Make No Small Plans

Every new year we’re always bound and determined to set resolutions from great to small. It’s like this clock that resets in our heads and hearts as well as on the calendar. We do a mental inventory of where we are and where we would like to go. Sometimes it’s depressing. Sometimes it’s the kick in the seat of the pants we need. Thank goodness for new years.

I hear and read the phrase all the time, “New Year, New You,” but often I wonder “Am I really all that bad right now?” After all, needing a complete life makeover is a little drastic wouldn’t you say? I’d prefer not to run totally away from who I am or who I’ve become and rather honor who I have always been but perhaps dig a little deeper to come out just a little better. Not necessarily all out NEW, but definitely improved.

But even though we must take baby steps to reach our goals, or, we have to crawl before we walk, we still must think big. We have to create a grander vision for our lives and what we can do.

Michael Port, author of The Think Big Manifesto (Wiley, May, 2009) and founder of The Think Big Revolution, consistently says as one of his catch phrases, “We must think bigger about who we are and what we offer the world.” I believe one of the reasons he’s so successful at inspiring his core audience is that he has an ardent approach to life.

In his latest book, Port says, “Death is a destination we all share, like it or not. ‘Time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think,’ as Randy Pausch wrote. Would you rather think small, succumb to a wasteful subexistence, living others’ lives? Would you rather play it safe? You might just as well bury yourself early–or how about now? So what if someone makes fun of you? So what if someone tells you that you’re crazy to even try? So what if in fact you do fail?”

Exactly. So what if you fail? Fail better next time.

Life doesn’t wait. There really are no do overs. Remember, once upon a time you knew what you really wanted out of life. Get back in touch with those dreams, those plans, those goals, those wishes. Remember those silent tugs at your heart or those daydreaming thoughts that often keep you from doing a task at hand.

Besides the top regular resolutions we so often make (like lose weight, quit smoking, spend more time with family or friends, get out of debt, etc.), we have to get in touch with our inner ambition. Why? Because in a way, it’s our purpose…our calling…some would even say our destiny.

A prayer I often silently whisper was actually authored by Oprah Winfrey. She said, “Use me God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”

I find no better way of saying it than that.

Think big. Dream big. Love big. Plan big. Do big things. Small plans will always be a part of our lives, but holding bigger things in your heart and mind will keep all those necessary small things going…and with purpose.

“Make no small plans for they have no power to stir your soul.”     - Anonymous

Make it a great big luscious year….

All my love,

Kelley Taylor

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 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 and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
- Teddy Roosevelt

To See: Benjamin Button

Not only is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button simply extraordinary to behold for it’s scenery and technological advances in CGI graphics, the tale is simple – time waits for no one and the sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.

The film, adapted from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is of a man born prematurely aged to be in his eighties.  As others grew older, he grew younger.  And the film documents such simple pleasures as houses breathing, mice scampering, first kisses, first loves, passions, and work.   There’s the excitement of taking first steps, there’s the joy and pain of the cycles of life and what each bring.

But perhaps why I loved the movie so much is a part where Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt, explains that if at any time you don’t like where you are or who you are, you can re-create yourself time and time again. Just do it.

While I particularly found the film to be gut-wrenching painful at times, I know I may be a tad more sensitive than most. Still, I loved it. I hope you do, too.

Also See:

• Great Quotes from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie
• Find movie near you

Live: Leaping

When life comes at you hard, it’s time to shake things up.

About two years ago I decided to do something I’ve always wanted to do…SkyDive. (Well…..strapped to someone who knows what they’re doing.) It was exhilarating! Fantastic! Mind-blowing! This was my controlled risk I wanted to take challenging every norm I’ve lived with my entire life. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

You see, at the time my world was crumbling out from under me. I felt like Humpty Dumpty. I had abandoned my career to save my marriage (that ended up in divorce), I moved, I went through a total upheaval. I realized that I had to sift through the rubble to find what was left of me, pick up some pieces to try and redefine who I was, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I knew I was in for a rocky road ahead, so I chose skydiving as a personal challenge to push myself beyond all my comfort zones. The way I figured it? If I can have enough courage, faith, and trust to jump out of a plane (without training, skill, or aptitude), what else could I do?

