Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Poem 1--Spring 1999

She thought she was above it,

That it would never happen to her.

She almost made it through.

She fought, struggled, attempted to evade;

As a wounded falcon, fighting against the wind,

Grace did not evolve naturally.

Flustered, she paused at the cliff's limit;

Would she end or consent?

She lowered to her knees expended.

It can bewilder anyone.

She just prayed until she got the courage back.

She merely took her time to ponder

Her total change in form.

She is thoroughly developing into

The person she wants to be.

Experience conforms her,

Creating alluring butterflies.

She professed to be above it,

Until she conceded to seek

The Only Being

Who could succor her transforming.

She finally made it through.

Poem 2--November 2013

Thinking she was above God,

That faith would never happen to her,

She tried to make it through unchanged.

She fought, struggled, attempted to evade;

As a newly born eagle flying,

Grace did not come easily.

Exhausted, she paused at the cliff's limit;

Would she fall or fly?

She lowered to her knees expended.

Metamorphosis bewilders everyone.

Praying for courage,

She pondered her change in form.

Eventually succumbing, becoming.

Experience conformed her,

Creating an alluring butterfly.

She professed to be above God,

Until she conceded to seek Him.

She finally made it through changed.

Poem 3--November 2013

She tried to make it through

Unchanged.

She fought, she struggled, she was

Wounded.

She paused at the cliff's limit

Exhausted.

She lowered to her knees

Expended.

Succumbing to God she

Prayed.

Feeling God's love she was

Comforted.

She finally made it through

Changed.

The "Become a Writer" 30-Day Challenge!

I recently subscribed to a blog by James Clear that is very inspiring.  He writes articles two times a week about goal setting and achieving those goals.  Below is his latest update announcing his challenge to us to become a writer.  I  thought I would share it with all of you here on my writing blog to help inspire you to become a writer too!

My 3 Steps to Completing This Challenge:

1.  Pick a topic to write about and a place to record your writing.
*I will have two places to record my writing--here on this blog and in my journal.
*My topic is:  Thanks Giving

2.  Decide when you are going to write.
*Daily in my journal before going to bed each night.
*Weekly each Sunday evening.
*Monthly publish my writing on this blog.

3.  Stick to your schedule for the next 30 days.

_________________________________________________________________________

Announcing The “Become a Writer” 30-Day Challenge!

by James Clear — Get free updates of new posts here

Welcome to November!

At this time last year, I decided to start writing a new article every Monday and Thursday. What has happened since then has been unexpected and totally awesome. We have a community of more than 27,000 people reading each week, over 100,000 people visit the website each month, and more than 1.5 million people have read my articles this year. Of course, I’ve made a ton of mistakes and written terrible articles along the way as well, but I can safely say that starting this blog has been one of the best decisions I have made.

Because writing each week has been so valuable for me, I want to challenge you to also follow a writing schedule … for the next 30 days. There is no pressure to participate (I’ll return to regular posts on Thursday), but my hope is that this challenge will help you kickstart the consistency that is so important for making long-term progress on your goals.

My good friend Scott Dinsmore recently ran a similar challenge and so I’m taking a page from his book and calling this The Become a Writer Challenge.

Here are the details…

The Become a Writer Challenge (Examples)

You can approach this challenge however you would like, but here are a few examples.

• If you’re an aspiring author, you could write part of your novel every Sunday.
• If you’re an entrepreneur, you could start a blog and every Friday write down what you learned in your business that week.
• If you want to improve your fitness, you could start a journal to record your workouts each time you go to the gym.
• If you enjoy vegan cooking, you could start a website and post a “meatless Monday” recipe on your website every Monday night.
• If you’re pursuing any goal, you could start a blog and write about your progress each week.
• If you’re feeling lost or confused, you could just write about whatever strikes you each day during your lunch break and see what happens.

You get the idea. The goal isn’t necessarily to become a professional writer, but rather to write about something that is important to you, and do it consistently, for the next 30 days. This challenge is all about the power of following a system rather than setting goals.

Complete These 3 Steps

There are 3 steps to completing this challenge.

1. Pick a topic to write about and a place to record your writing.

DIRECTIONS: Personally, I think the best place to record your progress is on a website or blog. There are many options available, but I made a video (at the end of this article) that provides a step-by-step tutorial if you want to start a blog or website like I did. Obviously, you’re free to write in a notebook, Word document, or elsewhere if you don’t want to start a blog.

2. Decide when you are going to write.

DIRECTIONS: When it comes to building better habits, writing on a consistent basis has made a bigger difference for me than anything else. You are welcome to follow my Monday-Thursday writing schedule if you want. Or you can follow any variation you want: once per month, once per week, once per day. Whatever works for you and your goals. The most important thing is to have a schedule. When, exactly, are you going to write?

3. Stick to your schedule for the next 30 days.

DIRECTIONS: If you stick to your schedule for the month of November, you will have successfully completed the challenge. My hope is that this challenge will show you that progress is achieved by setting a simple schedule and following it each week, not by making outlandish goals and promises.

You don’t have to sign up to join the challenge, but if you want some accountability you are welcome to send me a message and tell me what schedule you will be following. Or you can share your plan in the comments.

Why Should I Do This?

Why should you join The Become a Writer Challenge?

1. You’ll learn.

Writing about a topic — whether it’s recording your workouts, hacking away on the book you always wanted to write, or sharing marketing ideas for your business — will automatically teach you more about it. In many cases, you will naturally become a thought leader and expert on a particular topic simply by writing about it each week.

2. You’ll teach, share, and contribute something valuable.

Sharing your thoughts and experiences with the world allows you to engage with other people and share helpful ideas with others. There are always people who will benefit from hearing about your journey.

3. You’ll hold yourself accountable.

What gets measured, gets managed. Whether you’re writing about your workouts, your business, or anything else, the act of writing makes you pay attention to that area. Paying attention means you’ll realize areas for improvement and be more attentive to mistakes that you make.

4. You’ll improve your thinking and perspective.

Writing forces you to think clearly. Good writers understand arguments and ideas from different angles and perspectives. That’s a great thing because you can develop a more solid reasoning for why you do what you do and become more respectful of other people’s opinions at the same time.

5. If you want, you can make a living from it.

I’ve been an online entrepreneur for 3 years now and my living has been made entirely off of my writing, blogs, and websites. And I’m not the only one. There are tons of freelancers, consultants, and small business owners who market their services and drive most of their clients through their popular blogs and writing. There are even technology startups like Buffer that have grown to over 1 million users almost exclusively through writing guest posts, their own blog posts, and the resulting word-of-mouth buzz.

Long story short, writing can help you achieve your goals in health, business, and life.