Be the Green Thumb To Your Own Success & Watch It Grow

Sometimes I wish I could stand in a garden of four leaf clovers, but that would take a genie and a lot of fortune, and no one should be THAT lucky.

Cause life shouldn't be built on false hopes and deception.

Dreams shouldn't be engineered to run without a little blood--a little sweat.

Life shouldn't be mechanical and predictable.

SUCCESS ISN'T SIMPLE

You are the green thumb of that garden--the green thumb of making that patch of weeds into a garden of daisies. Life works off of transformation--not luck--not genies--not 4 leaf clovers.

Life and success works off you.

And there you go--building skyscrapers in your head: Don't let all that beautiful chaos gone unsaid

Beautiful chaos.

I have been an architect for far too long--laying foundation with insecurity and building cement walls with no windows to trap inside anger, to trap inside sadness, to trap inside pain, to trap inside suffering. And when people try to scale the sides, build a peep hole and look in, I add another layer and I build my skyscraper a bit taller, what I believe to be a bit stronger.

.Walls to weather my worries. Cement to cover my cries. Layers to lie low.

But the more heavy the feelings become--the more durable the walls attempt to be. The more built to withstand the sorrow--the painful pasts--the painful presents--the painful predictions of the future--the more likely the indestructible me is destined to detonate.

You cannot build something that is able to withstand anything.

It didn't work in history with the Titanic or the Towers, so I am not sure why us as people--me as me--believes that I can be invincible. We cannot be. I cannot be.

Skyscrapers are beautiful--but they are vulnerable.

It is human to just be--it is human to feel. And I am so tired. I am so tired of sealing up. I am so tired of constructing foundations for fears, towers to treat my tears, skyscrapers to silence my screams, and walls to wallow within. So tired of hiding--of running away--of tensing up--of withholding. Of not being.

Skyscrapers are beautiful--but they are vulnerable.

And sometimes even that vulnerability is bound to collapse us. To release enough to light up entire city blocks with our fragile feelings and extraordinary emotions. A world of safe and sincere souls-a world of shattered windows and delicate debris, a world of...

True. Real. Beautiful. Chaos.

A world of beautiful vulnerable chaos.

"Still I believe, wondering what if, is the worst thing there is"

Vulnerability.

It's the elephant at the circus asked to perform for hundreds of people.

It's the mouse singing for the wolves.

It's in every moment that we stand up and expose ourselves to possible embarrassment, failure, or critique. It's in the moments we feel as though we could be eaten alive--or wish we could be eaten alive to avoid humility. It's in the moments we can say NO to do something that we feel as though may cause us sadness or grief. It is in the moments we will later look back on and say "what if?" It's in the moments we feel scared--yet safe--all at once. It's in the moments we discover our emotions, our feelings, our deepest fears. It's in the moments that we find our deepest strengths. It is in the moments where we find ourselves.

I'll go out on a limb to say that vulnerability is quite beautiful.

Candide: A simple lesson in optimism.

Look ahead-Face forward on the train-See the glass half full-Find sunlight during stormy showers-Smile when it's difficult-Cry when you need to-Sob for joy-Try something new-Find something you love to do-And do it once a day, every day-Write down your dreams, your passions your goals-Envision a positive glow radiating off your face-Stumble and then stand-Fall and get back up-Laugh at things that don't seem funny, but that deserve a giggle-Think about it later-Laugh again-Look in the mirror and compliment yourself-Do it again-Note each positive word you hear during the day-Make a collage of the words later- Turn off the light and still imagine a brightness-Imagine distant success-Go with your heart-Cheer someone up-Reconnect-Learn a new quote, a new word, a new poem-Discover a unique and novel talent-Practice it-Practice it again-Show it off-Brag a little-Have an ego-But don't let it blow up-Get excited-Feel wonder and awe for others-Believe in you-Believe in others-Believe in the unbelievable-Do the impossible-Stray from the path-Get lost-Find yourself-Place your feet forward-Don't look back-Stay optimistic-Candide.

Who is that woman I see...staring back at me?

A puddle, a mirror, and glass windows at night all have one thing in common: When you look into them, you see

yourself…your physical self at least. When you look into a cappuccino, you see foam. But not this morning. This morning when I looked into my final cappuccino of 2011, I saw a reflection of memories and moments of 365 days of laughter, of tears, of smiles, of joys, of sadness—365 days of life—365 days of Me.

Many people will say that you are a man or a woman when you hit 18—that you have suddenly gone from being a teenager to a well-mannered adult who should be treated like one. Girls and boys are now used as terms to describe children, and man and woman are words that now describe you or your friend.

But I don’t think I really considered myself grown up—I don’t think I really considered the reflection I saw to be a woman—as opposed to a girl—until this year—until I really felt as though I grew up.

Over the course of the year, I made a grown-up decision to return to the states as my wallet grew thinner and my ambition expanded. I beat bouts of anxiety and downward excitement with conversation and coffee. I defeated dismal days of dread with an optimistic outlook. And I challenged myself beyond belief.

I made family a priority.

I kept my best friends--the best friends in the entire world.

I made new friends.

I found a family of comradery in a world full of comedy.

I discovered that the city is lonely til you reach out and make it not so lonely.

