Claire Diaz-Ortiz - The Better Life: Small Things You Can Do Right Where You Are

Practical, witty, intelligent, and a well-articulated read, The Better Life wooed me toward the kind of journey I lovea simple, focused, meaningful life.

MARY DEMUTH, author of The Wall Around Your Heart

I cant say enough great things about The Better Life. Each chapter had me nodding my head and having an aha moment. Claire Diaz-Ortiz has such a wide array of expertise. We all benefit from her wisdom with this book. From productivity to increased happiness to finding time for yourself, I loved the gentle reminders and wisdom she shares. This is a book you will read again and again.

ALLI WORTHINGTON, chief operating officer of Propel Women and author of Breaking Busy

Sometimes we forget that the moments that allow us to feel fully alive arent found in what we accomplish but who we become. In The Better Life, Claire reminds us that those moments are still possible and inspires us to make them ours, new once again.

BONNIE GRAY, author of Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest

Claire is a force of naturebrilliant, compassionate, unstoppable. And this book, The Better Life, is her manifesto on living well.

JOHN SOWERS, author of The Heroic Path

I read The Better Life in one sittingand it made me want to be a better person. Claires words are wise, transparent, and practical. They breathe hope into souls inundated with information and overloaded with pressure. They offer rest to the weary heart. Highly recommended.

EMILY T. WIERENGA, founder of The Lulu Tree and author of six books including the memoir Making It Home

Claire Diaz-Ortiz is like a travel guide for life. Her stories and insights will give you a vision of where you want to go and practical steps that will help you get there. And the place youll arrive at by the end of these pages will be more filled with joy, peace, and what truly matters to you.

HOLLEY GERTH, bestselling author of Youre Already Amazing

The Better Life is a super-motivating, practical, inspiring book that will help you live a more meaningful, intentional life without feeling overwhelmed. If you feel like youve been going through the motions and are aching to live out a better life, get this book stat!

SARAH MAE, Author of Desperate and Longing for Paris

2015 by
CLAIRE DIAZ-ORTIZ

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Edited by Pam Pugh
Interior Design: Ragont Design
Cover Design: Connie Gabbert
Cover photo of gold stars copyright by Fribus Mara / Shutterstock /
89872825. All rights reserved.
Author photo: Jose Diaz-Ortiz

Published in association with the literary agency of The Fedd Agency, Inc., Austin, Texas.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Diaz-Ortiz, Claire, 1982
The better life : small things you can do right where you are / Claire Diaz-Ortiz.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-8024-1293-5
1. Self-actualization (Psychology) 2. Behavior modification. 3. Conduct of life. 4. Peace of mind. I. Title.
BF637.S4D544 2015
158.1--dc23

2014046447

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T his is a small book with a big message.

In these thirty-something vignettes, youll find a host of ways to improve life as you know it, right where you are.

Every story in this short volume is a powerful, personal, prescriptive, and encouraging one. And each story offers a small way to instantly improve your current life. Sometimes I make it easy to see what you need to do to put one foot in front of the other, and sometimes it requires a bit more reflection to find the meaning at hand.

Ultimately, each story gives a calm, clear message to millennial readers of all walks of life: Take charge of your life for the better, now. No matter your circumstances, you can make a positive difference in your life today. The Better Life is a call to arms for your better life, right where you are.

I know that where you are may not be where you want to be. In fact, I hope thats the case, in the same way I hope that I will get better and bolder and brighter with each passing day in this orbit.

Each of the vignettes in this book will get you one step closer to that better life youre dreaming of. Read, take action, and transform. Its a happy road, and were on it together.

L ike most of us, I want to be happier. Whether its waking up with more spark or going to bed more satisfied with my day, I want to open my life to the opportunity for greater joy.

As such, I love to read books about happiness. My writer pal Gretchen Rubin has written a few of those, and in one of them she recommends a small, powerful idea that has taken hold to become a big, strong force in my own life.

That idea is to choose a word each and every year that represents the year you have in front of you. Rather, to choose a word for your year. (Oh, and take a cue from Gretchen: years dont need to start in January.) Choose one single word that imbues the type of year you wish to have, one word that can serve as a guidepost for what you want in the season to come. A singular word you can always harken back to in moments of darkness and doubt. One word that informs your decisions, crystalizes your passions and priorities, and embodies youthe new you!in the months ahead.

Depending on the type of year you seek, there are many words that can do the trick. Words like Move, Pause, Breathe, Dance, Less, Family, Health, Travel, and Choose all hold a certain special sauce.