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Everyone experiences stress. Some people experience a lot of stress, but do not let it get to them. Then there are people that get too stressed out — everything gets to them.

A case in point: I’m a very anxious person. I can stress out easily. I’ve learned a few techniques (which I’ll share a little later) for dealing with this, but my body can still tell me I’m stressed when I’m not conciously aware of it.

Now, given that everyone experiences stress — it is a perfectly natural reaction to certain circumstances — what does this mean for you?
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In your lifetime, you will — guaranteed — run into people that always want to have more. More of your time. More of your creativity. Just plain more. They want to take advantage of all that they can get out of you. These difficult people want more without working for it. It is frustrating, but you need to find a way to cope with these kinds of people so that you can avoid stressing out over it.

This happens a lot to writers. Many people don’t value this talent in you and want to you work for peanuts. And, you may feel the need to do it, despite what it can do to your self-esteem.

However, there are things that you can do to make this situation better and to let those people see that you are not going to accept this type of behavior. You have the right to stand up for who you are and what you want for your life.
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There is a widespread and mistaken belief that having Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD is a bad thing. Even as the ADD “afflicted” brain without doubt holds out a few challenges, it puts forward a few hard to believe advantages, as well. Not to toot my own horn or anything (as I “suffer” from ADD), but to help my fellow writers with ADD (research shows that writing is career that often attracts people with ADD), I’ve listed below a few of characteristics that I have seen over and over again in people with ADD.

1. Empathy
People with ADD have a highly developed capability to identify with others, and to see a lot of diverse points of view. Maybe it is because we take in a whole lot of information all at once. Maybe its because we had a tough time socially when we were growing up. Who knows? It’s just something I’ve noticed.

2. Ingenuity
I have on no account come across a a person with ADD who was not ingenious. Painters, designers, sculptors, film makers, writers, musicians and comedians — the list goes on. Creative aptitudes are plentiful. Composers Mozart and Beethoven are assumed to have had ADD, and possibly Leonardo da Vinci, as well.
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How to Clear Your Mind During the Day

Are there things on your mind that are distracting you from what you want to accomplish? Then try some calming activities. There are tons of things that you can do to relax and loosen the hold burdening thoughts have on you.

You can read a book.
You can doodle.
You can go exercise at a local gym.
You can get a massage.
You can take a walk around the block.
You can play with your pet.
You can do a crossword, Suduko or other puzzle.
You can write a haiku.
You can journal about your day.

As you can see, there are tons of things that you can do — you just have to find something that will make you happy and then pursue it.
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Today’s post will be short so that I have more time to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you are reading this, you have a lot to be thankful for — especially the presence of mind to be able to read this.

As a writer, you mind is one of your most valuable assets — to some degree it goes neck-to-neck with time. At this time of the year, when many are giving thanks for friends, family, food on the table and a roof over their head, maybe you should consider giving thanks for these things that all writers have:

Talent. You must have some talent, even if it is learned, to be a good writer.

Skill. Writing is as much a skilled craft as it is an art. To be a good writer you must have skill — and constantly be improving it.

Creativity. Whether you write non-fiction or fiction, creativity is at the heart of your talent.

Life. You couldn’t be reading this if you weren’t alive. Unless, of course you’re the undead, but that’s another matter.

Passion. If you consider yourself a writer, then you have passion. No one would do this to themselves if they didn’t have a passion for it.

I’m sure you can come up with more. In fact, I challenge you to post comments to this post listing what you are thankful for. Maybe we can each inspire each-other to be thankful for all the gifts we have and have to offer.