Mission: “Bright Spot”

What is the Bright Spot ? When the world deals you a rough hand and you’re feeling stressed and exhausted, it’s looking for the good in any situation…the lesson learned, the positive thought, the take-away value, ultimately, the hope!

How can I help empower you? Read here about my personal life and what my Bright Spots are, where I found them, how they helped empower me and how you can start to empower yourself today!

People who know me often ask, How do you stay so positive, so upbeat, so strong after all you’ve been through? If you are wondering right now how I can possibly relate to you, please be sure to read to the end. I’ve been there, done that, and really do know how you feel.

I’ve been up and down, back and forth and learned my brush off/get-up-and-go attitude from my parents. Some say I wear rose-colored glasses. Nonsense! Every situation – easy or tough – has a blessing or a gift we take from it. I call that The Bright Spot.

So what is my personal background? I come from a very large, close-knit, multicultural, multi-religious, multi-international, multi-lingual family. We were raised to be respectful and accepting of all cultures and religions. 

I’ve been thin (Miss Connecticut swimsuit winner), I’ve been round, I’ve been wealthy, I’ve been poor, I’ve lost 5 pregnancies but I don’t focus on what I’ve lost, I cherish what I have, my husband, children and whole family ~ who are my Bright Spots! Focus on your gifts and you will empower yourself.

I’ve buried my fiance after a fiery car crash, and 7 years later married a widower who buried his wife after a fierce battle with cancer. Our family has been tragically hurt by heart failure, cancer, organ resections, blindness and death. There is no explaining the hand we are dealt in life; it is how we handle these situations that matters. There are no excuses, just solutions. Empower yourself!

So what is the Bright Spot  in all of this sadness? My husband and I appreciate each other so much. We don’t take one another for granted. We honor our vows and adore one another unconditionally. We try to do something special for each other every single day. We have found renewed life and love through each other. We pass this positive energy on to our children and all those we meet. No excuses. Empower yourself!

Oh, the extremes! I’ve traveled with private planes & have been scrunched in the back row in economy next to the toilets. I’ve experienced exciting adventures aboard the famous Japanese bullet train & I’ve had to settle for a last row, metal fold-down flap in the back of a noisy, old Taiwanese train with my knees tucked under my chin.

Humm ~ I don’t even think that was a seat! Who cares? The Bright Spot  – I was a young, free spirit exploring the world on my own…wahoo!

I’ve been chauffeured around England in a Rolls Royce, and I’ve had my finely-coiffed hair sucked out of a broken window of a pick-up truck out west on a first date. 

I’ve dined at Parliament, and have grabbed dollar burgers at Mickey D’s. I’ve enjoyed scrumptious escargot in a private viewing box within the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, and sputtered up chunks of meat when I found out it was black snake soup in China.

I’ve been served decadent dinners with white linen and crystal on Caribbean beaches by full moon; and served up my own mac&cheese at home on the fly.

I’ve served meals to the hungry across our great nation, and humbly and gratefully accepted groceries when we were in financial ruin. There is a time to give and a time to receive and knowing when to gracefully accept.

The Bright Spot  ~ knowing we had family, neighbors and friends who loved us and took care of us on so many levels during this economic hardship. We were so grateful. 

I’ve been hit by lightening in my car with a friend; when store registers freeze, my husband smiles at the cashiers and says, Oh, that’s just my wife; she’s electric!

My life has been filled with wild passion and sumptuous romance (see: Romance & Spice) although I had to endure my share of loser boyfriends (see: Boys Gone Bad) before I found my dream man. I’ve kissed fools and I’ve kissed princes (yep, the kind with crowns and egos) and sometimes the fool was the prince.

The Bright Spot ? I found out exactly what I don’t want in a man or a relationship. It made me hone in on the perfect man for me. When he came along, I knew instantly. We were only in each other’s company 46 days when we married. We married in a breathtaking 14th century castle in England and again a month later at my parents’ magnificent estate, both under full moons.

My incredible husband has spoiled me with romance on private, uninhabited islands and flown me to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to renew our wedding vows. But it’s the everyday, little things that he does that I love the most.

And never presume about others. You don’t know where they’ve been or why they are where they are. A fellow mom whom I like very much and who has often complimented my “super mom” activities with the children told me recently that she came upon my professional website www.biancatyler.com and said she was astonished with all I had done and accomplished, “And here I thought you were some ‘shut-in mom of [insert uber-affluent county of metropolitan New York City here].’” I just smiled. I like to think of my tranquil lifestyle among neighboring equestrian farms and little wine shops as peaceful and serene. She doesn’t know why I’m here, but I do. Hello, Little Bright Spot !

I’ve circumnavigated the globe, explored more than 60 countries and eagerly welcome different cultures, different people, different views, while always looking for the Bright Spot  in everyone and everything.

So let’s just put it this way, I’ve been through the gamut – there are too many experiences to mention and some I’d like to forget, like my “situation” with the KGB in the former Soviet Union – oh, yeah, clearly, the Bright Spot  was getting my passport back! Because of my personal rollercoaster, I do understand you, and I hope I can help empower you to find your Bright Spot  of hope, optimism and inner strength.

I believe in paying good deeds forward, not because of some gimmicky thing, but because it’s how I was raised and it comes naturally. It gives me joy to help others (see: My TV website ~ Giving Back) and I’m grateful I found a loving man who has the same values and charitable history. I have seen firsthand that circle of giving come full swing.

I believe in loving, giving, and teaching children with a warm heart and great joy (see: My TV website ~ Children & Literacy). I believe in speaking up for children, the elderly, animals, and anyone who feels vulnerable. Instead of looking for the Bright Spot   today, BE the Bright Spot  in someone’s life (see: My TV website ~ Elder Issues and Children & Literacy).

I love flowers but I’m no gardener. I love to eat but I’m no cook. I love to snuggle my husband and play with my kids. My TV consultant, mentor and longtime friend, Kenn, best described me as a documentarian – capturing and sharing the essence of all those around me.

So who am I? Ultimately, I’m a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a woman seizing every minute with gratitude. Enjoy these moments with those you love. Look at the light and beauty of every situation – good or bad – find your Bright Spot  and start empowering yourself today!