dailyprompt – Page 2 – The Great Kaysby

Sometimes You Lead, Sometimes You Follow

Daily writing prompt

Do you see yourself as a leader?

By definition, according to the Oxford Dictionary, a leader is “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or a country.” Solely looking at this definition, I have been a leader. I have been in the President/Highest Office in a few organizations and been one of the supporting main offices (usually secretary) in other organizations. I have also led a team of beauty consultants for almost 15 years. Just going off of what is on paper, I have been a leader in various capacities since about 2004. In other words, if my leadership self was their own person, they’d be having their first legal drink this year! LOL

But do I see myself as a leader?

No. Yes. Maybe. Being a leader is interesting because I do not necessarily see myself as a leader, but I have the type of personality where I can take charge when necessary (especially in critical situations though I may have a come apart when it is over), and I can also be the planner, organizer, etc for various situations. However, sometimes it is also nice to be part of the ensemble so to speak. It’s nice to be in the background while someone else steps in the spotlight. I also feel like as I get older, the reason for seeking leadership changes. When I was younger, sometimes I wanted to be made the leader because it made me feel like I had a bigger purpose (like when I held various offices with organizations). As I have gotten older, I want to lead people with a servant’s heart so that they will be able to mirror that love and gratitude to future generations. Currently, I have a semi-leadership position in a non-profit, and I have said for years that I want to lead it in such away that when I decide to step down, I know that it will be secure for years to come. I have also found myself desiring to grow in business leadership because I know that it will have a bigger positive impact on my own family. However, I also know that to do this and be the best leader I can be, I have some self growth that needs to happen in areas like time management and overcoming obstacles.

So do I see myself as a leader? I see myself growing into the person I was born to be, and if that involves leading others and showing what it is like to live by the Golden Rule, then that’s cool.

Are you a leader?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

What Are You Doing This Evening?

What are you doing this evening?

Daily prompts are interesting. The questions are often simultaneously simple and thought provoking. Someone’s answer might simply be a single word like “sleep”; someone’s answer might be items from their daily to do list. Another person may have something fun planned with friends, family, church, or a civic group. I definitely first thought of all the things on my to do list, but then I started to realize that each of those things is teaching a bigger lesson to LilKsby. What do I mean?

Wash the dishes – shows that we place value on a clean home and taking care of our things.
Promote our businesses – shows dedication to our respective crafts while also showing that we understand work is necessary to make our dreams come true
Responding to business and personal messages – shows that we value the relationships we are building and value positive communication
Follow up to an event today – shows the importance of following up on your new contacts to begin building relationships
Looking over lessons and resetting for the next school day – shows that we value learning while also wanting to be organized and prepared

Likewise, Mr Kisby will be doing schoolwork this evening. This shows our little one the value of pursuing educational opportunities to further your career and improve your skills. All of this goes to show that when it comes to those around us often what is caught has a bigger impact that what is taught. But for now…I’m having some wings this evening!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Daily Prompt – 2/24

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

Six months from now will be the end of August. Summer will be winding down (take the hint winter, it’s time for you to start winding down), and our school year will be about to begin. Though with homeschool do we ever really stop learning? Based on our current lack of big plans, I suppose the biggest challenge will be self-discipline and remaining committed to the goals I have set for myself, our family, and our businesses. A key component to staying disciplined and committed will be remembering what I can and cannot control while also not getting distracted by things like doom scrolling that cause emotional shutdown and keep from my goals. How am I going to conquer the challenge? By keeping the vision in front of me, checking on benchmarks for goals frequently, prayer, and reflection. Time to get the job done!

What is your biggest challenge?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Daily Prompt – February 21

What is your favorite drink?

