So you say I'm a dreamer...

I saw this video short on youtube tonight and it moved me to tears. I highly recommend it.  Enjoy.

Also seen on tonight's Academy Awards, a brilliantly poignant quote from the great Lena Horne "It is not the bad that breaks you down.  It's the way you carry it."  

Be inspired, friends. 

Soul Pancake

I generally have at least two or three books started at any given point.  Tonight I decided to read some of Rainn Wilson's "Soul Pancake - Chew On Life's Big Questions".  First of all Rainn, or more commonly known as geeky Dwight from "The Office", has created an incredibly thought-provoking book.  It is a collection of questions that challenge the mind, creativity and spirit.  Tonight one question in particular rocked me to my very core. 

The question:  "Do you think your 12 year old self would be pleased with where you are in your life now?"

12?  Wow... what in the hell was I thinking about at 12?

I really can't recall exactly when I became fascinated by business. I know that I was rather young and that my initial intrigue was more about being a strong and confident woman.  The business part came later.  Madonna was HUGE when I was a teen.  She hit the scene and everyone was enamored with her style, moves and music and though I too was a fan, it was more her business savvy that captivated me.  She would create such controversy and I would watch as she'd have the press eating out of her hands.  Whether you loved her or hated her, chances are you were talking about her.   She had quickly become a powerful woman entrepreneur and entertainer.   I found it inspiring that a girl from Detroit could make that happen for herself.  I prayed that a girl from Ashland, Oregon could become something remarkable too.

My dreams were never to be famous.  I did (and continue to) have mighty aspirations of reaching a lot of people but never for the sake of fame, praise or accolades.  I wanted to inspire and employ them. 

I would spend countless nights (as early as junior high) drifting to sleep dreaming about my offices, and not so much the architectural aspects but the way that they would feel - the joy, the creativity, the challenges and successes.  It has always been an aspiration of mine to be in a position to build something so profitable that I could offer and provide a place of employment where everyone would feel respected, motivated and appreciated.  I know not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and quite frankly, there are a lot of days where I don't either.  It is hard ass work.  There are countless ups and downs, twists and turns, doors opening and doors closing.  It takes a special kind of person - and I don't mean a better person, just special.  But since I was a girl, it is all I have ever wanted.

If my 12 year old self knew that I had spent the last 7 years working completely solo - oh Lordie... all hell would break loose.  So maybe that is why I am so excited about the future of Sno-Shack Bar & Chill.  It is the first business project that I have worked on in eons that will require staffing, management and a TEAM (audible squeal).  It really hit me tonight while reflecting, just how joyful I am that I won't be creating this one alone.  Ah, and it is getting closer every day...

"You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality" ~ Walt Disney

Just a few more hurdles till that dream finally becomes a reality.  30 years ago my 12 year old self dreamed of what I am creating today.  Amazing how life works.  I'm rejoicing in gratitude.

So... would your 12 year old self be pleased with where YOU are in your life now?

Keep it real.

As a little kid, I was quite the day dreamer.  I can remember staring into the ether imaging what my adult life would be like, the places I would someday go and the man that would one day be my everything.  I would dream up show concepts, music, fashion ideas and always thought I would become a famous figure skater and/or the manager of Abba.  ;-) I was going to be and do it all.

However, as time went on, it was instilled in me by friends, family and society that being a dreamer with an overactive imagination would get me no where.  I needed education, a good job and a man to take care of me.  Yip... that is what young girls have been taught for many generations.  So I learned to become more efficient at turning off the imagination.  I focused on my education, got a good job, promoted, got married and worked hard to be a dutiful wife.  It wasn't a bad life by any stretch of the imagination but it certainly wasn't the one that I had dreamed about.  I often felt like my auto pilot switch was stuck and I had absolutely no control.  I was living the life that I THOUGHT others wanted me to live.

I cannot put my finger on a specific aha moment or glorious revelation but do recall thinking, "why do I care what others may or may not want me to do?"...  All I know is that I had ideas and I was hell bent on seeing them to fruition. 

Some may call it a mid-life crisis but I call it "taking control".

It took some potentially unpopular choices to get me where I am today but I can say without any hesitation that my life has never been more vibrant, exhilarating or joyous.  Even on those days that are stressful or frightening, I know that I am living my life the way I intend.  Regardless of fears or crazy self belief systems, I keep trudging along and blazing my own trail.  The way I feel today vs. back then is indescribable.

So the point that I wish to make is two-fold.  1) Please allow yourself to be you.  Keep it real.  Say what you need to say, love who you want to love, wear what you want to wear... There are no rules.  Be you, be kind and allow yourself to be loved.  2) Exercise extreme caution when listening and talking to youth about their aspirations.  Though they may not be yours for them, they are important to them.  Nobody knows what someone else is capable of achieving unless you give them every opportunity to try.  Challenge them to dream big and do the same for yourself.

That is my rant for today.  Peace, love and light...

t.

Here it is... 1-1-11

2010 was a remarkable year for me but I have never felt a stronger or more invigorating energy around a new year like I do for 2011.  Despite the fact that I find it nearly impossible to believe that I could be old enough to be seeing this millennium (and now new decade), I am beyond excited to step out, learn, grow and stretch into this new year.

It looks highly promising already.