Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Give What You Want!


Sometimes, what's really cool, Dana Lynne, 
is giving profuse thanks for the good fortunes that befall others - -
no matter who they are - - because, invariably,
your joy for them will yield the same good fortunes for you.
Shoe-wee!

The Universe
Dear FunFreePeeps!

Check out my guest blog on The Daily Love this week! It's about loving ourselves; stop in and leave me a comment if you wish: Be a Student of Your(highest)self! Thanks so much . . .

Have you ever felt kind of jealous of someone? Maybe for what they have, or some accomplishment of theirs? Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel like you're not as good, or not enough, or not as lucky, or not as (WHATEVAH!@#) ________ (fill in the blank)?

I know I've written about that feeling before . . . and I used to do that to myself, too. Consider this: when we are faced with a friend, a colleague, or even a complete stranger who has 
  • a streak of good fortune
  • a surprising success
  • an unforeseen opportunity
  • a job they love
  • wonderful health
  • a million dolars (Austin Powers!)
  • lost weight
  • an amazing relationship
  • or even stuff like a BRAND NEW CAR or a McMANSION! . . .
the Law of Attraction requires us to be as thrilled--

YES! ThRiLLeD!

for that OTHER person, as if we, ourselves had we been the fortunate recipient of __________(fill in the blank).

Even better, we can act as if the __________ has already arrived, and practice gratitude for it, as if we already have __________ and are enjoying the amazing benefits of it!

And we have so much of __________, that we can turn around and GIFT it to others!

What if you BEGAN with the piece "SHARING with others," even thought the ________ hasn't yet arrived? Now THAT would create even more space for more of _________ to arrive in your life . . .

Just sayin' . . . (or does that seem too scary 'cuz you think you'd actually have less . . . that's how our mind plays tricks with us, huh?); it's the opposite . . . we would be opening up space for MORE!

That's how The Law of Attraction works . . .
Give it up!
Happy Thursday,
;) Dana

Monday, June 29, 2015

We keep repeating our patterns until we finally learn . . .

Yikes !#$%^$%^^*!

I was punched in the face yesterday by an interesting pattern in my life.

OUCH!~and double OUCH

Guess why.

Because (I allow) the same person to keep triggering me and pushing my buttons, and rather than detach, I got sucked into the emotionally toxic tornado and reacted---

I got frustrated, sad, furious, and sad again. And then really pissed!

I felt like a victim having a hissy-fit slash temper-tantrum.

Know why I was mad? 

Another person's values are not the same as mine--and because of this, we each behave in different ways and we each prioritize things differently. And guess what? As I was having my fit, I realized that I was exhibiting the same behavior that had apparently triggered me. Funny how that works.

Now, you may wonder why I don't walk away from this relationship, but sometimes that is just not possible--in which case, the practice of detachment without judgement can come in handy; after all, I want the same from others, right? 

Not so easy--especially when I am reacting already--which is definitely not a place of choice . . . (thank you for the opportunity, Universe. I think) . . . 

Very often the most difficult relationships can be my best teachers--I know this to be true, but sometimes it just sucks. The good thing is, that after about ten or twenty minutes of reacting and getting myself worked up into a tightly wound knot (I almost threw up!), I caught myself and began to intentionally breathe deep and long. 

No coincidence that I just started another 15-day meditation practice and I learned this breathing technique yesterday in the bathtub on DAY ONE: "Quiet Your Mind."  The introduction for today read: 

The most powerful tool for quieting the mind is the breath. It has the ability to both calm and revive you. By learning to focus on your breath, you become more aware of your total body, and less susceptible to the harrowing effects of life’s stressful situations.


It's totally free! (click to register)

Things were looking up and I felt more in control. I went outside to calm down, get some fresh air and breathe, and I found a package on my front steps. I took it as a sign (of course). I mean, who doesn't want a package?

And here is a picture of what was in my package: Kisse's Sweet and Treats.

