What does it feel like to get worn down by your life? Here’s what bestselling author Amy Tan says about losing yourself slowly as the years go by…
“I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”
How is your life wearing you down?
Again, it’s the book thing for me. I want to be a published author, but have so many doubts, fears, and hesitations. Mostly I read more…
One of my favorite quotes from Diane Sawyer is about wanting great things from your life – and believing in yourself enough to get what you want.
Because if you don’t believe, you won’t achieve.
“Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it.” ~ Diane Sawyer.
It doesn’t matter what you want out of life – to lose 25 pounds, find the right man, get that university degree, or move to Hawaii – if you don’t believe that you have an equal right to it, then you won’t get it. read more…
One of my favorite quotations for successful women is from Lillian Hellman – she was an American playright. Her quote is about self-sabotage and tripping yourself up.
It’s both depressing and empowering:
“It’s a sad day when you find out that it’s not accident or time or fortune but just yourself that kept things from you.” ~ Lillian Hellman.
I see this in my blogging career – I support myself as a full-time writer and blogger, and went through a financially lean four months with my Quips and Tips blogs. read more…
What expectations do you have from your life, relationships, job? Drop them. Instead of expecting, take Sarah Ban Breathnach’s advice and start dreaming…
“Dreaming, not expecting, allows Spirit to step in and surprise you with connection, completion, consummation, celebration. You dream. Show up for work. Then let Spirit deliver your dream to the world.”
The best way to make your dreams come true is to write them down. You don’t necessarily need to make a list of dreams to accomplish; you can create a vision board or poster of magazine pictures that represent things you love. read more…
Martha Stewart says she can bend steel with her mind – which is probably why she’s one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.
Here’s what she told Oprah:
“I can almost bend steel with my mind. I can bend anything if I try hard enough. I can make myself do almost anything. But you can get too strong, so you have to be careful. You have to temper your strength.”
O, the confidence! O, the determination! read more…
What risks do you take in your life? I don’t mean physical risks like reporting on wars, like Christiane Amanpour does for a living…I mean intellectual risks at home, work, and in your community. Even your social community – Twitter or Facebook!
Here’s what Christiane Amanpour says about taking “intellectual risks”…
“There’s what I call intellectual risk. Do you tell the truth? Do you speak out? Do you push the limit with your bosses, colleagues, friends, and family? Do you stand up for what you believe is right? And are you prepared to live with the risks of doing that?”
When was the last time you told the truth, pushed your limits, stood up for what you believe is right? read more…
After You Lose Someone You Love, You Walk With a Limp
Anne Lamott wrote an article for O magazine, about losing someone you can’t live without. She compared it to a broken leg: you heal, but you’ll always walk with a limp.
I found this passage when researching Madonna for See Jane Soar. Here’s what Oprah said to Madonna during an interview:
“A few months back, Anne Lamott wrote a piece for my magazine about being 49. I’ll read part of it: “I have survived so much loss, as all of us have by our 40s—my parents, dear friends, my pets…. If you haven’t already, you will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of a beloved person. But this is also the good news. read more…
Overcoming Shame and Guilt is About Forgiving Yourself
Before you can overcome feelings of guilt and shame, you need to learn the difference between the two.
These tips are inspired by bestselling author Erica Jong…
“The trick is not how much pain you feel – but how much joy you feel,” says Jong. “Any idiot can feel pain. Life is full of excuses to feel pain, excuses not to live, excuses, excuses, excuses.”
Shame and guilt are great excuses for denying yourself happiness and a full life! If you’re paralyzed with regrets about your past, find ways to move forward. Read books like Healing the Shame that Binds You for help, and check out these tips on overcoming shame and guilt…
Moving beyond the painful, paralyzing emotions of shame and guilt isn’t read more…
If you want to brainstorm more creative ideas, think more creatively, and add more creativity to your life, trust this poet to give you the key to firing up your creative juices…
“You can’t use up creativity,” says Maya Angelou. “The more you use, the more you have.”
The secret to being more creative is getting the ball rolling. The more ideas you have, the more ideas you’ll get — just like the whole “rich get richer” upward spiral.
