January | 2018 | This Way Up

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

– Dr. Seuss

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Such gratitude to Books on The Subway! They are an amazing organization:

It’s like a public library, but on the New York Subway.

We go out and leave some of our favorite books on the New York subway. There are new books every day, and they’re there to be taken, read, shared, and most importantly, enjoyed! We want everyone to get involved and fall in love with reading again and we want to make the subway a more friendly and enjoyable experience.

So, if you find a book from us on the subway, feel free to pick it up and take it home with you, but when you’re done, be sure to put it back on the subway for someone else to enjoy.

Thank you for featuring This Way Up this month! I love the image in my mind of women on the subway reading my book.

“Sometimes, the only way forward is up! Women spend so much of life nurturing & giving to others that when they find themselves alone they often struggle with feeling purposeless. #ThisWayUp is a way out of this sense of loss & into a life filled w enthusiasm, creativity, and joy!”

Books on the Subway supports authors and readers by distributing donated books to people who ride the subway. And they support authors by putting the books on Twitter and Instagram.

It doesn’t matter if you read for success, like these ‘Ultra Successful People’ . . .

Here are just a few top business leaders and entrepreneurs who make reading a major part of their daily lifestyle:

Bill Gatesreads about 50 books per year, which breaks down to 1 per week
Mark Cubanreads more than 3 hours every day
Elon Muskis an avid reader and when asked how he learned to build rockets, he said “I read books.”
Mark Zuckerbergresolved to read a book every 2 weeks throughout 2015
Oprah Winfreyselects one of her favorite books every month for her Book Club members to read and discuss

. . . or if you are reading to unwind . . . we all know about the importance of reading. So if you happen to be riding the NYC subway in the near future, pick up a book distributed by Books on the Subway. And if it happens to be This Way Up – please snap a pic and send it to me. I’d love that!

Fittingly, I’d like to close this post with a short video entitled: The Importance of Reading.

What books are you reading right now? And if you live in New York, please do let me know if you see This Way Up on the subway!

And as always, thank you for taking the time to visit. I appreciate it.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’

– Mary Oliver

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Are you a New Year’s Resolution kind of person? Do you set new goals and resolutions at the beginning of each year. I explored this concept in my latest Thrive Global article.

I usually tend to be a goal-setter in the beginning of each year, sitting down quite purposely to set my goals as the new year unfolds. This year however, I decided to try something different and focus on intentions rather than goals.

Admittedly, goals are important, but I know personally that I can become much too goal-oriented and forget to be present in the moment. I have found that living intentionally is more peaceful and fulfilling than living in a goal-obsessed way.

Being more intentional helps me to focus on how I want to be in any given moment, no matter what else is going on around me. By focusing on my intentions, I am better able to stay centered; I don’t get as caught up in the roller coaster of whether I am getting things done and if I’m doing them ‘right’. It helps me to enjoy the journey and not get lost in getting to the destination.

David Emerald, author of TED — The Empowerment Dynamic, beautifully describes the differences between goals and intentions:

Goals are focused on the future. Intentions are in the present moment.

Goals are a destination or specific achievement. Intentions are lived each day, independent of reaching the goal or destination.

Goals are external achievements. Intentions are your inner-relationships with yourself and others.

As I thought about this new focus, I received an email from my publicist, Joanne McCall. In her email, she quoted Rabbi Daniel Cohen’s book, and put forth 5 questions:

1. If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do and why?
2. How would the world be different without you?
3. What values do you stand for and what is worth fighting for?
4. What five words would you want written on your headstone?
5. What will you do this year that is worthy of future memory?

The timing was perfect. I got out my journal and wrote; focusing not on what I

wanted to achieve, but rather on what I feel most passionate about; about my values rather than what I wanted to accomplish. These questions helped me focus on ideas that excite my spirit.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
— Oprah Winfrey

So what will Living Intentionally look like for me?

1. Being quiet and focusing inward, checking in on how I feel rather than what I need to do.

What do I need, how do I feel? Focus in, don’t just react to what I should be doing, or what others expect me to do.

2. Trying to understand why

Look at what I’m doing and ask myself why I’m doing it. Ask myself what my intention is for each activity. Am I doing things out of obligation or love? When I understand my intention, it will help me do things with more joy and hopefully less fear.

3. Trying to live in flow rather than reaction

Finding flow is not always easy, it takes space and is usually intuitive. My intuition always guides me better than trying to reason my way, or worse, react my way through life. When I am in flow, life feels spacious and creative.

4. Moving away from micro-managing my life

When I’m feeling stressed and fearful, I tend to micro-manage my life (and often other people’s lives as well!) When I’m in flow and not trying to control, I can relax and not spend my time trying to figure out every detail. When I can move into a place of flow, I am so much more creative and open, and life just seems to go better.

So as 2018 unfolds, I invite you to take time to think about your intentions. Perhaps grab your journal and write about Rabbi Cohen’s five questions. Give yourself the space to listen to the call of your spirit.

“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”
— Rumi

I’ll close with a wonderful video about The Power of Intention by the incomparable Deepak Chopra.