We have printed "Shine Through," "Be the Dog" and "Gambaru" on t-shirts, bags, hats, mousepads, mugs and lots more to remind you of these lessons in CLOSURE.  You can have the affirmations around you anytime, anywhere!

Shine Through

When I was going through that awkward teenage stage, I came up with my own kind of mantra to help keep me centered and on track, despite all the stuff going on around me both at home and at school.  SHINE THROUGH.  I wrote it on a piece of paper and taped it to my closet door, so that I would see it prominently in my room every day.  To me it was a sign to remember who I am.  To remember that there is a light inside me that burns bright, no matter what is going on outside of me.  Let your light shine!

Be the Dog

Years ago, when Marci started a new job her dream job at the time she met with a lot of resistance at her office.  I called to check on her after a few days to see how it was going. She was miserable.  She said that although she loved the work, and knew she could really contribute, she felt like the other people in the office didn't like her.  They had already formed their little cliques and she felt like an outsider. She was very uncomfortable with this situation and was having a hard time functioning in that kind of an environment.

The advice I gave her was this: Be the Dog.  Basically, the people in her office were acting like cats. When Marci came into the room, they would toss their tails in the air and walk in the other direction, arch their backs, or even hiss.  Rather than to try to be a cat and fit in with this group, she needed to take a vastly different approach.  She needed to be the dog.  She needed to bounce into the room with her tail wagging, full of energy and with a big smile on her face.  That's how a dog is.  A dog isn't aloof.  He doesn't wait for you to be his friend; he assumes you already are his friend!  He approaches with enthusiasm.  I told Marci to take on this attitude and see what happened.

Sure enough, in a few days the whole energy around the office shifted. How could anyone not accept a happy and loving dog?  She had all those cats purring!  Once she had built up positive relationships with her co-workers, she was able to work more efficiently and effectively.  It was a better working environment for everyone.

Gambaru

Ann Curry, of NBC News and The Today Show, said in an article for MORE Magazine: Losing my brother at a young age has given me the privilege of knowing that I don't have a lot of time.  I want to spend it well. Ann has certainly spent her time well, traveling to Darfur and reporting on the crisis there, forging a career in a demanding field, and also living a happy family life with her husband and children. She told me that she learned this fortitude from her mother, who taught her of the Japanese word gambaru.

Gambaru means: Never give up, no matter what, always do your best. This has been a theme in her life that has given her strength through hard times. Although Ann misses her mother deeply, she takes this lesson very much to heart, and with gratitude.  It is one way she has integrated what her mother taught her into her life.