Read Baby Read: Inspirational Books You Shouldn't Live Without

I always feel a bit of a slump when October hits. Everything in my life seems to slow down and even my internal speedometer starts dipping below full pace. Is that just me, or do we all experience this kind of life-slump? Let's operate on the "it's only me" assumption, and let's just say that you were in the audience last Saturday hearing Elizabeth Gilbert speak about "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear." What you would have walked away with was the feeling that fear is a terrible passeneger in your life. The worst part about it is that no matter how hard you try, fear will always be in the car. You just have to get in the drivers seat every day and tell fear "I am driving today, so get in the motherf*%$#@ng back seat." I have sat in the passenger seat while fear drove my car around. Of course I didn't realize I was doing that, no one willingly lets fear drive their car around, but I was. I was awestruck listening to Elizabeth (yes, we are on a first-name basis...get over it) because I was hit with a "Yep. My God, yes. She knows me. She is boring holes into my skull with this fear stuff." I am going to be brave in spite of myself, and stubborn in my gladness. If you haven't already had a chance to pick up a copy of Big Magic, I recommend it.

In the arena of life, it isn't about how many times you get knocked down, bruised and battered as it may be...but that you keep getting up and going in to the arena knowing exactly what it is that you are about to face. I mean holy sh*$! Your area can be big, your arena may be small, but get your as in there and fight. Nothing in this world that was ever worth anything came to you easily. We have all had to fight for what we knew, somewhere deep in the depths of our souls that we deserved. We all deserve contentedness, and some of us have to fight a lot harder than others for it. Keep the fight going my friends. We will rise...though it may from ashes like Phoenix, we shall rise!