Embarking on Day 1 of the “Live in the Grey” Self-Improvement Challenge, I celebrate three women who inspire me, and share a cause from a close friend going through a tough time.

Well, isn’t it just like me to begin a life improvement challenge*, and start a week late? But I figure late is better than never, so here we go.

Give thanks to three people

My mom, pictured here with little Regan, who I look up to purely because she’s the most adorable dog in the world.

For this challenge, I’d like to keep it all in the family. I never had a famous celebrity or sport star role model as a child. Instead, I preferred to look up to the members of my family who inspired me. And since I’m on kind of a feminist kick lately, I’m gonna stick to the women in my family.

My Aunt Barbara (left) and my sister.

To my Aunt Barbara, thank you. Thank you for giving me my two biggest gifts: magic and stories. Everything scary and sad could become something interesting and uplifting by turning them into stories. I will always use the power of stories to transform the hurts of life into inspiration.

To my Mom, thank you. You’re the eternal cheerleader, who taught me the value of positive thinking and finding the good in everyone, even boyfriends you wished I’d have dumped years earlier. You also taught me boundaries and how to let go of toxic relationships, forgiving them but moving on as needed.

To my sister Jessica, thank you. For putting up with your annoying little sister. You let me follow you around, from Chuy’s to college, and were always there for me to lean on. More importantly, you taught me how to laugh, especially at myself, especially whenever I tripped and fell down.

Share a cause

In the theme of wonderful women, please help support one of my best friends. I’ve seen Sheena struggle over the years with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It’s a strange and cruel affliction, and Sheena’s bright future has been shadowed by it at crucial junctures. While there is no known cure for Chronic Fatigue, she is currently seeing a specialist, which of course is not covered by her insurance. Even $5 helps, so please take a moment and share some spare change.

View Day 2’s blog: Setting Values

*Take the Self-Improvement Challenge yourself @ Live in the Grey