Category Archives: Inspiration

Make Peace with Imperfection

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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.

One of my go-to books for inspiration is Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Here’s one of my favorite passages:

The need for perfection and the desire for inner tranquillity conflict with each other. Whenever we are attached to having something a certain way, better than it already is, we are, almost by definition, engaged in a losing battle. Rather than being content and grateful for what we have, we are focused on what’s wrong with something and our need to fix it. When we are zeroed in on what’s wrong, it implies that we are dissatisfied, discontent.

Whether it’s related to ourselves—a disorganized closet, a scratch on the car, an imperfect accomplishment—or someone else’s “imperfections”—the way someone looks, behaves, or lives their life—the very act of focusing on imperfection pulls us away from our goal of being kind and gentle. This strategy has nothing to do with ceasing to do your best but with being overly attached and focused on what’s wrong with life. It’s about realizing that while there’s always a better way to do something, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy and appreciate the way things already are.

The solution here is to catch yourself when you fall into your habit of insisting that things should be other than they are. Gently remind yourself that life is okay the way it is, right now. In the absence of your judgment, everything would be fine. As you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas of your life, you’ll begin to discover the perfection in life itself.

Source: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, pp. 11-12

My Word for 2022

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I am resurrecting a tradition that I started in 2015, continued in 2016 and 2017, and then stopped. Not sure why I stopped, but I now feel the need to anchor 2022 with a word. A single word that drifted into my consciousness toward the end of 2021: Simplify.

In November, I found myself decluttering and organizing, organically and digitally, and taking great pleasure in the results. I have decided to continue this paring down of non-essentials and streamline other aspects of my life.

In short, I intend to release what no longer serves me.

I like this definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary…

a : to reduce to basic essentials
b : to diminish in scope or complexity
c : to make more intelligible : clarify

And these quotations…

Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann

SIMPLIFY ♦ SEMPLIFICARE ♦ SIMPLIFIER ♦ SIMPLIFICAR ♦ VEREINFACHEN ♦ FORENKLE

Have you selected a word for 2022?

Honoring Betty White

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Betty White passed away on Friday, less than three weeks away from celebrating her 100th birthday. Actress, comedienne, author, and animal rights activist, she is one of Hollywood’s most beloved icons. Best known for her roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, Ms. White had a television career that spanned more than eight decades. In the 2014 edition of “Guinness World Records” she was certified as the longest ever female entertainer.

My favorite quotations from Betty White:

Butterflies are like women — we may look pretty and delicate, but baby, we can fly through a hurricane.

In my head, I’m the ultimate cougar. Animal lover that I am.

I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.

The older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.

Retirement is not in my vocabulary. They aren’t going to get rid of me that way.

You don’t fall off the planet once you pass a given age. You don’t lose any of your sense of humor. You don’t lose any of your zest for life, or your lust for life.

I know it sounds corny, but I try to see the funny side and the upside, not the downside. I get bored with people who complain about this or that. It’s such a waste of time.

Everybody needs a passion. That’s what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints.

It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.

I have no regrets at all. None. I consider myself to be the luckiest old broad on two feet.

Step Forward to Whatever Is Calling You

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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.

Whenever I need strong doses of inspiration and motivation, I reread the following excerpt from You’ve Got This! by Margie Warrell:

Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh once wrote that it is not impermanence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they’re not. So, if you are struggling with the fact that something in your world has shifted in a direction you don’t much like, consider what it is about your life right now, today, that you are not savoring fully given that it too, one day, will be gone.

To experience the richness of life, to dive deep into its waters and to avoid the perils of living only in its shallows, we must embrace its inherent impermanence, and open our hearts wide to whatever each moment holds—for all that it is and, every bit as importantly, for all that it isn’t. No thing is permanent. Every thing eventually falls away. Our children will grow up and leave home. Our parents die. Our firm bodies soften. Our vision dims.

Because life is the way that it is, it cannot stay the way it is.

Anything we cannot control is teaching us to let go. So don’t wait until the ground feels fully solid beneath you. Rather, feel grounded in yourself and step forward to whatever is calling you. Because those windows of opportunity that you see right now, they too shall one day close. And that surge of life energy beating within you, that too shall one day end. As Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote, “it is the denial of death that is partially responsible for people living empty, purposeless lives; for when you live as if you’ll live forever, it becomes too easy to postpone the things you know that you must do.”

Source: You’ve Got This! pp. 177-179

Virtual Book Tour: 52 Weeks of Writing

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome writer and coach Mariëlle S. Smith. Today, Mariëlle shares her affirmations and latest release, 52 Weeks of Writing.

10 Affirmations to Live Your Best Creative Life

As a writing coach, I come across so many limiting beliefs about writing and being a creative person. Below, you’ll find ten affirmations that will help you live your best creative life. Most of these affirmations can also be found in my Seven Simple Spreads series, in which I combine creativity, cartomancy (the reading of cards, such as those of the tarot or oracle cards), and chakra philosophy.

