Seeds of Dreams

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Seeds of Dreams

How We Think, Changes Everything

A Sixty-Word Short Story:

Carla was obsessing about getting this job. On paper she was a perfect fit, so why was she having to endure a gauntlet of interviews. One after the other ended with “We’ll get back to you.” And then she would wait thinking that they’ll never call back, but they did – 8 times. What was wrong she wondered? Her thinking was.

 And more…

 Whenever we have a situation that doesn’t add up, where we know our strengths but we’re unable to capitalize – like the interview process for Carla, where the resume’ was solid but she could not close the deal – we begin to doubt ourselves. And once doubt creeps into our minds, its insidious power dismantles our confidence, and we tend to grasp at straws and become willing to believe anything that offers hope in our situation. This is the recipe for failure. Self-confidence is the fuel we all need to succeed and when it’s missing, we stumble.

When we believe we can do it we tend to do it. If we don’t believe it, not so much. That’s because our personal beliefs drive our decisions and they fuel our actions. The problem with beliefs however is that they can be both rigid and changeful, and we often don’t recognize how empowering or how debilitating they can be. Beliefs are the source of dreams that come true but can also fuel the bugaboos of life. In essence, beliefs are the seeds of all we become.

Our personal beliefs are the fabric of our own unique mosaic. Some beliefs float consciously to the surface while others are buried deep within our psyche. Our challenge, like Carla, is to align what we know is true for us to the reality we’ve created for ourselves. Although she knew she was qualified, the interview process raised some doubt to the point she began to question herself and thus projected an unsettling image which fueled concern for the would-be employer. When she lost confidence so did they. Net result, nobody wins.

The lesson here is that we always have the power to change what we think, which helps us change what we believe, which translates into changing our lives. This process creates self-awareness which defines exactly who we are and also opens the door to whoever we want to become. When how we appear is truly who we are, we always win.

The Final Thought: Improving our lives only happens when we change our beliefs about ourselves and the transformation begins by simply changing what we think.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

Moments That Linger

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 Moments That Linger

A Sixty-Word Short Story:

They were running late, and Alex was still putting on make-up in the car. Ben was trying to will the car in front of them to move over. The air was tense and neither felt like talking. Panic was setting in. And then, they were there and she bolted, then stopped and caught his eye and smiled. So did he.

 And more…

 Life can go pretty fast sometimes, and we can become so intent on keeping up with it that we often miss the whole point of why we’re here. Do we know why, I mean really know what the point of life is? I don’t know about you, but I did not come here with an instruction manual. In that regard we are all ex-babies – born, then slapped and helpless and wide open to the possibilities. There is no map, path, or clear destination. And sometimes, we live for quite a while before we figure out that we’re still not sure of where we’re going or what it all means.

It might not be the secret to life, but I think we can find pretty good clues as to what life means for us by contemplating all of the moments that got us to here: Moments of joy and smiles and pain too that somehow mattered and are remembered, and for whatever reason seem to define us. And each of those defining moments started just this way.  Like reading this sentence and maybe asking ourselves how in the world did all of this, all of our life, unfold.

The answer is: we did it. We orchestrated life. We flowed with its currents, and we set plans and dreams and events into motion because we could. And we had help from other players, living in this same universe, that by acting their own unique way, helped us somehow. It’s pretty cool how those gazillion thoughts we’ve had have brought us to here – To one of many moments of beauty like Alex as she composed herself enough to turn and smile and then wait for the smile from Ben. Some moments are charged with significance. They are bookmarks in our life, and it feels good sometimes to go back and re-read the good parts.

Here’s hoping that your story has filled you with love and joy and that the next chapter is more of the same.

The Final Thought: A smile, glance, soft touch or any of a zillion memories can make us feel alive. One moment is all we need to feel that life is surging through us. May the moment linger.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

Szenzone – Stories of life and the power to change yours – is sent via email by request and is published weekly or thereabouts. For back issues or to receive this publication directly please email [email protected]  © Gary Szenderski 2025 All Rights Reserved. Gary is an author, branding specialist and teaches at the University of California in Irvine. He specializes in helping people and organizations navigate change – if you or your company needs assistance contact Gary directly.  Gary resides in Southern California and welcomes your comments.

On Edge

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On Edge

A Sixty-Word Short Story:

“Cut!” shouted the director. “Listen Charles, you have to relax and not think about the whole scene, just this moment and your line. You know your line, right?” Charles nodded. “Then say it for us!” Charles looked around the room. People, equipment and so much tension in the air were making him nervous, then “Don’t touch that door!” he screamed.

 And more…

 Life can dish up some tension (another name for stress) now and then. It can be a business situation, a family disagreement, a phone call with the IRS or simply being cut off on the freeway. Tension is our way of metabolizing the moment. We need tension to feel the event in order to be able to react. Tension, creates emotional currency, and is a bridge from routine to something else. It enables us to call upon our senses and wits to act. And whatever the act may be that we’re called on to do, it is propelled by the tension, pressure and sometimes the fear we feel in that split second when we know we must do something.

Tension works because it’s a way to get us poised for action. Being on the edge is typically something most of us would prefer to avoid, but the emotions inherent in tension can get us revved and ready for whatever happens next. Without it, the greatness of so many decisions in our lives would be forgotten. The tension of the situation is what makes for great stories – time running out and he shoots and scores, she bends over to grab his hand and accepts his proposal, the phone rings and we got the job. You name it and I bet the best stories of our lives included some angst, fear and doubt, the siblings of tension and what makes living on the edge worth it.

I think without some emotion, be it fear or doubt or love or whatever in our routine we avoid the edge and thus miss out on some of the fun of life. If we push ourselves and open the door to possibilities, even a little every day, we live more. We make better stories – Stories worth telling.

The Final Thought: A shift from a “how are you doing?” to a “how are you feeling?” orientation reveals a deeper dimension of connectedness: Feelings uncovered always change the conversation.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

 

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What’s in a Name?

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 What’s in a Name?

A Sixty-Word Short Story:

They went through the baby naming book so many times that they nearly had it memorized. The search was compounded because they didn’t know the baby’s sex, so she started quoting Shakespeare: “What’s in a name? That by which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…” I have it, he said, if it’s a girl.

And more…

Names are not only the thing we give our children. We give them an identity that they can grow into. Many years ago, when our second child was born, we had names selected whether it was a boy or a girl. If it was a boy, and it was, the name would be Lucas. When we met him however, he didn’t seem like “Luke” to us and so for a couple of days we searched the naming book again, like the folks in our story. We finally decided on Adam. And if you know him or ever meet him, you’d say that he’s the perfect Adam.

Later that day I told my family we had decided on Adam and since my brother was expecting a baby the next week, he told me that “Adam” was the name they were considering, but now they we going to reconsider. Having two cousins with the same name didn’t seem right so they chose Eric. And Eric is the perfect Eric. Just ask him. My point is that when names have context and deliberation, they create a story that surrounds the namesake and somehow perfection is attained.

That said, I’m happy to report that I’m a grandpa again. This week I met my granddaughter, Florence Marie, born to my son Maxwell and Florence’s mom Julia. Florence was my mother’s middle name and Marie is the middle name of Julia’s mom. And thus, the story is created and like our story this week, featuring a rose, the name Florence is derived from the Latin florens meaning flourishing, and of course, blooming.

The Final Thought: Sometimes, when it comes to naming, you have to go with the Flo.