Willy Ley, in The Race For Space, said, “The point to remember is that a giant leap into space can be a giant leap toward peace down below.” Although Ley’s quote was an obvious reference to space exploration, I knew when I read it what I must do. My leap out of a plane was my giant leap towards peace in my own life here below.

Skydiving taught me about change, fear, and what your body and soul does when life comes at you hard. I remember the moment they opened the hatch on the airplane. There was this automatic survival safety switch thrown in me that said, “Oh my gosh! There’s an opening in the airplane! Cling to your seat!”

The irony is, in my head I knew I wanted to jump. I had signed up for it, paid for it, signed the waivers, had my parachute, and even had my tandem instructor by me the entire time. I had done the work, knew that’s what I came to do, but my body was on autopilot. And it wasn’t moving.

But then I got the courage to get to the edge.

Look, today’s climate of change in the world will make you want to cling to your seat and grab the “Oh Shit!” bars. It doesn’t matter that intellectually we understand we have to keep moving forward. We didn’t just forget that sometimes things don’t work out as planned. We know we have to adjust. But when the hatch flies wide open, it’s easy to just stay where you are even though you know you have everything within you to still keep moving forward with purpose.

So just be aware. Eventually, once you catch your breath and get comfortable knowing you’re just having an automatic reaction that is totally normal, you may eventually have the courage to walk to the edge and take a step into the exhilarating life you were meant to live.

Remember, you don’t have to jump out of a plane to awaken to your own life. Taking a leap includes anything that shakes your blood and get you moving towards the life you want. It could be as simple as submitting an article to a magazine, changing your hairstyle, volunteering for a cause, or enrolling in a class.

So get ready. Fear is part of the factor. What leap have you been suppressing or what leap will move you in the right direction? Are you ready? Maybe so. Maybe not. But all you have to do is take one small step…or go ahead and take one giant leap.

“We are very near to greatness: one step and we are safe. Can we not take the leap.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Wish For You: Crisp Autumn Days

Today I wish for you crisp autumn days…the kind that make you want to take hayrides, pick pumpkins, and get out your sweaters and boots.

I wish for you…

…Fall foliage beyond compare
…Crunchy leaves under your feet (instead of in your gutters)
…Hot cocoa in red plaid thermoses
…Football games
…Warm blankets
…Crackling fires to keep you cozy
…And skies as clear and blue as you’ve ever seen.

I wish you fun raking days where you can pile leaves waist high and run and jump in them just like you did when you were a kid.

I wish you air, fresh and cool, to clear your stuffy head from anything troubling you. I wish you that first cold night the temperature drops so low you can see white clouds of breath puff before your very eyes.

It’s great to be alive, isn’t it?

In every season, for many reasons, I wish you love, happiness, and as much good stuff as your heart can stand.

All my love,

Kelley Taylor

Live: Take A Bite Out Of Life

I’ve often wondered if those who have these manicured pretty lives really understand how amazing they could be if they rolled up their sleeves every now and then and shook things up.  I wonder if they know how truly powerful their lives are if they looked at life not as something that has to be pushed down, ordered, sifted, polished, and displayed but instead something real they could taste.

As we’ve witnessed these past few weeks, life can be messy. Writer Natalie Goldberg said it best in Wild Mind when she wrote “Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.”

Life derails us. Stocks go down, businesses go belly up, credit freezes, hockey moms run for office. So what? Dig into your one juicy life and make the most of it. Find one thing that you haven’t yet done and work towards it even though it may feel a little painful or hard to do for now.

Life, for every time it’s let you down, is there to show you that with every minute you breathe there is something you haven’t yet tasted. Some of it may be bitter, but rest assured, you’ll hit that sweet spot eventually if you haven’t already experienced it once or twice before.