1. I honour my creativity

2. It’s safe for me to create

3. I deserve the joy and pleasure of living a creative life

4. I can create whatever I want to

5. I love everything about my creative self

6. I enjoy all parts of my creative journey

7. I walk my creative path with an open heart

8. I acknowledge and celebrate all of my creative wins

9. I trust my creative purpose

10. I easily turn my creative dreams into plans

Blurb

‘A brilliant, supportive, challenging workbook, highly recommend.’ Jamie Sands

You, too, can become the writer you’ve always wanted to be!

The 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner:

• makes you plan, track, reflect on, and improve your progress and goals for an entire year long;

• invites you to dig deep through thought-provoking prompts and exercises; and

• helps you unravel the truth about why you aren’t where you want to be.

Two years after publishing the first volume of 52 Weeks of Writing, writing coach and writer Mariëlle S. Smith brings you the updated third volume. Similar in style but reflecting the tweaks made to her coaching practice during the pandemic, 52 Weeks of Writing Vol. III is even better equipped to help you get out of your own way and on to the path towards success.

Ready to start living your writing dream? Order your copy now.

Excerpt

WRITING PROMPT

Each writing prompt is optional. If, for whatever reason, it does not speak to you, let it be. Who knows? It might make more sense to do the prompt later in the process.

Most writers are introverts and dread the visibility that comes with success. This might not be you, but to some of us this fear is what stops us from finishing our work. Because what if people read it and want to talk to us about it? What if we’re forced to leave the privacy of our desks and go out into the world, into the spotlight, with nowhere to hide?

If this resonates with you, know you’re not alone. Grab your journal or open a new document on your computer and set your timer to ten minutes. Now list all the good that could come with success.

If this is a fear you recognise all too well, keep this list close once you’ve finished it.

Purchase Links

Amazon | All Purchase Links

From the start, I knew 52 Weeks of Writing would be very different from the other craft books gracing my bookshelves. Reading about the author’s creative journey in the Introduction motivated me to implement a daily journaling habit focusing exclusively on writing. Everything from the themed quotes at the beginning of each week to the thought-provoking questions to the tracking sheets bears the imprint of a seasoned author and coach. While completing the exercises, I could easily imagine Ms. Smith at my side, encouraging me to dig deep and reveal my innermost thoughts.

Highly recommended!

Author Bio and Links

Mariëlle S. Smith is a writer, writing coach, and editor. She lives in Cyprus, where she organises private writer’s retreats, is inspired 24/7, and feeds more stray cats than she can count.

Website | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Instagram | YouTube

Giveaway

Mariëlle S. Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Mariëlle on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Stop Hovering Ten Feet Above Your Dream

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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 jolt of inspiration from bestselling author Bob Goff:

Next time you’re in an airplane, take notice of what happens right before you touch down. The pilot decelerates the plane—sometimes they even cut the engines after they get over the numbers at the end of the runway. When they do this, the plane is still hovering around ten or fifteen feet above the ground.

Have you ever wondered why the plane seems to float there over the runway for a while before touching down? It’s a phenomenon called “ground effect.” The wind traveling past the underside of the wing pushes against the ground and then pushes up against the wing from below. When you’re pursuing your ambitions, you can experience some ground effect too. It can keep you ten feet over your ambitions.

There’s something safe and comforting about the planning process, isn’t there? This happens to our ambitions all the time. The last step in this process is to stop all the planning already. Book the flight. Buy the ring. Host the first meeting in your living room. Whatever it is, stop hovering ten feet above your dream. You’re going to need to pitch forward a little more and get your wheels on the ground.

As you do this, don’t aim for perfection; look for proof that your ambition is taking shape in the world. Don’t think it will all go smoothly. Be ready for the jolt when you touch down. Block out all the reasons this could go wrong or why you shouldn’t try. Your ambition is worth it. All of it. It’s worth every sacrifice you’ll make to turn your idea to reality.

Source: Dream Big, pp. 200-201

Release Day – 40 Life Changing Events

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to announce the release of 40 Life Changing Events. My essay, “Honoring My Inner Sloth,” was selected as one of the stories for this anthology.

Blurb

In our constantly evolving world…

…where the unforeseen lies in wait.

Surprises abound.

In this latest anthology, 25 writers share events that have changed their lives. Some stories are tragic, others full of joy, but they all encapsulate the tenacity, resilience, and self-belief of the human spirit.

During these challenging times, with the world in turmoil, it is stimulating to learn from other people’s experiences.

What will you take away from these exceptional recollections that span the generations?

This fascinating compilation will encourage you to pause and reflect, with tales that offer much needed motivation and inspiration.

Get it now.

Excerpt (Honoring My Inner Sloth)

For too many years, I subscribed to the busy bee myth: Complete all given tasks and start on tomorrow’s To-Do List. That was my modus operandi for the first fifty years of my life. Or, more precisely, the first forty-nine years, seven months, and seven days.

