this made me think of you!

Receiving a message from a friend saying, “This article made me think of you!” can be a slightly unnerving experience--at least until you find out what it’s about. Sure, they say it’s the thought that counts, but articles include everything from how to diagnose that pesky rash to in depth analyses of psychopaths. I would hope anyone sending an article with such pretense would be mindful of the implications woven within, but you just never know. Have you ever been having a conversation about liars and blurted suddenly, “Oh by the way, how is so-and-so?” Ooops! Let’s hope they didn’t catch the linear trajectory of that one! Anyway, I digress. Just a little dose of Nicki neuroses (nickoses?) before I share this article my friend sent this morning (that reminded her of me). Quite honestly, it’s nothing new, and I’ve even read articles who articulate it more eloquently, but there’s a certain frankness, like it’s coming from a successful relative who sits you down and says, “Look kid, all you gotta do is this. Stop making it so hard for yourself.” And I appreciate that. Hope you do too!

I particularly like this quote, “As Douglas Pagels wrote, ‘Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.’”

Writing for Your Life

Thanks Adrienne!

failure notice

fail·uren. 1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment. 2. One that fails: a failure at one's career. 3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure. 4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure. 5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address. 6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment. 7. A decline in strength or effectiveness. 8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent.

Ah yes, failure. My dear friend. I didn't know I would see you so soon. But why wouldn't I? You have been with me during so many important moments in my life. When I've ignored you, you've sat by me quietly. When I've been angry with you, you patiently waited for me to come to my senses. Even during my successes, I have spotted you in the back row, reminding me to be humble. You have taught me so many things. Without you, I wouldn't know how to ride a back or tie my shoe. I wouldn't have compassion for the new kid at school. And I definitely wouldn't feel the depth of excitement when I finally got the part. All in all, you've been a loyal friend and I owe you for my success as much as my... ahem... failures.

So, as you may have noticed, I've already not achieved my goal of posting once a week. Rather than justifying, I've decided to write a post every day for a week starting today. I hope it will help train me to write more and, more importantly, share more.

By the way, thank you all for the wonderful comments. I was so inspired by the thoughtful replies to my previous post. Please know that I read them and appreciate them very much!

I thought this inspiring video would be apropos considering the theme of this post. It's a speech given by JK Rowling at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association. Her wise words resonate on both intellectual and spiritual levels. I hope you enjoy!

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.