Bullying Needs To Stop

Jessica Barba is a high school student who put this video together for one of her classes. The school suspended her because it interrupted the school.  Read the article here.

Help get the word out that it is time to end Bullying.



 

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David Stoddard The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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Make Good Art - Neil Gaiman

Take 20 minutes and watch Neil Gaiman's graduation address to the 2012 class of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. So many tips we all can work with.

So tell us, if you were to give a commencement address, what would you say?

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David Stoddard The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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Aww, You Shouldn't Have - The Liebster Blog Award

I must, I must, I must improve my bust. 

No, that isn't it.

I must take a moment to thank Paul for his "Out of his mind only for a moment" nomination of me, myself and I's blog. I take it he might have had better things to do, but I'll take it.

His blog It was a Dark And Stormy Night is not only named with the line which has never been overused in my own creative writing moments back in the day (Snoopy and I are like "that"), but it is humorous, educational and motivating. His post today (May 8th, 2012, in case years from now we are still reading blogs) also has me contemplating total home cleaning, which will obviously lead to the need to pitch a whole lot o stuff.

The Liebster is a pay-it-forward kind of award, meaning that once you receive the award, you pass it on to others. the rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person that gave you the award in a post on your site

2. Nominate up to five blogs with less than 200 followers

3. Let the nominees know they've won by leaving a comment on one of their posts

4. Add the Liebster image above so all your readers know that you are generally awesome.

I am guessing that 4th one is true as well, but I may never know since I creatively just copied those from Paul's blog.

In the process of coming up with those who fit the criteria, it dawned on me either I don't read much, or what I do read, seemingly everyone else is reading these folks as well. (So this too shall be something I must work on). 

So anyhoo... without delaying the proceedings any longer (other than starting this off with "So anyhoo... without delaying the proceedings any longer"), the nominees are:

• Sara Walpert Foster: Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition
• Laird Sapir: Shabby Chic Sarcasm 
• Angie Buckner Lay: Motivational Musings

I know there are probably a few million blogs I left out. So if there are others you'd recommend, feel free to add them to the comments. Make it a great day. Now get to reading.

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David Stoddard "What I Don't Know"
Follow on Twitter: @djstoddard
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When Ya Started Writing - The Results

In a totally unscientific survey of only the best minds on Twitter, Facebook and pretty much the whole world wide web thing (meaning anyone who either accidentally or on purpose chose to answer the question in the survey of April 19th), we have learned that a majority of said folks started writing as a child.

My favorite (and I guess that's why it was an option) was the 1 respondent who choose "None of your business :-)  With the smiley face as part of the choice, I am guessing it was in jest or they are just being very very secretive about their pre-childhood beginnings.

The chart may be tough to read, so here are the results of the 17 votes:

• Started writing as a child - 9 
• Started in my teens - 6 
• Started in my 50s - 1 
• None of your business :-) - 1
  

The survey is still open (and probably will be until the Mayan Calendar says enough is enough). For those who may not have taken it, visit the survey here.

Last question since I need ideas, what are you planning on having for dinner on Mother's Day? (May 13th for those who may have forgotten).

Thanks for your suggestions.

~David

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David Stoddard The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard

Simple Survey For Writers

Call me nosey, or maybe just a tad lazy at the moment by putting a survey together (all 1 question of it). Part of this is just a test to see how it may work. The other part of this is because Blogger changed their look and I'm still getting used to it, so thought something simple would be nice to attempt before writing some long-winded post (which I've been known to do).

So feel free to take the single question survey. If you don't see it, that means the survey has closed. (It's a technical thing I vaguely understand how that will work).

Enjoy yourself for the next 17 or so seconds it takes to read and choose. Results will be published at the end of the month.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

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David Stoddard The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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I Gave A Speech Today

It was a day like any other day. I woke up, headed to the basement, found clothes, got dressed and headed to where the speech was to be held.

Had my room temperature glass of water, my notes in my head, shoes on my feet as the audience arrived at the precise time I was there. They were pretty quiet as they came in and took their spots. Their eyes wandering around just wondering what the speech would be about.

Here's the kicker, 

Neither Did I

I didn't have the heart to tell em that I really didn't know exactly what my own speech would be about, how long it would be or what good it would really do them.

But the speech went on. I talked about my own times of not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. I talked of what I remember thinking as a child growing up. I wanted the audience to know that they were not alone in what they were thinking.

In the end, the things I wanted to let them know were that they were better than they believed. That they already had an idea in their mind of what they wanted to be, do and have if they would just listen to themselves. That they should just get back to what they started years ago. And that they should start today, no matter how small of a step it may seem.

Damn I can be good

After the presentation, the audience stuck with me. They seemed to be thinking of what I had said. As they moved along to their normal routine of the day, I can only hope that they took what I had said to heart and will begin doing something to move in the direction of their dreams.

I gave a speech today.

The audience was I, and I alone.

I only hope I was listening.

Writing Time...

• Write about a time you were by yourself
• Write about what you learned during that time
• Write about standing up and speaking out about something
• Write about having to write at the end of all of these postings

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David Stoddard
The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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Watch Out For That Train

I can not begin to tell you how many times I have found myself heading in the right direction, coming up with the right idea, the right plan of action, the perfect fit for what it was I was going to be doing.

I even wrote down these ideas, came up with goals, had a rough idea of what the steps would be along the way, what it would mean once reaching a given step on the journey and had them taped to every surface I would come in contact with on a given day to be sure I would see them.

And yup, there they were. On the bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, front door, back door, pantry, computer monitor, desk drawers, underwear drawer, washing machine, hair dryer, television screen, pool table, radio, CD player, dog's water dish, oven door, coffee table, humming bird feeder, lawn mower, steering wheel, trunk, visor mirror, gas can and bird bath.

