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My friend Katherine Center's new book comes out today. It is called Get Lucky. I know a little of her story, her education, her struggles to be "a writer of important literature," and her bravery to decide to write what was in her all along. Bravery is trusting yourself. Bravery is trusting your strength. Bravery is trusting your support system. Bravery is being willing to take a risk, and knowing that no matter what happens, you are somehow a slightly different version of you because you tried.
Katherine is the one responsible for me actually writing this blog (as opposed to talking about wanting to write.) I've talked about writing forever, but writers all have one thing in common, as I may have mentioned....they write. You have to try. You have to trust. You have to be willing to take that risk.
Today you are my hero, Katherine. I'm glad you were brave with your life. Thanks for inspiring me to be brave with mine.
Last night, my son and his youth group lead the Friday evening service at our synagogue. I was, of course a proud mama. I was also feeling very rewarded as a teacher, seeing many of my former students use some of the skills I helped them cultivate with regard to speaking in public. However, none of this is what is sticking in my mind today.
One of my former students delivered a short speech, a sermon of sorts. The theme of the evening was "The Ten Plagues of Today" since we are currently celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover, and the retelling of the Exodus story of the People of Israel from Ancient Egypt. Her topic was "The Plague of Indecision."
Life presents many forks in the road, so to speak. Times we much make a choice, or a decision to go one way or another. We can agonize over every detail. I know I do. We can over analyze, waver back and forth, and sometimes not decide. I know when I was younger I used to flip a coin. I knew that I had made a choice even when I didn't think I had, because if the winning side of the coin either was a relief, or a disappointment. Then, I went with the decision I had already made.
I remember the absolute agony when I was going through the process of my divorce. SO, not what you are thinking right now. The agony was over if I should go back to my maiden name, or keep my married name. I had my married name over 17 years. It was one of those decisions that just ate me up. I remember ranting to my sister-in-law, because I had been told by my attorney that I needed to decide in the next hour (after weeks of struggling with this.) Finally, my sister-in-law interrupted me and said, "Stop. Do you feel like Lisa Serebrin, or do you feel like Lisa Brooks?" Well, honestly, my response to that question was so simple. "I'm Lisa Brooks." Decision made. Huge relief. Plague lifted.
Another very important thing that I have learned is that there are very few decisions we make in life that are not able to be changed. It is ok to change your mind, change your focus, or change your goal. If something is not working, recognizing that, and then making a decision to change is a key to success, to opening the doors to new opportunities.
Resolution, decision, conviction and then moving forward is such an empowering feeling. I often meditate on the word clarity. If I can clear the "noise" from my mind, I often find that clarity that I need to make a decision is already there. All I have to do is open the door and walk through.
