Pep Talk

The experts say we should have dinner as a family, and I admit that it doesn't always happen in our house. Three kids, jobs, chores, exhaustion, whatever, sometimes gets in the way. But when we do, I try to stear the conversation, asking questions. Everyone at the table gets a chance to answer.

I bring this up because, as writers and artists, these questions are good things for us to think about too.

What are you grateful for? The children answer this as a prayer: I thank God for the sun. I thank God for this house. I thank God for Mommy and Daddy and my sisters. I thank God for my frogs...

It really changes the attitude of everyone at the table. We go from "I want my milk" and "How come I didn't get any of that?" to something so very pleasant. And I found that when it was my turn to say what I was grateful for, it really changed my perspective. I wasn't as focused on what I want but thankful for what I have.

As a writer, having a positive attitude is important, necessary, to moving forward on my projects. Being thankful reminds me why I love to write and helps me to let go of the anxieties of finding publishers and wooing readers.

What have you accomplished today that you are proud of? Sometimes days go by, and I don't celebrate the little accomplishments that make life a joyful experience. Sometimes, I am so busy that I don't take the time to hear about what's going on in my kids' lives. It's important to stop and remember the little things that I was proud about.

What have you done today that you wished you could have done better? I have one child in particular who really wants to be perfect. She gets so dejected when she fails at something. She crumples, wilts, whimpers, and there is no cajoling her out of it. She's the reason why I added this question to the mix. I wanted her to see Mommy and Daddy expressing desires to change and for her to learn that it's safe to fail.

The answer to this question is always answered with the attitude, "There's always tomorrow. We can try again." So I didn't write the 1000 words I planned. There's always tomorrow. So I didn't exercise in the morning because I overslept. There's always tomorrow. So my editors said my story sucked. There's always tomorrow. So I spent too much time chatting on goodreads. Well, I'll probably still chat on goodreads tomorrow, but I can try not to be so addicted to being witty.

So now it is your turn. Please leave a comment answering this questions for yourself:

What are you grateful for?
What have you accomplished today that you are proud of?
What have you done today that you wished you could have done better?