Just something I often notice myself saying. Wonder if anyone used to say “You know, there is an I Love Lucy about that.”

“I really wasn’t even planning on eating that piece of chocolate…”

How true.

Instead of wine -  tea
Instead of TV – a walk
Instead of my couch - a coffee shop
Instead of impulse spending - freedom, power & wealth-building through planned purchases
Instead of perfection – progress

Never end a post with the words “Tomorrow….”

Ok, here is how it goes in my ideal world. You know the world in my mind that I am always striving for, dreaming of. The one I am always fantasizing that I will actually live in, beginning tomorrow, or Saturday or at the latest, starting Monday next week. You know. It’s the one, beautiful as it is, that always really pisses me off about the world I actually live in.

I think this is key: I forget, like every single minute, that the ideal world is a fantasy – as in – Never. Gonna. Happen. Not in this lifetime. Is it just me?

Anyway, back to the ideal morning.  Here’s mine: I wake up sans alarm before the sun, my kitten is somewhere sleeping on the bed, ready to purr & snuggle gently when I stroke him. — Notice, there is no playing with the curtain cord, no batting & biting the flower arrangement, no knocking over the vase, no jumping on my head. –- but I digress, that’s right, I was talking about my ideal world …

I stretch, get up and pad leisurely into the kitchen where I get a nice cup of joe brewing. Once the brew is gurgling away enticingly in the kitchen, I sit in my favorite chair taking in the view and the beauty of a new day. I spend 30 – 40 minutes in quiet contemplation, reading something inspiring, writing something expansive, or just being present to my gratitude for the miracle of life & love.

Coffee’s done, so somewhere in there I have added to the mix the pleasure of sipping my morning cup. Once fully awake and connected to the wonder of life, I don my sneaks for a refreshing walk around the neighborhood, or if its raining, a quick trip to the gym for the spin class I love. Man that feels good.

Back home in an hour or so, I take a nice, steamy shower and enjoy the ritual of hair, makeup and dressing for the day. Somewhere in there I had a decent breakfast, protein fruit smoothie or veggie sausage with English muffin, cream cheese and jam. 8:10 am, refreshed, nourished, inspired , connected to earth & spirit, beautiful and strong – it’s out to the car for a robust, if not quite soul-deadening commute. Not even that can get me down. Look out world, here I come.

I assure you, none of the above has ever actually happened. At least not all in one day, certainly not before 10:05.

Earth to Leisa, earth to Leisa – oh sh@#$t! It’s 8:45 – make that 9:03. I’ve had no breakfast, no shower, no refreshing walk. My kitten is a terror, and I had to try three times to get the coffee right, first without water, second without grounds – you get the picture. I may have sat in a chair, but more dumbfounded than uplifted.  … And they said I couldn’t write fiction.

There is  a saying: “the truth will set you free, but first, it will piss you off.” Of all my favorite quotes, and I have many, this is the only one that truly pisses me off.

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.
~ Alfred D’Souza

Tomorrow, real life.

Never thought I could be so jazzed about coming up with a personal motto, but I am. I have created a couple of mottos in the past, and they did serve as a reliable source of context,  inspiration & motivation. But those earlier mottos have long since expired in thier usefulness,so here I have been, drifting in life, motto-less for months & months, years even. The horror.

Being a touch facetious, yes. But not too if you knew how truly jacked up I am about having hit upon, crafted really, this new one. It really does getting me moving, thinking, acting & being in a new way. I look forward to it pulling me forward into new territory for years to come. Drumroll….  

Inspired by Life
♦
Living Inspired
♦
Inspiring Others

It’s only the last part that I am a little shy about sharing. Inspiring others? Me? Really? Is it too ambitious, too pretentious?

These are concerns I considered before going public, but I guess I settled on the idea that it’s what I strive to do, hope to achieve in my best moments and who can fault me for that? And if I fail, perhaps it’s inspiring that I tried.

Here are some questions I recently asked myself. Actually, I’ve been asking many of them of myself for about as long as I can remember.

Despite a favorite truism of  a friend of mine – “If you’re asking yourself, you are talking to a fool” –  I’ve found some answers. Some inspiring, some enlightening, many infuriating, but none definitive. So I figured, what the hey, why not open it up for discussion?  

100 random questions
(Edited for your protection.)

