Three Life Lessons from Helen Keller

I just finished reading The Story of My Life by Helen Keller. I knew her story, or so I thought. She was the bratty little girl who threw tantrums because she couldn't see or hear, until Anne Sullivan came along and taught her how to communicate.

(And really, I shouldn't fault her for throwing a fit because she lived in darkness/silence, because I can't even fathom what that must have been like. No judgments here.)

What I didn't realize, though, was how motivated she was and how hard she worked to accomplish her goals.  

I mean, the girl worked her ass off. By the time she headed to college, she could already speak(!) and read multiple languages, AND she could do geometry. I had 20/20 vision (with contacts) and I couldn't figure geometry out (shapes! angles! numbers!).

But seriously: If a blind/deaf girl from the South can learn to read and speak French, there's no excuse for the rest of us.

So, here are three takeaways from the life of Helen Keller, and the quotes that inspired them:

1. Be Optimistic

2. Take Risks

3. Give 100%, and Stay the Course

And always: Be Brilliant (just like Helen). ;)

~Katie~

P. S. It goes without saying that I highly recommend reading her autobiography if you haven't already. After the temper tantrums subsided, Helen became a kind and generous soul determined to open doors for children like her, and to change our attitudes towards and understanding of them.  

On Winning

"Winning" isn't about impressing others.

Largely because it's impossible to impress all of the people all of the time.

(If you're a reformed people-pleaser--like me--this is a tough concept to wrap your head around.)

No, it's better to write your own definition of success: what it means to you. 

Because if we're doing important work--the work we're called to do--we should give zero f*cks about what the people around us think. 

Define success in your own terms--what it means to "win"--and start aligning your progress accordingly.

That is all.

~Katie~

On Shooting for the Moon

On yearbook day of my ninth or tenth grade year, a guy--we'll call him Kevin--scribbled a quote in black Bic along my inner spine:

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll still land among the stars."

I scoffed. 

What a loser. 

This was the late 90s, personal computers were finally making their way into homes, and I could picture Kevin at his desk, waiting patiently for his dial-up to connect (because back in the old days it took like, five whole minutes just to log on to the internet), searching for that perfect quote to enlighten us all--because he did, in fact, sign everyone's yearbook with the same mantra:

Shoot for the moon.

Shoot for the moon.

Shoot for the moon.

*sigh*

See, I wasn't exactly my best self in high school--wasn't sure where I fit in. It was hard being me when I didn't even know who me was. I had serial "best friends"--a new one every year, and struggled with opening up to people. If I'm honest with myself, all I really wanted was for everyone to like me (which, as we all know, is impossible).

I think that's all Kevin wanted, too--to be liked.

And despite four years of complete asshattery, Kevin wrote me a final yearbook message just before graduation. In sum, he didn't know how I managed to give him so much hassle, and still remain "nice."

Because at the end of the day, he still somehow thought I was a nice person. 

I should never have laughed at Kevin's yearbook quote, because fifteen years later I'm taking his advice. I'm shooting for the moon.

And that's what you should be shooting for, too. Because if we want to make an impact we have to stop thinking so small. We have to think big--bigger than we could possibly imagine. Because even if we miss our intended target, we've still taken that risk. Stepped outside our comfort zone. Left planet earth behind.

We're still soaring among the stars.

And it's a beautiful world up here.

So thanks, Kev. You were right all along. ;)

~Katie~

Wishing and Hoping

Kind Sir or Madam,

While you're sitting back wishing and hoping, someone else is stepping up and getting the hard work done.

It's simple, really....

If you want to be a painter, you should be painting.
If you want to be a blogger, you should be blogging.
If you want to launch a new business venture, you should be launching.

And if you drop by this blog every so often because you know me or have read my books and you think it would be cool to write one--that maybe you want to be a writer--you should be writing. 

Painters paint.
Vloggers vlog.
Designers design.
Leaders lead.

WRITERS WRITE.

Period.

Proceed boldly, before this world sucks all of the creative out of you.

No more excuses.

Be Brilliant! :)

~Katie~

On Rejection

Are you a Honda from California or a DeLorean from Texas?

An excellent take on Rejection.

Worth the read.

~Katie~

What Will Happen Next?

“What will happen next?” 

"Is a question that can 
pin us to our chairs, 

raise our heartbeats, 

and make us sweat."

~Ian Leslie~

Curious

Always Take the Scenic Route

"The drive to make sense of the world is a universal characteristic 

of human beings, but the world is divided into those who always 

seek out shortcuts and those who prefer to take the scenic route."

~Ian Leslie~

Curious