Overcoming negative self-image.
As part of a bingo fundraiser for my dance team, a friend of mine requested some thoughtful advice on a specific topic:
“How to overcome negative self-image and negative self-talk, and being hypercritical about myself”
I thought this was an excellent topic because I think many of us struggle with the same issue at some point in our lives, myself included.
When I think of what causes negative self-talk or having a negative image of oneself, two ideas come to mind:
What 2023 has taught me about health, success, and love.
At the end of every “Year in Review” mega-post, I compile a list of all the major Life Lessons I’ve learned that year. A couple years ago, I started the tradition of separating this into a separate post from the main 2023 Year In Review post.
In compiling these lessons, I noticed they fell into 3 major categories. I have grouped them accordingly:
Feel free to skip to the sections most interesting or relevant to you. Or just go through them all if you’re feeling in the mood.
Continue reading “2023 Life Lessons: Love, Health, and Success”Blessings, achievements, goals, and life lessons of 2023.
Hello friends, followers, and various people on the internet 👋 Happy New Year! 🎊
2023 seemed to pass by so quickly! But even more astounding than that, for the first time in my Yearly Review history, I’ve managed to get this published right on January 1st 🥳💪🏻
Table of Contents
This post allows me to simultaneously:
These year-end reviews give me the space to recap memorable events, express gratitude, compile my personal statistics, and examine how much progress I made on my personal goals.
Since 2016, I’ve been doing these posts mainly for my own records. However, these reflections may also be beneficial to others, so I write them with the intention of a public audience reading them.
For those who don’t know, I do 3 other types of journal reflections: daily, weekly, and monthly. This yearly reflection is somewhat of a compilation of those reflections but formatted in a more digestible way for the public.
Past Years In Review:
In a separate post, I’ve compiled all of the life lessons I’ve learned this year. My hope is that sharing my own hard-earned lessons will benefit those who may encounter similar challenges. I also want to compile these into a book one day, since it’s my long-term dream to become a published author.
Continue reading “A Year in Review: 2023”Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen book summary review and key ideas.
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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
“Dealing with your ex-husband, who can’t seem to show up reliably for weekends with the kids; navigating a workplace fraught with office politics or racial tensions; saying “I’m sorry” or “I love you.”
We all have difficult conversations, no matter how confident or competent we are. And too often, no matter what we try, things don’t go well. Should you say what you’re thinking and risk starting a fight? Swallow your views and feel like a doormat? Or should you let them have it? But – what if you’re wrong?
Difficult Conversations shows you a way out of this dilemma; it teaches you how to handle even the toughest conversations more effectively and with less anxiety. Based on 15 years of work at Harvard Negotiation Project and consultations with thousands of people, the authors answer the question: When people confront the conversations they dread the most, what works?
Difficult Conversations walks you through a proven, concrete, step-by-step approach for understanding and conducting tough conversations. It shows you how to get ready, how to start the conversations in ways that reduce defensiveness, and how to keep the conversation on a constructive track regardless of how the other person responds.
Whether you’re dealing with your baby-sitter or biggest client, your boss or your brother-in-law, Difficult Conversations can help.” -Audible
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Continue reading “Book notes: Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen” The Sandman, Act 2 by Neil Gaiman book summary review and key ideas.
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The Sandman, Act II by Neil Gaiman
“Enter the Dreaming again as the blockbuster audio adaptation of “the greatest epic in the history of comic books” continues in The Sandman: Act II. James McAvoy returns to voice Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, in this sequel to the number-one New York Times audio best seller. Journey into a world of myths, imagination, and terror based on the best-selling DC comic books and graphic novels written by Neil Gaiman (returning as the Narrator), and lose yourself in another groundbreaking, immersive drama adapted and directed by the award-winning audio master Dirk Maggs.
In the absolutely packed Act II, the dark fantasy resumes and the Sandman expands into the French Revolution, ancient Rome, 19th-century San Francisco, eighth-century Baghdad, and beyond. New and familiar characters abound, voiced by a bright mix of performers, including Kat Dennings, Regé-Jean Page, Emma Corrin, Michael Sheen, Kristen Schaal, Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Jeffrey Wright, and so many more, including fan-favorite narrators Simon Vance and Ray Porter.
Just close your eyes and listen again as the greatest epic continues” -Amazon
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Continue reading “Book notes: The Sandman, Act 2 by Neil Gaiman” Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger book summary review and key ideas.
Get the audiobook on Audible 👇 (affiliate link)
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The seven rules to follow to realize your true purpose in life—distilled by Arnold Schwarzenegger from his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievement, and available for absolutely anyone.
The world’s greatest bodybuilder. The world’s highest-paid movie star. The leader of the world’s sixth-largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke, but this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident.
Arnold’s stratospheric success happened as part of a process. As the result of clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back. All of it guided by the one lesson Arnold’s father hammered into him above all: be useful. As Arnold conquered every realm he entered, he kept his father’s adage close to his heart.
Written with his uniquely earnest, blunt, powerful voice, Be Useful takes readers on an inspirational tour through Arnold’s tool kit for a meaningful life. He shows us how to put those tools to work, in service of whatever fulfilling future we can dream up for ourselves. He brings his insights to vivid life with compelling personal stories, life-changing successes and life-threatening failures alike—some of them famous; some told here for the first time ever.
Too many of us struggle to disconnect from our self-pity and connect to our purpose. At an early age, Arnold forged the mental tools to build the ladder out of the poverty and narrow-mindedness of his rural Austrian hometown, tools he used to add rung after rung from there. Now he shares that wisdom with all of us. As he puts it, no one is going to come rescue you—you only have yourself. The good news, it turns out, is that you are all you need.” -Audible
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I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. 😊
Continue reading “Book notes: Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger” The Sandman by Neil Gaiman book summary review and key ideas.
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The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
“Hailed by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as “the greatest epic in the history of comic books,” The Sandman changed the game with its dark, literary world of fantasy and horror—creating a global, cultural phenomenon in the process. At long last, Audible and DC present the first-ever audio production of The New York Times best-selling series written by acclaimed storyteller Neil Gaiman (who also serves as co-executive producer). Adapted and directed by multi-award-winner (and frequent Gaiman collaborator) Dirk Maggs, and performed by an ensemble cast with James McAvoy (It, Parts one and two, X-Men: First Class, Split) in the title role, this first installment of a multi-part original audio series will transport you to a world that re-writes the rules of audio entertainment the way that The Sandman originally re-defined the graphic novel.
When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus—the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination—is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more.
A powerhouse supporting cast helps translate this masterwork into a sonic experience worthy of its legacy, including Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and more. Setting the stage for their performance is an unprecedented cinematic soundscape featuring an original musical score by British Academy Award winner James Hannigan. Fans will especially revel in a new twist for the audio adaptation: Neil Gaiman himself serves as the narrator. Follow him as he leads listeners along a winding path of myths, imagination and, often, terror. Even in your wildest dreams, you’ve never heard anything like this.” -Audible
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Continue reading “Book notes: The Sandman by Neil Gaiman” The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama book summary review and key ideas.
Get the audiobook on Audible 👇 (affiliate link)
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama
“#1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME’S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2022 • In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.
There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with listeners, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?
Michelle Obama offers listeners a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging listeners to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.
“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires listeners to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.” -Audible
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I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. 😊
Continue reading “Book notes: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama” 
Marlo Yonocruz 