Tag Archives: Oprah

May22

Lesson Ten – Letting Go of Being Cool and “Always in Control”

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This blog post serves as the tenth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

So here we are at our last installment of the guideposts to wholehearted writing with Lesson Ten - LETTING GO OF BEING COOL AND “ALWAYS IN CONTROL”

Now this is really self-explanatory in a lot of ways. Sometimes our desire to not appear foolish stifles our ability to experience life. I would like to think for the most part writers and other creative types don’t fall victim to this as much as other people because without putting ourselves out there we fail to really create anything.

I see this with moms in different parenting situations. Maybe at the school fundraiser where delicacies are being sold for the raising of very important school funds. And it’s obvious all the other moms decided to get together and color-coordinate their outfits but didn’t call me. Kids are acting silly, running around and playing. And their mothers’ eyes bulge from their sockets in silent restraint, all while sending telepathic messages to their children to please behave and chill out.

And I’m all over in the corner like this:

Are you feeling me? We have to get outside of ourselves and our comfort zones in order to live a little. A few months back my kids who are in the 5th and 2nd grade had a sock hop at their school. Why this sock hop consisted of mainly songs like “Thrift Shop” and the “Cha Cha Slide” I still haven’t figured out, but it was really fun nonetheless. Now most responsible parents were seated alongside the gym wall in tiny plastic chairs, enjoying nachos and soda. Where was I? I was busy getting down with my kids right in the middle of the dance floor. At that moment, I didn’t care if I embarrassed myself or my kids. I’ve never been able to avoid a good beat and this was no exception. In my mind, I’m pretty sure it looked like this:

But it may have been more like this in reality:

Either why, pretty awesome, right?

I decided to go a little .gif happy with this post to hopefully bring some happiness to your day and to remind you that it’s okay to not always be in control, even when you’re wearing your grown-up pants. For writers, experiencing some of life’s biggest oops really influences our work the most. In high school, I had a terrible habit of only participating in activities I was sure to excel at. It worked out great because I was pretty good at a lot of stuff but it left me with some regrets, too. I’ve tried to rectify that since then and I think the absolute biggest way I’ve opted to let go of being cool and always in control is by WRITING A BOOK. Boy, did I really overdo it with that one. Can’t possibly be less in control when you decide to write a novel and then hand it over to the Universe to do with it what it wants.

And I’m so glad I have. I’ve challenged myself and I’ve tried a new thing and although it’s not easy in the least or a sure bet, it has been so rewarding. So if you take nothing else away from this blog series over the past ten weeks, remember this: In order to live wholeheartedly, to write wholeheartedly, you have to put your WHOLE heart out there. Although terrifying at times, it is 100% worth it.

Thanks to you all for stopping by!

May15

Lesson Nine – Letting Go of Self-Doubt and “Supposed To”

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Sylvia Plath quote

This blog post serves as the ninth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

So, next to last in this discussion is Lesson Nine - LETTING GO OF SELF-DOUBT AND “SUPPOSED TO”

This one is so much easier said than done, especially when you’re a writer. The evil little voice that lives in all our heads really enjoys taking moments of doubt and ratcheting them up to a level that only ubersadistic sadists would enjoy. So, how to combat this?

Step One: Find some really supportive people in your life that will let you know that you’re not crazy and your work not terrible. Because that’s the truth. That voice in the back of your head that holds the pitchfork and is always at the ready to poke you with it is WRONG. And the more people you have telling you that you can succeed, will succeed, must succeed – the better.

Step Two: Argue/ignore/laugh at that self-doubt. Do anything but listen to it. It’s going to be there. It’s always there, lurking like a creep in a trench coat just ready to flash you with all its dirty bits (i.e. self-doubt speak). You have to realize it’s going to be there, but push through it anyway. I’m not saying you won’t have dark moments. You most likely will. The trick is to not let those moments overwhelm you.

