Business

Book Review – Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind

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 book-coverI picked up this book because…who doesn’t want to better manage their day to day routine, find better focus and sharpen their creative mind?  Ha.  This is a typical book for this type of book.  It has a lot of good points about how to regain focus and create time to be creative.  It even mentions another of my favorite books – “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.  It talks about the Morning Pages which is something that I ran across years ago in “The Artist’s Way.”  It was a brilliant idea then and still is a great idea to get the creative mind going.  I am thankful for the reminder.  The author of this book also exposes the myth of multi tasking and elaborates that multi tasking is really not possible.  You can multi task by walking or driving and listening to music at the same time, but unless it is something along that line, you are really not multi tasking.  What are you actually doing is chopping small pieces of your time up and giving it to several things at once.  Before entering into trying to multi task always take a moment to look and see if it would be better and more efficient to do one thing, do it well, complete it and move on.  Good point.  I recommend this book for the insights it offers.

Cherry Coley (c)

Books Books and more Books!

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booksI love books.  They are one of the greatest gifts we have! Wonderful tomes filled with fantasy, recipes, life experiences, and information to entertain, feed our bodies and minds, encourage our spirits and expand our knowledge.

What an amazing ability and opportunity we have to learn to read.  It is right up there at the top of the list of my things I am thankful for!  Probably second would be the ability to write and type.

I read constantly. I don’t believe in information overload.  There’s no such thing.  Our brains expand as needed!  You can fill it every day and it won’t run out of room or memory like your computer will.  Amazing!

Since I read a variety of books on a steady basis I am going to start a friendly book review.  I have come across some pretty wonderful books along the way and I can’t think of a better way to show appreciation than to review them honestly and give some verbal applause and kudos to those who put in the effort to share knowledge.

What have you written lately?  A letter? A recipe? An encouraging email? Kindness expressed is never wasted.

Cherry Coley (c)

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Keep It Short and Pointed!

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photo by Casey Keal

photo by Casey Keal

You don’t need to be long-winded to get a point across, in fact, it’s better if you’re not.  Now days if you take too long to get to the point you will lose your audience and even those who stick around to try to figure out what you’re saying, may forget what the original topic was if you take too long to get to the point.

“Communication is not about speaking, it’s about listening,” Simon Sinek.

I agree with Simon, to communicate good listening skills are required, so do us all a favor and learn to cut the “fluff” and long descriptions.  If we want that type of writing we’ll pick up a novel and enjoy the scenery and visions that dance in our head.  However, if your topic is instructional, inspirational, business oriented, or something you want to share to improve the lives of others, then get to the point so that we can grasp the information quick and apply it.

Life is short, let’s find ways to improve our writing skills, improve our listening skills, and learn to communicate in a way that everyone can grasp and enjoy.

Why did I write on this subject?  I read my last post.  Ha.

-Cherry Coley ©

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Change 03/05/13

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“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.  And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom, a man cannot ride you unless your back is bent.” – Martin Luther King

 

“Never believe that a few caring people cannot change the world,  for indeed that is all who ever have.” – Margaret Mead

 

Change is the one thing in this world that is certain.  Change comes into every life, into every circumstance, and makes it’s way into every situation.  Change simply…is.

How well we live our lives is directly related to how well we handle change, whether we live proactively and in a positive state of mind, ready for whatever life might throw our direction, or whether we live reactively and wind up being controlled by our on emotional responses to things that happen.  There is a choice to be made and we make those choices each day. 

What will we do? What if?  Don’t dwell on all the worries, live today, enjoy the moment, focus on what is right in front of you right now.  If you’re talking to someone, put down the phone, concentrate and hear the person in front of you. 

So many times we forget to slow down and just “be present.”  I know I learn to appreciate the people and things I have when I take the time to enjoy and focus solely on what I am doing.  It’s important, you will never have another moment like this one, change is coming.

Cherry Coley (c)

Begin With the End In Mind

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startHave you ever struggled trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B?  One good way to figure out how to set priorities and goals is to visualize where you want to go, see yourself there, then start thinking of what you can do to get to the place you want to be. 

What about life?  Don’t you hate it when your employer asks you that dreaded question, “where do you see yourself in 5 years?”  How about looking even further into the future? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? What about when you retire?

If you really want to have something serious to think about, what would you want people to say about you in your eulogy? If you can visualize your friends, family, co-workers and the people at your church or the charity you work with getting up to share a few words about your life.  What sort of things would they say?  What do you want them to say?

It makes you stop and think doesn’t it?  It did me.  It’s made me realize where I’ve fallen short, the mistakes I’ve made and all the work I still need to do.  It’s made me realize I need to invest a lot more time in the people I care about and appreciate. 

Life is short, time is precious and there’s no time like the present to get started.  Start with the end in mind and put your heart and soul into where you want to be, the influence you’d like to have and the legacy you’d like to leave. You will leave a legacy, the great thing is you have a choice what that legacy will be. 

