On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Last week, Norman Lear died. A visionary, he wove social commentary into mainstream comedy and revolutionized the sitcom genre. While reading many of the tributes, I came across a letter that he wrote in the late 1970s. A man named Michael Hurwitz approached and asked if Norman could write a letter to his infant niece, Lisa—a message she could open on her 21st birthday. Here’s the letter:

February 2, 1978

Dear Lisa:

The first thing you must know is that you have a remarkable uncle in the person of Michael Hurwitz. That he would be thinking about your 21st birthday while you are still in your second year, makes him very special indeed.

You’re special, too, Lisa. There is only one of you, one only in all the world, and that fact is among the things I would want you to know.

Another is an ancient definition of happiness which has meant a lot to me: “Happiness is the exercise of one’s vital abilities along lines of excellence in a life that affords them scope.”

Actually, that means two things, Lisa. First, it means that you will be happy if you are doing your thing — not necessarily achieving excellence, simply reaching for it — in a life that allows you to do so. But, it also means that happiness is something we all deliver to ourselves. No man can deliver happiness to you. No amount of loving children. No money, no status, etc. Only Lisa can make Lisa happy — and then all those wonderful alternatives like husbands, and children and money and other material things, however important they may be (and I do not mean to minimize their importance) are all extras. I repeat that I don’t mean to minimize the love of a mate or a child. I intend only to emphasize that you cannot accept that love until you deliver the essence of happiness to yourself.

There is a hope that I have for you, too. It is the hope that you go through life trusting and not wary. If you go through life trusting, you may get hurt just a little bit more, but you will never miss any of the action. If you go through life a little too wary, you may not get stepped on here and there, but you will miss far more than you will avoid.

The last thing that I would like to offer you, at the invitation of your uncle, is to remember that success is a question of how you collect your minutes. From the time you wake up each morning and do the first thing you promised yourself you would do last night, you are dealing with success or failure. For example, you promise yourself that you would get up promptly at eight and you do it. Success! Tell yourself that, immediately upon arising, you will do ten minutes of calisthenics, and you don’t. Failure! Try to make the successes outnumber the failures — and most important, count them all. If you start each day counting all the tiny successes — they have a way of adding up. Each one takes you to another plateau and so you climb through your days, your successes escalating all the while.

Have a good, happy, healthy and productive life, Lisa.

Sincerely,
Norman Lear

Source: Letters of Note website

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent email:

Hard times are like strong storms that blow against you. And it’s not just that these storms hold you back from places you are trying to go. They also tear away from you all but the essential parts of your ego that cannot be torn, so that you are left only with the foundation of who you really are.

Ultimately you realize you are here to endure these storms, to sacrifice your time and risk your heart. You are here to be bruised by life. And when it happens that you are hurt, or betrayed, or rejected, let yourself sit quietly with your eyes closed and remember all the good times you had, and all the sweetness you tasted, and everything you learned. Tell yourself how amazing it was to live, and then open your eyes and live some more.

Because to never struggle would be to never grow. You must let go of who you were so you can become who you are. Again, it is within the depths of the strongest and darkest storms that you often discover within you an inextinguishable light, and it is this light that illuminates the path forward.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her book, Let It Be Easy: Simple Ways to Stop Stressing & Start Living, life coach Susie Moore shares insightful gems. Here’s one of my favorites:

Did you know that perfectionism has nothing to do with high standards? It’s about failure anxiety.

A perfectionist rarely works at more than 50 percent of their potential. They’re afraid to take risks. Afraid to ask for help. Afraid to get it wrong. The common theme? Fear.

What if good enough actually is good enough? The most prolific, high-producing, creative, and successful people I know have a big bias toward action. They aim for excellence, not perfection (which doesn’t exist, anyway).

And they reap more. There’s a Spanish proverb, “More grows in the garden than the gardener knows he has planted.”

Reaping is for the planters, even messy planters. I think to myself, If this piece of work, meal, outfit, whatever, is an 8 out of 10, that’s good enough!

Better a bourgeoning, boppin’, wild, alive backyard than the perfectly coiffed rose garden that never blooms.

