Barbara Leigh

Shadow of a person on a wooden bridge on a sunny day, with swirling knots in the heart of the shadow.

When you participate in the sharing of stories, you are creating a relationship. People see how you handle their stories. Trust and future interactions are based on how that feels. Handle with care.
#helpfulmess #HandleWithCare #stories #relationships

1 cup measuring cup overflowing with chocolate chips

Hope takes the momentum of the small wins and uses it to fuel action for good. Turns out, action is a great way to accomplish good. Hope drives your future; where do you want to go?
#helpfulmess #hope #TakeAction

Beautiful valley of fall colors, sign on a tree in the foreground that says “Private Property: No Trespassing”

We all experience things that add bricks to our walls. You control your wall. Allowing yourself to explore the whys and what ifs specific to your wall gives you an opportunity to adjust and open yourself up to better relationships. People need people!
#helpfulmess #KeepOut #OpenUp #BeBrave

tree that grew straight then took several bends toward the sun so it looks curly

We are told to rebalance our investment portfolios to stick to our financial plan. In that same way, remember to think about the delicate balance of those other tradeoffs in your life and make sure the way they are weighted still serves you.
#helpfulmess #rebalance #priorities #tradeoffs

Life ring on a stand at the oceanfront in Acadia National Park

The number of things you can care about is directly related to the amount of money and time you have. The more people that can only care about their own circle, the less people there are to fix the bigger problems of the world. Throw the life ring when you can.
#helpfulmess #Overwhelmed

Flower bed of coneflowers and brown-eyed Susans, blue-eyed cat coming out from under the thick green leaves

Daisy loves to go outside, until she’s outside. Sometimes she gets brave and goes to the flower bed but then hides. Is your life like that? You see something that looks wonderful, but you’re afraid to go there, or hide once you’re there? Let yourself shine!
barbaraleighauthor.com/blog/f/scare...

Dead, brown leaf that has been eaten away by bugs and is just an outline connected by leaf veins and little bits of what is left of the leaf blade.

Unlike the leaf, you have the power of choice. You can change the way you spend your life. You can let go of fear and drive out the bugs that are dragging you down. You can decide to live.
#helpfulmess #LoveYourLife #leaf #ChooseToLive

gourds of various shapes, colors and sizes on a wooden pallet

Just as not everyone sees the beauty in a gourd, you’ll run into people who don’t see your beauty. Some people will try to hollow you out to make you useful to them. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. You are a delight.
#helpfulmess #gourds #IAmADelight #HappyFall

rocky oceanfront with large tan rocks broken up by a strip of dark gray rock, blue sky and ocean in the background

If the latest item in the news cycle feels like too much, it’s okay to move past and keep going. If your relationships hinge on how you feel about one news item, it might be time to invest more into your relationships and less into current events.
#helpfulmess

splash of pink coneflowers, past their peak flower, in a pale green meadow

Does anyone grieve the coneflowers? Allowing yourself to grieve your life events allows you to move forward with less stress and also gives you practice for the big things like death. Grief acknowledges change and gives it space.

close up of calendula flower with bug feeding in the center

When your goal is clear, you tend to choose the fastest route to get there. It’s okay to recalibrate or change your goal based on new information. Just remember to adjust the rest of your map accordingly. Then, carry on!
#helpfulmess #LessIsMore #CarryOn #Goals

Orange cat asleep, sprawled on wood deck boards in the sun, totally relaxed and smiling

When told to visualize your happy place, I go with visualizing a calm space where I can picture feeling love, laughter, and contentment. Basically, it looks like this cat living his best life.
#helpfulmess #happyCat #LiveYourBestLife #Relax

Many calendula flowers in bloom on a sunny day

Like these flowers, beauty comes when we can let go of the bugs and the weeds and focus on the blooms.

cat sleeping on bed pillow, under another pillow like a sandwich

If it makes you mad, you are less likely to see ulterior motives, and more likely to join in the screaming. Anger takes action. Interrupt the cycle and clearly consider if it aligns with what you stand for. You don’t need to act on everything that grabs your attention. #helpfulmess #AskTheQuestions

Cat face with ears back, clearly not happy

This is Daisy when I go over the allowed number of brushstrokes, by one. Purr, purr, purr, THE FACE. If you don’t stop at THE FACE, you get THE TEETH. The boundary is drawn, the consequences are communicated clearly, my responsibility is to stop.
#helpfulmess #boundaries #MadCat #communication

