Giving Thanks…

First, I want to give immense thanks to the concept of Thanksgiving. It’s a great idea. Taking a moment to really be introspective about all the people and things I love, I am in so much gratitude to my life, my family and close friends. A very dear friend said to me just the other day, “our point zero in life is 100%…we start with so much”. I could not agree more. My day is only dragged down by petty problems, misunderstandings, inconveniences and missed opportunities…yeah..that is all I really have to complain about.

I have more than enough love, money, food, shelter…and yes shoes. So, I have deep gratitude.

I want to thank you in particular – every one of my friends and family. You guys hold me up. I know I probably don’t see you as much as I want to. You’re busy, I’m busy…and I wish for far more for us because I know that this is a really, really short life. I know that because I have seen it pass too quickly for so many I love. In fact, someone close to me just passed away which prompted a whole new vigor to accept and release. Accept the way people are; don’t take it personally because it doesn’t really matter in the big picture. Does it? And release the need to be right. Who cares anyways? If people see your kindness as weakness it says more about them than you. Doesn’t it?

While giving thanks, I must also say my piece about what Thanksgiving really is…

As I sort the myth from fact about Thanksgiving Day, the popularized celebration of two cultures embracing one another in a compassionate dinner brimming with food and wine, I wonder about the polarity of truth and reality.

Yes. I said it; it is dichotomy, what is actual and what is perceived. And so many of my entrepreneurial friends tell me, perception is everything. So, here we have a long history of Pilgrims slaughtering the Natives which is a sad fact, but the perception, the story we are taught in school, is vastly different. The pilgrims seated with large turkeys and mounds of food, peacefully coexisting with the Natives is really just a glamorized commercial plug.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not pessimistic about Thanksgiving. I am only sick of the agglomeration of images, words and events that say one thing when the reality is far different.

And I say this only because I know from personal experience (and many have been privy to my story), but for those of you who don’t know it, it’s going to take some stiff drinks to get through it…well for me anyway. 
When perception is shattered and TRUTH emerges…boy what a sense of freedom. Having said that,  I can still love Thanksgiving…Knowing the truth about it…which I think is a deeper love. Don’t you?

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving…Giving Thanks.

Mira

itsdelovely:

krissycupcake:

(via mrockstyle, merdeuse)

10 Inspirational Quotes By Steve Jobs

I don’t think it really hit me until I was in Palo Alto on University Ave - staring down at flowers piling up at the foot of the Apple Computer store – Steve Jobs was gone. The man who had changed how I listen to music, talk to my family, send picture to my friends was…Gone.

It’s been nearly a week since his death and I am finally understanding what this means for all of us who will be forever changed by a man who was determined to ‘make a dent in the universe’. I am also strangely aware of the fact that  America may never be able  nurture another Steve Jobs again. The reality is, Steve grew up in a time where America was at the top of it’s game. We had the brain power, the money, the desire to rule the world. It was a time when America raced the Soviets to send a man to the moon – and we all know who won that one. The 60’s were probably filled with so much possilbity and wonder that it seemed unreasonable for Americans not to think they were not built to win

By the time Steve was ready to start his company in the early ’70s, his mind was probably exploding with infinite possilibilties  despite the fact that America, and the world at large, was headed for an economic nosedive.

Jumping forward to this moment – again we are drenched in economic instability, but again there is possibility. Steve was just like us, in fact he may have started worse off than us. Most of us have never had to return bottles to pay for a meal or head to the local ashram once a week to eat.  We all know, in life there are challenges and what makes anyone great is how those challenges are faced. I want to remind us of the kind of severe determination it takes to be great. Here’s to your greatness – may you face challenges with the same fearless determination to win.

Don’t. Settle.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Words to live by.

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

[Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

What it means to be a creative person.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.”

[via Wired, February 1996]

Great Artists Steal

“Picasso had a saying: ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas…I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.”

— PBS’s “Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires” (1996)

About Design

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked.”

— Wired

Innovation Comes…

“Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”

— Business Week

What People Don’t Know

“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

— BusinessWeek

Conformity is boring.

“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.”

[from Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple, 1987, via The Wall Street Journal]

Your Time is Limited.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Money.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

And your bonus quote and one of my all time favorites

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

(Source: lipstickandpolitics.com)

sorry couldn’t resist since I LOVE angry birds!!!

iwillmindfuckyou:

oh my goodness, ITS SO CUTE!

