Posts Tagged ‘Awesome Authenticity’

Tough (Question) Tuesday: How do you know when its your true voice talking or if it’s just those pesky Vampires?

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

il_430xN.150415372

Listen by Jess Swift, who is totally the birthday girl today. HAPPY HAPPY JESS! I’m so thankful for you.

Are these tough (questions) getting harder or is it just me? Well, I blame all the Vampire talk that happened last week along with the comments on what it takes for you to trust yourself, because it got me thinking:

How do you know when its your true voice talking or if it’s just those pesky Vampires?

Oh! And for anyone that’s new around these parts, when I talk about your Vampire I’m talking about that voice that’s in your head that sucks the good stuff right out of ya. It usually tells you that your dumb / lazy / unspecial / unimportant and you’ll never amount to anything. So not cool. (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Tough (Question) Tuesday: What’s your definition of success?

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

il_430xN.119031342

Success Watercolor by Stephanie Corfee

In answer to the above question: You (that’s who)!

I loved loved loved the conversation about passion that sparked from last week’s Tough (Question) Tuesday, & it made my mind wander over from the word “passion” (whether or not you believe in it, what it consists of, if it’s a loaded word, what it means to you personally) over to the word “success”, & just hafta ask:

What’s your definition of success? (more…)
  • Share/Bookmark

Rousing Review: “Delivering Happiness”

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Delivering Happiness

“I thought about how easily we are all brainwashed by our society and culture to stop thinking and just assume by default that more money equals more success and more happiness, when ultimately happiness is really just about enjoying life.” -Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness

Yay hooray – it’s a new Rousing Review! This month I’m reviewing Delivering Happiness, the new book by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. I know it’s a bit of a deviation from my usual creative career books, but I was interested in it because (a) I’ve always been intrigued by the stories I heard about Zappos, from offering their trainees $2000 to quit to sending a client flowers when they heard that her mother passed away(b) I was sent an advance copy of the book with the promise that I’d review it on my blog. But, the former is what lead to the latter, & I’m so glad to have gotten my hands on a kick-ass book that might’ve taken me some time to pick up otherwise.

Delivering Happiness is, essentially, Tony Hsieh’s autobiography, despite his young age. I’ll admit, it was tough to get through the first half of the book without really wanting to hate the guy, who sold his first business, LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265 million before his late 20s. But I liked him in spite of myself, as he’s a self-made guy who has built his success around creating a life he loves. He walks the walk, talks the talk & even ate $40 million, which Microsoft offered him to stick around for a year as an advisor. At first, he took it (he ain’t no idiot), but when it led to multiple weeks of waking up late, heading to the office, checking/sending emails, & going home, he walked. Tony writes:

“I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do, but I knew what I wasn’t going to do. I wasn’t going to sit around letting my life and the world pass me by. People thought I was crazy for giving up all that money. And yes, that decision was scary, but in a good way…I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion.” (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Grown-Ups in Mirror May Be the Total Opposite of How They Appear

Monday, June 7th, 2010
The Grass is Greener
Grass is Greener by YellowBeatleBugg

Have you noticed lately that the person you’ve been worshiping isn’t as “perfect” or “together” as they seem?

Take that friend you envy for her freelance writing career, for example. You see her & think “Someone can make a living as a writer? Awesome!” You might have even been thinking of her when you set-up your blog & started posting, or submitted yourself to write for an online paper. But one fateful day, you discover that she has a trust fund in the bank & her writing gigs don’t sustain her. (Record comes to a screeching halt).

Or what about that role model of yours who was a youth director, leading you to bask in the glow of his admirable values? When he chucked it all to go to law school because he wanted to follow the money, it made you second guess living by your own values, too. (Mirror shatters into a million pieces). (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Danielle LaPorte is my Cult Leader

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Fire-SS-cover-lres-309x400

OK, not really.

OK, kinda.

OK, enough that my husband calls Danielle “my cult leader”, & was worried that I wasn’t kidding when I joked that attending her Group Firestarter in NYC last Sept led me to shaving my head & vowing to only eat oregano.

