bee. Who is to say which path is best? It certainly appears to me that the bumble bee is focused, although his path is erratic. Can I do both? Can I head straight for my goal and yet sample all the flowers of life at the same time? Whatever happened to focus? If I remember correctly, my math teacher also taught me that a curve was just a bunch of straight lines all connected together. I guess that means that if we have multiple goals we can tie them all together to make one big curve. That also means that the goals in my life should have continuity with each other. By focusing on each one, keeping them connected, I can travel life's pathway like the bumble bee. Focused on the garden, but sampling each flower in it. I have always liked bumble bees. Word Count = 350 |
| Topic: Spontaneity Thoughts: Spontaneity has always felt like a 60's word--very much like serendipity. When we consider these two words, my mind's eye sees brightly colored and loose fitting clothes, long hair with head bands, peace symbols, and VW vans. My mind's ear hears the sound of "The Age of Aquarius" playing in the background. But that is a whole different story, that requires more words than this entry can afford. The idea of spontaneity carries with it the idea of freshness. It evokes a spirit of simplicity that is not burdened with chaos. Children are a perfect example of spontaneity. We have much to learn from watching children. A child is spontaneous as they play. An act that is done on the spur of the moment has a sense of adventure to it--a feeling of entering into uncharted water without planning--dangerous but exciting. But unfortunately, spontaneity can also be easily abused. There are some who identify an act as being spontaneous when in fact all that it actually is is lazy. If spontaneity becomes one's rule of life, then it runs the chance of becoming common-place, serving only as a crutch to justify the lack of planning efforts. In this sense, the freshness of spontaneity is lost. In this sense, chaos begins to creep in. As in all things there needs to be a middle ground. We need to create a new definition--how about spontaneous planning? Is that an oxymoron? Can there be planning in spontaneity? Certainly, when they happen simultaneously. When we are decisive and act on the spontaneity we can also plan our course on the spot. However, I feel that spontaneity, planned or not, should happen only occasionally. A regular dose of spontaneity is apt to get to be redundant and tiresome. For it to be special it must be carefully measured into our lives like honey, whose sweetness is magnified by absence. Word Count = 325 |
| Topic: Rest Thought: Simply the lack of activity doesn't necessarily guarantee that rest will be achieved. The act of rest carries with it a sense of regeneration. Many don't realize or acknowledge that rest is actually a theological concept. The Bible indicates that after the world was created, however you interpret creation, God rested. It is interesting to consider that after the activity of creation God needed to take a breather. Certainly, that is a misunderstood concept on our part. Perhaps what the author of the biblical account was trying to tell us is that there is an appropriate time to cease from our activities and set back and enjoy the things that we have accomplished. The fourth commandment tells us to cease our work and remember the Sabbath. Who knows when that is? Who really cares? All we need to know is that an extended period of time should be interrupted and considered special. The Bible says to keep it holy. That actually is not a religious mandate. The word for holy is translated as "separate." It appears that we are to keep one day out of the seven separate--separate from what? Actually, it is to be kept separate from nothing. In fact it is not a separate 'from' issue at all. It is actually a separate 'to' issue. If you are religious, it means that we are to keep it separate to God. In addition, the commandment says nothing about going to church or worship. It says everything about resting. That is it. We are to keep that day separate as a day of rest. It seems to me that if it was important to God to make it a commandment, that I might as well try to apply it to my life. Word Count = 300 |
| Topic: Recovery Thoughts: That is a scary word, requiring that there be a mishap, a fall, or a conflict. No one looks forward to crisis entering their lives. However, I also don't know of anyone who has not experienced recovery. Recovery brings with it the idea that there is a healing process. Recovery from surgery simply means a wounded body must heal. Hearts and souls recover from broken relationships and loss of loved ones. Recovery may be a massive experience or it may be quite simple, like my recovery from missing a Challenge deadline. Regardless of the scope of the recovery it requires a common effort--we must get up, dust ourselves off, and take the next step. With enough steps taken, recovery will be complete. It may take only a moment, like making the next entry in the Challenge. Or it may take the rest of our lives. It depends on the depth of our crisis. However, it always begins with a first step. There is another word associated with recovery that is beneficial to us. That word is 'Growth'. Coupled with 'Experience' we become better people. It is the act of stumbling and recovering that allows us to grow. It is a sad and accurate fact of life that we are destined to fall occasionally. Unfortunately, we do not have to get up. We don't have to recover. Those who don't are casualties of life. Those who do are testimonies to the resilliency and tenacity of the human spirit. I hope that I may be one of those who always gets up, dusts themselves off, and takes another step. Word Count = 275 |
