To Infinity and Beyond.

I first read this quote on my good friend's Instagram.  It made sense- we grow up and from the beginning are told how we should behave, what we should believe, what we should wear, how we should speak.  We are so busy becoming 'like the masses' that we lose our individuality, creativity and inspiration in the process.

I think a better question to ask is, "What did you want to be when you were 8 years old?" Remember the time when life was free from bills, mortgages, unfulfilling relationships and job stress, and the 'big' questions were what you were trading your sandwich for at lunchtime and who would be first in line for tetherball?

When I was eight years old, I wanted to be an astronaut.  I was fascinated with the zero gravity aspect; I was already pretty advanced on the monkeybars and would fantasize about being able to do somersaults in space.  I completely disregarded the whole need to excel at math/science- I wanted to be an astronaut because my whole job would be to explore the unknown, go into uncharted territory, do flips in outerspace, and make history.

No anti-gravity here, unfortunately. Pull-ups on the trails yesterday...

The freeze-dried food part was pretty cool, too.  When I visited the Kennedy Space Center in Washington D.C. as a 4th grader, I chose a freeze-dried neopolitan ice cream sandwich as my one souvenir.  I still remember savoring each bite later when I got home.  I loved how it felt when it touched my tongue and would dissolve into a delicious vanilla, strawberry and chocolate explosion.

Funny, and sadly ironic, is how these are the flavors of the Ensure Plus that are frequently prescribed in the hospital.  Perhaps a part of me now wants to embrace that adventurous spirit again of my eight year old self, taking with it my experience of nutrition and wellness, and reuniting it now with my fantasy of outerspace, blasting off into the unexplored, paving new ways, and knowing no limits.  I love who is in my space shuttle with me, and together we are excited to tread and uncover new territory in the health/wellness sector.  Together as we keep dreaming and keep creating, I know that we will be benefitting mankind in a deeper, more truthful and more authentic way.

To infinity and beyond!

Reigniting My Fire.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." 
-Albert Schweitzer

Tonight's view from the campfire...

It's interesting how you don't even realize how you're down to burning your own embers until you meet a kindred spirit.  It's like the right-side of my brain finally exploded and took over my left brain, and my mind is spinning with ideas, visions and big dreams.  At night, sometimes I can't sleep, so I just roll over and write my ideas in my journal.  Getting them down on paper helps, and I find that when I look over them the next morning, I gain more momentum and draw lines connecting those ideas to new ones that I write down.

I've missed this; this feeling of adrenaline, excitement, of being in the flow-state. It's fun to do this alone, but when you meet someone else who shares your fundamental dreams and visions and can give you open suggestions of how to improve yourself, this is what gives me a heartbeat. 

I love the musical Once, and my favorite scene is when Glen Hansard first teaches his song to Marketa Irglova.  I love the expression on his face when she starts harmonizing with him; it's like his smile recognizes this beautiful creative union- something that he would not have been able to accomplish alone.  When you meet other creatives/musicians/entrepreneurs, it is a beautiful thing to experience that magic, that fire...that shared vision and deep connection over something bigger than ourselves.

Two days ago, I scribbled in my journal a truth that I had discovered that day- "Awakenings stem from life's darkest moments." Three years ago, I experienced one of the darkest periods of my life, and looking back, I am amazed at the ways I've grown in my understanding of the world, of myself, and of others.  Thank you to all of those who have helped me rediscover and rekindle my inner spirit.  You know who you are, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  

Show Up. Take A Bow.

"Knowing your path and going after what you believe in will naturally create serendipity around the right people that will support you, love you and help you grow; and if you continue to shape your life based on what you love, I believe everything else will just fall into place." 

-Amanda Slavin

Sometimes it just requires that you show up- the path unfolds after you take that first step...

The phone rang tonight, and on the other end was my 7 year-old niece.

"Do you want to come to my piano recital? It's on September 28th at 2:30pm."

I smiled and replied, "Oh absolutely!! I would love to come and support you!"

Her tone suddenly changed and became somber.  "I'm afraid that I'm going to mess up.  What will people think if I make a mistake?"  

"It's ok.  Everyone makes mistakes.  You just keep going.  Some people won't even know that you even made the mistake.  It's all about having the right attitude."

I heard a sigh at the other end of the phone.  Continuing in her very serious tone she answered, "My attitude is telling me that I don't want to play in the piano recital."

I told her the story of how nervous I used to get before all of my piano recitals.  One time, I started playing the wrong piece. (Claire de Lune and Long, Long Ago do sound pretty similar starting out, just for the record).  "And remember," I added, "We love you and will be there to support you.  And even if you make a mistake, we love you just the same because we are proud of you for being brave."

Her artwork of my sister and me playing the piano together...

Later tonight, it occurred to me- oh how some things never change, even when you're an adult!  We are all afraid of making mistakes, being negatively judged, feeling inadequate.  It may not be on a piano stage- it could be in the boardroom, giving a presentation, standing in front of intimidating colleagues, or in the classroom.

It's knowing, however, at the end of the day, that there are people in the audience who love you unconditionally.  They are clapping just as loudly for you whether you performed flawlessly or completely flopped.  They believe not only in your potential, but in who you are, at this exact moment.  And they cheer the loudest when you smile and take a bow, regardless if you perfectly hit all of the notes or forgot a whole entire section of the piece.

