Happy National Dance Day
Isn’t dance amazing?!
There is something magical about the combination of music with movement that gets into your soul and takes you on a magical journey.
People all over the world of every color, race and gender share a common love of dance as a way to communicate a story, express an emotion and bring a community of people together in celebration, joy and purpose.
Dance truly is a universal language.
It is no surprise that shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars” are such wild successes. They are “feel-good” bits of entertainment that leave us uplifted and inspired.
And how can we speak about dance without mentioning the amazing Ellen DeGeneres who LOVES to dance and appreciates it so immensely. She is one of the dance communities greatest supporters.
As a proud mom to three amazing little competitive dancers I have seen first hand the dedication, focus and commitment young dancers put into their craft. And as someone who isn’t exactly the most coordinated girl in the world, I have a deep appreciation for what goes into creating a piece of dance.
I am in awe of how immersed the choreographers become in the routine and how they create and then convey it, teach it, fine-tune it and shape it, along with the dancers, to its final beautiful story.
After a year of watching our little flash mob dance video travel around the world and seeing all the inspiration it has provided people…I am left humbled, inspired and, once again, amazed at the power of dance to unite and connect people soul to soul.
So on this magnificent day, National Dance Day, I celebrate the gift of this fabulous art form with the launch of a mission to collect INSPIRING stories of how dance influences our lives.
We will be collecting stories from dancers of all ages and disciplines-boy and girls, men and women-from choreographers, judges, studio owners, teachers, and people whose lives have been impacted by watching dance.
I invite you to watch this video then visit our Facebook FanPage for more details on how to submit your story.
Share your goosebumply, inspiring, uplifting story about why you “Believe Dance is Amazing” and be part of our unfolding collection of amazing dance stories. Please pass this along to anyone you know who has an inspiring dance story. Submit by email by September 30, 2011 to IBelieveDanceIsAmazing@gmail.com
Enjoy your day and try to carve out a few minutes to dance…it feeds the soul.
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Never stop believing one person can make a difference…that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Founder of the global grassroots movement, “I Believe She’s Amazing”
Overcoming Dream-Stealers with your WHY!
Naysayers! Pessimists! Limit-lookers!
They are all around us. Many are close to us.
When you dream of change…they squash your dreams and try to CHANGE you back to NOT dreaming. To accepting the status quo. To thinking with limitations to what you are able to be, do or have.
We can still LOVE them without allowing our dreams to be stolen by them.
But you have to know your “WHY!”
Know your WHY
You have to be solid in knowing WHY your dream is so important to you that you won’t allow it to be stolen, squashed, or pushed way out of sight. Not only do you have to know your WHY, you have to keep it in front of you (beside you, on you, with you) at all times so that your why gets you past the dream-stealers influence.
Think about your answers to these questions:
Why is your dream important to you?
What are you no longer willing to accept for yourself?
How will your dream coming true change your life?
How will you FEEL when your dream comes true?
Your answers to these questions will help you write your WHY.
I have a picture of my WHY laminated on a small cue-card sized paper. In fact I have a few of them scattered about my life. I have one in my car, one in my purse, one at my bedside, one in my bathroom and one in my kitchen.
On the back I have 5 powerful affirmations that I chant every day (all throughout my day).
When someone doubts my dreams, questions my motivation, laughs at my ideas, or suggests I quit…I refer back to my WHY and I am not deterred.
What is my WHY?
It’s my 3 little girls. It’s knowing what my efforts will do to make their lives…our lives better! It’s knowing that they learn by example and leading the way with passion and excitement and without fear of trying to new things.
My WHY gets me up early, keeps me inspired when that little voice of fear tries to talk me out of doing things-making calls and ASKING questions, and my WHY keeps me motivated to keep going.
There is way too much in this amazing world of ours that I dream of doing, being and experiencing for me to sit back and WAIT for it to happen, or worse, to watch life pass me by and only “imagine” what it could have been like.
And the coolest part of the whole experience of pursuing a dream is that the “journey” on the way to fulfilling it is SO very exciting! The anticipation, the planning, the calling and asking and sharing and imagining what it will all be like keeps me so motivated that before I know it…I will be there!!! I have already achieved many dreams…with others I am almost there. Every step closer, I am more enthused, more excited…my heart beats faster…I LOVE the feeling! I LOVE the journey!
