Elise Ballard

Writer. Author: Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight + The Journal. Passionate about true stories, life-altering conversations & curating positive projects.

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

Love this review of my book Epiphany. It’s so thorough & captures a lot of its essence & intention plus has 10 Great Takeaways. (In need of some uplifting wisdom right about now & there’s a barrier to getting my book for any reason? Pls dm me.)✨💛✨ https://t.co/qrFEjloxJN

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

Thrilled to have my article about the first women doctors in New Orleans & the hospital they founded on the front page of the Living section of The Times-Picayune! ✨

[NOLA.com @NOLAnews]

How early women doctors blazed a trail in New Orleans, opening their own clinic and practices https://t.co/fGdUEk57QK

[NOLA.com @NOLAnews]

How early women doctors blazed a trail in New Orleans, opening their own clinic and practices https://t.co/fGdUEk57QK

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

😳

[Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav]

Attempting to feed a bear McDonalds Big Mac 😮

What is in there that animals refuse to eat?

🔊

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

❤️ this! Check it out—esp if you’re ever feeling stuck or need a life jumpstart or … an epiphany! ✨💛✨

[Tim Ferriss @tferriss]

Get Unrealistic

There is a process that I have used, and still use, to reignite life...👇

Create two timelines—6 months and 12 months—and list up to five things you dream of having (including, but not limited to, material wants: house, car, clothing, etc.), being (be a great cook, be fluent in Chinese, etc.), and doing (visiting Thailand, tracing your roots overseas, racing ostriches, etc.) in that order.

If you have difficulty identifying what you want in some categories, as most will, consider what you hate or fear in each and write down the opposite.

Do not limit yourself, and do not concern yourself with how these things will be accomplished. For now, it’s unimportant. This is an exercise in reversing repression.

Be sure not to judge or fool yourself. If you really want a Ferrari, don’t put down solving world hunger out of guilt. For some, the dream will be fame, for others fortune or prestige. All people have their vices and insecurities. If something will improve your feeling of self-worth, put it down.

Drawing a blank? In that case, consider these questions:

What would you do, day to day, if you had $100 million in the bank?

What would make you most excited to wake up in the morning to another day?

Don’t rush—think about it for a few minutes.

If still blocked, fill in the five “doing” spots with the following:

one place to visit
one thing to do before you die (a memory of a lifetime) one thing to do daily
one thing to do weekly
one thing you’ve always wanted to learn

What does “being” entail doing?

Convert each “being” into a “doing” to make it actionable. Identify an action that would characterize this state of being or a task that would mean you had achieved it. People find it easier to brainstorm “being” first, but this column is just a temporary holding spot for “doing” actions.

Here are a few examples:

1) Great cook —> make Christmas dinner without help

2) Fluent in Chinese —> have a five-minute conversation with a Chinese co-worker

Determine three steps for each of the dreams in just the 6-month timeline and take the first step now.

Define three steps for each dream that will get you closer to its actualization. Set actions—simple, well-defined actions—for now, tomorrow (complete before 11 A.M.) and the day after (again completed before 11 A.M.). Once you have three steps for each of the four goals, complete the three actions in the “now” column.

Do it now. Each should be simple enough to do in five minutes or less. If not, rachet it down. If it’s the middle of the night and you can’t call someone, do something else now, such as send an e-mail, and set the call for first thing tomorrow.

If the next stage is some form of research, get in touch with someone who knows the answer instead of spending too much time in books or online, which can turn into paralysis by analysis.

The best first step, the one I recommend, is finding someone who’s done it and ask for advice on how to do the same.

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love—whether we call it friendship or family or romance—is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light."
— Maria Popova (@brainpicker)

via the 5-Bullet Friday newsletter (https://t.co/4mZrF9jGLJ) from @tferriss

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@Hipstercrite 😂😂😂

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@Diane_Warren It really was so great. I laughed & cried. Congrats, Diane! So happy for you —SO well-deserved!✨💛✨

[🥀_ Imposter_🖕 @Imposter_Edits]

There was a baby chimp born at The Sedgwick County Zoo, the baby had to be put on oxygen for a few days. This is a clip of it being reintroduced to its mother for the first time.

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@Stivnik @PNCBank_Help This is what happened to me too.

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

Excited about this one in Dallas Oct 8-9, y’all. Great lineup, good times. ✍️✨💛✨https://t.co/onwFXpJyww✨@dfwcon #writersconference #dfwcon

[Caity Weaver @caityweaver]

I paid a $900 fee for my mom’s local paper to publish her obituary and a photo taken by my dad. The NY Post reprinted both and placed ads on the page, which means I have effectively (unwillingly) paid $900 for the Post to make money off my mom’s obituary and a personal photo.

[A M G @audreymg0928]

My daughter’s beautiful teacher was the teacher who was killed in Uvalde, TX. Eva (Ms Mireles) taught Gabby in elementary school. She was a beautiful person & dedicated teacher. She believed in Gabby & went above & beyond to teach her as you can see below. There are no words.

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@Hipstercrite Oh Lauren, Im so sorry! She was such a funny angel! Im crying thinking about what you’re going thru. my Kady is getting older & had a major health scare this yr. Was just talking about how animals teach us unconditional love & also, how to let go. hang in there. Sending ❤️🙏✨

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

Smithsonian unveils 120 statues of women in STEM for Women's History Month https://t.co/Yur9qK4E4T via @TodayShow

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

this group. ❤️🙏

[Innovation Women @WomenInno]

New books from Innovation Women Speakers @mtlederman, @austintichenor, @LynnCatSpeaks @eliseballard, @AmbikaDeviMA, @KatreceNolen, Karen Fullerton, @MjCallawaySpeak, @Bromley51, and @AClearPath https://t.co/1DX1P1rCRS

[Maya Angelou @DrMayaAngelou]

"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet." #MayaAngelou

[jennifer pastiloff @JenPastiloff]

This Saturday 10 am Pst I’m teaching my “yoga to quiet the inner a$$hole” class as a fundraiser for the people of Ukraine. All info & Registration for zoom below. please spread the word?

https://t.co/6Kq8BBshfS

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@JenPastiloff @Variety Was going to — want come to the Ukraine fundraiser yoga class! 👊✨

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

Love this @Variety article by the wonderful @JenPastiloff #mustread #CODAFilm

[Elise Ballard @eliseballard]

@JenPastiloff @Variety So good! The film, article & YOU! 💕