As an entrepreneur, I know that vulnerable experiences are exciting but they can also be frightening.  Like my niece, those same questions are floating in my head at times- "What if I mess up?  What if I make a mistake?"  Just like piano recitals, I know that not everything goes as planned.  It's what you do afterwards to recover that matters more.  You take a deep breath, collect yourself, move on, and later find yourself experiencing the love and joy of the music once again.

We must never let our fear prevent us from showing up on stage.

And whatever happens, we must always smile widely and take a bow, knowing that our tribe is out there in the audience, proudly cheering and clapping for us.

Asking the right questions...

Wild and Precious.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" 

-Mary Oliver

I find that nature always keeps me balanced and asking the big questions.

I love this quote; such a profound question that we often fail to ask ourselves.  I'm starting to figure out the answer- the excitement literally keeps me up at night.  Although the details are still working themselves out, I know that my plan includes the following- service, gratitude, creativity and empowerment.

And from what I know of the world so far, only amazing and miraculous things stem from those intentions...

Finding My Trail...

"If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's." 

-Joseph Campbell

I love how life provides you with the tools and the people you need at the exact moment when you need them.  This past year, I feel like I'm finally emerging from the "thrash."  What's the "thrash?" It's that place/process where your creativity and gifts and passions are swirling around without a true direction.

I remember when I met my Ironman coach, Marv.  There was something in our meeting that was serendipitous; we both rarely did the Cyclepath group rides, but somehow we ended up chatting on that ride and exchanging information.  I liked his energy, I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was, but my friendships with him and his wife Jo were transformational to who I am today.  Together, under their coaching and guidance, I was able to miraculously cross that Ironman finish line.

I love good stories.  An entrepreneur once said, "You can't sell your product without telling your story.  Once you tell your story, people can trust you."  I am obsessed with people's stories of how they stopped conforming to the framework of what society deemed was correct for them, and instead, found their own path, their own trail.  Stories like those of Lissa Rankin, Danielle LaPorte, Leo Babauta...

What if we took up this model and stripped away the concrete layers and stories we've told ourselves and instead embraced and stepped into the unknown?  

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting someone whose entire business is built around this concept- to find your trail.  There is something innately beautiful about connecting to ourselves in nature, and through that, unlocking who we really are.  I love meeting people who get me thinking deeper and inspire me to extend my gifts and passions to serve more people.  

My version of happy hour(s)

Finding your own trail can often be uncertain and muddy, but it's always more fun and adventurous with a like-minded guide.  Sometimes not having a map and trusting your own intuition is the best part.  I'm pretty excited to see what the future holds- and I know that wherever my feet take me will be worthwhile and breathtaking.

SunsetSmilesSunsetMiles.

"Everyday is a good day when you run." 

-Kevin Nelson

#nationalrunningday

What Did You Fail at Today?

For most children, dinner table conversations include questions like, "How was your day? What went well today for you?" But for Sarah Blakely, the founder of Spanx, she was asked a much different question each night by her father at the kitchen table- "What did you fail at today?"

She recalls, "If there was nothing, he'd be disappointed. I think failure is nothing more than life's way of nudging you that you are off course. My attitude to failure is not attached to outcome, but in not trying. It is liberating. Most people attach failure to something not working out or how people perceive you. This way, it is about answering to yourself. Failure was something we sought out and not this scary thing."

I've recently adopted this notion of the 'Blakely kitchen table' in my own life and started asking myself that question each night, "What did I fail at today?'  You may think that this question could lead someone down the hole into depression and straight to Loserville, but I am finding that the exact opposite happens.  In a sense, it is actually making me more fearless, urging me to constantly stretch myself in all areas of life.  So often it is easy to remain comfortable and to continue doing the things we are good at, right? But contemplating what I 'failed' at means that I need to try more things.  

Doing pool work post-work.

In the pool, I can comfortably swim 10 x 100 yards on the 1:30 interval.  I've been able to hold this interval (uncomfortably at times), but for the most part, since college.  Tonight, I decided to try and speed it up a bit, aiming for 10 x100 yds on the 1:25 interval. I made it to the 6th 100 until my lungs felt like they were going to explode and I hit the wall right when I was supposed to leave for the next interval. Did I feel like a failure?  Not at all!  Today, it wasn't about 'failing' to swim 10 x 100 yds on the 1:25, but learning that I had the speed and strength to swim 5 of them at that pace; something that I would have never even attempted in the past.  Sarah Blakely's father was brilliant.

I am allowing this question to permeate my life not only in sport, but also in the kitchen, in my relationships, and in my career. And so far, I've found that it has only been positive, spurring me on to stretch and try new things, without judgement or criticism.  Allow yourself to have the imaginative freedom to envision what you want to create in your life, without the inhibiting fear that most people have of the fear of failure.

Trying new things in the kitchen...I took a chance and didn't measure anything.
Thankfully, these sweet potato energy balls turned out well!

I prefer a different set of wheels, but hey, I tried!

Sometimes, it all boils down to reframing and rethinking the notion of failure. If you want to change your life, change the question- "What did you fail at today?"

Just what I was looking for. #change #SantaCruz

Get ready to be liberated. Get ready to be amazed.