Tag Archives: abundance
Just in case you needed to hear this today, it’s okay to be selfish. Women, in particular, are conditioned to be givers, peacemakers, feather-smoothers, and people pleasers. Most, if not all of these expectations are based on the sentiment that it’s not good for women to be selfish, or that being selfish is bad. The messaging is so relentless and pervasive that it’s easy for the distinction between selfish and self care can be difficult to ascertain. Some random thoughts…..
Over the past few months of Quarantine Life, the concept of ‘things as tether’ has floated across my consciousness more than once. For starters, being housebound while the rest of the world is essentially at a standstill gives you a lot of time inside your home. For another, the concept of “quaran-cleaning” gives you an opportunity to determine what you really need in your life. Contemplating the usefulness and true value of what you own is actually a gift. Two…..
Before I get too far into today’s post, I want to let you know that I am extremely aware of the catastrophically terrible financial impact 99% of us have experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as billionaires have increased their profits by trillions of dollars, many of us are facing evictions and bare cupboards. When you’re experiencing the bottoming-out of the market, you have an opportunity to build back. Use this time to plan for the rebound,…..
Today, I’m sharing a chapter from my book Circuit Train Your Brain: Daily Habits That Develop Resilience. Resilience isn’t an action, per se; it’s a state of being — a state which can be cultivated and developed by investing in small habits, practiced consistently. When you spend just a small amount of time each day on positive habits, the cumulative effect provides you with a reservoir or capacity to withstand greater stressors. Taking ownership of our thoughts and actions is…..
Earlier today, in honor of Giving Tuesday, I sent out a tweet promoting the Jane Addams Resources Corporation (JARC), a nonprofit that teaches welding to people in order to help them not only get well-paying jobs but also to develop capacity-building skills. This was the first organization that gave me a chance when I first moved to Chicago in order to scale the nonprofit I established. A brief timeline: Within two weeks of moving to Chicago in 2103, the job…..
One of the founders stories I share within my book, Circuit Train Your Brain, is how I faced eviction not once, but twice within the first five years of my moving to Chicago in pursuit of scaling the nonprofit I had established. Part of my next book is unpacking how those experiences happened. Under-earning was one reason; my lack of focus was another. There are many other reasons, and I’m still sifting them out. During a particularly perilous time in…..
Pillow talk: this throw pillow cost $38. I know what you’re thinking: big whoop-dee-doo. You may have dropped thirty-eight bucks on a good port at dinner today. But when I was eking by on absolutely nothing as a nonprofit founder, my scarcity mindset thought that spending $38 for a silly pillow was a stupid and a frivolous expense. So I returned to Crate and Barrel multiple times, checking to see if it was still available, thinking to myself, “If it’s…..
A common mistake that creators make is to set their asking price for their services or skill at what they think the market will bear (usually asking too little). The paradox is that when you set your value, the market meets you. As a writer and artist, I’ve been conditioned to donate my gifts or discount my rates for as long as I can remember. • Part of it is because I can tap into the well of creativity and…..
The following blog post is an excerpt from my book, Circuit Train Your Brain, in honor of National Chocolate Day. Fernando Pessoa was on to something. Scientifically proven to elevate your mood, chocolate is a fantastic treat that boosts your brain power and may protect your heart health. I am not talking about milk chocolate or white chocolate (which, as any pedant—like me—can tell you, technically isn’t chocolate). While I will have a square of milk chocolate occasionally, the true…..
Clarity about money attracts wealth. One of the central skills essential to having an abundant life is financial literacy. There are many practical reasons for this: investing, budgeting and managing a household or business rely on understanding how to allocate money for different costs. However, wealth is at once beyond and related to everyday expenses. I include this post because it’s common for many creators (artists, writers, consultants or other expertise-based types) to under-represent their skills and to ask too…..