Are You Having Any Fun?

I love this song Are You Having Any Fun?

ARE YOU HAVIN' ANY FUN ?

From the Broadway musical "George White's Scandals of 1939"

(Sammy Fain / Jack Yellin)

Ella Logan & The Three Stooges (Broadway Production) - 1939

Tommy Dorsey Orch. (vocal: Edythe Wright) - 1939

Duke Ellington Orch. - 1939

Joe Loss & His Orch.

(vocals: Chick Henderson, Clem Stevens & The Bluenotes) - 1939

Flanagan & Allen - 1939

Tony Bennett & Count Basie - 1958

Also recorded by: Helen O'Connell; Vivian Stanshall;

Harry Allen; Sammy Fain; Laura Hubert; Elaine Stritch.

Hey fellow with a million smackers

And nervous indigestion

Rich fellow, eats milk and crackers

I'll ask you one question

You silly so and so

With all your dough....

Are you havin' any fun?

What y'gettin' out o' livin'?

What good is what you've got

If you're not havin' any fun?

Are you havin' any laughs?

Are you gettin' any lovin'?

If other people do,

So can you, have a little fun

After the honey's in the cone

Little bees go out and play

Even the old grey mare down home

Has got to have hay....HEY!

You better have some fun

You ain't gonna live forever

Before you're old and gray, feel okay

Have your little fun, son!

Have your little fun!

Why do you work and slave and save?

Life is full of ifs and buts

You know the squirrels save and save

And what have they got.....NUTS!

Better have a little fun

You ain't gonna live forever

Before you're old and grey, still okay

Have your little fun, son!

Have your little fun!

Are you havin' any fun?

Here is my favorite rendition by Elaine Stritch and then one by Judy Garland!! LOVE IT.

• Are You Having Any Fun? by Elaine Stritch

More Elaine Stritch music on iLike

Easing Feelings

Good morning!

I want to address one of the concepts I raised in the last few posts, that of individual choice over one's behaviors, thoughts and feelings. "I choose" can easily be mixed up with "I control" and there are definitely distinctions to be made.

Some think that efforts to stop thinking thoughts can lead to more persistent thoughts of the type you want to dislodge. Kind of like when you say, "Ok, I'm not going to think about X" which results in the appearance of a very pink elephant in your thought room, or, at the very least, the sound of its persistent, pink trunk trying to turn the doorknob and enter. Either way, it's distracting and the desired result isn't attained.

What about choosing thoughts that are positive or uplifting and leaving the rest -- those undesirables you don't want to give your power to? In my experience, this typically brings a welcome, short-term relief. Unfortunately, even when I temporarily dislodge a thought I don't want to think because it's negative against me or life and replace it with something else, one that is related or unrelated but essentially positive about me or life, then the one I was trying to get rid of usually comes back to call me later. (Sorry, that's a really wordy sentence.) Some thoughts are like a caller on hold with a radio DJ just waiting to make a special request (I'm thinking Lady in Red). Derek from Bergen County will wait hours until it's his turn to give a shout out to his sweety on Love Songs 'til Midnight! My thoughts are patient like Derek.

What seems to dislodge some thoughts for good? For a long time I've been a student of the school of Change Your Core Beliefs. Core beliefs are like those seeds from which your thoughts sprout like a springtime crocus in the muddy ground. Or, if they're negative, like a weed. If there is a belief seed of unworthiness planted in your mind garden, conscious or subconscious, it sprouts thoughts that are destructive. Ok, so how do you change a belief? I am learning a lot of different ways and for me, the jury's still out on what I find most effective. One lesson I've learned is you "Act as If". Essentially, this is about getting into action and thinking by considering how you'd be IF you believed a certain way about yourself. Think "If I Were A Rich Man..." (biddy biddy bum) updated for your circumstances.

Another is to just sit with the belief and surround it with your heartfelt compassion. By calling up some light, heart energy it becomes easier to see if it's even true, which can be very helpful, particularly when you figure out it's not. :) That said, when you're mired in the belief, calling up that energy can be really challenging and take practice.