7. Why does it seem so hard to change?
8. What would life be like if I really took the lid off?
12. Are we born good or evil?
18. What do dogs/cats think?
19. Why do they love us?
20. What does love feel like to them?
21. How can I create more beauty in the world?
22.  How can I share my love more freely?
27.  Will I ever fulfill my true potential?
29.  How can I inspire others?
32.  How can I draw my true love to me?
33.  Why is snow so beautiful?
34.  Is every snowflake really, truly different?
35.  What causes pleasure when snow sparkles on water?
36.  What causes pleasure/bliss?
39.  How can I be closer to the ones I love (you know who you are)?
40.  How can I show my love more fully?
41.  What daily routine would give me the life I long for?
42.  Why am I here?
44.  How can I accept Jesus Christ as my savior without condemning other paths to God?
46.  Why must some people live with extreme pain/hardship?
47.  Is there only one power in the universe – God, the good, omnipotent?
48.  If so, then what is evil?
49.  Is it wrong to take drugs that open the mind?
50.  How is it possible that men build bridges, airplanes, skyscrapers, when simple communication is such a challenge?
59.  Is life a dream within a dream?
60.  What if the earth is just a cell within another organism?
61.  How can I bring purpose and meaning to life?
62.  How can I give away joy?
63.  How can I be fulfilled with what I have & do?
64.  What is the best way to feel connected to spirit?
65.  How can I walk heart-first into the unknown?
68.  How can I bring innovation to life?

Q.
Why bother?

 A.
To inspire others by living inspired.

1. Have at hand a roomy, new Gortex jacket.
2. Carry in your car a large, fashion-forward umbrella for those flood warning days.
3. Be a Seattle native and love it (the rain that is)!

Funny how it happened, with not much planning or forethought, but in the last two days I have decided, chosen, committed to myself, to go forward with expanding my career as a writer in my own right. Meaning what? That in addition to paid contract gigs for corporations, I will get writing and get blogging get paid for doing it.

So, here is my first letter to a prospecting blog employer. He is looking for realestate bloggers and wanted to see samples of recent realestate blogging, of which I have none. But moxie, that I have.

What can I say? I liked the way these words went together.

Hi Andy –

First the truth. I haven’t been doing any Real Estate blogging. In fact, I have done very little blogging at all compared to some. Even so, it is more than possible that I could actually be the real estate blogger you’ve been looking for. Read on …

Q. If you haven’t been blogging, why should I even read on? 
A. Well, I have been busy for the last 6 years writing for technology companies such as RealNetworks & Microsoft and a startup productivity training company called Mission Control (www.missioncontrol.com).  

Q. Writing what?
A. Thanks for asking:

• User guides and online Help for Windows Media Player & RealPlayer
• b2b marketing content (web, newletters, one-sheets, case studies, exec bios) for Windows Digital Media
• Help for two, not one but two, v1 Microsoft consumer hardware products
• Marketing content and product descriptions for Mission Control
   

Of course that didn’t take up the whole six years, I wrote much more, and many different types of stuff, but you get the picture. Mainly what I proved to myself and those who hired me is that I can write about almost any topic, in any form for any audience, and have it be good; and I have the stamina, the will and the ability to write well everyday, all day.

Q. So why do you want to blog about Real Estate for me?
A. One, I’m a damned good writer and have the portfolio to prove it. Two, prior to my writing career I spent 15 years in the real estate industry as a top-producing mortgage banker. I worked with hdreds of real estate agents and buyers. I know the world, and I love it. Three, I am a techno-savvy early-adopter with a Master’s Degree in Communication – Digital Media from theUniversity of
Washington. I have finally decided to pull all that knowledge, talent and experience together in one place and make my living as a blogger – starting now. And if you are smart and lucky – starting with your site.  

Q. Sounds great, but have you done any blogging?
A. Sure, a little. Mostly personal, creative type stuff, and like I said before, real life kept getting in the way, so to body of work is not large, but I think you can get a feel for what I can do. http://itsleisaslife.blogspot.com I am also currently setting up my business website/blogsite www.thatgirlcanwrite.com and another site called www.pushingwordsaround.com . They are both in the infant stages. 

Q. Ok, I wasn’t expecting to be, but I am intrigued. Is there anything else you want to tell me?
A. Absolutely. It has been fun writing to you. I am confident I could do the job and do it really well. I am anxious to have the opportunity to prove that to you. I am happy to send writing samples from my portfolio, or write a few sample posts – whatever it would take to persuade you that my bravado and confidence is well-founded, and that you would be crazy not to put me to work for you.  Best regards,“Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking.”
~ John Maynard Keynes