So our new tag line for Make Every Day A Holiday, along with our new little icon – the green apple – is: Take a Bite Out Of Life. Because for those of us who try to make the most of everyday living, we understand that it’s organic. It’s imperfect. It’s ever-changing. It’s sometimes sticky, sometimes bitter or sour, and yes it’s sometimes sweet. But we never forget that this one life of ours is delicious in every way. The bad often makes us appreciate more of the good. Life is to be ingested, digested, processed and nourished. Life is to be lived.

I hope you always make the most of your today. May you always find a way to make every day a holiday. And if you need some ideas, you might want to check out the new holidaily feed on Twitter. I’ll give you 365 days and ways to make every day a holiday…or at least food for thought.

All my love,

Kelley

Live: The Summer Day

Summer, I hardly knew ya. I can’t believe we’re already into August and I’ve barely baked summer in. Things can come and go so quickly. Before you know it, the things that seemed like they’d last forever are gone.

I recently picked up a book called “Teaching With Fire.” I’m not a teacher, I just liked the title. It was filled with all of these passionate poems and passages that just seemed to make sense to me.

I wanted to pass this one along to you and ask you, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

The Summer Day, By Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper, I mean –
The one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down –
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

(emphasis: mine)

Tim Russert Was No Head of State

by Kelley Taylor, Make Every Day A Holiday

Tim Russert was no head of state. He was never elected into office, he wasn’t a president of a large corporation, founder of an organization, leader of a nation, movie or rock star.
Yet with his passing, he has been mourned by media, politicians, business leaders, and common folk like you and me….for days now.

Shows have been dedicated to him, anchors have teared up over him as I’ve sat with my own box of tissue and bawled over a man I felt so connected to yet never known. The selfish side of me mourns that my son will not grow up learning politics through Meet The Press and more importantly how to ask the tough questions, know how to push when needed, and let it go when appropriate.

You see, I watched Meet The Press every Sunday like many watch a fight: on the edge of my chair, yelling at the TV (for him to ask the question), and when he did make his move (or called someone out using their own quote – because Tim always did his research and was prepared) I would shout and pump my fist because he just knocked. them. out.

Left now to wonder, who will EVER be able to take his place or simply take over the show, I am amazed at the tributes still continuing even today for Tim Russert.

Never before have I seen such an outpouring of love and affection, respect and admiration for someone that was so uncommonly common yet nothing like anyone I’ve known personally. He was powerful yet humble, brilliant yet down to earth, loved yet feared, unrelenting yet giving…this man, this great man, has astounded me with how authentic he really was true in his paradoxical contradictions. And it’s proven with every interview of people who knew him and loved him.

David Gregory, Sunday, on The Today Show said this:
“It is said that someone is wise not if he knows the answer but if he knows how to ask the question. As unfair as it is, this Sunday morning, Tim is silent. So we are left to do the probing, to examine why he was so loved, so loving, so sharp, so uniquely capable of walking with the kings and yet retaining the common touch.

A friend of mine has written that through death we realize that our mortality is always in the background giving vividness and urgency to our days.

Tim would tell us all to ‘go get’em’ and we will do that now with even more purpose because the big guy lead the way as the moderator of all moderators, as a mentor, and as a man.”

For all that we the people say about him, it will never be enough. And so in my weak attempt to be wise, I ask: Do we live our lives the same way Tim Russert did? In the same way?

Do we remain loving, open-hearted, authentic, true, loyal, always learning, always giving, standing for something, professional, unrelenting in the pursuit of fairness and justice and truth for ourselves and for others? Do we do our homework and do it well? Do we look for both sides of the story? Do we remain humble no matter what success comes our way? Do we help others along the way?

If for no other reason, we can look at the life of this man and use it as an example of someone who really got it. He knew how to live. He extracted every bit of life in his short 58 years which will never be enough for all of us, but were mighty packed for him.

