Tag: quotes

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – John Grossman

First, I want to thank Colleen of Silver Threading for featuring me in her Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I am so very humbled. Now, for this week’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday I draw inspiration from John Grossman. I came across this quote earlier this week and it stuck out to me:

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Silence is no easy task. But when done in its time, silence speaks to self-control. It speaks to discipline. It speaks to discernment. Silence speaks to the presence of humility and wisdom when used appropriately. It is just as damaging to be silent in the time to speak as it is to speak in a time of silence. Words are so fragile, and so vulnerable that they can easily become corrupt. They can abuse or be abused; be misunderstood or cause misunderstanding; they can hurt, tear down, and the list goes on. Words can also heal and build-up but they are like newborns, delicate and completely dependent on its owner. We, the owners of our words, have a responsibility to make sure they are properly cared for. That said, when used in its time silence is not, for instance, the absence of innocence. It is the presence of understanding.

I relinquish the mic
I relinquish the mic

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Click the photo below (or any of the highlighted links) to see how you can join Writer’s Quote Wednesday!

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Dedication

For this week’s episode of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, hosted by Colleen of Silver Threading (although I must warn you that her website has been recently hacked into by some guy. I think his name is Ron something. Anyway, I won’t tell Silver if you won’t because he’s doing an excellent job in there. I just hope there’s food left in the fridge), I want to talk about investing in your best, and dedication:

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Lisa discovers writing is not so easy

I don’t know who the author is behind this quote. It didn’t come from a book or google search. I was actually watching the Venus and Serena documentary on Netflix the other day and I heard someone say it. Immediately I pressed rewind and typed it down in the notepad on my phone. This quote struck me abruptly. I’ve been thinking a lot of my need to perfect my skill and my sometimes obsessive outlook on writing in general so I found these words refreshing. I know that I have to continue to improve on my skill so yes, I will say that I’m a perfectionist. I believe strongly in the power of excellence and putting forth my best. If I put forth my best, what else can I ask of what I reap? I love to write and to do so by any means necessary. This I feel is necessary to keep the creativity flowing so that I can be in a consistent vacuum of tuning and editing and re-editing and evolving. If I’m going to improve then I must persistently act. Sometimes my action leads to failure but even that is worth it. No one ever truly succeeds until they first know what it means to fail. In short, this quote stood out to me because I’m so this person!

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My level of concentration on anything that I’m doing has got to be tight. My dedication has got to, in some ways, exceed the norm in order for me to really be satisfied with what I have accomplished. I have to at the very minimum try. Putting my everything into a project and what comes from that I am satisfied with. What more can I ask for if I’ve done everything I can? What more can you do if you’ve done your best? That’s it. There’s the answer. I pace myself but I also sincerely believe in investing in my best. Why thump out 2,000 words Lisa when you have it in you to do 20,000? Don’t get me wrong, your best doesn’t have to be the top, sometimes it’s the bottom. Sometimes its crawling. Sometimes it’s just starting. Sometimes your best is getting up out the bed this morning and writing a paragraph. Heck, sometimes your best is getting out of bed! It is liable to change from day to day and you just gotta work with what you have that day. Needless to say I found this quote especially inspiring for me personally.

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Until next week, yall be great.

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Writing 101 – Weekly Wrap-Up

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On Friday I mentioned I rest on Saturday’s. Turns out I was late in discovering there are no prompts on Saturday and Sunday! LOL. So this is totally awesome. It gives us all a time to rest and readers a chance to catch up. So my custom will be to present for you a weekly wrap-up of links to all of my assignments for the week on Sunday before the new week begins. Please find below my posts for this year’s Writing 101 course so far:

Assignment #1: Why I Write

Assignment #2: Write a List

Assignment #3: One Word Inspiration

Assignment #4: A Story in a Single Picture

Assignment #5: Hook ‘em with a Quote

Writing 101: Assignment #5 – Hook ‘em with a Quote: Natural Revolution

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell

I remember the first year I got my hair loc’d. It was 2009, about three months before Chris Rock’s debut film “Good Hair”. There are moments in your life where people speak and you never forget what they say. When I read Orwell’s quote it reminded me of something I heard in that movie. One of the women interviewed said, “It’s like wearing natural hair is seen as revolutionary”. She didn’t say it as if she agreed, she said it from the perspective of why? Why is Natural Hair seen as being revolutionary? Why do we attribute people with natural hair as being part of some kind of Afrocentric movement? Those are good questions. Especially since I think we all have the common sense to know that every black person with dred loc’s is not necessarily positive or conscious for that matter.