A third way to change a core belief is to surround yourself with people who see you as you wish to be seen, as you'd like to believe you are, just as long as you make sure to still be working on cultivating your own beliefs as opposed to relying on other people's perceptions. So we're talking aids but not substitutes.

You can also try believing in others the way you want to believe about yourself. I love doing this. It is one of the many reasons teaching intenSati is such a gift to me. Truly, through the practice of seeing my students in their greatness, persistence, beauty, power, sweat, joy, imperfections and love, I am coming to realize and believe in these aspects of myself.

So, what about choosing behavior? I feel very passionate about learning how to feel powerful enough to choose your behavior. If someone is permanently paralyzed, they can't choose to walk. Yet, if someone has an urge to do something that is not for their highest good, there is a choice whether to answer that urge or longing, or not. The challenge is figuring out the best way to empower yourself to choose wisely!!

For me, there is usually a doubt about my ability to withstand the discomfort I feel while riding out a craving or feeling. I think to myself "I can't". Sometimes, I also think to myself that "I don't want to" but I think that's an excuse or really just a way to mask what I fear, which is that I'm not strong enough to endure what I feel.

Last night, I was eating dinner by myself at a diner and catching up on some work. I had just went to two of my dear friends' celebrations, both were so sweet and heart warming, but then I was feeling lonely. What happened next was a desire for a big piece of diner cake. (At another time, I will write about the universality of the diner bakery case and how it is at once very disturbing and comforting.) I also wanted to email or call the man I recently stopped seeing and share my feelings about missing him. Then, there was this moment when I realized I just did not know when these feelings would pass and that was the worst feeling of all! I knew they would but I didn't know when. It could pass that night, in the morning, or in two week, perhaps longer. I felt very "out of control" and at the mercy of these feelings. Option 1 was to order dessert. Option 2 was to order dessert and email the guy. Option 3 was to skip the dessert and email the guy. Option 4 was to skip dessert and skip emailing the guy. I chose Option 4 but if I don't tell you, it was really, really difficult.

I felt like there was work I was supposed to be doing. Something to help me shift. I wanted to try affirming my greatness and beauty. I wanted to try shifting my mood before bedtime by watching soccer on TV or doing something, anything that I really enjoyed. I wanted to try visualizing myself in a relationship that I do want. None of those "solutions" felt right at all in that moment.

I ended up walking home in the chilly air and just tolerating how I felt. Strange. Not trying to do anything other than withstand the feelings, including the heavinenss of diner cornish hen and steamed veggies in my belly, gross, felt like I was practicing Deepak's "Law of Least Effort" which I vaguely remember reading about in the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. I'm not sure why, but it felt like the wise choice. I liked not hearing my own voice saying "Change, shift, choose a better feeling thought!" (It's the same thing now. Even as I write. I am just laying here like a log and I'm not "trying" to inspire change in myself. It feels peaceful.)

What I'm starting to wonder is whether feeling tolerance is one of the missing pieces of my little puzzle. I had a chat with Patricia Moreno about that the other night through email. She was complimenting me for my commitment to daily meditation and when I told her some of the painful feelings I've been having lately, she encouraged me to just feel them. Just by being present and feeling them, she said, they will pass faster than if I tried to ignore them or ignore their presence in my body and heart.

So, maybe the most important thing to understand is one of the ways to recover and reclaim your power of choice is through surrender and faith. Essentially, you surrender to what is in the moment. You may, in that moment, also surrender to love or Source energy if you identify with that language, or really anything that helps you to be with you in the moment.

One last thing related to last night is that I received a call from my best friend at the EXACT MOMENT I was going to send the email I had drafted. After talking with her and sharing what I felt, I had the strength to choose to make it a no-send and hold true to my commitment to ignore the case of dessert. I realized that is the greatest gift of all, the knowing that I am not alone and the strength I want to apply to make wise choices IS inside me. It is aided by the love and support I receive from loving friends and fellows with my best interests at heart.

Wishing you the restoration and awareness of a powerful, strength inside you that helps you choose what you really want and release those patterns that aren't serving you anymore.

