If You Can Be Anything, Be Bold

Hey World,

For some of us, this past week has been difficult. And like many difficult weeks, you seem to get hit from all sides:

 A glass ceiling that remains. A teenager that yells at you to leave his country as you walk to work to serve the farmers of his country. A house without running water for a day and a half. An unexpected week delay of your favorite show. A shortage of butter when you try to make comfort food. A big student loan payment you weren't supposed to pay. A realization that despite all that you've done, there's still so much more you could do, should do and need to do. A mosquito who somehow bites you through a shirt & sweater.

And when the waves keep rolling (and as I reflected once here, they. will. never. stop. coming.), all we can do is choose how to align ourselves with the oncoming waves.
(PS: If you haven't read the waves post yet, you should. It's one of my favorites, and pretty relevant if you were team blue.)

There are so many unknowns remaining in my life, and presumably, each of our lives, ranging from the mundane to the heart-stopping. That's why I named this blog what it is. 

For the past three years, I have been actively chasing and choosing happiness, from Harlem, NY to Iringa, Tanzania, and dozens of cities in between. And guess what? It works. Happiness is a mindset. Happiness is a choice...if we let it become one for ourselves. And there was a big if I had to work through to reach here -- I won't deny that. And it's a big effort to maintain it - I can't deny that either - but it's worth it. Most days are genuinely happy days, and that it is one of my greatest accomplishments of my adult life.

So while I will continue to use this blog to record the ways in which my life unfolds (and bends towards the infinite arc of happiness), I want to add an additional dimension.





I want to include The World I often speak to into the mix.
I want you to come closer. I want you to be bold with me.

What do I mean by bold? 

I mean every single blue colored word that the dictionary includes:

Daring. Audacious. Fearless. Courageous. Impactful. Eye-Catching. Vivid. Strong. Bright. 

And I think happiness (with humility) brings us there, right to the sweet spot. I think we could all use a little more positivity. I think we could all use more reminders on how to build our own arcs towards a life of happiness. I think we could all use a bit more encouragement from one another to be bold in our pursuits.

I think we can all do better to step into the fire and stand there. And yell YES! at the moon. And let your heart sustain you when all else falls away. And dance with wildness. We would all be crazy not to take the invitation being offered (see what I did there?).

                                                                                                Image Source

I started moving in this direction with monthly mantras  and the occasional reflective post (like this one on dream chasing) without even realizing it. I felt like my blog was missing a key puzzle piece, but I couldn't put my finger on it. My latest post about brave women (which had more than 500 views -- thank you!!!) struck a chord. The election results plucked the strings. The answer came jumping forth in spurts of two word mantras: Be Bold. Share Happiness. Encourage Others. Keep Dreaming.

So from now on, there'll be a bit more here. More push quotes, more goal setting, more dream chasing, and more encouragement. An updated description for my Facebook Page & the landing page so you don't forget what you're getting into when you stop by. 

Now you know.

Let's be bold together.

The best is yet to come.

xoxo,

M

PS: For those still waiting for my #BecomingTeamGrimes wedding posts, they're still coming! :)