Be gracious. Be you—a badass if you must. But no matter what, be your authentic self.

ON BEING A WOMAN

By all means pick up on good habits of those who have success. Make those people your mentors. Mimic their habits to maintain their same level of success. Those people who motivate & inspire have worked all their lives to be who they are. They know, even in their sleep, what they're doing. They've continuously worked on themselves and have learned their lessons to become who they are. 

Be gracious.

Be you—a badass if you must.
But no matter what, be your authentic self. 

But copying an ORIGINAL, just for the heck of it, or for something else other than the good it's intended for―well...there's a price for that. Because, if it's not your true self, and if you're not consistent in putting the work and dedication into it―sooner or later people will see the not so authentic side of you. 

― LRAEBROWN

the basic rule of success, or failure

RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A WRITER

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." 



I don't know where or who the quote above originated from, but it's definitely true.
And for the life of me I don't know why I still get disappointed when someone doesn't follow my guidance and advice, and as always, the inevitable result will happen. I am hopeful in my fifties I will be able to look at situations and analyze them clinically, without any emotions. For me, it's harder when children are involved and decisions are being made by their parents with a one-sided mindset.

I will say this: after 47 years, I've realized why only few excel and some stay average. Not that there's anything wrong with average, but you shouldn't go around living life as if you were cheated out of something, when all you wanted to do was average shit. There's a reason why some people excel at life, they're doing something different from the crowd with an extra-extraordinary mindset. And those are the basic rules of success, or failure.

― LRAEBROWN

We cannot help others if we do not consciously take care of ourselves.

I've spoken with 9 people in the last 24 hours who are facing challenging moments in their lives. Although I have a reputation of being a "strong-minded woman", at times it takes a toll on my spirit. 

RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A WRITER

Funny how little remnants of people's words and life's issues can have such an effect on the listener, even if it's not our own reality. We might not subconsciously notice it, but it does.

To be a giver of a listening ear, love, care, knowledge, time, or anything else having to do with "being there" for someone, we must consciously and consistently take care of ourselves as well. Or else there will be nothing beneficial for us to continue giving. 

As for me, I noticed how my thinking and reactions to situations this afternoon wasn't as optimistic as I would have liked it to be and how the gray, cold weather didn't help much with my mood. So, I bought me some flowers from the market to cheer up my environment, or at least make it a little bit more beautiful around me. 

Just like a vase with a crack cannot hold water to nourish the flowers, we cannot help others if we do not consciously take care of ourselves.

― LRAEBROWN