Good morning.

Yesterday my storyboarding went reasonably well, except I got obsessed with my editing and never did the stretching or exercise I'd planned until late at night.

Today I have started the day with morning morning prayer, and the rest of the day I'll spend with my friend Debbie.

I wish you the best in having a productive and joyous day.

Storyboard for tomorrow

Today went well. Have many check marks in my planner beside the many small goals I'd set for the day. And I had fun. Didn't get the editing done I'd planned on, but that'll do for tomorrow.

Similar goals tomorrow in that I want to start the day in prayer and Bible reading first thing. I choose to exercise vigorously for at least 40 minutes tomorrow by mid to late afternoon. I choose to be at my desk ready to work at 8:00 a.m. and will open up my first novel manuscript and work on editing the first 50 pages, and check over my manuscript proposal. I have some phone calls I've been putting off making---i.e. dentist and doctor. And I choose to do evening prayer and blog it around supper time instead of late at night when it's of no use to others who might want to use it and I'm too tired to enter into the spirit of it. I choose to take a ten minute stretch break around 10:00 a.m. and I'll enjoy a lunch of roasted vegetables, olives and feta cheese.

Now, to go envision my day tomorrow and lay out my clothes to I can jump start the day.

Good morning!

My storyboard is working like a magic carpet this morning. However, because this is a flexible tool that helps me to stay motivated and productive, I'm not locked into the times I set. My friend Debbie, another avid storyboarder, is coming over this morning to do an exercise video with me at 9:30, so some of my times are shifted around. Otherwise, I'm right on schedule and, yeah, I have a smile on my face and--well, my desk is almost clear because I've started organizing the papers in separate stacks on the floor.

Storyboard your day tomorrow

I just got back from a conference, and all my daily routines are shot. My desk has a six inch pile of papers and books covering every surface. I haven't exercised since last Wednesday. At the conference I ate dessert at every meal. I could go on. And, I got out of my morning and evening prayer routine, something that helps me stay on an even keel spiritually.

Tomorrow, I want to get back on track and resume my daily prayer time, my daily exercise, and tidy up my desk, send follow up emails and so on.

It's difficult to format this blog the way I could do a storyboard on a piece of paper. If I were do to this on a piece of paper, I'd fold it in half lengthwise to make two columns. The left-hand column is my script for the day. Label it "SCRIPT". The right hand column are my pictures, or how I'll envision myself going about my goals that I've scripted for myself.

My script for tomorrow:
6:15 a.m. dress in clothes laid out the night before
6:30 a.m. morning prayer
7:30 a.m. blog morning prayer
7:45 a.m. breakfast
8:00 a.m. post question on Word Guild discussion list
8:15-8:45 a.m. organize papers on desk, think about Master's Artist blog post
8:45-9:00 a.m. send emails to Kelly and Lloyd to find out about story deadlines on Artic bishops
9:00-9:30 email contacts made at Write! Canada conference
9:30-9:45 do more desk organizing or filing if necessary
9:45 a.m. thank you notes
10:00 a.m. prepare grocery list
10:15 a.m. post on Master's Artist blog
11:00 a.m. do exercise video, then go to club for a swim
12:45 p.m. eat a healthful lunch
1:15 p.m. edit "The Defilers" chapters one and two, and take a look at proposal
4:00 p.m. grocery shop
5:30 p.m. prepare supper
5:45 p.m. blog evening prayer
6:00 p.m. eat supper and clean up
7:00 p.m. go for a bike ride
8:00 p.m. jump into Asher Lev discussion on Dave Long's blog


I won't necessarily stay right on these strict time limits, but I have a lot of little tasks to get done and I could fly off in too many different directions if I don't list them. I may have not allowed enough time. The Storyboard is meant to serve me, not be a slave driver. If I write down these goals, then I don't have to keep track of them in my head. And it's amazing how merely writing the goals down energizes and focuses me.

Now, in my column opposite those goals, which I've tried to make Specific, Time-Limited, Originating with me (i.e. I choose to do them), Realistic and Yearned-for (they fit in with my passion to be the productive, balanced, positive person I wish to see myself as.
I call these STORY goals.

Now, I'll print off this list and mentally rehearse it, seeing myself doing all theses things with a big smile on my face, just loving how productive and organized I am.

For tomorrow's pictures, I won't write an affirmation for each goal, just the ones that I think will be a little tougher to do.

I will try to write each affirmation in as detailed, positive and visual a way as I can.

Here goes for tomorrow:

I love waking early and reading the Bible before I read or do anything else, quieting my mind, listening to the birds chirping outside, expecting God to speak to me through Scripture. I love the peace and sense of communion that comes from sitting in His presence and offering my day to Him.

I love organizing my papers and files, efficiently handling each piece of paper only once, taking care of minor details in a timely fashion. I love staying up to date with my financial records.

I feel great when I eat healthy salads and lots of vegetables and fruit, and limit the portion sizes of the meat and cheese I eat, and eat whole grains. I feel great when I eat brown rice and enjoy the colors and time for prayer and meditation on God's word as I cut up fresh vegetables.

I feel great when I plan my grocery shopping list and a menu for the week because shopping becomes so much faster and easier, and so does meal preparation the rest of the week. I love feeling on top of all the things I need to do so that I can make the most of my time and have fun while I accomplish my goals.

I feel great when I exercise vigorously for at least 40 minutes a day and take time to stretch and lengthen my spine and breathe. I love feeling strong and flexible and full of zest and the feeling of having great posture no matter what I'm doing.

How about posting your storyboard for tomorrow?

Editing the manuscript of your mind

If you were writing a screenplay to go with a storyboard of your life: the movie, you might use a word processing program that allows you to find certain words or phrases in your manuscript and replace them with new words.

Here are a few words and phrases that you need to find and replace.

Find "I should" and replace it with "I choose to" or "I love to", or "I feel great when I"

Find "I would be happy if..." and delete this phrase every time it pops up. Replace it with, "I am thankful for..." and start counting up your blessings.

Find every negative thought about yourself, such as "I'm no good. I'm a loser. I'm fat. I'm lazy. I never do anything right." and replace it with something positive.

Find every lie you believe and replace it with truth.

What other negative phrases and words do you need to eliminate from the manuscript of your mind and what would you replace them with?

Choosing love over fear.


Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute sends out an email newsletter which often has some wonderful thoughts to ponder.

Today's was exceptional. Here are some excerpts:

"If you were offered a choice between feeling and acting out of fear or out
of love, which one would you pick? No question about it, most people don't
even hesitate before they say, "Love!" But this is not a hypothetical
question. It is a choice you and I are faced with every day of our lives.
And all too often, whether consciously or not, we choose fear.

When you avoid success, harm your physical health, or hold back your
attractiveness, you are choosing fear. When you fail to set goals, or give
up your power to a boss, mate, friend or authority figure, fear is
motivating you.

When you deny the truth, feel afraid to say 'no,' ignore your feelings or
focus on negative feedback, you do it out of fear. In fact, all negative
emotions can be traced to some form of fear. And the truth is that you can't
feel both love and fear at the same time. So when you act out of fear, you
are choosing to shut out love."
--Lou Tice

If you want to look at past newsletters or subscribe to this newsletter

here's the link.

Storyboarding can help you act out of love, because you can mentally prepare yourself for how a loving you will behave in your future circumstances by envisioning yourself responding differently to people and circumstances.

We may not be able to control what happens to us, but we do have a choice over how we respond to the negative events and people in our lives.