So, go and dream. Dust off your dreams. Fuel your dreams with your WHY. Cultivate and work your dream – a little bit – everyday. Politely tune-out the dream-stealers, the naysayers and the limit-lookers (they mean well, but they don’t know what YOU are made of, they don’t know your WHY).
Before you know it…you will be living your dream. Enjoy the journey!!!
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Never stop believing one person can make a difference… that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Founder, I Believe She’s Amazing grassroots movement
Ask for what you want
How do you get what you want?
You ask for it.
Sounds simple I know, but it can be far more difficult than I am making it sound to open your mouth and ASK. But why? Why is that we get nervous, scared and intimidated when we think about asking for what we want?
Little kids have mastered the art of asking and no amount of rejection or “No’s” can sway their conviction to ask (repeatedly) until they get what they are asking for.
Rejection…that’s the key to this whole thing. We are afraid of rejection. So afraid that we would rather live WITHOUT the things we desire…even when the only thing standing between you and what you desire is ASKING.
Challenge yourself to reconsider this unfounded fear of asking.
What’s the worst thing that will happen to you? The person you’re asking will say NO.
And then what?
Your life will remain exactly the same…nothing will change.
Well you’re used to that – whatever it is you’re living…right?!
BUT, what if you ask and the response is YES?
Your circumstances will change…for the BETTER! You’ll have reason to celebrate…to jump for joy…to IMPROVE your life!
So that’s one of two outcomes: stay the same (still doesn’t hurt-you’re used to the same)…or change for the better (would feel really great).
Don’t let two little letters “N”-”O” stand between you and your dreams.
What have you got to lose? NOTHING!
Then go ahead ASK-and watch your life change!
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Never stop believing one person can make a difference… that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Founder, I Believe She’s Amazing global grassroots movement
It’s Okay to Cry
Have you ever held in your emotions, your feelings of being overwhelmed or sad?
I am sure we all have.
Life gets so busy that we sometimes forget to take time to “feel” it, so we stuff our emotions down deep and bottle them up inside. But just like a jar that is full of rising pastry, we cannot keep our emotions contained forever (nor should we).
Last Friday as I drove home from work, behind my dark sunglasses, behind the wheel of my car, I wailed and sobbed (mind you, this is not a recommendation for driving while experiencing a meltdown-just a fact from my Friday).
It was the sound of my brother’s voice when he called my cell phone, just cause he was thinking about me and wanted to see how I was, that the floodgates of emotion were unleashed, and all the things I had been stuffing down for a whole week, came tumbling out in a big old cry-fest.
It was an accumulation of feelings I had dealt with while wearing a brave face, but feeling sad inside. Getting home from work later than I wanted to after a 90 minute commute (each way)…to little girls who needed their mommy sooner than I could arrive (mommy-guilt at its best)…to missing conversations with my husband that extended beyond planning afterschool lessons and what’s for dinner…to dealing with new medication for my daughter’s health condition that added an extra hour of treatment to her day and having to share the news with her (a very busy and independent 12-year-old who doesn’t want to take the time out of her schedule to have to sit and inhale antibiotics for half an hour at a time)…to feeling like there just isn’t enough time in the day or enough of me to go around (don’t I sound just so upbeat right about now?).
But that’s the truth. That’s what had led to my meltdown and all it took to trigger it, was the sound of my brother’s voice asking me how I was.
Perhaps it’s because I hadn’t given myself permission to ask how I was. (Mixed in with a bit of fatigue). Despite how it reads (I just reread what I rambled off above) it really wasn’t that bad, but it had been sitting in that jar, rising up inside, like that pastry.
Last week when I told my daughter she had to go back on medication for a month, she did what children do, she FELT her emotions. She cried and screamed in frustration and sadness. I held her and comforted her and repeatedly told her, “It’s OKAY to cry. Let it out.” And at midnight, after about 75 minutes of doing just that…crying…she contained herself, without any prodding from me. She fell into my arms and started to talk to me about dance and all the things she loves. She was composed and happy and dreaming, once again, of the long list of things she plans to accomplish. She had purged her emotions, come to terms with what she had to do, and she was moving on.
My “cry ride” home was my purging. And funny enough, just like Madison, after crying for about an hour while my brother just repeated, “Let it out sweetheart, let it all out,” I felt so much better. I felt renewed. And just crying it out seemed to put it all in perspective, it really wasn’t so bad after all. I have the best husband and children, a wonderful life, a fabulous job, so much love and I am on an amazing journey of realizing so many dreams coming true.
