“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”
― Meister Eckhart
Archives for September, 2012
And suddenly you know…
Let’s be good to each other
I picked up a magazine a couple of weeks ago…a special ‘collector’s edition’ all about Mother Teresa. I was fascinated by her story, the gift of her life and her unending unselfishness…her soul-deep kindness for others, especially for those who were perhaps the most challenging to love.
Lately I’ve turned off the news and chosen to sit in the quiet instead of listening to a steady stream of noise noise noise. I am tired of listening to people argue and criticize and stretch the truth and berate one another and do anything for an inch of advantage. My ears are tired of it. My heart is tired of it.
I am ready for kindness. I am ready to be with people who sincerely try to understand one another’s points of view and life experiences. I am ready for courtesy. I am ready for respect. I am ready for looking out for the other guy, letting someone else have the first choice or that parking spot or a spot in line ahead of me. I am ready for more smiles, more holding doors, more offers of help, more sincere compliments, more words of encouragement, more lifting each other.
In a word, I am ready for more kindness. Aren’t you? I love what Mother Teresa had to say about it:
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”
Wouldn’t our days be more fun, more peaceful, more enjoyable, sweeter, less complicated, if we just decided to be good to each other?? I know that’s simplistic thinking, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, maybe there’s ‘everything right’ with that.
What do you think? What would it take? Can we all just be good to each other?? It has my vote.
love, kathy
Go where the PEACE is…(what does that even mean?)
It’s a phrase we use a lot at Brave Girls Club…”go where the peace is”. It has deep meaning for us and helps us immeasurably to make good decisions and choices. But today I received an email from a fairly new Brave Girl. She told me a bit about her life and some of the struggles she is facing, and asked if perhaps I could explain more fully what ‘Go where the peace’ means.
I did some hunting through our archives and found a particular “Little Bird Told Me” Daily Truth email message that explains this beautifully. All of us can use a reminder of exactly what this means and how it can bless our lives…so here goes, new brave girl…
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Dear Gorgeous Girl,
Peace is good. Peace is so so good. It is worth it to travel whatever lengths you need to go to feel peace. Often, peace is right in front of our face if we will just silence everything else out. Then sometimes we have to make really tough choices or go to great lengths to feel at peace. Whatever it takes, it is worth it. Always go where the peace is, especially the peace in your heart.
Peace is defined as in the dictionary as: freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity. But peace is also defined as the normal, non-warring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world (or ourselves!). Another definition of peace is silence; stillness.
Sometimes we are at war with our own selves, sometimes with an issue — an addiction or an illness. Making peace with that part of ourselves is a huge step toward peace. Sometimes we just have to COME to peace with it. Some things are a lifetime struggle, a part of us that we just have to come to peace with — and constantly seek peace inside of it — and help that part of ourselves seek for peace.
When making tough decisions, you will never regret making the decision that brings the most peace to your heart. Sometimes it doesn’t bring the most peace to your LIFE in the short term, but if it is what brings the most peace to your heart, that’s the place to go. Always go where the peace is.
Seek peace, sweet girl.
You are loved.
xoxo
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sending you so much love,
kathy
xoxo
PS. You can subscribe to receive our FREE “Little Bird Told Me” Daily Truth messages (like the one above) here.
you might feel alone, but you are not
When you’re feeling weak and confused and restless and tired and heartbroken and especially when you’re feeling like you’ll never find the right answers to all of life’s complexities…it always helps to remember that someone, somewhere, in some generation has been through the same feelings or even the same experiences that you are going through.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is how VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT it is that we write down what we are learning, what we have learned and what we are wanting to learn…..because, could John Wayne have known, when he lived between the years of 1907-1979 that when he said some things, or wrote some things down…and then I read it 50 or so years later….
that it would help me through a difficult decision or a rough day or a moment when I felt so blah inside that nothing could ever make me feel alive again?
“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life…Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” -John Wayne
Or….could Vincent Van Gogh, who died 80 years before I was even born, could ever have known that his words would illuminate the dark parts of my understanding?
”The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.” -Vincent Van Gogh
Thank heavens they took the time to write or speak their thoughts…..Here are some beautiful words from beautiful humans, who are so much like we are….
