I love books.
I love reading books, shopping for books and holding books in my hands.
I love how books take me on an adventure and teach me something new.
I especially enjoy how books bring people together. I am part of not one, but 2 delicious book clubs – Circle in the Square and So Hum.
In Circle, we are a group of women that read a variety of books and gather every 6 weeks or so to share our thoughts on the assorted chapters, as well as our lives. Yes, there is wine (and we actually do talk about what we have read).
So Hum is a mixed group, where we choose a personal development book and read a chapter a month, practice the exercises and explore the essence of each chapter at our gatherings. Food, friends, expansion and fabulousness all in one place.
Both feed my spirit in different ways.
Both honor my craving for community, connection and learning.
During a recent So Hum gathering, we began our conversation about The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle Laporte. This is a beautiful book, uniquely laid out with a creative use of words. Some of the pages just have one phrase in a large font. One of the members in the group commented that they did not like that style, feeling like it was what he called “Cliché Therapy.”
I fell in love with that term.
I also realized I give and receive “Cliché Therapy” on a regular basis. (And I love it!)
Even though you did not make a therapy appointment today, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite clichés to help you raise your Joy Factor and live a life filled with success and fulfillment.
1. This too shall pass (or things will get better) – Remembering that everything is temporary helps to reduce the level and time that I worry about a certain situation. Just like the seasons change, so will a situation. Sometimes this cliché becomes a mantra. This brings me to my second favorite cliché.
2. Every cloud has a silver lining – This one reminds me that everything happens the way it’s supposed to. When we miss a great opportunity, a relationship changes or the house floods, it’s harder to have faith in these words. However, many people I speak with after a life-changing incident (after being the key word, not during), can see the gifts this seemingly negative situation brought to their life. They experience the gorgeous silver lining.
3. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it – This cliché helps me to stay in the moment and not go on a “future trip” about decisions that are not important right now. The present is a gift – enjoy it every day. (I know, I used one cliché to describe another – there is probably a cliché that talks about that. If you are aware of that cliché, send it to me immediately at wendy@wendywatkins.com)
4. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade – As conscious creators, we have the opportunity at every turn in life to choose how we are going to react to what life offers us. Even when it feels like we are not at choice, we are. So choose sweetly and enjoy a glass on ice.
5. I asked my husband Matt what his favorite cliché was. No surprise here. His is, “That’s what she said.” Whenever he says this, in both appropriate and inappropriate settings, it always makes me laugh. Since a cliché is described as an overused statement, this one definitely fills that bill in our house.
Whether you call them affirmations, statements of intention, your theme or your clichés, these statements can assist or hinder you in consciously paving your day.
Since we know the power of words, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to have clichés support you on your joyful path to success and fulfillment. It all comes down to which clichés you use. (Choose wisely, grasshopper.)
What are the sayings you use in your life over and over? I would love to know what they are. Leave them as a comment for all to enjoy.
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