Taming of the Guilt with Pj Schott

Pj Schott

Hellooooo from snowy Indiana!  We’ve been digging out this morning, and well as enjoying a school-free pajama day after almost six inches of snow.  It’s also the first Wednesday in March, which means the über fab Pj is here!  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.

On Poetry & Hums and Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood

"But it isn't easy," said Pooh, "Because Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you."

It's time to pack my bag and take a business trip. I must go out and search for my Poetry & Hums. However, this doting mother of two fabulous felines is filled with dread. As soon as I make the travel arrangements I start missing my girls. I mean, really. Look at them.

Are they just not the cutest cats who were ever cats?

Can you stand it? Prudence, the Ragdoll (on the left) doesn't mind a bit. Poor thing is beautiful, but dumber than dirt. Except when it comes to her food supply. Then, all of a sudden, she's a rocket scientist with the uncanny ability to make me do her bidding. That girl knows how to suck up, let me tell you. And if that doesn't work she turns into the feline equivalent of Attila the Hun.

On the right is Basile, a Russian blue. Totally devoted to me, she becomes a basket case as soon as she sees the suitcase. Won't eat. Gets in the suitcase and cries. Then hides from the cat sitter the entire time I'm gone. Oh, the guilt. The guilt ….

So there I am trying to talk myself out of a funk. As always, when desperate, I seek out the wisdom of our great guru, Winnie the Pooh. And, in my mind, I go to the Hundred Acre Wood, the fictional world of Pooh and his friends. And this is what he said.

"Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slowly slipping away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known."

I love a good peaceful place, don't you?

                                                                                     

Long story short, and quite simply, I realized that life has its share of bittersweet moments. We have to take the bad with the good.

The bad: it's so hard to say goodbye, even for a short time.

The good: I am blessed to have something I love that much.

I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who is on the receiving end of pet guilt!  Thank you, Pj, for talking about the bittersweet along with the blessings.  Thank you too for sharing Prudence and Bastile with us!  I want to cuddle with them, yet the results would be me and my Epipen.  Stinking feline allergies…

**GIVEAWAY**

Pj is giving one lucky reader this…

click here to check it out 

Here’s the product description:

  Amazon.com Review

Product Description
It was eighty years ago, on the publication of The House at Pooh Corner, when Christopher Robin said good-bye to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Now they are all back in new adventures, for the first time approved by the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne-a worthy sequel to The House at Pooh Corner and Winnie-the-Pooh.

About the Author
David Benedictus produced the audio adaptations of Winnie-the-Pooh, starring Dame Judi Dench. He lives in London, England.Mark Burgess has previously illustrated Winnie-the-Pooh and other classic children’s characters, including Paddington Bear. He lives in London, England. 

Yay you!  The winner can choose a print copy, audible edition, or Kindle + audible (Whispersync) edition. 

RULES:

*Contest runs from March 6, 2013 through March 13, 2013 at NOON EST.

*Contest is open worldwide, because PJ is AWESOME and will have Amazon ship to you anywhere!  Yee Haw!

*Comment below and tell us what you’re thankful to return home to.

*GOOD LUCK!

Bless and be blessed,

Pj & Jen

XOXO

Heart vs. Head with Pj Schott

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  *Jen throws confetti*  I hope you enjoyed family and friends, and even a little piece of peace during the holidays.  It’s a new month, a new year, and I am pleased as punch to welcome Pj Schott back to Princess With a Pen!  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.

HEART VS. HEAD

In which Pj learns to trust her feelings and not think so much

Most folks would describe Pooh as a bit of a dunce. But the warm, welcoming bear is a master of the art of living in the moment. Pooh neither dwells on the past nor worries about the future. And he always follows his heart.

FEEL, DON'T THINK

Our society places great value on the ability to analyze and evaluate things. But Universal Law teaches us that the heart and the head are mutually exclusive. You can't be in both places at once. And, given the choice, it is better to rely on the heart than the head when making an important decision.

Pooh was never one to overthink a situation. Philosophers might call him a stoic. He doesn't worry about what other people think. He knows better than to react emotionally to a situation over which he has no control.