Step Three: To the point of “supposed to”, take those and throw them out the window, too! Do you have well-meaning loved ones that tell you on an almost daily basis what you’re supposed to be doing? God love ‘em but let the Devil take ‘em because their well-meaning talk will only cause you to want to pull your hair out. When somebody pursues “non-traditional” routes of employment such as any profession in the ARTS, friends and family have a tendency to worry. About? Well, your mental state for one. Then, they worry about how you’re going to pay your bills and not become an undue burden on society. Let them keep that worry. It’s not your concern.

When dealing with supposed to, things pop up like this. Like if you’re a writer, you’re supposed to XYZ (wherein XYZ is THE ONE AND ONLY WAY TO PUBLISHING). Brené Brown points out that many people who express their creative outlets through careers feel the need to almost apologize for them. For example, maybe someone’s daytime job is engineering but at night they compose poetry, poetry good enough to be published. When someone asks them how long they’ve been a poet, they say, “Oh, I’m not a poet. I’m an engineer who just rhymes words.” It’s because we as a culture believe that there’s a supposed to way of doing things. If you’re going to write, then it’s supposed to be full-time. I don’t know about you but I still consider myself a writer regardless if I’ve published a book or not. That’s the outward critical success and achievement we may all be looking for but I’m a writer because I WRITE.

Truth

I’ll be honest with you guys. These lessons have been as beneficial for me as I hope they’ve been for you. Many times as I’m writing the advice I hope you heed, I myself am struggling with it. It’s tough putting your heart out there in whatever form you do and hope it doesn’t get trampled. It takes courage and perseverance and good Lord so much more. It’s beyond hard. Writing a book is often compared to birthing a baby, and in a lot of ways, that’s true. But you know, people have a tendency to offer leeway to you if you happen to birth an ugly child (although I’ve been told there are NO ugly babies). But write a book and the world descends on you like hungry vultures. Some of them have good things to say, but the point is, they’re not relegated to ONLY say good things. There are times when they say some terrible things, things no one would say about your baby, at least not without getting drop-kicked in the face.

From one writer to another (or human being in general), keep your head up. Keep pushing. Keep making beautiful things for the world to enjoy. You have the heart of a lion and the tenacity of a goat (couldn’t think of anything more regal). You can do it!

Now friends, join me one last time next week for the final installment in this series, which will be Lesson Ten: LETTING GO OF BEING COOL AND “ALWAYS IN CONTROL”

May8

Lesson Eight – Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle

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Take a breath

This blog post serves as the eighth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

Without further ado, I give you Lesson Eight: LETTING GO OF ANXIETY AS A LIFESTYLE

As Brené pointed out in her talk with Oprah, one thing was a common thread among all people who lived a wholehearted life and that was taking a minute to process something before FU-REAKING out.

In writing, I find there are many times when I want to scream and pull my hair out and punch the nearest wall and/or person, but the key is to NOT do these things. Maybe you get some feedback from a CP or beta reader that makes you want to zip off a totally unprofessional email that insinuates your reader has no clue and that their breath probably stinks too, but is that productive? I would argue, probably not.

When you get some feedback that starts up your rage machine, take a minute to BREATHE, process the information, and then give it some time before saying anything to anyone. Normally, once some time has passed, you will look at the situation in a much more constructive and sane light. And really that’s a good thing for everyone.

Perhaps if one Anne Rice had done this recently, she wouldn’t have sent a mob of loyal fans to blast a blogger over one bad book review. Or that time when she went nuts on Amazon over comments about her book a few years back. Hey, Anne, maybe I’m talking to just you on this one and if so, just cool out, okay?

Trust me, this is a very difficult practice for me. Anxiety is first nature to me. I stress out about stressing out but there needs to be some calm and stillness in my life. It helps the creative process. It helps me be a better person. Remember folks, stress KILLS.

