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Month: November 2015

Who Owns You?

“Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.”

~ Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver (1955 – present) is an American novelist, poet and essayist. Each of her books published since 1993 have been on the New York Times Bestsellers List and the topics focused upon range from social justice to human interaction with our environment. She is an award-winning author many times over, and has even established and funded her own $25,000 award: The Bellwether Prize to support “literature for social change” to authors of unpublished works. This award is given out every two years on even years. Continue reading “Who Owns You?”

Move Your Butt – Or Not…

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”

~ Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer (1940 – 2015) was an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He published his first book “Your Erroneous Zones” in 1976 and since then it has sold over 35 million copies! Dyer, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, was a self-made man. He spent much of his childhood up to age ten in an orphanage after his father deserted the family. After serving four years in the US Navy, Dyer earned his Phd in Education and established himself as a professor at St. John’s University in New York City. Continue reading “Move Your Butt – Or Not…”

Does Fear Own You?

“If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

~ Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) was an American writer, lecturer and developer of courses in self-improvement. He has always been near and dear to my heart because his book, How To Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948), helped me immensely in my lifelong battle against fear and self-doubt. I purchased the book while in the throes of debilitating anxiety, read it cover to cover, and felt myself relax a little more with each page I read. I don’t have the book anymore. I loaned it to a student who suffered from anxiety attacks and I never got it back. But I don’t mind – I just hope that the book helped her as much as it helped me. Continue reading “Does Fear Own You?”

Quit Complaining – It Changes Nothing!

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

~ Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson (1928-2014), was an American author, poet and civil rights activist. This accomplished lady wore many different career hats throughout her lifetime and won many awards. She worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in the US civil rights movement, during the 1960s, until their untimely deaths. She was one of just two poets honored to read one of her poems at a presidential inauguration ceremony. Robert Frost was the first at John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration in 1960, and Maya Angelou read at Bill Clinton’s twenty-three years later. Continue reading “Quit Complaining – It Changes Nothing!”