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 inspiring story from a recent email:

Once upon a time, a father guided his daughter into their home’s garage and said, “You just graduated and I want to give you something special. This is a car I bought a long time ago, and it’s very special to me. But before I give it to you, I want you to take it to a car dealer in the city and see how much money they’d offer you for it as a trade-in.”

The daughter came back to her father a few hours later and said, “They offered $1,000 because the car looks really old and can’t easily be sold in their showroom.”

The father replied, “Hold on to it until tomorrow and take it to the used car dealer near your apartment when you get a chance.”

The daughter returned to her father the next afternoon and said: “They only offered $500 because it’s a really old car, and it needs a new paint job and some other mechanical work the sales guy said.”

The father smiled and then asked his daughter to take a short drive with him in the car, to show the car to a passionate automobile club he used to belong to when he was younger.

When they arrived at the automobile club’s weekly meet-up, two people in the club immediately offered the daughter competing bids of $75,000 and then $80,000 in cash. Because, as one of the club members told her, “It’s an extremely rare car that is in good condition for it’s age, and super difficult to find in working order.”

Then the father turned to his daughter and said, “I just wanted to let you know that you are not worth anything if you do not know your own worth, and if you are not in the right place. So, whenever you are feeling unappreciated for a prolonged time, do not be angry; that simply means you are in the wrong place. Don’t stay in a place or situation where no one sees your value. And most importantly, don’t stay in a place or situation that prevents you from seeing your own value.”

Let this story sink in, and keep reminding yourself…

1. Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go and move on to a better place.

2. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

3. When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.

4. Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive and full of present potential.

5. No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

6. When other people treat you poorly, keep being you. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness or ignorance change the person you are.

7. Spend more time with those who see your worth, and less time with those who you feel pressured to impress…

And whatever you do, don’t wait around too long for things to change. New paths are made by walking, not waiting. And no, you shouldn’t feel any more confident before you take the next step. Taking the next step is what gradually builds your confidence.

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.

I highly recommend reading When You’re Ready, This is How You Feel by Brianna Wiest. Here’s an inspiring and thought-provoking excerpt:

If fortune favors the brave, then it also prefers the bold.

Not only do you need to have a strong vision about what you want to create next in your life, you also need to be ambitious. You need to think beyond the limits of your current perspective. You need to be daring.

This isn’t just because aiming higher inevitably raises your expectations overall, but also because boldness often tells you what you’re actually capable of, though you might not yet believe it.

If you’re willing to believe that something might be possible for you—it already is.

The virtue of you even being willing to consider it means that it’s somewhere within your realm of possibility already. It’s just a matter of first realizing it, and then acting on it.

Source:When You’re Ready, This is How You Feel, p. 114.

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 reflection from international speaker and bestselling author Joyce Meyer:

Have you fallen into a rut of negativity lately? Perhaps you are tired or dealing with a situation that causes prolonged stress, and you feel your joy is at an all-time low. I want to encourage you to take life one day at a time, so just for today, determine to get your joy back by thinking positively about every circumstance in your life.

You can begin to stir up your joy by realizing that any situation could be worse than it is and knowing that you are not alone in your struggle. People everywhere face challenges, and some are dealing with circumstances far worse than anything you or I could even think of.

Next, in everything you face today, ask yourself, “What is one good thing about what I am going through right now?” Or, “Where can I find just a little bit of joy in this situation, just for this day?”

I do understand that some situations are intensely difficult, sad, or emotionally draining. In those cases, simply whispering “God will never leave me or forsake me. He is with me” will help turn negative thoughts to positive ones. Whatever your circumstances are today, decide to think positively about them—and watch your joy increase. Tomorrow is another day, and you can do the same thing all over again.

Source: Strength for Each Day by Joyce Meyer

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:

Even when you’ve had a rough day. Even when you didn’t get much sleep last night. Everyone has tough days. Why do some people suck it and smile, while others feel the need the broadcast their pain and despair? This kind of inconsistency isn’t only harmful for the people who interact with the individual. It’s very harmful for the individual herself/himself.

Inconsistency is destructive, and you will find it leads down many different roads that you don’t want to go down. It can lead to a feeling of victimhood, it can lead to broken relationships, and it can lead to a feeling of being out of control, tossed by the waves of chance and life, really not making your own decisions. But when you start choosing your behavior, when you start intentionally being consistent, you’ll find your outlook on life changing.

