Find Your Strengthening Medicine with Pj Schott

You know, sometimes even the biggest of extroverts (yes, that’s me), needs some down time.  This week, I wanted to extend that to my dearest Pj Schott, yet she turned her overwhelming moments into something for us all to learn from.  Yet another reason I adore her and her spirit.    Pj Schott has lived in several U.S. port cities, Europe, Greece, and the Middle East. A marketing professional, mystery writer, and futurist, Pj is known to those with whom she works as a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, a top-notch communicator, a visionary, and the soul of a group. She is the owner of the Boston, Massachusetts based company GENIUS and is the woman behind the new Facebook page and blog, Survival for Blondes, where Pj is entirely surrounded by imagined disasters and learns to rise above.

Find Your Strengthening Medicine

In which Pj is dragged to the depths of despair and is saved by a virtual hug

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

"Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”

Researching dire global situations and imagining how to prepare for them should they hit home is part of what I do on a daily basis. Most of us know the world is a mess. Who wouldn't get depressed and overwhelmed by the daily bombardment of seemingly hopeless images from around the globe. All of us have experienced the occasional feeling of powerlessness. But we take it in stride. We count our blessings, say a prayer or two, and carry on.

Last week, when calamity struck my home town of New York City, and its surrounding area, I suddenly had nothing but trouble on my mind. That I was nearly in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy made me thankful disaster preparedness is a passion of mine. But my heart still ached for those who were not prepared. And when a Nor'easter suddenly landed on these folks, compounding their suffering, I found myself searching for a reason to get out of bed.

Even people who know me extremely well would find this hard to believe. But the most capable and intelligent of humans sometimes find it difficult to cope with anxiety and depression. Count my legs. My reaction was completely normal.

My turning point came this morning when our beloved Jen Tucker told me not to worry about coming to visit you all this month. Her kindness and compassion humbled me and gave me the gentle prodding I needed. "Now is the time to ask the obvious question … What Would Pooh Do?"

A master of the art of living in the Here-and-Now, Pooh didn't dwell on the past or worry about the future. Even in the face of disaster, he would have remained relaxed, balanced, and focused. When faced with thoughts of despair, the Zen-like bear would no doubt remind himself that "Some people care too much … it's called love."

Winnie and his friends were always there for each other. When little Piglet's worst case scenario – a bath – had him sprawled on the floor sobbing with his head in his arms, Rabbit said, "There, there, Piglet." And Owl added "Baths don't last forever." Little Piglet sat up, dried his eyes, and replied, "But afterward comes … the Strengthening Medicine."

One thing that triggers anxiety and depression is not feeling "connected." The problems in the world, and all the news that plays on our fears, makes us feel isolated, and distanced from each other. But by the miracle of technology, we have been given the gift of what I call our Astral Family. People we have never actually met, but with whom we feel a tremendous bond.

My Strengthening Medicine, the kindness of someone, who in the not-too-distant past would have remained a total stranger my entire life, suddenly bridged a gap in time and space and made me feel connected again. Now filled with inspiration rather than hopelessness, before this day is over I resolve to reach out to another person and urge them to take a small step in the direction of healing.

I recall something Charlie Brown (no doubt inspired by Winnie the Pooh) once said:

Listen, Linus, friendship isn't about who you've known the longest. It's all about the friend who comes and stands by your side in bad times.

And this group hug is dedicated to all my dear friends in Cyberspace. May the Pooh force be with you all.

Does Pj know how to make me tear up, or what?!  I love you Pj, and am so thankful you are a part of my life.  

Bless and be blessed!

XOXO

Jen

What Would Pooh Do? by Pj Schott

 Welcome to September everyone!  It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and that means Pj Schott is here to share some Winnie the Pooh wisdom with us.  

Pj Schott has lived in several U.S. port cities, Europe, Greece, and the Middle East. A marketing professional, mystery writer, and futurist, Pj is known to those with whom she works as a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, a top-notch communicator, a visionary, and the soul of a group. She is the owner of the Boston, Massachusetts based company GENIUS and is the woman behind the new Facebook page and blog, Survival for Blondes, where Pj is entirely surrounded by imagined disasters and learns to rise above.

  Losing your mind?  Pooh says not worry!!

