Wisdom of Merlin: Bloggers Get Inspired
My upcoming book, The Wisdom of Merlin: 7 Magical Words for a Meaningful Life is being released on March 24th. In celebration, I reached out to a number of bloggers from all different backgrounds, and asked them to share their thoughts on one of Merlin’s magical words. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and I’m thrilled to share the first four posts in this series.
Gratitude
“I used to consider things I had to be grateful for mainly around Thanksgiving; otherwise, I’d get sucked into the chaos known as my life. Who has time to frequently be thankful? Who has time to even think on some days?”
Ellen Seidman of LoveThatMax.com writes poignantly about how her ‘Gratitude list’ helps with keeping perspective and finding gratitude, even in small things, even on days when she may be feeling discouraged or overwhelmed:
“Oh, how I wish I’d had a list like this when Max was little. Maybe it would have been a lot shorter, and it definitely would have been different (back then, I was grateful he had lived). But when despair and anxiety consumed me, I think it would have really helped to have some irrefutable, concrete consolation.“
Courage
“We often think of courage as the big things, like being firefighter who runs into a burning building to save someone. Yet courage is found daily in the little things too.”
Jessica of eatsleepbe.com shares a personal story about teaching children about courage, and reminds us that, at every stage of our lives, being courageous doesn’t always involve big acts of heroism:
“Courage is being able to admit a wrong and say, “I’m sorry.” Courage is going to school the day after something embarrassing happened. Courage is trying out for the team, when you know that your best friends are going to make it and you may not. Courage is having to accept that you were not invited to the party. Courage is standing up in front of the class to read your personal essay.“
Knowledge
“We’ve all heard the saying: “Knowledge Is Power” and I couldn’t agree more.”
Stacey, who blogs at justicefergie.com, has a lot to say about knowledge! She shares how exploring new possibilities has enriched multiple areas of her life — it really goes to show how, even outside of school, being open to new ideas can help us live more fully:
“I wrote a blog post last year about the 3 questions Oprah asks herself everyday: Am I On Track? Am I In Balance? Am I In Flow? [. . .] Similarly, I’m learning that I need to create space in my life in order to decrease my stress levels (which is wreaking all kinds of havoc in my life). Recognizing signs based on what I learn, hearing others tell their stories, and getting familiar with different tools and resources all contribute to my goal of bettering myself.“
Belief
“When I asked myself that last question – why do my beliefs matter? – a lightbulb went off in my head.”
Belief shapes our lives in many ways, some more obvious than others. Laura, of betterinbulk.net, explores how the beliefs she holds have become the driving force behind some of her greatest successes:
“[W]hen I realized that I wasn’t, in fact, HAPPY, a switch flipped and I decided that I could make changes. I decided that the work and the effort were worth it. I decided to start believing in myself.“
I love how people are being inspired by Merlin’s wisdom! Watch for more Magical Word inspiration as we near the release date for ‘The Wisdom of Merlin” — each week a new blogger will be sharing their perspective. I am sharing their offerings each week on my social channels — Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr — so I hope you will stay tuned!
