The Power of One

There is strength in numbers. That is a tried-and-true cliché that rallies the masses when there is a need for unity. When there is a common enemy. Or when it's movie night and the kids out-vote you into watching some sight joke comedy instead of the mystery thriller you had your heart set on.

Yeah, there is strength in numbers. All numbers. Even the number one. Sometimes especially the number one. One more dessert may put on one more pound. One more snarky, unkind remark may ruin one more friendship. One is a powerful number when it is considered from the right perspective. So, to borrow one more cliché, how do we use its power for good?

Photo Credit: Google Images

I learned about the power of one when I started researching Feng Shui, the art of arranging your living space to better suit your energy. One of its most basic tenets is that the area you are focusing on needs to be clutter-free. With very little research, I was able to find ideas for tackling junk drawers, junk spaces, and junk rooms, so that I could complete the first step to becoming successful and balanced. It turns out that holding on to objects for sentimental reasons, psychological reasons, or just plain laziness is a real issue and there are tons of gurus out there who are willing to share their ideas and experiences for solving it.

Photo Credit: Google Images

The one practice that stuck with me the most was the one a day rule. So, for example, if you wanted to clean out your closet, but were having trouble getting motivated, you would focus on removing just one item each day. In that scenario, you may look and touch more than one item—the boot cut jeans you're sure you'll lose enough weight to fit in again when they come back in style (keep those!), that slutty halter top you'll for sure need during your mid-life crisis (Never let go of the glory days!), and the gauchos that weren't cute even when they were cute (Toss!).

The general idea is that it might take longer to get the task completed, but it would eventually get done in a way that does not have to feel overwhelming. For some, like hoarders or sentimental types, that could be a less painful solution to the situation. But for others, once we pull that first item and we see that empty space, a little pocket of energy opens up and motivates us to pull one more. And one more. And one more, until we finish. We may do it in one sitting, or we may find ourselves donating two or three items from the closet each day. But if we allow ourselves to feel what happens when that space opens up, our energy flows more easily, and goals are reached a little faster. That first good feeling morphs into intention, then accomplishment. And sometimes, it leads to conquering another project, because who doesn't want to ride that good feeling wave?

The same principle applies to anything you are working on. It could be weight loss. Do one exercise, one set a day. You'll burn more calories than if you did none. It could be money. Find a way to earn one extra dollar a day. Or put one dollar a day in a separate account and watch it grow. 

For me, it is very often my writing. Even though I create blogs and website content for other companies, there are days when my time is limited or I'm not feeling super creative. My deadlines don't care if I am overwhelmed with work. They don't care if I have a cold and the only remedy is watching the entire last season of Ozark. They don't care if I'd rather be working on one of my novels or posting on my own blog. While I'm sitting on the beach. With a cooler of beer next to me. My bills don't care either. And those bills don't come in ones, they arrive in packs.

Photo Credit: Google Images

Especially on days like that, when life and ego and dreams want to one-up responsibility, the power of one is the only way to keep me on track. Write one pithy paragraph. Polish and edit one manuscript page. Research and find one interesting fact about dental implants and type it up. 

I fool myself into thinking that the one task will be it, but I know who I am. I am a joy junkie. Yeah, I said it. And after that first initial burst of accomplishment hits me right in the creative cortex, the overachiever in me will hunt for more joy. Before I know it, and in the same sitting, one paragraph turns into one more paragraph, one more page, one task checked off, one short break before I decide to start one more project.

My one ask is that you take one chance: Figure out a manageable goal for the day. Factor in your present state of mind. Consider what will make you feel good, like a boss, like you are working toward something bigger. So that you do your best work. So that you reach your daily goal, and ultimately, your final project goal. Allow yourself to bask in the feeling that you moved one item, or you moved one hundred items. Let the power of one become a valuable, life-altering tool.

Action creates motivation. Not the other way around. If we were to depend on our current level of motivation, the only thing we'd conquer is a box of Ring Dings, or the next digital zombie apocalypse. 

If we apply the same level of drive that we use for binge watching Netflix series to reaching a personal goal, imagine what we can achieve. It takes just one thought and one move in the right direction. Don't let one more day go by or feel one more regret. It may not be just your one short and precious life that is affected.

Photo Credit: livelifehappy.com

I usually end my posts with a snarky one liner of my own creation, but this time I'd like to share a joke. I do not know who the author is, so I can't give the proper credit, but here goes:

At a motivational seminar, three men are beckoned to the stage. They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning, what would you like to hear them say about you? 

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great scientist of my time. That the one discovery I made changed the health of so many."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and a schoolteacher whose one goal each day was to make a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."

