Category Archives: erica beebe

Sunday Reflections: Patience

Every Sunday I plan to post a recap of my week. What I did to pursue my goal. Whether I followed it, attempted it, and maybe, I even flopped at it. Your comments are always welcome and if you’d like to share something you did this week with me, I’d love to hear it. 

Monday Makeover Goal: Patience 

I tried hard to focus on Patience this week. Patience with my kids. Patience with my dog. Patience in the work world, and patience with myself.

The Good 

I took quite a few breathing breaks.
    My kids like to wrestle. They like to wrestle with my big dog. And I’m a momma who likes to coach others into their own self-realization, so after several warnings that someone might get hurt, sure enough, they did—either by the dog stepping on their feet, or scratching them or grabbing on to each other too tight. I closed my eyes. I held them and comforted them and we talked through what happened. We assured each other no one intentionally hurt one another, and I feel pretty good about that.

The Great 

I controlled my voice in a few moments where I might have normally fired off a little loud. ;0) I’m human. I yell. I don’t like it when I do. But there were a few times I caught myself. I apologized. I teach my kids we always apologize and why. I often say, “Mommy isn’t perfect. I mess up I shouldn’t have been so upset and I’m sorry. I love you. I always love you, no matter what.” We talk about emotions. We talk about the what and the why. I tend to be a little over explainer, and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. My son makes me smile. He pipes up right back, “It’s ok mommy. It was an accident. I love you!”

And The Incredible Wow! 

I have two examples to share:

    Ever dealt with a really difficult person who saw the world just as they lived it? Always through their own eyes? I know one. I had a run in with one. This past Thursday, they didn’t like the way I hung up the phone. They stood there staring at me, “Erika are you mad?”
    “No, why?” I asked.
    “Because you slammed the phone down. I figured you were mad.” They went on with how rude it was. I felt the heat begin to rise. I used to teach Customer Service classes, and I’d never ever, try to be rude with anyone looking for answers. They went on with their personal story. How if they were on the other line, they’d be really upset with me.
    I took a breath. The heat kept rising, and I will never forget the words, “but I’m not criticizing.”
    I responded in this way: “I am energy. Everything I do is full of energy. I didn’t mean to hang up the phone so loud. I don’t own a home phone, and I forget if the other person even hears the sound of the phone being hung up. I doubted they did. And there is something else, I had to hang up the phone loud, because the call right before, I did it too soft, and I accidentally left the phone off line for a couple of minutes until I noticed.”
    I could be wrong. In the moment, I really wasn’t happy, and I did say thank you a little more sharp than I should have. They stood there and I guessed, maybe they wanted me to apologize personally to them. I don’t know. That’s the story that ran through my head. Stories are never good when we don’t have all the facts. I didn’t continue to pursue them, but in the moment, I feel like I handled myself well.

And my novel? I am beaming with sunshine! I had a really great conversation with my step-dad about a chapter I couldn’t get past. I’d been stuck in it for almost a month and he freed me. We had a great brainstorming session and I flew through two chapters in two days! So in my writing, I am so glad I stuck with it. I stared at that pesky chapter every day. Every morning when I woke up I kept reading and rereading my words, going back a few chapters, getting into the motives of my characters. I didn’t give up, and that thought makes me so incredibly happy with myself.

And what did I learn?

I still have a lot to learn. ;0) And that’s ok, because I know, I am a work in progress. 

http://imgfave.com/xxkayteemarie

Everyday has the power to bring you something brighter and better

About a year ago, I stumbled across one of my favorite author’s blogs: Meg Cabot, better known for The Princess Diaries. I like some of her more fantasy type creations like Jinx or Abandon, which resonate a little better to my heart than being a princess, because let’s face it, and my mom will back me up on this, I have never, nor will I ever, be a princess.
And I’m okay with that.
I love what the idea of a princess represents. I love the thought of bringing people hope, and doing the right things and acting with dignity—but I don’t have to be a princess to show people these qualities from inside of me.

