The World is Our Canvas - Paint Your Dreams!

It's Day 1 of what is left of Positive Thinking Month and it didn't start out so great...

• I was tired and cranky therefore annoyed that I have to get up and go to work.
• I was annoyed that it was snowing.
• I just KNEW (before even getting in the car) that it was going to take me 2 hours to get to work.
• Because it was going to take 2 hours, I needed to get in the car asap and not have breakfast.
• Once in the car, nothing good was on the radio and I couldn't find my Ipod.
• I was so annoyed that nothing was on the radio and while I was grumbling out loud, I came across a Kanye West interview...

Eureka! Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a Kanye West superfan! The primary purpose of the interview was to promote his new line with Louis Vuitton, Pastelle, to be released in June 2009. (Check it out at http://www.kanyelive.com/category/pastelle)

He talked about how one of his life's dreams was to work with Louis Vuitton and the launch of this line is truly a dream realized (sound familiar?) . I had to ask myself, "What is my life's dream?" A life's dream is very different than a goal. I have plenty of goals but I will need to think about a life' s dream.

He went on to talk about how his dreams have progressed as each one before it came true. As I listened, I was blown away by the genuine passion and belief he had in dreams and that they can come true.

So feeling renewed, I'll start again with my Positive Thinking. As much of a believer in fate as I am, I believe that if you are not in a place to appreciate where you are in that moment, you won't know that your dream is coming true. Back on the Positive Thinking train, I'll leave you with 2 of my mantras to support my Positive Thinking (coincidentally both are followed by Kanye West as well):

"Reach for the stars, so if you fall you'll land on a cloud" and "The world is our canvas - paint your dreams!"

See you tomorrow!

Allow me to reintroduce myself

(Just a quick homage to my hip hop superhero Jay-Z)

So it's been a whole week since my last blog post and it's not that I didn't have things to say, just little time to say it in. Admittedly, this post is about 4 weeks late as I meant to post it much earlier. However, it's content is timely year-round.

Every year most of us start the new year with the dreaded resolutions - work out more, eat better, get a new job, go back to school, finish school, read more, cook more, start a blog, etc., etc., etc. I put some thought into a resolution but at this point in my life I don't have room for one more thing on my to-do lists these days; especially one that I most likely won't do. With that being said, I still felt compelled to do something different in 2009 based on what I learned in 2008.

So I decided to set some goals (yes, more goals than I already have). Not just any goals, goals that if achieved, would restore my faith in myself, other people and the world as a place of limitless opportunities and happiness. I decided that each month of 2009 would be dedicated to a different theme for the month to be practiced and expounded upon throughout the year and for the rest of my life.

January's goal is: Positive Thinking. I like to think that I have a fairly positive outlook on life but I could definitely improve. Seemingly minimal, I consciously and subconsciously complain from sun up to sundown during the average workday:

• "I don't want to get out of bed."
• "I don't have anything to wear."
• "My hair isn't looking good this morning."
• "What the hell is the hold up?" (while getting coffee at the local Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or let's get real - really any caffeine peddler!)
• "Why is there so much damn traffic?"
• "Oh God - it's only Tuesday."
• "I wish I was at home in bed."
• "I'm hungry - I wish it was lunch time."
• (after lunch) "I'm so full - I wish I could take a nap."
• (at 3 pm) "I'm hungry again."
• (at 3:30 pm) "Why isn't it 4:30 yet?"
• (at 4:30 pm) - Well, I actually don't have too many complaints at 4:30 pm!
• "What am I going to have for dinner?"
• "What am I going to wear to work tomorrow?"
• (about my thesis) "I hate this! &@#%!
• "I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow."

Shameful. Although these thoughts don't have detrimental effects, subconsciously I'm conditioning myself to never be happy with any situation when things really aren't that bad. I am highly fortunate in this economy to still have a job, to still be on target to graduate, to be surrounded by a wonderful family and amazing friends, to be in love with a breathtaking, fantastic, magnificent man who loves me unconditionally, etc., etc., etc. The list could really go on. So there it is - January (what is left of it) is devoted to Positive Thinking. We can do it!

Great Expectations: Happy Inauguration Day!

So I have been thinking for some time about my official Inauguration Day blog post. This election has brought about more buzz than previous elections, especially for my generation. It has been an exciting countdown since November 4th and the timing of the Inauguration and all that we remember for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday couldn't have been better.

I have a number of memories from this campaign however, with that being said, it was still hard to choose the one that compelled me the most...until today. I was driving to work when I heard an interview with Jay-Z (my hip-hop hero) where they asked him his feelings about the campaign.

In the interview he indicated that not until he was almost 40 years old did he have any type of interest in politics. And no, it wasn't just because Barack Obama happened to be African-American (although it is wonderful). He went on to describe how before now, he and many others like him, did not and had not voted because they had not had any interaction with politics. The issues that had been discussed in previous elections were not what he defined as issues on a day-to-day basis. Yes, the economy, taxes, war, foreign policy, etc. are of all great importance, but when you're just trying to survive, literally day by day, not so much. For him and all those he represented, politics never trickled down to who they were and what they experienced.

Sadly, this was the case in communities around the country and ultimately around the world. If you don't interact with politics, politics do not necessarily interact with you. It's a sad Catch 22. He went on to describe how exciting and inspiring it is to now have a minority as President but even more so to have someone who understands plights other than their own.

I second that and am hopeful for all of the changes that I feel President Obama can and will make. I definitely understand that these will not happen overnight, not even in an ideal four year term. As President Obama stated in his address today, "We as a nation will extend a hand to others as long as they are willing to unclench their fist." I truly believe that it is a new beginning in many respects and plan to live this year as such.

I invite you to do the same. Get rid of the to-do lists and just do it. Plan but with a purpose; a plan is only good if it's put into action. Be open to change and it will come to you. If nothing else, enjoy each day to the fullest, ask for help when you need it and when you don't know what to do, do nothing!

Thank you President Obama for rekindling the hope that many of us have lost. Happy Inauguration Day!