Linda L. Pilcher

I am writing about Groundhog Day in June because so many of us have been living the same day over and over.  Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we are all in some type of strange Syfy existence.  Many people are working from home now and have been for the past year.  It feels like an eternity has passed. Our social lives have been limited, church memberships on hold, opportunity to seek new challenges seems to be on hold; holidays, festivals, vacations all on hold until – is it over? 

Back to everyday life, we have these events that happen year after year, like holidays and vacations.  In some ways, this is comforting, and in other ways, it gives us a sense of been here done this a redundancy.  Most people have watched the movie titled Groundhog Day with Bill Murry, released in 1993. A little comedy in which the main character lives the same day over and over again.  At first, he keeps doing the same thing each day, but as the days wear on, he starts to experiment and eventually learns to use his time wisely.  He learns new skills, meets new people, and becomes a renaissance man.  He used the time for personal growth. 

This is how life sometimes feels so daily. We do the same thing day after day, year after year.  My alarm goes off, and I get up, brush my teeth, make tea, drink orange juice, sit for 20 minutes watching news and weather; next day, same movements, same schedule. 

It is up to each of us to find reason or purpose in these daily routines.  You get to work, get a coffee or tea, open the email, answer email, generate reports, sell products, whatever, blah, blah, blah.  So how do you find something to break up the routine.  This is such an individual question, and the answers can be fascinating. 

Humans are unique; we do so many different things to find our individuality.  We draw, write, run, build furniture, get tattoos, dance, sing, and play with children. We have hobbies that span the spectrum of human abilities.  Hobbies are a part of life that adds quality to everything else we do in our daily routine. 

If you have found your special something.  You understand.  Art has been one of my hobbies for many years. When I draw and paint, I find my flow; it takes me away from everything else. I am lost in the art.  It helps me to relax, changes the course of my mind, and it makes me happy.

So, what is the point of this essay?  We have been locked in our homes, and we are bored, which, according to the dictionary, means we are feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity.  We have been forced to stay in one location and unable to do the things we want to do. Now, the doors open, we are free to leave our homes. What now?

We have been given time, a precious gift, to think about our lives, what we want our life to look like, our dreams. This writing aims to encourage you to expand your skills, knowledge, and abilities; to learn something new.  To enable you to follow your passion, your dreams. Take responsibility for your dream, make it happen.

Successful people use some form of continuous improvement in their lives.  Have you met someone who seemed to have unlimited skills, and you were jealous?   Well, they had to start somewhere. Continuous self-improvement is a mindset that can enhance your life. 

Make a list of subjects or skills you would like to learn and go for what you want, not what you think others want. Start anywhere.  Take your list and do a Google search, there are so many ways to enhance or learn new skills.  My two go-to sites to learn a specific skill are Google and YouTube.  If you are seeking a whole new skill, try some of these locations:

Free Online Classes

Coursera – https://www.coursera.org/

Khan Academy – https://www.khanacademy.org/signup

Open Culture Online Courses – http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

edX – https://www.edx.org/

Alison – https://alison.com/courses

Do Something with your time.  Watching TV or sleeping is not going to help you in the world. Who do you want to be, and what is missing – keeping you from reaching that dream?  Fix it.   

I value my freedom.  When you hear that some people march to a different drummer, it references people who act independently and behave outside of the norms.  I value adventure, people, new places, and knowledge acquisition.  If my life were a coloring book, all the colors would be outside of the lines. 

This life makes me feel that I have something to blog about; first, I am older and have had many unique experiences. Secondly, I  have lived with a chronic illness since the age of 10, and my life has had many obstacles that able-bodied people do not encounter.  I have not only survived but thrived a vital conquest.  Conquering pain, short-term disabilities, and the opinions of others. 

Life is filled with wonderful opportunities if you have the right eyes to see the possibilities.  If your vision is of dark days, sadness, with no wins, you will not see the opportunities.  Some type of personal or professional growth is available to everyone. 

PERCEPTION IS ALL

I worked with an old professor years ago; he walked around and continuously repeated, “perception is all.”  At that time, I did not fully understand what he meant.  As I moved through life, the statement becomes more profound.  I conducted a lot of research on the topics of worldview and mindset.  Your worldview is basically your philosophy of life.  It is impacted by environmental and cultural factors, but it is what you end up believing.  Your perception of the world is seen through your worldview lens.  Mindset is a set of attitudes held by a person, impacting the lens by which you see the world.  Organizational culture is a shared perception in a business setting.  However, we see a shared perception in the political atmosphere in the United States today. 

