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09/06/2022

This quote perfectly captures the essence of the Assertiveness workshop we did as part of our May "Boundaries" theme.

Assertiveness is about acting in a way that respects both yourself and the other person.

(As opposed to being passive, or aggressive, or passive-aggressive — in which someone in the equation is getting disrespected!!)

The replay is now up in the Joybook members' library. Come join us to check it out!

06/05/2022

This month inside Joybook, we're exploring Boundaries...

Boundaries are essentially about what you say Yes and No to. People ask for your time, energy, attention — and you decide whether or not to share those fundamental personal resources.

Good boundaries are a crucial ingredient in living a Beautiful Life.

Getting clear on them. Trusting and honoring them. Knowing how to protect them — and having the wisdom and courage to do so.

But many of us struggle with this. It's not easy or simple.

It requires a deep level of self awareness. And a strong belief in our own worthiness.

We'll dig deep with the many sides of this topic in May. But meanwhile, here's a helpful way to think about Boundaries...

Does your “yes” diminish you or enrich you?

That’s the crucial question. And it tells you where your true boundaries lie.

The Joybook community is contemplating all this in May through guided journaling, learning experiences, and more.

We'd love to have you join us!

(Photo Credit: David Gilbertson via )

06/05/2022

Had to largely step away from Joybook (and social media) for the last several weeks to tend to a series of medical emergencies with my elderly mother — while also being very sick myself for a good part of that.

Sending so much love and gratitude to my kind-hearted Joybookers for hanging in there with me during this tough time!

The kind of things we do together inside Joybook — journaling, reflecting, planning, learning from life, connecting with our deepest selves — are what kept me sane and grounded since my mom's fall in mid-March blew up my life. So pleased to be doing this in community again and not just on my own when I could grab a little time to myself.

11/03/2022

This month inside Joybook, we're exploring "Authenticity"...

Being truthful about who we are.
Letting ourselves be genuinely seen.
Being present with ourselves.
And experiencing the consequences of that...

It’s a gamble, of course. There are no guarantees about how it will be received by others.

But no matter how people respond, there’s a freedom and release when we stop censoring ourselves or pretending about who we are, how we feel, or what we want.

There's the fuller, richer experience of life when we stop shutting parts of ourselves down.

And the chance, too, of deep connection and true belonging.

It takes courage, though. And it also takes both “inner work” and “outer work”…

Because authentic living isn’t just about showing ourselves to the world. It's first and foremost about listening to and looking at our own selves in a spirit of openness and acceptance.

The Joybook community is contemplating all this in March through guided journaling, learning experiences, and more.

We'd love to have you join us!

(Photo Credit: Ray Hennessy via )

10/03/2022

As has pointed out, authenticity is a practice, not a personality trait. It’s something we can choose to do each day.

So today I invite you to lean into that act — to intentionally choose to be authentic.

What will that look like for you, though?

Take a moment right now to reflect on the opportunities for you around this.

There are countless ways we can put this into practice. But it's easy to forget — or to get overwhelmed — when it's a general intention that we're trying to apply to *everything*.

Instead, pick a particular setting, circumstance, or type of activity where you want to lean into this practice.

For instance:
🔸 in your interactions with a particular person or group
🔸 in your written communications
🔸 when getting dressed in the morning
🔸 in the things you do for self-care / self-renewal
🔸 with a particular work project
🔸 on social media
🔸 in your journal

Choose a context where it will feel especially meaningful, useful, or delightful for you to practice fuller authenticity. Listen to your inner wisdom on this.

Whenever you encounter the context you chose, pause for a moment and envision what that kind of full authenticity would look like for you. And then make the choice to do that.

Try this for today — or for the next week — and see what kind of wonderful things happen!

10/03/2022

Welcome to the first post in a series profiling some of the wonderful members of our Joybook community!

As I reflect on our February "Engaged" theme and the March "Authenticity" theme we recently began exploring, Susan Yohe seemed like a great person to feature, as she embodies both of those themes.

