My Pink Roadmap

My Dream Life
Three months ago, I decided my dream life would be to travel the United States, seeing new places, people, and things and taking in all the different lifestyles along the way. Seeing as how I work for Owning Pink (from my computer) and have relationships with men and women all over the country (or world, for that matter,) through the Online Pink Community, I had the resources and means to do just that. On February 16, 2010 I took off on The Magical Eyes Tour leaving Dallas, Texas and heading toward Northern California- mapping it out as I went; living my dream life.

It has been a little over a month since my departure from Dallas. I have visited El Paso, Texas, driven through New Mexico, made stops in Buckeye, Phoenix and ScottsdaleArizona. I drove through Palm SpringsCalifornia only to arrive in the lovely home of Kim Jenkins in CoronaCalifornia. From there I made my way up the west coast to Berkeley, then MuirBeach and now Tiburon California- such beauty and adventure I have experienced.  Now that I am here, away from my home, visiting these people and places I have found myself longing for something I once had- a home.

Reassessing My Dream Life
I looked around this past week, after reading one of Lissa’s posts, and thought, “my dream life would really look quite different then what I thought it would several months ago.” After reassessing what my values are, where my passions lie and what would really make me happy, I created a new idea of my current dream life would look like. I would have a house back in Dallas with Brawn (my BF.) I would spend time with my friends and family that are close. I would travel for 1-2 weeks out of the month, continuing The Magical Eyes Tour and my adventures of seeing new places and things, but having a home base to return to and traveling by plane versus car. I would have it all- “why not? Isn’t that why we are here?” I thought.

I Had an Epiphany
I found myself living in a state of mind that was screaming, “when I move back to Ennis, have my house, get settled in, and start traveling again, THEN and only then will I be living my dream life.” In that moment I stopped and something (most likely The Universe,) slapped me in the face. It was less than 3 months ago that my dream life consisted of me getting in my car, taking off and venturing into the unknown. Now that my concept has shifted I must WAIT until I achieve those things in order to be happy?!

 WRONG!

 The truth of the matter is that even when I do get back to Ennis, have my home, Brawn in my arms and are surrounded by friends and family I will still have something else in my life that I am working towards accomplishing, learning and achieving. So long as I continue to be committed to my personal growth and mission to serve others, I will never be at a stopping point. Being happy with what we have now, in this moment is where our fulfillment lies. Our minds and circumstances are constantly changing- that will never stop. Be present, be grateful but don’t stop creating.

 What Is My Point You Ask?
The only time we have is now. I am living my dream life right now, in this very moment. Being in Tiburon California is what I dreamed of a few months ago and I am here, soaking up the sun, taking in the beauty, meeting wonderful new Pinkies along the way. The life I am living today is indeed the life of my dreams. I am here, now and that is all I have.

 The Invitation
Look around- have you been constantly working towards that one day when you will happy? Will it be when you finally get the promotion, buy your first home, lost those 10 lbs. or meet that right person? Stop exhausting yourself. Those things will be great when they happen, but right now is what you have and chances are, several years ago, where you are right now is what you were working towards and hoping for. Give yourself a break and celebrate!

 Please join us here and celebrate all of things that make our lives wonderful RIGHT NOW.

1. Ask yourself this question. “If you knew you were going to die in a year, would you still be living the life you’re living?” If the answer is no, you might want to rethink things.
2. Identify your desire. If you don’t know which risk you’re dying to take, it’s hard to pleap. Be very specific about what you desire. If you can’t figure out what you do want, get clear on what you DON’T want. That will guide you.
3. Don’t obsess about the Hows. Figure out the Whats and leave the rest to the Universe.
4. Recognize and honor what’s holding you back. Assess your fears to determine whether they’re genuine fears meant to protect you (if I jump off this cliff, I might hit the rocks and die) or irrational fears that are merely holding you back (I might lose everything and people will think I’m crazy).  It’s okay to feel the fear. Just don’t let it rule your decision-making.
5. Think things through to their worst possible outcome. What’s the absolute worst thing that would happen if you took this Pleap? Follow it through in your mind. Most of the time, the nameless, nonspecific fear is greater than the actual worst case scenario. While it sounds pessimistic, doing this can set you free when you realize that the worst possible outcome- while icky- isn’t bad enough to keep you paralyzed.
6. Ignore what everyone else thinks. This is about you and YOUR dreams. If you poll your family, friends, colleagues, and partner, you’re likely to get talked out of your dream.
7. Pray for guidance, then watch for Signs from the Universe. You don’t have to do this alone. Surrender.
8. If you’re not sure whether it’s time to Pleap, wait. When the time is right, it will be evident. You will feel it in your gut.  You will no longer be satisfied with standing on the ledge. If someone pushes you over the edge against your will, spread your wings. FLY.
9. Practice radical self-care while you’re considering Pleaping. Nurture your body, rest your mind, feed your spirit. Pleaping is hard work.
10. Believe in YOU. You can create whatever you desire.  You are powerful beyond measure. If you live in love and act from your heart with pure intention, you will never fall flat on the rocks.

I got this piece from Peaceful Daily. It is something worth subscribing to.

