March 28, 2019

A Journey To Our Hearts

Take THE 12 DAYS TO VALENTINES journey to your heart! I wrote it for social media & I am saving this unique journey on my blog so that we can continue to LOVE BIG in 2019!

THE 12 DAYS TO VALENTINES – A JOURNEY TO OUR HEARTS❤️

This Valentines, let’s celebrate our lives, our dreams, & build a WE community!

For the next 12 days, please, join me on an exciting journey where we celebrate what it means to LOVE BiG! Together, with friends & family, let’s take this journey & share our hopes, our missteps, & our dreams come true. Let’s support each other along the way & together consider how we can DREAM BiG & LOVE BiG in 2019!

ACTION: Put on some good shoes. Go on a walk. Think about taking a journey to your heart. It can change the course of your life – I know it has mine!

Quote: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” Steve Jobs

11 DAYS to VALENTINES – AFRICA OPENED MY EYES

In 1997, while in Africa I learned a truth some call A Secret from a wise Tribesman. He explained to me, “Kat, we are all made of a priceless, timeless treasure called Star-dust—It’s the divine spark in each of our heart just waiting to be lit.” He further explained, “When we take the time to light our hearts of stars, we get the extra strength and courage we need to live our best life.”

What if the Tribesman is right? On our journey, let’s consider the possibility of this Secret and try it!

ACTION: Grab a blanket. Go outside. Lay down under a starry sky & take some deep breaths. See if you can feel the power of The Magical, Mystical, Miraculous Stars that are above us, around us, and within us all.

QUOTE: “We all shine on…like the stars and the sun…we all shine on…come on and on and on…” John Lennon

10 DAYS TO VALENTINES – EXAMPLES TO FOLLOW

The Tribesman said The Secret had been passed down for generations. Families understood it’s immense power by watching African Animals achieve dreams beyond their wildest imagination once they discovered ways to light their hearts of stars—

A fat, 16 footed Caterpillar could turn into a beautiful Butterfly. A legless, voiceless Tadpole could become a happy, hopping, singing Frog. A selfish Lion could become a leader who is crowned King of the Beast. A Dung Beetle could turn his poopy situation into something good and even become a hero by turning his home of poop into balls of fertilized fun that save the savannah, making green grass for all to eat.

On our Journey, let’s follow these Animals examples. Find ways we can light our hearts of stars and become the hero of our story too!

ACTION: Study different animals and their extraordinary journey’s here on earth. We can learn so much from their life and the different ways they’ve learned to go after their dreams, work together, and survive.

QUOTE: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein

9 DAYS TO VALENTINES – HEARTACHE TO HOPE

There is no doubt in my life that I’ve needed what the Tribesman’s called extra strength & courage especially when faced with heartache & hardship! I’ve lost a brother, a sister, a brother-in-law, my mother and father all suddenly & at different times. Each time my heart was shattered, like pieces of me were every where. The first couple losses I had no idea what to do or how to hope.

So I studied these African Animals & also sought out two-legged heroes, people, who had risen above immense heartache & hardship. It was clear that they all used The Secret! They all knew how to light their hearts of stars to guide them through the dark & lonely times. They did it by using two powerful learned life skills—to SMILE & BELIEVE—These skills allowed them to fit the pieces of their life together so they could be like the sun who, no matter what happens, always rises above the clouds to shine!!

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail. When he was released, he genuinely smiled & worked with the people who put him there unjustly. WOW! He also fully believed in a better South Africa, & at the age of 76, he became the first democratically elected black president – YES! What a way to rise above & shine!

ACTION: With your family, friends, or classroom, take time to get to know your CATCH-M’s, what the African Animal’s call our smiles—smiles that come all the way up from our belly, through our chest, & shine from our face who you are. Draw them, share them, even take them with you throughout the day to remember how special you are.

QUOTE: “Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa

8 DAYTS TO VALENTINES- WE ARE ALL MADE OF A PRICELESS, TIMELESS TREASURE

Remember, we are all born extraordinary! You are made of a priceless, timeless treasure called star-dust! You are the only you who will ever be. Let your light shine! Begin to tap into your possibility. Start with your smile! Feel it’s power! It speaks every language. Touches every heart. It changes your mood, the energy in a room, the events of a day, making better all along the way! It is the stuff fairytales are made of, but it is real! With pieces of me everywhere, I had no clue what to do or how to ask for help. A smile given or shared was like a giant hug from the world, an invitation for good to come back into my life. I call it a “U-Shaped Bridge”. A “bridge” is a span that allows two fixed points that would never meet over chasms or obstacles to connect. A smile did just that! Someone taking the time to smile at me or make me smile when I had no smiles of my own, brought magic into my life. It was like a divine spark filled my heart. Each smile allowing me to connect with good, teaching me that no matter how dark, scary, or thick the clouds or chasm, I too can learn to rise above and shine like the sun. I can reconnect the broken pieces of my heart and thrive!

