Motivation Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Stephanie DelTorchio

We Make It Happen Little By Little – NaNoWriMo

Life is a battle of inches. Inspiring quote. Motivational quote. Stephanie DelTorchio befat.net

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an annual novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. The CHALLENGE: Write a 50,000 word novel in a MONTH. The GOAL: Survive the challenge.

On November 1st I jumped into the writing “craze” known as #NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month. This is the Olympics for writers from all over the world — beginners to accomplished — who accept the challenge to write a novel, roughly 50,000 words, in a month.

For the past few years I’ve toyed with joining but each year withdrew at the last minute. This time I’m walking the walk. Wish me luck, okay?

I have the germ of an idea. And that’s about all. I’m not 100% sure of the one-liner; a complete sentence that conveys the story. Here goes (and note it WILL change):

Three estranged generations of a dysfunctional family take a road trip on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock to find the woman that connects them.

You’re Perfectly Aligned

3 signs that you're perfectly alighned today/inspirational quote/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net

On any given day we get crabby. Life has handed us a boatload of lemons and we’re in no mood to make the lemonade.

Rather, if no one is looking, or f*ck, even if “they” are, you’d be well within your right to hurl those lemons at the first moving object that tells you “every little thing’s gonna be alright.”

But let’s be reasonable humans a second. Physical violence doesn’t become us. Normally.

Today, take a quick assessment of the world around. Go on…you know the drill. You are blessed with…FILL IN THE Blah-blah-blah. Maybe on THIS DAY you’re not feeling the universal hug of all you possess.

No problem.

Thank Yourself Today

Thank Yourself/positive quote/self-love quote/motivational quote/inspirational quote/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net

Today will you please be gentle and cut yourself some slack?

Listen my darlings, we live in a crazy world. Every day we’re bombarded by external obstacles — big shit and little shit. Remember the difference? Let the little ones go. Accept that the big ones will swallow you whole…unless… you understand that you cannot carry the world for long before it breaks you into pieces.

As beautiful and glorious and magical as LIFE is, it comes with some pretty shitty fine print….

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No amount of worry or self-beating is going to fix the problem. Do the best you can with the knowledge you have and then cast your care. Write down what’s eating at you. Then rip it up. Or burn it. Or charge yourself one dollar every time you speak or think about it. (I could have traveled around the world had I done this one.)

It’s taken years but I finally gave up on the “little”. Such a friggin’ waste of time. And now I recognize the BIG. And guess what? I can’t do squat about the BIG.

Dreamin’ On

Dreamin' On/inspirational quote/following your dream/positive quote on dreams/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net

That dream? The one that keeps coming back to you? That is your destiny calling.

Don’t let someone else who “woke up” and decided theirs wasn’t worth pursuing keep you from chasing yours.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

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The Case of The Curious Octopus

Albert Einstein quote/passion/curiosity/inspiring quote/motivational/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net I‘m not sure who coined the phrase “curious octopus” but I first heard it beautifully explained by Paola Antonelli. She’s the Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Voted as one of the top 100 most powerful people in the art world, Antonelli is an Italian-born architect (who, curiously, never practiced architecture).

But she’s a “curious octopus” — defined as the reaching and grabbing from a wide spectrum of disciplines to create something new. Antonelli is speaking about art and design, but for those of us with other interests, the process of cross-pollinating ideas opens up infinite possibilities.

Consider our friend the Octopus (for some reason I think he’s purple?). Picture his “tentacles” as the different areas of the brain, all firing powerful information and ideas for consideration. Now take a basic idea, say, a game to delight a five year old. Then mix and match the tentacle firings to create something fun and entertaining for an entire day.

For a kindergartner, creative play is the octopus’s imagination on a sugar high. It’s funny how easily small children take ordinary objects — empty toilet paper rolls — and turn them into kazoos, pins for “bowling”, spy glass for birdwatching or pressed together to make a tunnel for Matchbox cars. (Can you tell what I did this weekend?)

Adults, too, can be curious octopuses. Our “tentacles” are the life experiences and varied interests that resonate with our core being.

Harness your aptitudes and loves (art, child-rearing, woodworking, mountain climbing, cake decorating, horse riding, etc.) and mix them with your curiosity. This opens you up to the possibilities of creation and innovation way beyond your imagination.

Go and be any color Curious Octopus you like. I’m sticking with purple.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

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But Will They Miss You When You’re Gone?

Oscar WIlde quote. befat.net/Stephanie DelTorchio/leaving a legacy/inspirational quote Come the Monday morning after you’re gone, the only person who will care about what’s left in your Inbox is the person who inherits it.

“There’s only one thing worse in the world than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” ~Oscar Wilde

Within two weeks time your work will be absorbed. You’ll be a periodic memory, reminder or footnote in one of two ways:

“Gosh, we miss Annie.”

If your work was stellar and brilliant, your inheritors will want to emulate your system, traits and processes. They might engrave your name on something to remind the new hires that ANNIE was here, and her contribution mattered to the collective success of this place. “Gosh, we miss Annie.”

Or…

“Gosh, Annie left us in a mess.”

When the first phone call ends with the realization that you coasted more than you counted, it quickly becomes apparent to your inheritors that you didn’t contribute as much as you took. Your name will be the scapegoat for weeks, perhaps months to come. Nobody can find an order, a reference or the place you left off. Excuses will mount as “the ghost of Annie” rises over and over. The only part of your legacy worth salvaging — staplers and sharpeners and expandable file binders — will be taken from your former desk before it’s assigned to someone new. “Gosh, Annie left us in a mess.”

We get one spin around this great big ball. Whatever we’ve accomplished or achieved matters, to the good or not-so-good, based on the people who follow us.