They were everywhere.

Problem came that not a lot got done other than having the idea, a goal of sorts and a whole list of things I was going to do to move things forward and a bunch of paper taped on every possible location as you just read. Yes, there was some space left for humans to exist. (just no where to set a drink).

You see, all of these ideas fit. They made sense. They were what I believed I wanted. But that's all there was, these ideas and sheets taking up space. For so long, not much else got done. Sure, I had to go to the office supply place and get more paper and ink, (so I sorta felt I was doing something). But in all actually, I wasn't doing anything about it.

Yes, I was on the right track.

But I was just sitting there.

As Will Rogers has been known to write:

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Now, to the best of my knowledge, I wasn't exactly run over by anything. But it did feel as if I wasn't getting anywhere despite having everything necessary to get moving.

Fact is, you need to do something with this information you have written down and act upon it.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Now don't just sit there, get up, go get that list of dreams, goals, ideas and whatnot you have in that bottom desk drawer you've been hiding from others (including yourself) and read it over. Feel free to add more things to your list(s).

Now look for something you want to begin this moment. What is the first step toward you doing that? Can you do it right now after reading this? Can you do it in less than 20 minutes? Is it within your control to do it or do others need to be involved?

Just do that first simple thing. It's a start. Momentum will begin to take you toward the next step. and the next and the next.

If you get stuck, start again with something simple and go from there.

--David

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David Stoddard
The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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New Goals - Same As The Old Goals (Sing Along, Won't Ya)

Last night, I came across my Sony micro cassette player (complete with tape inside). Wondering to myself just what in the world I was thinking at given moment in the past, I choose to play the tape. --- Well, what would you do?

Picking up speed
 
After about a minute or so once the player learned that it was supposed to play the tape when I press the play button (it's been a while since it was used), I could actually begin to understand the voice on the tape. (once it got up to speed).

And yes, it was me rambling on (hard to believe) about goals for July 2005.Actually, it was more about things to work on during the month ahead. (at least I am thinking it was the month ahead and not me thinking about it on say July 19th or something).

What did I say?
 
The David on the tape talked of getting into the habit of writing every night for say 30 minutes. Then he dropped back and adjusted it to maybe 3-4 nights a week.

He also mentioned the owl book which was started years before. He mentioned newsletters, articles for anthologies, rewrites of ebooks to make them more up to date. And he wondered just where in all of this his writing would fit in.

Is having the same goals a good thing?
 
As I played the tape a 2nd time, I wrote down the above mentioned things the David of 2005 mentioned. Looked at the paper and thought to myself it looks a lot like the things I write down still today. (and for those wanting to know, no, my handwriting has not improved by doing this).

After reviewing the vintage tape, I have come to the agreed understanding of sooooo many others in the past and present that it's important to write your goals down.

For those with crummy handwriting (or printing), feel free to type them into a computer and print them out where you will see them. Then after you see them over and over, act upon them.

It really does make sense.

• Write your name on the top of a piece of paper
• Write today's date 1 year from now.
• Write what you want to accomplish by that date.
• Create milestones which you will need to reach to get to that accomplishment
• Get started on the trip.

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David Stoddard
The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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A List To Live By

When I was putting together my first ebook, ‘Que Sera Sera – The book,’ I wanted to put something in there that would pretty much sum things up. Its one thing to gather columns and put them in a collection, but it is another to have something concise that gives people short sayings to live by.

This list is what I wrote for the back of the ebook. Think of each of the 26 as a piece of advice or in a few of the cases, a MUST DO to live your life as it should be.

With all that is going on in the world as we speak, it’s necessary to understand that we most likely won’t be able to change that. But we can change ourselves. And this is how to begin.

I know it has probably been posted before in another blog I've had over time, but figured it is just as relevant now as before.

A = Abandon what you have thought in the past
B = Believe that life can and will be better
C = Create the world you always imagined
D = Decide today to do what you want to do
E = Eat your veggies
F = Find others who will support you and you them
G = Go out there and get it
H = Have a great day, week, month, year and life
I = I am only one, but I am all I need
J = Join a group that gets you involved in something
K = Keep your eyes on the prize
L = Learn to live like a kid again
M = Make the most of those must-dos
N = Never say never
O = Open your eyes to all that is possible
P = Plan, prepare, partake and prevail
Q = Quit waiting for that perfect moment, no such thing
R = Read David’s books and articles
S = Sing as if no one will hear
T = Today is all you are guaranteed
U = Unveil the you that you once outgrew
V = Visit a children’s hospital when the world’s not fair
W = Write down what you want to accomplish
X = X-amine your thoughts and dreams more often
Y = You are in control of more than you can imagine
Z = Zip up, and get ready for the time of your life


 --David

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David Stoddard
The Unmotivated Motivational Writer
Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard
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Piggy-Backing Previous Procrastination Post

Yes. to answer your question, I am lazy at times. But I just had to link back to a previous post (It doesn't happen often) to relate to this post.

A week or so ago, I linked to a video of Ellen talking about how well she procrastinates. You can see the post/video here.

At the time, I thought very little (let alone nearly nothing) about consequences procrastination could have on our day, our lives, our menu, or what have you.

And then friend and fellow Motivational Mama (umm, ok, I'm not a mama, but you know what I mean), Angie Buckner Lay wrote about something which she had in her mind and spirit for a fairly decent amount of time... but didn't quite get around to acting on it.

To see what happened and the feelings, thoughts and frustr......  Umm, I'll let her give you the story.

Read about it on her Motivational Musings blog.

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David Stoddard The Unmotivated Motivational Writer

Twitter: twitter.com/djstoddard

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