Eat, Pray, Love

Last week I had the chance to hear Liz Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, speak at the Smart Talk Series.  She was the "Queen of Quirk" coming out in almost pajama bottoms and her hair up in pigtail-like bunches.  She was smart, quick witted, clever, and I found her to be as authentic as she could be.

Liz shared the journey she has been on since the success of her book.  Even though her book has been on the New York Times best-seller list for two years, she did not set out to write a blockbuster book.  She said that if she knew how to do that she would have written the blockbuster book the first, second, and third times!

I always carry paper and a pen with me to any speaker--commencement speakers and sermons included because I am almost sure there will be something said that I want to write down.  This was what Liz said last week that I wrote down:

"If you don't begin listening to the whispers, you will have to begin listening to the screams."  

Liz was referring to life and how we have to listen to what our intuition and body is telling us.  Since her book, Eat Pray Love, is about her spiritual journey through three Is (Italy, India, and Indonesia), people think she has discovered the answers to life and ask her for advice. She closed with this advice: 

Be gentle with yourself.  

Good advice.