bE aFrAid (not)!

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Hey All fUn&fRee feArLESS pEoplE:

Be aFraid! be very afraId . . .! 

Are you scared of being scared? I am. It makes me want to run away and try to control or forget the yucky stuff that scares me. As Eleanor Roosevelt recommends, we should do some (one)thing everyday that scares us. Which, really means, that we must try to tune in to what we are scared of--AND INTENTIONALLY DO THE THING THAT scArEs us The MoStEsT!  . . . seems kind of counter-intuitive, doesn't it?

For me, the scariest thing lately (as in, for the past 10 years), is speaking my truth and sharing my feelings.

I've never been very good at this. You see, I never thought my feelings were right (have you ever heard of right feelings? OMG), and I never got that my voice was, well, worthy of being heard, truth be told (why did I believe my voice was less important than anyone else's?). 
I never got that others valued what I had to say, and that is what caused me to take my feelings
     U
          N
               D
                    E
                         R
GROUND
and even medicate myself with unhealthy behaviors, attitudes, mindsets, and patterns. I am so, so lucky, that the important people in my life are willing to hear the truth, albeit SUPER KLUNKY most of the time. . .  (namely, Keith, Max & Chloe, Mom, Chris, Shelley, Celia, Alana, Brenda, Edward, Diane).
     

HEAR ME NOW,

funfreepeople:

FEAR

(in disguise)

IS OUR

BEST

FRIEND

as in,

our best opportunity for growth.

A mentor of mine, Mastin, has taught me that my fear informs me what I MUST to do next--like a signpost or a roadmap. For example, if I'm scared of telling my friend how I feel or share what I think,  it's EXACTLY what I need to DO!  OMG! It's the total OPPOSITE of how I've lived much of my life. I'm so lucky and blessed that I (sort of) get it now. . .

"Go to your fears, sit with them, stare at them.

Your fears are your friend, their only job is to show you undeveloped parts

of yourself that you need to cultivate to live a happy life.

The more you do the things you're most afraid of doing the more life opens up.

Embrace your fears and your fears will embrace you."

- Jackson Kiddard

So, according to this amazing quote, we are suposed to be friends with stuff that scares the CrAp out of us--and, (what the heck?)--our fears are FRIENDS--they show us what we NEED TO DO--WHAT WE MUST DO-- TO GROW.

Story opportunity: My daughter, Chloe, told me she saw a book called Courage (Waber) that she wanted to get--so, we went down to our awesome neighborhood bookstore called the Wild Rumpus and bought the book!

                     

So weird! When we got home, I received a package from UPS delivering a book that I forgot I had ordered a few months back. 

Guess what it was called? Courage (Ford)! 

We had both wanted the same book? AND they arrived on the same day! 

Coincidence? NO WAY! Synchronicity? YES WAY!

SO what exactly is synchronicity?

English teacher moment:

syn = same

chron = time

icity = the quality of

So, it basically means the quality of occurring at the same time. I also call these magical moments, awakening calls, fairy whispers, Universe knocks, GodWinks, and signs.

They call: HEAR ME! PAY ATTENTION. THIS IS NOT A COINCIDENCE.

These moments happen to me almost every day now, because I have learned to pay attention and listen. It could be a stranger's conversation, a piece of paper I find, a bug or an animal, or a hug from my children. 

Have you faced a fear lately? Or, have you ever experienced a synchronicity that u were aware of? Let me know in the comments!

No coincidences, yo! So much love!

;0) Dana

Amazing Synchronicity Today!

The Durst Quadruplets

Born in Buffalo, MN

06.05.17.

Today I was taxicabbing my daughter and her friend after their slumber party, and I had some time to spare. I usually have my computer and/or my phone with me, or something to read, but after I dropped the girls off at Caribou, I hung out at the Target Starbuck's until they walked over to shop for a bit.

I realized I had nothing to do, and my first thought was to buy a People magazine so I could occupy myself. Then it occurred to me that something cool might be presented to me if I just participate in my surroundings--and BE, not DO.

And it did!

Being the chatty 8th grade teacher-type that I am, I noticed two girls who looked really similar to each other, and I asked them if they were twins . . . One of the girls said yes, but that they were missing the two others. They were actually quadruplets! Huh? I had never met anyone who was a quadruplet in my 51 years on this planet. HOW COOL!

When I asked them what the chances were of quadruplets being born, one told me that the chances were over 1 in a million. We chatted a bit, I asked them about schooling and life, and then when they left I told them it was really great to meet them.

I got home and Googled the stats on identical quadruplets being born, and I was shocked to see that it close to 1 in 13 million. And when I Googled their names, I found a Star & Trib. article about them and their lives as quads: CLICK HERE!

"Four of a Kind"

I thought it was amazing to meet two of the quadruplets; they even had their own reality show called "Four of  Kind" back in the 2011. I'm glad I was open to this experience today and I wasn't on my phone, computer, or reading People magazine.

Grateful!

Wave Ur FreAk fLaG!

-     

  "Live life fully while you're here. 

Experience everything.

Take care of yourself and your friends.

Have fun, be crazy, be weird.

Go out and screw up!

You're going to anyway,

so you might as well enjoy the process.

Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes:

find the cause of your problem and eliminate it.

Don't try to be perfect;

just be an excellent example of being human." 

- Anthony Robbins

Do you embrace and live fully in your craZiNeSS? One thing I loVE about the quote from AR is that he encourages us to be super goofy and fUn! When I was doing the spelling bee last week, I was the old person, and I was the only one who dressed up--and I felt a bit awkward, to say the least. But I was so happy and excited to be a part, even though I felt a bit weird.

That can be amazingly scary for folks when they worry a lot about what other people think about them. What I've learned in the last few years, is that if I am play-acting and trying to iMpReSS others about how awesome I am, and I am trying to be a certain way--I am not being truthful 'cuz when I'm trying, it's not me. When I'm me, I don't usually have to try (. . . well, unless I'm in a situation where I would normally do the whole people pleasing BS and I am consciously trying NOT to do it...)

Anyway, being hu(wo)man and ImPerFecKt is so awesome 'cuz I am not TRyIng so hard to control what everyone thinks of me (or what I make up @ what they think of me) aND (bonus) I can relax!

Totally takes the pressure off!

And I can do loving things for myself despite when I screw up---and I am more okay when other people screw up--I can be more loving to them! 

It's all good! 

Here's my new secret: (shhhhhhh . . . please tell EverYonE!)

peOplE

arE

dOing

aNd

BeIng

tHeir 

Best...

and sometimes their best totally sucks to us . . .

(believe me, I get it . . . I've been there!)

BUT ALSO CONSIDER THIS:

Don't you want other pEEpS

to ASSume

you

are always doing and being your bEsT?

So, I challenge you to

PAY IT FORWARD.

sOmEtImeS, (& . . . don't tell nE1 . . .) my best SUCKS! SUCKS HUGE! aND I don'T always know why! Sometimes, my best is to get my butt out of bed and gO pEE, pEEps---'cuz I'm sad, or mad, or SUpEr sTuCk! (but not very often, anymore thankfully . . . )

AnyWay, hope you get what I mEan. When have you given someone else a miss, and let them off the hook of your JUDGEMENT!?

yOu wERE BORN 2 BE U . . .

I think I probably have a lot of philosopher in me, and I have to admit that the kids in my 8th grade English classes have heard my thoughts about life for years (sorry, . . . I'll send you all Jolly Ranchers! . . . just leave your contact information in the comments below ;) . . .). 

Here are some of my favorite philosophies: 

You are born in this world to . . .

• enjoy yourself, love yourself, and laugh loud and hard (especially at yourself--and your dear old English teacher, Ms. Curry . . . remember the fake teeth & poo?!) . . .
• give yourself permission to use your voice and express your feelings--both good and bad--. . .
• be kind and generous--there is plenty of everything to go around and around and around and around . . .
• make mistakes and learn from them, and continue to love yourself and others, despite your flaws . . .
• live a life of gratitude--for the good stuff and the challenging stuff 
• be in charge of yourself--this includes your happiness! . . .
• be fully and greatly yourself (and not cheap imitations of other people) . . .
• find your passions and use your gifts to serve others . . .

If you were in my class and you can think of any others, leave a comment below!!!! Or, if you have any personal philosophies, please share them!

mILes of hUgS and sMiLes!
;) me 

You R HeRe!

I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading lately about being present, and today I had kind of an AHA-moment (also known as an EPIHANY in the world of English literature . . . just ask my students about it . . . they are so sick of me bringing this up! . . . but they're really smart!)

Today I was feeling really happy! Yay! And I felt so so so so so so good. And, because I was so happy, I was friendly, and smiling, and chatty (and I assumed I am smart and capable, and everybody likes me, and oh!-- I am cute! JK! not).

And my AHA moment was when I realized TIME-BENDING.

I was so present, that my past and future dropped off. SO AWESOME!

For those of us who have spent much of our time in REGRET (pain around our past) and WORRY (pain around the future), TIME SEEMS FOREVER DAUNTING.

• we relive past pain
• we lose sleep
• we are up in our heads
• we feel fuzzy
• we are out of touch
• we make up stories in our heads and believe them
• we are not paying attention
• we are scared and nervous
• we are sad
• we keep re-wounding ourselves
• we continually beat on ourselves

I noticed today that when I give the players around me my full attention,
LIFE comes ALIVE; I am not breathing, but life breathes me.
And I am able to be in the moment, present with that which simply

IS,

holy in front of Me.

I AM (fully) HERE.

In my life, I have spent a lot of time and energy wishing:

• I was with someone else
• I was smarter, cuter BLAH BLAH BLAH
• my body was different
• I had more _____
• my past was different
• ANYTHING was different
• EVERY FREAKIN' thing was different

When my vibration is negative, I call in experiences, people, and events that mirror this vibration.

It's a HELL of a lot of "NO!"

When I celebrate and feel gratitude for all that is before me (even the total CRAP-aliscious CRAP), I bring in goodness and light. I celebrate the NOW.

It's a HEAVENLY "YES! ( & thank you ) . . ."

This, my superfriend, is an amazing shift. 

Where is your vibration? How can you command a HEAVENLY "YES"--even to the hard stuff?

Hugs,

Dana