Life really is good.
And crying really is soulful. It’s therapeutic. It’s the body’s way of offering you a much-needed release and preventing dis-ease from setting in. So let yourself cry. Allow yourself to FEEL your emotions…they are normal and one of the gifts of being human. I don’t advise getting stuck in negative emotions for too long, but give yourself permission to FEEL your sadness or frustration, it can help you to move through them to a better place.
Don’t be a bottled up rising pastry.
Remember it’s okay to cry…it only means you’re human.
Thank you for being a part of this journey. Never stop believing one person can make a difference… that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Founder, I Believe She’s Amazing
Hatching Dreams
I have dreams.
I have BIG dreams.
I have LOTS of BIG dreams.
All of those dreams take time to hatch.
Like a mother hen, I must sit on them, keep them warm, tend to them, and, in time, they will hatch…some sooner than others (just like little chicks) but they will all hatch. 
Your dreams will hatch too with attention and dedication.
I watch my oldest daughter reaching for her amazing dreams in dance.
Maddie's Scorpion - fulfilling just one of many dance dreams
She takes the time every day to cultivate her dreams…she stretches, jumps, turns and tries new things. She has already realized many of her dreams (and she’s only 12), she will most certainly see many more dreams come true. She has taught me so much about “life” and “dreams” and working toward “life dreams.”
The process of watching a dream hatch is a beautiful thing. My flash mob video is so close to my dream of 1,000,000 views. It is incredibly exciting to me that this little dream that started with the inspiration and friendship of one person (our dear Erika Heller), and an idea I worked on from my kitchen table, has now reached over 880,000 people around the world.
So here I am to recommit to one more of my dreams hatching – and that is this blog that I have neglected for too long.
I’m back…and I’m hatching dreams.
What dreams have you abandoned that you could revisit and commit to hatching?
Let’s hatch together shall we…me and you…in pursuit of our dreams.
Never stop believing one person can make a difference… that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Founder, I Believe She’s Amazing
International Women’s Day 2011 – I Believe She’s Amazing
As we celebrate the centennial of International Women’s Day we are given the incredible opportunity to stop and reflect on the numerous accomplishments and progress that has been made for girls and women in the past 100 years…and to acknowledge the challenges that still lay ahead.
While we are able to vote (in North America), leave an abusive relationship, get a job, wear what we choose, receive an education and speak our mind…there are women around the world who, shockingly, still do not have the rights we do. And so we must speak for them…because we can.
As “soul sisters” of an amazing global tribe of courageous, resilient, inspiring girls and women we tell the stories of the young girls who are not allowed to go to school simply because they are girls….the young women who are forbidden to speak to any man other than her husband for fear she will be killed…the young girls who must endure gang rape in the heart of the Congo…the young girls who must undergo the brutal practice of female genital mutilation. As shocking as it is to believe, and as difficult as it is to think of, we speak about these atrocities to create awareness. We speak about it to help bring an end to it…and we believe.
We believe in change…we believe that one day equality will be a God-given right for every human being.
I recently asked an amazing group of young girls to write down what they believe in and here are just a few responses.
Beyond their bright hopeful and innocent selection of words, I watched a group of girls rally around with utter excitement to share their “believe” word. They paid careful attention to the words they chose…words that included: courage, equality, friendship, love, smiles, believing and soul, among others. They supported each other with encouragement, laughter, strength and security-standing beside one another in front of the camera. This exercise was a statement of the very thing that makes me believe that there will be much more to celebrate in the years ahead…I believe in unity! These girls, all different ages, worked together with thoughtfulness, consideration and creativity to express themselves and help one another.
I recently read a fabulous blog by Kari Henley in the Huffington Post about International Women’s Day which included an invitation to “reach out to the oldest woman you know.” To give her a call, to hear how the world has changed for the better from her, and to thank her for playing a part in where we stand today, “On the shoulders of our great grandmother’s.”
I would add, after the experiment I witnessed, that we also take a moment to reach out to all the amazing young girls in our lives on whose beliefs our future rests. Educate them about the progress we’ve made and make them aware of how lucky they are to have a world of opportunities ahead of them. Remind them of the challenges that remain for countless girls and women in different parts of the world. Encourage them to believe they can use their voice and their freedom to achieve true equality…and to create change.
