Live the life you want to live

get outta jail!

I just posted the below on my biz Facebook page. A simple explanation to the method of my madness and what I “do.”

I hope you will share this, and sign up for email notifications to get my blog in your inbox. After that, I hope you go do something fun today, and then do something nice for someone else. Having fun is awesome and being nice is awesome:

Happy Tuesday September 20th my friends! 
Lots of questions about what I/Blue Lollipop Road is/does recently, so here you go:
https://bluelollipoproad.com/about/

I’m a #SimplicityExpert!

I teach clients get rid of their stuff. (Translation; crap.) This means I help clear away the triangle of jail. That jail is the personal, physical, and financial dead weight that drags us down and all too often makes life really sucky and not fun:

1.) I talk to people about the dirty laundry/sad/crappy life “stuff” and help game plan to move forward better and happier.

2.) I help people deal with the chaos/disorder/clutter in their home space, and say goodbye to the “stuff” they no longer need or want.

3.) I work with people on stressful/frustrating money “stuff” and advise on how to waste less, reduce bills, and pay off debt.

Life is short! Isn’t #freedom sweeter than being trapped? I sure think so! Live OUTSIDE the triangle jail. I can help you #GetUnstuck.

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #LiveSimpleDoMore #TodayIsThedayWhatAreYouWaitingFor?

Need a kick in the pants? Drop me a line and let’s get to work!

[email protected]
804.339.6514

Remember; In order to do something, you have to start doing it first.
~ Diane 

Jump to freedom

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BLR PLAY IT FORWARD 2016 KICKS OFF TONIGHT!

Here we go year #5!

Doing good feels good with all the bad and sad news in the world. Tonight we will kick off our 5th Annual event starting at 7pm at Ramunto’s with our Welcome Back Party:

BLR Play It Forward 2016

Ramunto’s will donate 10% of all sales from anyone joining us, back to the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Travel Scholarship Fund! Come one and all for craft beer, wine, great pizza, lots of specials and fun! 7pm until ?

Tomorrow we will award scholarship funds, play some soccer, the kiddos will do a fun run at halftime of the game, and we will have Celebration Cocktails to wrap the weekend at Pangaea Lounge. Pangaea will also donate 10% of all sales from anyone who joins to the Blue Lollipop Road Memorial Scholarship Fund. They’ve whipped up a special menu of BLR inspired craft cocktails, too. Yum…

ALL ARE WELCOME FOR EVERYTHING! Bring yourself, your lover, your friends, your dog, your kiddo’s, your former coach, neighbor, grandparents, and whoever else you can think of. THIS IS A COMMUNITY EVENT. (Rain or shine!)

Three cheers for the Bennington Banner and writer Adam Samrov who put out this article about our event, today. Thank you, Adam!

Want to get involved, donate/sponsor, or have a question? Great! See event info. here, or call/email Diane:

804.339.6514

Diane(@)BlueLollipopRoad.com

See you this weekend!

#RememberCelebrateLive #StrongMojo #PlayForwardGiveBack

 

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a time for incomparable experiences

I love waking up in the city:

CLT Skyline

…in the very early morning when the sun has just come up and the streets are all quiet. It’s like a peaceful calm before the traffic storm, those few precious moments for those of us who live on the pavement when we can sip coffee and dream big in peace before the honks and screeches start.

The city; A place where action happens and the world moves quickly. How I love it, and then escaping that madness to the complete opposite end of the spectrum which I love just as much (maybe a little bit more) at this point in my life. This was my happy drive to a client home today in the country:

Country NC

NC Green

Being in cement city for a Vermont girl during the warm months is very hard. Being in cement city for a nomadic-souled national park-loving, freedom-needing road tripping girl is very hard, so drives like this are always welcome. I need open windows, and green spaces. I need outside not inside, and I need room to breathe. Play It Forward Weekend kicks off 3 weeks from today in my home state, and I can’t wait. I always feel my absolute best, most creative, alive, and easy going self on the road. For as much work as this big event entails, it fuels me back tenfold to be able to hop in the car, all windows down and head far north to connect with the place and people I came from and do something good.

