"You've got to pray for the gift of perseverance," she said from the kitchen as I listened in the bathroom.  "This is something I've had to do many times over the years," she confided.

"Is that where I got my inclination towards giving up from?", I asked myself silently.

If you’ve been following my journey, you may remember how I turned down a book deal in January of this year because the deal just didn’t value how much I’m worth. (You can read the whole painful story here.) Then my agent and I broke up over it (though we decided to break up and stay in love.) It was an act of courage to say no to the publisher. On one level, I felt confident I was making the right decision because every Sign from the Universe affirmed it.  But deep down, I was scared shitless. What if I never got another book deal? What if I really wasn't worth more? What would I do with my life? You know the drill. . .

I’m ready to say good-bye to winter. I’m not someone who dreads the cold – I actually enjoy it. I like sweaters, boots and jeans. I like the snow and the look of the winter sky. I like cocooning. Johanna, one of my yoga teachers, was quick to remind us that without winter, there can be no spring; without death there is no rebirth.