As you read these words….think of the people, known and unknown, who can greatly benefit from what you have learned, what you are trying to learn and what you have yet to learn. We all need each other so much.
“There is nothing to be gained by wishing you were someplace else or waiting for a better situation. You see where you are and you do what you can with that.” -Jacob K. Javits
“We’re given second chances every day day of our life. We don’t usually take them, but they’re there for the taking.” -Andrew M. Greeley
“….remember this maxim; Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world always yields; or if it beats you sometimes, dare it again and it will succumb.” -William Thackeray
“When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, til it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then…for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” -Harriet Beecher Stowe
“You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else.” -John Irving
“You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.” -Jimmy Carter
“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.” -Elbert Hubbard
“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock pile when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” -Antoine do Saint-Exupery
Love to you All,
Melody
12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People (like you!)
Happy Friday, Brave & Beautiful Friends!
Okay…a confession. As a bit of a geek and an organizer and a business person lo these many years, I didn’t really consider myself to be wildly creative…especially since I work every day with my sister, Melody, who is OFF THE CHARTS CREATIVE in every way.
She has always done her best to convince me (and others like me) that we are ALL creative souls, and yes, I have come to believe that that is VERY true…of myself and of every girl (and guy for that matter) out there. It’s part of our DNA, don’t you think, to be creative in a zillion different ways?
SO…Melody was forwarded a fabulous blog post this week entitled 12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People, and we all just fell in LOVE with it. The writer, Kim Phillips of Lucid Marketing, was kind enough to give us permission to re-print it here for all Brave Girls, so it’s our little Friday gift to you, courtesy of Kim!
12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People
We may not each have all of these 12 tendencies, but chances are, we all share at least some of them. (And I’m guessing that SOME of you have every single one of these characteristics! … guess what, I DO! A few years ago I never would have suspected that!! )
After you read it, let’s have some fun! Tell us in what ways YOU are creative in whatever it is you do every day. Be sure to introduce yourself, and tell us where you are from. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
Love you, you creative soul you…
kathy
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12 Most Striking Tendencies of Creative People
Reprinted with permission from the Lucid at Random blog.
Ever wonder what makes those wacky, creative types tick? How is it that some people seem to come up with all kinds of interesting, original work while the rest of us trudge along in our daily routines?
Creative people are different because they operate a little differently. They:
1. Are easily bored
A short attention span isn’t always a good thing, but it can indicate that the creative person has grasped one concept and is ready to go on to the next one.
2. Are willing to take risks
Fearlessness is absolutely necessary for creating original work, because of the possibility of rejection. Anything new requires a bit of change, and most of us don’t care for change that much.
3. Don’t like rules
Rules, to the creative person, are indeed made to be broken. They are created for us by other people, generally to control a process; the creative person needs freedom in order to work.
4. Ask “what if…”
Seeing new possibilities is a little risky, because it means that something will change and some sort of action will have to be taken. Curiosity is probably the single most important trait of creative people.
5. Make lots of mistakes
A photographer doesn’t just take one shot, and a composer doesn’t just write down a fully realized symphony. Creation is a long process, involving lots of boo-boos along the way. A lot goes in the trash.
6. Collaborate
The hermit artist, alone in his garret, is a romantic notion but not always an accurate one. Comedians, musicians, painters, chefs all get a little better by sharing with others in their fields.
7. Are generous
Truly creative people aren’t afraid to give away their hard-earned knowledge. The chef can give you the recipe because she knows you won’t make it like she does anyway.
8. Are independent
Stepping off the beaten path may be scary, but creative people do it. Children actually do this very well but are eventually trained to follow the crowd.
9. Experiment
Combining things that don’t normally go together can result in brilliance or a giant mess. Trial and error are necessary to the creative process.
10. Motivate themselves
There does seem to be a spark that creative people share, an urgent need to make things. They are willing to run the inherent risks of doing something new in order to get a new result.
11. Work hard
This is probably the most overlooked trait of creative people. People who don’t consider themselves to be creative assume that people who are creative are magical, that ideas just pop into their heads effortlessly. Experienced creative people have developed processes and discipline that make it look easy.
