Shine Bright. Be Bold.

I have lived by the motto “Shine Bright. Be Bold.” for a really long time. In fact, ir’s the tagline on the front page of this blog. But what does that mean to me?

Shine bright means owning who you are unapolagetically. It means allowing your soul to guide you in everything you do. To shine bright means to exist in the world in a way that is authentically letting the YOU be your guiding light. For me, that means owning that I am loud, happy, fun, and sparkle obsessed. I am a lot and not everyone will love me, but I’m going to shine bright anyways.

Be bold means to take risks. To push yourself. To ask more of yourself and those around you. It means to dare to get the most out of the short time we have on this Earth. To me, being bold means to be scared and do it anyways.

Whenever I make decisions in life, I check in with how each choice meets the expectations of my motto. Leave home for a brand new state? That’s bold. Refuse to accept being told I’m too much? That’s shining really bright.

A motto helps me feel like I’ve got a true North. It helps me to get through life with my values in tact. It’s also completely something my type A, former athlete, control freak self thrives on.

At a time when a lot of folks are looking to create resolutions and life changes — may I suggest a life motto? Something that represents your values and your desires in life.

A motto is an incredible way to hold yourself accountable for the foreseeble future. And the great thing about it - it can evolve as you evolve!

The best part about a motto? It reminds me of being on a team. The very best team — my own! Shine Bright, Be Bold is my anthem. It keeps me focused on #1, ME!

Get you a motto and next level your life!

New Year, Same Sparkle

It’s time, the New Year, Same Sparkle post! I use the same title every year because 1. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions and 2. It’s pretty damn accurate.

Look we all know NYE is different in 2020. I hope you are all staying home, staying safe and being respectful of the world in which we live in right now. If you’re not, you’re trash. And I sincerely mean that.

I am spending the evening playing games with my Colorado quaranteam. It’s a very small group of safe friends. A very exclusive club — and no, you can’t sit with us. It’s a pandemic, please go home.

Because I don’t buy into resolutions, NYE is honestly just another day for me. I don’t really reflect that heavily on the year, I don’t think about changing in the new year.

Because 2020 has been anything but a normal year, it makes sense that I might feel a little different.

I’m still the same me, but I believe that I’ve become more me. I’ve embraced therapy whole heartedly and that means my growth into loving myself and owning who I am is off the charts.

I genuinely feel the best I ever have in my life.

So maybe new year, more sparkle?

I’ve struggled a lot with a lot this year, namely aging. I’m embracing it, but it’s also terrified me to be 35. It really really was a hard thing to face for whatever reason. Sitting at home all year and having time to look into the why of that — led me to a real breakthrough. Age ain’t shit. Write that down. It’s science.

That breakthrough has also made me feel so much ownership in the life I want to create. In 2021, I hope to continue to prioritize that.

It has also pushed me to own and celebrate who I am. And to not allow anyone else to tell me otherwise. In 2021, I hope to continue to show that.

That breakthrough has given me the courage to take a big risk, in 2021, I hope to continue to take big risks — especially when I’m scared to do so.

2021 is a new year, and while the pandemic isn’t over and there is so much to fix in this country — I am excited for all that is to come.

I hope things never go back to normal. I hope we raise hell and affect real change.

And next year I hope to tell you I’m my sparkliest yet.

Edit: Since I wrote this I decided to stay home entirely. It’s not worth the risk and because my friends are dope, they get it and respect it.

Sparkle Vibe Challenge

A few weeks back I posted a status on Facebook that became a bit of a tiny movement. All I did was ask for more puppy pics and less ignorance. And the results were that over 100 people posted pictures of their furry friends to my statement. And I have never felt happier.

Because of this, I've created a weekly challenge called the Sparkle Vibe Challenge. Each week I provide a new topic to Facebook and people have to post a corresponding image.

The goal is really just to make people smile. Facebook can often feel like a hostile environment due to politics, religion, etc. etc. I post about these things too. And I think it's important to speak loud and proud about what is right. But it's gone from discussion to attacks, hateful jabs, and just ugly reactions from people I have grown to no longer care for.

