On this theme of remembering (Elissa here) ... Remember your beauty. Remember your brilliance. Remember your importance. Remember your light. Remember that only you can do what you do ... and that the world is perfect because of it. Thanks to the daily note from The Universe to help bring this all home:
"Some people just have big hearts. And with this gift they're very often able to feel, offer, and show far more love than they receive from those around them. Which, at times, is a heavy load to bear. So today I'd like to remind them, and especially you, that the sun asks not that the moon and planets help brighten each day, but relishes her role as a keeper of the light and a bringer of the dawn. A role much like your own." Daaaang. Let that light shine, people.

Hello Evolutionistas!

Elissa here ... Last night, Gretchen and I had a great meeting with a fun, new friend named Dana. (keep an eye out for her on this site ... you'll definitely be seeing more of her!)

Over our respective cocktails and gorgonzola/pear pizzas, we shared tales of travel, thoughts on the self and our respective opinions on the idea of Aliveness. And for me, I shared how, lately, this feeling of Aliveness has been seriously escaping me as I've traveled through my everyday life.

I shared how I've been feeling -- even in the midst of a brand new year and new intentions -- in a big, deep, frustrated-at-the-world rut. How I have recently gotten so into the grind and focused on the weeds and addicted to "working hard" that even I have seemed to miss out on the bigger picture, the e>vness of life, the essence of ALIVENESS.

And I was reminded again of how this ... all of life ... is a journey that ebbs and flows, starts and stops. And I was reminded again that the entire world is a projection of myself. And, I was reminded of how feeling alive -- when you're out of practice -- doesn't just come 'naturally' all the time. And I was reminded that I might actually need to REMEMBER to stay connected to my Aliveness...

And so, to you, to the world, to the universe, I make a declaration ... a New Year's Reclamation (as Gretchen calls it) to re-own my freedom, to reclaim my possibilities, to remember my purpose. So:

Today, I choose Aliveness. Today, I choose to feel good. Today, I choose to be brave. Today, I choose to let go. Today, I choose to be free. Like a parachute cord, Aliveness is always there, just waiting for me to grab it and pull. A reliable, never-lets-you-down, old friend...Aliveness is just waiting for me to grab its hand and fly through life, leaving my stories and excuses behind, trusting that I'm going to land in the right place, more exhilarated and empowered than ever. No matter where I am today, no matter what comes my way, I choose ALIVENESS.

(and how have you been feeling lately?)

"(Your life) is about realization, not about changing anything. The world is as you perceive it to be. For me, clarity is a word for beauty. It's what I am. And when I'm clear, I see only beauty. Nothing else is possible. I am mind perceiving my thoughts, and everything unfolds from that, as if it were a new solar system pouring itself out in its delight. If I'm not clear, then I'm going to project all my craziness out onto the world, as the world, and I'll perceive a crazy world and think that it is the problem. We've been working on the projected image for thousands of years and not on the projector. That's why life seems to be chaotic ... But when you meet your thoughts with understanding, the world changes. It has to change, because the projector of the entire world is you. You're it!" -Byron Katie, Loving What Is

Thanks to e>volutionista Molly G. for sharing her notes from the road:

I was surprised on my trip to Europe this summer when some of my "baggage" starting popping up. I honestly wasn't expecting it to--even though the e>v guide had warned me that it might. What was great was that I felt prepared to handle it. I paid attention to what was going on around me and internally and had a greater understanding as to what was causing it to show up. I challenged myself by asking if I needed it.  When I decided that I didn't, I sent that extra baggage packing!  It was a daily exercise, but at least I had an action plan in place to handle it.
 
The prep section of the e>v guide was also helpful in that it helped me set the tone I wanted for my vacation. It got me thinking in advance about things I wanted to notice, energy I wanted to tap into, how I wanted to "be", and what I wanted to gain. I still think about a moment I had on the trip when I told myself, "You have to remember this when you are back home and settled into your routine!"  And it worked. I think about that moment every day and invite it to influence my thoughts and behaviors now that I am home. I am consciously choosing to allow that moment to affect my future and that's a powerful feeling.


How has e>v shown up in your travels?  What have you done differently as a result?  Step on in to the conversation and share your adventures in a comment or, if you'd like to be a guest poster as Molly was, shoot us your story: info@evolutionthroughvacation.com and see your evolution in print!

Intern Tina on the Road: Part 3 of 9

So many people out there have distinct personalities. They are either passive or aggressive, creative or analytical, shy or outgoing. I find that I can be all of those listed adjectives at the same time. Well not at the same time, but that my personality can be the extremes of things. I can be either extremely passive or extremely aggressive. The same goes for the other adjectives. So I can’t really find a happy medium. Wrap this all around my other trait that I am a people pleaser and it is a recipe for me being walked all over or me taking charge. Except when “Avoid Confrontation Tina” is around it can be bad news. So how do I confront all of these “shadows”? Well one step at a time. Whichever wants to show up first.

Today: passiveness.

Say Hello to passiveness. One would think that I would be able to take the aggressive side of me to dilute the passiveness. But then that would make life easy.  

On the plane, a man was sitting in my seat. The coveted window seat. I sat in the seat next to him. This seat was not comfortable. How do I tell the man that he is in my seat? I literally go over this in my mind for 5 minutes. Old me would have sat in the uncomfortable seat that was not mine because I would be paranoid that confrontation would erupt. I have to do it or I’m stuck in discomfort for 4 hours. I told him that I thought he was in my seat and even went a step further and showed him my ticket. He was very nice about it and moved into his seat. Yes, I was still passive, but success! Baby steps. I see that the upside of alls of this is that I am not always passive. Aggressive Tina hangs out too. So instead of only being one adjective, I can be somewhat flexible in different situations.