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, 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do, psychotherapist Amy Morin shares the following inspiring anecdote:

In 2008, Barbara Corcoran landed one of the highly coveted spots as a shark on the ABC series Shark Tank. But shortly after she signed the contract accepting the position, she received a call from producers saying they had changed their minds. They had decided to cast another woman in the role.

Rather than walk away with her head down, Barbara fought back. She wrote an email to the show’s producer, Mark Burnett. She didn’t demand the job, though. Instead, she asked for a chance to prove herself. She also didn’t complain or play the role of a victim. She painted herself as someone who was able to bounce back and beat the odds. And she outlined the reasons why she was the best person for the job.

In the message, she gave him three reasons why he should consider inviting her and the other woman to audition:

1. I do my best when my back is against the wall.

2. If you have both ladies in L.A., you can mix it up a bit and see which personalities make the best combination for your show.

3. Last, I’ve known from the get-go the shark role is a perfect fit for me.
Barbara went on to say she’d booked her ticket to L.A. already, and she hoped to be headed to an audition.

Her email worked. She was given an opportunity to prove herself, and she landed the job. She’s gone on to become a fan favorite.

While begging for an opportunity will make you come across as desperate, telling someone you would like a chance to prove yourself shows you feel confident. Of course, you might want to think twice about calling someone who rejected you for a job or someone who rejected you for a date. But there may be times in life where it’s worth saying, “Even though you don’t believe in me now, I’d like a chance to show you I’m up for the job.”

Source: 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do by Amy Morin,
pp. 211-212

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.

Award-winning author Terri Trespicio shares this inspiring story in her recent release, Unfollow Your Passion:

In 2013, voice teacher Sarah Horn was called up out of an audience of several thousand at the Hollywood Bowl to sing “For Good” from the show Wicked, with the woman who originated the role of Glinda on Broadway, the one and only Kristin Chenoweth. Horn did not plan for this to happen, which would have been impossible.

When Chenoweth asked who knew the song, Horn simply raised her hand. She got up onstage and proceeded to sing the song, blowing away not just her friends and thousands of people but Chenoweth herself, who was visibly taken aback by Horn’s performance. Her friend caught it all on his phone in the last few seconds of memory he had, and that video went viral overnight, racking up more than a million views in twenty-four hours.

Not only was that an incredibly exciting and lucky moment, but it opened doors for Horn, who was invited back by the Hollywood Bowl two weeks later to emcee an event, and it continues to draw all kinds of opportunities to her. Horn said it’s as if she had saved up all the luck in her whole life for that moment.

She didn’t plan it, no—but she was prepared. When you watch that performance, you see a woman crushing onstage with a major star—but what you don’t see, says Horn, is what allowed her to turn a lucky moment into a life-changing one. What you don’t see, she says in her TEDx talk, are the weekly voice lessons she’d had since she was eight; the times she sang when she was sick, so that she could make sure she could sing without sounding sick; the hours spent singing “For Good” on repeat in her bedroom, memorizing the harmonies on both parts.

What happened was a chance thing, for which she had no warning, no plan, but when the planets lined up for one miraculous moment, she was ready. And all that discipline, that preparedness, she said, led to what she calls her “moment of freedom.” Because that’s what you’re seeing there: a woman who committed to her craft and had planned on nosebleed seats that day—not on being “discovered.” Planning for any of that would have been crazy, but if she hadn’t been prepared it wouldn’t have happened.

Source: Unfollow Your Passion, pp. 189-190

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 highly recommend reading When You’re Ready, This is How You Heal by Brianna Wiest. Here’s an inspiring and thought-provoking excerpt:

If you wait for perfect circumstances to take the leap, start the business, build up what you already have, make a life change, move, course-correct, go on an inner journey, travel, start investing, find peace, be grateful, enjoy what you have or begin your new adventure—you will be waiting forever.

Perfect circumstances do not exist.

There are certainly cases where some times may be more advantageous than others, and timing itself is important, but it’s also out of your control.

You can’t exist in a perma-state of waiting for something outside of you to shift before you feel like you have the green light to shift something within.

You have to start now. You have to adapt here. You have to do what you can with what you have.

Even if some circumstances are less than ideal than others, if you’re subconsciously looking for a reason to play it safe, you’ll always find one. You’re never going to wake up one day and feel completely ready, completely fearless, completely assured.

You arrive there by beginning, and then continuing, despite every reason why you shouldn’t, or thought you couldn’t, or previously wouldn’t.

You have to stop waiting for perfect circumstances.

You have to create them.

Source:When You’re Ready, This is How You Feel, pp. 105-106