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Are you feeling stuck?
“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” ~Abraham Maslow This is the time of year when we’re likely to feel stagnant. The calendar tells us it’s spring, but the weather isn’t convinced yet — and we’d rather not dig in the garden until it’s warmer outside. Feeling stuck isn’t just a symptom of cabin fever; it can sneak up on you anywhere, any time of the year. For starters, you’re stuck when you keep making the same recipes for dinner because you’re too tired to find new ones. Maybe you’re feeling stuck at home but can’t summon the motivation to make plans with…
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You be you
“The beauty of us lies in our vulnerability, our complex emotions, and our authentic imperfections. When we embrace who we are and decide to be authentic, instead of who we think others want us to be, we open ourselves up to real relationships, real happiness, and real success.” ~Marc & Angel Hack Life Some readers would never get caught browsing in the “self-help” section. It’s a lot cooler, after all, to tell people you’re reading the last of Thoreau’s essays or Shakespeare’s comedies while you’re finishing a good mystery novel. But I promise there’s some beneficial self-help material out there, in books and online. If, like me, you find that…
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Elements of surprise
“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” ~Alice Walker Earlier this month, everyone in my part of Michigan was convinced that spring had arrived early. We were amazed at bright yellow daffodils and forsythia bushes blooming — so early in March! — and even spotted people wearing shorts and sandals outside. But the weather took another turn, and we awoke this morning to fresh snow blanketing the landscape. Today’s quote is from Alice Walker’s poem, “Expect Nothing.” In it, Walker reminds us that keeping our expectations in check is the key to staying happy or content. Life is bound to surprise us. Sometimes those surprises will delight and amaze us, and…
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People pleasing
“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: Try to please everybody all the time.” ~ Herbert Bayard Swope, American journalist One of the gifts of aging is the realization that (1) you can’t please everyone and (2) you shouldn’t try to please everyone. The journalist who’s famous for today’s quote understood that achieving anything of great value often involves taking big risks and subjecting yourself to criticism. More often than not, you’re bound to upset others when you rattle the status quo or defend a point of view. Born in 1882, Herbert Bayard Swope was a famous war correspondent…
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Share your stories with me
“It has always been on the written page that the world has come into focus for me. If I can piece all these bits of memory together with the diaries and letters and the scribbled thoughts that clutter my mind and bookshelves, then maybe I can explain what happened….Maybe I can tell my story in a way that is useful to someone else.” ~ Nancy Horan, Loving Frank What makes a compelling personal story? How do you turn rambling journal entries or blog posts into marketable essays or chapters in a memoir? On April 11, I’ll be leading my favorite workshop at the Royal Oak Public Library. Whether you need inspiration…