Gray treefrog the same color as the sidewalk it sits on, midday with only a slight shadow line to indicate he is there

How do you hide? Do you try to blend in? Do you refuse to explore new opportunities and try new things? Do you guard yourself with hate or sarcasm to keep people at a distance? Do you turn those voices in on yourself? Chances are you’re just trying to survive. Choose to thrive!
#helpfulmess #Thrive

#helpfulmess #change #contrail #LifeSkills

Change of plans! If you’re the pilot, you’re letting the ground team know the change in course. You’re telling your passengers what they can expect. You’re giving information about safety. Do you do these things for yourself when you encounter change?

wild rabbit in short grass, ready to run into taller grass behind

Be aware of the limits you set on yourself so you can consciously choose to chase an occasional wild hare. This little hare generally chooses to hide, but he chose stay this once and watch us walk by. Seize the day!
#helpfulmess #bunny #SeizeTheDay #WildHare

Today's moment of wonder.
#helpfulmess #reflections #MomentsOfWonder

Today's moment of wonder
#helpfulmess #MomentOfWonder #cranes

Today's moment of wonder.

Two sandhill cranes on a lawn, one digging in the lawn for food, one standing straight up

What brings you joy? What makes you feel creative? What brings you a sense of awe and wonder? What makes your muscles relax? Whatever that is, you should probably have more of it in your life. Treat yourself like someone you love.
#helpfulmess #feelSomething #wonder #cranes #LoveYourself

Large bush of deep orange lilies

There was nothing wrong with being a white Easter lily. But for this lily, being its true self looked different than that. It chose to embrace the changes and see where they led. Stretching who it was allowed it to flourish.
#helpfulmess #flourish #stretch #grow #EmbraceTheChange #lilies

large snapping turtle on road surface

I tried moving this snapping turtle off the road but it wouldn’t budge. And then it went. Learning where that boundary between “being responsible for” and “lending a hand” falls is really important for your own sanity. You can only control you.
#helpfulmess #letThem #youControlYou #turtles

Unstoppable Mindset logo with quote, "Confidence doesn't come from being perfect-it comes from trusting yourself to keep going, even when you're not." with author photo of Barbara Leigh.

My interview with Michael Hingson is now available! We talk about life and building self esteem and how that relates to relationships. youtu.be/U700IuQ02y8
Michael's web site: michaelhingson.com
#UnstoppableMindset #MichaelHingson #helpfulmess

small, papery, round hornet’s nest with a large queen bald faced hornet crawling on it, all attached to a piece of door corner trim

When a hornet’s nest appears on your door, get creative! Look for compromise. But be open to evaluating the impact of the situation on your health, life and livelihood. Don’t be afraid to commit to action when you need to. It’s okay to stand up for yourself.
#helpfulmess #StandUpForYourself #action

Sun coming out from behind a cloud, glowing up the edge of the cloud.

Communication and boundaries can help reel in purpose-driven people, but we need to be careful about the boxes we create, for ourselves and for others. Drawing lines can separate people from purpose. Encouraging purpose opens up innovation and lets us shine.
#helpfulmess #purpose #shineOn #driven

small bird perched on larger tree branch, with smaller tree branches crisscrossing around it

When you feel trapped, consider what holds you back. Check your own expectations and beliefs and how they limit you. When you feel worthy of love and hope, you can more clearly see what is holding you back and adjust accordingly. Fly, be free!
#helpfulmess #birds #YouAreWorthy #FlyBeFree

Lighthouse surrounded by scaffolding, top to bottom

Like this lighthouse, dealing with toxic substances like lead paint can seem daunting. Our toxic traits or environment make it hard to know what to do. But if we don’t start somewhere, our structure breaks down. Start now. You are worth it.
#helpfulmess #lighthouses #WorkInProgress #YouAreWorthy

birch trees in foreground of a valley, framing smaller trees in the distance where the sun is hitting one of the smaller trees and it is shining with gold leaves at its crown while the lower branches and trees are gray and in shadows

There is a time to live in your peaceful, shadowed valley. Don’t forget to occasionally seek out some contrast, a fresh perspective. Climb a hill, study something that makes you see things differently, and be prepared to find some beauty!
#helpfulmess #LightItUp #shine #birchtrees #UnexpectedBeauty