Thursday Thoughts: Be Kind

Who's excited to see the new Cinderella movie debuting tomorrow nationwide?? My favorite message from the previews is the emphasis on being kind, because we can never have too much kindness in this world. While working with some awesome brides this year, I have realized how easy it is to be kind. By taking the time to make sure they are happy, I walk away even happier knowing I made a difference in their wedding planning experience. Hearing one bride say I was her favorite wedding vendor just made my heart burst!

Think about the last time that someone's kindness just made your day. Something so simple can mean so much. Holding the door, letting you go ahead of you in line, a smile of mutual appreciation. It doesn't take much to show compassion and kindness.

I love this quote from the Cinderella previews (and I can't wait to see how the message is incorporated in the movie!).

So as you go about your day, remember to be kind. Spread magic. And help make dreams come true.

Adventure Club Members: expect a special link being delivered to your inbox tomorrow to gain access to the Members Only Clubhouse, where you can download this glittery lucky charm art print!

If you haven't already signed up for the Adventure Club, click here to gain access to the Members Only Clubhouse!

Thursday Thoughts: Walt Disney on Cinderella pursuing her dreams

Wouldn't it be nice if dreams were handed to you on a silver platter? Not even Cinderella, a bonafide Disney princess, was handed her dream come true. She had to persevere against all odds and make herself known. Walt Disney defended Cinderella, who is often criticized for her unrealistic lifestyle, with this quote:

What is stopping you from making your dream come true?

Fear of failure, fear of success, busy schedules, prioritizing the wrong things, thinking "tomorrow will be the day", being too old, or too young, not having the right skills or equipment. The possibilities are endless, if you make it that way.

Have you stopped to think about why you haven't made your dreams come true? If you want something, truly deeply in your heart, you will find a way to make it happen.

Keep chasing those dreams friends.

Thursday Thoughts: On Keeping the Faith

With the release of the new live-action movie just a few weeks away, we'll be taking a look at inspiration from Disney's Cinderella. Disney movies may seem like cupcakes and pixie dust, but they also share great messages for generations of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Being a business owners takes a lot of faith. You hear about the wildly successful people who had a great idea and now they are able to share it with the world. That is the dream that many of us have. But you rarely hear from the dreamers in the "hard work" phase.

That is because we all have our noses to the ground, knee-deep in strategy, product development, grass-roots marketing and client communication. It takes a lot of faith to get through this phase with little to show for the endless hours you put in.

I think it's important to talk about the hard work it does take to make your dreams a reality. Life isn't all fairytales and happily ever afters. I love how Disney shows examples of people working hard, like Cinderella, Tiana, and Snow White, because that is a reality for most people today.

One of my favorite scenes from Cinderella is when she is washing the floor and the bubbles fly away like clouds in the sky. She worked hard, with no promise of a reward, but kept a great attitude by dreaming about a better life. As Cinderella says,

They can't order me to stop dreaming.

Dreaming is just the first step. Believing in yourself, and keeping the faith in your ideas (sometimes with little reward) is the reality for most of us. One thing I know for sure, my dreams certainly won't come true unless I work for them.

But we can all dream that someday, our rainbows will come smiling through.

Thursday Thought: On Curiosity Moving Us Forward

Do you ever feel like your brain is exploding? Like, the ideas are flowing so quickly, if you don't jot them down quickly, they will float away into thin air like a wisp? I have a book full of those ideas. Several books, really. The problem is I need a map.

Is anyone else afraid to commit to a plan for fear that it will inhibit their creativity? Guilty.

I can't even write out my blogging or creative schedule in ink. I have to use pencil.

Because what if an amazing idea strikes me that day and I feel compelled to create it? What if a custom order comes in that I want to get started on right away?

What if. What if. What if. The more I give myself permission to not make a plan, the more I am cheating myself from making my dreams a reality. This crazy curiosity that creative individuals possess is both a blessing and a curse.

One excuse that we can't avoid sometimes is money flow. I am drooling over the free course overview videos for Marie Forleo's B-School. I have been following her weekly free videos for a year now since I first heard about B-School around this time last year. The promise of structure and an organized road map to follow for your business, along with the community of fellow B-Schoolers, is exactly what I need right now. I've made a mental goal to earn enough in 2015 and develop enough product offerings to make the investment in B-School in 2016 a no-brainer decision.

In the meantime, I'm trying to be transparent with myself by physically writing out next steps and following a daily schedule in my planner to stay on track. And when life inevitably happens, not being too hard on myself, pulling out the eraser, and creating a new plan. No steps backward happening around here.

Put that curiosity to good work, keep moving forward!

P.S. This image is from Mickey & The Magical Map, in which Mickey becomes a little too curious with the Magical Map, and adventure unfolds! I love this new(ish) Disneyland show, highly recommend it to anyone visiting the park!

Thursday Thoughts: On what Disney taught me about love

My Disney childhood wasn't filled with princesses and love stories. It was full of adventures, crazy dances and singing my heart out. The Disney Princess culture gets criticized for it's unrealistic expectations on love and happily ever afters (although Disney is getting better with more recent stories like Frozen). I'm here to tell you how the world of a young girl doesn't have to be all about princesses.

What I remember from watching Disney movies as a child (pretty much the only movies we watched) had very little with finding my true love. I never dreamed about which Disney princess I wanted to be or which prince I wanted to marry. My memories include:

• Shooting a bow & arrow then rocking out in the forest with Robin Hood
• Doing the hula with Timon & Pumbaa
• Singing along to April Showers in our best high pitched voices
• Dreaming about the perfect library and great adventures with Belle
• Floating down a river with Mowgli and Balo
• Dressing up as Meeko for Halloween (and catching my brother singing along to Colors of the Wind in the theater... he'll never live that one down!)

So what did Disney teach me about love?

Well, I found out how powerful the love of a parent can be from Bambi. And The Lion King. Cinderella and Snow White taught me how much joy you can find from the love of animals. Winnie the Pooh taught me that sometimes it can be really hard to love someone, like when they make a mistake. But we learn to love their differences because we know how much they care about us.

From The Princess & the Frog, I realized that love will find you when you stop searching for it. Which is exactly how I met my husband. He is my adventure partner, the Wall-e to my EVE, and he makes my world brighter by how much he supports my ideas and passions (ahem Disney).

Yesterday was his birthday, and my sister and I had so much fun celebrating the amazing person that he is. And that's what I think love should be about.

Two people who think each other are amazing, who love to have their own kind of adventures together.

Even especially if that means watching Disney movies on a Saturday night.