Archive for 'insight'

What Is Your Life’s Story in 6 Words?

Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 10:42 PM  
Comments (5)

Pin It

Legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a full story in only six words. Seemingly an impossible feat, Hemingway responded near effortlessly: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

What a profound visual despite his brevity of words! It’s not surprising that this idea has caught on in a big way.  Smith Magazine, for instance, has coined the term “Six Word Memoir ®” to encourage readers to submit their life’s stories in only 6 words. The result is a vast selection of funny, meaningful, and clever memoirs spanning many topics. (Click on the words below to explore the memoirs on their website!)

after  always  another  away  before  being  best  better  breakup  can’t  could dad  day

death didn’t  divorce  don’t  down  enough  even  ever  every everything  eyes  family  feel

first found  friend  friends  god  going  good  happy  hard heart  her  him  his  home  hope

how i’m  it’s  know  last  left  let  life like  little  live  living  long  lost  love  loved  made

make many  mom  more mother  much  myself  need  never  new  night  nothing  now  off

old once  only other  out  over  pain  people  right  said  say  see  she  six  still  stop suicide

take things  think  thought  through  time  today  want  was  what when  where  who  why

words work  would  years

Though there are many fun applications of the “6 words” concept, I’m especially excited about the way that it can support self-reflection and discovery. Not too long ago, a question was posed on a women’s forum that I belong to on LinkedIn: “Describe your life’s story in only 6 words.” Nearly 500 women across the world responded, revealing volumes about their identity, passion, purpose, life roles, and much more. Read the rest of this entry

Start Believing in Yourself Instead

Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at 3:29 AM  
Comments (1)

Pin It

What is the world’s greatest lie?” the little boy asks. The old man replies, “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.”

(An excerpt from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

As children, we eagerly conjured up fantasies about our future grown-up selves. We imagined what careers we would have and what we would be like. Innocently optimistic, we imagined a life for ourselves that would be exciting and fulfilling. When asked about our futures, we got a twinkle in our eyes as we told others, “When I grow up, I’m going to be… (A ballerina! A fireman! A Doctor! A Basketball Player!)”

Don’t you sometimes wish you could recapture that childlike wonder? Sadly, somewhere along the way to adulthood, dreams often get buried under the realities of daily living. We can barely make it through the day, and chasing our fire is often the furthest thing from our minds. The focus shifts from ‘living the dream’ to just ‘finding a good job that pays the bills.’  Life, as messy as it is, often teaches us that we are mere products of fate and circumstance, and that dreams can only be realized if you are one of the lucky and/or wealthy…which (let’s be honest) most of us aren’t.

Thankfully, Paulo Coelho blows a hole right through that theory. Allow him and I to assure you that fate and luck have very little to do with happiness. Life doesn’t just “happen” to us. We are not mere passive recipients of fate, living the life that has been dealt to us. Oh, no. Our lives are a culmination of choices (big and small), each breath building on another. Read the rest of this entry

6 Ways to Stay Invigorated While Adjusting to Your New Job

Friday, April 27th, 2012 at 1:28 AM  
Leave your comment

Pin It

As a new hire, your days may feel like you’re putting out one fire after another, barely making it through the day without third degree burns. Not only are you learning about your new role, your colleagues, your company, and office politics, you are also trying very hard to seem like you know what you’re doing – at least most of the time. Despite the biggest and most sincere can-do attitude, there may be days that just zap your energy, leaving you feeling low, grouchy, exhausted, or even physically ill.

Off days are just a part of being human, so refrain from punishing yourself for not being able to always bring your A game in the way that you’d hoped.  I heard this analogy recently that seemed very appropriate. Imagine you’re carrying bags of groceries from your vehicle into your house, not realizing that the bags have holes in them. As you’re walking along, you’re merrily leaving a trail of items behind unknowingly. When you reach your pantry, ready to unpack your bags, you can’t help but wonder, “Didn’t I have more than this?”

Both at work and at home, you’re constantly giving parts of yourself away. You share your energy, drive, excitement, emotions, stamina, and even your patience. I don’t need to tell you that you can’t keep giving away what you don’t have, and can’t spend energy that you’ve already spent. You owe it to yourself (and arguably also those around you, including your boss) to reinvigorate yourself so that you can be your best self. Read the rest of this entry