(Source: imgfave)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

To live in a country that allows every person to pursue happiness is probably one of the greatest privileges on this Earth.The  Declaration of Independence has given so much freedom to all of us living in this amazing country called United States of America- that sometimes it’s so easy to forget just how much we have.  We are not harassed or worse killed for wanting to live or think different. Difference is encouraged. We want someone to oppose us so then we can prove just how right we really are.

Today, take a minute to just enjoy that you have the power to create the world around you. Enjoy that you are alive in a place that gives you rights that would seem alien to someone living in a 3rd world country. Enjoy that you can be who you want to be, wear what you want to wear and say what you want to say. To be honest, I often wish we could muzzle so many idiots who need to ‘get heard’ and spew garbage into the world- but that’s the thing about this country, it will allow even the idiots, the dishonest, the ill-hearted to speak and live the way they choose- aside from the obvious breaking of laws.

We all know, this country is not perfect, with a incredible imperfect history but  as Morgan Freeman says in this video, there is still a struggle to close the gap between the ideals of the declaration of Independence and American life. Hopefully we will reach the ideal that Thomas Jefferson intended- and beyond- since there is no mention of women in the Declaration document.

 

(Source: lipstickandpolitics.com)

Rihanna’s Message Of Rape In Man Down Video →

10 Sexting Rules For Politicians.

10 Rules for Sexting For Politicians -Weekend Wish List

 By Mira Veda 

The recent political sex scandals have destroyed the illusion that politicians are bastions of integrity. With news of Arnold Schwarzeneggers love child and now sordid sexting by Congressman Rep. Anthony Weiner’s- this soap opera looks like it’s just begun.

What politicians fail to recognize is that every person using any communication tool leaves a digital trail, there is no anonymity- so there are NO secrets. There is no control over digital information once it’s sent- so as a person in the public eye…you should know that technology can make your powerless. The sexy messages that were intended for that page or intern or porn star, can become top news on CNN.

There is no question in my mind that power increases promiscuity. Unless, somehow power dissolves from the political arena( which I highly doubt)- Sex and Politicians will go hand in hand like peanut butter and jam. Actually, this goes for any high level position public position, be it CEO or Spiritual Guru.

To save the poor politicians who still have a clean slate,  I thought I would make a short list of texting rules. Please, if you’re in politics, study this closely- it may save you from a scandal like wienergate.

10. Don’t use Twitter if You Don’t Understand How It Works. DM means direct message. If you don’t have someone following you back, you can’t DM them, which means EVERYONE will see your weiner picture. If you do know how to use DM, well, then use it well…or you’ll definitely mess up like Weiner did by accidentally sending his crotch picture to everyone one of his followers on twitter. Ooops.

9. Don’t Sext if you’re married. If you want to sext you’re wife or husband, sure go ahead, but remember- nothing is guaranteed. If you break up with this person or worse, lose your phone- you have no idea what could happen to those nude pictures you took while you were HOT. As for texting other’s while married, sure it’s cute to have a crush, even in you’re 50 but remember how quick a reputation can be destroyed. These days, Sexting is just as bad as having an affair.

8. Send Yourself a Sext. If you’re dying to send a dirty message, send it to yourself. I promise you, the feeling will die and then you’ll be glad you didn’t release you’re sext to the world.

7. Sext the Right Person.If you’re a notorious Sexter and Sext more than one person at a time, make sure you’re sending it to the right person. More than once, I have received lewd messages not intended for me from embarrassed friends. Funny for me, bad for them.

6. Dont Drink and Text. Drinking while doing anything except for partying is a bad idea. Remember what Shakespeare said “Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things … nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. ”
William Shakespeare
Macbeth 2. 3

5.Lock Your Phone. Kids and adults alike, like to play with other people’s phones. A friend admits to accidentally seeing shocking pictures of her sister after her son started playing with her sister’s phone. Phone’s have games, pictures and music. Most of the data on a phone is innocent, that picture of you with your junk hanging out, well that may be the one thing make you lock your phone every time it’s not in use.

