inspiration

My Word of the Year for 2021

My Word of the Year for 2021

I’ve heard it said that people with high-functioning anxiety—like myself—did really well the first few months of the pandemic and shelter-at-home orders, but by the end of the summer, it all caught up to me (which I discussed a bit in my last post.) While a lot of it can be blamed on the constant, low-level stress that’s been a part of all of our lives, quite a bit of it is because of bad habits I’ve allowed myself to fall into. I know we’re supposed to be cutting ourselves some slack during all this, but we don’t know how much longer our lives will be in this altered state and I feel like my options are to either keep floundering or adjust to this new normal.

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Looking Back at Being in the Moment

Looking Back at Being in the Moment

In January 2020, I declared this to be The Year of Being in the Moment. Today that feels almost prophetic, but at the time it was nothing more than a reminder to myself to focus on what’s truly important. My friends and family, my health, the little things that bring me joy. I started the year by training for and then performing in my community’s Dancing With the Local Stars, then in early March we vacationed in Key West with our best friends. We traveled home (BY PLANE!! ON MARCH 12!!) as the country slowly came to grips with what we were facing.

Like the rest of the world, our world suddenly shrank to within the walls of our house.

We were very much living in the moment.

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How I Bullet Journal

How I Bullet Journal

It took me close to a year to settle on a system that works for me, and since then I have talked to countless people about my method. The most common thing I hear is “I wish I could do something like this.” A couple friends have even gone so far as to buy the journal, but that’s as far as they get. So I am here NOW to break down my system with LOTS of pictures to show you that this isn’t rocket science. It’s not even science. It’s just a notebook and pretty pens and about 10-15 minutes per week.

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2020: The Year of Being in the Moment

2020: The Year of Being in the Moment

This year I’ve chosen the phrase BE IN THE MOMENT because this past year of slowing down and smelling the proverbial roses has taught me that none of this is worth it if you don’t appreciate what you already have.

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Announcing The Book of Good

Announcing The Book of Good

I’ve created a guided journal for those who’d like to teach themselves to find the good in each day. Each two-page spread has lines for three daily good things, plus a space for the three highlights for the week. There are no dates—only lines to fill in what week it is—because you shouldn’t wait for the beginning of the year to start a journal.

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You Got This Travis

You Got This Travis

My latest novel has been the most difficult thing I’ve written to date, combined with other struggles in my personal life, and “You got this Travis” has become our mantra. It’s from a Vine video that my friend shared with me and it’s a simple encouragement that also makes me smile.

Keep reading to see the video.

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If I Knew Then What I Know Now About Writing

If I Knew Then What I Know Now About Writing

When you first set out to write a novel, it’s scary and exciting and the words flow faster than you can type. But sooner or later, you’ll hit a wall and the gushing flow will become a slow drip that slowly drives you crazy. Or maybe that’s just me.

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2019 Goal: Breathe

2019 Goal: Breathe

My goal for 2019 is to write my best book yet, but to allow myself to breathe. To stop the crazy spiral before it starts so I can enjoy life.

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Eating Elephants

Eating Elephants

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Now imagine there’s a huge elephant in this room and you were told you had to eat it. Do you start with an ear? The tail? A toenail? It’s gross, I know, but you’ve gotta do it.

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Finding Balance

Finding Balance

In my last post I talked about pushing yourself and reaching for the big goals, the ones you think about when you’re falling asleep but are afraid to admit out loud. Now I want to talk about balancing that with the rest of your life.

I’ve talked before about the sacrifices you have to make if you truly want to achieve your goals, but another way of looking at it is balance. If you want to write a novel, but you also have a day job and a family and you coach your son’s soccer team, you may have to cut out something else to find that time.

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