Labor Day, like any other holiday, is celebrated Chez Pj, in Calvin Klein pajamas, with no face, and a kitchen full of delectables. The phone ceases to ring. The eMail slows down. And most of my friends have better things to do than hang out on Facebook (as if anything could be better than that!!)

With no prep work required to enter the world, few interruptions, and no commute, I had some extra time on my hands. So I decided to tackle my TO DO List. I'm a big David Allen (Getting Things Done) fan. And David says we need to get everything out of our heads and into a trusted system, in this case a fantastic piece of software called OmniFocus.

By Labor Day's end, my trusted system held 271 items. No, you didn't read that wrong. My head was empty, but now I was faced with a list of nearly 300 things I felt I needed to, or wanted to, get done, preferably as soon as possible. This wasn't even taking into account the "Someday/Maybe" category (e.g., travel to Budapest, learn Spanish, drag my novel out of the closet).

Holy moly!! No wonder my previously aching head had felt like it was going to spin right off of my body. A clear mind is a  beautiful thing, but the gruesome, unorganized Task List before me left my mind so boggled, I completely forgot about the thing that was nearest and dearest to my compulsive little heart, i.e., getting ready to hang out with you at Jen's place.

My ACT! database always at the ready, I must have looked right at the appointment I made (with myself) 20 times. And I couldn't see the beautiful tree because I was so busy obsessing over the impenetrable forest of things I had no idea how to get done, even given another ten lifetimes.

But, rather than beat myself up, I thought "What would Pooh do?" That spacey, absent-minded bear, totally obsessed with getting his next honey fix from the beehive, would surely understand and be able and willing to give me some sound advice.

Now, a shrink would probably say Pooh and I are afflicted with inattentive type ADHD, accompanied by co-morbid OCD. Bottom-line, in lay-bears words, this means we try to get stuff done without properly thinking things through.

Do you remember when Pooh dressed up like a rain cloud so he could get to the honey via the sky? Who can't identify? Not about honey, necessarily (don't bother raising your hand if you're a Foodie). My particular obsession happens to be organic dark chocolate, and calculating how I can eat as much as possible without ending up shaped like Pooh!!

Food and counting. These matters were paramount in Pooh's life too. Poor compulsive bear! Poor me!! Our conversation went something like this.

Pj:  What do you think we should do about our Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder?

POOH:  I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.

Pj:  Don't you care that we sometimes forget what it was we were trying to remember?

POOH:  The person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening.

Pj:  Then I suppose you don't care about our Obsessive Compulsive Disorder either.

POOH:  It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"

Pj:  So I suppose you think we should just ignore our problems.

POOH:  Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing.

So here I sit, doing nothing but what means the most to me. No, not eating chocolate … I'm talkin' to you!!

Thanks Pj for stopping by! 

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Jen

XOXO

The Triumph of Doing Nothing by Pj Schott

We took the day off yesterday at Princess With a Pen to enjoy some amazing friends, and food, while celebrating Independence Day.  My friend, Pj Schott took the day off as well from her first Wednesday of the month guest position.  Today she stops by with an important lesson for us all in the quest to find rest while we strive to achieve our goals.  

 Pj Schott has lived in several U.S. port cities, Europe, Greece, and the Middle East. A marketing professional, mystery writer, and futurist, Pj is known to those with whom she works as a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, a top-notch communicator, a visionary, and the soul of a group. She is the owner of the Boston, Massachusetts based company GENIUS and is the woman behind the new Facebook page and blog, Survival for Blondes, where Pj is entirely surrounded by imagined disasters and learns to rise above.

    

Winnie the Pooh on the Power of Surrender

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.

– WINNIE THE POOH

Thank you Jen, for inviting me to join you today. Hanging out with you and your peeps always gets me to thinking about what’s really important in life. And the American Independence Day holiday gave me plenty of time to get in touch with my inner Pooh.

I even had time for a Facebook chat with our friend Sibel Hodge, the bestselling author whose book “The Baby Trap” has an underlying theme about living in the moment.. “Live for today, dream of tomorrow, learn from yesterday” she wrote in her 4^th of July blog for “Indie Chicks Café.”

