“What am I going to do with all my pennies?”

This thought crossed my mind while I was cleaning my room last weekend.  I have a cup full of pennies that I have been randomly collecting as spare change. The pennies just sit in a cup in my room occupying space.

Asnat Greenberg is an economist, an artist, and a writer. She worked in the Bank of Israel for 20 years as a Senior Economist, managing billions dollars worth of foreign investments. A few years ago, she followed her heart, left the Bank of Israel, and began to create art, exhibiting in the US and in Europe. Asnat is married, has three children, and lives in Jerusalem, Israel. Her art can be seen at: www.helen-and-asnat.com. Her book, Secrets of Kindness: A Journey among Good People, that has been published recently, is the story of her journey through the world of altruism. This fascinating mosaic of interviews with good people forms an impressive and inspiring document showing the human spirit at its best.

I'm excited to share this personal post with you about how I learned to embrace my body.  I hope you enjoy it! Also, check out my interview with The Gold Zebra as I'm featured as blogger of the week starting today.

The journey to stand taller ( i.e., stand/walk tall means to be proud of yourself and confident of your abilities) started with a purchase. A few years ago, I bought the prettiest pair of high heels. The best part about them is they are four-inch heels. Now I know, you are probably thinking, “Arianna, WHY are you sharing your purchase with us?!”

Do you ever feel like you get “random” messages from people just at the time you need them?

Ever since I made mention that I was writing and publishing my book, I was suddenly connecting with people and opportunities that would help me on my path. One of those opportunities was an invitation to share about my book through a game of “blog tag” sent to me by a fellow writer and coach. For “blog tag” (also referred to as The Next Big Thing), a bunch of writers answer 10 questions about their latest writing or writing-in-the-works. Then s/he tags five more writers, who repeat the process. It's a way for us to get our stuff out into the world and to find out more about this growing group of other writers — what makes them tick, why they write, what's new in their world and more.

Happy 2013! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.

I'm looking forward to getting back to posting regularly after January 12th (when my book is done).  I have some wonderful "Profiles of Perseverance" interviews and personal stories to share with you.

Other than spending time with loved ones, I devoted my time to finishing my book "Stand Tall & Speak From the Heart: How to Find Your Way," which is due out this month.   As a result of all the writing I am doing, I chose a song of the week which has helped the process.  The song is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield which encourages me to be vulnerable and write.  Natasha is an amazing singer and songwriter who speaks from her heart. I hope you like it!

On December 31st, I always take time to reflect on the events of the past year and the lessons I have learned.  Through the ups and the downs, I have experienced so much this last year and I would love to share 12 important lessons with you. 2012 was an amazing year for me. Let me share with you my reasons why through the top 12 lessons:

As you know, I love sharing inspiring stories to #fuelpersistence in jobseekers and new graduates. So, when a good friend of mine, Ruvini Godakandae, sent me this post I had to share it, as it holiday themed . I love how even though Ruvini has an obstacle in her path (being unemployed), she perseveres, reaches out, and inspires others! She now contiues to do so through being an employment educator (December, 2015). Thanks, Ruvini, for helping others shine! 

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!!! This is one of my favourite times of the year.

My favourite gifts to receive at Christmas, other than spending time with those I care about, are cards.  I love hearing people's updates on their lives and the simple action of telling me that they care means a lot.  It doesn't matter if the card comes in an email or paper format - the point is they sent it.  I have a box of all the cards I have been sent over the years.  They mean a lot to me.

“Never, ever, ever, give up!” You may have to adapt your course like I have, but trust me don’t quit! I have persevered through many obstacles in my life; the most recent occurred within the last year. Instead of giving up, I changed my approach.  Doing so has made all the difference to achieving my goals.

Through my research and athletic experience at graduate school, I saw a need to reduce bullying in sport. The research I had conducted focused on creating effective school-based bullying prevention programs.  However, towards the end of my studies, it became very apparent that prevention cannot only occur in formal classroom settings (as these programs were using). I believe this needed to reach beyond the classroom. After I graduated, I wanted to improve the climates of educational and athletic environments by focusing on healthy relationships.

I found out earlier today that my blog Arianna's Random Thoughts made the list (#14) of the Top 50 Personal Development Blogs of 2012.  I'm so humbled and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You guys rock!  Here are some of the beautiful nominations that my blog received:

I really appreciate you all for taking the time to vote, read my blog, share your stories, and be a source of hope in this world. I couldn't have received this without you as 35% of your blog award score is based on reader participation and voting. This award goes to you as well. Thank you for believing in my message and adding your voices and/or random thoughts to the conversation! :)

As I mentioned in my last post, I found my answer to the question “Who are your role models?” To me, my role models are individuals who have the courage to be real, to be vulnerable, to be themselves, and to share their journeys.

Janine Shepherd certainly fits those criteria.

I was introduced to her TedTalk after a friend and fellow blogger shared Janine's talk on her blog. I cried the first time I watched it.  Thank you Amelia for introducing me to Janine's powerful story and for sharing your personal journey!

Someone asked me "Who are your role models?", and to be honest, I had a hard time answering it.  I couldn’t think of very many females of my generation (i.e., in their twenties) who I wanted to aspire to be like.  The person who asked me the question was looking for examples of famous people.

I have had encounters with some famous people who I looked up to when I was a child, but when I met them in person years later, they were unfriendly and standoffish. I lost respect for them as the image they portray in the media is disconnected from the real version of themselves.  There are many people that are the same onscreen as they are in person; those I respect and model after.