In the spirit of stoicism, or Poohism, we would therefore focus only on what we have control over, which is our reaction to a situation. We can't control what others think, feel, or do. But we alone choose what goes on in our own heads. The wise, and Pooh-like among us, would ask "Do I respond or do I react?"

REACTION OR RESPONSE

You're running late for an important business presentation, when someone crashes into you in the coffee shop, covering your best jacket with foamy liquid. You start to panic. Anger rises. You resist the urge to smack the offender, who actually looks remorseful. 

To berate the poor thing would be to react to the situation. You do a quick check-in with your heart, which says, given the choice to be right or to be kind, be kind. Then you respond to the situation at hand, letting your heart rule your head.

Now you use the old noggin. You face your audience, point out the puddle on your chest, and joke about having to let the guy pay for your coffee in order to make him feel better. Voila, you're an instant hero.

RABBIT HAS BRAIN

Pooh would always choose heart over head. But if ever he needed to apply logic, he would simply go to Rabbit, with reservations.

“Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.

"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."

"And he has Brain."

"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."

There was a long silence.

"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything.”

LOVED THIS!  Thank you, Pj, for stopping by!  You lucky readers will love hearing that, Pj has a gift for you!  She loved the feeling of blessing others so much, that it is something she wishes to carry out  during 2013!  Isn't she the best?  Simply let us know what you trust more, your heart or your head for a chance to win… 

The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh!

Description from Amazon: When Christopher Robin asks Pooh what he likes doing best in the world, Pooh says, after much thought, "What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying 'What about a little something?' and Me saying, 'Well, I shouldn't mind a little something, should you, Piglet,' and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing."

Happy readers for over 70 years couldn't agree more. Pooh's status as a "Bear of Very Little Brain" belies his profoundly eternal wisdom in the ways of the world. To many, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and the others are as familiar and important as their own family members. A.A. Milne's classics, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, are brought together in this beautiful edition, complete and unabridged, with recolored illustrations by Milne's creative counterpart, Ernest H. Shepard. Join Pooh and the gang as they meet a Heffalump, help get Pooh unstuck from Rabbit's doorway, (re)build a house for Eeyore, and try to unbounce Tigger. A childhood is simply not complete without full participation in all of Pooh's adventures. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter

THE RULES:

• Giveaway ends on Tuesday, January 8^th at noon EST. 
• Please leave your email address with your answer so we can let you know that you won. 
• Good luck!

Bless and be blessed,

Jen

XOXO

Problem Solving Winnie the Pooh Style with PJ Schott

Good morning Princess with a Pen, friends! It’s the first Wednesday in October and that means the lovely, Pj Schott, is here to dispense her wonderful wisdom with a little help from Winnie the Pooh.    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.

The World Ends With Pooh

In my eternal quest for Disaster Prep goodies for my Survival for Blondes blog, I keep my radar tuned for tidbits from Winnie the Pooh, since they help me keep everything – the good, the bad, and the ugly – in perspective.

Please allow me to share with you a piece I happened upon recently that described an imagined Pooh/Disaster scenario:

"Fallen tree takes out power pole. Water main burst. Bee hives in fallen tree. Bee keeper must remove bees before tree can be removed, water main repaired and power restored. Phone still out. Pooh Bear bummed."

~www.santacruzblogazine.com

The World's Best Problem-Solver

Although the claim may have no basis in reality, I call myself "The World's Best Problem Solver."

Quite a few respectable folks have told me that problem-solving is my greatest gift. (Do I have any other talents which would help create a benchmark? Let's not even go there.)

Sherlock Holmes (who preceded me as The World's Best Problem Solver) would probably analyze and evaluate the Pooh dilemma, then try to apply logic. Most likely he would start at the end of the problem and work backwards until he arrived at the solution.

My solution to Pooh's fictional Worst Case Scenario would be to look at the situation, not as a potential problem, but as an opportunity for Pooh to reinvent himself in order to realign with his true path.

WWPD?

Now we pose the critical question: What would Pooh do to solve a problem or to prepare for a disaster – imagined or otherwise – in his beloved Hundred Acre Wood?

