Have you ever felt like this?

I started on this path, by first creating a vision board to get a sense of what is important to me and what my goals are. A vision board is a visual display of the goals I would like to accomplish in my life.  Vision boards are really fun to make. If you haven’t made one, you should give it a try! You can check out mine here.

Soon after, I realized I needed to write a personal mission statement.  It took a bit longer than I had hoped, as I had many general ideas but needed to get specific.

I was watching Oprah's Lifeclass on OWN Network last night and was asked by a friend what my favourite moment ever on her show was.  Their question got me thinking and I thought I would share my answer with you.

I have had many favourite moments watching Oprah. However, I do have one favourite moment that stands out as life-changing.  It was on December 10, 2003, when Oprah had A.J. McLean from the Backstreet Boys on the show.  She gave A.J. a safe space to talk about his personal issues, and for the first time anywhere, he went public about his drug and alcohol addictions. His bandmates then joined him on stage for an emotional reunion, as their musical tour had been sidelined due to A.J.’s addictions.

Have you ever been so excited about an idea that you want it to develop and to be shared with others? Yet, you are unsure of how to do it. I have a solution, and it isn’t rocket science.  One of the best ways to develop your idea is to REACH OUT and connect with others.

I was in that boat about a year ago when I first started my blog.  Seriously, I thought only my friends and family would be reading it but I was eager to meet new people and start discussions.  Since I was new to the blogging world, I was a bit naive; I thought, “I’ll write great material, and a community will immediately develop.”  Boy was I wrong! I should have realized that building an online community is the same as building an offline one – it takes time and effort to develop.

Over the last month, I have been focusing my posts on perseverance.  I think it is such an important quality to possess and is essential to life. I have asked individuals to share their stories on how they overcame obstacles.  One of my loyal readers, Sarah L., wrote the following message on what perseverance means to her.  It is such a strong message, and I'm so thankful she reached out and shared with us. Thanks :)

I now have 72 reasons to be smile,  adding to the list from yesterday, as today I was suprised with two more reasons!!

The first is because I have been in touch with many inspiring inviduals over the past couple of weeks.  They have volunteered to share their stories with all of us.  I'm really looking forward to hearing what they have to say! Thanks :)

Secondly, I get to share with you my new promotional material. Amy designed this for me this afternoon and this poster is too beautiful not to share (I'm totally not biased :P).  I have received many queries as to the reasoning of my blog title.

I was sitting by the ocean this past weekend, and was rather pensive.  I find that when something hard happens in life, the event can often become one's main focus.  Sometimes you can magnify the event, so much so that it can seem to occupy most of your thoughts.  However, sitting by the water made me realize that there are so many things in this life to be happy about!  All you need to do is to shift your focus and remember all the reasons why you should be happy!

I am a strong believer that goals should be written down.  It is easy to set a goal (i.e., have a mental plan), but I think it is more effective to have the goals some place where you can refer back to them in detail.  I find if I have my goals written down somewhere, they provide me with a greater sense of accountability. Therefore, since spring is here and bathing suit season is just around the corner, I thought I would share a plan for getting back in shape.  Since many think their stomach is their problem area, I thought I would focus on strengthening our cores.  Check out the detailed plan below.  You can use this template for detailing any goal you wish to achieve.

My name is Kelsey Goodwin, and I am a people photographer. Arianna has asked me to share my story, because when you pursue any passion, its path is sure to be discouraging at times. I'm going to reflect on those times, the "lightbulb moments" I've gained as a businesswoman and how the support of those around me has always shone brighter than any setback.

Luckily, I had the chance to watch Ellen (aka The Ellen Degeneres Show) today. The last segment featured two guests and the host – all empowering stories of perserverance, hope, and inspiration!  

Ellen had Justin Bieber and his new artist, Carly Rae Jepsen, on her show.  All three individuals are examples that if you work hard, persist (or “Never Say Never”), follow your passion, overcome setbacks, and don’t let the critics take you off path: you can achieve your dream!

Each of these three celebrities had a different story and setbacks, but each let their times of struggle build their character and improve their inner strength.  Most importantly, they haven’t let their setbacks change who they are. 

I’m Sharon Hughes; from Perth, Western Australia.  I was raised in a large family (the eldest of 6).  We had a relatively adventurous life, growing up on the road – Dad was with the circus until marrying Mum, then he drove long haul trucks around Australia, with family in tow. We were often left with carnivals, the circus, acquaintances or our maternal grandmother, if dad and mum couldn’t take some or all of us with them. Unfortunately, because of dad’s mental illness, he was violent, so the adventures were often marred with sadness. I stuttered severely from the time I could speak, this meant constant taunts from fellow students and teachers at school, not to mention always being the new kid (due to moving around so much).  We went to over 20 schools around Australia (apparently).  I was taunted by dad, teased for stuttering and all sorts, my self-esteem sucked.

I love when messages come into our hearts at the moment we need them the most.  I had such a chance encounter today.

I went into a coffee shop this morning for my morning java, where I saw numerous people on their laptops.  As I was waiting in line, I overheard people talking about their favourite blogs.  There it hit me: my thoughts are online and totally public.  Anyone can access my blog and know the random thoughts that are going through my head. All of a sudden, I became a little anxious about “putting myself out there” through my blog.  I feared that people may judge me, thinking I am weak for exposing my insecurities and being vulnerable on my blog.

I am so delighted that Tina Steinberg is sharing her story with us. I came across Tina's jewelry when I was reading an article in a magazine and saw Kara Goucher wearing the "I am Not Afraid" necklace.  I loved the necklace and contacted her immediately to get one.  She is so talented.  I highly recommend checking out her site after you’ve read her post here. She has really inspired me. It is also through her that I met Amy Thackery, who designed my logo.  THANK YOU TINA!