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The Optimists Journal

Shaping Thoughts, Inspiring Change

Meet Wendy

Hi! I’m Wendy, mother of four, writer, and founder of Be Better Media. I am passionate about deep health, sustainable high performance, and human connection. As a lifelong learner, I believe that our own self-awareness is the greatest gift we can give to the next generation. This is my inspiration not to be perfect but to Be Better for myself and for them, every day. I know that it takes courage to reflect and when we are ready, share our stories so that real human connection is possible. This is what I set out to create with my blog, ‘The Optimists Journal’; my podcast, ‘What I Meant to Say’, and the interviews, videos, and other content created and presented by Be Better Media. In my downtime, you’ll find me hanging out with my kids and cats, going to yoga, and playing volleyball on the beach.

I believe that self awareness is the greatest gift we can give to the next generation.

The Optimists Journal

Calm in the Chaos
Author:Wendy Jones
Find calm in the chaos…these words go through my head multiple times per day. Text messages, emails, calls, voicemails, to do lists, goals, kids, social media, ideas, writing, so often it feels like it is […]
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July 21, 2019
Confidence & Connection
Author:Wendy Jones
The sounds and feels of summer…waves, crowds, traffic, and warmer water to jump in after volleyball. The ocean serves as the cheapest and most efficient ice bath for the aches and pains that have to […]
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July 14, 2019
Volleylife
Author:Wendy Jones
The adrenaline rushes, even when you sit in the stands.  But one thing I have learned is that once they take the court, there is nothing you as a parent can do about the outcome.  […]
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July 8, 2019
The Conscious Citizen
Author:Wendy Jones
Apathy: (n) lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern For the past few years, The Optimists Journal has been a place for me to reflect and build my writing (and who would have thought, speaking) skills, […]
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July 7, 2019
Love is 100%
Author:Wendy Jones
It has been said that we are only as happy as our least happy child, and there is some truth to that.  Nothing prepares us for the love and devotion most of us feel when […]
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June 30, 2019
Moving On
Author:Wendy Jones
I still don’t like the word divorce.  I still find the word itself hostile and angry and sad all at once.  Just one little word, and I don’t know if that connotation will ever go […]
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June 23, 2019
The Humble Warrior
Author:Wendy Jones
Writing is bliss, social media, not so much.  While I love keeping up with the kids and families I moved away from when we came south, I worry about the younger generations and whether their […]
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June 16, 2019
Scar Tissue
Author:Wendy Jones
Even though I consider myself a creature of habit, and changing those habits can be so hard, learning to thrive through life’s twists and turns has become one of my foundational and motivating goals. This […]
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June 9, 2019
The Power of Breath
Author:Wendy Jones
Take a deep breath. It’s become a trademark phrase in my house. Until I had Matthew, and everything that I didn’t want to learn in high school biology actually became relevant to my life, I […]
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June 2, 2019
Commencement
Author:Wendy Jones
I sit writing under the comfort of my new weighted blanket.  They are all the rage these days.  They were recommended to me when Matthew was little to calm him and help him sleep, and […]
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May 26, 2019
What's Your Why?
Author:Wendy Jones
Riding home from Luke’s game last night with my friend and volleyball partner, we got to talking about volleyball, and aging knees and how long we will get to play this game that we love […]
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May 19, 2019
The Voice That Matters Most
Author:Wendy Jones
Matthew turned 12 this week. There’s not a birthday that goes by that I don’t thank God that he’s here with us and take more than a minute to celebrate how far he has come. […]
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May 12, 2019
My People
Author:Wendy Jones
As an introvert, I like to hang out by myself...a lot. But the flip side of that coin is that I love human connection. I’m not one for small talk, I prefer deep conversation, or […]
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May 4, 2019
The Wisdom in The Lyrics
Author:Wendy Jones
I love singers and songwriters because their lyrics drift through my life on a daily basis. Music has a profound impact on our brain. It’s Prom, graduation AND birthday season in my house. My youngest […]
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April 28, 2019
Faith, Presence & Solitude
Author:Wendy Jones
Overwhelm: (v.) To bury or drown beneath a huge mass. I looked up this definition because it’s a feeling I have been experiencing a lot this week and wanted to see what Webster had to […]
