Words to inspire the belief that we have all we need to be the change we wish to see.
This week the final episode of This Is Us will air. For those who watched the series, we learned about love, loss, parenting, grief, shame, trauma, and how to deal with losing a loved one, among many other invaluable lessons.
It was sometimes hard to watch, and often heavy, but in the end This Is Us is all of us. Continue reading
Debbie Millman, designer and author, was a guest on the Tim Ferriss podcast that I listened to this week. After multiple rejections in her career and overcoming a traumatic childhood, she wrote six books, co-founded the world’s first masters in branding program, started one of the world’s first podcasts entitled Design Matters, and was the editorial and creative director of Print Magazine for a time (a magazine which was in print from 1940 to 2017).
She mentioned that one of the things she has asked of her students over the years is to write, “Your Ten-Year Plan For A Remarkable Life.” This is something she learned as a student of Milton Glaser (who created the I Heart NY campaign which I remember vividly from my childhood.) Continue reading
Sometimes we think we are broken. We are sharp with our tongue, unlovable, unsuccessful, selfish and all the other words that may float around in the story in our heads.
The thing is, we are not broken. We are human. Carrying problems that are heavy. Trying to juggle all the things. It’s hard. And that makes us hard on ourselves.
As Glennon Doyle writes in her book Untamed, “If you are uncomfortable — in deep pain, angry, yearning, confused — you don’t have a problem, you have a life. Being human is not hard because you are doing it wrong, it’s hard because you are doing it right. You will never change the fact that being human is hard, so you must change your idea that it was ever supposed to be easy.”
It was never supposed to be easy. We are not broken or imperfect or a failure. We are beautiful souls becoming more of ourselves every single day. Do the hard things. But do not be hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can, and it is more than enough.
Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” Continue reading
This week a good friend of mine said goodbye to her 45-year-old sister Yola who lost a brave battle with cancer. At the service there was standing room only in the chapel, in the hallways and in a big double overflow room. What a testament to a life well-lived. Continue reading
When I do my presentation at schools and corporations about embracing failure and having grit, I start with the Mary Oliver quote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Continue reading
I always buy my daily cup of tea at the same store. When I was in line paying one day this week, the cashier asked if I ever bought meat at the store. I said sometimes, and asked if there was a sale. She said no but did I remember a young man who was always smiling at the butcher counter and I said I did. She said, “He passed away from an asthma attack.”
He was my age. Continue reading
Life is what happens when you are making other plans.
All three of my kids are competitive Irish dancers and it takes up much of the oxygen in our lives. As I’ve said before, I don’t pay for dance but for the life lessons it teaches including perseverance, dedication, getting up when you fall, and winning and losing with grace. In a month, my two boys are registered to compete at the North American Irish Dance Championships in New Orleans. Planes and hotels booked. Practices and workshops on the calendar. Continue reading
I saw an anonymous quote the other day that said, “It’s not who you are that holds you back. It’s who you think you’re not.”
Who you think you’re not.
You might think you’re not smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, rich enough, connected enough, successful enough.
The thing is, you are. You have all you need right now to make your wildest dreams come true. You just need to take action. Ask questions. Be willing to fail.
You can spend your whole like thinking about what you want to do. Or you can spend your whole life making it happen.
And the second option makes jumping out of bed in the morning a lot more exciting.
Will people think you’re crazy? Some will. Will people say no? Many will. But you only have one life. Why not live it in a way that makes your heart sing?
As Mary Oliver once said, “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
You’re not the kind of person who can’t do anything. You’re the kind of person who can.
In his song “Beautiful Boy,” John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
As we race through our days toward countless self-imposed finish lines, we often trip up along the way. A job is lost. A diagnosis is given. A family member passes. A bad decision is made. A crisis erupts. A friendship is gone. Continue reading
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