Author Archives: dianabletter

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About dianabletter

Diana Bletter is the author of several books including The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women (with photographs by Lori Grinker), shortlisted for a National Jewish Book Award, a novel, A Remarkable Kindness, (HarperCollins), a memoir, The Mom Who Took of on her Motorcycle, and The Loving Yourself Book for Women: A Practical Guide to Boost Self-Esteem, Heal Your Inner Child, and Celebrate the Woman You Are, an Amazon top-seller in several categories, and The Loving Yourself Workbook for Girls. She is the First Prize Winner of Moment Magazine's 2019 Fiction Contest. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, tabletmag, Glamour, The Forward, The North American Review and is currently a reporter for The Times of Israel. Diana and her husband have six children and an unofficially-adopted daughter from Ethiopia. They live in a small village on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel.

Tool for Tuesday: Name It. Frame It. Tame It.

So, my friend Janet is on a safari in the Serengeti when I thought about my Tool for Tuesday. I was pondering the way I replay certain themes in my head—like a song from the radio you can’t stop humming. … Continue reading

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On Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday: That Guy Had Sparkalation.

So what if he had a funny hairdo? The guy was a genius. Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove, bifocals, the odometer. He had sparkalation. (That is me, totally inspired, and inventing a new word.) He was the founder of America’s … Continue reading

Posted in Be Less You To Be More You, How to Change Your Life, Your Best Chapter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tool For Tuesday: You Can Pick Your Friends and You Can Pick Your…Word. (And I Did.)

So, when we last met, we were rummaging around our brain cells and heart veins and soul spaces for that word of the year. My friend, Anne, wrote, “My best word forever and ever is love. Such an easy one … Continue reading

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One Really Smart Thing To Do This Year: Choose a Word

My freshman roommate from Cornell, Mary Eldred, whom I’ve written about in The New York Times here, picks a word each year to focus on. In the past, she’s chosen the following words: connections, balance, center, grace, faith, open, and … Continue reading

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Most Helpful Hint From Cave Men (And Cave Women) On Making Decisions

One of my daughters was struggling with what to do next with her life. She was overwhelmed with limitless options. I told her: be like a cavewoman. Gather. Gather all the information you need. Don’t do anything else. Just gather … Continue reading

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Tool For Tuesday: Open That Door. Use Your Eyes.

“Your eyes are the mirror of the soul.” That’s a Yiddish proverb. (I love Yiddish proverbs; for more, see here.) That’s why when you look people in the eye you can make a serious, simmering, solid connection. You can reveal everything … Continue reading

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What Are You Revealing Without Even Knowing It?

Phrenology–the theory that bumps on your head can reflect your character—has been disproven. But it still makes sense. Our thoughts and feelings do show up (sometimes unwillingly) as outer wear. You can spot an angry person, can’t you? Sometimes all you … Continue reading

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Tool For Tuesday (And the New Year): Tell Yourself A Story

  Tell yourself a story and make it a good one. You are the hero of this story. You set off on a journey. An adventure. A discovery. You face many obstacles. Dragons, dungeons, floods, fears. You have to walk … Continue reading

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New Year’s Resolution: Be Resolute

Wouldn’t it be great if we made a New Day’s Resolution instead of a New Year’s Resolution? That way we would only have to try for the next day ahead of us. Actually, only the next 15 or so hours … Continue reading

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Stopping That Hostile Takeover

Chart it, map it and then stop it: When do you find yourself getting hostile? Here’s what Joelle (and I) came up with: I get hostile when I tamp down what I’m feeling… When I give in when I know … Continue reading

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