This week’s post is rather simple in its message, but as previous posts have been, possibly complex in its application. Give it a whirl. I don’t think anyone will ever regret stepping back from a situation for a moment and taking time before charging ahead.

zen frog

Take a hint from this little guy

Please stop by again next week for the next to last post in this series, Lesson Nine: LETTING GO OF SELF-DOUBT AND “SUPPOSED TO”

May1

Lesson Seven – Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth

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Freeplay

This blog post serves as the seventh in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

I know Lesson Seven is lengthy but it’s worth it: LETTING GO OF EXHAUSTION AS A STATUS SYMBOL AND PRODUCTIVITY AS SELF-WORTH

Long story short? TAKE A BREAK!

Stuart Brown is a researcher who defines play as time spent without purpose. I can hear you all now. Are you insane? Most likely yes but that is for another blog post. As writer-types, and really all human beings, we need some time to decompress. Get out of our own heads and chill to the out. Many of us multitask like it’s going out of style and sometimes, just sometimes, we may wear our bedraggled, too tired to sleep persona as a badge of pride. I’m not sure if this affects non-Americans as much as it does Americans because we seem to have the market on workaholicism. I take that back. We probably rank lower than China. They’re are after all like #1 in ALL things.

Speaking on behalf of mothers and parents and women, we especially are guilty of overextending ourselves and working insane hours all while maintaining our homes and children’s playdates and for what exactly? Do we get an extra shiny medal for nearly killing ourselves? Is there a secret club I’m not aware of that we’re all collecting points for that we can then trade in for an all-expenses paid vacation? Probably not. (But seriously if you are aware of this club, please email the deets.)

Point being, we all need balance. Moderation in all things is one of my favorite go-to quotes to make me feel better about my life choices. But also because it’s true. There’s a bunch of science out there and I don’t want to get all science-y on you but I may throw out words at you like “studies” and “research”. These aforementioned science words point to the fact that we as human beings need to slow our proverbial roll and smell the roses every now and again.

Now you may be saying, how does one go about this new concept of play and rest? I don’t want anyone to injure themselves diving into this uncharted territory head first. Do some light stretches first and then ease into it. Possibly the idea of taking an ENTIRE day off to just mellow out and have no identifiable goal in mind is a little terrifying. So maybe you want to start small with just an hour of free time. Set it aside for some “you time” and don’t make any notes, outlines, plans, or bullet points about what you’re supposed to do.

And here’s another earthshattering idea. From time to time, when your poor overworked body is so, so tired, TAKE. A. NAP.

baboon nap

This little guy is my new hero

Let’s just try for a little while to slow down, allow our brains to free associate, and catch a few extra winks if our bodies are screaming for it. We may actually find that the time we’ve allowed ourselves will work in our favor with greater bursts of creativity and a refreshed mind ready to face the world. This week’s assignment is simple but many may find it difficult. Let me know if you give it a shot and how it works out for you. I mean I can’t foresee bad results from nap-taking but I will take all feedback into consideration.

Our time is winding down now with only a few more guideposts left, so please join me again next week for Lesson Eight:  LETTING GO OF ANXIETY AS A LIFESTYLE

Apr24

Lesson Six – Letting Go of Comparison

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apples and oranges

This blog post serves as the sixth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

Here we go with Lesson Six: LETTING GO OF COMPARISON

This may be one of the more difficult lessons, especially when it comes to writing. But this one is needed big time in order to cultivate creativity. Brené in all her brilliance said that untapped creativity is not benign. If we don’t find an outlet to create, we can truly suffer from it. So as writers we’re definitely tuned in to creating.

BUT…If we spend our time lamenting over our friends’ newest accolades or accomplishments, how can we be busy doing the work of writing? I’ve been actively involved in the writing community online through contests, websites, and social media for the past couple of years. In that time, I’ve been able to cheer on many of my friends who’ve gotten full requests, agented, and ultimately book deals.

And sometimes, just sometimes, I do find myself comparing where I’m at in the journey of writing to my colleagues. It can feel like all your buddies have gotten discovered as the geniuses they are because they’ve all snapped up agents and yet there you are, the only girl left at the dance with no partner. It SUCKS. I tried to make that more eloquent, but I just can’t. Sucks sums it up.