Turn off your TV
Leave your house
Know your neighbors
Look up when you are walking
Greet people
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden together
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn't break it
Have pot lucks
Honor elders
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a tradition
Ask a question
Hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades
Sing together
Share your skills
Take back the night
Turn up the music
Turn down the music
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles
Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.

I am a painter.  I am a crafter.  I am a dog lover.  I am a concert-going, album-release-date-following, band-shirt-wearing music junkie.   One thing I was not: a videographer.  Several months ago, on a whim, I signed up for a digital video class while in pursuit of my graduate degree.  Though I was a bit apprehensive, knowing nothing about video and rarely going to see a movie, I figured I would do the coursework, throw together a video, and wham-bam-A+!  Little did I know, there was something much bigger in store.

It was early November and our final project deadlines were looming.  A friend invited me to a Monday night screening of a German cycling film at a local tavern; sensing adventure, I accepted the offer and set off with her to the screening.  Walking up to the tavern, the sidewalk was inundated with bicycles.  Bicycles?  In Dallas?  It’s no secret that Dallas is no Portland when it comes to being bicycle-friendly.  In fact, it was a rare occasion I saw a bicycle on the road at all, yet there they were, 20-or-so strong, glistening in streetlight.  We meandered our way through the maze and into the Tavern.   I struck up a conversation with a guy with one pant leg rolled up, a messenger bag slung across his shoulder, and a tight-fitting cap.  Apparently, this cyclist gathering is a weekly thing.  “It’s just the Monday Night Mash,” he said. 

Monday Night Mash?  I wondered about it for several days.  I consider myself to be fairly in-the-know with regard to goings-on in Dallas, so how is this such a surprise to me?  Do they all know each other?  Where did they meet?  How do they contact each other?  Who organizes this?  And maybe most importantly, why do they do it?  And thus, my class film project was born.

About a week later, after contacting a few cyclists on twitter to find out where they would be gathering that Monday night, I showed up at the designated spot, with me school-issued camera equipment in tow.  I knew no one there, and no one there had ever seen me, yet there I was.  I got surprisingly few strange looks and several cyclists approached me to inquire as to what I was filming for.  I didn’t even own a bike, yet everyone was so friendly!  The event organizer pointed me to several FaceBook and twitter profiles so I could follow what was happening and film more rides.  More rides?

Monday Night Mash.  Tits Tuesday.  Zip code rides.  Critical Mass.  Holiday rides.  The list went on and on.  It turns out every ride was organized by a different person or group of people - all through social media.  Very few of them know each other from anywhere other than the rides or had each other’s cell phone numbers, yet nearly every night, people gather for no apparent purpose other than to ride their bikes and be a part of this temporal community of cyclists there for the same reason.  Single speed, fixed-gear, geared, tandem, cruiser, road bike, unicycle – everyone is welcome who loves to ride.  Then, after the ride and possibly a drink or two, they all go home and back to their separate lives.  It’s there, then it’s gone.  Fascinating.

I threw together a video with my extremely limited video editing skills in 48 hours with no sleep and made my deadline.  Nervous and sleep-deprived, I got up to present to the class.  They loved it.  I put the videos up on YouTube as a thank you to the cyclists who had helped me along the way, and before I knew it, the video was up on 10+ cycling websites, got local online news coverage, and received over 800 hits on YouTube.  I feel like I need to show this to the world, afterall, everyone wants to be a part of something.  The fact that things like this exist is nothing short of inspirational, in my eyes.  I am currently editing it down more to submit to film festivals. 

I am now fairly well recognized within the Dallas urban cyclist community, and I daresay I’ve made some good friends in the process.  An everyday encounter followed by a series of chances and risks have caused my entire life to change; this has snowballed into something much, much bigger than any class project.  I have since been approached to do some activist cycling videos to help change city policy and most recently, to document SXSFixed 2010.  I welcome you to join me on my most recent project beginning Saturday 3/13/2010 in following 16 fixed-gear cyclists on their bike ride from Dallas to Austin in a span of three days, just in time for South by SouthWest.  Crazy?  Absolutely!  Follow us on twitter (@SXSFixed) and check out our website (www.SXSFixed.com), where I will be updating the map with photos, video, and interesting tidbits every step of the way from the back of a pickup truck on the road to Austin.  The resulting film will be screened at a local bike shop.  Who knows?  Maybe I can inspire someone else to take a leap of faith.

Lacy Mahone
@LaceofBase
www.LaceofBase.com

Now that the glitter from the weekend gathering has begun to settle I am left looking into the creation of the rest of my year. What specifically do I want to accomplish, what places to I want to visit, who do I want know, meet and love? There are many aspects to consider. I am choosing to leave the “how’s” to The Universe and the end results to myself.

Here are some of the things I have brainstormed:

1. I want to have a book written by the end of the year.
2. I want to fall in love again.
3. I want to be guided to a career position that serves my life purpose; to love.
4. I want to contribute to Owning Pink’s growth.
5. I want to contribute to YOUR growth.
6. I want Think Pink to grow to at least 50 members.
7. I want to get out of debt.
8. I want to be enrolled in school by January or traveling over seas.
9. I want a new car.
10. I want to live in a constant state of abundance.

