Make Sure You Tell Them

People circle into our lives for a reason and a season. Life goes by so quickly.. my Grama always told me this & I never believed her (until I hit my forties).

In this age of technology & distractions we sometimes miss out on the present. (Put your phone down and pay attention to that person in front of you).

People come into our lives for many reasons. Sometimes they stay for a lifetime, sometimes just a season and sometimes they dance in and out. When someone walks into your life and makes an impact – TELL THEM! Don’t wait.

I had a dream the other night… One of my favorite humans left my life & walked away, into their next adventure without truly knowing how I felt about them. I woke up and all day was haunted by the feeling of lost & sadness. I was scared this was my reality. Yes, it was just a dream, but had I told them ENOUGH how important they were in my life and how deeply I cared for them?

Whoever just came to your mind, STOP and call them. Send them a video message. Ask them to lunch. Take them to coffee, send them a handwritten letter, FaceTime them or just hug them and don’t let go. Don’t wait another day!

We are here to make a difference in each other’s lives. Don’t let anything go UNSAID. Tell those closest to you how much you care for them and love them. Tell them how your life would not be the same without them in it! And most importantly, enjoy every precious day & moment you have with them.

You will thank me for the reminder.

It’s A New Year.. What Makes YOU Fierce?

It’s a new year and one of my favorite words is FIERCE!  It ignites my passion.. my desire to be strong.. my wish to be fearless.. my ambition to persevere and my goals of being unforgettable!

A year ago in February, my Grama passed away.  We were very close & I loved her with all my heart.  She was one of my most special people: my cheerleader, my mom, my voice of reason, my greatest sounding board and LOVED to watch me dance!  While I was back East for her funeral I stumbled upon a ballroom dance studio I had NO IDEA existed a few blocks from my home in LA.  I contacted them while in NJ (I swear Grama sent me to them) and the rest is history.. I fell back in love with dancing because of the owners Katie & Erick (below) and the wonderful instructors (the events & other students are just a bonus).

I started dancing at 10 yrs old.  I taught, performed & competed all throughout school.  I turned professional at the age of 19 and continued my career until 26.  I taught ballroom at a Fred Astaire studio from 22-24 yrs old.  I lived my dream of being a dancer and performing professionally all over the country.  But I hadn’t ballroom danced in about 15 years (even just for fun).

Dancing has ALWAYS been my heart, my love, my joy, my passion.

When I retired I couldn’t figure out how to enjoy it for fun.. so I gave it up.

Last February I walked into the studio (shaking & heart pounding – thinking WHAT AM I DOING? I can’t do this anymore!) I was greeted by one of the sweetest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting (or dancing with) and I haven’t stopped smiling yet!   In a year I have lost 25 pounds.. bought a dozen glittering gowns.. danced & sung more songs then I can remember, laughed uncontrollably (while dancing), felt like a princess (more than once) and entered my first EVER competition in December.

I am FIERCE!  I am having the time of my life.. inspiring others to dare to try something new.. sharing my joy, reminding others talent SHOULD be shared and hoping to become awesome in TANGO (my worst dance, in my mind) by this years end.  I am  not giving up!  I have over done it and injured myself multiple times last year.  But I’ve kept going. I can’t remember as much as I would like to or as quickly as I used to, BUT I AM FIERCE.  I feel good.  I’m graceful.  I’m happy.  I’m taking chances.  I’m NOT giving up!

What is it that you would LOVE to try this year?  What lights a spark in your heart? What do you do and no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop smiling (this is a problem for my TANGO).  Do that!  Try that!  If it scares you a little, it means there is a WONDERFUL treasure awaiting you on the other side.. it’s wrapped in a gorgeous package with a tag on it with YOUR name.. “YOU ARE FIERCE“.. It’s just waiting to be opened.. discovered.. shared.. and ONLY YOU can unwrap it!

Remember, DON’T let anyone or anything STOP you.. especially when you soul is whispering to you.. listen to it!  It’s usually IMPORTANT.

Please share your adventures & journey with me!  I can’t wait to hear what makes YOU FIERCE!(because you are)

Hello Gorgeous

Yes I’m talking to YOU!  You are you know!

I have to go with #Gorgeous for my “G”.  Not only because of my business, but because I have been so inspired by honest, pure kindness & Random Acts of Beauty – the adjective to describe it all has to be GORGEOUS!

I believe beauty when inspired, selfless & honest = Gorgeousness!