I’ve since moved on because I have now too joined the ethereal realm of “having an agent” but there are new challenges I face. Such as? Well, now I have to fight the urge to compare when and with whom I will ultimately publish my book with others I know who’ve already gotten deals. And we all know the comparisons may not stop there. You may start questioning was my book deal as big as XYZ. Will I get as much input on my cover as XYZ? Does anyone else thinks it’s weird that I have a friend named XYZ?

Listen, healthy competition is always a good thing. Honing your own craft to be the best YOU you can be is a great thing. But obsessing over the most minute detail of a friend’s book news (why do her headshots always look flawless) is not a good thing at all. I love the saying, “Stay in your lane,” which means to focus on yourself and what you do, not what others are up to. If you have twinges of jealousy or moments of doubt, deal with those. Scream into a pillow. Eat copious amounts of chocolate. Make a voodoo doll of someone you went to school with just to release all the frenetic energy you’re dealing with because things are just too insane in your life at the moment…NO, NOT THAT.

You are fabulous. You know you are. No need for comparisons. Diamonds don’t sit around and concern themselves with the shine of those around them. And you wanna know why? Because they’re too dang busy getting their GLITTER ON!

So, go forth, conquer the world, and join me again next week when we tackle Lesson Seven: LETTING GO OF EXHAUSTION AS A STATUS SYMBOL AND PRODUCTIVITY AS SELF-WORTH

shiny diamond

Apr17

Lesson Five – Letting Go of the Need for Certainty

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enjoy uncertainty

This blog post serves as the fifth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

Now, for half-way point Lesson Five: LETTING GO OF THE NEED FOR CERTAINTY

Who’s with me when I say I’m a control FU-REAK? I’m a type A personality on steroids taking steroids of their own. Like, whoa, major issue for me. But I digress. Back to the guidepost.

After watching Brené Brown on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday a few weeks back, she said many things that struck a chord with me but in particular what she said about this subject made me perk up and listen. She told a personal story of how she asked her husband what she acted like when she was uncertain about a situation and the answer was she raged. She raged at the things beyond her control, at not being able to manipulate the situation to her will. Rage.

April enraged

Warning: This pic may haunt your nightmares

I myself am subject to moments of this uncertainty-induced rage. Example? I get a bill in the mail I’m not expecting and I, step #1, FU-REAK out and then, step #2 RAGE. I rage at the machine. I rage at my husband. I rage at the powers that be that lo and behold why oh why is this happening and I’ll never figure it out and I’m so frustrated I end up doing a whole lot of nothing. I fizzle out. I tire myself out with an adult-sized tantrum and then once I come to, I realize the problem has a solution even though it was not expected.

How does this apply to writing? PUH-LEASE. Like I need to tell my fellow writers but in case you’re wondering anyway, here goes. There is no 100% guaranteed, money-back if you’re unhappy policy in the writing world. It doesn’t exist. And for someone like me, it is almost too much to bear at times. Just ask my fabulous agent, Marisa.

When will I finish this book? CERTAINLY no later than next month. Oh my past self makes me laugh. When will I find an agent? CERTAINLY it has to be soon. Now that I have my agent, CERTAINLY my book deal is right around the corner, right? Huh? RIGHT? *insert crazy eye twitch here*

You get the picture. It’s hard out here for a P.I.M.P. (Person Insanely Motivated to be Published).  If you can work on letting go of your need for certainty and instead cultivate your intuition and trust a little more, then perhaps the writing scene won’t be as frustrating as it has a tendency to be. While in this business, you’re not going to have every little road charted out for you. You won’t know what’s right around the corner. You’ll jump up and down because you got that magnificent book deal, are six months away from the release date, only to have the publisher call and move the pub date back several weeks. You’ll have to learn to go with the flow a bit more. I don’t want to get too cosmic or spiritual on you, but I happen to think things work out in the exact right timing that they’re supposed to. Although that doesn’t stop all of my panic attacks. Get off my back, I’m trying. Deep breath.

