A Phenomenal Woman

By now, I'm sure you all have seen Michelle Obama's speech from the DNC. If you haven't I encourage you to review and report back on how inspired you feel.

For me, it started out as a regular weeknight for me: leftovers and sifting through Netflix; when my boyfriend sends me a note saying, "don't forget to watch the speech -- Michelle O's on." Drop everything ... literally, and I ran over to my of course half charged computer for a chance to see the first lady in action. I'm not a self-proclaimed politico, but I appreciate beauty and intelligence just as much as the next person!
Her speech was incredible, no doubt about it, and she looked stunning. People tweeting "hope Romney wasn't watching this, he might not even vote for himself..." I mean it was good. When it was over the bf and I were rehashing the speech and I was trying to pinpoint what it is about Michelle Obama that makes her so engaging and it's very simple, she's an ideal woman. Before it's assumed, I'd like to clarify that it's indeed the pure character of Michelle that's appealing, absent of her skin color.

I couldn't say this any better, so I'll use the words of Maya Angelou, "it's the style of her grace... she is a phenomenal woman."

I'm sure she has her faults, I'm sure she has something that people don't like about her, but I've never looked to a woman outside of my Grammy as a role model. I mean really, how many people can you really say "I hope people will look at me and compare me to her...?"

I find the value of a woman and what it means to be "a woman" has become lost, somewhere this side of the feminist movement. Reality show stars gallivanting around claiming they embody xyz ... is beyond tired. Most of our "icons" we get to know at a surface level or simply value their financial successes. How many women in media/spotlight that you idolize can you really say "they are great because I'd like to be have the kind of presence she has" regardless of her financial success?

We excuse the absence of a defined "ideal woman" in place of an every woman for herself motto. Mostly because, there's a constant passive-aggressive conversation between women that aims to find fault in ... well anything. Or we consider idolizing someone as a sign of a lack of self-identity.
Well, sometimes there are people -- women that deserve appreciation and there are attributes that demand imitation. Michelle in her speech was supportive, but not submissive, humble and still assertive, confident without a hint of arrogance. What more can a girl ask for in way of a role model?

So, I'll close this post with my note for Michelle, you know since she might read this :)

Dear Michelle, I was already voting, but your speech made me want to vote that second! It also encouraged me just to be the best I can be, because I see you do it regularly and pretty flawlessly. That's all I'm looking for when it comes to leadership, a team in the White House that not only appreciates the same values as me, but lives them to the fullest...So, thank you - for being you!

Good Fortune

The lottery - when exactly can I win that? Someone shared with me this article the other day about people under 30 who are multimillionaires and what they think about their new disposable income.  Oh and the article rightfully titled "What it's like to be loaded by 25" I begrudgingly opened the link ready to become extremely bitter and launch into the "why didn't I think of a software solution technology at 18" speech, which I've almost perfected. But, after reading this- the guy is actually not a tool. He wisely invests his money and pays himself a monthly salary to contribute to what he successfully qualifies as fun and worry-free activities, without dwindling away his intellectual property gains. Jealous, interested and consciously in a daily movement away from being able to relate to this article as I inch towards 26; I decided that the same logic for good fortune in money can be applied to relationships. Dumb luck? Or strategic planning? Action-oriented? Or passive believer?
My sister inspired this post when she challenged me to think that numbers and sequential paths have a role in relationships and fateful tryst. My sister asked me the other night if I believed there was magical number of people you have to date before you fatefully meet the one that's yours? Essentially, making a match ideally made in heaven in fact a resolute sequence of interactions that can be obtained with confidence, persistence and unwavering belief in the science of numbers...so basically a lottery?
A system of rotating matches, just waiting for someone else out there to carry the exact same sequence. If this is the case, than the allegiance to believing in love and the feeling that "this could be it" every time you enter into a new relationship has to trump every sense of doubt or disappointment.
Now, in the traditional sense from someone who doesn't play the NY Lottery, except in the occasional low point in life, I couldn't advise my sister that yes, there is a sequence of matches that you must meet, get to know and potentially end before you find what's destined to be yours.
Because just like gaining a substantial financial fortune, you could wish, hope and play numbers - or you can know what it's like to be loaded at 25. Meaning, create a strategic investment that will result in a worry-free and a simply fun love.

