What's the difference between being burned out 🔥 + lit up ✨?
I just got home from a two week adventure led entirely by what matters most to me (aka my values!).
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the phrase "where the rubber meets the road."
To me, it means what we make real.
And whether our walk actually matches our talk.
In these last 2 weeks, the rubber on the soles of my shoes have met the road in a few very distinct, value-honoring ways.
Three of my top values were honored on this glorious adventure: 💜 delight, 💙 connection, and 💚 courage.
💜 DELIGHT
I honored my value of DELIGHT by dancing with six other showgirls in the "Hot Pink Feathers" dance troupe in San Francisco's Carnaval Parade at the end of May.
I shimmied, mamboed, and cha-cha-chaed down the street, sharing my delight with the other women dancing, the parade-goers and their families, and the members of the New Orleans jazz band marching with us.
Before parade day, I was equal parts terrified and excited. Read more about how I felt here.
Being a showgirl in this parade taught me that each step, each song and each parade block was another opportunity to reinvent myself.
What a metaphor for life!
And I learned that choosing to be seen started within ME first.
I got to choose both how to be and what I chose to share with my fellow showgirls and parade-goers.
Sometimes it was a sassy head-shake during the mambo, or a glorious freestyle turn with my arms out wide.
Other times it was looking up and waving at the people on their balconies, overseeing all of the action.
Or just walking and waving when I needed to catch my breath.
I also learned...
There's an inner and outer side to fake eyelashes (who knew!?!)
I can make friends with six other women quickly and access the childlike joy I used to have so much of as a young girl - especially the joy that can *only* come from dancing around in silly costumes with women who love to have fun!
Just how generous people can be - the generosity of our New Orleans jazz band learned our songs the day before the parade and accompanied us down the street all day, our volunteers carried our sign and brought us water and snacks, another dance troupe in the parade lent us their cart after our cart's wheels fall off, and the many families and neighbors who came out to watch the parade and join in on the delight!
💙 CONNECTION
After San Francisco, I flew to Las Vegas to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday.
This is a friend I've known since 4th grade (we were on the swim team together as kids)!
He lives in Chicago and I've gone there to see him and his boyfriend every few years.
To CONNECT with him in person and celebrate him on his birthday was so special and wonderful.
And to reconnect with my college roommate who was also attending the party was a treat!
The Discoteca-themed party was spectacular with rainbow balloons, his face on a fan (you know that Las Vegas gets HOT!), a fire dancer, and lots of time laughing, catching up and reminiscing.
I love this part of me that honors my dear friendships and will show up for an important day regardless of where it's located.
It feels so good to honor that value.
Especially after pandemic times and being alone in my home office for days, weeks, months, years.
Greetings from the Discoteca-themed 40th birthday party!
💚 COURAGE
From Las Vegas, I flew to Denver and was part of the Here 4 The Kids sit-in at the Denver Capitol Building.
Here 4 The Kids is a movement pushing unexplored and unprecedented action to end gun violence in the US. It's led by Black, brown, indigenous, women of color with a team of white women working behind the scenes.
On Monday, June 5th, at 5am, thousands of women came together to demand that Colorado Governor Jared Polis ban guns and implement a statewide buyback program.
I honored my value of COURAGE on Monday to show up to this sit-in in Denver by myself because I am sick and tired of horrific gun violence being normalized and this myth that there's nothing we can do about it.
To prioritize the safety of historically marginalized and vulnerable populations such as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, non-citizens, and disabled folks whose bodies are often the ones on the front lines fighting for human and civil rights, white women were asked to show up, take up physical space, and demand change.
Why white women? Because we're least likely to be brutalized by the police for this act of civil disobedience.
I showed up that morning at 4:30am and quickly made friends with six other women who also came alone.
We traveled from Portland, OR; Denver; Fort Collins, CO; San Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Lakewood, CO; and I came from Athens, GA (by way of San Francisco and Las Vegas!).
The seven of us bonded over restroom breaks, coffee, tarot cards, burritos, the weather, our families, and why we chose to show up today. We cried together, laughed together, and sat together. There were moments where we hugged and held hands.
The energy of the larger group on Monday (up to 5,000 women at times) was powerful, grieving, humane, connective, dedicated, heartbroken, kind, hopeful, and calm.
The generosity and leadership of our organizers, volunteers and fellow participants was inspiring.
It was the first time I felt like our current reality could change for our kids, families, communities, and country.
Even though we had no idea what the counter-protestors, police, or Colorado weather in June was going to be like, because this is an issue that's very close to my heart, I knew I had to lean into my own courage and be there.
Here are some pictures from Denver’s Capitol building during the sit-in…
What does all of this mean for you?
Maybe you would never want to dance in a parade, wear a disco-ball-inspired dress at a Vegas birthday party, or be anywhere near an act of civil disobedience at a state capitol building.
That's completely understandable!
Each one of us have a unique version of what matters most to us.
Out of curiosity...
How much of your time and energy goes into what matters most to you?
A couple hours a week?
A few hours each month?
Almost none?
Let's change that.
I'm leading a workshop on Sunday, June 11th from 3:00-4:30pm ET.
It's called "Venture Into Your Values" and it's $37 to register.
Register here. (You get a 20% discount if you bring a friend!)
Hope to see you on Sunday,
Stacy
PS. A couple of weeks ago, I released a new podcast episode after a 6+ month long "holiday break"! It's called "Failure is the Fertilizer" and is quite candid. Listen here or search for "Outgrow the Grind" wherever you get your podcasts!
