Decide Happy book cover revealed! And a few thoughts on creativity….

“The world aways seems brighter when you’ve just made something

that wasn’t there before.”

Neil Gaiman

I am pinching-myself-thrilled to share this milestone with you! Decide Happy is in its final phase of being uploaded for distribution through Amazon and booksellers everywhere, and will be available in just a few short weeks. So many of you have so generously shared your poignant, hilarious, and heartfelt stories with me so that Decide Happy could come to life. For all of you, and to those who have supported me and this cause along the way, I wanted you to be among the first to see a glimpse of what we are creating together.

When Tim and I saw the cover for the first time, we jumped up and down and swung each other around in a celebratory do-si-do. "Wow," Tim said. "This is actually going to happen, isn't it? I mean, you envisioned it, did the hard work, and now it’s finally going to be REAL!”

I've never had the experience of having a baby, so I can only imagine the unique cocktail of emotions that must evoke - the sheer joy, excitement, full-on dreaming, accomplishment, curiosity, pride, vulnerability, love - with a generous dash of "butterflies" sprinkled on top. For me, seeing the Decide Happy book cover is perhaps just a tiny bit like feeling that little one kick for the first time. All those many months of planning, thinking, dreaming, and creating - and, this September, it's finally going to be REAL. Like a new little soul in the world, something wonderful out of nothing.

As an avid reader, I always thought it would be cool to write a book, but never thought that I had a story that was “good enough” to share with the world. Be careful what you wish for….

I know now that Life has been preparing me for this.

There are those who create, and those who destroy in life. It's easy to tear down - to judge, to heckle, criticize, to point a finger of blame, especially with the hyper-pace and reach of social media. To create something, on the other hand, takes vision, purpose, perseverance, and time. To create takes vulnerability and courage.

Once I took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to share the best and worst of my story - with the intent to help others and remind myself to actually Do the stuff I Know to do - the writing flowed. I wrote Decide Happy in a little under a year, mostly in the evenings after work, on weekends, or whenever I could sequester myself away for a day or two to focus. My goal was to capture the best of what I’ve learned about managing adversity with grace and my sense of humor and sanity intact.

My vision for Decide Happy was so crystal clear that, for once, it felt surprisingly effortless to silence that annoying inner critic. I just freakin’ wrote. And I loved the process. The first go-around wasn’t pretty. Neither was the second... or the third. But, as any artist or writer will tell you, you can’t fix what’s not there. You have to put some paint on the canvas, or words on the paper, before you can refine and shape and turn it into something truly special.

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.

So, my friends, let’s shut down the inner-critic and celebrate our inner-creative. Let’s build, paint, sculpt, plant, and write. Let’s dance, and make music, and sing, and lead and inspire.

The world needs us to shine our light.

The world needs us to create.

I am very grateful for you, and humbled by your support and belief in me and this new “baby” that I’m putting out into the world.

This is going to be fun!

Decide Happy is now available wherever books are sold, including Amazon.

If you’d like a copy signed by the author, click here.

Know someone who could use a lift? Feel free to share.

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