I Dare You To Change

As soon as you let go of the unhealthy things in your life, the negative people and the "wrong-for-you-loves," you almost instantly feel like a new person. 

You look forward to your life with the old excitement and joy that you didn't remember losing. 

When you let go on of the things that are bad for you, almost instantly you start dreaming about the hopes you had quietly given up on. You probably didn't even realize you were doing it. 

I held onto something unhealthy for WAY too long, simply because it was familiar. It happened so slowly and quietly that I almost didn't notice what was going on....I started thinking about myself the way that person thought of me, and most frightening of all, I stopped writing. That scared me. Thankfully, as soon as I made the decision that I deserve the best of the best in all my relationships, the words came pouring back. 

If you're in a place that you know is not good for you, but you stay because it's familiar, 

Leave Now. 

If you're with someone who doesn't treat you like you hung the moon and the stars,

 Remove Yourself. 

If you're friends with a crowd that drags you down just because you've always hung out with them, 

Leave Immediately. 

Get rid of the things in your life that you know are bad for you and have the courage to make your life the most inspiring, exciting story you can dream up. You have so many possibilites and experiences waiting for you once you release the negative.

Do it. 

You'll be glad you did.  

xo xo Liz 

Learn To Listen To The Screaming Of Your Secret Dreams

Secret dreams are the fuel that keeps our inner fire burning.  The quiet voice inside us that whispers, “Maybe…maybe I could do that one day” or “Maybe I could be like that one day”. Without a secret dream, we loose ambition in life and lack the sparkle and zest for living that people project who have something bigger that they’re working towards. The secret dream is the drive that pushes us onwards when everyone else has fallen to the wayside, bored with the work and dedication it takes to make a dream come true.

I had a secret dream when I was about 12 years old. I wanted to cowboy on an outfit, like my dad, in Nevada. When dad was cowboying in the early 90’s, girls would help out if they were family, but it wasn’t very common to see a whole bunch of women at a branding. “If you marry a cowboy, you might be able to work with your husband, but I wouldn’t count on getting to work on a place as a single girl.” I took what my dad said and figured that he was probably right and I decided I would focus on becoming the best that I could be at starting colts. And yet, a quiet voice inside me kept whispering that maybe, maybe one day, if I worked hard enough…maybe the impossible would happen and I would be able to cowboy on my own. That secret dream is what made me write out a list of skills I decided I would need in order for the impossible to happen….that secret dream is what made me wake up at 3:30am every day to do my school work so that I could work with my horses during the day…that secret dream is what made me give up fun trips with friends in order to work on what was important to me…and you know what? At the end of the day, at the ripe old age of 19, I got my secret dream. I got a job in Nevada that I never should have been able to get as a single woman and I got the chance to work for an outfit that friends that I respected and looked up to had worked for as young men. Because of that secret dream I got the chance to work with horsemen that I had idolized from a young age, I got to work with people that MY dad had worked with and made friends with people that I respected not only as cowboys and horseman, but as people too. And even though I don’t cowboy anymore, my secret dream of cowboying gave me the skills and experiences that are applicable to my secret dream now. Without the absence of cowboying in my life, I would have never had the courage to pursue writing, and writing is now my new “secret” dream. The quiet voice inside me saying, “You could maybe do this, Liz.” And because of that, I know that the impossible, secret dream is possible. And I want you; yes YOU reading this long post, to know that you have all promise and ability to achieve your dreams.

Don’t squash that small, quiet voice inside you.

Don’t you dare say that it’s impossible. And if someone tells you that it’s impossible, don’t discuss your dreams and hopes and fears with them.

Cultivate your desire, feed the want and watch it grow. No one else will go out there and make your dreams happen for you. You have to have the courage to admit to yourself just what your secret dream really is (for some reason this can be the hardest part), and then set out on the journey to making it happen.

Good luck! And just so you know, I am your biggest fan, and I know that you can succeed.

xo xo Liz

She Is...You

She is soft and eager to learn. She is human. She is with faults. She has an indomitable will. She is inspired by the greatness of other men and women, not discouraged by their successes. She is full of encouragement for those around her. She is full of joy: not because her life is perfect and she is necessarily happy, but because she has made a decision to have joy in her life. She knows that a smile, confidence and a pastime does a great deal to making a girl pretty. She works hard. She seeks beauty. She learns something new frequently. She knows that being able to say “I’m sorry” is a trait that cannot be overlooked. She is sometimes sad. And she is sometimes angry. And sometimes she screws up in a major way. She will pick herself up and try again the next day though. She is you and me. She is Buckaroo Barbie.

May you be inspired to “keep on, keeping on”, to seek creativity and beauty in your everyday life and to smile your beautiful smile. Happy Monday!

xo xo Liz

Seize The Day

At the end of the day, I believe it’s true. Wholeheartedly. Plain and simple.

Life is a GRAND adventure. It is! It is incredible really, the whole world just waiting, watching us to see what we’re going to do. Sizing us up. Silently asking each and every one of us,

“Will you allow things to happen to you passively? How will you be affected by the experiences, good and bad, that come along the way? Will you fight back when needed? Or will you fold your hands and sigh over the injustice of what happened to you? Will you take the gifts, the help, the ups and downs that are allotted to you, and will you use them to your advantage? To make yourself and the life you lead the very best version it can be?”

Our time here is so short. We’ve been given one body. One heart. One soul. One mind and then we’re sent out into the world and it’s up to US to make sure that we make the most of it.

I find it is so easy for me to become complacent. I can waste entirely too much time on facebook, tumblr, the news…mindless things that take up chunks of my precious time. At times it is easy to slip into feeling completely despondent about the future.

And I know what it feels like to have terrible things happen to you, to have to live with those consequences every day, to feel the pain. I’ve seen the affects of violence and injustice to people very loved and dear to me suffer, watched them struggle to just make it through a day. So I know how unfair life can be. It’s not fair, and that sucks. I realize I don’t know YOUR particular story, but I have felt pain. I’ve gone through the darkness and come out the other side into the light, and it’s beautiful. There are still moments of hardship and life is still life, not a Disney movie. But, having made it through those hard times has made me realize that we have all been given the opportunity to rise up from the ashes, and face this world. We are given the opportunity to build upon our personal experiences, both good and bad, and to become the best that we can be. Don’t forget the bad and the pain, because it has helped shaped you to who you are now. Be thankful for the good and the beautiful experiences that lighten the way.

Decide today that you are going to be thankful for your life. Decide that you are going to make the most of every minute and make things happen. That you will be an active, learning and willing participant in this great adventure called life.

I promise, it is oh, so worth it.

xo xo Liz 

Dear Buckaroo Barbie

Dear Buckaroo Barbie,

You are strong and you have try. You have more courage than you think and you can bear more than you ever thought you possibly could.

Persevere. You will make it and you will emerge on the other side of the fire brighter, stronger and less afraid than when you went in.

And because of that you will light the way, the sometimes difficult and painfully beautiful way, for other Buckaroo Barbies. You have the opportunity to be an example and help them along throughout your fear. And little by little the darkness will draw back and there you stand. Triumphant, wiser and tougher than before.

Buckaroo Barbies, persevere. You WILL make it and you will emerge like gold through fire.

xo xo Liz