I learned that people here will support you as you unconditionally support them, and that giving a lot, means receiving a lot more.

I forged a friendship with several inspirational mentors who I never struggled to let criticize and push me towards my goals and my dreams.

I released those from my life that were creating a negative film over my perspectives and I made my own decisions.

I reconnected with those that I had lost touch with days, months, years ago; who once were a large part of my life, but had since been lost due to distance and time.

I kept in touch with those that I left just over a year ago to tackle my trembling fear that I would never return to Italy.

I let people in.

And I let me…know me. I smiled. I laughed. I cried. I joked. I stumbled. I stood.

And in the foam of this beautiful and delightful fragile cappuccino…I reflect. And I think “Looking pretty good Libs…Looking pretty great.”

Here’s to 2011…and Here’s to 2012—a year of excitement.

"Let your heart be light; From now on, our troubles will be out of sight"

A reindeer stares a young girl in the face, and snow falls all around, as she shakes the globe with glee.

A relative jumps up and down in celebration.

She giggles. And then she claps "More. More. More"

The sound of a child on Christmas morning may be the ultimate sound to wake up to after Santa has eaten his cookies and drank his milk; after all the stockings have been hung; the presents left beneath the tree. It is certainly the most precious gift to have when you open your eyes and realize the magic still exists, that not all cheer has been lost--that tradition has carried on, and that it will be a merry little (or big family) Christmas after all--a merry little--or big life after all.

I don't have a child. But I have a beautiful, wonderful, brilliant, adorable young niece who calls me Bibby. She rips the paper on each gift, just a little, that isn't hers, and then smiles and giggles again. We all begin to laugh, proclaim cuteness, and then we go on to repeat the process as she finds another bow to take off another gift.

There are a lot of people who might argue with me that this is not what Christmas is about.

But it is...It 100 percent is. It's about being with someone, or someones who make you truly happy--who bring a smile to your face with the smallest gesture--who find your flaws and love you regardless--who wake up in the same place as you--and get just as excited to see you as you get to see them. Today that's my niece...but another day it could be a friend--or a family member. It could be that special someone, or it could be a pet...who knows. That's what celebrating, not only Christmas, but life in general is about...Getting excited for each-other--Getting excited to be with each-other. And getting excited for whatever your day may bring...every day. It's about reaching out to those you've lost touch with--and those you haven't lost touch with. It's about saying hello--love yah--hope to see ya soon. It's about loving, and living, and celebrating.

Plane flights may be too expensive--snow mounds may be too deep--but good cheer doesn't have to just be once a year.

So giggle really loud, like a little girl with a snow-globe. Jump up and down. Feel excitement. And wherever you are--whoever you are with--today--and every day--have a very Merry Wonderful Life now.

To all my friends, my family, and strangers who pop on over.

Happy Holidays to you !

I am so excited---and I just can't fight it!

We are just nineteen days away from a new year--a new year of wonder, a new year of hope, a new year of surprises. And a new year to celebrate. I cannot contain myself--I am so excited--(and I just can't fight it) for the good things I can see this coming year--I was so excited that I had to just post now--instead of 19 days from now.

Do you remember the first time you ever felt excitement? No, not THAT type of excitement (though, I am sure you remember it). I mean the first time you jumped in the air for joy with your best friend and engraved a memory in your mind forever? I do.

It was my seventh grade year of middle school. Spring. And one of my best friends and I at the time were sitting in my parents office space-staring at the telephone waiting for it to ring. My friend hadn't yet signed my 6th grade year book, which had now been sitting in my room for nearly 9 months, so she began to pen a long living message.

Then the phone rang.

"I am calling for Libby Segal"

A voice on the other end came in clearly.

"This is she, " I said while I motioned to my friend that this was the call....

"I wanted to congratulate you on...." before the voice on the other end could finish his sentence I was jumping up and down with my best friend screaming.

I confirmed that I heard correctly and I hung up the phone.

I had officially made the middle school softball team after a week long tryout of running, throwing, catching, fielding, and hitting- I had made the first team that I had ever had to try out for - and it set my expectations for life- not only in working extremely hard but in honoring that payoff with excitement-- and pride.

After receiving a phone call that I had been given the internship at NYC Media just over two years ago, my excitement also elevated--significantly. I was moving somewhere new, somewhere amazing, somewhere perfect. I was moving to the big city. And every time I get a new project, a new assignment a new challenge, here at the office, I react the same way. Many people will tell you that this is how I often get after even the most tiny significant thing in life. "I tried a new cappuccino today." "I met a great friend today...I think we'll be friends for a super long time!!!" "My boss told me I did great today!!!" (Seriously--I just get excited about so much that laughter and excitement are tied for my two favorite emotions).

Because that's how we have to treat life. With every moment that compliments our efforts and our hardships and our commitments with a smile on our face and a gut feeling of anxiousness and heart full of joy. With that feeling that baseball players get after hitting a walk off home-run- or that children get after receiving an ice cream cone after a perfect score on a math test. We need to celebrate our accomplishments and share that celebration with others. We need to jump in the air as if we can touch the clouds- and we need to keep working toward that next moment, that next excitement: that next chance to dance on top of a bed with our best friend.