Well, this year I feel like that is happening to me in terms of my true authentic voice.  It wants to speak and share with others.  My inner voice is trying hard to be heard; it keeps making noise so that I will listen to it.  Therefore, by writing and sharing; I am nourished and strengthened.

Strengthening our souls, using our voices, and nourishing our authentic selves are as essential to living a healthy life as eating is.

Since I love sharing with others, I am passing this knowledge on to you. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!

Here are some inspiring words to start your week! My youngest sister got me this poster as a birthday present and I absolutely love it! I am so thankful for this beautiful present that I have it hanging in a position to see it while I am writing.

This poster's words help. Proof: I finished my very rough draft for my NaNoWriMo book. Wohoo!! 50,000+ words in a month = DONE.  I got my badge for finishing too ( see it in the sidebar).

I have interviewed many people for my #FuelPersistence series about how they persevere through many types of obstacles.  After Tamarisk reached out and shared her story with me, I had to ask her to be part of this series.  She is a brave indidivual who perseveres despite the challenges she is presented with in life.  Tamarisk has really inspired me, and I thank her for talking about difficult subjects.  It was really fitting to hear from an individual who is at high-risk of developing cancer, as many people in my life have been affected by cancer. As Tamarisk describes herself: "I’m a Connections Catalyst. Awesome title, right? Yeah, I made it up because ‘life coach’ doesn’t remotely sum up who I am, what I believe, or how I show up in the world. My purpose is to help you get more of what you want by showing you how to create the foundation from which to get it. We’re talking: greater confidence, clarity, and commitments around your emotional and spiritual well-being."

Thanks, Tamarisk, for sharing with us the lessons you have learned throughout your life! Read Tamarisk's interview below and feel free to leave comments afterwards :)

Perhaps you were like me; you never really thought death or serious illness would happen to you or to someone you cared about deeply.  Then one day, you get the news.  Trust me, how you cope with it makes all the difference. I initially wrote this post months ago, but after hearing many stories of illness recently, I thought it would be fitting to share this story now.

Why does it take hardship for people to realize a person’s character?

Let me explain. 

Recently, I made a mistake, and I’m the first to admit it.  You see, I befriended someone and we got super close and chatted regularly. Then all of a sudden, this person stopped talking to me for the period of a month (this can seem like forever if you talk to someone a lot). 

I thought the reason they pulled away had to do with me.  I am guilty of this - if someone pulls away or is upset, my first instinct is to believe that I am to blame. These are the thoughts that came into my head as soon as this person stopped talking to me: “I am the one to blame. What did I do wrong? Was it something I said? What was our last conversation?” I was really hurt that they stopped communication.

Jessica Larsen is a word-wrangler, story-seeker and general lover of wonder + whimsy. She loves green smoothies, summer evenings, and motivational movie montages. She is actively pursuing a life of inspiration, adventure and truth. By day, you can find her giving legal and policy advice to the Government. By night, she is a cape-wearing online superhero who writes, pontificates and inspires over at www.sparrowandsea.com and Hello Wordsmith. Thanks, Jess, for sharing with us the lessons you have learned throughout your life! Keep writing, smiling, and sharing your story! 

Over the years I have received the comment that I’m too nice when responding with anything that life throws at me. The comment is usually seen as a bad thing – that I didn’t handle the situation properly.

Our society tends to favour loud and aggressive people. I have been told that I should be more assertive to get ahead in life.   However, when they mean be more assertive, they mean aggressive and loud.  Just because I don’t respond in the same way that they do doesn’t mean my opinion is less valuable or I’m less powerful than them.  Sometimes their opinions and comments are hard to ignore; you always hear them because they make a lot of noise. However, I truly believe actions speak louder than words.

I love combining my images and favourite quotes. Here is one I made for you. Motivational words to tell yourself each morning!

I just realized something about myself, well I have known it for a long time actually. I perform better and am happier when it is sunny outside. This realization became very apparent today when the sun appeared and suddenly my energy level skyrocketed.

Then it dawned on me that some of my readers may not be feeling bright in spirits today and may need an extra dose of sunshine. Perhaps your dampened spirit is due to a darkened day, harsh words from a critic, or you are dealing with a difficult time in your life. I have been there and just wanted to tell you that the sun will be shining again soon. PERSEVERE! Therefore, this post is dedicated to all of us who could use more sunshine in our lives. Especially to a reader whose appearance was criticized harshly by her boss today and she needs some cheering up. She's a beautiful person inside and out. Don't let the mean words of others ruin your day! Focus on the positive.

I found out yesterday that I won Best Body Image Blogger for the 2012 Nourishing Body Image Awards.  I'm honoured and humbled as this award came from you my readers.  You all took the time to nominate me and continue to support the work that I'm doing.  This award is not just for me - it's for you!  I may write Arianna's Random Thoughts but the site would be NOTHING without my readers and supporters.  We are all in this together. 

My birthday is coming up this week.  In the past couple of years, I felt like a failure around this time of year because I was reminded of milestones of adulthood that I hadn’t yet achieved. However, this year my outlook has changed and I am embracing the day!

I have interviewed many people for my “Profiles of Perseverance” series about how they persevere through many types of obstacles.  After watching Krissy's TEDTalk online, I had to ask her to be part of this series.  I'm so blessed she agreed to take part. She really inspired me!  I'm so glad I heard her speak.  Krissy Moehl is a Ultra trail runner, event promoter of Runner Girl Races, Coach,  Patagonia Ambassador,  and a 2 time Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc champion. She is an awesome woman!  I love the work she is doing! I really respect her and think she has a powerful mission. Thanks, Krissy, for sharing with us the lessons you have learned throughout your life! Keep running, smiling, and sharing your story!