I was so humbled and grateful to be a judge in the Miss Teen Los Angeles pageant last month.. These young girls were looking for confidence, sparkle, reassurance, friends & beauty.  Every single one of them found it – in my eyes the courage to try something out of your comfort zone, show up with grace & a sense of adventure is always a WIN = GORGEOUS

A few weeks later, a wonderful friend invited me to a new social media app I have fallen in love with #HAPPIER.

It’s like Twitter & Instagram wrapped in Sunshine..  of course my new addiction.  Inspiring & spreading Gorgeousness – OMG!  Does it get any better?

Why spread anything else but sunshine?

(find me & join me – that would make me “HAPPIER”)

Happier App Here

Recently someone said, “You glitter bomb people all day with your goodness & light, no wonder they love seeing you.”  BEST compliment EVER.. (giggling)  Then another friend agreed and added, “It’s more like Sparkle Bombs with you.”

I think that is my new “catch phrase” for doing good, inspiring, spreading joy & sharing love.. #sparklebomb -ing.  My personal definition of #Gorgeous.

Then I stumbled upon #operationbeautiful.  For me this is my daily story.. I am joining the movement to post-ing it forward with anonymous notes & random acts of beauty.  You can see the story here.. @beautifulnotes.

This is my first note left on a Keurig beverage maker.  Gotta make someone smile for sure!

What is your definition of #Gorgeous?

As you can see I have ALOT of favorite “G” words (Grace & Gratitude probably fighting for the top position).

Sometimes it is so hard to find ONE word to describe something.. so just start one letter at a time & #TellYourStory2014.

We be listening.. be GORGEOUS today!

C is for Commit

Ask any artist the first “C” word that comes to mind – I bet it is Create.  When I sat down at the beginning of the year that is what I wrote down for my “C”.  Now it’s a month into the year, and I find another word not only in my mind, but on my heart..

Commitment – Saying something and holding true to your word.

Commit – Trying something new or uncomfortable (outside your box) and just going for it!

NEVER underestimate the power of words.  We have all been hurt but them, excited by them, let down by them or inspired by them.  I work with a lot of teenagers and I try to be very conscious of following through with what I say.  I don’t want to disappoint them by promising something & forgetting.  I hope to inspire them by showing them not only the power of a promise, but weight of a commitment.

Teachers, coaches and mentors are in a position to influence & inspire.   I have been blessed to re-connect with some of my most favorite mentors & teachers throughout my life, and yet again as an adult (gotta love Facebook).  I took the opportunity to say THANK YOU to them for their commitment & encouragement. They made a great difference in my life and I am sure in many others.  I have not forgotten.  It’s usually the little things we don’t think about that can make a HUGE difference.

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I am committed to encouraging & inspiring youth every day, whenever I can.  I hope one day to be someone they can come back to with gratitude.  I do it not for the hope of a thank you,  I do it because I know my commitment, love & encouragement will make a difference!

I also commit to trying new things this year. Why not?  What do I have to lose?  Don’t like it, check it off and I don’t do it again.

For my business, I commit to sharing & encouraging the “Be-Loved” theme throughout this entire month.  Not only does it allow me to create some great treatments & blends (for the artist in me), it allows me to pay attention to “the little things..”

Besides, who couldn’t use a little more LOVE?

#TellYourStory2014

#TellYourStory2014

Each year one of my dearest friends, Kristin Kane of Water Closet Soap and I pick a theme of intention, to guide us through the New Year.

When we reconnected after 20 years, the following New Year, in 2012 we chose “Gratitude”.  We hand wrote letters of thanks throughout the entire year and reminded everyone we could about the importance of being Grateful.

In 2013 we chose “Inspire”.  All year we followed our hearts, shared our passions, shouted encouraging words and helped made giant leaps for our local national charities of choice (Decoding Dyslexia & Boys and Girls Club of America)
as well as spread advocacy & awareness.

For 2014 we have chosen, “Tell Your Story”.  Branding isn’t just about selling, its about sharing.

Every other week we will be posting the #abcsof2014. With 26 letters of the alphabet, we hope to inspire and share what our story is with a word for every letter throughout the year.

26 letters and 52 weeks is 1 letter every 2 weeks starting with “A”.

If you would like to find us and/or join us, we will be on all the social media platforms and would love to hear YOUR story.  Just add the hashtag: #TellYourStory2014 to your posts!

Here’s to a beautiful 2014 & the sharing of many wonderful stories..

HAPPY NEW YEAR!