This past weekend I celebrated mother’s day with 6,000 women in attendance for O Magazine’s Live your Best Life Weekend and of all the lessons I learned from Oprah and her tribe which included my favorites, Martha Beck, Suze Orman, Adam Glassman and Nate Berkus, the following were the greatest insights.
1. Live boldly. Not one but three of the speakers, including Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray Love all shared the importance and power of living boldly and I couldn’t agree more. In the last 15 months, I have taken risks, conquered fears and have realized the more chances I take, the bolder my life becomes and the bolder my life becomes the greater the rewards.
2. Fill your cup first before you fill the cup of others. “Wow,” I thought to myself, as I listened to Oprah share this simple yet profound piece of advice at Radio City on Saturday night. Both men and women suffer from this but women are the biggest culprits.. Why is it that we take care of our mothers, our husbands, our children, our cats and dogs before we even begin to think about our own needs? Why, why, why? If I could stress one insight the most, it’s this one. Fill your cup first ladies. And remember you are really doing a disservice to everyone you love by continuing the role of sacrificial lamb, so stop.
3. Your work needs to be your play and your play needs to be work. It’s a simple lesson that I am finally living and it’s so true. My work is my play and my play is my work and I can’t stress how life changing it is when you experience this shift. This may mean that you have to make a career change and I know that’s scary. But what scares me most is not living my very best life.
4. Be the master of your own destiny. In the novel of your life, remember you are the author and no one else. Instead of allowing others to write the next chapter in the story of your life, begin to write it yourself. We give our futures away and leave it in the hands of others. Take your destiny into your own hands and make the choices your intuitive side knows is best. And if anyone tells you otherwise, send them to you know where.
5. Find time to be still. This year Oprah decided to practice the art of being still and has grown significantly because of it. Yes, I know, Oprah still has room in her life for growth. Like Oprah, most of us are living a mile a minute life and it really is too much. I am a victim of this overextended disease and am here to invite you in joining me in a “be still” crusade. Every morning I have decided before I start my day of insanity to practice stillness and quiet. For it is only when we are still that a new idea can be born.
This post is dedicated to my best friend, Katina Rojas Joy and step mom, Melba Olmeda who attended with me. Ladies, we will never forget that experience. Enjoy the photos
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