A regular at our live Saturday Zoom journaling sessions, Susan is a retired attorney — and the former Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition — who continues to lead an engaged & authentic life pursuing her passions for art, literature, travel, family, and continuous learning.

She is pictured here communing with some hippos during a trip to Botswana in the blissful days before the pandemic. Currently she's planning and preparing for her next overseas trip. Meanwhile, Susan inspires us regularly with her honest and thoughtful contributions to our Joybook conversations.

09/03/2022

My New Year's "Learning From Your Life" Journaling Challenge has been really popular this year thanks to the mention I got in the Jan/Feb issue of !! And so I left it up for a lot longer than I had originally planned.

👉✨But this is the last week my journaling challenge will be available.✨👈

So if you've been wanting to participate, now's the time!

This one-week challenge is an opportunity to do a guided soulful review of your past year and set yourself up for a better life in the year ahead.

As a bonus, at the end of the challenge I also share my 10 Strategies for making progress on your priorities and bringing your vision for the year into being.

👉✨Get access at joybook.life/challenge.✨👈

(Missed out on the challenge? You'll still be able to get your free copy of these 10 Strategies. Or come join us inside Joybook to get access to the entire journaling challenge and lots of other great resources!)

12/02/2022

I had three fascinating conversations about this idea today...

The first came when I read this entry from "The Book of Awakening" by with my husband as we started our day. We had a thoughtful chat about how greed for *experiences* (the focus here) shows up in our own lives — and how to release that so we can be more present.

The second was on a call with some Joybookers this morning. We chatted about how greed for *achievement* can keep us focused on what we didn't get done instead of feeling good about and enjoying the things we do accomplish. It underscored the importance of our regular practice of journaling on Fridays to celebrate our progress and growth over the past week.

The last one was with .shenker as he was interviewing me for his beautiful new "Bridges Between Us" podcast. One of the things we talked about was clutter and how cramming too many things into our spaces (or schedules, heads, hearts, etc.) prevents us from enjoying them. We need to let go of most of the many things competing for our attention in order to fully see and appreciate the ones that remain.

I just love it when a theme weaves itself through my day like this — showing up in a slightly different way each time. 💛

09/02/2022

What's holding you back from living more fully?

So often, it's fear.

In her lovely "Big Magic" book, Elizabeth Gilbert () reminds us that fear will *reliably* show up when we're creating & innovating.

Similarly, Brené Brown () reminds us that true belonging and wholehearted living require authenticity, vulnerability, and deep courage.

And Susan Jeffers (), author of "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway," tells us that fear will always be there when we are doing the things that stretch us and help us grow.

In other words, if you want to feel fully alive and make the most of this beautiful life of yours... expect fear to show up. Often.

But try to remember that most of the time, that fear isn't a red light. It's a green light telling you that you're on the right track!

07/02/2022

I was so honored to be included in this month's issue of .

This terrific article by is a heartfelt response to the pandemic and the way it caused so many of us to reexamine our priorities and question how we *really* want to be spending our time.

Swipe to see my journaling exercise that's included with the article.

Or go get your hands on the full article!

It also features many great ideas and quotes from Oliver Burkeman. (His book, "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals," was one of my favorites of 2021.)

Plus you'll also find reflections from Real Simple readers and staffers about how they're reprioritizing their time after the experiences of the last two years.

05/02/2022

What were YOUR beautiful moments today? Share your answers below.

Or post a photo in your feed and tag it with and .life. If you inspire me, I'll repost your photo in the Joybook feed!

I'm lucky that these gorgeous white sycamore trees in today's post are a regular feature in my own Beautiful Life. I live near the James River Park System here in Richmond, Virginia, and I walk there often. The winter landscape there is a calming blue, white, and brown — with these noble trees lining so much of the river's edge.

01/02/2022

You don't need to do everything today, darling.

Little things can make a HUGE difference, One step at a time.

Start small, and you'll be surprised where it can lead you.

💛 Elaine

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