Ah, but how do you get the creativity ball rolling?
By reading books like John Maxwell’s Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work
“The word betrayal isn’t strong enough,” Nordgren said in an interview with People magazine. “I felt like my whole world had fallen apart.”
If your spouse cheated, you know exactly what she feels like. Add the humiliation of the affair being publicized all over the world, and it’s almost unbearable! My heart breaks for Nordegren, and for all spouses who have been betrayed. If your spouse cheated, you might find Getting Past the Affair: A Program to Help You Cope, Heal, and Move On — Together or Apart
And, here are five ways to survive a marriage affair… read more…
Saying goodbye, letting go, and moving on can be heartwrenching – and it may feel impossible! My third “Quips and Tips” ebook is all about letting go of your past; it’s based on my most popular article on Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals (“How to Let Go of Someone You Love”). Every day, that article gets hundreds of hits – and it barely skims the surface of letting go of your past!
I wanted to offer more (and better) information about saying goodbye, moving on, and moving on after loss, so I wrote this ebook.
In 75 Ways to Let Go of Someone You Love, I offer the best, most helpful tips and strategies from psychologists, life coaches, family therapists, and counselors. It’s about letting go of addictive relationships, affair breakups, estranged family members, and long-lost loves. This book is about healing, strength, and authenticity.
Letting go of someone you love isn’t something you do once – and poof! You’re free, healed, and happy! Rather, letting go is a journey peppered with steps forward and steps backward, good days and bad days, peaks and valleys.
How do I know? Because I’m an “old pro” at letting go. I grew up in foster homes, read more…
“Live your best life” is Oprah Winfrey’s mantra – but what does it mean? These tips on how to live your best life aren’t directly from Oprah; they’re inspired by her words and life. She’s one of the most strong, successful, powerful women in history and we can learn so much from her – whether we watch her TV show or not!
“For every one of us who succeeds, it’s because there’s somebody there to show you the way out,” says Oprah. “ The light doesn’t always necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was teachers and school.”
And, you don’t need to talk to someone in person to be motivated to live your best life! You can be inspired by blog posts, magazine articles, or even books about strong successful women in history. To learn more about Oprah Winfrey’s life, read Oprah: A Biography.
And, here are five tips for living your best life…. read more…
“It’s heartbreaking to see my ex every single day at work,” comments a reader on my How to Survive Sadness and Depression After Breaking Up article. “I can’t avoid seeing him because we run a business together, and now I’m afraid our business relationship will be ruined too.”
Dealing with a broken heart is harder when you have to see your ex every day at work. If you’re crushed because of your breakup, read How to Heal a Broken Heart in 30 Days: A Day-by-Day Guide to Saying Good-bye and Getting On With Your Life.
And, here are six ways to deal with a coworker breakup… read more…
Weight loss advice for women over 40 is different than women under 30! These weight loss tips are inspired by Valerie Bertinelli’s weight loss with Jenny Craig…if she can do it, so can you!
When it comes to weight loss, Bertinelli advises women to:
“Surround yourself with people who care about/know what you’re doing. I used to diet in secret. This was a bad idea for me because then I wasn’t accountable to anyone but myself, (who I was so used to letting down) so one more time didn’t matter.”
Don’t try to lose weight alone. You don’t necessarily need to sign up for Jenny Craig (sorry, Valerie and Jenny!), but you do need to find people who support you. Or, you need books, DVDs, or websites that help you stay focused on your goals.
I’ve lost about 25 pounds with the 10 Minute Solutions DVDs — they’re a brilliant way to lose weight and keep it off. 10 Minute Solution: Rapid Results Pilates
Okay, on to my weight loss advice, inspired by Bertinelli… read more…
“If you are a newbie in the kitchen, any recipe will take you longer than it should because you are just getting familiar with your bearings,” says Rachael Ray. “Once you get more comfortable with your cooking routine and preparation skills, things will move a whole lot smoother and faster.”
If you’re not used to shopping with an eye on your budget, give yourself time to snuggle up to it. If you don’t know any good recipes, read Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! The Family Cookbook
And, here are ten tips for saving money on groceries… read more…