Angela Davis
Angela Davis

To use the word “Revolution” for many black people is to hearken back to the days of black fists, panthers, pride and Afro’s. It is to wear hair that is natural, to welcome skin the color of coal, African garments, medallions, and to be at ease with the urban tongue. The word ceases to mean “to change” but also “to become” or “to transform”. Whenever black people get to a point where they want to embrace the truth concerning themselves one of the first signs of consciousness is natural hair and it stems from many of these movements where African Americans sought to do away with the pretentious manner in which we carried ourselves. Most importantly however, it stems from our welcoming of the truth concerning ourselves and this is why, whether conscious or not, natural hair is often seen as a revolutionary act because natural hair involves embracing the true state of ones hair and thus ones identity.

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Random super cute baby I found on the internet

I should not be placed in the same category with Afrocentricity or Rastafarianism because I use the word “revolution”. At the same time, we cannot throw the baby out with the bath water and in this case the baby is Natural Hair and it is a form of revolution or change. Revolution is change and it is truth and because it, the truth, is so absent in this society the word “change” morphs into something that’s deeper. To change becomes more than to adjust or to amend, but to change becomes a movement and revolution then becomes simply a movement to change. This is why, in my opinion, Natural hair is seen as revolutionary because it is a change in perception and in thought. It is a movement back to the original state not just of a hair style, but of a way of thought and a way of life. My hair is not naturally straight so by wearing locs I am exposing a truth concerning myself; that truth being that I was born with thick and kinky hair.

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I rest on Saturdays so this is my last assignment until Sunday.

In Case You Missed It: This Week’s Assignments:

Assignment #1: Why I Write

Assignment #2: Write a List

Assignment #3: One Word Inspiration

Assignment #4: A Story in a Single Image

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Jahnavi Chintakunta

This week has been great so far in the writing world. It’s my first week in Blogging U’s Writing 101 course! I’ve met a lot of new bloggers, followed a lot of them, and am really enjoying the process of networking the blogosphere overall.

Anywho, in honor of Writing 101, my Writer’s Quote Wednesday quote is from an Indie Author I met named Jahnavi Chintakunta at Recharge Your Day:

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I like this quote because there’s a duality about it. On the one hand its just funny and yall know how silly I am. I also like it because it’s real. It does not sugar coat the truth. Writing is hard work and without the motivation, the discipline, or the drive to keep at it, it can easily fall by the way side. The other side to this quote, for me, is that it’s a subtle reminder not to allow these things, TV, and social media, to become such a distraction that it prohibits us from writing. When it does, it becomes time to cut off or separate that distraction until the work is done. I do not believe it is an option, but separation is mandatory when something becomes a hindrance if we are serious about staying focused on our writing endeavors. Speaking of life, Chintakunta is also an Indie Author! You can find out more about her book at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s more about her.

About Chintakunta

From https://jahnavichintakunta.wordpress.com/:

“I’m a stay at home Mom, a former IT professional, a writer, a toastmaster, a book worm and an Indian who moved to the United states. Above all, I am an eternal optimist who wants to spread good cheer”

Jahnavi Chintakunta is a stay at home mom with a wide range of expertise. Electrical Engineer turned Software Professional turned Author, Jahnavi Chintakunta, believes in simple solutions for problems, small or big.

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Gold medalist in Electrical engineering – Postgraduate degree holder from a prestigious university – Manager in an IT bellwether- Chintakunta is a Techie who traveled around the world. While trying to connect the dots of her life, she found that the one thing which encompasses all her diverse credentials is the vast experience she gained fighting against all odds to achieve her dreams. A bibliophile with a flair for writing, she sought out to share her knowledge with the world. Thus her first book ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del’ is born where she shares a simple remedy to all the maladies of life.

About Ctrl+Alt+Delete

414imolhodL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_When a computer is not responding, what do we do? We press Ctrl+Alt+Del. Similarly when your life is going nowhere, then do a Ctrl+Alt+Del. It is a 3 step process where you move from Controlling your emotions to Altering your perception to Deleting the problem.

This book contains the details of the Ctrl+Alt+Del process with simple practical tips to deal with any tough situation in life. It alters your perception of life and motivates you to get the best out of your life. You can thrive in your life irrespective of your current situation. However tough your situations may be, as you begin looking at the positive aspects of your life, you will not only begin to appreciate your life, but you will also find a way to emerge as a winner.

Ctrl+Alt+Delete is available now on Amazon.com.

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That’s it for me. Yall be great.

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