| Topic: OOPS Thoughts: It seems that I find my self saying that more often these days. 'Oops' is actually a word. It's an interjection. It has its own definition. Regardless of that fact, everone knows what it means to say, "Oops!" Last night I spent a considerable amount of time on Writing.Com. I reviewed, I returned reviews, I browsed, and I edited various articles of mine. Like I said, I spent a considerable amount of time. Somewhere around 11:00 PM I decided to go to bed. Somewhere around 11:15 PM I remembered to write my entry in the challenge. Somewhere around 11:16 PM I remembered that I was in the Central time zone and the Challenge clock was in the Eastern...oops! Rather than get up immidiately and create a masterpiece at that moment, I decided that I would go ahead and sleep on it. Therefore, I'm creating the masterpiece at this very moment. A good feature of the Challenge is that it's unforgiving. I know that mercy is an honorable trait. However, there are times when mercy is not our friend--example: letting a rabid dog loose in your back yard--not a good idea. Although missing a Challenge deadline doesn't carry the same consequence, it is important to honor becasue it teaches discipline. I apparently am a difficult student because I've done this twice. I will say, "nevermore," but am afraid that I have more lesson to learn. So, I must settle with, "I'll try." Word Count = 250 |
| Topic: Competition Thoughts: I am told that a race horse runs faster if another horse runs with it. I wonder if America would have ever gotten to the moon if we had not wanted to beat the Russians? It was competition pure and simple that drove the space program. Certainly, it was based upon the need to preserve our national security. Although competition drives us to further reaches and greater heights, it can also cloud our judgment and harden our hearts toward our neighbor. When competition becomes selfish and self-centered, it becomes destructive. Hostile parents at a little league baseball game defeat the positive benefits of competition when they drive their children beyond acceptable limits. When competition disregards the well-being of others it loses its goodness and establishes dangerous standards for future actions. I love competitive sports. I also love to win. But true competition always achieves the greatest reward when the competition is to better ones self. Like a racehorse, it is good to pace ourselves with our neighbor. But our true opponent must always be ourselves. Our triumph should always realized when we push ourselves to be better, faster, and more accurate. But the reward must be at our own expense and should never be at the expense of others. The triumph is diminished when is gained at any cost. Word Count= 225 |
| Topic: Little Things Thoughts: We fill the gaps in our life with little things. Major concerns and events define the general complexion of our life. These concerns include major events connected with our jobs, our private lives, and our social lives. Although the major things are the most obvious, it's the little things helps to give lives meaning. What is a little thing? A lunch with your granddaughter, a phone call to your grandson, writing an entry in your journal, a trip to the store with your spouse to shop together. It's significant to realize that there are more opportunities for little things. The problem is that we tend to take them for granted. Sitting on your front porch, watching the early morning daybreak is a little thing. Yet everyday the sun rises. Every day we have an opportunity to experience this little thing. How many of us do? And if we do, how often do we do it? We take advantage of the little things. But that's alright. I am grateful that there are so many of them that I can begin noticing them at any time. I think I'll watch the sun rise tomorrow. {b|Word Count = 200 |
| Topic: Professionalism Thoughts: Does professionalism mean you wear a suite and have a college education? Nope, that's absolutely silly. Being a professional has nothing to do with what you wear, how smart you are, or what your job is. Being a professional is taking pride in what you do. A professional strives to be the best at what they do. They do not perform for the money, but rather, because they take pride in what they do. I have had waitresses serve me in a professional manner. I've had mechanics work on my car in a professional manner. I've also had teenagers do a professional job mowing my lawn. They were professional because they took pride in their work. Being a professional is a voluntary action. There are educated and well dressed people who claim to be professional, but their actions are any thing but professional. One does not act like a professional. I choose to be a professional because I enjoy what I am doing and take pride in my work. Word Count: 175 |
| Topic: Labor Thought: It's interesting that we celebrate a national holiday that no one really knows what is being observed. Ask your children why we celebrate Labor Day, and you'll get vacant expressions. Labor Day isn't dedicated to any person, living or dead, or any historic event. It's dedicated to a movement that some say is past its prime. Labor day is losing it's meaning. As both conservative and liberal politics establish their position as dominant idealogies of our era, the social emphasis of orgainized labor is being diluted. The power and influence of the labor movement certainly appears to be diminishing. Will we eventually stop celebrating this day? No, it 's too much of a commercial success. We will simply abort it into a profit making scheme for Madison Avenue. Mark another one up for Capitalism. So, what's next--Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don't get me started. Word Count: 150 |