I'm not saying stop talking about things that matter. Please don't ever stop.

But I'd like to sprinkle a little positive vibes into the social media space as well. Sparkle Vibe challenge is my way of building people up and spreading a little sparkle into a space that doesn't always feel so sparkly.

What are you doing to help make your social media world a little more positive when it can feel so very damaging?

Really Put Together People vs. Me

Thanks to social media, it is now easier than ever to see people looking really put together while you're just trying to get to work on time without spilling coffee on your white shirt.  You know who I'm talking about - the girl who's on the beach laughing in some candid shot; hair perfectly blowing in the wind just living the dream.  The people who post pictures of their Pinterest crafts and they actually turn out like the photo.  I am not one of these people. 

I consistently spill things on my outfit, am wearing my shirt backwards, and most certainly all candid shots of me are not attractive.  Case in point - my girlfriends and I took jumping shots on the beach in Malibu a few months back.  They all look adorable.  My hair is whipped across my face and I look like I'm going to fall and break an ankle at any moment.

No matter how hard I try - I am simply doomed to be one of those people that you wonder how they make it through a day.  So I'd like to do make a list - because God I love lists - detailing things that have actually happened to me, because being really put together is really overrated. 

• I once got a concussion at work from falling out of my chair, rolling down some stairs, and hitting my head on a wall.
• The Los Angeles City Fire Department paused to laugh at me standing in the street in my underwear BEFORE running upstairs to stop the fire I set in my microwave.
• While trying to hang up a poster I staple gunned my finger to a wall.
• Went to work once wearing two different shoes.
• In Colorado it was really cold.  I wore extra thick polar bear socks under my slacks at work.  When I crossed my legs in a big meeting, it was extremely easy to see my non business like socks.
• In college I had to make up the timed mile for Fall training (I ran track in college) bright and early one morning.  I ate yogurt about 30 minutes before I ran.  I finished with a 6 minute mile - and then proceeded to throw up in front of the entire football team who was also practicing at that time.
• I've gone places with mascara only on one eye, more than once.
• I got on a flight to Houston once.  I meant to go to Sacramento. 
•  In one day I backed into a dumpster and a pole at Trader Joe's.  Literally within hours of each other. 
• For an entire day I wore a work blouse inside out.  Didn't realize this until I got home that evening.
• During an autograph session with an athlete I was working with, basketballs started rolling off the table - at which point I said "Come on...Your balls are everywhere!"  Didn't realize anything was weird about this statement for 10 minutes.  
• My first day of work at a new job my boss told me we were going to a meeting.  It was cold and snowing and I said "Should I wear my clothes?" ...instead of should I bring my coat? 
• I bought a fun work appropriate red lipstick that I wore ....it was on my teeth for half the day.
• When I hung up with the head coach of the team I was working for I said "ok love you bye" because I'm so used to saying it to friends and family.  I didn't even realize I said it until he made a joke about it the following day. 
• During an event I was updating the SVP about details of setup when I realized somehow this really expensive giant glitter sign (duh) had been glued to the floor.  I screamed into the phone "GLITTER EMERGENCY" and hung up.  Surprisingly he understood and had no further questions.  
• Went to the gym with a hole in my yoga pants. Didn't understand why all the men were really into me that day until I got home and saw where the hole was located.  Should have charged a fee.  
• In high school I was convinced I could dye my hair blond myself.  I have red understones.  My hair was pink for two weeks because we went on vacation the following day. 

Needless to say - I believe I've proven my point.   I am not effortlessly put together.  I am consistently in awe when I make it through the day looking like the sparkling bombshell that I am.  And yet I am surprisingly incredible at what I do for a living (and proud of it).  People pay me to be really put together and make flawless magic happen.  And I always do. 

Talk to me about your stories.  Are you one of those really put together people that I'm jealous of (Dove I'm looking at you!)? Tell me your secrets.  Because I'm convinced they pull you all aside and teach you special secrets when you're born and the rest of us are me.