Lindsay

Join me April 7-10, 2011 at Good Commons in Vermont for a Recharge Weekend! I am the guest fitness instructor and will be teaching intenSati classes, along with 3 incredible guest teachers who will run workshops, meditations, and give you some amazing spiritual, emotional and physical nourishment. Check it out here and I hope you'll join us!! http://www.goodcommons.com/Recharge2011.html

Good morning! Whew, so that last post was a little something, right? I have to admit I get a little uncomfortable when I don't get bombarded by comments or emails after a piece that is both personal and has a strong point of view, but that's part of the exercise of blogging. You just put it up there for yourself and trust that people are reading it, thinking,
feeling, considering and growing thanks to your effort. That said, if you have any thoughts, you know I'd love to hear them so please share with me at your leisure.

I want to add a short addendum to the post and just say that I was not trying to characterize the entire pool of treatment providers and medical establishment as negative, nor am I opposed to the use of certain psychiatric medications like anti depressants, as I've seen them work wonders for people I know. For me, that hasn't really been the case and I am not interested in using them as a means towards dealing with certain feelings or anxiety. I think the biggest point I wanted to make in my post was, well, first off to come out as a survivor and as someone who is overcoming an eating disorder because the more supportive voices that are out here in the media landscape, the better, and I'm not afraid or embarrassed to admit I'm one of them. The second is to reinforce how much more of a CHOICE I have over the thoughts, feelings and actions I experience and take and it takes a lot finesse to convince a person who is already incredibly hard on themselves that much of their recovery is in their own hands, so if you can walk that line with yourself and others, you're a miracle worker. :) Letting go of self blame and embracing personal responsibility, that's the name of the game.

*

That's my little star symbol for moving right along...

So, these days I am standing in my power as a single woman. I've never been married, I'm not even sure I've ever been in love and I am not dating anybody. It's kind of amazing because I feel differently then I've ever felt before, which tells me I've really grown. I can stand the space and oh, boy, it is some space! :) Lots of feelings inside there and a real interesting sense of individuality. I feel like I'm more present than ever before and I encourage you, if you're single and spend time pining and longing for a relationship, to take a step back and then two forward right into the present moment. It's here and maybe it's been an uncomfortable place to be, since it wakes up the negative belief that paints you into a corner, unhappy, single and alone the rest of your life, but it's by living in acceptance and choosing to observe but NOT BUY INTO that "stinkin' thinkin'" that frees you up. Let it come up, see it, breathe, breathe out, and watch it float up into the clouds. That projection, or any projection that doesn't come from love, is only there to take you down. Don't let it.

So, I'm now meeting guys on line. It's funny because in some ways I still feel like a "commodity" as I update my profiles with cute pics and see the kinds of guys populating Jdate, Match and HowAboutWe.com. I think about my "value" in terms of my market appeal to men and do the same sizing up of the guy goods. This is like Shoprite. Sexy, 39 year old doctor who likes to travel in Aisle 8. You better get him before that woman in higher heels does, and she can reach him if he's on the shelf bc I'm 5'3" and don't wear heels. I'm detaching a bit, too, and feeling a little like an anthropologist. Fascinating. The 52 year old man and the 25 year old boy both feel it is within the realm of normative behavior to reach out to this 33 year old woman. What is the median age of the man pursuing me (and trust me this wouldn't take too long to do the math, as they are not yet too many guys emailing me at the moment!).

I laugh when the single heads come on the upper portion of the Jdate screen, floating across from right to left to IM me like PACMAN, which I guess makes me the little, white pellet in this situation, or, worse, one of the colorful ghosts. Don't swallow me whole! I'm equally fascinating when someone takes the time to Wink at me on Match (this, as opposed to sending an email) because it's like the bar scene played out over the internet. Is that cutie winking at me from across the room but lacking the, umm, courage, to walk up to me until his beer kicks in? Ah, no, it's from across the computer and let's just hope he's not simultaneously chatting with 12 women and taking in the latest porn vid.

