So how is your blogging journey going? I subscribe to quite a few online newsletters, including some that discuss blogging. For awhile when blogging became important, almost a fad, I really thought I would never write an online blog. First of all, I don’t like fads, just like for at least the first month, I ignore first-run movies unless I’m interested in either the subject or the cast, so I tried really hard to ignore blogging for personal use. Well, as you can see, I eventually came around. Then blogging hit the business community and again, it took me awhile before I started a business blog (early spring 2006). I’m glad that I started both, though for awhile, I wasn’t sure I could keep up the personal one(s), so until recently I let them go. I still have lots to learn about blogging. I still don’t agree with everything that the experts say about several basics about blogging, but I am learning more and more about presenting, promoting and creating blogs, which is great fun for me. I am a lifelong-learner.

Tags: Blog for Life by Lael Johnson
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Lord of love,
Lord of grace,
Thank You for
enveloping this place.

LJ
–

Tags: Poetry, Roaring Lion by Lael Johnson
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CREATIVE PREPARATION
by
Lael Johnson

Today’s topic is preparation. It’s important to be prepared before you begin a creative session. In an idea world, it would be nice if ideas came to use completely ready to implement or something similar, but they don’t, at least not often enough to predictable. So what can a creative person do about it? Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Think of preparation as sewing creative seeds in fertilized ground. The ground is ready for the seeds, you just need to plant them, water and care for them, and in time the seeds will produce creative ideas for you to build upon. The end result is that what the untrained eye may call an original, you as the creative person will know better. You will know that the process of preparation led you to and through the creative process that backed up that original.

Tags: Articles - Creativity Coaching by Lael Johnson
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Middle
Interior
Sassy
Cute
Everlasting
Look
Light
Artistic
Normal
Energetic
Oodles
Understated
Simple

What kind of words can you create from the word miscellaneous?

–

Tags: Random Miscellany by Lael Johnson
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What kind of furniture do you like? I’m sure I haven’t seen everything, but it’s fun to find out what furniture styles people prefer. It’s also interesting to see how people can combine several styles into a hybrid (can’t think of a better term) style that looks and feels really comfortable.

Minimalist style:
A person has perhaps seven pieces of furniture at the most in a one-bedroom apartment. These pieces define both the kitchen nook and the living room. The look is very uncluttered, very simple, but not completely void of comfort. There is a couch and a television included in the mix.

Tags: A House For Life by Lael Johnson
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This is the first time I’ve posted in more than three blogs, one after another. When I first started blogging I went overboard, as I often do when I’m exploring a new topic. I let my curiosity take me all over the place. Not only did I have my usual idea-making brain going, but I was also writiing about writing and about my personal life. I was feeling challenged to produce one writing column a week, while still checking in at my two personal blogs. It took awhile for me to find a reasonable posting pace.

Tags: Blog for Life by Lael Johnson
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Do you believe in something outside of yourself? I do. A long time ago, I learned that I couldn’t’ do everything by myself. When I finally became fed up with trying to prove that I could do everything, the Lord found me. It took seventeen years and lots of faithful prayer from a family friend, for me to make that admission and begin to accept complete help from the Lord. Life wasn’t perfect after that, but it began to feel a little more peaceful.

Tags: Purpose, Roaring Lion by Lael Johnson
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Here is a list of other places in my life where movement is not always so obvious but it is happening:

My heart pumping (pulse — I would definitely notice if this stopped!)

Decision-making (emotional heart, spirit and intellect)

Active Listening (Temporarily putting away my views about a situation to listen to someone else’ view)

Blood Circulation (I would notice if this stopped!)

Where air circulates from (beyond a fan or heater)

Where and when the body regularly replenishes skin cells (I would notice if this were not happening)

Tags: Movement Grace by Lael Johnson
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“Greatness is to take the common things of life and walk truly among them.”

Ralph Iron

1) What are some of the truly great things in your life?

My answer: my parakeets

2) How much time do you truly spend with them?

My answer: Less than they or I would like.

3) How do you plan to remedy this situation?

My answer: I need fit short pieces of conversation in during the day with them, including responding to their calls when I’m in the same room with them.

Tags: Random Miscellany by Lael Johnson
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REASON 4: Creativity stretches your comfort zone. Practicing a creative skill, takes time, concentrated effort and consistent work. I know that I feel angry when I’m in the early stages of the learning process. I struggle to admit that I need to practice and that I don’t know everything. Then, my discomfort level increases.. When I am willing to complete one creative project. I know that I’ve done a good job. My challenge is to patiently go through the earlier mechanical learning for as Iong I need to do it. My reward is to become more automatic in my creative skills and to complete more projects in less time.

Tags: Articles - Creativity Coaching by Lael Johnson
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