My point about Meg Cabot isn’t defining what a princess is and whether or not I have the potential to be one. My point about Meg Cabot is about trying and not giving up. When she started writing, doors also slammed in her face. Just like John Grisham, and J.K. Rowling, other famous authors. I understood after reading her words, you have to send your story out to everyone. Why? I thought. Because people are human. We all have a bad day. We all have our personal taste for a “yes.” Sometimes we see words a little clearer depending on our moods, but her advice was clear: keep writing. Write another book. Keep sending the other one out until everyone tells you no. Then when you finish your new book, send it out to everyone on your publishing list again. At some point, you’ll get a yes.
Her words meant more to me than anything. Why? Because she basically said to me, you can’t give up your hope of doing something you really want to do. Everyone has to work to be great. So keep writing. Keep dreaming. Believe in yourself. You’ll get better as you go no matter what it is in your life you want to do. Eventually, your work will pay off.
I know some people may disagree with me, and that’s okay. But at the same time, if you want something, and you really feel like you deserve it, than why would you let someone stop you? Why would you let a hand full of no’s persuade you to stop? Even in that moment of your life, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as it should have been. But someday, at some point, I honestly believe, you have the ability to be as competitive as you want.
So for me, Meg Cabot gave me the hope that no matter if I’m not good enough for someone’s standards, at some point in my life if I keep trying, and moving, I know I will make my goals happen. But the key here is to keep trying no matter what. To believe in yourself. To know you’re worth it. To steer the course instead of falling back on the couch. If whatever you dream keeps giving you a door with a lock, make yourself the locksmith. Learning a craft is never easy. Patience. Time. Belief and knowing when it’s meant to happen, the impossible will happen.
Keep dreaming.
~Erika

Today is the Perfect Day to Start Somewhere

naturalnews.com

This is a perfect day to dream big.

Define your wishes.

Think about your goals.

So I’m throwing out a bunch of thoughts at you and I’m answering them for myself, hoping I can help you get the juices flowing in your brain.

What are you good at?

I’m good with my kids. I’m good at talking with them, playing with them, and helping them be the individuals they are. I’m good at commitment. If I say I’ll do it, you can bet I will. I like to set goals. I like to break down the steps. But look out. Once I put it all down, it’s a personal mission to fulfill it. I’m good at writing. Stories swim in my head and if you give me five minutes, I could probably spin something pretty fun with just a couple of trigger words.

What do you want the most?

I want to show my kids what it’s like to dream and go for them. Personally, I strive to be an author someday. To have my work out there and share my ideas with the world.

If you had one word to describe yourself, what would you pick?

For me, Energy. There’s no doubt in my mind if someone waved a magic wand and took it away from me, well, I don’t think I’d ever be the same.

When you were little, what sort of friend were you?

I think I liked to lead. I think I liked to make up the games. I have this memory from recess, waiting in line with my classmates, ready and fidgety not wanting to go back to class. We stood in a messy line thinking the teacher would show any second. I didn’t need another second. I showed everyone how to escape in our minds creating a scene. An ocean. We became a bunch of hungry sharks swimming around in circles, jumping off benches.

And lastly, if money weren’t an option, what would you be doing right this second?

Helping people find their dreams, and writing. I’d volunteer in the schools. I’d volunteer to help people in many capacities.  I’d volunteer at the animal shelters with the dogs and the cats, taking in foster animals whenever I could. And I’d take my kiddos. Because I believe in teaching others, there is a bigger world than me.

So what’s my point tonight because, wow, I know, I’m all over the place.

I’m reflecting on the day: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday. His words and actions left a mark behind, changing us forever. He was a man. A man with hopes, and dreams, and fears like the rest. His words will forever stay with me. So I’m wondering, what can I do to leave my mark? It doesn’t have to be a big one. Just one that makes me happy.

And I’m hoping the same for you.

Happy Monday!

celineb5 at instagram

Knock the filth off. Jump up and Live.

I have this vision of being buried under a giant pile of debris. I wake up. I realize I shouldn’t be where I am and I fight my way through the crap, knocking off boxes and broken junk, freeing myself, standing up straight on two wobbly legs-
The sun beats warm on my face
The air smells fresh
The sky overhead stretches blue and beautiful
I can’t get enough of the moment.
We’ve been fighting down the flu in our house for about a week and a half. It’s sort of suffocating, isolating yourself in your house, away from everyone and trying not to spread all the germs. ICK. But now we’re free! My son, my daughter and yes, I swore I wouldn’t get it because my husband never gets sick, but never swear. The flu is a mean little bug.  It found me anyway and tackled me down with a vengeance. 
So even though I stole this vision from my 7thgrade history teacher, recalling a story he shared with the class about how he’d cope if a tornado every struck our building, his being a way funnier version using student bodies instead of rubble, the story in some weird way just fits.
There’s always a light somewhere. There’s an end to the way you feel and a beginning of something else. The flu is done in my house. I still feel a little under the weather, but I’m drawing the line.
I’m waking up tomorrow and I’m hitting the day as hard and fast as I can. 
I’m going to let life fill me up and be a version of myself I LOVE, all over again.