 The way one achieves good love fortune is to his/her discretion, if we use the lottery and the young millionaire as our analogous examples they are both rare and exceptional stories, right? So, where does the standard middle-class worker fit in the fortune pool...? I imagine in their case, the success of fortuitous love comes from daily work for trust and happiness. Just like with financial goals, that the 'happily ever after' always feels slightly out of reach, but enough motivation to know you can get there with a little hard work.
In any situation retirement is the ultimate goal - and for love that becomes marriage- the ability to lavish in one's earnings.

A Game Changer

I typically stay away from politics and writing about them mostly because I don't want to polarize any of my readers - and partly because I'm no expert the political arena. I do have some knowledge of what constitutes acceptable and professional competitive behavior. I grew up playing a few sports, which all emphasize the importance of sportsmanship and a respect to the game. Even when I ran track and field there's a certain etiquette that inspires a level of courtesy to other players and certain acts might be legal, but just completely unsportsmanlike. Even now, outside of the competitive arena and mostly running for pleasure (and, ok -- a medal) there are things that are acceptable in the sport, like letting someone know you're passing them on the left, or not wearing head phones while running - things like that, which keep the sport fun and healthy competition.

Now professional competition has shown to be completely different. The stakes are raised and things like mind games are more than helpful and plentiful, but in the political game - when does the behavior of its participants or supporters become unhealthy and a detrimental to the game?

I'll tell you when -- how about when Mr. Clint Eastwood stood up and talked to a chair? Again, political views aside; the events of Mr. Clint Eastwood are undeniably, cross partisan -- crazy. The man single-handed probably contributed to creating laws that puts an age cap on public speaking. His outlandishness aside, it was by far the most disrespectful live presentation to a sitting president, ever. This is the kind of slippery slope that things like " the rules of a game" are meant to mitigate.

But, I guess I'm not surprised - the Obama campaign and his very existence was meant to be a game changer, but I'll tell you when I chose to believe in change in 2008 -- I didn't think the definition of respect would change too.

Courtesy of President Obama's  Twitter

The Physics of Dreams

Dreams, goals, ideas, and happiness; all ethereal aspects of life that keep us in a constant state of evaluation for change. These are all catalyst for life-changing actions, regardless of how they are categorized.

The impulsiveness of ideas and dreams make them what they are, but the self-negotiation could stifle that very pursuit of happiness and that's what we have grown to call decisions. So it goes like this the fire for change is ignited with a dream, goal or want for happiness, then you immediately enter a linear process where we evaluate a full list of criteria of the negatives and positives. Once you've analyzed and weighed the benefits you arrive at a decision to act. But, the action doesn't seem as life altering when it was just a dream because you've rationalized it. The fact-finding stage allows you time to be comfortable with a proposed action/decision or to declare it a good or bad idea.

But the very definition of movement is founded in the propellant, not ruminating. Hello, law of motion: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Pretty sure it doesn't say every thought results in an equal and opposite awesome list. 

Why is a woman like me, who took exactly one semester of "How Things Work", so intrigued by this simple equation? Well, I have a friend who just left her job as a PR executive and she's now going to be a nanny. Of course the initial reaction is to be floored, but I just kept thinking about how much I admired her gumption. She could comfortably say "I'm not sure what's coming my way, but now I have time for it, since I won't be stressed at an alleged 9-5." And it made me think, no matter what people might perceive of this decision it was hers and hers alone, she sought a way to be happier and the obstacle was her job, so she mastered that hurdle and found a new method of income. Given her open ended responses to her decision and what she would do about this or that, she spent exactly enough energy thinking about her decision and the rest making it happen. She's going to be happy with her decision and I couldn't be more proud to tell her story. Her energy behind her want for happiness created a progression forward that created an action. What's not to be impressed with that?

It's not easy and I'm not saying you should do things without thinking about it, but I am saying it's worth trusting your dreams a little more. To add another well known fact for support I can't help but point to Nike and the most popular ad campaign: "Just Do It." If this is good enough for the Goddess of Victory to live by that motto, then where can you go wrong?