So, I will continue to show up for Online dating adventures and try to go at it with a more positive expectation. :) What I've come to understand and appreciate is that I will choose not to think too hard about any of it, just relax, and let things unfold. And they will. They always do! I trust the process and why not. Fortunately this is New York City, not Shoprite, and I have a feeling being single could be a lot more fun that I used to think it would be. I surrender. I accept. I am jumping in and realizing we are all in this together, yes yes. If I catch myself thinking the grass is greener on the side of the fence that belongs to people in relationships, I really promise to accept how I feel and then do my best to shift into a better feeling thought.

Off to teach an intenSati class this morning and I can't wait!! I LOVE MY SATURDAY MORNING 9AM intenSati CLASS. I'm just sayin. I do. I love my students. Message me if you ever want to come try it.

Have a great day!

Love,

Lindsay

Join me April 7-10, 2011 at Good Commons in Vermont for a Recharge Weekend! I am the guest fitness instructor and will be teaching intenSati classes, along with 3 incredible guest teachers who will run workshops, meditations, and give you some amazing spiritual, emotional and physical nourishment. Check it out here and I hope you'll join us!! http://www.goodcommons.com/Recharge2011.html

My Thoughts on Nat'l Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Good morning! It's National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. It's the last week of the shortest month of the year, so I guess we're not getting that much air time, but I am definitely grateful. :) I love that we are being invited to pay closer attention to and heighten our understanding of eating disorders. They affect millions of people - 10 million to be exact - in the US alone and I am one of those affected who is living in recovery.

The organization behind NEDA Week is in fact NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) and here is the way they describe this week's mission: Our aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses — not choices — and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.

Well, there is a lot to say here but what I am going to focus on is the statement I put in bold. ED's are "life-threatening illnesses -- not choices". Let's start with the first half of that idea. YES, they are life threatening. The consequences to my health I experienced, and I'm talking digestive, respiratory and psychological distress, were major. It would be an understatement to say I was flirting with disaster. I've known people who suffered and eventually died from any one or combination of the three (bulimia, compulsive eating and anorexia).

You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure out that repetitive self induced vomiting, laxative abuse, extreme restriction of calories, associative depressive/anxious moods concurrent with these behaviors, and binge eating spell RISK and they can all lead to DEATH. I don't think we value ourselves enough these days to call a spade a spade in this area just yet, right? It's still a little scary to admit that 10 million people a year are abusing themselves to near death, but, at least according to the disturbing statistics, it is true! Kind of makes you want to throw a scale or something across the room, doesn't it? Very, very concerning information, if you ask me.

So, yes, let's raise the level of awareness that these behaviors are life-threatening, please. If you know someone in your life who is eating or not eating in a self destructive way, and if you truly care about them, be courageous enough to step in and say, Look, I love you and care about you. I am concerned your eating behaviors are getting dangerous and I want to support you. Can we talk?

Part 2 of that phrase above is that these are "illnesses -- not choices". Now, I'm still working out my point of view on this as I grow and learn. However, what I can say after dealing with eating disorders and recovery modalities for 14.5 years, is that I've come to disagree. I believe it is a choice. I also believe that thinking it is NOT a choice is what kept me stuck for so long, so that's one of the reason I'm speaking out here right now.

I have experienced and observed in many people the kinds of thinking that go with eating disorders, from depressive to anxious, obsessive compulsive to rapidly cycling moods, black-and-white to super emotional (these are my own categories, consider adding SUPER EMOTIONAL Disorder to the DSMV-3), etc. I know that biology plays a part in our thinking and certain patterns of thought are just there like the color of our eyes. I know that when we lack the right tools or counter-behaviors it may seem and feel as if we are completely powerless over the kinds of thoughts/feelings that occur and typically lead to eating disordered behavior. I know that being in a devastating cycle of binge/purge/restriction behavior could feel like it's totally OUT OF CONTROL but the degree to which we are powerless to change has been, in opinion, vastly understated.

What if the message to people is something like this:

Eating disorders are behavioral choices (starving, binge eating and purging being the most common amongst them) that people make and practice, usually to help them cope with feelings. They have devastating effects on health, happiness and mental well being.

What if we put the recovery right back into the hands of the person suffering and said to them, You are responsible and have the power to change. You have the power to CHOOSE.

