Tag: inspiration


I am thankful for: things that could have been worse

I am thankful for: things that could have been worse

I woke up just in time to hear a doctor telling my parents how I was lucky my nose had shattered because otherwise the bone would have driven up into my brain and killed me. It was hard to feel especially lucky at that moment. I had broadsided another driver who hadn’t looked to see I was approaching doing about…

Margaret is grateful for: her daughter's bus driver

Margaret is grateful for: her daughter's bus driver

Today’s Month of Thanksgiving post is the winner of the “Who are you grateful for?” contest. It was difficult choosing just one winner, but here are some reasons I chose Margaret Yang‘s ode to her daughter’s bus driver: Many people wrote about their family, and I’m delighted to see so many people holding up the love of their parents, siblings,…

What are you grateful for? Contest #2

What are you grateful for? Contest #2

  A week ago, I asked who you’re grateful for and some of the great responses that came in ranged from “my husband” to “my daughter’s bus driver.”   There’s still time to enter that contest – and now let’s add another to the mix. Besides the people you’re grateful for, what inanimate objects are you grateful for? What things…

I'm grateful for: people I've never met

I'm grateful for: people I've never met

A guest post from the ever-fabulous Lara Zielin:   I probably spend too much time online and, if my increasingly strobe-light-like brain is any indication, it might not be doing me as much good as I think. But I will say one thing about the experience: being online, and utilizing social media tools in particular, has connected me to some…

e.b. white's new york (via explore. dream. discover.)

e.b. white's new york (via explore. dream. discover.)

“No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.” ~ E.B. White I have loved that quote since I decided I simply had to live in New York. It feels like it’s simultaneously a challenge and a promise of great opportunity. So I loved stumbling onto this post on the blog “explore. dream.discover”…

Journalist turned novelist Bruce DeSilva on how and why he writes

Journalist turned novelist Bruce DeSilva on how and why he writes

This post continues an occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Previously we’ve heard from Jim Ottaviani, Lara Zielin and Jennifer Worick. Today’s Q&A features Bruce DeSilva, a retired journalist now putting his writing skills to work in longer form. From his bio: Bruce…

See, you're not wasting time online — you're innovating!

See, you're not wasting time online — you're innovating!

Well, maybe all that time you spend looking at LOLcats is lost. Then again, maybe it’s the missing piece to your great, long-simmering idea? With thanks to Mary Jean for pointing it out, here’s a wonderful four-minute video on where good ideas come from. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU&feature=player_embedded]

Eat Drink Local Week — I'm on my way. How about you?

Eat Drink Local Week — I'm on my way. How about you?

It’s Eat Drink Local Week in New York and I feel pretty good about representing. Among the items Edible Manhattan throws down as a challenge: 10. Cook your cast-offs! Think corn cob stock, sauteed beet tops, and pickled watermelon rinds. >> Maybe it’s my poverty mentality or perhaps my waste-nothing husband, but I’m a big fan of putting everything to…

People who need people are the longest-living, happiest people in the world

People who need people are the longest-living, happiest people in the world

Michigan Today, an alumni publication at my alma mater, recently posted videos showing a Michigan researcher talking about happiness. Christopher Peterson, a professor of psychology, talks about what makes life worth living, and about happiness, creativity and resilience. He said something in the first video that simmers down the findings of his life’s work to one sentence: Sometimes when I…

Young adult author Lara Zielin on how and why she writes

Young adult author Lara Zielin on how and why she writes

Today I’m kicking off a new occasional series on writers — how and why they write, what inspires them and how they overcome challenges like writer’s block and rejection. Since I wrote a guest post for Lara earlier this week, it seems only appropriate that she would lead off the new project. On deck are Jim Tobin, who won the…

My guest post on Help For Writers

My guest post on Help For Writers

My dear friend Lara Zielin is an incredible role model for creatives — she works all day, then comes home and cranks out her own personal writing AND maintains two blogs. Lara has sold two young adult novels and is working on a third. She’s learned a lot about writing and the publishing industry and is sharing that wisdom on…

Sara Grace's 1,000-mile year

Sara Grace's 1,000-mile year

The first time I visited Sara Grace’s blog and read her profile, I was hooked. Here’s the opening from her profile on My Thousand Mile Year: I’m Sara Grace. I seek pleasure and spent a lot of years firmly convinced that it was best found at a dinner table, in recline, or in bed. I nourished my indulgent and excessive sides…

Moving On Up (via My first triathlon)

Moving On Up (via My first triathlon)

I liked this blog post because it’s an example of someone who set a life goal — doing her first triathlon — and is using her blog for motivation and accountability. She’s reaching out to her community for support, too, including being able to sponsor her hands and feet. This was a big, big week. Not only did I hit…

Corporate job vs. entrepreneur isn't an either-or choice

Corporate job vs. entrepreneur isn't an either-or choice

Without statistics to back me up, I’d hazard a guess that millions of Americans with full-time jobs fantasize about becoming self employed. Maybe the dream looks like being a wildly successful author, maybe it’s opening a restaurant or starting an independent legal practice. Whatever that daydream is, many people never pursue it because it can feel like a giant leap…

Sometimes we're learning lessons even when we don't know it

Sometimes we're learning lessons even when we don't know it

There’s a remake out of the 1980s iconic movie Karate Kid. It’s hard to imagine anyone my age who doesn’t have a mental picture of Ralph Macchio doing karate moves he learned from Pat Morita in the original. As any Gen Xer can tell you, Mr. Miyagi’s teaching style is a little sneaky. Daniel wants to learn karate but instead…