Wonderful!
And then, I went to my super sweet boyfriend's house,
and the lilacs were in full bloom and they smelled like heaven. 
Thank you so much, Lord.
Life is god. Good. 

My life is amazing.
No Drama.

I love you all!
Dana

Sunday, June 28, 2015

SupER-YoU!

hEy tHeRe!

fEeLiNg BraVe!? I have written often about taking risks and being supported and caught by the You-Niverse. Scary? Not really ('cuz the You-niverse will catch you . . . remember?)
It's GO TIME!

You probably know by now that I don't really believe in coincidence, right? And that everything happens for us (not To us!...) for a reason---but we might not be able to see it at the time 'cuz we have a limited perspective.

That means we can trUst in our gUt and hEarT and act with courage!!!!

Have you ever heard of a random act of kindness? Well, I tripple-dipple-double-dare you to do a random act of courage in the next couple of days! Here are some ideas:
  • tell someone how you feel
  • do something you are afraid of 
  • stick up for yourself
  • try something you have always wanted to try
  • stick up for someone who is being bUgGeD by other kids (super act of courage)
  • start a conversation with someone you don't know!
Here's a video from
SouLPanCakE
(of the Oprah Winfrey Network) 
where some strangers got together 
and found some really cool stuff in common!
(btw, I have a confession . . . 
I am kind of shy with grOwN uPs! 
Ssshhhhhhhhhh . . . please tell EVERYone!)

I don't know about you, but I would be really brave to get into a (random) ball pit with a stranger and start a conversation! Remember when I said that everything happens for a reason? Did you notice that the strangers found amazing and beautiful connections with each other?
Hmmnnnnn . . . cOiNcIdeNcE? . . . NOT!

OpEn yOurselF up to the mAgic, yo! It's everywhere!
Just sayin'!@

loVe sQuAreD!
;) Dana

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Those mean girls . . .

Hey All!

I was thinking this morning about some of the friendships I had when I was in middle school. They were, of course (LOL!) filled with drama (especially since I am a girl!)--and it got so bad that sometimes I really didn't want to go to school at all...

I can remember faking I was sick so I wouldn't have to deal with those mean girls--who kicked me off the lunch table, who whispered about me in class, who passed notes and made fun of my clothes, or who called me fat... (or so I thought...)

Looking back, I realize that a lot of the so-called drama that happened TO me, was really a bunch of stories I made up in my head about those mean girls and what they thought. 

The worst thing is that I actually believed those stories I made up!... and I didn't realize I had a choice to not believe MY OWN stories.

It actually never occurred to me that I could be making it all up in my head! Or, that even if they were as mean as I thought, I could have just not accepted their thoughts as true or real. 

Just because someone says or thinks something about you does not mean it is true or real!!!! 

I'm going to write that one again:
Just because someone says or thinks something about you does not mean it is true or real!!!! 

What if it were true that we actually choose our thoughts?
What if it is really the thoughts we choose that cause us our own misery?

In THE WORK of one amazing GODdess named Byron Katie, we are asked to look at our own thoughts and ask FOUR QUESTIONS:
  1. Is it true?
  2. Can you absolutely know it's true?
  3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
  4. What would you be without the thought?
What I know to be true now, is that the stories I made up about what those mean girls thought, were actually my own creations! I was the mean girl--being mean to myself!!!!! OMG!

Do you ever question your thoughts? Or do you just automatically believe them?

What is some of the mean stuff you say to yourself? What if you chose to no longer believe that voice or even listen to it in the first place?

EverYone--
Make friends with your inner mean voices! Introduce yourself! Look them in the eyes and tell them you don't believe the mean stuff they say about you anymore! Then, share a piece of the most delicious, YuMmY cake with them! 
Invite them into your circle of friends and love them . . . love them to pieces!

Have a beautiful day! 
So much love...

Dana

Friday, June 26, 2015

tHere iS nO oNe yOuEr tHaN yOU! . . .


Dear FUN & FREE PEEPS!

Well, it's about two weeks into the summer. This is your summer of creating and celebrating the life you desire! You are aLIVE and yoUr fabulous existence began as a teeny-tiny strand of DNA . . . amazing! 
How do you live
on purpose, with purpose?

That's a tough one for many of us! I am doing a lot right now to figure out them meaning of my LIFE('s) juiciest purpose, yA kNow . . . what gives me a feeling of passion and what brings me to LIFE! I used to worry a lot more than I do, and I found myself reacting to life rather than responding to it. And when I learned about responding (a more powerful place than reacting) things got better, but I still wasn't living life & loving (myself and others) as a powerful coCreator

I beLIeVE it is my destiny (& yours, too) to be the most powerful and fabulous expression of me I can be! That is each of our highest calling: finding our life's purpose and aligning our lives with it.

So, are you living life small? Or, are you living LARGE and in CHARGE--bursting forward with pursuing the amazing crEaTiVe aCtS that give you energy and passion? The world is a better place when you sHaRe your amazing gifts with the You-niverse, with your fellow travelers--
otherwise, why would you be here? 

What presence do you wish to leave as your own personal signature to our delicious and amazing existence? That doesn't mean I believe that life is all "woo-hooish", and there won't be challenges--as a matter of fact, the hArD cRapOla (shit) is designed for us so we can learn and become even more amazing (hard to believe when your in the crapper).

Today, the second week of the summer--I challenge you to:
  • Write a list of at least 10 things, people, experiences, or opportunities that you are incredibly grateful for; re-read the list out loud and at the end of each, graciously feel the gratitude and say Thank you in your mind's eye.
  • Write another list of 5 things as your desires to call in for this summer--(again, they are more powerful when they are very specific and in the present tense: I am earning an extra $1,000 each month, or, I run painlessly and freely each day, I have a peaceful relationship with my ex. 
  • Re-read the list out loud again, envision each desire fully with all of your senses-- and at the end of each, graciously feel the gratitude and say Thank you, and so it is in your mind's eye. If you're really into it, you can create a vision board with the 5 things you's like to manifest--collect images, magazine snippets, drawings, whatever you like, and make a visual representation of each of your 5 desires that you can hang somewhere you'll see it every day.
  • Revisit your lists daily, and do the gratitude piece to close each process.
This is just on step to living your life as your BeSt sElF--remember that every juicy moment and hOLy interaction is created jUsT for you to reaCh youR hIghEsT poTentIaL! How are some of your desires already manifesting in the new year? Leave a comment on the blog--we appreciate you sharing your experience!

You were born to STAND OUT! LOL!
;) Dana

Thursday, June 25, 2015

wHo R yoU?

"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary 
to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."
Hermann Hesse

hApPy (almost) wEEeeEeEEee!(kend), y'aLL!

It's summertime, and I don't work in the summer (or, I actually don't go to a job--but I am working really hard at other stuff, thought, like taking care of me, my family, my home . . . ).
The thing about not being so dang bUsy, is that you get to hang with yoUrself, which is super awesome but can also be scary if you are one of those people who loves to DO & BE bUsY. 

One cool thing is, that if you can get used to checking in with yourself, you can be still no matter where you are--even if you are at the Mall of America, in New York City, or in the middle of crAzY bFf dRAma!

You know, every tornado has a center, and in the center of the tornado there is stillness. When we find oUrselves in the midst of a tornado, we can choose to go to the sweet spot of the storm and remain calm and cOOL, or, we can enter the dRaMa fULLy and get sucked into the sTorM!

bEwAre: sTory oPPorTunity: This is especially true in miDdLe school . . . can you relate? I personally am an 8th grade teacher, and last year I ate lunch with some of my fLaVor-ite kids alMost evEry day (what up LuNcH cLuB #$%@#$@%^#$%^#R%$%). 

One of my fav girls was talking one day about her friends, and she said that in 7th grade, she got stuck in soSOSOSOosooso SOSOSOso much drama because she tried to be friends with eVeryOne and it got her in trouble 'cuz when she was friends with eVeryone she was friends with no One, really--AnD she got drAgGed into everything.

So, she decided to figure out who she wanted to hang with, and keep those peeps close--and GueSs WhAt

Her DraMa got much much much smaller  .  .  . 

Anyway, the point is (wait for it ... wait for it ...):

We choose our own busY-ness, and our own dRaMa. Personally, I'd rather be calm and centered than be out in the middle of other people's storms!

SwEeT dAy to aLL!
hearts!
dAna

p.s. leave a comment to let me know what U are going through! :0 ) dana

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Your Presence is a Present . . .

Hey aLL!

I heard a really cool quote last week that said, "If you put your face to the sun, your shadow will always be behind you." I think about the sun being the future, and the shadow being the past. When I can stay present, I am right in my body, in the experience of NOW, or the PRESENT. Of course, it's called presence for a reason. It means I am here experiencing my life as it is showing up. I'm not in my head beating myself up about the past (depression), or worrying about the future (fear & anxiety). I am calm in the moment. 

This is why meditation can be so very powerful; it centers us in our breath, which is a momentary gift, right?

Needless to say, we all have trouble putting our past fears and hurts (this includes crappy relationships, btw) behind us. We like to wear our hurt and pain (sometimes) like wAr badges . . . and we bond with others who will join us in resurrecting and feeding on our past hurts and emotions! 

I also know that there are some who work hard to this about what might happen in the future. As Mark Twain said, “Some of the worst things in my life never even happened.” Those of us who sometimes live up in the future fears of our thoughts can relate, am I right?

Life is full of uPs and DoWnS, and if we can learn to roll with the punches and be grateful for our lessons, even when they cloak themselves in crappy situations, relationships, or events--life wouldn't feel so tough.


Dr. Seuss was a genius about this!
Check out "oH! The pLacEs you'LL gO!" 


RemEMbEr: wE are handed what we are ready for, and even if it feels like sH!#, there are LeSSonS in eVerYthInG

We need to (oh, the places you'llgo with it, and be present with what iS. We may not know the reason why something is happening . . .but we can know that the You-niverse has OUr backS, and if we trUst, we'll know the answer in the (You-niverse's) time . . .

Lottsa love!
;) dana

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

pEEps in Ur LiFe r MIRRORS:SRORRIM of U!

Karla & Jeanie: Doppelgangers
September, 2012
hEy fun & freePeePS!

Have you ever heard that everyone of us in the world has a double (someone who looks just like you) somewhere in time? Funny thing is, they may be YOU at a different age, so you may not recognize them.

I have been asked by my students many times if I was at ______ (enter random location and time) and they swear they saw me! Apparently, there is a woman who looks exactly like me in the town where I work (40 miles from where I actually live). Has this ever happened to you?

If you look at the  picture above, you'll see two different women, 10 years apart. This is a picture I took of two friends--one I've known for over 15 years (Karla, on the left), and one, I just met (Jeanie, on the right).

When I met Jeanie, about two months ago--I freaked! 

Not only did she look like a tad bit older version of my good friend, Karla (who I've taught with for a super long time)--BUT THEY ACTUALLY TALK AND ACT LIKE ME, and MINI-ME! I could hardly stand it! So when Jeanie came to my school, I had to introduce them to each other and take this amazing me/mini-me picture!

In literature, they are called Doppelgangers, or, literally, "double-walkers." And, that's the point to this blog, actually.

Everyone in our lives mirrors parts of us.

Know why? "Cuz we assign the meaning of others actions, words, behaviors, and ways of being through our own lenses. That means when we recognize something in others, there must be a similar trait in our own lives that is being mirrored back to us.

My friend, Nancy, reminded me of this today, when I had a physical reaction to an event in my life. She thinks I may need therapy . . . (which may be the case) BUT TRUTHFULLY, I have been outsourcing my mental health, and my physical and emotional well-being my whole life. And I think (truthfully) that it's big business (busy-ness). 

I do appreciate her pushing me to look at and embrace my own shadows. I know this for sure: I project my own shadows to the circumstances and people in my life--I just need to own it. 

Which brings me back to surrounding myself with peeps who reflect my BEST SELF, and setting boundaries around those relationships where we don't show up in our best light (although these can be some of our best opportunities for growth).

Everyone in our lives can serve as a Doppelganger, if we pay attention. The important thing, is to take responsibility for what we create as reflections. It's all amazing learning, after all!

We are so, so lucky!

dana:anad  

p.s. get the mirror thang? grOOvy bAby!

Monday, June 22, 2015

trUsT in it aLL . . .



“Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment.
This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath.
Every moment is the guru.”
- Charlotte Joko Beck
dEar fun & frEe oNes--
I have to admit that I lost it yesterday . . . I started to cry, and I couldn't really stop for awhile. Something just kind of took me over, and I had to let it out, and let it go.
I don't normally allow myself to cry--I usually just SUCK IT UP--but yesterday it actually felt really good . . . so I'm thinking that it was building up over time.
I'm not sure why I have figured that crying is a bad thing, and that nobody should see me cry (especially my own children), but after holding in emotion for so long, it kind of just pours out on its own, doesn't it?
I'm wondering if I let myself actually FEEL in little bits, maybe it wouldn't be so overwhelming when it hits (hey! that rhymed!). I mean, if I stay in touch with my feelings on a momentary basis, I would feel less sucked up in a storm of emotion (or am I just trying to control it, again? that's like SUCKING IT UP all over, isn't it?). 
I just feel what I feel, I guess. It's where I'm at, after all. MayBE I don't have to figure it out . . . mayBE I can just let it BE . . .
Today, I'm just gonna breathe . . .
hearts!
dana

Sunday, June 21, 2015

jUsT . . . tRuSt!


Have you learned the lessons
only of those who admired you,
and were tender with you,
and who stood aside for you?

Have you not learned great lessons 
from those who braced themselves against you,
and disputed the passage with you?

--Walt Whitman



Dear fun & free Peeps!

Have you ever noticed that a lot of times we really want life to be easy and our relationships to be harmonious and smooth? And when things aren't that way, we can sometimes freak out?

I've noticed that for me, my best lessons stem from things NOT going my way and from relationships that are downright challenging and difficult. As a matter of fact, I think we're supposed to learn more when things get our attention and that usually means we're not so comfortable or we wouldn't notice what was happening.

In other words, challenges are put in front of us so we notice things are tough, we intentionally gear our actions/reactions to creatively solve the problem, and then we can look back and appreciate that we've moved through the experience in the best way we know how (and,we keep repeating similar stuff until we get pretty darn good at the THING we need to learn--and we add it to our skill set and it gets easier and easier until it's not such a big deal anymore . . . and then the next challenging thing comes along . . . repeat above cycle)!

What if we decide that even the lumpy stuff and the difficult people in our lives were sent for us for a reason? That is, to learn some stuff from them?

I'm not sure where I learned that stuff should usually go my way . . . no bumps or lumps . . . 
but I'll tell you one thing for sure:

sTuff moStLy doeSN'T gO thE way,
I, dAna LyNNe cUrrY BraDacH,
eXpeCt it to gO.

And then, I ask myself the question: Why sHouLd iT? After all, there's very little I can control in this world, so I might as well show up, do my best, and let go of the rest. And . . . 

juSt
tRusT

top secret incoming confession: I think maybe the real problem is that I get attached to my expectations (of people and other things), and then I feel disappointed when my expectations aren't met.

What if I change my expectations and open up to whatever life brings me? And, just accept WHAT IS--positive or negative--and decide that WHATever IS going on OUTSIDE of me doesn't necessarily have to affect WHAT IS my own experience on the INSIDE?

WheW!!!!
 . . . sounds good, doesn't it? 

It means that no matter what happens, ALL IS WELL.

cOoL bEaNs!
;0) dAnA

Saturday, June 20, 2015

be YoU!



“It doesn't matter what you did or where you were...
it matters where you are and what you're doing
Get out there! 
Sing the song in your heart and 
NEVER let anyone shut you up!!” 

Good Day fUn & fReE foLk!

Can you beLIeVE you are aLIVE and yoUr fabulous existence began as a strand of DNA?

(Pretty darn amazing . . . huh?)

So, do you live your life on purpose? With purpose? I am doing a lot of stuff right now to figure out them meaning of my LIFE('s) highest purpose. 

One of the things I have come to is that if I get in touch with me, I can check in to what gives me a feeling of passion and what brings me to LIFE!

When I used to live from the OUTSIDE:IN, I worried a lot about what other people thought of me (made up info. on my part, btw!), I freaked out about what I looked like, and I found myself reacting to life rather than responding to it, living it & loving (mySELf and oTheRs) as a powerful coCreator!

Instead of trying to be cheap imitations of oThEr people (and what I thought they wanted me to be--also made up), I beLIeVE it is my destiny (& everyOnE's) to be the most powerful and fabulous eXpReSSioN of mE I can be! That is each of our destinies! 

So, are you living life small? Or, are you living LARGE and in CHARGE--bursting forward with pursuing the amazing creative aCtS that give you energy and paSSiOn? I was walking around the lake with my beautiful friend Alana (good morning, hun!) and we decided that the biggest gift is being present and engaged in life (aka . . . LIVING!).

Have U every thought that the wOrLd will be a better place if U get to know yourself enough to sHaRe your gIfTs with the You-niverse? What presence do you wish to leave as your own personal signature to our delicious and amazing existence?

Live your life as your BeSt sElF--'cuz every juicy moment and hOLy interaction is created jUsT for you to reaCh youR hIghEsT poTentIaL!

JuSt SaYin'!
LiVin' LaRgE . . .
;) dana

Friday, June 19, 2015

lEt thEm bE fRee(lY thEmSeLvEs!) . . .

HeY yOu aLL! 

sO, letting others be free means leaving them alone to be their oWn fReE bad selves...(not really, but themselves . . .). It's not really our business, where they are, or what they do... cuz if we don't like what they dosay,believe or N+E=ThiNG, we have a choice to just walk away . . .  without hating on them, (however, it is possibly our business to tell them how we feel...more about that later...).


NE way, like I was telling you the other day, I have spent a lot of NRG in my days wishing people in my life would change (or want to change --FOR ME...you know, so I could feel better by being in control and get my needs met from them OUT(side): IN(side)! embarrassingly dramatic...). What I know now, is that people don't change (much) unless they want to (and for sure not cuz I want them to . . . CRaP! and unCrAp . . .). whew...that takes the pressure off to control everyone else's destiny...thanks! Where did I learn that ridiculous maneuver?

Honestly, I wish the (un)GroWn-uPs would have taught me about this stuff when I was a kid. It's tough to figure out how to do and be in relationships (or not), and I wonder why don't we have a curriculum about this?

I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure I've spent a lot of time in my life with people who just were not a good fit for me--not sayin' they were BAD or WRONG--just not a good fit. Something felt OFF, if I would have been tuned into my gut. And I stuck around because (and I'm making these up as I go) 

  • I didn't think I could do any better or find other relationships
  • I didn't have the energy to leave
  • I could remain a victim of "the relationship"
  • I thought I could change the person
SUPER QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Would you ever look at like, a sunflower and expect it to grow into a rose (cuz you like roses better and that's what you want on your table?)...
and there's more (sorry . . .) Would you ever expect a sunflower to grow faster just because you gave it more water and super duper fertilizer...and...expect it to grow into a rose, still?

How about appreciating a sunflower for its sunflowery-self and a rose for its rosy-ness? And, if you don't like the sunflower, just walk away and choose something else (without haTinG on it)? and same with the RoSe? I personally like clover, myself!)

Just sayin'-----we get to choose our relationships.

fLuFFy puPpies and raInBoWs and pink ponies, too!

;) Dana

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Be yOu . . . & leT oTherS, tOO!




Hey funfreeMe LoVe(ly) PpS!

So if we want others to accept us for all of our crap and hUman-ness (not a word, but oh well . . . ) that means that we should pay it forward and allow everyone to be free to be (the best version of) themselves, and not necessarily what WE want them to be. Which means, a couple of different things:
  • we can't expect others to change for us
  • we can (maybe) accept others for who they are (even if we don't care for them or them personally)
So, maybe--- we can trust that everyone and everything is exactly as it should be . . .(including ourselves, which is kind of hard to believe, especially when things get tough and we feel like we and others totally suck the big one!).

In my blog from last summer, I was writing that sunflowers and roses are meant to be sunflowers and roses---they aren't supposed to be anything else. . . . which leads me to the question: Why do we sometimes think people should be anything different than who they are?

Takes me back to TrUsT in something biGGer and GREATER than what we know! . . .  (and trust is hard, . . . cuz alot of times, we only believe in what we can see, touch, smell, taste, etc...).

So, be gr8ful for all-
hearts!
Dana

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

hOw cAn yOu SeRve & cReAtE AWESOME?


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? 
Actually, who are you not to be? 
You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. 
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. . . . 

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.” 




-- Marianne Williamson, author, spiritual teacher


HaPPy Wednesday!
    So I was thinking about the quote from Marianne Williamson, and it made me wonder why we are afraid of showing our talents and gifts to the world . . . I used to hide the things I am good at cuz' I thought pople would think I was full of myself or braggy--but my sense of that has shifter over time, and I've had to review some old beliefs and intentionally replace them with more amazing updated versions of my current truths, what I now call my Personal Codes of Truth. Here are some of my old beliefs--followed by my new Codes of Truth:
    • OLD: People think we are full of ourselvesbragging, or others try to squash our gifts by making fun of us or putting us down (no wonder we just want to stay small sometimes).
    • NEW: We each have different gifts from the Universe, and our mission is to find those gifts, celebrate them, and share them with others in service so that others may benefit! NObOdy else can be me, or you, and nobody has the same purpose or mission as me!
    • OLD: We somehow have been taught that there's not enough ______ to go around (talent, money, good stuff, cookies, Jolly Ranchers, brains, whatever!).
    • NEW: Is there enough sun for everyone? Of course there is! The Universe is an abundant place. Others' abundance serves as a reminder that there is plenty for all! Remember: gratitude for what we have brings in more good stuff!
    • OLD: We have been taught that if someone else has something, it means there's less of it to go around (see above . . .), AND if, for example, we give someone a compliment or are happy for them, it automatically takes away from us and makes us less than them.
    • NEW: When I notice the abundance around me, or notice beauty in someone else, or appreciate those around me, positive energy grows and multiplies, and I draw more of the juicy yummy stuff to myself!
    What I have learned is that I must first find my purpose, be myself, take care of me--and then (here's the most important part . . . ready?)

    I live life in service to others
    from a juicy place of

    OVERFLOW!

    (rather than exhaustion and resentment . . .)

    What are your OLD beliefs? How can you replace them with new and improved-emPOWERed--Personal Codes of Truth? (let me know in the comments!) 

    Hope you are letting your light shine and you are living LARGE and in CHARGE! Keeping yourself small doesn't serve you or others!


    So much love--
    ;0) Dana