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?