What if we helped people uncover the power inside of them to make the changes they need to save their own life?

Now, I can remember being at my absolute sickest and most vulnerable times when I was in the throes of bulimia and major depression. I felt, I believed wholeheartedly, that there was NOTHING I could do to stop myself from the cycle of binge eating and purging 12x/day. I was darting around Cornell University in a mental stupor while clogging library and sorority house's toilets (the latter at 4am in the morning). It was a DISASTER. I felt more hopeless than I'd ever felt in my life and this could not be a greater contradiction to the powerful, inspired identity I had abandoned, the one of a young, strong girl THRIVING in sports and classes, and with friends/family. When rightfully concerned people in my life begged me to stop and kept trying to tell me I could, I did not believe them. In no uncertain terms, I told them to $*#() off and leave me alone. Don't tell me I am choosing this! Don't you dare tell me I have the power to stop!

Well, I guess I gravitated towards people who believed me. I found in the treatment world of doctors and top-tier phD professionals, research protocols and certain support groups, people who supported the belief that I had an illness. I was sick to the extent that I must need to be issued pharmaceuticals, choose a very low stress job track, and plan on dealing with this in some way shape or form for the rest of my life.

What happened for me next was that I got sick of being sick, but more importantly, I got sick of being told I have an illness and this wasn't a choice. I got tired of being told this is something I can't control or that I will have forever to some varying degree. I began to think and believe that I am choosing the behavior. I was trying not to blame myself or be even more hard on myself than I was but I started to think I was, at the very least, choosing my response to my thoughts and feelings. How I react. Then I began to practice intenSati, acting, and writing, I took myself off all medication (in 2005), found a therapist who didn't even have an expertise in eating disorders but with whom I just started talking about my feelings with her and started allowing myself to be who I really am. I was making steady improvements over time and shifting my thinking from "I have an illness" and these are "not choices" to thoughts like "I am acting out" or "I am coping with food again" and "I am choosing to do this to myself. I am harming my own body and self with food." That was progress.

Truly, a phrase like "I hate my life", one which I used to say a LOT and which a lot of people I know with eating disorders utter when given the space to express themselves, is the verb to HATE. I was hating. I was the hater. I played the role of the hater in this drama of life and I still can, if I choose.

It's clear to me why I gravitated and found tremendous recovery, energy, aid and support through practices that teach people to actively love themselves, their feelings and their lives. The fundamental idea behind intenSati is that positive self talk fused with powerful movement/exercise and LOVE leads to empowerment. It did in my case. In the acting and writing world, stories of human behavior and real experience, displays of emotions and decisions of all varieties are held up to the light and actually receive applause. :) I'll never forget how amazing it felt when I first began performing scenes in acting class that allowed me to release anger without holding back an inch. My "work" which felt like I was just being real would garner appreciation and I would do the same for my fellow performers. I saw their beauty in their humanity. I felt really good and still feeds me to this day, though I don't find the same need for the validation as I used to feel.

This is turning into a much longer post than I expected, but it's important stuff, so I'm hoping you are still tuned in and listening to what I'm sharing. If just one person shifts from this post, it's worth it to me!! I am gratefully light years away from the devastating years of my life that were like riding a very (un)merry-go-round and traveling nowhere. I still have my struggles and my recovery process is definitely something I pay attention to every day, not just during NEDAwareness week, but I am grateful to say my personal responsibility feels less like something to shirk and more like something to embrace.

For today, I live with the belief that I choose my behaviors and with more practice, my thoughts and feelings. The more love I feel and call up, the more compassion I bring into my life through compassionate people and my own work, the easier it becomes to choose wisely, healthily and lovingly for myself. My thoughts and feeling patterns take on a lot of different shapes and colors, still, and I often wonder what is "normal" for the human experience and to what degree simple emotions like sadness, anger, joy or desire, to name a few, should be felt. I wonder if what I feel is "too much" or "disproportionate" to whatever might be causing the reaction. At this point, I think the most freeing thing for me lately is that I am starting to just say F it, I feel how I feel and as long as I can live with it and take care of myself, there is really no need to change.