We’re not always going to know what’s coming in writing or in life, but we have to learn to bob and weave, dance to life’s music, and let go of some of our need to control so that we can enjoy the journey we’re on and allow the things we’ve put out in the universe to work themselves out in perfect timing.

As with all these posts, I hope you’ve enjoyed it and hopefully, taken a little something away that will help you. Join me again next time, won’t you when I discuss Lesson Six: LETTING GO OF COMPARISON

Apr10

Lesson Four – Letting Go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark

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Are you afraid of the dark

This blog post serves as the fourth in a ten-part series based on the wholehearted living guideposts found in Brené Brown’s fabulous book, Daring Greatly! Her book is more general in its aim to help people live a more authentic, “wholehearted” life but I will be taking her principles and applying them to writing. The great news is they make the transition very easily.

If you missed the earlier lessons, feel free to check out the Wholehearted Writing category and you’ll find all the posts there.

Now Lesson Four: LETTING GO OF SCARCITY AND FEAR OF THE DARK

What goes hand in hand with all of these lessons is what you’re cultivating when you let go of these fears. And for this week’s lesson, if you let go of scarcity and fear of the dark, you will cultivate joy and gratitude. This one struck really close to home for me. I am a worrier. Like if there was a show about America’s Biggest Worrier or Extreme Worrying, I’d be the undisputed champion. I’m that good at worrying, y’all. Like for real. When Brené discussed this on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday she gave an example of how instead of enjoying a moment, a wonderful peaceful moment, our brains have the tendency to go right to the next concern. Waiting for that other shoe to drop, perpetually.

I see how this can happen far too often with writing. Again, I’ve done it myself. I’ve written a first draft. I’m excited about it. I’m in love with it. I know it’s not perfect yet, but it’s made my heart smile and I know there are some good nuggets in it. And then…I start to chip away at my own joy.

“Well, it’s probably not as good as you’re hoping it is, April.”

“Don’t get your hopes up about this one. It’s a tough business.”

That little voice in my head should be bound and gagged but I haven’t found a way to do that quite yet. Choking yourself out is never cute or exactly sane-looking. Just a heads up.

As Brené pointed out, being grateful and feeling real joy is something that has to be cultivated. It’s not as easy as we like to think. We can be happy but if you really feel joy and gratitude, then you’ve worked at it. You’ve pushed those negative voices out and you stand in a moment, either one of a shiny new WIP, a freshly-finished first draft, or hopeful query sending or submission, and you thank the Universe, your god, yourself for facing your fears and having the courage to go after your dreams and you are truly, truly thankful for that moment in time. You don’t allow your brain to run into the minefield of what ifs for that moment. You just enjoy it, take it in, and you soak it up.

Live joyfully and gratefully, my friends. The problems will come, in life and in writing, regardless if you worry about them or not. So, why not take that precious time and use it to feel love, joy, gratitude, and peace? I know that querying your book to unknown agents or submitting it for editors to decide on is extremely terrifying but it’s also invigorating and thrilling. You’re putting yourself out there and you’re doing something a lot of people never get the nerve to do. So, pat yourself on the back. You deserve it!

I think Pitbull and Christina Aguilera’s latest song, Feel This Moment, sums it up best and if you need a little pick me up, give it a listen.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson today and all the lessons so far. Check back next week for the next lesson: LETTING GO OF THE NEED FOR CERTAINTY

May7

Mindful Living

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On Sunday, Oprah sat down with Thich Nhat Hanh. He’s been a Buddhist monk for more than 60 years, a vocal opponent of war which got him exiled from his native Vietnam for nearly 40 years. He talked with Oprah about the beauty of the present moment, being grateful for every breath, and the freedom and happiness to be found in a simple cup of tea.

