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What if …?
“You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.” ~Roald Dahl I’ll never forget the time a local yoga teacher began her class with a talk about managing stress and anxiety. Most of us focus on negative outcomes or worst-case scenarios when we’re frightened or worried, she explained, which only makes us twice as anxious. And then she posed the question: “What if we focus instead on what it will be like when everything turns out OK?” By changing our perspective, we could alter the tone of our day. Waves of fear and anxiety have been eroding my peace of mind lately, and I need to practice that simple…
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Funny Friday: fashion advice
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” ~Mark Twain
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Following your inner compass: “The Journey”
“And there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.” — Mary Oliver The greatest gift of maturing is finding your own power and discovering who you are meant to be — not what others think you should be or want you to be. But the road to authenticity isn’t without obstacles. Mary Oliver’s “The Journey” gives us a new map. It’s one of my all-time favorite poems and has become a personal anthem. A great poem reminds us that the personal is universal, and this one brings shivers of recognition each time I read it aloud in my writing workshops. –CL THE JOURNEYBy Mary Oliver One…
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Be proactive
“It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” ~Jackie Joyner Kersee, Olympic medalist I’m bracing for what’s going to be the most stressful and polarizing presidential election we’ve witnessed in our lifetime. Though I don’t feel I’ve done enough to support my candidate, I’ve tried to do something, to the best of my ability and resources. I’ve put a sign on my lawn, donated money, and invited an equally motivated group of neighbors to write postcards and letters at my dining room table. I’ve read and shared informative articles from reputable, respected sources with friends around the country, who’ve shared theirs with me, in turn.…
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Trust
“The most precious thing in this world is trust. It can take years to earn and only a matter of seconds to lose. It’s important to keep trust at the forefront of everything you do.” ~Lolly Daskal, for Inc. Earlier this month, I celebrated the birthday of a close friend I’ve known since junior high school. Growing up, I spent so much time with her family that they called me “one of our own” — an honor I treasure to this day. Like all great friendships, this one is built on a history of many happy memories and a few hard times. And mutual trust. In the car recently, I listened…