All that changed with a diagnosis that came out of nowhere: Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Stage IIIB. To be truthful, my body had tried to communicate with me many years before the diagnosis. Persistent colds and bouts of bronchitis. Slow-healing bruises. Bone-crushing fatigue. Determined to soldier on without taking advantage of sick days or lazy weekends, I chose to ignore those whispers. But I knew all about them from the Oprah shows.

To this day, I get goosebumps when I recall those words of wisdom from television’s favorite teacher: “If you don’t pay attention to the whispers, it gets louder and louder. It’s like getting thumped inside the head like my grandmother used to do…You don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that; the whole brick wall falls down.”

While I was in the thick of it with family and workplace stress, I didn’t realize—or chose not to realize—that those whispers were about to break a sound barrier.

Buy Links

Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (US) | Amazon (AU)

There is Potential for Greatness in You

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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 today’s devotional in Trusting God Day by Day (Joyce Meyer):

Having potential doesn’t necessarily mean that it is absolutely going to happen. It just means that it can happen if we add the other right “ingredients” along with it. For instance, if I have a cake mix on the shelf in my kitchen, then I have the potential of having a cake. But just because that cake mix is on my shelf doesn’t guarantee that I am going to have cake. There are some things I must do to get it from a mix on the shelf to a cake on the table.

It’s the same with us. Many people today are wasting their potential because they are not developing what God has placed in them. Instead of developing what they have, they worry about what they don’t have, and their potential is wasted. They could have done something great, but they let the opportunity pass them by. You can make a difference in the world if you will develop what you have. But it takes time, determination, and hard work to develop potential into action or a result.

We are never fulfilled until we become all we can be. Each of us has a destiny, and unless we are pressing toward fulfilling it, we will be frustrated in life. Moving up to the next level requires a decision to press on, to let go of what lies behind, and refuse to be mediocre. I believe God wants to do more with your life than you ever imagined. I also believe God is looking for people to promote. You can be one of them. There is potential for greatness in you!

Source: Trusting God Day by Day, pp. 409-410

Honoring St. Nicholas

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated worldwide on the anniversary of his death, December 6th. Raised as a devout Christian, the third-century saint dedicated his life to serving the sick and suffering.

Later, he became part of the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus.

Here are ten interesting facts about St. Nicholas:

1. Born in the village of Patar on the southeastern coast of modern-day Turkey, Nicholas was inspired by the philanthropy of his parents. During their short lifetimes, they were devoted to serving the sick. Nicholas decided to continue their legacy. He began delivering gifts anonymously to needy people.

2. According to legend, three falsely accused men were about to be beheaded when Bishop Nicholas took the sword from the executioner’s hand. He then ordered the men to be freed. Afterward, the city’s ruler came forward and confessed to the crime.

3. Another well-known story…He saved three impoverished sisters from being sold into prostitution by paying their marriage dowries with three bags of gold.

4. During the Middle Ages, a group of French nuns started the tradition of bringing anonymous gifts to needy families on December 5th (St. Nicholas Eve). When the families awoke the following day and inquired about their benefactor, they received the following answer: “It must have been St. Nicholas.”

5. In Germany and Austria, children left out a boot for St. Nicholas and received small toys, coins, or candy.

6. After the Reformation, St. Nicholas was largely forgotten in Protestant Europe. Still, his memory was kept alive in Holland as Sinterklaas. On his feast day, St. Nicholas arrives on horseback, dressed in a bishop’s red robe, accompanied by a companion. The two men distributed sweets and gifts to good children and lumps of coal to bad ones.

7. The Dutch brought the tradition of “Sinterklaas” to North America when they founded New Amsterdam on the tip of Manhattan in 1621. English-speaking settlers corrupted the name, which evolved into Santa Claus.

8. After he was buried in a tomb near Myra, water believed to have healing powers formed in his grave. It is called the Manna of St. Nicholas.

9. He is the patron saint of many causes, among them sailors, travelers, clergy, school children, and thieves.

10. St. Nicholas Day traditions can be easily incorporated into the contemporary holiday season. Why not slip a small gift or surprise into a friend’s shoe or boot. Some suggestions: wrapped chocolate, a tree ornament, a stress ball, or a new pair of socks.

All the Little Things Make a Big Difference

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

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 bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their blog. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

Life isn’t about a single moment of great triumph and attainment. It’s about the trials and errors that get you there—the blood, sweat, and tears—the small, inconsequential things you do every day. It all matters in the end—every step, every regret, every decision, and every affliction.

The seemingly useless happenings add up to something. The minimum wage job you had in high school. The evenings you spent socializing with coworkers you never see anymore. The hours you spent writing thoughts on a personal blog that no one reads. Contemplations about elaborate future plans that never came to be. All those lonely nights spent reading novels and news columns and comics strips and fashion magazines and questioning your own principles on life and sex and religion and whether or not you’re good enough just the way you are.

All of this has strengthened you. All of this has led you to every success you’ve ever had. All of this has made you who you are today.

Truth be told, you’ve been broken down 1,000 times and put yourself back together again. Think about how remarkable that is, and how far you’ve come. You’re not the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even yesterday.

You’re always growing…stronger!

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