Pooh and his friends – Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Piglet, and Tigger were always hitting rough spots. And Pooh took them all in stride.

"Prob…lem…sol…ving? That sounds like a 'what.' The 'whats' are easy. It's the 'hows' that are difficult."

The large-hearted, honey-hunting, bee-braving, problem-solving Pooh (who was as Modest as I am Shamelessly Self-Promoting) described himself as a "bear of Very Small Brain." (And Albert Einstein used to say "I have no special talent." Uh huh.) But don't let Pooh's diffidence fool you. The Bear will now show you his Depth.

Pooh, unlike Sherlock Holmes, would no doubt start at the beginning. He would encourage us to look for the solution, but caution us to first correctly define the problem.

"Before beginning a Hunt,
it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for
before you begin looking for it."

They're Funny Things, Accidents

If any of the above has left you with an ice-cream headache, my sincere apology. And to ease your mind, I will leave you with the words of Eeyore:

"I'm not saying there won't be an Accident now, mind you. They're funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you're having them."

Pooh taught me that Problem SoIving (since it's a "what" and not a "how") is easy. And those who work with me – as well as those who know and love me – usually get a very simple solution to their problems. They also get a reminder that, unlike problem-solving itself …

SIMPLE ISN'T EASY!!

Thank you, Pj!

XOXO

Jen

Confessions of a Stuffaholic with Pj Schott

It is the first Wednesday in June, and that means the glorious Pj Schott is here to deliver a message to the masses. 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!

Hi, My Name is Pj … and I’m a Stuffaholic

                                                                   

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.

– Winnie the Pooh

UNIVERSAL LAW teaches us that nature abhors a vacuum. We decide we want our house to look like Martha Stewart lives there, but as soon as we drop off our bags at the Salvation … voila!! All we did was create another Stuff Magnet.

Ah … the circle of life. Pack-rattery is a human condition (go ahead, count my legs). One minute we’re patting ourselves on our uber‑organized backs, and, the next … we contemplate filling the void with Retail Therapy.

Rivers know this ….

SIMPLE ISN’T EASY. My Stuffaholic condition hits me whenever I travel. I survive quite happily with the contents of my airline-approved carry-on bag. At my hotel, I revel in the joy of unpacking my suitcase with plenty of room to store everything. Visions of Minimalism begin a Danse Macabre in my head. And, once again, I vow to go home and change my errant ways.

KNOW THYSELF is an inscription at The Temple of Apollo at Delphi in Greece. Self-knowledge improves both our quality of life and our relationships with other people. Rather than history repeating, we make better decisions, and choices with less painful consequences.

Meditating at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, I realized I had hit rock bottom. Broken promises to myself began to haunt me. Then a moment of clarity and I realized I could do this, but not alone. I felt brave enough to take the first step and admit I have a problem.

PROFESSIONAL HELP was needed here. I love my Stuff, but I love having Space much more.  My house should always look nice, just in case the Architectural Digest photographers show up. At home I might lose my newfound resolve, so I immediately phoned one of the tried-and-true organizers I already have on speed-dial. I would remain a Recovering Stuffaholic for the rest of my life.

Getting organized is a lot like losing weight. It’s one thing to rid yourself of the blubber … quite another to maintain one’s blubber-free form. Likewise, what took a lifetime to become entrenched in my psyche would not disappear overnight.

There is no hurry ….

THE PAIN OF WITHDRAWAL – nausea, anxiety, insomnia – is the fear my addict self faces. But treatment involves learning that

·         Success will depend on commitment and support.

·         My organizer is aware of all the tactics that might make me fall off the wagon.

·         During my detox Stuff will be the only thing on my mind.

·         My solution to the discomfort will be more Stuff, which is the last thing I need.

·         I will go extremes for more Stuff but the organizer will know how to get me through it.

·         My organizer will know when I am done with my withdrawal, and when it’s time for the next step of my treatment.

We shall get there some day.




My thanks and love to Pj, and to you, for stopping by Princess With a Pen today!
  XOXO
Jen