Genuinely Looking Up

We're in Harrisburg, PA, ensconced in our motel. Mr. L is resting comfortably. I think he needs the sleep after this non-stop motion of the last week and a half. Last month, I posted I was contemplating participating in the Master Key Mastermind Alliance. After definitely deciding not to do it, I changed my mind and dived in with both feet. I'm glad I did. If you want to follow my journey, I'm blogging about it here.

I wanted to do it, but I knew it would be a challenge while we were on the trip. It has been a challenge, but it's been totally doable.

The Personality Color Code assessment was interesting. I tested as a Blue, and that means I'm motivated by Intimacy, and it described Blues as "Do-Gooders." Both those terms hold some negative connotations to me, but I realize they aren't really negative. As I read more about this, the designation feels comfortable for me. After a few weeks' contemplation, I paid the extra money for the more detailed analysis of my survey results. While I thought my secondary colors were evenly balanced between Red and White, it turns out White was just a little more dominant than Red, meaning my secondary motivation is Peace (as opposed to Power for Red). Of course, I have characteristics of all four colors (we all do). At first, I was distressed that Mr. L appears to be a strong Red (my guess, I don't think he'd never do one of those surveys), and Reds and Blues tend to have lots of conflicts (because we're coming at the same thing from completely different directions). On the other hand, I'm seeing ways to bridge the areas that concern me, so I'm feeling less hopeless than I was when I first read the examples. (So far, the course isn't much about what "Color" we are, but I find these things fascinating. If you don't, don't worry about it.)

The really cool thing was identifying my Personal Pivotal Needs and meshing those with my Definite Major Purpose. When I needed to answer some questions for Holly's Mastermind participation, and everything aligned, I was ecstatic! The good news for you guys is I'm writing, revising, and publishing short stories each month for ten out of twelve months beginning in November and writing, revising, and publishing a novel at least every two years. (Small eek, but I know it's doable.)

I'm seeing small differences in my attitude and approach, that I believe will become big positive changes over the next few months. (I struggled with several small things that seemed to be conspiring to bring out the negativity over the last week, and I wasn't always successful, but I've seen so many examples of positive changes where I need them. I am encouraged.)

The Week Ahead:

• Pack for the trip home
• Drive safely
• Keep up with my "homework"
• Help Mr. L wherever I can
• Schedule blog posts
• Have a great week