For YEARS Diet Coke was my favorite drink. I was 100% addicted to them, and I couldn’t have just one. Diet Mt Dew was a close second. Then, I started learning just how bad diet soft drinks are for you. Like, does anyone really know what half of those ingredients are? On January 29, 2022, I had my last soda. It was Mr Kisby’s virtual college graduation, and I had a 44 ounce Diet Coke that left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable. After that I said to myself, no more and quit cold turkey. My gut health thanks me immensely!

So what is my favorite drink now? I drink A LOT of water. It’s become the typical daily drink. I also enjoy coffee and hot tea most days. Coffee is usually after breakfast, and hot tea is typically in the evening. For an indulgent treat I will allow myself unsweet tea (my fav treat drink), lemonade, and juice on a a rare occasion. My favorite juice is the cranberry that the Drury Inn & Suites serves at breakfast!

What is your favorite drink?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Daily Prompt – January 1

What makes you feel nostalgic?

For me there isn’t just one thing that makes me feel nostalgic. However, the most powerful is probably music. So many songs are tied to people, events, places, etc that it is easy for a song to transport you back to a specific memory. Sometimes the nostalgia of music is great such as hearing BSB and feeling like a teenager; sometimes the nostalgia is sad like hearing Daniel and thinking of my grandpa. I often associate music with whoever introduced me to an artist, song, etc so that can also evoke a lot of nostalgia. I could go on and on about the power of music on reminiscing about the past!

Other things that are nostalgic? Smells can be! Cucumber melon always takes me back. Some items and photos evoke a sense of nostalgia. Driving by a place you used to frequent can also do it. Jewelry, clothes, old letters…I suppose the true answer is anything can be nostalgic!

July 17 – Prompt of the Day

Dogs or cats?

🐈 🐈‍⬛ 🐈 🐈‍⬛

There is no hesitation for me to say cats when answering this question! For as long as I can remember, someone in my immediately family has had at least one cat. Usually it was my grandfather, and he had two white cats (one long hair like the Fancy Feast cat) around the time I was 12 that solidified my love of kitties! They were the ones that lead to me begging to get my first cat of my own for Christmas 1995. One cat quickly turned to two when we a stray adopted us during a severe rainstorm! Fast forward to today, and we have four cats. Two we adopted from a shelter, and two we bottle fed after they were abandoned. I never dreamed that we would have four cats (briefly it was 5 until the 17 year old passed), but here we are!

The Greatest Gift

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

“The Greatest Gift” for me is not a cat, but I thought a picture of something I love was fitting for my response. The greatest gift that one can give or receive is love. Love can be presented in many ways: sharing a meal, spending time together, texting to check on someone, sending a card in the mail, taking a trip together, snuggling a little one (pet or person), etc. Love can also be shown by giving someone a physical gift as what you give often shows that you know them. The most important thing is to do all that you do with love in your heart. There is no greater gift!

Play Every Day

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

I play a lot! To me playtime is any time you are doing something that is fun for you and brings you joy. The emphasis is on you because playtime is different for everyone. I feel like I’m having playtime when I practice yoga, write, walk, hike, sew, paint, read, learn a language, play games, put together puzzles, make glamour videos, and much more! I think the key to playtime is knowing what you enjoy and taking time each day – even if it is just 15 minutes – to do it.

Yes, No, Maybe So

Do you trust your instincts?

“Follow your heart, your intuition/It will lead you in the right direction/Let go of your mind, your intuition/Is easy to find, just follow your heart, baby.”

Does anyone else remember that song from Jewel aptly titled “Intuition”? It’s the first thing I thought of for this prompt, and I think it’s appropriate. I would love to say that I always follow my heart; however, a lot of time my pesky brain gets in the way. When faced with a situation, I typically find that my intuition is often accurate (especially Mother’s Intuition) as the heart’s responses often align with my values. Unfortunately, the brain, which can be riddled by anxiety and worry, sometimes trumps the heart. Perhaps sometimes it’s hard to follow my intuition because of a gift that I share with my late grandmother: an eerie feeling of knowing what’s going to happen before it does. It can make wanting to follow your intuition difficult! Eventually, I usually find my way back to my heart, but it can take time that is filled with error and misguided events. And that makes me think of another lyric: “The words to say/The road to take/To find a way back to your heart.” This one is from BSB’s “Back to Your Heart.”

