Travel. Write. Photograph. Switch it up. Quit. Speak up. Don’t take no for an answer. Find a way. Contribute to multiple businesses and inspirational organizations. Try everything inspiring. Leave. Stay. Play. Wear glitter every day. Innovate. Inspire. Move. Fly. Smile. Say yes and…

Do everything and anything you want to do now, and do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do it all. You can do everything that you believe you can do. Yes you can, and I know because I do it every day. And I am not apologizing for it either. Too long have I spent making myself smaller so that others did not feel small, and that does not help anyone. So I stopped. Now, I am celebrating me, and whether I feel big or small is irrelevant  I am celebrating me – however I feel, every day. I am grateful for it all.

I cannot even recall how many people have told me that I was “crazy ” every time I walked away from a job, opportunity or relationship that was uninspiring.

“What if you don’t find another job?” they would ask.
I will.
“What if you won’t be happier there?” they would ask.
I will be.
“How do you know?”
Because I trust my heart and intuition.
“Aren’t you scared?”
A little. And that’s EXACTLY why I am doing it anyway!
“How can you juggle so many things at once?”

“Because I love what I do and it is my pleasure and not a chore for me to be busy.”

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See, that’s the thing. Those who tell you that you cannot _______ believe that they cannot, and only know what they know. Love them and respect them, but do not take their truth as your own. Only you know what you are capable of.

Believe in yourself and have conviction for that which you know is possible, even if no one else believes it is. Be the iconoclast that you know you are. And if you believe that you can run your own business and write for magazines and photograph the world and make jewelry and inspire people along the way to see that they too can live exactly the kind of life that brings them joy and fulfillment daily – do it.

Do not compromise your values. As someone who has done so in the past, I know personally that this will only hurt you, as it did me. But hey – if you’d like to learn for yourself – go for it. You be YOU, because you are AMAZING! And if you choose to learn the hard way, so be it.

Grow. Evolve. Leave the past behind, and revisit it briefly if there is something to learn, but do not dwell. Remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” so own your reactions. And learn from your mistakes because they are gifts from the universe. Mistakes help you grow, and you know that. I know you do. So be your own best friend and trust your intuition. It’s always there to guide you.

And most importantly – smile as you participate in your present experience and build your most inspiring future.

Because when you learn to enjoy the hard times, to trust in them and to find gratitude for them – every day becomes the best day of your life.

September 2013 Issue