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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Dec 23, 2011

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

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Because it’s nearly Christmas, I’m sharing with you the letter that inspired the Christmas Classic “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”

It’s a wonderfully inspiring letter and I hope it brings you a bit of holiday cheer, regardless of which holiday you celebrate, be it Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, Yule or any other.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Wishing you success, love + fire in your belly . . .

P.S. –> Went to the doctor yesterday for a follow up on my thumb, and my blood pressure is even better than it was 2 weeks ago @ 114/74. ;-)

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“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

“VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Filed Under: Life · Tagged: , ,
The dirty bits
Aug 24, 2011

The dirty bits

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And the time came when the risk to remain tightly closed in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~ANAIS NIN

 

IMG 1987

 

It’s those very things that fracture us that become like glue to deliver us whole and newly made. Let what breaks you reveal the blessing that puts you back together.

A couple of days ago, a friend asked me a question which prompted me to rewrite this post and reschedule others I had written. She asked me if I had forgiven myself for carrying on, for still being here. And although the question was geared to a different conversation, it rammed itself into the dark recesses of my mind and punched this one in the face.

Hard.

Because the truth of the matter – the deep, dark unrevealed truth that lurks within – is for the past 18 months since this incident, I’ve been hiding from my emotions. Only feeling things on the surface so I didn’t have to deal with the pain.

I have been broken and fragile and not quite whole.And too afraid to be vulnerable enough to feel it.

But I realized something today – I have to allow myself that vulnerability, that openness. Because that’s where growth sprouts. That’s where healing begins. Where joy is found despite the pain. Where peace is found despite the anguish.

Even though I fundamentally – intellectually, knew this was true – that dealing with the pain was the only way through the pain as I wrote just a few weeks ago in moving on – it’s still taken the weeks since to fully realize it and make the emotional connection. To get to that complete breaking point.

So, here I am today and writing this to you, sharing my humanness with you, because I want you to know that whatever you’re going through in your own life, you’re not alone. There are people out here – even people like me who seem to have it all together – who know, who understand, who care. There are people who have been there.

When you cut through all the bullshit you realize

Living and breathing and nurturing your purpose is not easy.

And anybody who tells you it is, is a big, fat liar.

But it’s hella rewarding. And in the end, it’s totally worth it.

When life kicks your ass . . . scream back! And stand up for yourself.

Listen, here’s the thing – there is no magic bullet. No perfect answer. When you stop looking OUTSIDE for what is already INSIDE YOU, then and only then will you feel the joy and the bliss and the happiness in spite of everything else. And I’m not saying your fears will go away – far from it – but you can push through them knowing that you’re right where you need to be right now.

You can know that you’re going to be ok. That you’re not taking a back seat to life anymore. You will know that you are in the driver’s seat and the bus is headed where ever YOU want to go.

That’s FREEDOM, friends.

And then, you can look that fear in the face and tell it shut the hell up. ;-)

As always, keep blazin’!

PS – The eBook I’ll be releasing on September 2 is shaping up very nicely! I’ve spent the past few days working very hard on it. I really think you’re going to like it and I can’t wait to share it with you! But you have to be a newsletter subscriber to do so. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so here —-> Badass Trailblazer Newsletter

Filed Under: Life, Personal Development ·
Life, in color
Jul 26, 2011

Life, in color

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in kind of a funky mood. Part bitchy, part melancholy, part angry, part sad. And as I was sitting here tonight, I realized that I’m feeling this way because I’ve gotten myself in a rut. Not only that but, instead of being a conscious creator in my own life, I’ve been allowing things to just happen.

Never a good idea.

So, I was thinking about all the things that have changed drastically in my life over the past several years. Partially prompted by the untimely passing of Amy Winehouse over the weekend. And as always, when something of this magnitude happens, I begin thinking about my sister.

My sister was a lot like Amy – young, pretty, happy-go-lucky on the outside, loving, charismatic . . . and . . . an addict. I know all too well the sinking feeling of that dreaded phone call. I know all to well how the rug just gets totally yanked out from under you when someone close to you passes away so unexpectedly.

Even if you did see the trainwreck coming a mile away.

And I still miss my sister. Every.Damn.Day.

But losing her taught me the biggest lesson of my life.

That life isn’t all black and white. And not only are there shades of gray in there somewhere, there are also a million colors. It’s up to me to choose those colors. It’s up to me to use each day to the fullest. To be my own authentic badass self. To live with integrity. To be fueled by something greater than myself. To dare something worthy.

Every moment of every day is mine to create. And I can either hide or I can get out my crayons and draw a masterpiece.

I can choose to live my life in full color.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Filed Under: Life, Mindset ·
Sometimes trailblazers get lost
Mar 18, 2011

Sometimes trailblazers get lost

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But we tend to find our way back again.