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April 21, 2019
To Learn and Teach
Author:Wendy Jones
I sit here with a cat lying on my computer, which is often the case, so I have taken to writing blogs on my IPhone, both because of the cat’s affinity for the keyboard and, […]
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April 14, 2019
Coming Home
Author:Wendy Jones
“We should have these conversations in front of people,” he said. The first time I heard that statement, I 100% thought he was crazy. “No pressure, just tell me when you are ready.” And the […]
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March 31, 2019
The Boy of Yesterday, The Man of Tomorrow
Author:Wendy Jones
My second born, Luke, turned 17 this week, as the world sees it, the last year of childhood. The irony of being someone’s child is that you will never know how much you are loved until […]
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March 24, 2019
How A Fortune Cookie's Simple Wisdom Led To My Happiness Contract
Author:Wendy Jones
My latest fortune cookie was full of simple wisdom: “Don’t pursue happiness, create it.” It’s only the second time I’ve ever saved a fortune—and the other one (prominently displayed on my bulletin board) says: “You will write […]
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March 17, 2019
Blending Life
Author:Wendy Jones
I have two Instagram accounts, my personal one is called @faithinthejourney, I changed the name from something way more generic when my life shifted and it has become a family tag line…”oh watch out, you’re […]
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March 10, 2019
Choose Your Energy
Author:Wendy Jones
I’m processing a lot of learning in one short week. It started out at Brigadoon, a fantastic conference of 50-60 attendees in Sundance, Utah where I got to talk about optimism and my book, 365 […]
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March 3, 2019
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Honor Your Path
Author:Wendy Jones
A lot of my thinking these days includes concepts that seem to have levels of contradiction. As we move on in this life, it seems that so many experiences can’t be deemed all good, or […]
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February 24, 2019
Bolder Today
Author:Wendy Jones
I would definitely consider myself a creature of habit, one who thrives on routine, and enjoys little things like choosing my coffee mug every day and counting my blessings for the roof over my head […]
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February 17, 2019
Big Dreams, Small Steps
Author:Wendy Jones
Have you ever felt yourself standing on the edge of the neat and organized world where everything appears to make sense from the outside but it feels small, like you know there is something more […]
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February 10, 2019
Force vs. Flow
Author:Wendy Jones
In a conversation this past week about life and the goals I am trying to achieve with The Optimists Journal, my wise and close friend said to me,  “it’s already in your heart, it’s making […]
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February 3, 2019
Writing for Regeneration
Author:Wendy Jones
She said, “ I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have a pain, I don’t have to be one. […]
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January 27, 2019
Cultivating Growth
Author:Wendy Jones
What am I good at? What do I know? What do I do? Not even a year ago, these questions would bring tears to my eyes because I felt such a deep sense of not […]
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January 20, 2019
The Truth In Our Hearts
Author:Wendy Jones
“Your heart will tell you things that your head never will, it’s important to listen.” This was the last quote I put in my book, 365 Days of Optimism, and I’ve enjoyed the dialogue it […]
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January 13, 2019
Brave Heart
Author:Wendy Jones
Bravery is the focus of the new year for me. As I write this, I’m eating chocolate on a train through the Swiss Alps with one of my oldest and dearest friends who gets me […]
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January 6, 2019
Growth Minded Patriotism
Author:Wendy Jones
I’m re-engaging in the political process after taking a long break since the last election cycle. Over the last couple of years, I switched from being a lifelong news junky who wrote letters to the […]
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December 30, 2018
The Courage to Confront
Author:Wendy Jones
My dad and I had the opportunity to celebrate our birthdays together for the first time in many years. Twelve days late for me and two days late for him but, nonetheless, totally worth the […]
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December 23, 2018
Why Not Be An Optimist?
Author:Wendy Jones
“Let’s dig into the fresh bucket of optimism and if we fail we fail.” - Casey Jennings Optimism has been mentioned in every podcast I have listened to lately. Whether it’s Bobbi Brown on Finding […]
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December 20, 2018
The Paths That Lead us Home
Author:Wendy Jones