The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say...LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!!!"

Be the one who moves in his casket.

 

CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a quirky group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States.  The sequel, WHEN DWAYNE DIED, is coming soon.

The BOOKLIFE PRIZE (a division of Publisher's Weekly) describes CF WINN's MOORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: "This novel is a unique and original storyline that readers will likely find much enjoyment in. Winn's fiercely plotted storyline makes for a suspenseful read. Every plot point feels as if it is being revealed at precisely the right moment. Winn's word choice makes for a joyful ride through unexpectedly dark terrain."

You can now order SUKI in paperback at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by emailing info@bookrevue.com 

Her blogs have been syndicated on multiple sites including The Masquerade Crew. More posts like these can be found at Humor Outcasts and The Patch where she is a regular contributor.  

FOLLOW her on Twitter, Facebook, and CF_Winn on Instagram.

THE DIVINE FINGER IS POINTED...AT YOU!

Many of our neighborhoods here on the East Coast have been damaged, and in some cases, destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. It's all that anyone can talk about.

The conversations range from extremes like, "My home is no longer standing!" to "I can't watch the Catholic mass on TV because my cable is still out!"

While some may scoff at the lack of cable complaint, both are very real inconveniences to those victims. Both have been impacted by the storm, although in different ways, but their pain is exactly that...THEIR pain.

I am not a lover of cliches for two reasons:
1. In my opinion, OUR WORDS should be our OWN. We have voices, we were granted the gift of intelligence (hey, hey, no wise cracks...this is a time of coming TOGETHER), and we each have a UNIQUE perspective.
2. I have heard too many people use them as conversation filler without feeling the true meaning behind them.

How many of us have said, “everything happens for a reason" and have fully understood why? In extreme cases, like this Frankenstorm, have you stopped to ponder that?

Is it so that our community can come together in the way it has in order to remind individuals of what is really important?

Is it so that those with houses that were decaying and filled with health issues could rebuild and possibly start a chain of events that could change their lives?

In the case of the Catholic quoted above, is it so that shut- ins like that are forced back out into society to do things like experience mass in person and live fuller, happier existences?

A few years ago, I put in a new floor on the lower level of my house. About a week after, I had my first flood in ten years. It destroyed the wood. I was out of money, and the insurance company could not help. I didn't worry about it because it was useless to worry. I let it go and knew that I would figure something out eventually.
Two weeks later, my water heater burst and the floor was drenched again. The buckling was much, much worse this time.

My neighbor came over to look, and I'll never forget what he said: "You have the worst luck. First you have a flood and now your water heater is busted. What else is going to happen to you?"

I stood in front of him and laughed and laughed and laughed.

He looked at me like I was crazy.

I said, "Are you kidding me?! I have the BEST luck ever! The insurance company WILL cover my water heater and all of the damage that resulted. Look at this floor and the walls. A team of experts is coming to dry out the place (they took extra care and went above and beyond because of my kid's allergies and asthma), I will get a new water heater for FREE now rather than later, and best of all, my floor will be replaced. Dude you are in the presence of God and you don't even know it!"

And that’s when I began to look for the meaning behind the moments of darkness that sometimes descend on us.

It took me two weeks to understand that a chain of events like that was necessary because ultimately, I needed a new drain for outside of my home. The previous owners had installed a cup the size of a drinking glass, and it had somehow miraculously worked out for me for ten years, but now I understood why all of THEIR things were on pallets when I had looked at the house originally. My new drain was deep and constructed properly and also FREE...and I've had no worries ever since, even in a storm like Sandy.

It may be months or years before the truth of the divine finger is revealed to some individuals, but if you stay open, you will see...

I have been planning to release my latest work, SUKI on the 17th of this month. The storm had kind of overshadowed my big news, but the more I have been thinking about it, the more I realize that this story is exactly what some may need to hear.
It is about a woman named Savannah who seems to have the perfect life…until the darkness creeps in…in fact it doesn’t creep in, it assaults her to the core…
Out of the drastically wrong turn(s) her reality has taken, she manages to make sense of it and find the light.

My desire is that someone who thinks that there is nothing of value left to hope for, reads SUKI and finds inspiration in the pages. There are others out there that are going through the same thing and worse…we need more role models like Savannah to come out of the woodwork and show us that we can go on to find the light…
Sometimes it’s just the Universe course correcting to keep us on the paths to our true purpose here.

Now if someone could explain to me the meaning of my busted “Y” button on my keyboard, I know I’D feel much better…

SUKI can be found at readsuki.com