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day I ask you to acknowledge all the amazing girls and women who live in your heart and soul and who inspire you through their friendship, in the most meaningful ways. I encourage you to reach out to them and share this video, with a simple expression of gratitude that says, just as my dear friend Erika taught me, “I just want you to know I think you’re amazing…”
While not all of us are able to travel to the far reaches of the world to hold the hand of a woman or child who has survived unimagined adversity…we can use our voice to praise each other…to remind each other of the powerful truth that we believe in them…and we can “pay it forward” so that girls and women around the world become part of the inspiring ripple effect of love and all the “good” that comes from that!
I believe one person can make a difference in the world…that one person is YOU!
Happy International Women’s Day!!! Let me know what your “Believe” word is by posting it below and sharing your voice.
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend and Founder of the Global Grassroots Movement, “I Believe She’s Amazing”
Visit our site to learn about Erika, the inspiring woman behind this movement
83rd Academy Awards – Oscar Winning Perfomance
I just finished watching the 83rd Academy Awards. I have loved Oscar night since childhood. The glamour, the celebrities, the entertaining films and the notion that, for many actors, their lifetime dreams become a reality in a single moment of time-all blend together to create a spectacular spirit of awe and wonder that draws an audience of over a billion people around the world.
But what is it that reels us in?
Is it the stories told through different perspectives that help us to escape, to see ourselves, to make us cry and laugh, to stir our soul?
Is it the characters at the heart of every award-winning performance who remind us of the qualities of humanity we all share?
This years’ best picture nominees were character driven films that help us see ourselves. Whether its Black Swan, The Fighter, The Social Network, The Kids Are All Right or 127 Hours these films are based on people, real or imagined, in whom we see the struggles and triumphs of being human.
Perhaps no movie this year better demonstrates the vulnerabilities that plague us, the doubt we sometimes feel about our destiny and purpose in life, and the unwavering ability we all possess to overcome any adversity life throws our way when we believe in the power of our voice, than the award-winning King’s Speech, played to perfection by Colin Firth.
Oscar night reminds me we are all living lives rich with feeling and emotion that deliver real-life steep character arcs, that in the end form the basis for all film. We are, all at once, the lead actor, screenwriter, director and producer of our own stories. It is these stories we are writing every day, in every corner of the world, that create our own award-winning moments in life.
While we don’t receive statues for embodying our characters with passion and conviction, delivered to us on a stage, broadcast to a billion people, we must remember to celebrate our own quiet victories for the starring role we play. Think for a moment who you would thank in your acceptance speech…who helped you become the person you are, who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself and take the time to thank those people today.
No matter what stage we are standing on at any given moment, who we are, or what our occupation is, we have the ability to make a difference in the world…never forget that.
With love and gratitude,
Kim
Inspired friend xo
Founder of the global grassroots movement “I Believe She’s Amazing”
Watch the video and join the movement
The Amazing Race
When the idea for the “I Believe She’s Amazing” movement first started, it felt like an Amazing Race against time. I was infused with a sense of urgency to create and launch something while Erika was still alive so that she could see it. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Despite the sadness of our loss, what has unfolded has been more incredible than I could have imagined. It has become a daily reminder that one person can make a difference (even after they are gone), and a constant source of inspiration to me.
It all began with the simple desire to celebrate the life of our amazing friend, Erika Heller, by creating a video that would make people “feel” a little piece of how she made us feel and to share that video-that feeling-with as many people around the world as we could reach.
Every evening when I come home I check my video stats and email and I find myself covered in smiles, goosebumps and tears.
The words and stories people share with me, reach down into my heart and touch my soul. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me. I promise to get back to each one of you, if I haven’t yet, I apologize, I receive hundreds of emails daily and I am working through every one of them- so keep them coming!
I am deeply grateful to have been blessed by the friendship with Erika, a true soul-sister to my daughters and I, who changed our lives forever.
As we near the close of month 9 of this journey, I have come to realize that this was never meant to be an AMAZING RACE at all, it is instead, the AMAZING JOURNEY. Journey’s are filled with magic, discovery, inspiration and a whole lot of self discovery. Unlike a RACE that has a winner and an ending, a journey continues on, it has its own flow. I’m grateful you are part of this AMAZING JOURNEY!