Yes, I think Tim Russert would tell us to “go get’em” as in GO GET LIFE. Live for your today’s, tomorrow’s, and honor your past. Live with an open heart, always look for what you CAN do, and love freely, honestly, and magnificently.

In the end, if we’re lucky, we might have half as many people honoring us as he did – or yet, the people who matter most to us.

Go Get’em!

Always in Honor of Tim Russert, 1950 – 2008

(Live the dash! Make Every Day A Holiday.)

My Wish For You: Good Drive Time

If you have to drive, whether it’s for a long distance or a short ride, I wish for you good solid driving time where you can look around and notice where you’ve been, how far you’ve come, and where you are today.

I wish for you the knowledge and security of knowing where you are going, and the stamina to make it there.

I wish for you everything you need to make your ride comfortable – whether it’s cool air conditioning or warm heat at your feet, a fresh bottle of water, and goodies for a long drive or a quick pick me up.

I wish for you great background music to keep you company. I hope you can find a great radio station or better yet, that you packed your iPod or your favorite CD’s.

I wish for you a freshly charged battery in your cell phone in case of emergency or just when you need to reach out to a friend because you thought of them.

I wish for you safety. I want you to get safely where it is you need to go.

And should anything happen, I wish for you calmness and surety that you will meet any obstacle that comes your way. You’ll get through it. Just breathe.

I wish for you good drive time. May your heart and soul hum as the rubber meets the road. Take in all the sights and sounds. This is your one and wonderful life. Navigate it. Drive it. It’s all open road from here.

All my love,

Live: Drive Time

Have you ever just gone through the motions of your day without really paying attention to what’s around you? I have! I swear I’ve even driven to work and back when, turning the key off, I wonder, “How did I get here?”

I’ve somehow managed to get lost in what I have to do, what’s going on in my life, and what’s coming up….thoughts, that is. And while I love thinking and dreaming and hoping and solving, I miss out sometimes on what is going on right in front of me.

I can’t turn my back on life anymore! I want to embrace it all: the traffic, the colors of the cars whooshing by me, the flowers blooming on the side of the road, the café I’ve never noticed before. Paying attention and being curious about the world where I live is an awesome and exciting feeling. And, in a way, it calms me….soothes me. It makes me feel as if I’m growing into the ground and not just passing by. Plus, it gives me great conversation topics at dinner or during drive time with my son.

Don’t numb out. Save thinking for moments you can really pay attention to the thought. Be curious about your world. It’s a beautiful thing out there. Notice people and things passing you by. Tip your hat to life’s dull moments; laugh out loud at the person picking his nose at the stop light. Because YOU were paying attention, thank goodness that person wasn’t YOU.

“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Love: Simply Remind Them

Everyone goes through bouts of feeling less than, questioning maybe something they did, or perhaps who they are. In uncertain times, it’s easy to have self-doubts of where you are going, or worse yet, realize where you are.

When you love someone and you see them hurting, it’s tough to stand by and watch. You want to fix it. You want to come to their aid, by their side, and fix the situation or sometimes, try even to fix them.

I want to challenge you to try something.

Simply remind them.

Remind them of who you know they are on the inside. Remind them of the gifts, qualities and strengths you have always admired in them. Remind them of a situation you’ve seen them go through before and solved on their own. Remind them of the knowledge they possess inside and the abilities they have to overcome anything – a situation, a doubt, a problem, or anything they might think of themselves.

Remind them you are on their side.
Remind them you love them.
Remind them that you believe in them.

The most compassionate love is when you can remind those you love of the person you know them to be. There is no need to tell untruths or pump someone up with exclamations of power or grandiosity. That may feel right in the moment for you but when you are the one hurting, all of that seems like a band-aid of sorts that may not feel quite like it fits right over the wound.

It is hard not to go into fix-it mode. But with kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit you can truly mend a broken heart with your love. Not with hope or hype… but with truth, honesty and certainty.

And that is the truest form of love we could ever know.

Remind them.

“To love a person is to learn the song in their heart and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.”

-Thomas Chandler

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