It’s typical in the human experience to seek what we know.  Traditions, habits and patterns are part of a successful journey and, when we pick good ones, they set us up for success. But as […]
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November 20, 2018
wendy jones
Fields to Beaches
Author:Wendy Jones
Almost every time I descend the grapevine on the valley side I start to cry.  I think there are many reasons for this; maybe a sense of loss, maybe because I see so much wide […]
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November 8, 2018
Live and Learn
Author:Wendy Jones
I was blessed to spend the weekend with a pack of kind, loving and fiercely strong females.  We shared the court almost 30 years ago. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been that long. Back […]
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November 5, 2018
Be "Good"
Author:Wendy Jones
I let go of anger and shame bit by bit, sometimes it rises up in my day and I have to figure out why and what to do with it.  At least I notice now.  […]
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October 24, 2018
Aqua Healing
Author:Wendy Jones
I write often about my life being a work in progress, being a late bloomer, an optimist, and framing the less the favorable situations in life in a way that allows for the greatest amount […]
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October 8, 2018
Generations of Inspiration
Author:Wendy Jones
Almost 30 years ago, the AVP traveled to Lost Lake in Fresno, where I grew up, and my non-beach community had access to amazing beach volleyball…the crowds for the final were upwards of 25,000 and […]
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October 2, 2018
Event
Abundance
Author:Wendy Jones
I write a lot about challenging comfort zones because I have seen the positive effects it has had in my life.  Challenging our limits though can feel like a roller coaster sometimes. For me, it […]
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September 28, 2018
Let it go
Author:Wendy Jones
Healing…its a concept that I have always understood, but almost from an outsiders perspective.  From the time I was young, I have attracted scenarios in my life where I could provide some type of relief […]
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September 21, 2018
The optimists journal
The Changing Tide
Author:Wendy Jones
View fullsize To know me is to know that I am often having a conversation with myself in my own head.  Maybe that’s why I like being alone, my thoughts and I really do have […]
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September 14, 2018
Renegade Leader
Author:Wendy Jones
Senator John McCain - Picture: wikicommons/flickr In so many ways, I am typical to the scene around me.  If you look at me, I dress the same, eat the same, and workout the same as […]
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September 7, 2018
Girl Power
Author:Wendy Jones
Dinner at home…I’ll take it pretty much anytime over a crowded restaurant.  Add great company and a fabulously prepared Italian meal and you’ve got the recipe for an amazing evening.  I had the best time […]
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September 7, 2018
Finding Calm
Author:Wendy Jones
Life is moving pretty fast these days…all four of them are in full swing, we’ve had first days of school, a concussion, volleyball tryouts, football games, videos to make, and as I try to do […]
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September 7, 2018
Latthem be little
Let Them Be Little
Author:Wendy Jones
When I started The Optimists Journal, writing was just beginning to be a tool for me to cut through generational pain. Piecing together memories and examining my life so I could figure out how I […]
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August 27, 2018
The Strength In Surrender
Author:Wendy Jones
I’m not sure when I broke through, but I realized it after Yin yoga on Sunday night. After an all day session of teacher training that started with a heated 75 minute Power Flow, Yin […]
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August 23, 2018
The Myth of Perfection
Author:Wendy Jones
  As a sports fan, I read my fair share of sporting news, mostly in short spurts as I make my way through the day. I love sports for what they can teach us, how […]
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August 12, 2018
Thanks for the Memories
Author:Wendy Jones
Memories are both the keys to our past and the pavers of the bridge to our future. What we are able to tuck away can both sustain us and teach us because they give us […]
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August 11, 2018
be better
A Centenarian's Happy Hour
Author:Wendy Jones
The more I write, the more my brain connects with the universal truths that bring together this incredible human experiment.  In less than one weeks time, I have been able to share significant experiences with […]
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August 8, 2018
The Sporting Life
Author:Wendy Jones
As an introvert who craves deep connection, I find myself thinking about the concept of community a lot.  So often, I feel like retreating to my corner to write and think and be by myself, […]
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August 4, 2018
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