WINNERS! $5000 in Prizes! 2014 SAVVY LIFE AWARDS/SAVVY GIRL AWARDS The inaugural Savvy Life Awards/Savvy Girl Awards has now wrapped up, and our thanks to each person who entered. You came from all across the US! We took inspiration as you shared your thoughts on a savvy life, and how you help your family, friends and wider communities. In addition to the prizes below, winners will receive a copy of Alicia Young’s award-winning book, The Savvy Girl’s Guide to Grace: small touches with big impact—at work, home & in love. It explores ways to tap our inner Audrey Hepburn,… [Read More]
The Year of No.
[HAPPY NEW YEAR! I allow myself one re-post each year, around now. I offer it as a reminder to us all – myself included – of the need to become/stay comfortable with saying no when people or obligations tip the scale and become toxic. Please consider. Also, while I have you, we’ve just switched to the domain savvylife.net, and doing so meant we lost social media data on the posts. Please know how much we appreciate the tweets, “likes” and “shares”. – Thanks, Alicia.] Could you organize the group gift? Could you babysit this weekend? Could you lend me some… [Read More]
Five touching moments in 2013:
5. Selflessness: Our little neighbor, who shared her birthday toys with children at a local shelter. 4. Generosity & discretion: Strangers help blind man to keep his aging guide dog. NYC resident Cecil Williams had expected he would soon have to give up his faithful companion, Orlando, as his insurance doesn’t cover a non-working service dog. In December, Orlando helped save his master’s life when Mr. Williams fell on to the tracks of the New York subway. Donors covered costs to ensure the pair stay together. 3. Grace: Nine-year old swimmer presents championship trophy to his rival. Florida boy Josh… [Read More]
What makes a life happy or successful?
Over the weekend, I delivered a talk on success in different cultures. What constitutes a happy or successful life? We all use a different yardstick, of course. Maybe a combination of family time, career accomplishment and financial security? A Mercedes in the driveway? Designer clothes? An Oscar? Let me tell you about one of the most successful people I’ve met. I’m not talking about a world leader, nor a famous athlete … in fact, no-one who would headline a Vegas show, walk the red carpet or stand on a dais. She was a six year old girl, and I met… [Read More]
A “coincidence” saved my life.
Except, I don’t believe it was a coincidence, though many would label it that way. In college, I caught three buses to class. I wanted a place close to campus and was delighted to find one right across the road. I could sleep in and still be on time – love it! It was a Monday and I had a lecture at 11am; I arranged to meet the guy straight after, at noon. I missed my bus that day. That alone was rare; I like to arrive early. Instead, I scrambled to class with minutes to spare, and couldn’t see a single seat in… [Read More]
Gifts that inspire.
[NOTE: My first post since May. Thanks for your patience, as I pushed through the last few months of the book. See sample chapters via the Amazon link at right.] I was inspired today by a fabulous friend (thanks, Blossom!) whose FB post shows the impact of a gift. Let me paraphrase: A young struggling writer once received a gift of a year’s salary from a friend, with a note that read: “You have a year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” That young writer was Harper Lee. And of course, she wrote, To Kill… [Read More]
The women who live in my wallet
… and by wallet I mean purse. And by purse I mean bag. And by bag, I mean the leather monstrosity (big enough to move into) that fell on my head while spring-cleaning. In it, I found a stack of old ID cards. As I spread them out, they evoked my journey so far. A sample: LIBRARY CARD, circa high-school: fresh-faced, I gaze out, all straightened teeth and sparkly eyes. Pity about the perm. Yes. A perm. Shaped to my head (a moment’s silence, to reflect on just how bad that is). The card evokes water-stained taffeta dresses, an after-school… [Read More]
Do you allow yourself to dream big?
I mean really dream, conjuring an image of something or someone that you wish to be part of your life? An image so vivid that you can see, hear and feel it? I’m inspired by athletes, artists and others who say they pictured their “moment” over and over until it became reality. Dreams are fragile, yet passionate utterances (if we even say them out loud …) that deserve to be breathed into life. And of course, they come in all shapes, sizes and time-frames. Maybe you long to live in Italy, or master the cello, or pen a song, or own a… [Read More]
CHARITY FATIGUE: If, when and how much to give?
If you’ve ever experienced a little charity fatigue, I feel for you. I live in an activist neighborhood, where most days a Savvy Girl can’t take three steps without being pressed for a signature, a membership, a donation, or occasionally, a kidney. You want to help, but it can be overwhelming sometimes. Yesterday I witnessed something that is still washing over me. A woman in a wheelchair has been on the same corner for years, asking for money. “Pam” has had a hard life; struggle, rejection and hunger is etched in her face, making her look far older than her late forties. She’s pleasant and chatty, and… [Read More]
Living With Intent (updated)
Hello – and Happy New Year to you! January holds its own magic, when the year ahead stretches out crisp and fresh, brimming with potential. At a party yesterday, we were asked our intent for the year…not a specific resolution per se… but what guiding intent we want to propel our thoughts, our actions, and our language. One person said she would usher in an intention of non-judgment in her life. I imagined her welcoming it in, like a house guest, and getting comfortable with it at home. In time, it would naturally infuse the way she views people and… [Read More]