As I watched the episode, I was definitely in awe of his ability to be so “present” in the present. He said he could take up to 45 minutes to enjoy a cup of tea and to me, that’s a real impressive skill. Unfortunately, it’s not one that I possess. I keep up my Sunday’s Deep Thought entries because not only am I trying to share knowledge with my readers but I’m also trying to broaden my own horizons. I’m a massively impatient person (which btw is working out great while I sit on my hands waiting to hear from literary agents). I think it must be one of those great cosmic jokes that I desperately want to be a published author and it’s one of the most stop-and-go industries out there. So, while I’m on this journey to live out my dream, I’m trying to take stock of my spiritual growth because I need every ounce of help to get through this process.

So in mindful living, Hanh explains that you can meditate while walking, eating, practically every activity. It’s just all a matter of taking the time to experience each moment fully. When you take in a breath, be grateful for that beautiful oxygen filling your lungs. He said that taking a breath all by itself enters you into the kingdom of heaven. What a wonderful sentiment that is and it’s one in which I agree. We are living in the same space as that of divine, we just have to take the time to realize it. Again, I’m preaching at or informing myself as much as you guys. This is something I’m nowhere near perfecting or even trying on a regular basis but I’ve blogged about it today because I really think it’s something worth attempting. I wish you all a wonderful week of mindful living, even if all you do is say thank you once this week for your breath because that simple act is truly a miracle.

Apr29

I’m not Afraid to Die Because I’m Already Dead

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No, I can’t take credit for the great title of my blog today. It is from the venerable Deepak Chopra during an interview with Oprah on today’s episode of Super Soul Sunday. I’ve heard this thought uttered before but today it finally struck a chord deep down inside of me. When I was little, I always looked at the future as a fixed point in time. I can remember realizing when my mom was in her early 30s (where I find myself now) and thinking, that’s it. That’s what being a grownup is. You’ve got your job, you pay your bills, you’ve had your kids, you’re married. This is what you’ll be now until you die. You’ll never move from that place you find yourself. You’ve become all you will ever become. Thank God, I grew out of that thought.

Now as I’m the woman I thought I’d become and stay forever, my ideas are vastly different. I realize that life isn’t static, it’s always changing and moving. From the title above, the point Deepak was making which I’ve gotten so clearly now, is that the children we all were years ago are, in fact, dead. The person we were in our teens is dead. And for however long you’ve been on this planet, whoever you were yesterday, in the last 15 minutes and the in the last 15 seconds is DEAD. Our cells die out every few days and regenerate. You’re not the same person no matter how you slice it, physically, mentally or spiritually. We are in a constant state of evolution because that’s what we’re built for.

So I’m not 100% percent on the unafraid to die part just yet, I feel I’ve got plenty of things left to do in this life but I do get the idea that my physical death won’t be the end of me. It will simply be a progression into my next incarnation. I’ll shed the physical body but I’ll step into the next form, whatever that may be and I have a deep sense that it will be as natural as all of my other progressions have been. I can’t say it was a painful or difficult experience to go from ages 1-5 or ages 16-21, they just happened. Now, I’m trying to just be more aware of that fact and go with the flow. We can’t stop it even if we wanted to folks, so why not enjoy the journey? Namaste and God bless on this beautiful Sunday :)

Apr22

Exuberance

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So today’s deep thought is that of exuberance! My daughter woke us up at the inexcusably early hour of 6:30 am this morning and was raring to go. She’s six years old, so that explains a lot but she also just has a joy for life. After some breakfast and grumbling by her father and me, she begged for us to put some tunes on so that she could dance. It’s now just 8:30 am and I’m still trying to rouse myself but nonetheless we turned on some music so she could let loose. I took the above video of her after about three or four songs of hardcore dancing. It was at that point I realized we could all take a lesson from the children in our lives. They live in the moment. They are fully present. All of this stuff I listen to Oprah (whom I adore) preach about being in the here and now and letting go of the past and knowing the future can’t be worried about is fully expressed in the freestyle jubilation of a 6-year-old.

So, I submit to you this video of my daughter dancing her heart out to the song “Wild Ones” (which is so fitting for her) and I hope this Sunday is full of exuberance for you too!