Passiveness is sticking around though. My next fear is driving in LA traffic. I am praying that I won’t have to.

In my inbox this morning was the answer .... As always, it's really quite simple. On the road, in life, from the universe ....

"Too often, the only difference between HAVE and HAVE NOT depends on whether or not the initial request was followed by a thank you, yee-haa, and action, rather than a question mark, timidity, and TV. Don't ask. Give thanks. Bust a move." - The Universe

(Want to receive cool notes from the Universe? Check out one of our favorite sites: tut.com)

Hey all ... Elissa here!

Check out chapter 9 from Hugh MacLeod's upcoming book "Ignore Everybody: How To Be Creative" ... (Click through to read the first 12 chapters -- the one below being one of our favorites...) Check it out!

9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

You may never reach the summit; for that you will be forgiven. But if you don't make at least one serious attempt to get above the snow-line, years later you will find yourself lying on your deathbed, and all you will feel is emptiness.

This metaphorical Mount Everest doesn't have to manifest itself as "Art". For some people, yes, it might be a novel or a painting. But Art is just one path up the mountain, one of many. With others the path may be something more prosaic. Making a million dollars, raising a family, owning the most Burger King franchises in the Tri-State area, building some crazy oversized model airplane, the list has no end.

Whatever. Let's talk about you now. Your mountain. Your private Mount Everest. Yes, that one. Exactly.

Let's say you never climb it. Do you have a problem witb that? Can you just say to yourself, "Never mind, I never really wanted it anyway" and take up stamp collecting instead?

Well, you could try. But I wouldn't believe you. I think it's not OK for you never to try to climb it. And I think you agree with me. Otherwise you wouldn't have read this far.

So it looks like you're going to have to climb the frickin' mountain. Deal with it.

My advice? You don't need my advice. You really don't. The biggest piece of advice I could give anyone would be this:

"Admit that your own private Mount Everest exists. That is half the battle."

And you've already done that. You really have. Otherwise, again, you wouldn't have read this far.

Rock on.

Hey all! Elissa here. And I just got this email the other day from one of my favorite sites around these parts: TUTs Adventurers Club -- which offers these handy-dandy, super-cool daily notes from the Universe. Always, they're kookily right on and oh-so fun. (And very poignant.)

This one, especially, moved me into a space of intention for the new year. And I wanted to share. Insert your name in the blank ... how does it make you feel?!

When in doubt, Elissa, show up early. Think less. Feel more. Ask once. Give thanks often. Expect the best. Appreciate everything. Never give up. Make it fun. Lead. Invent. Regroup. Wink. Chill. Smile. And live as if your success was inevitable, and so it shall be.

Happy global domination,
The Universe

p.s.  Especially wink, chill, smile, Elissa!

Goosebumps, excitement, anticipation and toes-on-the-starting-block feelings over here! Let's go!

Hey all!  Gretchen here.

I've been thinking a lot about the spirit and momentum that has sparked the hopes and imaginations of so many in this country.  As Barack Obama is set to take office, I wonder what will come of that spirit and momentum.

Certainly, Barack Obama's intelligence and eloquence have sparked this shift.  More than this, though, is his belief in us.  He reminds us that we all matter.  We all have a role to play in moving our country away from the fear and disillusionment of the past 8 years and toward a future that reflects our goodness as a people. It is my great hope that people will embrace this vision, not just in theory but in practice as well. 

We are all a necessary part of this change and we are all accountable for the results.

This brings to mind a piece I read a couple of months ago in Ode magazine (it's true: I adore this magazine).  Frances Moore Lappe contends that we don't need more compassion and cooperation (we've got lots of both hardwired into us).  What we need is courage.  In 'cultivating gutsiness', we put actions behind our best intentions and make them real.

There's a great new video out there with celebrities offering up all kinds of gutsy pledges for what they will do in the upcoming days, months, and years--from smiling more to using less plastic to pledging allegiance to the funk (thank you Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)--to bring about a better country and world.

How gutsy are you?  How will you cultivate your courage?

And, what's your pledge? 

Let's face it – New year's resolutions have become almost farce for many folks: weight loss, quitting a vice, becoming fit, money management, or whatever. We set the same resolutions year after year. And yet, only about 1 in 10 people actually realize their resolutions. What's the deal here? What's up with our lack of resolution resolve?

Resolutions tend to focus on lack or what we don't have AND don't want. So, the energy behind resolutions actually brings us closer to what we don't want. Let's resolve to be done with that. Let's kill resolutions and get on with making real changes and pro-you choices. Here are a couple of ideas to flip old resolutions on their ears and set intentions that will usher in a year filled with more of what you want...

If you're pondering a perennial (or new) aspiration, bottom line it. What's your bottom line here? What is the aspiration actually about? Take weight loss for instance. What will it give you? Energy, confidence, the ability to do all of those things on your bucket list (you know – all those things you want to do before you kick the bucket)? We don't know about you, but 'vitality' speaks to us in a very different way than the numbers on the bathroom scale. Link your aspirations to what's important to you and you'll discover a much deeper motivation.

What if you kept it simple? Pick your word to live by in 2009. Might it be curiosity, love, joy, fun, daring? Whatever it is, let it be your guiding force and the informer of all your choices and creations this year.

What if you intended to be more of what you already are? New age-y psychobabble ring to it aside, give this thought a few moments of consideration. Desire less stress? What if that's your playful, lighthearted spirit wanting more time center stage? So, what if you went ahead and chose to be more YOU?

Who will you be in 2009? Share it with us – with the world – here!