Source: Let It Be Easy, p. 140.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A longtime fan of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I picked up Warrior of the Light, an inspirational companion to the fable. The following passage is my favorite:

The Warrior hears someone say: “I need to understand everything before I can make a decision. I want to have the freedom to change my mind.”

The Warrior regards these words suspiciously. He too enjoys that freedom, but this does not prevent him from taking on a commitment, even if he does not know quite why he does so.

A Warrior of the Light makes decisions. His soul is as free as the clouds in the sky, but he is committed to his dream. On his freely chosen path, he often has to get up earlier than he would like, speak to people from whom he learns nothing, make certain sacrifices.

His friends say: “You’re not free.”

The Warrior is free. But he knows that an open oven bakes no bread.

Source: Warrior of the Light, p. 47

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

I find these four-word quotes inspiring:

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt from Mary Morrissey’s recent release, Brave Thinking:

One of my favorite stories that demonstrates the power of paradigm is about an old man who was fishing off a dock, reeling in one fish after another. Next to him stood a bucket and a ruler that was snapped off at the ten-inch mark. The fisherman would throw out his line and every so often, he’d reel in a little fish. Then, he would carefully unhook his catch and lay it down alongside his ruler. He would toss any fish measuring eight or nine inches into his bucket. Pretty soon, there was a big tug on the line. The old guy fought hard with the fish and finally reeled in a beauty. It must have been over a foot long. He placed it alongside his ten-inch ruler, then promptly threw his fish back into the water.

A young man who was new to fishing had been watching the other fellow for hours. Did the older fellow know something he didn’t? Maybe there was an ordinance against catching bigger fish? Overcome with curiosity, he broke the silence. “Gosh, I’ve been watching you all afternoon, and that was the biggest fish you caught so far. It was a beauty. I don’t get it. Why did you throw it back?”

The old man looked up at him and shrugged. “I’ve only got a ten-inch frying pan.”

Our frying pan is the size of the life we know. The Infinite sends us fish, ideas, to nourish us, to build our dreams. When it sends an idea that is bigger than the frying pan, we discard it. We throw it back into the sea of ideas, saying, “No, that won’t fit.” Our paradigms tell us we don’t have the time, the money, or the wherewithal. You can allow an idea into your life, even if you do not know how to achieve it. The Infinite’s currency is ideas. The people who realize their dreams are the ones who are careful not to discard the ideas that can nourish them and lead them to a more abundant life. They realize their frying pan does not span a mere ten inches; rather, its breadth is infinite. When an inspired idea comes your way, let it nourish you.

Source: Brave Thinking, pp. 218-219

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent blog post:

Have patience with everything that remains imperfect or unfinished in your head and heart. And realize that patience is not about waiting, but the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard to stay true to your intuition and values. This is your life, and it is governed by your choices. May your actions speak louder than your words. May your daily choices preach louder than your lips. May your inner sense of satisfaction be your noise in the end.

And if your present life only teaches you one thing, let it be that taking a passionate leap is always worth it. Even if you have no idea where you’re going to land — even when there are so many unknowns — be brave enough to stand up and listen to your heart.

Remember that the most powerful moments in life happen when you find the courage to let go of what can’t be changed. Because as Viktor Frankl said, when you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself — to grow beyond the unchangeable. And that changes everything!

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her book, Let It Be Easy: Simple Ways to Stop Stressing & Start Living, life coach Susie Moore shares insightful gems. Here’s one of my favorites:

Have you ever noticed the overuse of the word sorry, especially by women? We overapologize like crazy! Here are some easy replacements:

Instead of saying, “So sorry I’m a couple of minutes late,” you can say, “Thank you for waiting.”

Instead of saying, “Sorry I messed up,” you can say, “I’ll fix that right now, thanks for pointing it out.”

Instead of saying, “Sorry to bother you,” you can say, “Hey, do you have a moment?”

Saying “sorry” is often a reflex, but it doesn’t have to be. You’re meant to take up space in this world! There’s no prize for being small or unbothersome. Words have power. And so do you.

Source: Let It Be Easy, p. 268