Please take time today or this week to do something to contribute to the eating disorder recovery landscape. I would appreciate it very much and I am sure someone else in your life would, too.

Thank you!!

Love,

Lindsay

Hallow Be

Hi, this poem of mine is called "Hallow Be". Enjoy. Comment. Share. Write your own poem (you can do it, yes yes yes). Best, L

Hallow be my new

hollow space

created by letting go without seeking to replace

stay

it is beautiful here

although memory itself

like a canopy of branches heavy with wet snow

blocks my upward view

sensitive

in my new, hollow space

from the old things

the No things

that are staying away

tears

arise from a cavernous place

in my chest

I peacefully wept

like a sallow

Oh, that willow gave me comfort

when the lights went out

I hear new songs

and don’t see but feel

familiarity and personality

confront me in my

oft times disconcerting

hallow be my new

hollow space

where I sit

the unfamiliar vantage points like a pit

in my stomach

again

those feelings

test my strength like live ammunition

with repetition penetrate my vests of self protection

until they move

pass

go

lift

one by one

disproportionate

to the loss

perhaps

perhaps not

who is to say, really?

You're The Boss

Good morning,

Do you give yourself permission to feel? Cool question, right. Permission, The Rights, Authority...

to feel.

Do you let yourself off the hook from being perfect or even making sense in order to dwell in a space of what could be perceived by some as messy, lofty, nonsensical, grandiose, overzealous, or difficult?

I love this post, already.

Do you spend time with people who think you are messy or CREATIVE, lofty or a DREAM MAKER, nonsensical or OUTSIDE THE BOX, grandiose or CONFIDENT, overzealous or AMBITIOUS, difficult or PERSISTENT?

I want to inspire you to give yourself the permission to be exactly how you want to be today, ok, boss? You are the boss of YOU. Nobody else is running the show, thankgd.

I wrote up my career vision again and at first thought, I said to myself, this is TOO MUCH. Have you ever wanted things and thought, How can I possibly do this all and am I qualified enough to even consider it? I'm going to share what I wrote with you. The only thing missing is a perfume line. I have no interest in that, btw, but some kind of skin care offering would be great. I just don't wear perfume. I digress, ok, here is what I want to be doing for my career!!

• Journalism (arts/culture/personal development/inspirational writing/on-camera hosting and interviewing)
• Creative Writing (scripts, plays, poetry, lyrics, books)
• Acting (Actress in comedies and dramas in theater, film and TV)
• Singing/Songwriting (a successful popular music album I write and co-write, shows around the world)
• Group Fitness (intenSati, Groove Method, possibly bodySoulSati)
• Coaching (In any and all of the above if people want and would benefit from my help)

My life in bullet points.

My first thought was "WTF, good luck with that!! No friggin way!"

Cut to Gloria Estefan, "Turn the beat arouuuuund!"

That negative beat which gets in the way...that "WTF *$(#*$)#" beat is the one to change. Deep breath. Take a step back. Go inside. Turn to love. Open up your heart. Take a next right action.

New beat!!!!

Stevie Nicks, "Dreams unwind. Love's a state of mind."

I am playing full out, believing and living for my inspired (I hope!) desires -- by virtue of that, I am eminently qualified to do the same for you. Then, you get to pass it on to your friends. Simple and simply amazing! :)

Feel free to share your "WTF *$)(#" vision with me and I will be happy to tell you that unless it involves some kind of astronautic (is that a word?) mission to a planet not yet discovered or able to sustain life, it's probably possible and doable. Happy to lend an excuse busting hand if you need it (feel free to email me at lindspiration@gmail.com).

Here's to you being the best boss ever! Free yourself.......

Love,

Lindsay :)

Living Dreams

Good morning!

One of the affirmations I am teaching my intenSati students this month is "I am living my dreams!" It is done with the intenSati action known as FREE. The move is a step touch to the right followed by a step touch to the left with arms traveling up and over to the side towards which you're moving. Sometimes I do it all Flash Dance vixen and other times I feel like a speed skater in red spandex. I'm not sure why these images come to mind but, hey, whatever works.