12. Aren’t alone
The good news is that it’s possible for everyone to be creative. There are creative accountants, creative cooks, creative janitors, creative babysitters. Any profession or any hobby can be made into a creative pursuit by embracing and using creative traits.
Do you consider yourself creative? (Say yes.) Finding something you’re really passionate about will help you take a chance and might just result in something wildly creative.
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Brave Girl Art School – Week One …. look at all of the STUDENT WORK!!! YAY!!!!
It is completely blowing our minds how amazing the art coming out of just WEEK ONE of Brave Girl Art School is….we keep hearing over and over again….”I didn’t know I could draw!” “I have never done anything like this before and I love it!” “I love the freedom of being able to make things imperfectly!” “this is so much fun! I feel like a creative little girl again!”
Malary went through the Brave Girl Art School Facebook page…where all sorts of wonderful sharing is going on between hundreds of Brave Girls from all over the world…….and she pulled out some random photos of the art that they are creating…this is just a very small portion of what is going on in there, it is all so wonderful! It is not too late to sign up!!!! WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT THE CLASS HERE
Check this out…they are JUST LEARNING this stuff…….and they are already making beautiful things like this!!! I am so happy and so amazed and so proud of everyone and we are all having SO MUCH FUN in the classroom!!!!!! COME JOIN US!!!!
It Amy Bowers
www.mamascout.com
- Amy Bowwww.mamascout.com
Ann Beardall Anderson
Anna Hodges Oginsky
http://heartconnected.blogspot.com/
Beth Rollison
Caroline Faulkner
Cathy Griffin
Christa Adair
www.creationsbychrista.blogspot.com
Crystal Thibodeaux Comeaux
Faith Forrester Schaffer
Janine Broscious
www.gentlespiritcreations.com
https://www.facebook.com/GentleSpiritCreations
Jen Ashenfelter
piecesofjen.com
Jennifer Flatt
jenniferflatt.blogspot.com
Judy Mountjoy
Kate Barton
Kelli Dean Mitchell
www.pinklemonadecompany.blogspot.com
Kelly Moore
Kelly Webb
Kristen Knittle Conley
Leeann Koesters
Lori Threinen Lewis
http://piecefulspirit.wordpress.com/
Maria McGuire
Martie Grant
Mary McNeill Homola
Missy Neubert Steffens
“Like” Sidewalk Revolution on Facebook
“Follow” us on Instagram @sidewalkrevolution for daily sidewalk chalk inspiration
Paula Sword
Robin Blackman
Robin Poynter
Even the kiddos are getting in on it!!! Isn’t this fantastic???
Evy Fortune
- Elsa Fortune
Scotti Fortune
September Radecki
Shae Otto
Sherry Nelson Evans
Sue West
http://susiepinkink.blogspot.com/
Susan Dietz
http://flutterbeforeyou.blogspot.com/
www.etsy.com/shop/flutterbeforeyou
http://www.facebook.com/flutterbeforeyou
Isn’t it just absolutely amazing!!!!!
We are learning SO MUCH and this is just after the first week…there is so much more to come! Hope to see you there soon!
xoxo
Winner winner chicken dinner!!!
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! We have a winner for our drawing from our “Four Little Words That’ll Change Your Life” post…The winner is Karen Moreno!!! Be sure you check out the post and all the AMAZING COMMENTS that all you smart, loving Brave Girls have left about little ways you’ve learned to keep peace in your home. I learned so much and had such a great time reading them all. Thanks for participating, and congrats, Karen! You have won a copy of our upcoming beauuuuuuuuutiful book…A Little Bird Told Me.
Sending much love to you all today!!
xoxo
kathy
PS. Karen, please send us your contact information. support@bravegirlsclub.com Congrats!!!
Four little words that’ll change your life…
Hi, braves! Melody and I have been neck deep in finishing up our upcoming incredibly beautiful book of Daily Truths (it’s all done and in production! more about that later-you won’t believe how beautiful it is!) and we have been neglecting this blog for a bit. We have tons of awesome things in the works for you, but we admittedly have a little gap this week. SOOOOOOOOOOO, know how loving and wonderful you all are, and how we are SURE that you understand that sometimes there are just weeks like this, I feel confident that you will forgive me for re-running a blog post from a year ago, one that I had tons of fun making!
