The catalyst
is up. It’s: What was a dream you had as a child (about your future);
did it come true or not? If it did, was it what you hoped it would be
and if it didn’t are you disappointed?

Here’re my words:


Since as far back as I can remember, my biggest dream was to leave home
and go pave my own path. I wanted to make my own mistakes, live my own
life, make my own choices. I certainly did leave my home (Istanbul) and
moved very far away. I made a new life for myself here in the United
States, and I am really lucky to say that, so far, I’ve loved every
moment of it. I miss my family a lot but I love paving my own path, even
with its bumps along the way.

Last week’s catalyst
was: Today you get an extra hour, what will you spend that time on?

I wrote:

There are always so many things on my to-do list but if I had one extra
hour I would want to spend it with my son and my husband, I can never
get enough of either in my life.

I wanted to note that after I made this art journal page, I immediately
felt like it wasn’t that good. Certainly not good enough to be in the
company of these amazing artists, but then I remembered my own words:
this is not a competition. It did make me feel better to make the art. I
do love my son so much and I really do want to spend all my hours with
him. So my art was therapeutic and true. That’s all that matters in the
end. I’ve heard some comments that people don’t want to participate
because they feel their art isn’t good enough. I promise you that your
art is good enough. If it’s authentic to you, it’s absolutely beautiful
and I hope you choose to share it with us so we can enjoy it, too.

This week’s catalyst
is: What’s your philosophy of life? (Tell us a quote that conveys it,
show us photos from it, express in your own words.)

We have the one and only Ali Edwards this week so you must go
visit.



Here are my words:
I made this layout well before the election and I know that these three
little words have such a bigger meaning now but this has always been my
personal motto, so I wanted to put a note to let everyone know it isn’t
politically intended. Regardless of which way you lean politically, I
think believing in yourself and your ability to do anything you want is
a very powerful message for all of us.



Journaling Reads:
There are many things I believe in. The power of love. The generosity of
others. Kindness.



But one particular phrase has now become my philosophy of life.



“Yes, I can.”



Throughout my life, many different people told me about things I
couldn’t do. “With those grades, you can’t get into that college,” “I’m
afraid you can’t sign up for this class, you’re too young,” “You can’t
get that job,” “You can’t learn Japanese at the age of twenty-six,
you’re too old.” These are just a few of the hundreds of such comments
people shared with me.



Encouraging, isn’t it?



Well, it turns out, for me, it is actually encouraging. It turns out I
can’t stand hearing the word “You can’t.” I hate the idea of anyone
telling me what I can or cannot do. So once I hear those words, I
suddenly have all the energy I need to prove them wrong.



A few years ago, I stumbled into this Mark Twain quote, “Keep away from
people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that,
but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” It
immediately became my favorite quote. I totally agree with what he says.



Small people. I love to prove them wrong.



I believe anyone can succeed at anything they want to. Anyone. I believe
I can do anything I put my mind to. I have. Over and over again. I
believe life is too short to live amongst small people. I believe it’s
important to surround yourself with people who are amazing and to let
them encourage you to be your very best, as well.



Each time you hear that little voice inside you that wonders if you can
achieve something you really want, hear this:



“Yes, you can!”



Trust me.

We posted catalyst
thirty-three over at creative therapy. This week’s catalyst is: If
you had unlimited money to buy someone you know something, what would
you buy and for whom?

Here are my thoughts:

This is one of the few catalysts that had me thinking for a long time.
For some reason, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I thought and
thought. Finally, as I was driving to work one morning, the answer hit
me. I wanted to buy a bookstore, for me. Was it too selfish to use this
money for myself? Maybe. But I decided that’s what my catalyst was going
to be about anyway. Even if others think it’s selfish.

Years ago, I volunteered at this amazing bookstore in New York City.
This store looked the way bookstores should look. It has wooden, spiral
staircases. Tables everywhere for people to sit and browse. A little
coffee shop in the back to relax and enjoy. Fantastic, knowledgeable
staff. And some of the best speakers and authors came to read at the
store. The best part was that the bookstore was completely non-profit.
All the books were donated and all the proceeds went to this
organization that provided shelter and aid to people who were affected
by AIDS.

Ever since my years at that store, I’ve always wanted to have a
nonprofit bookstore of my own. One full of used, donated books. One with
a little coffee shop of its own. One with volunteers who love books as
much as I do. One where people love to visit and where great authors
come to read from their masterpieces. One where all the proceeds are
donated across nonprofits. My passion is education so I would start by
donating to nonprofits that favor education but my hope is that we can
affect change in some way. Even if it’s a tiny one.

This week’s creative therapy’s catalyst
thirty-one. This one was “What’s a novel that has impacted your life
and why?”

Here’s what I wrote:

I read a lot and there are many books that have changed my life. To Kill
a Mockingbird, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Great Expectations and
The Little Prince just to name a few. Each of these books gave me
permanent lessons and made my life different. But Jonathan Livingston
Seagull stands above all of them for mostly one reason. It’s the first
book I read that changed me. It’s the first book that taught me that
books can change you. Change how you look at the world. Change how you
look at yourself. Change the possibilities of your future.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull taught me that it was ok to be different. To
have differing dreams and hopes than the people around you. How it feels
to be judged, but more significantly how it’s ok to be an individual. To
be different. It might even be at that moment that I decided to leave
Turkey one day and find more people like me in the world.

This catalyst
was on someone you admire. Again, an easy one for me.

I knew from the first moment I read this catalyst that it would be about
my husband. My husband and I met and started dating fourteen years ago.
When I first met him, I admired him for his sense of humor, for this
confidence and ability to enjoy life every day. He was so much fun to be
around and always made me smile. I tend to be a “glass-half-empty” kind
of gal most of the time so being around him was pure joy.

As the years passed, I admired him for his intelligence and ability to
work hard, make good friends and seamlessly succeed in the “real” world.
He still continued to be fun, but now he was much more than that.

And then even more time passed and we got married and we built a life
together and we had a baby. And I’ve learned to admire my husband even
more. He’s patient. He’s kind. He’s loving. He’s generous. This is not
to say we haven’t had rough times or even questioned things over the
years. But we’ve always stuck with each other. We’ve always believed in
each other and each time I was weak, he was there to be strong for both
of us. He’s everything I’ve ever needed in my life from a husband, and
even more importantly, from a best friend.