ACTION: With your family, friends, or in a classroom, put together a puzzle and see how all “the broken” pieces can come together to make a whole, complete, beautiful picture/ story. Or create a mural with your family/ friends/classrooms of your drawn CatchMs & remember we are all in this together 😀

QUOTE: “The noblest art is making other people happy!” P.T. Barnum. (Thanks to soooo many for the brilliant artistry they have brought to my life!)

7 DAYS TO VALENTINES – THE POWER OF A SMILE

YES! Who knew a smile was so powerful—a “U-Shaped Bridge”—connecting us to the great things life has to offer. What a life skill! It is something we can control when the world is spinning around us. We can choose it, use it, or even give it away. Then watch it transform us – the muscles in each of our faces, our energy, and even our thoughts. WOW! Moreover, it is free, no cost, no burden. It’s available at all times.

With my husband at a symphony, I am not sure what you’d call it- God or divine inspiration – but it was like something whacked me over the head and said, “You need to write books about the power of a smile to encourage us all to live our best life.”

Yes, I thought I was crazy. Yes, I ignored it at first. But it was like a bad itch, a constant tapping. It wouldn’t leave me alone. I think the Tribesman’s Secret wanted to be out in the world helping us honor our hearts of stars, hell turn them into the passionate fires they are meant to be! Each and everyone of us is born with gifts that only we posses, with passions only we can use. We are made of magical stars just waiting to be lit. Let’s do it, no matter where we are or what we’ve been through. Let’s set our hearts on fire, and see where our journeys take us!

ACTION: Build a campfire. Watch the power of the flames, and decide for yourself to set your heart on fire, to light the divine spark in your heart, and see it rage and thrive.

QUOTE: ”How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world!” William Shakespeare

6 DAYS TO VALENTINES – SET YOUR HEART ON FIRE

It is a scientific fact that stars live above us, around us, and within us all. The Tribesman was right! We do have hearts of stars. As I studied my heroes further, whose life shined with a raging a brilliance, it was clear that they utilized the African Animal’s skills—to “SMILE & BELIEVE”. No matter the hardship, heartache, or naysayer they met along the way, they still found ways to say YES to life, to get in the arena no matter how dark or scary. They dared. Their hearts blazed with bravery, a vulnerability, and a desire to be all they could be! They BELIEVED in themselves and their dreams! What a way to do life! Daring, living, breathing, sharing, asking for help, failing, getting back up, trying again and again. I wanted that—a heart on fire! They couldn’t be stopped. Walt Disney heard NO over 300 times before he got money to build Disneyland. His heart was on fire! Victor Frankl who lost his family in the concentration camp, yet somehow survived, came home to write a book originally titled, “Nevertheless, Say YES to Life”. WOW! Let’s dare to get in the arena together with our burning brilliance and see what great things we can do!

ACTION: Gather your friends, family, neighbors, classroom, church, around a campfire or anywhere. Tell stories, sing, play drums, take time to connect, to create a WE community. Then with decisive, unwavering words from the heart support each other’s dreams.

QUOTE: “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Ferdinand Foch

5 DAYS TO VALENTINES – HEART ON FIRE—YES! I BELIEVE

Fire is brilliant! It blazes and touches everything in it’s path! No fear! No limitation! No hesitation! It’s continually striving, thriving, trusting the wind, with complete abandon. This kind of trust and dependence shines through each of my heroes choices, like some celestial force from the beginning of time!

Why not BELIEVE! Why not trust in Something Bigger, in ourselves, in each other, and allow this belief to create the constant energy of fire, raging with power deep in our hearts, our souls, reminding us, showing us that we are divine, that we are extraordinary, made of magical stuff that knows no limit, that has the wisdom of time wrapped in its core, that wants to see us succeed, and gives us the energy we need to carry on.

Steve Jobs got fired from Apple, the company he created. But he kept believing—with a heart on fire—no matter the humiliation or hardship! He helped build two more companies, Pixar & Next. Then used those experiences to come back and save Apple from failing, showing us that no matter what happens, if we keep our heart a blaze, we ultimately thrive!

Jim Carrey, comedian, when he was broke with no work, wrote himself a check for ten million dollars for acting services rendered, dated Thanksgiving 1995. He carried it in his wallet, and signed a contract to do a movie for that exact amount a couple of days before the actual date on the check – the power to BELIEVE!

ACTION: TRUST DRILL! Build a dream board with visuals of what it is you want to create in your life. Look at it every day. Write yourself a check. Send yourself a note. Journal! Something! Napoleon Hill says, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!”

QUOTE: “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” Walt Disney

4 DAYS TO VALENTINES – LIFE AS A RAGER

Life is a rager! A party! We love them! Celebrations. Festivities bring fun, connection, and priceless memories! But they also make a mess that someone has to clean up when they’re over just like fire. The remains from a fire in the African savannah some perceive as bad, with the black, burned desolate land. But new, beautiful, vibrant life always emerges. Nature doesn’t judge, whine, or shut down. It rises to meet the challenge, alive, choosing to thrive. The party never ends.