So, I start my blog with

Perception is your reality.  Meaning what you perceive to be your reality is your reality.

The important point:

Perception is not reality – only what people perceive to be their reality. 

My focus here is that we are all living through a vastly different time, due to the pandemic.  I think it will become a time of significant change, and I also feel that it is a time for people to really examine who they are and what they believe and what type of people they want to be. What I see is that our country is dividing by ideologies and perceptions of reality. This phenomenon is not just groups it is infiltrating our homes and families.  In the process, people are becoming ugly to each other.  Social media makes the process so much easier because it is impersonal.  My husband’s reality and my reality are on opposite ends of the world.  We live under the same roof, but I swear, he lives in a different world than I do.  Yet, we have been married for 28 years.  If I preach, it will be for us all to come together. 

We need to dig deeper and decide who we want to be – or our country, our families, will not be what we want in the end.  I do not want to get political in my blogs but will have to touch on the edges once in a while because it defines the individual so much at this time. 

How can we come together?

By getting in touch with our center, by looking inside instead of looking to others, if we seek opportunities, quality of life, purpose, peace, contentment, or happiness, we cannot find it in others.  Socrates said that “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  It is too easy to become pulled into the political and ideological conversations, which in 2020, pit Republicans against Democrats, and maskers against anti-maskers.  To preserve yourself and not be consumed by the raging discussions, take this time to improve yourself; to grow as a person. 

I invite you on a metaphorical journey, a pilgrimage to your inner essence.  To seek a place where you are an individual, where you find quality and purpose.  A place where you can take full responsibility for who you are both in your home, online, and in public.  I invite you to reach for your highest human potential to be a productive member of your family and community. 

It is time to step back and destress.  It is time to stop being a part of the mob.  It is time to think about your future and your family’s future.  We can explore human potential together.  After years of chronic illness, I value quality of life and purpose.  There have been too many times that I was sure I was going to die, a few other times, the doctors were convinced, and I did not know it was so bad.  I have been given a golden opportunity to become the best person I can possibly dream of becoming. 

Wouldn’t you also like to reach your highest human potential, be the best you can be, and seek your hopes, plans, and dreams?  I invite you on a pilgrimage. 

Just a puppet on a string

To dance and sing

And make them laugh

A game called survive

Put her down

See how long she lives

Till she dies

A dream

Only to disappear

When they awaken

The mind of a single thought

One word of an infinite song

Who Am I?

Just a puppet on a string?

I wrote this poem when I was sixteen years old. My personal pilgrimage had just started. My guides were self-help books, ancient philosophers, and current psychologists; who taught me how to improve. Today, I am no longer that lost little girl; I am a woman who knows her strengths and weaknesses, knows what I want from life, and how to achieve my goals.

What Defines Me?                                                                                     

This question is personal and deep; it involves a lifetime of likes and dislikes, passions, visions, hopes, plans, and dreams. Is it my perspective of me that defines me or others’ perspectives of me? I vote for my perspective, yet that does not make it true. 

Yes, we are influenced by others.

What does your mother see when she looks into your eyes?

• Your significant other
• Your children
• Your co-workers
• Church community
• Teachers
• Your best friend

The chances are that each person sees a different you. The attributes they know. No one really knows us, but I also feel we do not fully know ourselves. We put on masks for different roles that hid parts of ourselves from others and sometimes ourselves. So we are going to take a journey seeking to define “Who am I.” 

On our journey, we are seeking what is true; what is real? We are looking for our authentic selves. The problem with this is we are the architecture of this self. The truth is that we are complex creatures. Part of our identity is created by where we are born, our family’s biological traits, culture and religion, and worldview. Then a part of our identity is defined by us – we have the ability to design who we become.

So let me answer a few questions about why I am blogging instead of keeping a personal journal.

I have kept a personal journal since I was 16. My pilgrimage on the search for self has been lifelong. At this time, I want to bring others who are seeking on this journey.

The main question will be, “Who am I? It would help if you answered these questions in-depth as you start your journey.

I will be writing about self-insight, self-growth, self-improvement, and reaching your highest level of human potential. I want to connect to people who want to grow in a direction that is progressive, people who want to be better humans.

My goal is to build a community of like-minded individuals who want a better life, a better world.

Who am I? I am an artist, writer, businesswoman, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor. It is my responsibility to be the best at each role I hold.