I spent many of my young adult years “on the road” in open spaces during the summer doing things like sitting in German biergartens, hiking in and around national parks, driving and camping across the country, and sitting in a hammock in the middle of the South Pacific. This time of year I think about every “kid” like me all that time ago who is boarding a plane heading for a language program in a country far away, or that group of gal pals who just finished up college and are now road-tripping across the country to go work at some random beach bar for the next couple months before they start their “real jobs.” I think about that group of guy friends who are planning a long 4th of July weekend away in the mountains to hike and camp in the next state over. I think about the recent high school grad about to embark on a Gap Year adventure, and I think…HELL YEAH! These are the times.

Oh my gosh that feeling and those experiences. They are THE BEST EVER, and nothing compares.

If you’re a parent reading this, please encourage your kids go on that trip/program/study abroad. They will become forever changed and even more badass than they already are. If you’re a twenty-something reading this and you’re slaving away at a minimum wage job that you hate before you go back to college, tell your boss thanks anyway, pack and bag and go somewhere new. Go explore anything you’ve wanted to before you get bogged down and locked down. You will never regret it, I promise.

My business is teaching people how to live simple so they can do more and be more of what they love. I work with clients typically age 45 – 65 who are making big life changes. A lot of them are getting themselves “unstuck” (whether their decision or not) from situations that were not working or not fun for a lot of years. Either during or at the end of my projects, nearly every single person shares the same three things:

1.) “I wish I had done this sooner.” (Downsizing, moving, jumping, making change, etc.)

2.) “I can’t believe how much stuff I have/had.” (Physical, financial, and personal.)

3.) “I wish I had traveled more when I was younger.”

During this time of year when air is warm and possibilities seem endless, all I think of is why doesn’t everyone who has any power, authority, or advisory over young people just tell them to go, go GO. Go before you collect a whole bunch of that “stuff” like I did! 

For any of my clients who might look back and wish they did things a bit differently, I know I have at least helped them feel more freedom that they might not have otherwise been able to get to. It is so rewarding. We leave each other with hugs most every time and I feel like we teach each other so much. At the end of the day whether you’re 25, 45 or 65, all we really want is to have good times with good people. The stuff really doesn’t matter…period. I learn that again and again and again.

So many of us make big humongous ginormous life decisions (like college majors, careers, cars, houses, spouses, pets, babies, etc.) at ridiculously young ages and far before we have seen the world at all or built the best possible tool box to actually make those often life-altering decisions. Before we decide on important commitments that will seriously change the course of our existence on this planet, I say get lost, go broke, laugh with strangers, try that weird thing, feel uncomfortable, open your mind, don’t listen to naysayers. Move to that place you’ve always been curious about, quit whatever is breaking your heart or sucking your soul. Get up early, stay up late, work hard for what you want and it will all come together. Get your own life, don’t live someone else’s.

Hit the “road,” Jack, Jill, and everyone else who’s young bucket list is overflowing! Collect people and experiences, not stuff. I’ll be thinking of you with big smiles as I hit the road myself here soon, imagining all the awesome adventures you’ll have.

#DoStuffDontBuyStuff #Explore #LiveTheLifeYouWantToLive

 

 

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do stuff, don’t buy so much stuff

I like to wander by myself. I love people and connection and sharing for sure, but contrary to popular belief, I spend a lot of time alone and always have. If you have just started following here to give you an idea, I drove to Alaska from Wilmington, NC alone- and with no music a few years back; that kind of alone. Some think It’s weird. I think It’s awesome to go solo, sometimes.

