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MY COZY CREATIVE

 LIFE 

Overcoming Toxic Productivity

4/25/2024

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Have you ever experienced the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and lacking in motivation caused by burn out? Do you hold yourself to impossibly high standards, striving for perfectionism, and never satisfied with what you do accomplish?

Or maybe your plagued with the feeling of imposter syndrome: that false belief that your a fake, and that you don’t deserve the success you’ve attained?

These are not isolated experience, but rather symptoms of some larger issue: Toxic Productivity.
What is Toxic Productivity?

It sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? How can productivity be toxic?

​Read on to find out
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Book Lovers Make Time For What They Love

4/11/2024

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​Time is precious, isn’t it?
In this hustle and bustle world, our time is limited. We are tired and most often want to check out and relax. Not to mention there is a mile-long list of better things to do besides… reading a book.
As a writer, I struggle with reading just for pleasure.
Why? Because if I’m reading, it’s either my own work while I edit, or doing research, or taking care of admin stuff, like writing this blog.
Are you in the same boat? You have a shelf (or e-reader) full of books you’re dying to read but simply can’t find the time. Well… I have some ideas that might help.
Read on--
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What I'm Working On - Quarterly Update

3/26/2024

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​This year is off to such a great start. The first quarter is nearly over, so, I wanted to give everyone an update on my progress, and what I hope to accomplish in the second quarter of 2024.

After nearly two years of burn-out and lack of creative inspiration, I’ve finally come out of that dark valley and life looks bright again. I'm eager to spending time working on my stories each day and building the world they live in. I continually get new, fun ideas that I hope you’ll find delight in. I have so many ideas, my head is bursting from them all. However, my time is limited, so I’m learning how to work smarter and focus on projects I know will benefit my business.

Most of all, I’ve learned to slow down, take one thing at a time, and put my heart fully into that thing to make it the best it can be.
​
So, let’s dive in to what’s brewing at Castle’s Story World, shall we?

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5 Tips for Staying Motivated

3/14/2024

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​After a year of fighting burnout and lacking in creative motivation, I changed my perspective at the beginning of 2024. Hanging out in the dark dungeons of melancholy or fear is no place for a Daughter of the King. As believers, we have tools at our disposal to help us step back into the light of life and walk out our purpose.

First, I want to caveat this with the understanding that depression and anxiety are real emotions that might need more than a pep-talk to get over. Anyone suffering from true depression needs to reach out and seek help. You are not meant to walk that path alone, got me?

For this post, I’m simply talking about suffering from burnout, worry, and a lack of confidence in oneself that halts our progress and keeps us from thriving in our calling as believers. I came to this understanding late last year and began to find ways to wake up my heart and love for being a creative and artist. Now, you may be thinking, “I’m not an artist, and I’m certainly not creative.” 

Well, that’s okay. I think this post can still be for you. We all have moments of drearies as I call my moody days when getting out of bed is a challenge. I believe these 5 tips to stay motivated are pretty much universal and I hope you’ll find a bit of encouragement to step up, straighten your shoulders and get on with the journey of your life. We all were given a purpose in this world to make our little sphere of the universe a better place.

Are you ready?
​
Let’s get moving--


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What’s Pulling You?

2/29/2024

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​Alyra's toes wriggled in her muddy, travel-worn boots. The white rocky path glistened in the early sunlight as it wove into the woods surrounding Jolly Orchard and disappeared into the thick aspen forest. A warm wind caressed her cheek, causing her red curls to wave around her face. Above, puffy white clouds raced across the pink-turning-to-blue sky. Perhaps whatever pulled the clouds was the same force tugging her heart, beckoning her forward toward the King's Highway.
Would the white rocks continue to keep her safe as they had in the past?
The familiar pull had hit her the first time she'd stepped onto the road with Jerin, her warrior friend, who’d been sent along on her trip to Aloblase.
The second pull Alyra experienced was while she stayed with the Healer Marya in Many Rivers. That time, she and Jerin added Lotari, the River Wood centaur, to their traveling group.
Alyra glanced over her shoulder at the rebuilt white walls of Jolly Orchard. The small farming community had recently been hit by Lord Darnel's forces. The townspeople didn't believe the Racan soldiers had come to destroy the town, but rather to search for something, or someone. Alyra wiped her sweaty palms over her sleeves as she wrapped her arms across the pounding in her chest. They searched for her. She was sure of it.