4. Don’t Message People You Don’t Know. Possibly the dumbest thing that Rep. Wiener did is meet women online and immediately start sexting them. If you don’t know the person you are sexting how can you trust them? A digital persona can sometimes feel unreal, almost like there really isn’t a person on the other side. It’s on the lowest rung of human communication. We can say more salacious things by text than we can by phone or in person. So before you decide to send that porn star that sext, really think about it.No, REALLY. Think about it.

3. Discretion is the only option. If someone sends you a sext, it’s usually not a good idea to show everyone. For some of you ladies who may not know this, men love to show the half naked pictures of women they have been with. I was recently backstage at a show for a well known comedian who I have not seen for quite some time. The boys in his crew, who I do not know, showed me spoils from the night before. I felt like the pictures went on and on, as the men showed me nude picture after picture of all the girls they were getting just being associated with my comedian friend. It was really strange and surreal. On the other end, my girlfriends have sent me pictures of their men to get my opinion. While among friends, this is common, know that any sexy pictures you send will probably be water cooler conversation.

2. Erase Regularly. It’s always a good idea to delete any old pictures or sexts you may have sitting in your phone or inbox. This is probably one the most important rules, if you are in a trusting relationship, it’s a good idea to make sure the recipient also delete’s regularly.

And the Number One Rule for Sexting for Politicians.

1. Talk More. Text Less. Keeping your conversations in person or by phone is much sexier  and safer than sexting and will probably keep you out of trouble(unless your a perv in person too). It’s highly unlikely that someone will go to the trouble of taping your conversation – but if you send them a nude picture of yourself-well- it’s obvious how easy pictures are to share. So, if you’re trying to build a real relationship, it’s highly unlikely it will happen through sexting or texting- so talk- apparently it’s the hottest new thing to do.

Here are a few of the more common sexting acronyms:

GYPO: Get Your Pants Off

IAYM: I Am Your Master

IWSN: I Want Sex Now

K4Y: Kiss For You

LMIRL: Let’s Meet In Real Life

MOOS: Member Of The Opposite Sex

MOSS: Member(s) Of The Same Sex

NALOPKT: Not A Lot Of People Know That

S2R: Send To Receive

TDTM: Talk Dirty To Me

WIN: Want It Now

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/16/dos-donts-sexting/#ixzz1OzBu7Ju1

Now go ahead, Sext away…you pervs…

Memorial Day. What Does It Mean To You?

By Mira Veda

There really is no way for me to wish you a happy memorial day. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I think of the families that have lost their sons, their husbands, their wives, their mothers and I just can’t. There is a long sigh of sadness, a lump in my throat when I think of the blood and sacrifice. So, I just can’t say – ‘have a happy memorial day’. What’s more, I don’t understand what it means? How can we just put ‘happy’ in front of a word and begin to celebrate.

I grew up in Canada where we have Remembrance Day in November.  Every year, on Remembrance day, we would wear poppies on our left side to show a sign of solidarity and love to the soldiers who had given their lives. As a child in school, I recited the Ode of Remembrance alongside veterans who came to speak about the true perils of war. I can still imagine myself standing in a large gymnasium, hand on my heart at the age of 10 staring at the aging veteran in a wheel chair. There was no glamour. No celebration. Just a somber understanding of what these men and women must do so those of us living cushy, uncomplicated lives can go about our day.

The Ode of Remembrance is cited on Remembrance Day followed by the phrase “Lest we forget.” :

The Ode of Remembrance:

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

On this Memorial Day, I would like us to forget – for just a moment – about the coveted 3 day holiday that marks the beginning of summer and think. Remember those who give so much and get so little. Think about who we are and how we can make a difference. Surely, our purpose cannot be to have the most when we die. Surely, it can not be to hurt our brothers and sisters. It has to be something more. Doesn’t it?

I was moved by a veterans call to action against war, Ross Fenton.  His blog  was first printed in the The Boston Globe, I am reprinting a portion of it here because I not only agree with his question about the  futility of war but also because I believe we can reach peace without war.

“This Memorial Day, I ask you all to take a moment to read the news and to imagine those who have been asked to say goodbye to their loved ones. If you feel the same as I do, that the casualties and sorrow of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused enough loss to our young people and their families, then consider asking your representatives in Congress, “Why?” Ask them when we, as a nation filled with veterans, can finally live a life that is truly peaceful, without war, and without so many soldiers dying in far reaches of the world. Then maybe we can honor all those who have sacrificed themselves for this nation. I truly hope for a Memorial Day when we can stand with pride and say “no” to war; “thank you” to all who have fallen; and thank you to those who have been left behind, for we are moving toward a peaceful life.”

