Tag: self awareness


Day 17: Pay it forward

Day 17: Pay it forward

Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 17: Give someone a gift that reminds you of your gratitude Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William…

Day 16: Saying thank you in writing

Day 16: Saying thank you in writing

My mom was the thank you note enforcer. Writing them was non negotiable.
When I graduated from high school, Mom took custody of my graduation presents. Only after I had written a thank you note could I get possession of each gift.
So I admit to having a strong bias but I believe in the power of the thank you note — especially of the hand written and mailed variety.

Day 15: Doing the gratitude dance

Day 15: Doing the gratitude dance

Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 15: How do you express your gratitude? The GratiDudes made this video below encouraging people to first make a daily list of the things you’re grateful for…

Day 14: A quick recap of Month of Thanksgiving so far

Day 14: A quick recap of Month of Thanksgiving so far

Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 14: We’re about halfway through the Month of Thanksgiving. How are you doing? Sunday is a day of rest so I’ll take it a little easy on…

Day 13: What some others are saying about gratitude

Day 13: What some others are saying about gratitude

Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 13: Taking a look at what a few other sources say about gratitude I am hardly the first person to think of the idea of being more…

Day Six: Think about why you love what you love

Day Six: Think about why you love what you love

Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Six: Why do you love what you love? Let’s go back to the Love List Project for inspiration one more time, reflecting on what we love so…

Everything's amazing and nobody's happy

Everything's amazing and nobody's happy

Many thanks to my coworker, Dave, for sharing this video with me. I now share it with you. It’s about four minutes that will make you laugh and, with luck, will leave you thinking that mostly you’ve got it pretty good. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOzNrO54xsY] Thanksgiving is in about a month — it’s Nov. 26, if you’re now thumbing for your calendar — and heading…

How loving a place can change your life

How loving a place can change your life

The following explanation might confuse you, but that’s OK. Stick with me anyway. My friend Carmen recently wrote a guest post on her friend Kristin’s blog, Halfway to Normal. Kristin launched something she calls the Love List Project, which is a wonderful idea: make a list of the things you love, consider why you love them, then share what you…

Paying attention to your body can pay off

Paying attention to your body can pay off

I started getting migraine headaches in high school. Actually, I was diagnosed with cluster headaches — a rare treat with the nickname “suicide headaches.” They get their name because they come in clusters. Once I got one headache, I could pretty well count on getting several more that week. If you know anything about migraines, which involve intense pain, nausea,…

Your comments make this a real conversation. Keep 'em coming!

Your comments make this a real conversation. Keep 'em coming!

A few recent blog posts got conversations started, though most of the insights were shared elsewhere. I’m bringing some of it back here to make sure you get to enjoy input from other readers. My post on the dancing baby video and why adults should follow the little ones’ example drew some comments on WordPress, plus several more on Facebook.…

Jennifer Worick learns to become more flexible

Jennifer Worick learns to become more flexible

Jennifer Worick Jennifer Worick, a crafty Seattle gal with a slew of published books and a couple of blogs, recently wrote a blog post about letting go of rigid expectations and learning to roll with life’s unpredictable nature. It starts: Until a few years ago, I thought I was just a logical person with high standards for myself and others.…

Three great sources of inspiration from the interweb

Three great sources of inspiration from the interweb

Believe it or not, the Internet is good for more than watching videos of skateboarding dogs — you can find loads of help on your journey to become a better person. One consistently great site is called Zen Habits. Articles on their Web site include: 20 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Out in Life Simple Living Manifesto:…

Do you have a story of reinvention to share?

Do you have a story of reinvention to share?

Do you have a story to tell about change? It could be your own or someone you know or admire. Maybe it’s a business that’s reinvented itself. I would love your input on stories you would like to read here. If you would like to write a guest blog post, I’m open to that. If you want to share a…

What books have inspired you?

What books have inspired you?

I recently started reading The Geography of Bliss — our friends Matthew and Lisa bought it for John and he enjoyed it so I’m taking my turn. Here’s how the author’s Web site describes it: Eric Weiner’s The Geography of Bliss signals the arrival of the next great category of literary nonfiction: the philosophical self-help humorous travel memoir. Weiner, a…

"Up" is a sweet tale of examining your life

"Up" is a sweet tale of examining your life

Grumpy old man Carl Fredricksen is an unlikely cartoon hero — his wife has just died, developers want to tear down his house, and after he beats one of the developers with his cane, a court order is about to send him to a nursing home. “Up” is a cartoon that tackles some grown-up themes: love, loss, change, the evaluation of how you’ve…

Who's got your back? Do you have deep, honest relationships?

Who's got your back? Do you have deep, honest relationships?

Have you ever had the experience of hearing someone articulate what you need better than you could yourself? Keith Ferrazzi, author of the hit business book “Never Eat Alone,” spoke at the Mediabistro Circus conference I went to this week. He has a new book out called “Who’s Got Your Back?” and I expected a talk that would be part…

Will the recession reset our priorities? Will it reset yours?

Will the recession reset our priorities? Will it reset yours?

Whether there’s a shared sense of the narrative of the recession, or perhaps some collective wishful thinking, certain stories seem to be popping up frequently: The recession is causing Americans to re-examine their consumerist spendaholic ways Layoffs are prompting Americans to pursue new, more fulfilling career paths I think the common thread in both these themes is a hope that…

Friends help extend your life. And make life worth living.

Friends help extend your life. And make life worth living.

After a few posts about how we’re all going to die, how about one about how to live longer? Sure, it’s a good idea to quit smoking, exercise regularly and eat healthier. But what if going out with your friends this weekend could add years to your life? Research shows that people who have more friends live longer. Here’s a…

Stepping off the hedonic treadmill? We'll see.

Stepping off the hedonic treadmill? We'll see.

New York magazine recently had a thought-provoking cover story with the teaser headline “New York Without Money.” Its headline asks us to consider: No money changes everything, from murder rates to museum attendance, from career choices to what you eat for dinner. And not all of it for the worse. Writer Jennifer Senior shares a number observations about the supposed…