It’s been five years since I shared a personal challenge to spend less time with my nose in my phone and more time with my nose in a book.

The fun thing about habits is while some may not be easy to break others may be fun to embrace. The funny thing about habits is they’re often spoken about in a negative context. We tend to hear more talk about breaking habits versus celebrating those which are beneficial. So goes the way of life in many cases. Always easier to acknowledge shortcomings or the negative than celebrate the good, or so it seems.

I tend to be a rainbows-and-butterflies girl. An annoyance to some and that’s okay. Somehow, it’s just the way I’m wired.

Not to be confused or over toot my horn, journalism, as well as business, has a way of empowering the skeptic in us. Yet when placed in many and most circumstances I tend to be a “bright side” girl. A fact which blaringly shot me in the face a few years back when hearing my children actually say those words when faced by disappointment. Impressed and proud, I shared the story with a colleague, one who has known me for more years than my children.

It was her observation and perception which helped me see that indeed, my children had learned this from me.

Yet I digress … kind of.

The reading habit I chose to reconnect with and ultimately embrace five years ago really stuck. Placing books of interest in my Amazon cart now a true guilty pleasure.

My preferred genre tends to be self-help, non-fiction, as well as health and wellness. Surprised? I know, go figure. A girl who writes in a space entitled Fitness and Beyond isn’t a fan of Horror or Fantasy novels.

Now granted, I do enjoy a good fiction summer read escaping to a beach somewhere via a book and some gal pals I’ll never meet but take me on their travels. That’s fun.

It’s my current read however, which struck me with some wisdom I’ve felt compelled to share. I think that’s why I love “self-help” books; I always seem to gain some sort of fresh perspective from another’s learned wisdom.

Yes, most self-help books I read tend to be inspired from another’s struggle or life lessons by way of setback, hurdles or overcoming.

IT Cosmetics founder, Jamie Kern Lima, penned a book “Believe It; How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable.”

It’s an inspiring and entertaining read for sure. It was toward the end of the book, however, that I was struck by some words I just had to share.

In the book, Lima shares two ideals which really made me sit up and think.

The first being a wisdom of a powerful lesson which she states, “if you want something or need something, give it and you will surely get it.”

Later followed up by sharing, “When you give what you need, it’s a way of using your own microphone to uplift others.”

Wow! I mean how true is this? It reminds me of a longtime wisdom I often shared with my children by way of friendship, the simple “you get what you give” or “if you want to have a friend, be a friend.”

But this, well, this takes it to a global level. Smiling at a stranger, complimenting a person whose hair, hat, handbag or whatever you admire. Holding open a door, offering to help another who might be struggling; the list goes on.

In short, I just absolutely love this. I truly have no idea how this book landed in my cart, but I’m truly glad it did.

The second wisdom I gained from Lima was a quote, which I feel all should give some thought to.

In the chapter titled “Believe in Giving What You Need,” the author shares a quote from Brendon Burchard stating, “At the end of our lives we all ask ourselves three questions: Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?”

And again … Wow! As a mother of two, several years ago I began thinking of and embracing all three of these things. Often pondering “what would my legacy be?” Surrounded by so many powerful people, personally and professionally the question seems natural. Who would people remember when speaking of me to my children?

Not being morbid, just simply striving to live true to myself and leave a legacy which would make my children proud. 

As I shared in last issue’s column, I still have much to accomplish and a legacy which is still being defined, but man how great will life be if we each tap into Lima’s wisdom. Life, after all, is ours for the taking, love abundantly surrounding us and lessons continue to be learned.