Jack Bauer loves information, he knows where to find it, how to get it from people using maverick interrogation techniques, but most of all, he likes a steady stream of updates (preferably to his PDA) in “real time.” He would love Twitter search. This week I was trying to purchase tickets for the much loved […]
People Pleasing Paralysis
At school, work and even when self-employed, you may be familiar with the “People Pleasing Paralysis”. What has been ingrained in you since you were young, could well be stunting the growth of your personality – and your success. We were taught to make the teacher happy, make your boss happy – even if it […]
Funny How Time Slips Away – Making The Seconds Count
It’s Sunday, a regular Sunday, nothing out of the ordinary. I know people out there are sleeping off the night before and relaxing, so that should be okay for me right? Yet there’s something that’s making me restless, and it’s the thought that I should always be working harder and longer than I am. When […]
Are you and your characters passive?
Since the beginning of the year, I have been submitting one short story a week for competitions / magazine entries. Having to review so much material for submission, I began to see in some of my older work, a common trait with main characters in stories that I was unhappy with: they had a tendency […]
Kicking Out Self Doubt for Freelancers
One of the hardest aspects of working for yourself is that you are self-reliant on picking yourself up, offering encouragement and motivation even when the chips are down. The phone hasn’t rang for a couple of days, your inbox looks a little empty and your Twitter updates are falling on blind eyes. I was on […]
Baby Steps
I had a wonderful send off from work last Friday and this week I took the first shaky steps of working for myself. It’s a little strange at first getting up in the morning, getting ready and then not leaving the flat, and I will be pleased when I manage to get a computer and […]
Ploughing to Prevent Regret – Monday 3rd Nov 08
I am writing this from a cottage in a remote location as a result of doing something I have always wanted to do. For years I have had a romanticised notion of packing up and getting away from everything to take a holiday on my own, and for years I have denied myself. Convinced that […]
Don't Look Back – Monday 27th Oct 08
Mary Engelbreit’s greeting card appeals to me at this moment in time. By now the people I am close to at work know that I am leaving and on the whole seem very happy for me. Some people think I’m being foolish leaving and not having a plan but to me it just seems more […]