Emanate - Chapter 1

​Where Are You Going?

​This wasn’t the first time Alyra, (Ah-leer-ah) from the White Road Chronicle series, felt the White Road pulling her. What is the White Road, you might ask, (if you haven’t read this series, yet)? Well, the White Road represents the life path we are meant to follow. There are many paths to choose from. But that one road, isn’t very obvious. It winds through forests, thickets, mountains, and valleys, and is the one road where you find your true purpose.
​
I believe with all my heart that we each have a purpose and a destination to walk out in our lives. I live this belief, I write about this belief, and I tell anyone who will give me a minute of their time about this belief.

The question is, do you believe it, friend? Do you believe you have a purpose for existing? That the God of the universe has a plan for you? The Bible says it’s true. That’s why I believe it.

​​But let’s get back to our traveling friend, Alyra.

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Redefining My Motives

2/22/2024

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This post was supposed to go out last Thursday. Sorry for the delay. Life happens, right?  

Way back in November, I started thinking about what I hoped to accomplish in 2024. Every year, I ask the Lord to give me a word for the year ahead. I make time to contemplate what goals I wish to chase after, and more importantly, to develop a vision for my life going forward. However, I cannot make these decisions alone. Nor can I base them merely on what I want to see happen.​
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The Art of Loving Others

2/8/2024

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​February insists that we contemplate Love, Loving, and all the sickly-sweet feel-good thoughts that are supposed to go along with Valentine's Day. But what if you’re just not feeling it? What if people have let you down? What if you’re angry and unable to drum up a droplet of love inside your Grinch-sized tiny heart?

You know, I’ve been there a time or two…or three. Whatever.

However, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter. You can still love that prickly person. You can find forgiveness for those who’ve hurt you. Most of all, you can be free of the burden of resentment. Keep reading, and I’ll share with you what I’ve learned.
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The Art of Slowing Down

2/1/2024

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​Hustle… Get it Done!… Busy, Busy, Busy!

These are stickers left in the booklets I often buy to decorate my planners with. Why would I leave them? Because I’ve learned something this past year that might just forever change my life.
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Winter Coziness: Embracing the Joy of the Season

1/25/2024

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​The winter months can be a rough time for me. I’m a sunny-sunshiny kind of gal who needs bright days to keep her motivated and her heart happy. The winter months, with their cold temperatures, along with gloomy and shorter days, can be difficult for even the most happy-hearted of us.

Do you find yourself dragging through the winter months? If you get snow, I’m sure it’s beautiful at first, but as winter drags on, the snow turns gray and muddy, does your attitude do the same?

We don’t need to fall into this pit of doldrums.
​
Let me share a few things I’ve explored over this past year of learning to slow down.



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Let's Have Some Winter Fun!

1/18/2024

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​Are you stuck in the Winter Blues? I’ve created a little something fun to share with my Story World Newsletter Subscribers. Not a subscriber? No worries. I'll provide a link where you can sign up and still get the January freebie. If you decide my Story World doesn’t interest you, unsubscribe anytime.
​
Whether you have the game board or not, there are still a lot of fun things you can do to liven up the winter months and keep away the gloomy blues. Want some inspiration? Keep reading.
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    Author & Artist Jackie Castle
    ​
    Hello Friends,
    Welcome to my new life and creativity blog. Join me in my quest for living life to it's fullest and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

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  • Story World News
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • FAQ's
    • Print & Audio
    • Amazon Author Page
  • Book Nook
    • Fantasy >
      • The White Road Chronicles
      • The White Road Tales
      • Chronicles of Alburnium >
        • The Lionheart Province Series
        • The Phoenix Province
      • The Sentinel Archives
    • Romance >
      • Madison Creek
      • Lavender Vale Farm
      • Grimwood Billionaires
    • Castle Creation Books
  • Blog
  • Book Covers
    • Castle Creation Covers
    • CC Pricing and Packages