Permission to be ourselves

Please enjoy this excerpt of
Braving It: The gentle art of living boldly
…coming in June!

 

At the time the idea for Braving It was taking shape in my mind, fueled (as all Blossie’s books are in one way or another J) by my own heartfelt experiences and those of the people I love, an amazing book crossed my path: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Written by Bronnie Ware as a series of reflections on her time providing palliative care in people’s final days, this amazing book traces the many ways in which Bronnie herself was transformed by the gift of getting to know these people at this time in their lives.

Especially striking is the number one regret Bronnie heard people share: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Sitting with that for a moment is nothing less than earth-shattering. Read More

The “naked no”

Ever feel like the demands on your time are just endless?

Please enjoy this important excerpt from The Gift of No!

 

Compare what I call a “naked no,” a no without an explanation (a simple “I’m not available” or “I can’t make it” for example) with the too much information (TMI) version of the same statement: “I won’t be able to go because I have a fitting for the dress I’m wearing to my brother’s wedding.”

Beautiful someone, in the first case, no means no. Not much to talk about because the naked no doesn’t leave the door open for discussion or give someone information they can use to take down our boundary.

In the TMI version, we’ve practically invited the person to say, “The fitting’s on Thursday? That’s three days away! You have plenty of time to move the appointment and help me instead!” or “Those appointments are easy to change. All you have to do is call them. They’re very flexible!” or “A fitting? That’s why you can’t make it? Seriously?”

Read More

Love the ride: it gives the gift of lessons we can’t get any other way

An excerpt for you from Dream Come True…enjoy!

 

The road to success is full of potholes and detours.

Beautiful someone, there’s a reason this became a cliché — it’s because it’s true!

It’s a bumpy road no matter where we’re headed. We know that, I mean it makes sense. But it’s easier to know than it is to handle. Who actually wants to accept tough times and frustrating days as givens in life?

The problem is, no matter how hard we try to avoid them, mistakes and bad days find us anyway. We say the wrong thing. Get distracted online and waste massive amounts of time. Fall asleep when we should be studying. Make the wrong decision, sometimes even when we’re trying our hardest. Things happen, too — the flat tire, the email that didn’t go through, the critical appointment we miss. Read More

From worries to puppies and rainbows

Yes Changes Everything!Happy February, beautiful someone! Please enjoy this excerpt from Yes Changes Everything!

 

We’re going to worry. It’s just part of being alive and involved in life — in a relationship, career, house, body, family — there’s a lot to worry about. But what if we thought about it this way:

It’s not worth worrying about things we can change because we can take action to change them. We can do things to influence them to move in the direction we want them to go. So instead of worrying, we can simply take action and know that we’re doing everything we can to move these things in a good direction.

Read More

Great experiences don’t always feel great

Yes Changes Everything!January 15, 2009

Shortly after takeoff, US Airways Flight 1549 loses power in both engines. In what aviators call a “bird strike,” a flock of geese flying straight into the plane’s propellers has disabled them instantly.

In the cockpit, Captain Sully Sullenberger quickly realizes it would be impossible to reach any airport, meaning a crash landing is his only option. Drawing on 42 years of aviation experience, he steers the plane — a giant jetliner called and Airbus — into the Hudson River, gliding to a safe landing that spares the lives of 155 passengers and crew members.

Read More