READ THE POST BELOW, ANSWER THIS QUESTION, and we’ll do a drawing from the answers for a copy of the book! Here’s the question to answer in the Comments below:
What little trick have you learned in your marriage or relationships that helps to keep the peace?? (It can be super simple — like hanging the toilet paper right – whichever way that is for your someone special….or it can be something big and serious…your choice!). We’ll do the drawing by midnight on Wednesday (9-12-12 – MDT).
Just know how much we love you and think about you and talk about you every day. We wish there were many more hours in the day…we are learning, just as you are, how to do better every day. So please accept our apologies for this dry spell, and join in on this fun challenge if you like!
love,
kathy
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Four little words that will change your life…
I’m. Not. Kidding.
I’m going to share with you a secret phrase that will change your life, your marriage, your relationship with your kids, maybe even your relationship with your boss or co-workers!
You will be so thankful to know this secret that you might come to my house and shower me with home-made cookies and flowers…(actually, I REALLY love chocolate cake…so if you’re going to bring something, bring that.)
Here’s the deal, my brave friends…we women have an uncanny talent for keeping an internal catalog of all things… At any given time I’ll bet you could give me a good idea of where your daughter’s library book is, or where your hunky husband’s favorite baseball cap is, or where your teenager’s ipod is, or where your boss’s oh-so-important spreadsheet is…
Admit it.
And if you’re like me, it makes you NUTS because everyone KNOWS that you have this uncanny talent, and so you are like the family ‘Google’…everyone comes to you FIRST to find whatever it is they’re missing. Am I right??!
Knowing that we love our hunky husbands and our children and so on, we WANT to be helpful, but let’s admit that it can be slightly irritating to be asked countless times a day where this is, or where that is, and have you seen my?….
Here comes the secret….when said sweetly and with a nice smile, these four words will change your life…
This sounds NOTHING like ‘find it yourself’ or ‘do I look like I have time to find your stuff?’ or ‘if you would just keep your room clean you wouldn’t lose things!’. Instead, it sounds to their ears like, ‘I am oh-so-happy to help you find your lost whatever…just tell me where you’ve looked and I’ll put my day on hold while I find it for you.’
When I started answering my hunky husband with these simple little words, magic happened. He would immediately turn around with a puzzled look on his face as if he were thinking…”Hmmmmmm…where HAVE I looked? Where did I put that?….) and I would never hear about it again. Somehow, magically, mysteriously, he was able to find whatever little lost thing he was looking for WITHOUT MY HELP.
AND because I said it sweetly and lovingly and with a smile, he had no idea what I was really up to.
I’ve been using these magnificent little words for years now, and I’ve found that they work equal magic on all ages of people. As time goes on, they even start to look for things BEFORE they ask me! (Can you imagine?)
And guess what?
If they really have given it a diligent try and looked everywhere they possibly can, I am more than happy to help out. After all, I am a woman with that incredible feminine talent…
Chances are, I’ll know right where it is.
Change your life….try it.
Love you sooooooo much,
Kathy
Art School Tuition Winners!
THANK YOU to everyone who participated!! It is always so fun to read what you have to say!
Here are the winners:
Beatrice Arreola
Chris (who said: “I am most excited about Brave Girl Art School because it will broaden my horizons”)
Susan Arbeau
Kristie (who said: “I am most excited abut Brave Girl Art School because it ties right into all of my new beginnings! and I am so, so, so excited to explore, learn and C-R-E-A-T-E!”)
Nermin
Luz Maria Martin del Campo
crisann
Anna White
Deanna Hogan
Mary MG
and 5 more winners…..since it was a perfect weekend, and this class is gonna ROCK and we love you. 
Jennifer Benjamin
Gillian Morris Hart
Jana Cole Wilson
Stephanie Laub Sefcik
Katie Brannon Weas
WINNERS: Please email Kallie: kallie@bravegirlsclub.com to claim your tuition!!
Art School starts TOMORROW…hope to see you all there!!
PS We have sooooooo many photos to share with you, but just for a little teaser, look at this beauty…
what a perfect weekend!!!
BG on Pinterest
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