Cherry Coley (c)

 

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Quote Jan 29, 2013

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“There is little to be learned by doing nothing. When you conceive an idea in which you fervently believe, go after that idea – especially if people you respect believe it’s a good one. Hang in there and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!” – Zig Ziglar

Take a moment today to be thankful for the blessing in your life.  Be thankful for your job, your family and friends, the roof over your head, the ability to read, and learn.  There are so many things we take for granted each day.  Look around you today and be thankful.

I am thankful for you.  No one can ever take your place, you are unique, one of a kind.  Only you have the ability to do the things you do the way you do them.  Only you know all the people in your life that you can touch with a simple act of kindness.  You can make a difference.

Cherry Coley (c)

Spilled Cookies – New Look Coming Soon!

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Time changes everything.  I have been on a soul-searching path for several years now, last year was a time of grief and rebuilding and that is an ongoing process.  Rewriting your life and changing direction takes time, courage, lots of study, self-evaluation and learning to humble oneself to be open to change itself.

I will be working to change SpilledCookies to go in a new direction as my life is changing as well.  This blog has been a great way to gain insight and self-confidence, to share points of view, to trade ideas and I have enjoyed writing here. 

I am not saying goodbye, but instead saying there are better days ahead!  While I have shared some personal stories here, a lot of my posts are my point of view about different subjects, the new site will hold more of each, plus a new adventure/outreach I will be starting soon.  I hope you will enjoy the new SpilledCookies even more.

Cherry Coley (c)

 

My philosophy for Spilled Cookies still holds true:

Be Accountable!

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Today I am thankful for accountability.  Accountability plays a big part in our lives.  It’s a wonderful thing to have people who are accountable for their own choices and actions in life.  Those are the people who are not the one’s causing drama, pointing fingers, blaming others, and whining constantly because things aren’t the way they planned.

Being an accountable person means taking responsibility for your choices, decisions, actions, thoughts, and words among other things.  We need more people who hold themselves accountable and live up to a higher standard.

I am thankful to finally realize what being accountable means and to be able to study and grow as a person.  Life is so much more than having a positive attitude, or spouting a bunch of inspirational quotes.  Becoming accountable is taking responsibility for yourself and your life and it’s a journey that changes and grows over time. 

 Life is much for enjoyable and fulfilling when you are in charge of your own decisions and own up to your own mistakes. 

 Cherry Coley ©

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Time to Go!

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Today I am thankful for transportation.  Sometimes traffic can be a pain, you have to watch out for other drivers on the road and road hazards as well.  Yet what a privilege to be able to get a license to drive and to have the opportunity to buy a vehicle of your own choosing.

Think about what it must have been like prior to cars.  There were buggies, carriages, chariots, wagons, trains, and horses.  Other than that, you just walked if you wanted or needed to go someplace.  Back then if a family member moved away there was a pretty good chance you might never see them again.

Despite all the complaining about the roads, construction, traffic issues, and the price of gas, I think we overlook the fact that we have it so much easier than our ancestors even on our worst days.

We can get in our cars with friends or family and travel places in a short amount of time that might have taken weeks, months or even years to get to before. We can travel in comfort with windows that help block sounds, smells, dust, wind, debris, and even the sun.  We can turn on air conditioning or heat at will.

I am thankful I am here in this time and place in history and be able to travel in safety with my children and loved one’s beside me.  I am thankful for all the forms of transportation we have available to us.  I am thankful that if a family member decides to move away or travel, it doesn’t have to be the last time I see them.

Cherry Coley (c)

Thank You For a Past to Grow On

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Today I am thankful for indoor plumbing and appliances.  As mundane as that sounds I remember all too well the stories my mom used to tell of having to walk to the well, or the creek to get water to cook with or bathe with.  Imagine having to heat water on the stove then trying to fill up the bathtub enough to take a bath before it all got cold.

 I heard a lot of stories how my parents would have to go to the creek in the winter to get water to cook with and have to break the ice first before filling their buckets.  Many days the meals consisted of cornbread and milk.  They had oatmeal, but not always sugar.  Their meat they got from hunting or fishing. 

 In the mornings my mom and my aunt would have to go collect the eggs from the chickens.  My mom hated to do that because sometimes snakes would crawl in the nest and swallow the eggs underneath the terrified hen. 

 They learned to survive in the harsh winters up in the mountains of Arkansas, to share and to take care of each other.  Coats, clothes, shoes were all precious and taken care of so they would last for a long while.  My mother learned to sew and made many of the clothes for the family.

 Amazing the amount of progress we’ve made in just a few generations, going from a wood stove and an actual “ice” box where you put a large cube of ice in it to keep a few things cool to microwaves, toasters, mixers, refrigerators, washing machines, a myriad of coffee machines, and ovens you can turn on with a dial and not much thought.

 I am thankful for all the stories they told of how hard life was and the obstacles they had to face just in day to day life.  Even the stories of being afraid of go to the outhouse after dark for fear of animals and snakes, not to mention a practical joker for a brother. 

Today I am thankful for all the creations that we have become so used to having that we take them for granted every day.  Let us not forget where we came from and how far we’ve come.  By keeping our roots in mind we can better see where we are today and the bright hope for the future.  What’s next?  The answer is whatever amazing thing we can dream up.

 Cherry Coley ©