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In 1984, I made the life-changing decision to check into a treatment center for bulimia. Over six weeks, I began a healing journey that still continues today. I learned to care for my body with mindful eating, yoga, and walking, while meditation and therapy helped me face my struggles. Little did I know, this was just the start of a transformation that would shape the rest of my life.
One year later, in 1985, my beautiful daughter, Michelle, was born. And in that moment, I felt a kind of hope that I had never known before—a hope for a life I couldn’t have imagined, a life full of love, resilience, and possibility.
From the moment Michelle was born, I committed to parenting with emotional stability, drawing from my own struggles and therapy to develop a parenting style rooted in emotional support, affirmations, and the practice of mindfulness from the very start. I hung a handmade “feelings chart” on her bedroom wall and began each morning by asking, “How are you feeling today?” By the time she was three, we had a daily ritual: she would point to a feelings face, and we’d start the day grounded in understanding our emotions. I wrote inspirational messages on her bathroom mirror, reminding her daily of her worth and strength. And as she grew older, I shared words of wisdom from people who inspired me—messages of love, resilience, and courage—before she set out for school. These small, consistent practices became the foundation for a life of self-awareness and empowerment.
Over the past forty-one years, I’ve learned a powerful truth: how we begin our day shapes everything that follows. The intentions we set in the morning can create the energy that carries us through every moment. Starting the day with purpose is not just a practice—it’s a deep commitment to ourselves, our growth, and living a life aligned with our highest potential.
As a mother, this has been my deepest aspiration: to equip Michelle with the tools and wisdom to build a strong, unshakeable foundation within herself. I wanted to give her the strength to face life’s challenges with grace and resilience, and the clarity to see herself and the world with love and courage.
We now understand that our mindset plays a pivotal role in how we respond to life’s ups and downs. There’s a Buddhist parable about two arrows: if we’re struck by one arrow, it hurts. But we often add a second arrow, which is the suffering we create when we tell ourselves a story about why we got hit. If someone breaks your heart, that’s the first arrow—it’s painful. But the second arrow strikes when you start to believe that you’re unworthy or unlovable because of it. The truth is, you can be a kind, loving person and still experience pain. Life doesn’t punish you for your heartache—it’s simply part of the human experience.
I don’t know you personally, but I believe you’ve picked up this book because, deep inside, you want to transform your life. You want to make your ordinary days extraordinary. You want to create a life that’s infused with meaning and intention. So, as you begin this journey of daily reminders and reflections, I invite you to pause and reflect on these three questions:
While we can’t control every moment of every day, we do have the power to set the intention for how we show up in each moment. That’s where your strength lies—your ability to decide how to respond, how to navigate life’s challenges, and how to stay aligned with your true self. This is how we cultivate our inner resilience and our power of choice.
In this beautiful book, Michelle continues the legacy of the practices we began together so many years ago. Through her words, she offers a steady stream of inspiration, wisdom, and love. May these messages guide you to begin each day with an open heart, a curious mind, and a deep belief in what’s possible when you embrace your truest self. Let these words anchor you as you learn, grow, and step into your most authentic, unapologetic life. Michelle’s gift to you is one of self-love, strength, and clarity—because, as she always says, “The relationship we have with ourselves is the foundation for everything we do in life. So make sure you love, accept, and trust yourself. And that begins the moment you wake up.”
Michelle is the greatest blessing in my life. And now, as you turn the pages of this book, I know you’re about to begin a transformative journey of loving-kindness toward yourself. With each passing day, you will step further into your most authentic self. Trust in this process. Let it unfold with patience and grace.
Every new day is an opportunity to begin again. May you embrace it fully.
Since I was a little girl, I have the vivid memory of sitting at my kitchen table with my mom before heading off to school. Life was always hectic growing up; like many families, we had places to be and things often felt very rushed. Despite the chaos and busyness of the outside world, every morning before school, my mom would sit down to read me a daily inspirational passage. This set the tone for the day ahead and, if nothing else, gave me a sense of peace and hope.
My mom—more commonly known as “Peaceful Barb” these days—has been a meditator my entire life. She is a deeply spiritual person, so she shared these inspirational messages with me in hopes of making my daily lived experiences a little lighter and brighter, a little more grounded and centered.
These messages came from books, passages, and poems. Often, they felt perfectly aligned with my life, as if they were written specifically for me by someone who knew me well.
As time and my life unfolded, I’ve valued and treasured the practice of starting each day with inspiration. I have my mom to thank for that. Though we no longer sit at the kitchen table while I’m getting ready to head to school, we have created a platform and a nonprofit, Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, to share daily insights, inspiration, and messages to help whomever may need a daily boost. Life can be confusing and chaotic and uncertain, and we will never be able to control what happens in the world around us. Rather than letting this truth take us down, I like to remember that our power comes from being able to manage our reactions and responses to it all.
This is the truth that gives me resolve, confidence, and conviction for each and every day. My mom taught me early on that we can start to build inner resolve by establishing a strong foundation through practices like meditation and mindfulness. These practices have propelled me through difficult moments, trauma, and tragedy, and they have filled me with strength to weather so many of life’s tumultuous storms. By starting each day in a connected, centered place, I set myself up for success, equipping myself with simple tools to tackle whatever comes my way.
I’ve spent the past twelve years writing weekly inspirational blogs and sharing daily messages on social media. I never could have imagined that the seed planted within me at that kitchen table would bloom into a career of sharing, connection, and inspiration that would touch the lives of so many around the globe. Cultivating inspiration for this community is my life’s work now, and I could not be more grateful and humbled to do it.
I’ve known for a long, long time that I wanted to translate my life’s work into a book-length project. But I’ve had so many ideas and insights that I wanted to share, and it’s been hard to put them all together in a way that makes sense to anyone else. When it came time to put pen to paper, I couldn’t imagine my first book being anything other than an ode to my childhood and a passing of the torch of daily inspired living.
It’s a realized dream to be able to share my thoughts, experiences, and insights on life with you, dear reader, every day, with the sincerest and deepest intention of shared connection, optimism, and if nothing else, a bright spot on difficult days.
Though I’ll never meet the countless people who’ve been touched by the work my mom and I have been doing, I’ve gotten to know this community of friends through the daily notes and letters we receive. I hope you feel like this book was written specifically for you—because it was—and that you feel connected to each passage, which has been handpicked with you in mind. As I pondered each entry, I thought of my younger self sitting at the kitchen table, soaking up those daily words to live by, and I wrote while sending this same feeling to you.
Use this book as a gentle guide for daily connection or even as a tool in your back pocket to rely on when life gets hard. It is my hope that whenever and wherever you open this book, you’ll find exactly what you are looking for, and you’ll feel the loving nudge from me, your friend, to remember that you are not alone. We can walk this journey of life together.
You can order the book here.
