Huffington Post (2012), Inc. magazine (2016), Fast Company (2018), and Medium (2019) all discuss life as a puzzle.  Common pieces to the puzzle include internal and external pieces.  Internal…care for self (body, mind, & spirit).  External…engagement with others (work, family, society, etc.).  Each day, based on our life goals and vision while keeping in mind our commitment to others, we prioritize how these pieces fit together.

“Sometimes the road of life takes an unexpected turn and
you have no choice but to follow it
to end up in the place you are supposed to be.”
Unknown

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road….
unless you fail to make the turn.”
Helen Keller

Life is a journey, and there are bumps in the road. Some bumps will redirect priorities while others can be overcome, and progress on the current path continues.  Handel (2009) and Tanjeloff (n.d.) agree that we need to invest time and energy in the pieces of our personal puzzle.  A key is to stay balanced and aligned with your goals and vision.
Consider what aspects are your strengths, what aspects could you improve, and how can you keep the pieces coordinated and integrated.

Teamwork is a coordinated effort of individuals striving toward accomplishing a unified goal.  According to Barrett (2017), “when teamwork is effective, communication, collaboration and combined efforts makes for a better outcome. Everyone brings their skills, talents, and experiences together for a common goal. The different styles of each person make for more creativity and innovation” (para. 2).  Teamwork, the effective and efficient joint action of a group, is as valuable in life as it is in work.

Annie’s Garden Shed helps me create the gardens I envisioned when we built our home 9 years ago.  Annie’s is a one of a kind garden shop in our area. The knowledge, attention to detail, and creativity results in a natural setting at home that is inspirational. Annie’s is a key contributor to maintaining the beauty of our home. The partnership we experience is educational and fun. Together we develop a plan for each season that aligns with our common goals.

None of us is as smart as all of us.
Ken Blanchard

Each morning we are born again.

What we do today is what matters most.

-Buddha-

It is impossible to know for sure what the future holds. Yesterday is the foundation of our future which has not yet arrived.  Making the most of living in the present is the key to personal development and happiness.  Your knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and beliefs will guide your life vision.

John Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and coach.

His book Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow’s Success offers “12 decisions and disciplines-he calls it his daily dozen-that can be learned and mastered by any person to achieve success.”

Life is a journey and an adventure. It is important to embrace each day with optimism and a plan. Maxwell’s daily dozen integrates body, mind, and spirit into creating a plan influences the quality of your life and your ability to aid in the betterment of society and others.

Use the “daily dozen” to reflect on your day…contemplate your day, meditate, keep a journal…find a way to create your life vision one day at a time.

Tomorrow is the first blank page in a 365-page book.

Make it a story worth telling.

-Unknown-

The purpose of Visual Blossoms is to “sketch ideas in a meaningful and impactful way.” This week I wanted to share a post (Lechter, 2020). Sometime self-doubt gets in the way of achieving our goals and living life to the fullest.  I used iPad Pro, Apple pencil, and Procreate app to create the sketch in this post.  Amazing, Capable, Worthy, Kind, Loved, and Brave are my key words that help me apply the three tips to be my own champion.

3 Tips to be Your Own Champion

It isn’t easy to be your own champion, even when you are good at championing others. In life, your biggest competitor is yourself. You are competing for victory over fear, self doubt, procrastination and a number of other challengers to your title for success. There are three key ingredients to any championship formula.

Figure Out What You Want

It is impossible to figure out how to be your own champion if you don’t know what game you are playing. What is it that you want? Many people get stuck trying to figure out what they are passionate about. Ask yourself a few questions and you will probably find the answer. What do you talk about most (that isn’t prompted by a professional or personal obligation)? When you get lost in thought, what is it most often about? What do you spend your own time researching? What problems did finding a solution for make you feel great? If you ask yourself these questions and are still not sure- try something and move on if it doesn’t stir a fire inside you. Figuring out what you want might be a trial and error process for you. But you won’t get any closer if you don’t take action and try something.

Surround Yourself with Other Champions

The saying “Misery Loves Company” refers to the psychology behind our desire to be with people who suffer the same challenges that we do. Knowing we have a sympathetic ear and that we are not alone in our difficulties can be a relief. But the best way to get past challenges (rather than survive through them) is to surround yourself with other people who are champions. Any true champion has faced his or her share of difficulties and found a way to get past or learn from those challenges. They understand the value of getting back up after being knocked down. When I left the Rich Dad company, it was extremely difficult to walk away from a company I co-founded and built. We had supported other people who wanted to know how to be a champion in their own lives. But when I stood in my power and closed that door, other doors of opportunity opened for me. I surrounded myself with friends with a champion’s attitude to support me through the process. In order to be your own champion, be sure to have the right people around you.

Be Your Own Champion by Respecting Your Needs

The best fighters in the world train intensely to prepare themselves for each match. They become “fight ready”. Life is sometimes a fight. If you aren’t fight ready, you haven’t set yourself up for success in achieving your goals. This is especially true when challenges arise. Do you pay attention to your own mental, emotional and physical needs? You must fuel each part of you with the proper nutrition to be fight ready. Use tools like affirmations to keep your mind positive. Eliminate toxic interactions to ensure your mind and heart are not cluttered with negativity. Treat your body with respect by staying healthy in your consumption and active in your movement. Paying attention to your own needs is essential if you want to be your own champion.

