You Can Do It!

You probably thought by the title that this post was going to be running or athletic focused- sorry to disappoint, but no.

I came across this book at one of my favorite libraries.  This book had amazing quotes starting with it's dedication.

For women who dare to dream- and do.

I was pretty much sold on this book from the get go due to the preface (following are excerpts from that preface).

You Can Do It! 

      was our sister's vision.  Her name was Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas.  Lauren imagined a book that would boost women's self-esteem by helping them achieve their goals, realize their dreams, and embrace life's joys and challenges to the fullest.

...Not content with "wouldn't it be nice" day-dreams, she made things happen.  

...More than anyone we know, Lauren treasured her female friends and made a point of nurturing those relationships that so often fall by the wayside after marriage.  Perhaps because she was a grown-up Girl Scout (whose sash of badges hung in her office), her "do it yourself" attitude often turned into "C-mon, let's do it together". She truly relished the camaraderie, support, and sheer fun of pursuing new experiences with friends.

   Tragically, on September 11, 2001, Lauren was flying home from our grandmother's funeral on United Airlines Flight 93. Already a hero to all who knew her, she became another kind of hero on that horrible day...We take comfort in the knowledge that she left us the way she lived-strong, determined, generous, and courageous.

   Lauren's Family-...knew how much this book meant to her. 

   Lauren loved a quote from the 1994 movie "The Shawshank Redemption" so much that she wrote it down and attached it to her refrigerator.  It reads, "Get busy living, or get busy dying".  

I'll throw in some other great quotes from the books, but I should explain the lay out of the book.  The different topics are put into groups of: dare, create, learn, play, deal, connect.  Within these areas are different topics/chapters.  For example in  dare-act/take the stage, create-be an author, learn-be a renaissance gal (art appreciation), play-hang ten (surf),  deal- money, connect- meditate. I didn't read every chapter, because certain topics just weren't for me to try or dream to do.  There were a lot I did read.  Some topics I've already tried or started and I found it helpful to read another take on running, triathlon, art appreciation, writing, etc.  

Here is a little more I enjoyed- hope it entices you into picking up this book.

"Why can you do it?"Because it's high time your want-to-do list got as much attention as your to-do list.

Because even though you can do anything, sometimes you need a little help figuring out how.

Because wherever you are is the perfect place to begin.

You allow yourself to think bigger than life, because event the most fanatic dreams have something to tell us about who we are- and who we may yet become."

Each of the chapters have quotes and a "mentor" for each topic along with an ending page with references: books, web-sites, organizations, and movies related to the topic.

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult"- Seneca

"If you always do what interests you at least one person is pleased."- Katharine Hepburne

The last thing I really loved about this book was the "you did it" section at the end of the book.  There is a patch/sticker for each chapter/topic. There is no "sash" that comes with the book, but I think you could find somewhere to place these "badges" as a reminder to all that you have done.  Of course I didn't peel any of the badges off the page due to it being from the library, but if I owned it I'd definitely find a special place to put those "badges".  It gives a great finish to the whole "You Did It!" notion.