Reflections from "Get Yours!" - Part 1

Amy DuBois Barnett's book, Get Yours! The Girlfriends' Guide to Having Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More, helped me so much that I've decided to jot down some ideas or points that I found inspiring. Hopefully you will find it inspiring too. Enjoy.

Get Happy - "It's impossible to really feel the good without the contrast of the hard and painful." Boy is that true. It's because of the hard knocks that I can appreciate all of the good in my life. How else will I know a great job from a horrible one if I've never had a horrible job? Would I be able to figure out that finance is not passion unless I tried it out and discovered that I hated it? Absolutely not. Like Amy says, life is a journey. I'll let her tell it. "...being able to understand challenges as experiences in one long adventure will change your whole attitude." It sure changed mine! "Real, deep happiness is not about immediate pleasure, it's about long-term gratification."


Get Out There - "Confronting your fears proves that you're living your life to its fullest potential - and that you're becoming everything you're meant to be." I've become overwhelmed with fear lately so this quote means more to me than I can explain. I realize that I can't shrink away from my fears like I have been. It only makes things worse. I'm finally ready to confront my fears and get out there. I promise to tap into my inner adventurer and get out there.


Get Healthy - In all of my stress and fear, I've managed to lose a lot of weight. That's not good. I realize that I don't need to exercise for a great body. I need to exercise for peace of mind. All the anxieties and worries of the day melt away when I exercise. So healthy food and exercise are in the new game plan. One piece of advice that stuck out to me was to establish a prebed ritual - reading, taking a bath, having a cup of caffeine-free tea... wonderful idea!


Get Great Girlfriends - I took a girlfriends quiz and my results say that I'm solid as a rock, however, I know that there are many things I can work on where girlfriends are concerned. It's really difficult to be a good girlfriend when you don't know how to befriend yourself. No one wants to be around a depressed, complaining soul, so take care of yourself first in order to love and listen to your girls. It's important that you're there for them as much as they're there for you. Expand your circle! There's no reason why I shouldn't have a girlfriend I can go to a ballet class with and another than I can tear up a mall with. No need to force your friends into community service activities when they'd rather be at the spa. Make new friends!


Get Your Family Together - Thank goodness I don't have any issues here. My sister and I are great friends and my parents are the best. I could expend a little more effort reaching out to my grandparents though. What's the harm in calling them up once a month and offering an update? A good tip from Amy was to chart your family tree. You made learn things you wouldn't otherwise!


Get That Gig - I had a phone interview yesterday, but didn't feel like I really got my point across that this was more than just a job to me. After finishing this book this morning, I was so inspired that I called my interviewer back and spilled my guts about the meaning of this job. And guess what? Even if I don't get the job, she now knows me. She told me that no matter if this opportunity works out or not, she'd love to keep in touch. Fantastic! I have already achieved success. "Be happy and success will come." Do an attitude check. Stop waiting to be noticed. Ask questions. Stop putting your work ahead of your personal life. Set your eyes on the next prize. Self-promote like a pro. Expand your skills. Learn to love networking. Ask for what you want. Know when to quit.

Good stuff right? Stay tuned for Part 2. I already wrote it, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone with too much stuff. =)