If you are a cat owner or if you know a cat owner…either way, you would more likely agree the cat is the true owner. I have been lucky to have 6 cats as members of our family. Our cats are companions and part of our everyday life.  They are not as doting as dogs and show their affection on their terms, but once you love a cat, you understand the warm-hearted, caring nature of cats. It has been interesting to see and experience the distinct personalities of each of our cats.

Coates (2017) summarizes the work of Fink, post-doctoral study of cats.  Fink’s research suggest that genetics, lived experiences and learning influence personality development.  The 5 personalities of cats are:

• The Human Cat is generally happy to share your home, your life and often your personal space.
• The Hunter Cat is the most feral of the personalities, regularly interacting with realistic cat toys and showing signs of an expert hunter.
• You can identify a Cat’s Cat through its willingness to play with and groom its furry siblings, touching noses and rubbing up against each other.
• The Cantankerous Cat is more easily frustrated than his four counterparts and can be less tolerant to being handled, due to being quite sensitive to touch, their environment and being on high alert.
• The Inquisitive Cat can be a keen investigator, sniffing around anything and anyone unfamiliar.

Based on my experience, I would add a sixth category…the solitary cat.  A cat that would be more introverted and likes more “personal” space.

Our cats fit these categories:

Einstein…..the human cat

Reggie……the cantankerous cat

Percy……..the solitary cat

Chester…..the cat’s cat

DJ…………the inquisitive cat

Buddy…….the hunter cat

Buddy will probably be our last cat….but I have one more cat name (Gertie) so you never know!!!

Recently I listened to a podcast about how reading can positively affect your life. It was nice hear the commentator support ideas similar to those mentioned in my blog Reading: A Path to Wellness.  The discussion took an unexpected path, one that I had not considered: how short stories and novels differ.  A short story is a moment in time (a snapshot).   A novel is the big picture (developing over time).

Both a story and a novel capture moments that include settings, people, events, and themes.
A novel promises the reader an extended experience—several hours of getting to know the characters, their hopes, dreams, and flaws.
A short story is more like a plunge into a cold river—in and out, but exhilarating and memorable.   Ide 2015

I primarily read novels. After listening to the podcast and doing a bit of “reading” on the topic “short stories vs novels” I am going to mix the two styles based on time and interest.

**A short story ends and the characters, places, and situations of the next short story creates an opportunity to enter a new experience.

**A novel provides the complexity and detail to build a relationship with the characters and the plot.

A room without books is like a body without a soul.  Cicero

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Sir Richard Steels

My mom says my first words were “Mama” but my husband has always thought my first words were “I wonder”, “What if”, “Just curious…”, and “Why”.  I would like to think I combined the two and my first sentence might have been, “Mama, I wonder….”  I suspect my mom is correct, but my husband is on the right path…I have always asked a lot of questions and been curious.

I believe that curiosity is the heart and soul of lifelong learning.  Callahan (2016), Hawkes (2019), Robin (2017), Sanford (2015) write about characteristics of a lifelong learner.  Common to all are the characteristics of curiosity and creativity.  Curiosity shows the gap between what we know and what we want to know.  Creativity supplies inspiration to bridge the gap.

Learning is the eternal gift.
Every single day provides us all with so many opportunities to learn and grow.
Life is one big adventure in so many ways and
when we adopt a curious and open mindset,
it’s amazing what we can discover.  Webb

**Be open to new experiences, opinions, and perspectives that differ from your own.

**It is ok to not know something

**Embrace the idea that you do not know everything…keep an open mind (beyond preconceived notions)

**Ask questions of yourself and others then research/explore answers to fill in gaps

In addition to being curious and creative, lifelong learners are:

**Fearless: open to trying something new

**Persistent: willing to “stick with it” through trial and error

**Problem solvers: identify a task, determine a solution, and act

**Critical Thinkers: research, analyze and test options

**Communicators and Collaborators: seeks input from others and work toward common goals

**Reflective: insightful of strengths and areas to improve

Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge.
Let your learning lead to action.

Jim Rohn

The Education amendment, Title IX, was signed June 23,1972. The law says, “students cannot be denied participation in any school program solely based on their sex.”  Title IX is not without controversy, but I feel lucky to have been attending high school at the time.  As I reflect on the past 45+ years Title IX has been more than a game; it has been an opportunity.

I took part in competitive sports for over 25 years.  For three years in high school I played basketball and volleyball. I earned all-conference basketball designation my senior year.  BUT…during my senior year the school added track and field as a spring sport and my life changed.  I competed in several track events (relays, hurdles, 800 meters).  My favorite event was the 800 meters (because it was the longest race offered at the time).  I was fortunate to qualify for the state championships…quite the experience for a young athlete!!  My confidence continued to build over the year.  My confidence and taking a risk lead me to the office of the track coach my freshman year in college.  I told her I wanted to run and asked if she had any scholarships available.  I will never forget her response after finding out my race results from the past year and my interest in distance running. She said if I would run cross-country in the fall term, I could have a scholarship.  I said “YES!!”  I did not know what cross-country was, but it meant I could run all year with a coach and teammates AND I would earn tuition aid.

Far beyond the physical aspects of playing sports, the opportunity to be in a competitive sport setting contributed to my personal development and my career path.  Ghildiyal’s (2015) research on the role of sports in the development of an individual discusses sport as a learning experience.  He says sports “builds character, teaches and develops strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking.”

My sketch outlines the timeline of my sports and career paths…see my blog, to be published on Monday (June 22, 2020), titled Title IX: More than a Game; An Opportunity for the rest of the story.