But what you may not know is that before there was Glitter + Lazers, there was an Anna O’Brien who was not always the positive presence you’ve gotten to know on Instagram. In other words, Anna has evolved in many ways to become the woman we so adore. (And that makes us love her even more.)
As she tells it in her highly personal story, “A Life Full of Glitter: A Guide to Positive Thinking, Self-Acceptance, and Finding Your Sparkle in a (Sometimes) Negative World,” she was an “angry and deeply sad” 13-year-old with a challenging home life and the kind of body the media doesn’t celebrate. Her angry behavior eventually earned her a seat in a special school for “wayward” children. At this point, she even questioned herself and the direction her life was taking.
If you find it hard to imagine the positive and self-assured Glitter + Lazers lady of Instagram fame in this description, it’s because she had an epiphany at that point. She knew she needed to change — and she did. (Yet more inspiration coming from this amazing woman.)
She explains: “By the time I got to college, my life was unrecognizable from who I previously was.” What was different? She attributes her growth to her commitment to believing that through her positivity, things get better. That’s the Glitter and Lazers we know today, right?
“I was committed to the belief that things would get better, I would get better, and as a result the world would get better. That belief in a better life molded me into the lady boss I am today.”
OK, maybe you think she’s an exception, that this can’t be you. She’s way ahead of you there, friend. She knew you’d think she got lucky, so she cites research to prove that what worked for her can work for you. (You’ll find pages and pages of her citations at the end of the book, many of them scholarly research in peer-reviewed journals, but also from more accessible sources. We find this research to be incredibly impressive.)
Both her background and her life experiences have prepared her to speak authoritatively about using research-backed techniques to improve your life. She even earned a master’s degree in quantitative methods in social sciences at Columbia University, which is even more proof that she knows her stuff.
The bottom line is that in this book, Anna shows that positivity will change your life. (We love that!) She then devotes most of her book to showing you how to do just that. Chapters tackle things like: how to become more self-aware, how to set helpful goals, how to cope with loneliness and stress, and how to develop body positivity and improve relationships.
Along the way, she reveals some deeply hurtful experiences she’s had in the past. Some will make you cringe, and others will just make you marvel at how far this woman has come.
The good news is that in describing her own progress from unhappy teen to successful and happy adult, she has provided a clear roadmap you can follow to help you on your own journey. That’s the best part about this book. It’s helpful to your pursuit to become a better you.
“A Life Full of Glitter” is available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble and other retailers. If you’re an Anna O’Brien fan, you’ll love it. It’s definitely worth diving into. And best of all, it’s a relatively quick read.
Thanks, Anna, for sharing your story. We have loved getting to know you on a deeper level. You are truly changing the world. The girls at Curvicality adore you.