Well…it’s not even 8 am and I’ve referenced two songs while writing a blog. My intuition says this will be a productive day!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Perfect Month

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?

Can we just agree that some of these daily writing prompts are odd? I can truly say I have never thought about what my favorite month of the year is. Favorite holiday? Sure. Favorite season? Okay. (Spoiler, all four have their perks.) Favorite month? All I can think of is that clip from Miss Congeniality where the girl says the perfect date is April 25. So instead of a favorite month, how about a pros and cons list? My followers know how much I love a good list!!!!

Pros

January – Snow is likely! This means hot chocolate, snuggles, and “lazy” days.
February – important family celebrations and snow
March – NCAA Tournament (the only time I make a point of watching Sportsball) and Spring! Also, sometimes snow!
April – Gardening and outside time weather begins!
May – lots of fun celebrations!!!
June – summer camps
July – important celebrations
August – important birthday and State Fair
September – Fall starts! That means all the fun fall activities begin!
October – fall activities and Halloween
November – Christmas prep! Celebrations! Sometimes it snows!!!
December – Christmas palooza! Winter time!!! Family celebrations!

Cons

Each month has some sort of con associated with it because of something that has happened or because there is a holiday you don’t agree with celebrating. However, it’s not enough to ruin a month.

Do you have a favorite month, or do they all have their merits?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Not So Routine

What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?

Good news! If you don’t have a consistent routine, you can’t always try and skip something. Bad news! If you don’t have a consistent routine, then you tend to go into surviving not thriving mode. For me the biggest takeaway from this question is the need to establish and follow a routine period.

I have great intentions when it comes to having a routine. However, there’s two obstacles that tend to get in my way. One, if I get invited to do something fun, I have a hard time saying no even if it goes against original plans. Two, when there are only loosely established plans, I tend to throw in as many things as possible. This just leads to chaos. Along with both of these I’m also easily distracted by becoming hyper focused on things that aren’t important.

So, I suppose my answer to today’s daily question is when I establish and follow a routine, I’ll let you know what I skip!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

It’s Hard to Say…

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

This is a really hard question for me to answer. I’ve met a lot of famous people because of attending cons, but does that count? Here’s my thought on this question…

Most Interesting Meeting – Waylon Jennings – When I met him, I had no idea who he was. I was a kid (must of been around age 9 because Hurricane Andrew had just happened), and I was at a barbecue buffet with my parents. This random stranger started telling me I was a cute young lady, and I told him that I couldn’t talk to strangers. I didn’t understand at the time why my mom was staring at me slack jawed. Now I get it!

Most Meaningful – William Daniels – I grew up watching Boy Meets World, and when I became a teacher, I wanted to be the kind that made the impact that Mr Feeny did on those kids. I am so glad that I could tell him thank you for being an inspiration. Bonus, LilKsby was so upset that I didn’t pick the Knight Rider picture for our autograph that his wife, Bonnie Bartlett, gave us one. 😊

Most Awkward – Howie D – I’ve been a huge BSB fan for a long time, and when we saw him coming out of a hotel, the words asking for an autograph barely came out of my mouth. They did come out, but I know I was shaking. Side note, that was the morning after the concert where we were close enough to slip them our room number. They didn’t call that night, so me and my besties are still waiting for them to call us to hangout. 😂

Most Kind – Luke Perry and Sean Patrick Flannery – I met them at a Con. Luke Perry and I had a conversation about hand sanitizer, and he let me use some of his. Same Con, a fan had given Sean Patrick Flannery some brownies, and he shared his brownies with me and my aunt. That was pretty awesome! We’d done the Boondocks Saints photo op the day before, so that made it even better!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby