aMaZinG YoU!

hEy aMAzing yOu!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was blogging about the made-up STORIES we create in our minds about what other people think? (cuz, you all know we can't crawl up inside people's heads or read their minds)
 . . . and that we can choose NOT to believe the stories?

And also, that we don't have to listen to our gross, yucky, mean inner (s)ELF?--we can tell him or her to shut the front door and take a hike (or, in a more loving fashion, we could send your (s)ELF on an all-expenses paid vacation to Bermuda!) 

What if . . . (mind boggling thought coming on . . . disregard in advance if too scary. . .) the stuff we make up about what EVERYBODY thinks about us is actually the same stuff that we FEAR everybody thinks about us---and the same stuff that our mean inner (s)ELF beats us over the head about? (so, it's all actually, really, and truly about how we feel about ourselves... sorry! I know cuz I've been there, believe me!)

So, like, for example, other people are, like, YOUR personal big huge movie screen--and YOU project the scary stuff YOU feel about YOURself on their screens and view it, and go, 

"OMG! THEY (note you are not focusing on yourself here) are sOsOsoSo mean (or rude, or ______ fill in the blank), I can't believe they (note you are not focusing on yourself here) would think that about me!"

Hmnnn. . . and Yike-eys! What if it's always about you? and the meaning you put onto the people and things that happen to you in your life?

CrAP, dAnA--SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY! . . . 

And that's the point. . . 
Go(o)D News and bAd nEws: You are in charge of you! You get to cReAtE yOuR liFe! Problem is, it's easier to blame others for what is going on, how we are feeling, and the general circumstances of our existence.
QUESTion: Would you rather be the hero(ine) of your own journey (in charge)? or, the victim (everybody does stuff TO you? ...so sad...)

Personally, I want to be the super sparkly heroine with the short yellow orange peel cape, the pink high-tops, and the yellow-dangly, multi-flowered tiara!

All bow down! nOw! (jK!)

lOvE and LuVe,
;) pRinCesS dAna

gOt (her)sToRy?

"Friends can help each other.

A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself-and especially to feel. 

Or, not feel. 

Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. 

That's what real love amounts to-

letting a person be what he really is." 

- Jim Morrison, songwriter

HeLLo dEaR OneS,

hOpe this message finds you amazing . . . or not. Let me rephrase that: hOpe this message finds you wherever you are.

Caught up with one of my besties the other day and it turns out we both had kind of a rough week (yay! it's Sunday!). I'm so glad I have a friend who I can be totally honest with, and who stil thinks I'm amazing, even if things aren't all wOnDerFuL! Anyway, as we were catching up on the phone & exchanging stories about the messed up stuff that had happened to us and how dreAdFul it is, after all (well, not really, but I'll explain . . .).

As I listened and talked and we regurgitate the details, it ALL began to sound very fAmiLiar.

Now, I've known my friend for almost 10 years now, and more recently she has become one of my closest chums. And what I realized today, was that we have been telling the same stories (different specific content, but basically the same story line--) OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & OVER & . . . (you get the point).

And, in the middle of the conversation we had kind of an AHA moment (enter parade with trumpets blaring, etc.), that our experiences and stories are 100% about US (not about the other people or circumstances we were complaining about). My friend curiously said that the only thing we can change about our stories is US! I think what she meant is that these same stories will keep showing up until we can react differently to people and situations that trigger us, set boundaries with with the same people and situations, and then let go of the story and focus on taking care of oUrSelves and living in our own personal integrity. 

After all,

life is one big

MIRROR:RORRIM

So,

I suppose that means if I change myself, 

I will change what I see in the mirror.

Hmmn . . . . . 

Personally, my story is getting pretty boring to me, and I'm not so sure telling it anymore is making my relationships any better, ar any more deep and lasting (although my friends and family have, in fact, been pretty patient...thanks aLL! I promise I've been working on dropping it!).

I BELIEVE IT'S

TIME

FOR ME TO DROP MY STORY--again.

So, how do we drop our story from the past and live in the present moment? And, at the same time, step forward into the possibilities for our future?

I'm going to noodle on that overnight . . . and talk to some of my people. I obviously need some help with it, or I wouldn't be attracting the same stuff over and over. Do you have any ideas? Let me know in the comments!

Once upon a time, . . . Once upon a time, . . . THE END! 

LoVE,

DaNa

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.

Healing Rhythms 15-day Meditation

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

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

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

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 ourselves, bragging, 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