Never stop believing one person can make a difference…that one person is YOU!
With love and gratitude,
Kim xo
Inspired friend
Jacob Clothing – Models Exposed
One of the best things about being a woman is, for many, shopping for clothes.
One of the worst things about being a woman, is arguably, shopping for clothes.
It is certainly far from revolutionary to say that images in the media are so air-brushed and touched up that women looking for a new wardrobe may be left feeling less than beautiful, “normal,” or “fit” compared to the ads we see.
I grew up modeling and know the world of photo-shopping well – it’s been done on my own pictures to make my skin appear less freckly, my eyes more green. I have never been able to duplicate my OWN SELF from my own retouched images.
So, I was happy to see a note from my friend Adrienne who sent me this post (thank you my friend).
Jaocb takes a stand - no photo shopping. YEAH Jacob!
Kudos to Jacob for taking a stand and making a change. I hope other retailers, manufacturers, and companies follow suit.
I have three little girls who are very media savvy-we talk all the time about images in the media, how they make them feel, the language they use, and what is done to make them look so perfect – but what about all the other girls out there who don’t have someone to talk to?
I shudder to think about the implications of these ads on their fragile and developing psyche.
I hope to see other companies step forward-make a change and represent the TRUE reality in pictures, not the media version of “reality.”
I’ll definitely be shopping at Jacob and Jacob Lingerie next time I need a few new things.
Stay amazing!
Never forget ONE person (one company too) CAN make a difference in the world…that ONE person is YOU (in all your perfect, truthful beauty!)
Big love,
Kim
Inspired friend xo
Founder of the Global Movement
I Believe She’s Amazing
LOVE is all you need – Lesson #30
I can’t believe I made it through my 30 days of learning experience.
It has been challenging to blog EVERY SINGLE DAY. It has given me a great new respect for the people doing it…and doing it well! It has also provided me with a new way of going through my day, on the lookout for life lessons. I am sure there were some that would have passed me by, had I not taken on this assignment – so thank you Anastacia Brice for creating this opportunity.
Today’s lesson was the easiest to come up with…like the Beatles said, LOVE is all you need.
It’s my 16th wedding anniversary today. Though there have been a few deep dips along the way, I can say that LOVE is the main thing that has gotten us through some very dark and challenging times.
Love is not what we read about in fairy tales with prince’s in white riding in on a horse to sweep up the fair maiden. Love may start off feeling like a fairytale but the nitty gritty, the nuts and bolts of it all, nobody really seems to talk about. Like the way love evolves in to something much deeper and more meaningful when you are able to work through the tough times and come out stronger and more united for it.
Love isn’t just about dressing up for a night out with your husband, it’s also about feeling beautiful in your sweat pants, with your hair tied up in a bun and a mud mask on your face. Love is about seeing the fragile, human, vulnerable sides of one another and accepting each other for those flaws even still.
Love is about forgiveness and understanding. It is about letting go of the little things that don’t really matter and holding fast to the important things that you can build on. Love is about sharing and caring and focusing on the “positive” rather than looking for the “negative.”
Every night before we go to bed, my husband makes us toast and peanut butter. I am usually at work on my computer, having put the kids to bed. He delivers me a single piece of toast on a small round plate. On each piece of toast he carves out a different word or a shape that has some meaning on it, into the peanut butter. Last night was a heart with little dots inside. He said, “Those are the seeds of our love.” This small but deeply meaningful gesture is what love is really all about…the thoughtful little things that matter most…the things that put a smile on my face and a skip in my heart. (Tonight’s toast read “Happy Anniv”)
If you are in love, look for the little things to appreciate in your partner, they are the things you would miss most if they were gone. Then don’t keep them to yourself, say thank you to him. A little bit of praise goes a very long way. If you are in love, don’t compare yourself to movies, magazines or Cosmo articles or you’ll never give TRUE love a real chance. Value each other for who you are.
When we renewed our vows a few years ago, the minister said something that really stuck with me, he said, “People get married thinking it’s a 50/50 partnership, when you have to go into it thinking about it as 90/10. If BOTH of you give 90% without expecting anything in return, you’ll never be disappointed.”
Remember love is all you need…it truly is the one emotion that has the magic to heal anything!
With much love for all my love,
Kim
Inspired friend xo
Founder, “I Believe She’s Amazing“
