by Rebecca Earley | Nov 15, 2014 | Inspiration |
It’s a dark Saturday morning in Paris, and I’ve been up since 7am all “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” I enjoy early mornings on the weekends, because it’s the one time of the week that you can wake up to complete silence and have nothing but freedom and a white space to think in front of you. As I was finishing my morning tea, I happened to glance over to the stack of books and magazines on my bedside/coffee table (it’s Paris, every room and piece of furniture serves a dual purpose to fit into a 22 meter squared studio). Sitting on top of the stack was the “My Paris Story” book. This copy of the book was actually mailed to me from a dear friend and co-worker from New York City, who asked me to return it to him signed. And then it hit me, the physical presence of the book. A book that I could touch and turn its pages with my own fingertips. I could not believe that it was real. November marks exactly one year since I submitted my chapter to Dawn, and the Paris Women of Success began the exciting journey to becoming best-selling authors. Except the only reason that I actually became a part of this amazing project is frighteningly serendipitous. I had actually already written my chapter two weeks before meeting Dawn, and without even knowing that the idea of the book existed. I woke up one Sunday morning with a burning desire to tell my story. I felt that it was my duty to share with the world that I had pursued my...
by Julia Willard | Aug 27, 2014 | Inspiration, Paris |
Note: The embedded video below may only be viewable in some browsers. Access the video here: GeoBeats Booksellers by the Seine. Paris is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring places on the planet. Of course, what is inspiring is determined by the beholder, yet the numbers speak for themselves; Paris brings in tourists in droves, whether it is through its inspiring cuisine, architecture, or that lovey dovey atmosphere. I’ve been enjoying the Geobeats videos for a few years, especially in my stints away from Paris. When I saw this one recently, it reminded me of our journeys as authors and made me wonder what the journey of our book will be… How many people will it inspire? Will it inspire a wave of more books of its kind? Will it be the inspiration for a film one day? Or will it end up in one of those green boxes along the Seine crowded between Voltaire and Proust, obscured by hanging gravures and sought after by young students? Just like in the life of a book, our own life paths are uncertain. The lesson is to trust that we will end up in the company of the right people at the right time. I suspect it’s no different for our very own bouquin. Hint: Come next month (September 2014), there will be at least one of our books to be found among the green boxes lining the River Seine. Something special will be inside. Will you find...
by Rebecca Earley | Aug 17, 2014 | Inspiration |
One-third life crisis? By Rebecca Earley I believe my friends and I are going through what we could call a “one-third life crisis.” We are past the quarter life mark now, just approaching 30, and we all seem to be struggling to answer the same question: “What is this all really about?” I was always the “golden child” growing up. Studied hard, got good grades, never skipped class, took dance lessons 3-4 times a week, and was only grounded once in high school. I was accepted into the college of my dreams (go Heels!), got my first job in the city of my dreams (NYC!) and then finally accomplished my life long dream of living in France. But now what? Good question. For the first time in my life, I actually feel lost. Not in the deepest sense, as in I’ll never find myself again, but all of a sudden life has gotten much harder, and something tells me that it’s only the beginning. Nearly all of my dearest friends are going through something similar. We are experiencing some of life’s most glorious gifts and greatest challenges simultaneously, and we are not sure how to react. Life suddenly feels fragile, when we always thought ourselves invincible. And all the while we have that big number “30” leaning over our shoulders, asking us to list our “accomplishments.” How did we miss this chapter during our straight A studies? Is this the result of being part of the Millennial “trophy” generation? We were always rewarded the shiny, gold trophy for our hard work and efforts, but what does the gold...
by Julia Willard | Jul 28, 2014 | Inspiration |
On our May 7, 2014 book launch day, we sat down in one of the authors’ homes and interviewed each other. This project being part of something much bigger than any of us individually, we wanted to document the process of how it all came together as much as possible to eventually share with others and to commemorate our work. Dawn connected us with the wonderful François Bourru who was there with a complete film and photography crew, and yet were all but invisible to us throughout the process. It’s not that we didn’t notice them of course, it’s just that the crew was so inconspicuous that we were able to chat freely with one another and really be ourselves for what will eventually be part of our press kit. As the first group of us women gathered on a sofa, barefoot and relaxed, we each took turns to discuss how we came to get in on this project. Video camera-shy for as long as I can remember, I was thrilled that François and his team were so… well, cool. I told the story of how I, myself, had only recently joined the Paris Women of Success when I first heard about the book project, but it was clear to me from the moment I read Dawn‘s email introducing it that it was something I wanted to try to be a part of. I had discussed writing my own book for years with my then-boyfriend, but I have never sat down to compile it all and write it. We have quite the interesting story of how we met and...
by Sanda Taranu | May 18, 2014 | Inspiration |
And here I start writing with a completely blank brain, as usual. I have no idea what I am to say, all I have is a subject like an item on my ‘to do’ list. This time the theme is a blogpost for our book. The only thought and sound of “our” book is already surreal to me. I (co) wrote a book, for real? I have been part of the process since the very beginning and now the book does exist and I still can’t wrap my head around it until I will have the actual paper version in my hand. Kind’ a like Thomas, you know, the unbeliever from the Bible. I do have to see it to believe it. I didn’t really want to write this book when the project was first catapulted out there. I mean…it started something like this. Dawn, our fabulous woman of success, created this women’s group. I joined, you know, like all women who do need girlfriends and other women in their lives, for whatever reason, because that is how we, the women are made. She brought a book and I asked to borrow it and she just gave it to me. And then an idea popped out: what if we wrote a book like that? Well great, I was the first one to say yes! And all of a sudden, out of Dawn, this avalanche started: we are doing it, now! And that’s where I freaked out, of course. I cannot do it, now. I am so not ready. I want to be proud of myself to have accomplished something,...
by Petronela Zainuddin | May 5, 2014 | Inspiration, Paris |
Paris is for me one of the most inspiring cities in the world. This capital of creativity entirely transformed me. And this is one of the reasons why I joined this amazing project – My Paris Story. I wish to share with you how Paris became my creative playground and show you how this magical city can unlock your own creative genius. It happened on a sunny day. I was going to cinema with my husband and suddenly I saw him! A homeless man was sitting in front of the cinema close to Opera. He was “fishing for cash”. He made a fishing rod, hang an empty cup and waited for people passing by to give him few coins. “This is so creative!” I said. Seconds later I was doodling the picture of fishing homeless man in my small notebook with a small note #TIWI (Today I Was Inspired). Since that day, I always carry my TIWI notebook when walking around Paris. Because this is the city where… – you can walk by the river Seine and buy old French posters and books – you can meet a famous artist sitting in the café and talk to him – you can get lost in Louvre for few hours and join students drawing statues – you can visit boutique shops with creative objects from French designers – you can admire Pixar’s storyboards in the Musée Art Ludique – you can sit on the sunny terrace and observe fashionistas walking around – you can join evening course on creative cooking, sewing, writing, etc. In Paris, you can discover your inner creativity and have...
