Hand holding sparkler. Text says if all you did this year was hold yourself together, I’m proud of you.
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Stay Calm and Begin Anew

As my family discussed New Year’s Eve, an interesting theme emerged. All we feel is a heavy sigh of relief and a desire to quietly, almost solemnly begin anew. I think we’re getting Mod Pizza and watching a movie.  Tomorrow the newspaper…
Blue sky with rainbow kite. Text reads: The Dailies with Elisa. Facebook.com/groups/thedailies Your daily dose for radical resilience. Mindset, health perspective
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Day 133 of the 150 day micro-journaling experiment

I started The Dailies in a dark PTSD cave. Anxiety attacks regularly sent me running to huddle in my closet with uncontrollable full body tremors that lasted for hours. This went on for months. Previously I had only experienced episodic PTSD…
What are you wishing for?
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All I want for Christmas is...surgery

This year for Christmas, I hope for a new and improved right wrist. The fall that broke my wrist in 2016 left me with daily pain and difficulty with the wrist attached to my dominant right hand. At least I've had a good excuse for my lousy…
soldier playing with working dog
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Courage Training 101

I’m listening to the audio version of Brené Brown’s book, Dare to Lead. At one minute and fifty-three seconds into the book I hear this.... “I looked at these brave soldiers and said, ‘Vulnerability is the emotion that we experience…
statue of a young Aristotle
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Are you already failing at your New Year's intentions?

We're only halfway through January and already I'm failing. Do you make New Year's resolutions or goals? Less than a third of the people I talk with say that they do. Some tell me they set goals; others have a general notion of what they want…
Photo of my 3 kids in front of a Christmas tree when they were little
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A Perfectly Imperfect Christmas

Our favorite ornament on the tree was received by my husband 16 years ago. A round red globe holds a small framed photo of our children. When you press a button, 3 little voices ring out in an offbeat chorus, "I love my Daddy! I love my Daddy!…
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07: The Lessons of Failure from Wilma Rudolph

What does it take to be a winner? Do winners ever fail? Failure and struggle are important processes to go through to fully enjoy the beauty of winning. Failure is painful and hurts in many ways; no one likes that feeling of failure, but…
Elisa Hays Speaker
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”FEARLESS”

Each year I choose one word to be my focus for the year. Typically by the last quarter of the year I already know what my Word of the Year needs to be. For example, 2016 was a brutal year that included the death of my beloved grandfather…
Elisa Hays Speaker
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A Strong Funny Bone Can't Be Broken

On an ordinary sunny afternoon, after an energetic workout at the gym, I tripped at home over a shoe (my shoe) and sprawled face first with outstretched arms onto the tile floor of our kitchen. Ouch! Two broken elbows, a cracked wrist and several…
Elisa Hays Speaker
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Be Genuine while Faking It

On June 14 three years ago, I woke up in my own bed for the first time after three and a half months in hospitals. It was a Saturday and we had a birthday party for our daughter Sarah. I stepped into a bright new day and the beginning of getting…