Take the stapler and the pens if you feel they’re token parting gifts. Just know that on the first Monday without you, the people who fill your space will miss you in accordance with how you left them to carry on. But seriously, leave the stapler.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

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Get Out Of My Way

Get Out Of My Way. Empowerment. Inspirational quote. Motivational quote. Stephanie DelTorchio. befat.net

You have SO MUCH POWER over what you do today. What, my darlings, will you do with it?

Okay, sure, there are uber obligations — most notably your job and your family, but there’s some wiggle room there, too. Unless physically unable, your family is capable of feeding themselves and finding clean underwear without your help. Trust me they can. An entire generation survived on two day old undies and SpaghettiOs, and we’re still here.

At work, take five minutes to be alone. Don’t say “you don’t understand my boss”. Oh, yes I do. Even more reason to lock yourself in the bathroom. Take a drive around the block. Walk up the street.

Nobody can suck you in or drag you along without your permission. Seriously, you guys, NOBODY.

People with their hands raised, shouting “ooh-ooh pick me!” doesn’t obligate you to do so. Every schoolteacher I know has learned to tell the class: “Put your hands down.”

I know…you’re so nice and want to make everyone happy. It’s sweet. And the world loves to take advantage of your always being one they count on to volunteer. To give a ride. Stay late on Friday night to finish the proposal. Think about your time you’re giving up to a person or situation that doesn’t A. Have your permission and B. Doesn’t make you feel good/helpful/appreciated for doing it.

People pleasers are asked to turn in your badges as you exit this life.

Stop accepting the belief that everyone is entitled to your time and space just because they invade it.

There is no rule that says you must open your door just because somebody knocked on it. Put up a freakin’ force shield. Draw a circle around your space. Install caller-ID.

Just as the world clambers for a piece of you, be sure you’re not stepping on somebody else’s day without permission. Respect in this world is a two-way street, so my mother said. Thank you, Mom.

You have dreams, goals and desires. They are waiting for you to breathe life into them. Make the time TODAY to work towards what you want to achieve.

When someone gets in your way, play a friendly game of “Mother, May I?” If you answer “yes, you may take two baby steps forward,” at least it’s on your terms. (The other answer is of course, “No, you may not. And for the love of God, change your underwear.”

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

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Finish, Continue or Begin

Finish, Continue or Begin. positive posts. inspirational quote. inspirational blog. befat.net Stephanie DelTorchio Carry on.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

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A Good vs Bad Hair Day

Have A Good Hair Day. Inspirational quote. Motivational Quote. #befat

Yesterday morning I “did” my hair, which means I washed it and used a blow dryer instead of not doing either. Looking in the mirror, kind of happy with my decision to join the clean world, I felt empowered to take on the day. Over a good hair day? Yes. Am I lying girls?

Now what to do. Should I work on the anthology of short stories piled on my desk? Tackle the screenplay that’s been incubating for a few weeks and ready for fresh eyes? Nah. Not feeling creative today. I’d recently finished a round of book edits and my brain is in need of a rest.

Decision made. Paint the shed.

I dragged the materials up the driveway — ladder, paint, brushes, rags — while periodically flipping my hair. So silky clean and bouncy.

The garden shed is tucked under a mighty oak tree. Love that tree. It’s beginning to show off beautiful yellow foliage. I grabbed the paint and brush and climbed the ladder, humming, happy with my decision to be outdoors for a bit. At the top, I took a moment to give the tree it’s respect. Sturdy, with a generous trunk, it provides summer shade and now a colorful backdrop to the yard. I actually smiled, and drew in a deep breath. Don’t you love the smell of fall? A slight crisp in the air. Heavy scent of rich earth at its peak before the change to the next season.

In my moment of reverential appreciation…SMACK. A friggin’ acorn cracked on the top of my head. A city of evil gray rodents, AKA “cute” squirrels, barreled through the oak’s full bounty, gathering their free winter stash. Tearing through the limbs those rats with tails instigated a hailstorm. Acorns ricocheted from branch to branch, hitting the roof, the ground and (have I mentioned?) one very rare nice hairdo.

Two of the most sinister (one Democrat, one Republican) laughed as they scurried back and forth across the roof. Alternatively they taunted me and then it seemed they targeted each other for all the acorns.

This gal is tenacious by nature. I’m not easily defeated and figure if I can’t outsmart a squirrel, it’s time to move to Canada. From my garage, I pull out a snow shovel and my grandson’s yellow Bob-the-Builder construction helmet. This was war.

Those two were formidable. Just when I thought my wielding shovel sent them to some other part of the yard, they came back. Louder, more angry, but just as offensive as when I’d first laid eyes on them. After two hours of fighting their onslaught I had a beautifully painted shed. But sadly, my once good hair day ended in a flattened, mangled mess — like two very nasty squirrels.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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I Don’t Want To Grow Up

I may be getting older but I refuse to grow up/I don't want to grow up/www,befat.net/Stephanie DelTorchio/inspirational quote/on getting old

I‘m still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. Does that make me a female version of Peter Pan? Holding off the growing up part as long as possible? Tell that to the gray hairs and wrinkles (calling ’em what they are folks) that prove I’ve “matured”.

If growing up means being a responsible adult, then fine. Box checked. I’m officially an adult. Whatever that means. I raised good kids, pay my taxes and only wear a bikini in the privacy of my own backyard. You’re welcome.

In the meantime I’m sticking with my plan to remain “CONSCIOUSLY UNDECIDED” — as far as being a “grown-up” is concerned. This job title allows for lots of latitude, growth and discovery.

Tell me…are you a grown-up or just pretending to be one?

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

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Category - Motivation