The reason I chose to practice "I am living my dreams" is to wake up to certain facts and realities of my existence that are evidence of my dreams being here NOW. The other reason is to intend and affirm my way into the reality I wish to create through feeling/visioning and creating from positive expectation. It's also meant to be a form of encouragement, so when the part of me emerges that doesn't believe I am worthy of accomplishing what I desire, there is a response. Oh, yes you are, honey. YOU, my dear, are living your dreams. That is what is going on here so let's please stay with the program, thank you...

Don't I have a nice higher self voice? She likes lavender.

A dream that I am most excited about right now is my career as a writer and actress. I am both a journalist and a fiction writer, and as an actress I work in theater, film and television. Last month was amazing, as I saw a play I wrote come to life in the Richmond Shepard New Works 2011 short play festival. I acted in my piece and even won the festival award for Best Play!

This week, I had two auditions and I also booked a role in a feature length independent film. In addition, an intenSati class I taught last year that was filmed for a pilot is definitely (well, as definite as things can be in TV Land) going to air in late April/May on the Oprah Winfrey Network. All this sounds like the dream is here now, right? There's more. I put together all of my writing clips and interviews and in the process unearthed an interview I did with Piers Morgan for the BBC that posted on BBCAmerica.com in mid-January. I didn't know it went up, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when I came across the video yesterday afternoon. That is a milestone interview for me and one to feel great about and celebrate. It is further proof that I CAN do what I intend to do in this world, one thing, one day at a time.

I want to share what I believe has helped me in my overall happiness and the results I am attaining. I adjusted from a peak mentality -- only defining reaching the peak of the mountain, the pinnacle of success, as "living my dreams" -- to an "I am living my dreams" now mentality. I started to go on a mission to recognize and affirm any and all things that are proof it is here now and I started to feel better. Even just deciding I am in the game became proof I'm living my dreams. There were months when nothing was happening. I was just blogging and going to intenSati class where I would talk about what I want and feel my desires, feel the wanting and feel the having. I didn't see the evidence and I had to imagine it coming to life and see what I can do to to remain open, allow and take inspired action. I remember one of my series affirmations, "Inspired actions plus my belief mean big results for me!"

I hope you can relate to this on some level. I am not saying to ditch your feeling of longing and desire that keeps you moving towards your mountaintop and your biggest dreams. What I am saying is to keep feeding yourself with positive, nutritious and delicious affirmations and intentions that keep you alive to the reality of your dream is, in some way shape or form, here now. Every single day. Deciding to go out into the world with the self identity you are creating is powerful. I am a writer. I am a journalist. I am an actress. I am (your turn to fill in the blank)...

Keep looking for the points along the journey that reflect your commitment to yourself and the value you're putting on yourself and your own life. I know from experience that as you continue to do that, you will begin to create more opportunities in the here and now, build more successful habits into your day-to-day life that bring you what you desire, and really begin to make your dreams a reality. So be here now and let your sweet dreams be here with you, too:

LOVE,

Lindsay

Give Yourself To Love

"You must give yourself to love, if love is what you're after. Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter, and give yourself to love, give yourself to love." -Kate Wolf (American folk singer)

Good morning. :) Short post today but I just want to encourage you to bring your attention to giving yourself to LOVE. What does that look like for you today? For me, it means starting my day with some LOVE-filled self care habits before work:

• Healthy breakfast consisting of oat bran, apple, soy milk, coffee, half-n-half and Splenda (one day the packets will be phased out, but not yet)
• Stretching (it's my day off after 4 intenSati workouts in 3 days but I still stretch out and do some yoga poses, crunches)
• Water (2 full glasses)
• Enjoying my new, amazing skin care products someone bought me from FRESH.

Then, it's being present at my office job and putting positive attention on what is going well, what feels fulfilling, doing my job to the best of my ability, and just allowing myself to be of service. If I catch myself complaining, I will do my best to shift my thinking into the mind/heart set of love.

After work, it's off to Valentine's Day dinner with my family at Steak Frites in Union Square. I've never been to this restaurant but it looks good!!