(Source: lipstickandpolitics.com)

Giving Music… →

How Professional Business Women of California are Setting A New Standard For Working Women

This week, I attended The Professional Business Women of California yearly conference. With nearly 3300 attendees and several high profile speakers, I arrived with an empty mind, waiting to filled with inspiration, direction and power. I hoped the women who have branded themselves to be our leaders would give me just what I needed in understanding how to tackle the multiple ventures I have thrown myself into. As a woman could I do it all. Is it really possible to do it ALL?

I took my seat in the back of the auditorium, a mental note for quick escape route incase the speakers failed to inspire me, dropped my overstuffed bag on my chair and went to grab the vegetarian lunch provided for the attendees.  The greens and a few chick peas for protein were boring from first sight, I complained silently while the women at my table marveled at the insight of the person who thought a room full of women would love a salad. Not me. Now the speakers were a target, since the food was a miss, the speakers had to be extra good to compensate.

Chomping down my salad for nearly 10 minutes, I barely noticed the first speaker- salad takes forever to eat- as you know and if you don’t pay attention, only half it seems to land in your mouth. I put down the hard work of eating my salad when Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook walked onto the stage. Her dark shoulder length hair and blue dress with sensible kitten heels got my attention. “Now whose this woman who knows the power of a good dress?” was my first thought. My second thought was, “please tell me something I can take away- something that makes me think you understand us here in the crowd, the normal women who are not top COO’s of the most powerful company on the Earth right now. Please say something I care about”. I leaned into my seat, as if Sheryl was right in front of me and we were having a heart to heart. I listened.

Sheryl started off by giving me the problem, yes, we all the know problem. Women get paid less. Women work harder than men because even in this day in age where we think things are equal, men don’t share equal work in the home. Women have to sacrifice, their careers, their dreams and their desires for their partners careers. Yes, all of us know the problem. Most of live the problems day in and day out. What we needed was a solution.

Sheryl offered a new perspective which is really the solution to the problem. We all know that we cannot solve the problem with the same mind the problem was created. So to solve it, we must have the beginners mind.  She offered many ways to change our thoughts but the one that stuck with me was to “not leave before you leave’.  At first listen this seems a little confusing- but it made sense as she went on further. She said a lot of women will make room for things before they happen. A marriage, a baby ect. Women will not take opportunities because they fear they may not fulfill their maternal needs or their marital needs. They will try to make things fit before there is anything to fit. I have to be honest, I have done this before as well. I have not done things because of what my husband may need. Really? Yes. Really.

Her advice was to alway stay. Take the job even if you think you’re going to get pregnant soon because if you like your job you’ll want to come back after you’ve had your baby. Stay long enough to move up, and try to move up. Speak up and believe in what you can do.

Not taking that job, not asking for that raise, being complacent, accommodating is what we are really good at. I can’t help but think of Kate Middleton who didn’t take a proper job so she could be available for when her then Prince boyfriend  whenever he had a few days for her.(To be honest, I’d probably wait around for a Prince who was going to be King one day too) I am sure we have all acted like this at some point for some one – be it our children, families or our husbands/boyfriends/lovers/bootycalls- whatever.

Not leaving before we leave sincerely resonated with me. I thought of all the times I could have gone for something but didn’t. Missed opportunities because I wanted to make room for potential. Sheryl reminded me that things always find their space. Everything moves into the places it needs to. She also reminded me to allow myself the privilege of knowing that I have the power to ask. Not asking for things I need not only keeps me from having the things that should be mine but also keeps me from changing the system. We cannot complain about a system that we are not willing to make efforts to change. At the end of the day the onus is on us. We must embrace our power and speak up.

And, for the take-away. Sheryl gave me a great quote- ”A world where half of our countries and half of our companies were run by women would be a better world.”  I truly believe this to be true- and to get to that stage, we as women are going to need to step up to the table and ‘not leave before we leave’.

Have a beautiful powerful day!

(Source: lipstickandpolitics.com)