John Mackey, who worked so hard to start Whole Foods, saw it destroyed with the 1981 flood in Austin. His store was under water. The food was ruined with no insurance. But he also looked around and saw people he didn’t even know helping him clean up, helping him rebuild, and a new birth emerged, a community, a reason to fight for his vision—A healthy food chain was something people wanted! It could thrive no matter what, and Mackey carried this torch, this belief and YES! It’s a yummy huge success:)

ACTION: Have a party! Invite those who want to hide, who are shy, scared, alone, & let them shine! Let them know they are wonderfully and perfectly made. They have celestial origins raging inside them. They have new found friends, like Mackey after the flood, to help them smile, believe, & keep their fire lit! Even make a Rhino Horn Party Hat & celebrate a Kindness Pact too-gather 🙂

QUOTE: “Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will & energy to execute your ideas.” Henry Ford

3 DAYS TO VALENTINES – THE PARTY NEVER ENDS

Gas makes a fire grow stronger and brighter, even a piece of paper, a small leaf. A simple step, a choice to choose, is sometimes all we need to keep our fire lit. Life is a grand adventure, hoping we choose, we dare to dream even when we cannot see the road ahead, to take a deep breath and feel our head and heart connect, hear the small still voice inside of us, guiding us, reminding us that we have a reason to be, we are born extraordinary, we can celebrate our life.

I AM EXTRAORDINARY! I AM BORN TO THRIVE! SO ARE YOU!

Amy Purdy lost her legs at 19 due to an infection. At first, she thought life was over, but at the same time she told People Magazine, “I didn’t give up on myself. It’s making the choice on how you want to live your life.” She fulfilled her dream of being an Olympic Medalist in snowboarding winning a medal in the Paralympics in 2014 and 2018. A heart on fire! She is still partying with Dances With The Stars. Her list continues, an inspiration and reminder for me that no matter what happens the party can go on!

ACTION: WHOOSH! WHAM! Light your heart of stars & celebrate your best life no matter what.

QUOTE: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King

2 DAYS TO VALENTINES – DREAM BIG

A surprise! An adventure, who doesn’t love. Even though we crave familiarity & certainty, we come alive with adventure, not knowing what’s around the corner, what surprises life can bring. Lets loose our stomach. Lets get on the roller coaster. Scream our heads off. Remember we’re alive. We’re built for this. Stop judging! Stop questioning! Stop hiding! DREAM BIG! Celebrate the arena. Enjoy the adventure. Let the wind guide us with complete abandon like fire! Rage! Strive! Be alive!

After the symphony, I ignored the call to adventure. I didn’t know how to write a book. I didn’t know anyone who had. The industry was a giant maze. How? Why? I’m too busy. The excuses. My hiding places were brilliant. No one would ever find me, even me.

Somehow these life skills kept rising out of the ashes—to SMILE & BELIEVE! All I can say is take the adventure! No one is really watching you, but you & the wind. Have a blast! Scream! Laugh when you meet a challenge. Trust. Enjoy victory. Ride again & again. Fail. Cry. Hide, but always ask for a hand! Share your adventure. Let someone in! Build a community! Be a WE! Scream together, “WE ARE ALIVE!” Remember what a miracle it is to breathe, sing, & share your DREAMS!

ACTION: Throw your hands up in complete abandon like a roller coastatier! Have a blast! Get in the arena! Dare! Celebrate your best life! Theodore Roosevelt says, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, & who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his high place shall never be with those cold & timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.”

QUOTE: “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” Oprah Winfrey

VALENTINES DAY IS HERE SO LET’S LOVE BIG

Let’s LOVE BIG & start a R-EVOL-UTION! Revolution is defined as a sudden, radical, complete change in social order, in favor of a better way—note, the word, LOVE, is right smack in the middle of the word r-EVOL-ution. The Tribesman/ The African Animals showed us that all we need is the power of our SMILE. A bridge. Our hope. And to BELIEVE—they are things we can control. They’re our choice! We are all on this journey together, so let’s choose to have a blast, partying, starting a r-EVOL-ution where we all shine brighter, laugh harder, share, connect with each other, helping each other, remembering none of us stands alone. You cannot hide fire under a bushel. We are not isolated. We are all meant to shine, so let’s have some fun and encourage each other to celebrate our best lives together! Life is a rager, so let’s shine and LOVE BIG in 2019!

ACTION: Do something kind for someone you love today, a note, a hug, a coffee! Surprise a stranger, buy their lunch, pay their parking. Stand up to a bully with over the top kindness. Feel the breeze. Watch a dog greet his family. Remember. Celebrate the power of LOVE today. It changes us, and makes everything better!