Jen A. Miller Consulting

Tag: lessons

All Hail Our Single Girls
A Shout Out to Our Amazing Contributors, Our Single Girls

As we celebrate 1 year of The Single Diaries we would be remiss not to recognize the Single Girls who have contributed to the making of this site. From our long-time friends to friends whom we’ve recently met, there are nearly 50 amazing women whose talents make up these pages.

The posts that they have contributed are as varied as the women themselves. Some have shared their advice through original articles. Others have let us tap their talents for an interview. While still others have shared their words of wisdom for posts Catherine and I have put together.

No matter the method, the result remains the same. We are always inspired by their passion, ability, and fortitude. We’ve:
- Learned from their adventures in romance.
- Explored the world through their travels.
- Gotten to know the cities they call home.
- Been motivated by their pursuits.
Needless to say, we think our Single Girls rock.

A few weeks ago one of our contributors introduced me to a dinner party game called “I’m a badass because…”. Everyone around the table was asked to share what personal accomplishments she was most proud of. I had two immediate reactions when our host initiated the game- fear and appreciation. Fear because I, like many of us, am not comfortable tooting my own horn. Appreciation, for having a friend that was pushing this group of girls not only to cheer for one another but also for themselves.

When I thought about the best way to recognize The Single Diaries contributors I could think of no better idea than to carry forward this game and allow each girl the chance to express what she is most proud. See what they had to say-

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August 27, 2014
The Secret to Unlocking Happiness

Contributor Rachel Priest Shares her Secret to Finding Happiness

What does it take to unlock happiness? I’m here to teach you what I’ve learned about doing just that. But before we get into all of that let’s get real for a second. Life isn’t always full of happiness. Sometimes life can be really difficult and for no apparent reason. Sometimes it feels like the universe is having a good laugh at our expense. Personally, I can think of many of these times. Times when I’ve given myself a headache from the severe frown I’ve had stretched across my face. Times when I’ve just wanted to throw in the towel and give up because I’ve felt helpless against the challenges life had thrown my way.

As with everything in life, there are two sides to this story. On one side is the lesson that we must accept these challenges and the negative feelings that come with them as a part of life. This will never change. But I’m not here to dwell on that side of the story. I’m here to share with you the lessons I’ve learned about the other side–the side of the story that teaches us how to unlock happiness.

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August 11, 2014
Building Your Personal Brand

Creating A Personal Brand Equity Pyramid

At the heart of The Single Diaries is a genuine desire to help young women build a better relationship with themselves. In fact, it’s why we decided upon the name The Single Diaries. Our founding belief is that the most important relationship a girl can have is the one she has with herself. It’s our mission to help our readers discover what they are passionate about, learn to tackle the things they maybe aren’t so passionate about, and embrace an unconditional love for themselves.

In the past few months we’ve encouraged you to take several steps to get to better know this very important person (You!). We kicked off the year with a lesson in building your vision board to help you visualize your dreams and aspirations. We followed with a guide for answering the question ‘What Defines Me’. And now we are bringing you a lesson in building your personal brand starting with the creation of your personal brand equity pyramid.

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March 26, 2014
Lessons in Breaking Up

Zoe Crook of The Uncuffed shares her lessons on ending relationships and why a break up can actually be a good thing.

“The only thing you need to focus on is yourself, and I promise everything will fall into place.”

Breaking up is like skydiving. Leading up to the jump you feel anxiety, uncertainty and fear. The moment the door opens you ask yourself, “What the fuck am I doing jumping out of a perfectly safe plane?!” Suddenly you want to take off your parachute, climb back in, and chomp on some complimentary nuts.

But you don’t. Instead, you jump. Suddenly you’re free and it’s exhilarating. And look at that, you landed safely with both feet on the ground in a completely different place than where you started. Sure, you may have a scrape or two and your head might be spinning but those things heal, just like a broken heart.

Whether you’re doing the breaking or you’re being broken, neither role is easy, and both people generally known deep down when the relationship has ended. What’s scary about a relationship ending is the unknown but even scarier is knowing that if you don’t jump you’re going to miss out on new experiences that are critical to your personal growth.

I’ve just gone through a breakup of my own and come out on the other side better for it. Though it has been an emotional roller coaster, I’ve figured out how to ride it out and want to share the lessons I’ve learned about moving on.

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November 25, 2013
A Single Girl’s View on Learning to Embrace Fear

Lessons from the Barre

I started taking dance classes at the ripe age of four. I remember putting my ballet shoes in my pink bag, pulling on my leotard, and being so excited to get to class. I also remember the butterflies I would get as my mom’s car took its spot in the parking lot each week. By the time she walked me through the door to the studio I would be in full-fledged panic mode, too afraid to step onto the dance floor.

Week after week this cycle of excitement crashing into fear would recur. Each time my mom would hold my hand, walk me into class, and take her spot at the ballet barre next to me. She stood by me, urging me on, and refusing to let my fear get the best of me. She did this until I finally learned to take my place at the barre alone. Before long I not only learned to overcome my fear but had actually learned to love every dance class, parade, and competition.

Deciding to Launch

I think back on that time in our first few weeks of launching The Single Diaries. All those years ago my mom had taught me a valuable lesson in embracing my fear. As we pliéd side by side, she showed me that tackling fear doesn’t have to be done alone. She also made me recognize the value we can bring to each other simply by showing our support.

For nearly one year I thought about launching the site before I took any action. While I was thrilled by the idea of creating a space where I could connect with like-minded ladies, the thought of going public with my personal stories was (is) intimidating. In my heart I knew it was what I wanted to do but my fear of failure held me back.

It was my mom’s lessons that ultimately got me over that fear. I started to share the idea with friends (like Catherine!) and got their feedback to push forward. Once again I was reminded that when you surround yourself with good people they are there to support and strengthen you, not to tear you down.

There were many reasons for starting The Single Diaries but sharing this lesson – the true value in building amazing friendships with other aspiring women- ranks at the top of the list.

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September 6, 2013