Writer Vixen Explains It All

You're Also Given Who You Are

Remember how your parents and teachers always said, "Just be yourself and you'll be fine"? You probably wished that were true, while shaking your head at getting such bad advice from people who really ought to know better.

One of the keys to personal happiness (and to having fun) is being truly, deeply, flagrantly ourselves. In fact, liberating the best and truest version of ourselves in every moment. The struggle is that we're constantly tempted to adjust who we are—if not sacrifice it altogether—to obtain the approval of others.

This is always a colossal waste of time and energy. Not only is it impossible to please everyone else (or sometimes, to please anyone) but it's a kind of casual self-betrayal that accumulates and accrues over a lifetime.

It's true: The greatest gift we can give ourselves, and the world, is just to relax and be who we are—no negotiation, no regrets. Just be yourself and you'll be fine.

Cindi breaks it down:

I always have to remind myself:  You're not just given a good voice. You're not just given the ability to articulate what you feel.

You're also given who you are. And who you are is part of your instrument. 

And the people who raise you, they're part of your instrument. And your surroundings are also your gift and your muse.

It took me a long time to realize all of that.

—  Cyndi Lauper, 2007, Live . . . at Last

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Twittering vixenish things @WriterVixen

"I Have a Dream": Speaking from the Heart

Long weekends are awesome. Even when they're rainy, cold and dreary (hello Bay Area!) they still rock.

Martin Luther King is now remembered as much for giving us the first holiday of the new year (don't quibble with me over New Year's Day) as for his humanity. But thanks to the early days of television, we can still witness the passion and conviction that were the hallmarks of his short life. 

I'm a collector of fabulous speeches (there aren't many, so don't be too impressed—or, you know, too horrified) and they don't get much better than this one. Dr. King was a master of oratory. In an age where people gas on endlessly about every boring thing, King's "I Have a Dream" speech reminds us of the power of speaking truly, simply, and clearly from the deepest places of our hearts.

EXCERPT:

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

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Twittering vixenish things @WriterVixen

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

Obviously, life's better when we're having fun. So why is it so difficult to remember to just enjoy our daily lives instead of scheduling our fun for the upcoming weekend or that evening out with friends?

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. But this irresistible, animated vid is so in sync with my own natural philosophy that it's inspired me to create more fun in my life in 2010.

To sum up:

• Be flagrantly yourself! (My favorite principle.)

• Embrace selfishness. (It's a good thing.)

• Break the rules. 

• Take chances.

• Lighten up.

• Simplify.

• Slow down.

• Start something.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend. ;)

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Twittering vixenish things @WriterVixen

Ted Kennedy: End of an Era

One of [the good] times was the day in 1986, when he gave niece Caroline away at her wedding to Edwin Schlossberg.

"She was so extraordinarily happy and joyous," he said. "And Jackie was absolutely radiant." 

After the wedding, Jackie wrote Ted a thank-you letter—a token of gratitude for what he’d meant to all the Kennedys over the years. The letter read:

There have been 17 children besides your own—Bobby's, Pat's, Jack's and mine, for whom you have always been there. Every graduation, every big decision, every trouble, every sad and even every happy day. On you, the carefree youngest brother, fell a burden a hero would beg to be spared. Sick parents, lost children, desolate wives. You are a hero. Everyone is going to make it, because you are always there with your love.

Jackie

[From "Ted Kennedy: The Last Brother" | Photo: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times]

Say Hey (I Love You)

Start off your day with a reggae beat that will put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. Here’s the flash mob scene from the first episode of the new season of Weeds (to Michael Franti’s “Say Hey (I Love You)”). Enjoy!

I say hey I'll be gone today
But I'll be back all around the way
It seems like everywhere I go
The more I see
The less I know
But I know one thing
That I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

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Twittering vixenish things @WriterVixen