We all feel overwhelmed these days. Every time we cross something off our To Do list, five more things get added. Then, all those old programs start to run in the background. You fill in the blanks. “If Only I Could _________, I Would _________, but I really Should ________”

Ewwwwww … the ‘S’ Word. Suddenly, we’re berating ourselves over our inability to even keep up let alone get ahead. I’m half Danish, and a big fan of the ancient Viking Runes, my roguish ancestors’ guide to one’s Higher Self. Whenever I hear the “S’ word, I make one of their passages my mantra. “Do without doing and everything gets done.”

Happiness is a choice. And the best news is, we don’t need a self-help book, a new age form of divination, or a degree in metaphysics.  All we need is that great guru, Winnie the Pooh, who will show us how to go beyond Zen … onto the path of no resistance.

So here’s what my inner Pooh suggested we think about this week.

Concentrate on the Big Picture

Take a little time to make a list of your goals.

So much to do, so little time. We want it all and we want it now. When it gets to be all work and no play I drop everything and spend some time on Pinterest, concentrating on my “If I Was A Rich Girl” and “Bucket List” boards. A goal is just a dream with a deadline. And don’t forget to DREAM BIG!!

Take control of what you can.

Most of the time all we can control is our own mind.

Thriller author Claudette Walker, a big fan of Sun Tzu, reminds me often that sometimes the only control we have is to know when we have none. It’s easy to get caught up in life’s little dramas, to take our emotional cues from other people and run with them. We can’t control the curve balls life throws us any more than we can control the occurrence of a natural disaster. But we do have control over our reactions. And we can take a proactive approach to life and surround ourselves with people and circumstances that support our goals.

Do what you love.

Forget about Would / Could / Should

During the times you’re not living your dream, at the very least try to find a way to love what you do as you work toward your goals. Every task has some likable aspect we can focus on. Listen to a book while you fold that pile of laundry, Put on some salsa music while you clean out that closet. Indulge in a Guilty Pleasure TV show while you sort through that pile of bills.

Most important of all, get in touch with your inner Pooh, and stop feeling guilty when you feel like doing nothing. Let those brainwaves slow down to alpha level, let your imagination kick in, and feel your creativity soar.

Surrender, and feel the joy of Not Bothering … who’s the best bear in the world?

Thank you, Pj, for reminding us imagination soars when we quiet ourselves, quiet our minds, and rest.  

Have a wonderful day!

XOXO

Jen   

The Blustery Day of the Soul with Pj Schott

Happy May everyone!  I love the birth of a new month here at Princess With a Pen.  It means that the fabulous, Pj Schott is stopping by to spend time with us.  Pj has lived in several U.S. port cities, Europe, Greece, and the Middle East. A marketing professional, mystery writer, and futurist, Pj is known to those with whom she works as a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, a top-notch communicator, a visionary, and the soul of a group. She is the owner of the Boston, Massachusetts based company GENIUS and is the woman behind the new Facebook page and blog, Survival for Blondes, where Pj is entirely surrounded by imagined disasters and learns to rise above.

 Let the fabulous queen of blonde survival be heard!

Pj Schott

Jen Tucker asked me to talk about my passion for starting my blog, Survival for Blondes, how it came to be, and why blondes need to have survival skills. Always something provocative from our Jen!!

CUE THE MUSIC … “Don’t Give Up” by Peter Gabriel.

Don’t give up, ‘cause you have friends.

While preparing disaster recovery material for corporate clients, I became aware of the fragile state of our beautiful planet. Rather than letting the required exercise of imagining Worst Case Scenario keep me up at night, I began to think how I could let all my friends and loved ones know what they needed to be aware of and how they would need to prepare.

Not wanting to diminish the seriousness of such an important subject or frighten people about something that might never happen, I decided to use humor and a sense of camaraderie. I also wanted to keep it simple, so even I could understand it. Blondes are not dumb, we just have so much going on in our heads, it is sometimes hard for us to focus on the seemingly mundane. And since simple isn’t easy, much of the information that reaches us, goes right on past us.

I grew up with 1950s cartoon characters to teach me much of what I know about survival. No matter what happened, they not only overcame every mishap, they bounced back more feisty than ever. Steam‑rollered? Not to worry … just peel yourself up off the pavement and carry on truckin’.

Don’t give up, I know you can make it good.

