Although Amy Poehler and I are polar opposites (no pun intended), I really connected with a lot of her statements in her book. I realized that we are similar in some ways, and she's got great advice for the parts of my life that we aren't similar in. 

I have compiled a list of quotes and lessons, that I have taken away from Amy Poehler's Yes Please and I'd like to share them with you!

1.  "Don't think. Get out of your head. Stop planning and just go."

I really needed to hear this one. I am constantly planning and overthinking. I create all of these what if scenarios in my head that would never happen in a million years. 

2. "I had found my tribe."

This one definitely home for me! When I first started my little online shop, I connected with a bunch of handmade artists on instagram. We've become mentors and friends to each other. We talk shop and confide in each other about what's going on in our lives. I, like Amy Poehler, have found my tribe and I don't know what I would do with out it. 

3. "Always tell people when they do a good job."

I try my best to follow this, but I tend to forget this as well and I am thankful for the reminder. I even started a daily interaction based around this in my blogging group Perfectly Ambitious Bloggers. On Sunday's we do "Shoutout Sunday," where we let people know how we feel about their most recent posts and give kudos for their help and expertise. This is something that we used to do at staff meetings when I was a resident assistant and I think they really helped the group. 

4. "Love your husband and don't belittle him."

I think this is something that every wife needs to be reminded of every once in a while. Of course, the same goes for husbands as well. Sometimes it's easy to get stuck in a routine of the same old thing and we get upset about things that don't really matter, but we need to remember the golden rule, "treat others how you would like to be treated."

5. "Love your work."

This one is simple, but it's important nonetheless. We're all going to have that job that we hate and more than likely we will have more than one of them. However, we still need to work towards getting that dream job we've always wanted. It's important to do what you love and love what you do, because otherwise the unhappiness in our work life is going to leak out into the rest of our life. 

6. "Ask for what you want." 

I've never really been very good at this one. I'm always too shy or afraid of rejection so I don't tend to ask for what I want. Now that I've done this, I've taken part in so many wonderful opportunities that I know wouldn't have come to me if I hadn't asked for them. I now realize that the worst anyone can say is no, and it's ok if they do.

7. "Eat whatever you want."

Some might get mad at me for saying this, but I completely agree. I've always been a picky eater and I tend to lean towards the fried food and way too many sweets. I've accepted that this is who I am. I shouldn't have to starve myself of the thinks that I truly like just because someone else things that I should look or eat a certain way. If eating a donut makes me happy, I'm going to do it. I also know when to stop. Just because you can eat whatever you want, doesn't mean you should eat horribly and over eat at the same time. I've done my fair share of stress eating and I've learned when I'm eating because it makes me happy or when I'm eating to make myself happy. Hint: the second one is not ok. 

8. "Keep trying."

This one piggybacks off of number six. You should ask for what you want and you should always try to reach your goals. If there is an obstacle or someone says no, you just need to keep trying. If I didn't keep trying to get my doctors to take me seriously, I might not have every been put on the medication that is saving my life. No matter what, we need to keep trying.

9. "Street smarts are as important as book smarts."

Many don't believe this, but I do 100%. I know that it bothers me when other people don't have common sense, so it's important for me to have common sense too. I always did well in school and I like to think that I've maneuvered through life pretty well so far, but I know that it wouldn't have been the same had I grown up in a different environment. I've been through way more than the average girl my age and I think it's helped shape me into the woman I am today. 

10. "Don't work too hard."

Like I said earlier, "No matter what, we need to keep trying," but we also need to remember to take a break every once in a while. I know that I'm occasionally labeled a "workaholic." In fact, my nickname in high school was "Overachiever Kramer" (Kramer was my maiden name). It sounds crazy but I was an overachiever and it wasn't until I got sick that I realized that I've been working too hard. I've learned to take breaks when necessary and just enjoy time with my husband, our kittens, or a good book. 

11. "It's ok to cry."

I've always been such an independent person, and I've always thought of crying as a form of weakness. I just never wanted to cry and if I did, I made sure no one could see or hear me. I still haven't fully accepted that it's ok to cry yet, but I'm working on it. 

12. "Your career and your passion don't always match up. Plenty of people don't have the careers they want. Plenty of untalented people make millions and make movies. There is a difference between determination and talent. Hard work doesn't always matter." 

This paragraph really hit home for me. As I begin accepting my illnesses, I've realized that I might never be able to do what I set out to. I've had to quit working and find a new dream. Then I realized that I've been getting worse and I can't follow that dream anymore. So, I've decided on a new dream and I'm determined to accomplish it. Sometimes you just have to adjust to your situation and accept what is happening, but never stop trying. 

13. "Creativity is connected to you passion, that light inside you that drives you. That joy that comes when you do something you love. That small voice that tells you, "I like this. Do this again. You are good at it. Keep going." That is the juicy stuff that lubricates our lives and helps us feel less alone in the world."

Amy Poehler helped me realize that sometimes our creativity and our career might not connect. Even if  it doesn't though, it doesn't mean you need to give up one in order to have the other. They are both equally important. If you need to be creative to be happy, and you need to have a career to survive financially, that is ok. 

14. "Career is different. Career is the stringing together of opportunities and jobs. Mix in public opinion and past regrets. Add a dash of future panic and a whole lot of financial uncertainty. Career is something that fools you into thinking you are in control and then takes pleasure in reminding you that you aren't. Career is the thing that will not fill you up and never make you truly whole. Depending on your career is like eating cake for breakfast and wondering why you start crying an hour later."

I have never had something I felt, been put into words so perfectly like Amy Poehler has just done. I have felt each of these emotions at least once when it's come to my career and she's helped me realize that it's ok. It's more than ok, its normal! 

15. "You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look."

I think I needed to hear this more than anything else in Yes Please. I was bullied a lot as a child and all through my school years. It was really difficult to accept myself, when no one else was. It took a lot and I have yet to master it, but I definitely needed the reminder that it doesn't mater what other people think of me. We need to focus on how we feel and nothing else really matters. 

If you've read Yes Please, I'd love to know what you thought! Please comment below what you took away from this book and how you connect with the 15 quotes and lessons from above!