Have you ever had an “Ah-ha!” moment so big, you just wanted to share it with the whole world!? Maybe it’s a book you loved, or a truth you discovered, or a hack that someone else shared with you. I feel like I’ve had about two years worth of Ah-ha’s, and it’s time that I start to share them! I am thrilled to begin publishing ideas and inspiration in the form of videos and artistic visuals, but I can’t wait for every detail to be perfected in order for me to be ready to share, I’m ready to share now!
My name is Janina Glass, and I am the mother of some awesome kiddos who have come to my husband and I through birth as well as through the blessing of adoption. I am an artist, a writer, a performer, and a lifelong learner. I also have ADHD, which is kind of like always having shoelaces untied as I wander about my brain trying to remember where I set my toast. (If that made any sense to you at all, I deeply apologize. Welcome to the club!) It can be pretty comical, though often frustrating, depending how I choose to look at it that day.
I remember at about age 15 having the first of many ah-hah moments. I read a book that changed my outlook on life. It was How to Argue and Win Every Time, by Gerry Spence. It’s been quite a while, so I don’t remember all the details, though I do recall my mother seeing it in my hands and suddenly looking very concerned that her argumentative teenage daughter may be holding a lethal weapon! It really was a good thing though; it opened up my mind to the world of personal growth, and I was hooked!
There were two profound truths in it for me:
My definition of “winning” was all wrong. It wasn’t about proving my point, or the other party admitting I was right. Sometimes winning was choosing not to pursue the argument, sometimes it was deciding that the relationship was more valuable than the conflict. That can be winning too, to just walk away. We are the most persuasive when we are simply revealing the honest, vulnerable truth.
I believe the most valuable thing I can bring to you will be delivered from my own place of vulnerability, which will hopefully lead you, dear reader, to a place of greater strength. My goal is to keep each post readably brief and readily actionable. So for today I will simply leave you with those thoughts I gleaned from Gerry Spence, summarized in my own words: Be honest in all you say, be brave as you reveal your true self, and be willing to let go of what does not ultimately matter most.
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