In the 1968 Disney film, “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,” Pooh shows initiative during a flood by making his way back to Christopher Robin by riding on a honey pot, then uses Christopher Robin’s umbrella to take the two of them to Piglet’s house. Talk about teamwork, innovation and ingenuity!!

I talk a lot about Universal Law, which teaches us that the Universe itself serves as a mutual support system for all beings. An example would be the Internet and Social Media, which have given us a brave new world of people who reflect back wonderful things to us and show us who we really are. Writers, parents, dancers, political activists … there is no one we can’t learn from and interact with now.

Don’t give up, you still have us … we’re proud of who you are.

I met Jen Tucker through the wonderful folks at The Writer’s Guide to ePublishing on Facebook. As author extraordinare and fellow writer, DeeDee Scott, described the purpose of such a group: “That’s exactly what [it’s] all about … we are your ‘net.’ We’re here for all you …. We share our journeys … and serve as each other’s nets.”

When times get rough, you can fall back on us, don’t give up.

No matter what your purpose in life, your vocation, or your goals, you will meet the people you need to meet when you need to meet them. Learn to trust your own process, trust the Universe, and trust those who have your back. And the best part is being there for them when they need support in return.

And, just like the characters in the A.A. Milne stories had each other’s backs, there is an Astral Family waiting for us in Cyberspace. So have some honey and leave the sticky part behind. Play Pooh sticks when we cross the bridge over a creek. And, above all, let’s be ready for anything … the pot of gold at the end of a proverbial rainbow or a Blustery Day of the Soul.

Thanks Pj for stopping by!  I appreciate your heart for serving others.

XOXO

Jen

PJ SCHOTT ON WINNIE THE POOH AND SUCCESS 101

     It is WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!  The first Wednesday of every month, I am giving my gal pal, Pj Schott the center stage.  Pj is a friend and great accountability partner.  Do you have one too?  The one person in  your life that you share goals with, be it spiritual, professional, or even olympic shopping.  Pj is mine for connecting with you all electronically.  I needed the pact and the push from her to blog regularly.  My favorite quote from her is, "You know Jen, in the time it took you to write me this email, you could've blogged."  Curses!  She was right!  

     Pj has lived in several U.S. port cities, Europe, Greece, and the Middle East.  A marketing professional, mystery writer,and futurist, Pj is known to those with whom she works as a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, a top-notch communicator, a visionary, and the soul of a group.  She is the owner of the Boston, Massachusetts based company Genius II.  Pj is the woman behind the new Facebook page, Survival for Blondes.  Make sure that you check it out, even if your only connection to our hair color hue is that you tell a fabulous blonde joke.  One of the many things that endears Pj to me, is her passion for women to take control of their health, wellness, and planning for anything that might come our way.  Let's hear it for Pj! 

The lovely Pj Schott

ON WINNIE THE POOH AND SUCCESS 101 by Pj Schott

DISCLAIMER:  No animals were harmed in the production of this blog.

Jen asked me what I would say to the woman on the edge of being brave, and starting something new in her life? Great question ... tough answer.

The short reply: Dream big and work with at least one net.

The longer answer:  If you're starting a small business, launching a writing career or simply want to be the best [fill in the blank] in the whole world ever ... act as if you've already succeeded.

Read everything you can on your specialty. Start each day listening to a motivational recording such as Napoleon Hill, David Allen, or Tony Robbins. Or a book about, or by, one of your heroes (Oprah, Steve Jobs, or Anne Lamott). Consult with experts in the field and subscribe to them on Facebook. Join organizations that will nurture and support you.

Most small business fail. Most novels never get written. Most dreams never become reality.

Get a plan and work said plan. And if you don't have an income-producing partner or a trust fund, learn to save and invest wisely.

Passion is only one ingredient in the mix. Expertise in your field is only one job skill required. You need a business plan. A marketing plan. And these days, you'll have to be somewhat of an expert on social media (inbound marketing). For every income-producing hour, you will spend one hour on the "back end" of the business (the books, correspondence, phone calls) and one hour promoting the business (seminars, networking, and social media).

And, when the going gets tough, take comfort in the fact that Pooh is there to get you through those Dark Nights of the Soul

 "If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."

-- WINNIE THE POOH