I'm most definitely a Square-Peg. I guess it's because I don't want to conform to anybody else's expectations of what I'm supposed to do in my life.

I'm somebody who's a little a bit all over the place.

Trying to figure out how to make it work.

...Recently I found out that my dad is exactly like me and it frustrates the hell out of my mother. She can't fathom anybody wanting to do more than one thing at a time - or diving face-first into whatever they want to do instead of researching everything about it. I'm the kind of person who likes to dive into something new that I think is pretty interesting...I just go ahead and do it.

My dad floated around from interest to interest. He ran his own business, he was a restaurateur. On top of that he was a photographer and went scuba diving, took sailing lessons - and took us along...

Although I had the example, that's not my way - I don't want to be a restaurateur...My dad and mom gave me the example that it's possible...but they say stuff like you gotta find a career, find out what you're doing for the rest of your life.

When I was growing up people asked what I wanted to do. I was extraordinarily intelligent, got straight A's - loved school, didn't have to study. Everything came really easily to me. So I was like: "Um...a doctor?" because that's what I thought they wanted to hear...but I never felt it.

I never had that one desire to do one something for the rest of my life. I was content to go from class to class, interest to interest.

One summer I'd go horse back riding, the next summer I was in drama camp...I loved it. When the time came to go to college it was: Ok, so I pick one?

...through college I kinda didn't do as well as I did in high school, partially because I was left to my own devices - didn't have somebody breathing down my neck - also because I wasn't into what I was doing...

...organic chemistry came along and I said: "I don't want to do this." So, since I had all of my science credits, I just went ahead and got my psychology degree. But I didn't do anything with it after that because computers took over.

My first job out of school was web development...I tried to make web development my career but...I got bored of that 6 months into it...I stayed and tried to make it what I wanted to...

I started slowly realizing that wasn't me, slowly accepting that I had to do something a little different. But it didn't really come to the front of my brain until just a few years ago...I knew that I couldn't sit in one space for too long - that if I was in one spot for too long I started getting really restless or really bored and my work started slipping. That (laughing) also came through on some reviews at work...

...I left that job with pretty much not a whole lot of planning. I said: "I can't do this anymore." and my husband was like: "I did this before, too...go ahead, it's your turn." He might be completely and utterly clueless about how my brain works (laughing), but he's a supportive husband.

My husband asked me once: "What will you be really satisfied that you've done?" I said: "Honey, I don't know. I'm depressed just thinking about it. I want to do everything!"

I tried to focus on one thing for a very long time and it just about killed me - until I realzed that I'm not broken and the reason why I have all these different interests is because that's how I'm built.

...it actually depressed me until I found Barbara Sher's scanner book. When I came across Barbara Sher's books it opened my eyes to people doing this...it's actually possible and I'm not a complete nut.

...it's not easy. I catch myself thinking maybe I should just stick with one thing and it'll be a lot easier. Then other times I think somebody should just give me a lobotomy...then I could just do one thing and be happy. But I know that if I do just one thing I'm not happy.

One of the things I did was quit my last job. It wasn't doing anything for me, too stressful and kind of sapped all the energy out of me.

...the other thing is, I'm always learning...learning stuff that I know I will need to make my life the way I want it - and to make enough money to pay my bills and be a contributing member of my family.

I'm training myself to write my ideas down first before I do them, because a lot of times I have ideas that I will never, ever, ever implement. But I'll be captivated by them for awhile, they just will not leave my head.

...In order to save me I decided to start training myself to write it all down - just like Barbara Sher says in Refuse to Choose. She says to go ahead and write them until you can't write them anymore, then write some more - to get them out of your system. The ones that stick, that you think will be fulfilling - do those!

I'm so disorganized it's incredible...if left to my own devices I'll do everything the absolute wrong way - I will triple book myself, forget appointments, I will not do things I should be doing...

If I go with the flow I do stuff, but not stuff that I really want to do. I end up feeling a little empty. This new structure is actually kind of encouraging me and making me feel like I'm accomplishing stuff.

I have to impose structure or else nothing is going to happen. So this is what I have to do until I get somebody else to do this for me. I have big plans, (laughing) I need minions so they can take care of stuff for me, so I can sit here and dream.

Big events...go onto a huge calendar on my wall...at the bottom are the main projects I have going on now...and I have my daily task list...and my weekly planner...

...every Sunday I go through my calendar, write down my appointments, and then start filling in what I want to do each day. I have a running record of what I've done and a list of things to do next.

...the other thing I started doing at the beginning of year is - at the end of the day I write down all the things I've accomplished...even if it's tiny - like I shot out six e-mails to potentional clients - just so I can keep track of what I've done.

I'm the kind of person who forgets the stuff I've done in the past - it's done, out of my mind - next!

...so I use a specific journal that I made for myself that I keep right next to my bed. It's got really cool leather that I dyed myself, the paper is perfect...it's something that I look forward to and will be more of a keepsake than anything.

...a friend of mine recently told me that I'm the most interesting person she ever met. That really hit. I think I'm the most boring person in the world - she doesn't - let me think about this...

I started realizing things: I've been published in two books, which is just phenomenal in itself...I've done some really awesome stuff. I won awards in art...and I have a kind of weird straddle-brain where I can understand technical stuff and explain it to someone who doesn't...

A lot of things that I've been doing in the past are technically related...I've been doing web development for as long as I can remember because my dad is a big computer nut and I had a computer in my hands since I was six. That's actually been one of the main interests in my life.

I don't have a main interest anymore. I'm split...I'm also an artist...my art is always very texture based...I will not do art on the computer. Art, to me, is a physical thing. I want to feel the materials, I want to touch the paper, have my hands covered with paint...I don't want to sit and click a mouse all day...I dabble in just about any medium that strikes my fancy...right now I do a lot of art journaling and collage, painting and book binding...

I've got my art, my web thing...cooking is a huge part of my life because I'm Greek and it's kind of ingrained in me...and I recently started a creative coaching/mentoring thing called Thrive Creative Coaching, where creatives like myself can figure out the way to actually make money and still do art.

That's a hard question because I've read so many and loved so many.

One thing I actually can say is that I have a set of books I read every single year because I love them so much - and because every time I read them I get something brand new out of them.

Most of these books are fiction. I am thoroughly in love with the Dune series. Frank Herbert wrote a series of books on a place called Dune, it's science ficiton, very politically based. I re-read these every year. His son took up the banner, but I don't like any of the new stuff.

I also re-read C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy every year. Every so often I read The Enders Game series by Orson Scott Card.

I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan - a big nut when it comes to science fiction...I'm not a fan girl, don't go to conventions, don't dress up. But my preferred mode of entertainment is a good science fiction or fantasy book or movie.

...other favorite books...Refuse To Choose by Barbara Sher and The Creative Entrepreneur by Lisa Sonora Beam.

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