Allow me to explain. (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Lost: 1 Sense of Trust

Friday, April 16th, 2010

il_430xN.83724998

Breathe in inspiration & trust yourself by tea for thoughts

I’ve been practicing what I preach, & what I know, & the life lessons that have presented themselves to me in the 32 years, 4 months & 2 days I’ve been on this planet.

I’ve been super nice to myself.

I’ve been taking in all the niceness that others are giving me (& man, have I been getting bunches of niceness lately). (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Tough (Question) Tuesday: Why are you The Best?

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

il_430xN.125979750

Motivation Note Cards by watersounds

Most people talk about The Best as it’s this known, established Fact. The Best Actor of our generation? Sean Penn. Or Robert Downey Jr. Or Heath Ledger. Or Sasha Baron Cohen…..or…..

Acknowledging the fact that being The Best is totally subjective, & chucking all sense of ego out the window, answer this tough question:

Why are you The Best? (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

Tough (Question) Tuesday: What’s the choice that’ll treat you the nicest?

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

il_430xN.120630954

Practice Saying Only Nice Things by dwell deep

In my Simply Fearless Fempreneurs (try saying that 5 times fast!) session on Friday, we were asked to write what became clear for us this past week. Without hesitation, I wrote “If I’m not nice to myself, it doesn’t matter if anyone else is.” This has been both my biggest lesson & my biggest challenge in the short time of being a full-time entrepreneur, but I have to say that I’ve been doing well in keeping an open mind, taking deep breaths,  not working myself to the point of drop dead-dom, & literally & figuratively patting myself on the back.

During that same session, I spoke with Coach Cassandra about the challenge I’ve been facing in prioritizing the projects I want to work on, & how I’ve been resisting just picking one & running with it. It was then that she asked:

What’s the choice that’ll treat you the nicest? (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

You Are Home

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

3824635742_d8ba75f7ff

live from your heart, uploaded by Deb Did It, found via kind over matter

March 29, 2010

Dear Michelle,

It’s your first day as a full-time entrepreneur! Well, technically it’s your 6th day, but since last week was Soul Week this is your first “official” day. Doesn’t it feel warm? Doesn’t it feel special? Doesn’t it feel peaceful & right? Can’t you get a glimpse of what your life will be like from now on (hint: you call the shots & plan your day around your values & intentions!)? You’re already off to a great start, having showered, gotten dressed, enjoyed a cup of coffee & a bowl of cereal & some time with your Google Reader. Heck, you even returned some emails & crossed some stuff off your To Do List – but you eased into it slowly. And here it is, only 9:30a & you’re already honoring the Me Time you want to have in each work day. (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark

My Unconventional Life

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

il_430xN.127747259

To Be Brave by Mae Chevrette

Today, I feel safe,  which seem both right & odd all at once. How can leaving “stability” feel safe? Why do I feel comforted & warm & happy & good? Where are the Vampires, making me be fearful of a life that I create, scaring me with thoughts of failure & bankruptcy? Why am I bright & smiley today? Why all this pride & excitement & love & tenderness instead of doubt & fear & hesitation & dread?

This new life, this unconventional life, doesn’t look safe on paper, but I’ve never felt so sure of anything ever before. OK, I take that back – I felt exactly that when I married Luke: Calm. Peaceful. Happy. Right. Safe. The perfect fit. Something that helps complete me. This day is just like that day. It all feels perfect no matter what unfolds, & nothing can go Wrong because the thing that I’m doing is nothing but wholly, fully, thoroughly Right.

I’m creating my unconventional life, but it’s a life that fills me with purpose & passion & possibilities. It saddens me that that’s considered unconventional. And here I am, on that quest: To bring The Unconventional Life – one filled with purpose & passion & possibilities – to every creative soul.  To discover what it means for them, & to be a catalyst in making it happen. Maybe that’s why I feel so sure: Because it’s beyond me. Achieving this goal & breaking free of my corporate shackles not only serves me, but it serves everyone else I’m here to help along the way. I think this is what really gives me comfort & joy, & makes me feel that I’m doing The Right Thing, The Smart Thing & The Best Thing. (more…)

  • Share/Bookmark