What about you?
What are some of the things you want this year? What are some of the actions you are going to take to get there? Remember that in surrendering to The Universe, you can leave the how’s out of your mind, but you still need to take action.

A cute story I like to remember in this process is: pretend there is a man drowning in the ocean. A ship comes by and sees this man, they throw him a life raft, it is then the mans choice to swim to the raft or to continue to drown. The Universe can place miracles in your life, but you must act on them.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing?

Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

    Hello Pinkies, it is 12:26 a.m. here in Ennis, Texas. I usually prepare the Think Pink Post several days before actually posting it online, but tonight I learned a valuable lesson that I felt compelled to share.
     My spiritual journey started not that long ago at all. In fact, I only recently surrendered my life, thoughts and dreams to God in September. But ever since that moment my life has been on the fast track to paradise. Sure, there have been moments of down time, questioning and anxiety. But overall my journey has been a profound one.
     Recently I have been feeling that God was leading me to break away from the bar I have been working at for the past several months. This decision scared for several reasons, one being loss of income. I usually brought anywhere from $100-$200 in a week. Though this may not seem like a lot, it is still money that won’t be there, should I leave the bar. Another situation that made me uncomfortable were the terms that my boss and I had been on for the last few weeks. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was leaving the bar because of the tension between us and the conflicting conversations we have had in the past.
     I had been pondering and pondering whether or not leaving was the right thing for me to do. Then, my signs showed up; Lissa had a conversation about being patient and becoming, the last Mojo Tips Newsletter was about knowing when the timing was right: a peace would overcome you and it would be clear that this is what needed to be done.
     Tonight at the bar I was told I would not get to work a shift that I was promised. This was the last straw for me. I confronted my boss asking what the deal was and the conversation snow balled into a heart felt understanding of both sides of the story. Not only did I get the opportunity to express that I was leaving and why, but he got to tell me why the tension was there between us; thus resulting in the perfect moment. (Thanks Universe!)
     Another valuable lesson I learned from this situation is how vital communication is. In past conversations I told my boss that he couldn’t speak to me in the irritated tone he had been. Since this is one of the only ways he knew how to communicate, he stopped talking to me. This created tension, awkwardness and stress for both of us. Accepting others and loving them, means that take the good with the bad. Had I not told my boss to watch is tone, we could have gotten the problem solved a long time ago. Everyone has their own way of getting things out. It might not be our way of doing things, but it works for them.
     Where my journey will take me, who knows, but I praise the Universe daily for placing the people, occasions and lessons in the right place at the right time. I also give thanks for blessing me with an open heart and mind. My world has just started being created; I can’t wait to see what unfolds next.
    What about you Pinkies? What has the Universe brought into your life? How can you practice patience while you are becoming?

    

Growing up, most of us are taught that finding our happiness means we must ‘get’ something outside of ourselves that allows us to achieve this emotion. In actuality the circumstances of happiness are quite the contrary.

When we are kids we believe that unless we get that shiny new bike, the new Malibu Stacey Doll or the video game that ‘all our friends have,’ our lives will be ruined. In most situations our parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles go out of their way to purchase these ‘crucial’ items for us in order to satisfy our adolescent need for happiness. If our elders can’t afford the toys we are yearning for, sometimes we are supplemented with something similar or temporary until the true prize can be received- still implementing the concept that without these items will not be truly happy.

As we enter our teenage years the same circumstances apply, however the objects differ. Instead of ‘needing’ toys and games to maintain happiness it changes to clothes, boyfriends or girlfriends, cars, jewelry, hair cuts and colors, and being friends with the right people. We can all see our own children, nieces, nephews and neighborhood kids behaving this way. We can also remember when we were younger, and placed value upon material things that we were sure, would certainly bring us eternal happiness. 

However, what some us fail to realize is that there is not automatic switch that turns off once we leave High School and enter into adulthood. For most of is looking outside of ourselves for happiness is a behavior that we have grown comfortable with. Sure it might not be as much of a material need as when we were younger, or it indeed, might be. ‘I won’t be happy until I get that new iPhone’ or ‘When I lose 10 lbs. my whole world will be brighter’ and ‘If I could just find the right man in my life, boy, would things be wonderful.’ Where does it stop? At what point will we see that all we really need to be happy lies within ourselves?

Whether choose to believe it or not, happiness is choice, as is any other emotion, i.e. anger, frustration, being irritable, being upset- it is all a decision left in our hands to decide whether the emotion we are experiencing serves us in a positive way. As easily as we can say ‘If my husband would just help out around the house, I wouldn’t be so angry at him’ we can alter our thoughts to ‘If my husband does or does not do the dishes, it does not affect my way of being, I choose to be joyful.’

In reality, we have no control over the existential circumstances of our lives. When it comes down to it, the only thing we have a say over is our actions, our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Letting another persons actions sway your moods gives away all your power. When there is a loss of power, there is a crack in the foundation. Own your emotions, decide to be happy, chose to act- no react. There is no point in waiting for something to come to you to experience joy when you can have it right now.

Thanks for reading Pinkies,
Megan