What can you write in five minutes flat? 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

OPPORTUNITY

Go…

Here I go – my second Five Minute Friday.

It still feels really weird to just write what comes to mind.

I have so many things running through my head some about opportunity some not.

Tomorrow is a big family event – my younger sister’s college graduation open house. I bet there will be so many new opportunities knocking on her door.

I’m stuck. I want to sit here and stare at the screen but the point is I’m supposed to be writing.

I have so many opportunities to be doing so many new things in my life. I’m single. My son only lives with me part-time so I have quite a bit of free time. But I don’t look for new opportunities because I’m too caught up in some personal things going on right now that kind of hold me back.

I wonder what opportunities God has in store for me. Am I willing to let Him use me for new things if they take me out of my comfort zone?

I still have a couple minutes left. Goodness I guess five minutes really is longer than it seems!

I have to admit I stopped typing and sat for a second staring at my keyboard. I think there are just too many thoughts running through my head to put anything down that would make any sense.

I wish I lived in a bigger town – for more opportunities to find those new things I briefly mentioned above. Then again, if I don’t seek them in a small town would I really look for them in a big town?

I have to go to the laundromat tomorrow…one huge downfall to my apartment (no washer/dryer).

Yeah my timer is slowing down to nothing…

Stop.

The way this Five minute Friday works is that every Friday you are given a word and you literally just write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

So, here we go…this week’s word is:

PERSPECTIVE

GO

I’m not sure what to write about perspective. I know what it means or at least I think I know what it means. lol

My apartment is small but cool. I love all the windows except in the winter when it’s cold and my landlord puts plastic on them – whoever thought plastic really keeps cold air out in the first place? Because it doesn’t. Not in my experience anyway.

The few things I don’t like about my apartment – the bathroom is too small. Seriously I feel like I’m sitting in a box when I’m in there. Good thing I don’t spend too much time in there!

My cat is getting fat. Maybe I should put him on a diet? Seriously he has some fat hanging off his sides!

I’m too fat. Maybe my cat gets that from me? I know I shouldn’t say things like that about myself but it’s true.

The birds are really chirping outside my office window right now and sometimes I like their noise and other times (now would be one of those times) it gets on my nerves.

Hmmm you would think that five minutes is really that long but it kind of is. At least I think it is. Or at least it feels like it right now because I’m not sure what to say.

Maybe this will get easier the more I do it.

Five minutes isn’t up yet?

It’s Friday – obviously from the title of the post it’s Friday – and I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend. It’s been a long work week.

I hear the ticker of my kitchen timer slowing down to a crawl so I think it’s going to ding real soon. Oh please hurry. These five minutes need to be over…

STOP

My Weekly Menu

Monday – Cheesy Meatball Subs with cottage cheese as a side dish
Tuesday – Tuna Melts with fruit as side dish
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Chicken Alfredo-Pesto Pasta with cottage cheese as side dish
Friday – Leftovers
Saturday – Pulled Pork Sandwiches with cooked vegetables as side dish
Sunday – Leftovers

Now that my son lives with his dad and step mom and there’s just me to “cook” (I say cook in quotes because…well let’s just say I don’t know the first thing abut cooking! lol) for I think 2-3 meals a week can get me through because of all the leftovers!

So, my menu is all planned out for 5/7 – 5/13. Now I just have to wait to publish this until Monday (gotta love being able  to pre-schedule things for publishing!)

What words would you use to describe yourself?

So, here we go…below are the words that come into my mind (I’m not supposed to over think this – I’m supposed to answer quickly, jotting down whatever pops into my head).

• sad (not always)
• lost
• unsure
• scared
• emotional
• mom
• woman
• smart
• goofy
• athlete (I use that word ‘loosely’ – I haven’t been an athlete since high school but I enjoy playing volleyball and softball!)
• good listener
• lonely
• introvert
• shy (until I get to know someone)
• kind
• caring
• single
• worrier
• ‘backseat’ driver (ask my mom she’ll tell ya! lol)
• doubter
• perfectionist
• dreamer
• pessimistic (not always)
• quirky (I’m unique and certainly have some quirky things about me – like how I can’t stand bread crumbs in my butter or how the toilet paper has to go on the roll a specific way!)

Hmmm…I’m not sure I like a lot of this list! Kind of funny how so many words that popped into my head were ‘negative’. But, I did the assignment. Now I’m curious to see where we’re going to go with this at my next appointment. And I really hope that some day we’ll revisit this list after I make a new list that’s full of positives!

So, if you had to describe yourself to someone what words would you use?

It’s totally counterproductive for me to say/think that I want things in my life but to doubt everything and tell myself ‘that’s not possible, how do you think you can have that, yeah right, you don’t deserve that’, etc. For example here are things I want in my life and how I limit them with doubt (my limiting beliefs are in parenthesis).

• I want to live in Florida on the beach. Ok, so I’m not 100% sure I want to live there but I do want to vacation that (or Myrtle Beach) for one month a year – that I’m 100% certain about! (you can’t afford to live on the beach or Florida for that matter, you can’t leave Michigan unless you can afford to fly your son to Florida every summer and you definitely can’t afford that)
• I want a VW Bug. (you can’t afford to buy a car especially this one, you’ve never had a car with less than 100,000 miles so what makes you think you can now?)
• I want a relationship with a man that likes to travel and can afford to travel. (good luck finding that around here)
• I want a relationship with a man that respects me and treats me with kindness. (95% of the relationships you’ve had have been with men that hurt you physically or emotionally so there must be something wrong with you that you can’t date a nice man, you don’t deserve to have a good man, you have to settle for whatever man comes along because you don’t deserve better than a ‘mr. right now’ guy…the list for this one goes on & on).
• and many more

That’s not even 1/4th of my list! There are so many things I truly do want in my life but it’s my limiting beliefs and self-doubt and negative self-talk that keep from living the life I want. It amazes me how easily it is to doubt myself so much. I believe that anyone can have the life they want but yet I don’t believe it for myself…that’s so messed up!

So, it’s time to start working on getting rid of these limiting beliefs and start working on believing in myself and creating the life I want!

Until next time…