Category Archives: Inspiration

A Gesture that Brought Tears to My Eyes in Havana Cuba

A Gesture that Brought Tears to My Eyes in Havana Cuba
On a Cruise to Cuba It was a bit before midnight in Old Havana, our ship, the Carnival Paradise, had just left the terminal. Many of the guests, including myself, had decided to go to the upper decks to get their last glimpse of Havana. Meanwhile, hundreds of Habaneros where gathered on the famous Malecón,…
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Look Up Reminder from Out at Sea

Look Up Reminder from Out at Sea
This year, I have had a whirlwind of adventures to Cuba, but most of them have been via a cruise ship. Cruising for weeks at a time with little to no Internet nor cell service has been a great reminder to Look Up: 1) Be in the moment & 2) Find the Upside. On this Look Up…
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Returning Home to Look Up – Trempealeau, Wisconsin

Returning Home to Look Up – Trempealeau, Wisconsin
On a recent trip to my hometown of Trempealeau, Wisconsin, I was reminded why it is so important to Look Up and share it with others. Country Childhood I grew up on a hobby farm in rural Wisconsin outside of a small river town called Trempealeau. I was given the name Heidi after the book…
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How Hiking Boots Reminded My Mom and I to Look Up

How Hiking Boots Reminded My Mom and I to Look Up
Last week, I was very fortunate to celebrate my mother’s birthday with her in Acadia National Park. We had no idea that this little part of Maine on the Atlantic Coast was the seventh most popular national park in the country with nearly 3.5 million visitors a year. We arrived the week before the summer…
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An Artistic Reminder from Madrid to Look Up

An Artistic Reminder from Madrid to Look Up
All over Madrid, there are these statues representing a famous painting called Las Meninas by Velázquez. Although these life-sized women are a new installation, they brought me back to when I studied the painting in my classes at the Prado twenty years ago. Special Menina with a Reminder to Look Up This menina (maid of honor)…
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Something Scary that Forces You to Look Up

Something Scary that Forces You to Look Up
Have you done something that scared you lately? I did. Recently, I traveled to Sedona, Arizona for a girl’s trip. Years previously, I had driven through Sedona and its Red Rock region on a marathon visit from Tucson to the Grand Canyon and Phoenix with hopes of spending more time there. On this Spring Break…
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Write Yourself a Reminder to Look Up

Write Yourself a Reminder to Look Up
Can you relate to this scenario? I can! My week has already been a blur with countless Post-Its. I’ve turned in a travel article right before the deadline, gone to the gym, did my taxes, went to my dentist for a cleaning, packed for an up and coming trip, celebrated my father’s eighty-third birthday, and…
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Look Up Featured in Book I Think

Look Up Featured in Book I Think
Earlier this year, I was honored to tear into I Think: How Thinking Like a Kid Can Change Your Life written by my friend, Amy Lee Ellowitz, and her youngest daughter, Delilah Jane. In I Think, Amy has artfully taken Delilah Jane’s one-liners and I Think moments from age six to ten years old and…
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Look Up on the Camino de Santiago

Look Up on the Camino de Santiago
Look Up Mantra Many years ago, I created the mantra Look Up to capture the biggest life lesson that I learned in my early thirties. From a near-death accident, I realized that we have very little control over this thing called life; however, we do have control over something very powerful, our perspective on life.…
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The Best of Look Up Mantra

The Best of Look Up Mantra
Earlier this year, after my TEDx talk the moderator asked me, "What advice do you give others who are going through challenging times." Without hesitation, I explained the Look Up mantra. It's simple, yet powerful. Although we may not have much control over this thing called life, we do have the power to Look Up,…
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