Note to Self

I dare you…

…to do the opposite.  if you always say yes, try saying no.  if you always distrust, try to believe.  if you stay up late, try getting to bed early.  if you always sleep in, try rising with the sun.  take a new path home, part your hair a different way, talk to someone you’ve never noticed before.  you might be surprised by what happens.

{this was the very first “i dare you” I ever wrote, and it might just be the biggest little dare of them all.  for more little big dares, click here. xo}

make them proud.

you know who they are.  the people who love you so much you can barely believe it.  the ones who would do anything, drop everything, for you.  

think about them the next time you try to knock yourself down.  think of yourself the way they think about you.  see yourself the way they see you. and consider, even just for a minute, that they might actually be right.  you might actually be able to do, or be, all that they think you can.

go ahead, I dare you.  believe in yourself the way they believe in you.

get out there, and make them proud. 

I dare you…

…to give thanks.  to actually say it.  thank you.  for being here.  for being you.

I dare you to run up to someone today and give them a hug and say,

                                            ”I am grateful for you.” 

                                                                                                                  simple as that.

I dare you…

to cheer for the people who others might doubt or ignore.  to root for the underdog who doesn’t even know he’s in the running.  to believe in the person who has yet to believe in herself.

. . . can you do me this favor?

today, tomorrow, this week, if you have a minute, encourage someone.   cheer someone on.  boost someone back up.  remind that person of all that she is and all that she will be.  your encouragement means more than you might ever know.

I dare you…

to smile.  it’s scientifically proven to put you in a good mood.  {try this: hold a pencil between your teeth (but not your lips).  it activates the same muscles that a smile does and sends the happy signal to your brain.  like magic.}  a smile can make you feel better.  it can light up a room.  it can radiate pure joy.  it can make someone feel safe & warm & loved. 

a simple smile.  it can work wonders.

I dare you…

to leave someone a little love note.  tucked away in a desk drawer.  scribbled on a page in the middle of a book.  etched in the condensation on a fogged-up mirror.  you might be surprised at how such a simple gesture can mean so much.

I dare you…

…to say “I love you.”  those three little words can move mountains, really.

dare to care.

cynicism is for cowards.

I dare you…

…to pay someone a compliment.  if you have something nice to say, why keep it to yourself?

I dare you…

…to talk to a stranger.  that guy sitting next to you on the train.  the woman in front of you in line.  that person you don’t know probably has a great story.  listen for it.

I dare you…

…to ditch the blackberry/iPhone/cell.  just for one day, one afternoon, one hour.  the world will keep on spinning, I promise.

I dare you…

…to take action.  You know all those great ideas you have, all those people you want to reach out to, all those dreams of yours?  Act on them.  Ignore that little voice that says, “Don’t be silly, that would never work.”  You’ve got lots of ideas.  Some are big; some are little.  Some are good; some are phenomenal.  Today, choose one idea, whichever calls your fancy, and act on it.

I dare you…

…to be unironic.  just for a week, a day, an hour, a minute, shed that protective layer of cynicism & edge.  say what you mean.  feel.