| Topic: Pressure Thoughts: I wonder what it would be like to live life without any pressure. Prehaps that is not natural. Even the creatures of the animal kingdom live their lives under pressure. They must find food, must be protected, must search for a mate and procreate, must defend themselves and their brood. I suppose the only difference is that they do not worry about it. It seems that there has always beeen pressure in my life. When I was just a kid it was the pressure of going to school and living under the peer pressure. Adults forget that the pressure placed on kids by kids is just as real as theirs. In college there was constant pressure that was magnified by mid-terms and finals. Seems as if there was always a big test looming out there. There was the constant pressure of obtaining the education--first the Bachelor's degreee and then the Master's degree. For someone who is not a student, that was significant pressure. Then there is the pressure of being a husband and father. It wasn't until my children were older that I finally realized that I only had one shot at doing it right--that's pressure. But, sometimes you are fortunate and stumble into it and things come out right. There is the pressure of my career. I thought school was pressure and had deadlines. Owning my own business brought new meaning to the word pressure. I even place pressure on myself in the things that I do in my leisure time. Writing.Com is liesure time. But even here I find constant pressure applied to my life. There is pressure to review, if I wish to be reviewed. There is pressure to meet this writing challenge. I find that I have presssure to continue writing on my novel. I belong to service clubs such as Rotary, professional organizations such as the American Planning Association, and other organizations such as Toastmasters. I must attend meetings and serve on boards. All of which have deadlines and responsibilities. Why do I do this to myself? I must. It is in me to strive for a goal. Purpose in life comes from achievement. Success is measured not by how well I am known or how much money I make. Success is measured by how well I achieve my goals. A successful person finishes what he starts. That is where the pressure comes in. There is no pressure in quiting. There is pressure in finishing the course. But I contend that that can be a good thing. So success in this writing challenge is not measured by the score or results that Wannabe determines at the end. Success is the end itself. Success is finishing. Word Count = 460 |
| Topic: Friendship Thoughts: I have heard it said that a person only establishes a couple of really good friends all of their lifetime. These are friends who remain so through the years even though time and distance mount. I have been priviledged to have that kind of friends. Some are friends that I come into contact on an almost daily basis. Others I have not heard from in years. But I know that I can depend on them even today. Do all our friends have to be physical friends. In other words, can we have "virtual" friends. Until recently I would have said that "virtual" friends are not real friends. After all how can you depend on a friend who has a made up name and has no face? I believe that I am changing my position. The writers in Writing.Com are a unique group of people. Some of them are developing into "real" friends. As I remain active in this site, I am contiually amazed at the goodness and helpfulness of the writers in here. It causes me to look forward for tomorrow. Word Count = 187 |
| Topic: Quality Thoughts: I deal a lot with the concept of quality. In my work we strive to create quality living spaces. In my life I strive to create quality time for those with whom I come into contact. In our physical lives we always want to surround ourselves with quality things. What do we mean by quality? Well I guess it has a little to do with the recent Army ad line, "Be the all that you can be." Quality means you do not compromise for anything less than the best. It does not necessarily mean that it must be expensive, just well done. Quality life is time well spent. A quality car is a car that has been well made. A quality short story is a piece well developed. A quality journal, likewise, is a work well prepared and written. It does not take much to recognize quality. What is important to us to know, is that quality is within our reach. We do not need to settle for less. We only have to do the best that we can do. Once we do that, we can look around and say, "Hey, this is quality." Word Count = 199 |
| Topic: Discipline Thoughts: Discipline is a matter of effort. You've got to take the time to do that thing that is demaning action of you. My problem is that it is easier to procrastinate. Procrastination is discipline rescheduled. I am constantly rescheduling my actions. In other words, why do today what I can put off until tomorrow. Shame on me. fortunately I only had fifty words to write; and I wrote seventy-one. Word Count = 71 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Topic: Beginnings Thoughts: The beginning of a new endeavor is an opportunity to reach new levels of accomplishment. With each added day a new sense of accomplishment will be achieved. I am excited about the challenge of daily writing. My only concern is that the time it takes to keep up the journal will take from my other efforts. But that is the purpose of this effort. Word Count = 67 |
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