Returning to Bedtime Stories

I'm bringing bedtime stories back into my life. Why did I ever stop something that relaxed and stretched my imagination so much as a kid?

Starting with Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are by Dr. Seuss.

Self-Published Author Making Her Dreams Come True

Unknown, living paycheck to paycheck in Austin, Minnesota, rejected by publishers all over New York, Amanda Hocking decided to self-publish on ebook platforms only. She sold 100,000 of her works in December, and over 10 months she's had more than 900,000 in sales. She's 26 and is now making enough money to quit her day job and become a full time writer, in fact she's a millionaire. She's going to be featured in 'Elle' Magazine's April issue, all without what everyone thought was essential to make it as a writer: a big New York publishing house. Watch the local news story below:


via HuffingtonPost.com

Introducing Apple IPad 2

Optimism: Framing Your Life

This morning I practiced yoga for the first time. I admit it was harder than I expected, but as the drops of sweat fell to the mat, I was able to let go of some of the negative energy that was passed to me yesterday. Allow me to paint a picture:

Two Constituents, Thirty Minutes.

As a means of fellowshipping and wanting to discover more about each other, we decided to do so over a meal. Engaging in conversation about life and the present, we flowed from topic to topic as we transitioned into future goals.

Initially the conversation went very well until I realized this person was, knowingly or unknowingly, very discouraging. As I began talking about my future goals, my younger-than-average age was soon discovered and created a bit of a detour in our conversation.

Everyone who knows me knows that I have traveled extensively, living amongst other cultures and partaking in authentic cuisine. Result: I want and will have my own restaurant one day. My associate’s reply, "I gotta say from experience of working in the restaurant business, it's going to be pretty tough for you, but I don't want to be discouraging."

“Ok thanks.”

The conversation continued as we talked about how hard the entertainment industry is to break into and "how hard it will be for me to get to the positions I would like." Because for most people, it just occurs ‘happenstance.”

“Thanks again big guy, for your wise words.”

My readers, allow me to give you some different advice.

NEVER put limitations on yourself, others are going to do that for you. With every grain and cell in your body, you must truly believe your dreams can come true.

As Steve Jobs stated at a Stanford commencement speech: “your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

When you come into your own not only as a dreamer but also as a doer, you will notice an increase in your hustle and a decrease in your fear. You will still have some negative people trying to pull, twist and kick you off your path. But also know this: you will be equipped. Dust the dirt of your shoulders and allow all the negative comments to roll off like beads of sweat to the ground.

My friends, I think the beast of negativity tried to influence me yesterday, but to hell with him.
“I’m an optimist. It doesn’t seem too much use being anything else.” –Winston Churchill

One Life, You Decide™

Lasers: T-Minus Four Days

New Era Flagship Store Tokyo

This weekend the New Era flagship store in Tokyo opened its doors to the world. The New Era Tokyo store is the first of several New Era stores scheduled to open in 2011. Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Chicago are the next cities on the list (Hmm...gotta love these three cities).