In Others’ Words: Unexpected Celebrations

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Life, Quotes 8 Comments

Our perspective affects our outlook on life. And author Robert Brault’s mindset makes me smile. We all know the traditional, here-they-come-again celebrations. Birthdays. Independence Day. Thanksgiving. Yom Kippur. Christmas. Weddings — and the subsequent anniversaries. Graduations. But what other special occasions can we celebrate besides the ones already prewritten on most calendars? The photo above is recreated at every Deep …

In Others’ Words: The “How” of Criticism

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 8 Comments

We all face criticism at some point in our lives. As an author, I invite criticism into my life — sometimes known by the kinder, gentler term of “feedback.” Every novel I write goes through several rounds of edits where my editors tell me what’s working and what’s not working. My Preferred Readers — a small, select group of women …

In Others’ Words: Heart Sutures

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Love, Quotes 6 Comments

Andrew Budek-Schmeisser is anything but a stranger to this blog. He’s often the one to get the conversation going in the comments. I count him a treasured friend — this, despite the fact that we’ve yet to meet face to face. That’s the wonderful thing about friendships: they are not limited by geographical boundaries. His poetic and profound words “Life …

In Others’ Words: Don’t Overlook Enthusiasm

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Quotes, sports 6 Comments

  My husband and I have become the de facto sports photographers for our youngest daughter’s volleyball teams.  CJ plays volleyball year-round, which means I have thousands of volleyball photos of her and all of her teammates. On average, if her club plays three matches and a cross-over match during a tournament, I come home with a minimum of two …

In Others’ Words: Keep Holding On

Beth Vogtcourage, In Others' Words, Quotes 6 Comments

] At one time, I believed courage meant the complete absence of fear. Of course, that kind of thinking disqualified me from ever being brave. Now I know that courage and fear often — if not always — go hand in hand. Being afraid doesn’t disqualify me or you from also being courageous. We can face a personal Goliath and …

In Others’ Words: Live and Learn

Beth Vogtchildhood, In Others' Words, Quotes 6 Comments

So often we think about all the things children need to learn — the things we need to teach children. We teach children to: do basic life functions: sleep through the night, feed themselves, dress themselves  talk (Use your nice words!)  read  interact with other children (Play nice, right?)   But children teach adults a lot too, don’t you think?  …

In Others’ Words: No guarantees

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 7 Comments

Sometimes in life, we want guarantees. If we invest in a friendship, we hope that friendship lasts. If we say to someone else, “Yes, I believe in you,” then we hope the other person will have our back, too — and stand by us, through thick and through thin. If we trust someone — with our hearts, with our dreams, …

In Others’ Words: The Reward of Listening

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 8 Comments

I enjoy a good conversation, don’t you? The give and take. The exchange of ideas. The back and forth of opinions. I don’t even mind if things get a bit heated, so long as people are respectful of one another. I especially enjoy talking and laughing with people. That is the best of times. But sometimes when I’m with a …

In Others’ Words: Are You Positive?

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 4 Comments

Did you know that you can google the words “positive thoughts” and find thousands upon thousands of encouraging, uplifting positive sayings? Try it. I did. And I found things like: Live well, Laugh often, Love much (A very familiar saying, yes? I see it on photo frames all the time.) Train your mind to see the good in every situation. …

In Others’ Words: Be a Wise Guy

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Quotes, validation 11 Comments

Go ahead, be a wise guy. Sometimes we discredit ourselves. We discount how much we know. Downplay our hard-earned experience. Overlook how we’ve matured. Let’s face it, you can’t go through life without learning a few things, right? And who knows you better than you do? Have you ever participated in one of those “Write a letter to your younger …