Sometimes we get lost for a moment and other times it’s much longer than we even realize. One thing is true though – we come back stronger than before.

At least, that is my aim.

And while I may not be 100% sure exactly where I’m heading, many doors are opening for me.

So here’s my philosophy (courtesy of Max Keenan, a character on Fox’s crime drama Bones) -

“I don’t believe in encouraging all that self-esteem crap. You want something? You work for it.”

And that’s what I am aiming for over the next several months. Because I may not truly know where I’m heading, but I sure as hell do know who I am and what I want out of the next phase of my life.

Because I’m a trailblazer. :-)

And that’s that.

Filed Under: Life, Personal, Risk, Self ·
The month that sped by slowly
Oct 1, 2010

The month that sped by slowly

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September has been a long month but it went quickly.

Yeah, I know – that sounds kinda odd. It’s true, though – there have been some setbacks, some triumphs, some alterations and some joys along the way and altogether, it went by quickly.

But the setbacks and alterations seemed to slow things down at times and in that regard, it’s been a l o n g month. The fact that it’s the end of September already – when it seems like school just started – makes it seem like it went quickly.

So, September has been a long month that went way too quickly.

I think John Lennon was right -”Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

While life has been happening, my other plans haven’t. LOL For example, I haven’t had a chance to put together any October wallpapers for you. And if you’ve looked at the calendar lately, you will know that today is October 1st. Sorry about that. I will work on it very soon.

I also have not found a recumbent bike. I was this.close to having one and it ended up selling before I had a chance to go take a look. Of course, that just means, something better is coming, right? And it means that wasn’t the right one for me. So, I’ll keep looking!

How was your September? Did you accomplish at least some of what you set out to do? I hope so. I know I did even though it wasn’t all I wanted. That’s ok, though – tomorrow is another chance! (As is today.)

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Filed Under: Life, Miscellaneous ·
Who rules your empire?
Sep 2, 2010

Who rules your empire?

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I will be the first to admit building a life of trailblazing proportions isn’t easy. It’s bound to make your palms sweaty, your heart beat faster, your mind work overtime thinking of all the worse case scenarios that could happen (but probably won’t, by the way).

But you know what? Fear isn’t a bad thing . . . unless you let it be king and rule your empire.

While fear might be your biggest problem to overcome, it’s not worth letting it stop you. It doesn’t necessarily mean being fearless . . . instead it means, work through the fear and just go for it anyway.

One thing I’ve learned is that if I can just push through the fear and take a leap into the unknown, the net will appear to catch me. When I come out on the other side of that fear, I feel like a champion – like I rule my world. And that’s a good feeling that will help propel me further forward.

Fear doesn’t have to rule you. And neither do other people. You don’t have to lead your life based on other people’s expectations.

Let me tell you something – regret comes not from what we’ve tried, but from what we haven’t. It’s because we tried and gave up instead of trying one more time. When you fall down, get back up and try again.

The bottom line is . . . .

Don’t just deal with life – make life deal with you.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’.

Filed Under: Life, Trailblazing ·
Focus makes perfect
Aug 28, 2010

Focus makes perfect

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You’ve likely heard the old saying “Practice makes perfect” dozens of times in your life but let me tell you a secret . . .

It’s not really practice that makes perfect. Oh, sure it helps a lot especially in the beginning and it’s kind of an underlying side benefit of what’s truly important – and that is focus.

Focus makes perfect.

You can practice and practice and practice something but if you’re not really focused on it, let’s face it – you might not get the results you want. Or maybe, you will, if your heart’s not in it in the first place! If you’re not truly interested in something, chances are, your practice alone won’t make you perfect. And if you’re not really interested, you’re likely not all that focused.

Do you see what I’m saying?

In order for practice to be perfect, you must be focused.

So, let’s change the saying to “focus makes perfect.”

And in order to change your life for the better, in order to blaze your own trail, you’ve got to have focus. I’ve spent some time recently developing an outline of the big picture. It’s now time to take the big picture and break it down into smaller blocks that I can focus on each week, each month to move me to the end result of what I want for my life.

This week, and for the next few months, my focus is going to be on 3 things:

  1. Learn more about writing. Although I think of myself as a fairly good writer, I know there’s always room for improvement. I’ve found a couple of blogs and courses that I will be following in order to help me achieve that.
  2. Add to my design skills. I will be focusing on learning new and better techniques for design. This will include newer standards like HTML5 and CSS3 among others.
  3. Develop my Self. With school starting very soon, I will have some uninterrupted time that will allow me to really focus on my Self – body, mind and spirit. Sometimes with kids home all day long during summer, it’s hard to etch out that time alone we need to nurture our own being.

Now, what are YOU going to focus on for the next block of time? Tell me in the comments!

Filed Under: Ideas, Life, Self · Tagged: ,
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