Are you open to a day of loving actions? See what you can do for yourself and for others today that comes from a loving place inside of you.

Annnnnnnd, since it is Valentine's Day, be open to any emotions that surprise you like the center of a Godiva truffle after that first bite (assuming you didn't check the truffle key in the box, which I don't like to do, btw). If your love deepens for your beloved and loved ones, go with it! If you feel more Scrooge than Cupid, go with that, too. If your heart feels the longing for someone you miss, ease into that feeling. Your feelings will pass and there is always the option to shift them by changing where you place your focus. Just don't do something self sabotaging or destructive to escape the feeling! You know what I'm talking about. If nobody gives you Godivas, don't piss yourself off even more by buying them (or some cheaper version wrapped in red cellophane from Duane Reade) with the intention of clearing the box before sunset. Don't do the damage. You deserve better, the BEST -- you are beautiful and you are LOVE, so don't forget that today! Got it? Good. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Lindsay

Soul Mates and Home Plate

Good morning. I'm back. :)

I can't say that this will be a daily thing or necessarily in the morning, but I am posting again and it will be Lindspirational. I've missed you and this exchange! Plus, I think I got everything I needed out of the time away from writing (more on that later) and am ready to write again. Let's get down to it...

Valentine's Day is on Monday and I am single (not to mention V-Day dateless) at the time of this post. I've got some feelings about that but mainly I would like to weigh in on a few thoughts I am having about relationships and love.

I believe in Soul Mates. I believe there is one person out there inside of which is the soul that is meant to be with its mate for the duration of their shared time on earth. Maybe it even lasts into eternity (the "after party" to the life on earth celebration).

I believe we each possess a distinct ability to receive and tend to the soul of our mate, so much so that when life seems to get in the way, we figure out a way around and through "obstacles". Such is the powerful draw of two Soul Mates to each other. So, there are never excuses when you meet and fall in love with your Soul Mate. Even if you're in NY and he's overseas in China or something, if there's a significant age difference, income gap, or traits that at first seem like a Clash of the Titans, you'll figure it out. Why? Because Soul Mates have a yearning and magnetism that can't be denied.

I believe any relationship that isn't the one is meant to be surrendered, with gratitude and deep love for the experience. I recently did this with someone I was with -- I mean very recently, as in like less than 24 hours ago recently -- and it was painful but ultimately I know I made the right choice. The most simple metaphor I can come up with is a baseball one. Imagine a catcher (that's you) trying to catch a baseball (that's your Soul Mate relationship) from the Universe (that's the pitcher! Love it.) but you already have a baseball in your glove.

No can catchy!

Notice that as the catcher you are also calling the pitch. Fast ball. Change up. Screw ball (ha ha). There you are on home plate -- your home base, your center -- and you call it out to the pitcher who sends it over with the expectation that it will be caught. After all, you asked for it! It reminds me of the affirmation in my intenSati series this month "I get what I expect and I expect the best." (It also reminds me of the affirmation I practiced in Natalia's class "I call the shots!") What are you calling in? What "pitch" are you asking the Universe "to throw" you in the area of relationships?

From baseball to Buddhism, I want to share a beautiful segment of the Buddhist service "Charge of Compassion" for you because I am using it as part of my intenSati series this month as a means to receiving and allowing the Soul Mate relationship I desire. As you read the words, can you imagine moving to them, dancing to them and speaking the poetry with ease in seamless flow? What about just sitting present and looking into the eyes of your beloved while you say these words. Imagine and feel it now. So gorgeous. Watching my students and practicing these affirmations with them fills my heart and I know it is opening up all our hearts to receive the Soul Mates we seek or deepen the love with the Soul Mate we've already found:

In perfect freedom

in perfect trust

in perfect joy

and perfect love

in the endless circle of compassion

in gratitude

we meet.

Do you believe in Soul Mates? How are you caring for your own soul today? What are you doing to remain open to receiving the Soul Mate relationship, that perfect pitch, you deeply desire?

I would love to hear your thoughts and encourage you to comment here so we can have a conversation. If you'd rather be anonymous, feel free to just email me at lindspiration@gmail.com.

Best,

Lindsay