Motivational Monday

Dear world,

Hello again and thank you for checking out the next segment of Motivational Mondays!

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you

become by achieving your goals." -Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau is an inspirational man. He was an American philosopher, poet, and environmental scientist whose major work, Walden, draws upon each of these identities in meditating on the concrete problems of living in the world as a human being. He sought to revive a conception of philosophy as a way of life, not only a mode of reflective thought and discourse (Furtak). 

Today, I wanted to not dive so much into Thoreau as I had with Mr. William James. Queue the collective sigh of those Thoreau lovers. I wanted to change gears and maybe give you a little insight as to what this particular quote means to me. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time keeping goals that I set for myself. I suppose that is due to my easily excitable and distracted personality. However, I had a nice idea that I should start making lists. Perhaps that will help with my organization as well as give me some sort of goal to set for myself (if this blog wasn't one already).

I want to become a great writer. I want to be able to walk into a library or a bookstore and see my works on the selves. I am willing to try and do whatever it takes to make that happen. So on Tuesdays, I will add a new section Make A List Tuesday! I would love to get some suggestions for some lists, so please help me out. I also have a few new ideas that I might try out with this blog, but I will have to work out the quirks with those. Slow and steady wins the race, I suppose.

So, my motivation for you is to set a goal for yourself, wither it be a daily, monthly, annually, semi-annually, or whatever your preference may be. Personally, I see an annual goal to be similar to a New Year's Resolution  which most of us know we can't keep. So for those of you who are easily distracted (like myself), I recommend making a small time window such as a weekly or monthly goal. That way it is easier to track and keep focused. 

Remember, keep those pens writing and a song humming in your heart. I will update with a possible new writing exercise later next week if my first week back at University proves to be a good one. Yes, the term starts back today so wish me luck! Send me your comments or other questions or concerns. I would love to hear from you!

Yours,
Brandi Stevens
(Cornelia Thorn)

Follow me on Twitter or shoot me an e-mail.

Motivational Monday

Dear world, 

It appears to be that time again! Motivational Monday! So who's ready to get motivated to do something memorable this week. What do I mean by memorable? Well, that could be anything from stupid stunts such as car surfing in a super hero outfit while holding onto a huge parachute or to something simple as asking someone out or typing up a new section of your story. 

 Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. -William James

This is a sir by the name of William James. He was an American philosopher and psychologist. He offered psychology as a course in the United States and wrote a good many books on the subject. In case you are into psychological thrillers, his works might be able to help you out with some inspiration.

If you are into his influence or wanting more information regarding William James, I suggest reading this post: click me!  And yes, I did know his birthday would be on the 11th, but since that is not a Monday, I thought it would be nice to honor him in this fashion. 

And as far as literary influence goes? Well, William James met up with many a writer in his days. His godfather was Ralph Waldo Emerson for crying out loud! He also knew the popular Mark Twain, Walter Lippmann, and Sigmund Freud, who is regarded as the founding father of psychoanalysis. 

Wow, can you imagine the dinner parties? Just having a drink with my grandpop Ralph and giving a fist bump to my buddy Sam (Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain in case you didn't know). 

William had a pretty cool life and made a lot of success from doing what he loved. I think his selected quote is something we can all learn from, if not follow. So even if you get your rejection letter from a literary magazine (I got my first one two days ago), or if you have a hard time trying to get through life at this point in time, you should always do your best at whatever you do. Your hard work will make a difference if you make it happen. You just have to believe in it first.

Trust yourself. Believe in yourself. Keep going and don't give up. You are the difference. Keep writing and doing stupid things (safely!). Stay beautiful and send me some sunshine. I'd love to hear from you.

Fist bumps all around,

Brandi Stevens

(Cornelia Thorn)

Follow me on Twitter or shoot me an e-mail.