Last weekend, as I wandered around the streets of Chicago alone (yes! – scored a super cheap non-stop round trip plane ticket for Memorial Day Weekend!), I observed a zillion people with shopping bags galore weighing them down. Knowing that one of the biggest reasons I could actually afford go to Chicago for some guilt-free good exploring, eating, and meeting up with old friends was the fact that I don’t ever weigh myself down with shopping bags galore, I had one of those aha moments:

DO stuff, people! Don’t BUY so much stuff! (“Stuff” here to me, means an over abundance of material CRAP that you simply do not use or do not need.)

If you’re offended by the word crap, please try not to be. I’ve been told a hundred times over that I/we should not call other people’s stuff “crap” but if we are being realistic, the extra (note I said, extra!) stuff piled in your closets and drawers that you forgot you even had, is kind of all just a bunch of crap. Wouldn’t you agree? If if makes you feel any better, I call my own stuff crap, too even though I have very little of it. I think a lot about what I would do if the small amount of stuff I own vanished. (I’ve actually lost it all before, and when I realized the people who took it all didn’t shoot me, I seriously felt relieved and lucky.) I can say with 100% confidence, that if all my stuff (crap) disappeared, but I had my health, people who loved me, and could sip a glass of wine, eat a block of cheese, and back that all up with a quality piece of chocolate, I’d be happier than a pig in you know what.

I’m thinking you might be right there with me.

And now we are off and running here on this Blue Lollipop Road with a little series moving forward I will theme; The Do’s & Don’ts of stuff

It’s all about priorities, really. Me, I find value and prioritize people, time, and experiences more than stuff. Some may not- but I think I can help encourage a little more prioritizing the important “stuff” here, so hope you jump on the train of less stuff = more freedom = happy life with me.

More on Chicago soon (I always pull that “soon” card, don’t I? I’ve got to keep you coming back:), until then today’s post is meant to share about today. My Sunday Funday and how I love the summer, the heat, and the colors of it all. During some client appointments today, I ran into a sweet little farmers market on a road I never go down, far from the city:

Farmer's Market

IMG_0880

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Farmer's Market
I stocked up for some good grilling.

Windows down, music blaring, then back to the house to sit outside and type here, one of my most favorite things to do:

Sunday Porch Time

EAT good stuff that you’ll really enjoy with good company, don’t BUY a bunch of (material) stuff you don’t really need.

Spend some time alone, prioritize, and live that life you want.

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #DoStuffDontBuyStuff #Summer

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867 reasons you should have a dance party

Actually, just 1:

Because It’s fun.

I went to the BOB Awards tonight. It was a blast. I went with a crew, one of whom at one point (on the dance floor) said; “This makes me want to take off my boots!…and then he did. It was awesome, we laughed and strangers took photos.

We “snuck” (no one was paying attention to any one or any thing- so why not), into the VIP lounge a few times to get cocktails and treats from the s’mores bar. (Hello dripping, melty chocolate fountain!) We were the group that started the dance party. I personally never need an invitation to get the floor moving and was glad I was with a group that didn’t either.

It’s close to midnight on a Saturday night, and as I type in silence smiling from a great time after my party has ended for the night, I’m hoping everyone is out there in this big world living a little bit of eff-it! – just letting go and having fun. Whether you stayed in or went out, and whether you got wild or stayed calm, remember, there are no rules. What you do with your life is YOUR CHOICE. We should care a lot less about what other people think, we should get that dance floor moving even when (especially when), we’re sober, we should laugh loud enough that our face hurts, and we should sneak into the VIP lounge (ahem…in everyone situation), like we own it. Take initiative, don’t ask for permission, and…

…dance my friends, just dance.

#GetYourGrooveOn #WhenInDoubtBeyonceItOut #Fearless

BOB awards

Bonus fun if you strike a pose with a friend on the way out the door and see how long you can hold your Blue Steel face without cracking up.

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lets just kick the shit out of option b

It’s Sunday morning, May 15th and I just had a much needed long slumber after a busy week. I woke up missing some people I love, some living and some not. This is an everyday thing for me. In the quiet, all snuggled up in my fleece blanket staring at the blue sky out the window I thought for the gazillionth time how strange it is to consistently feel so happy, excited, and lucky, and yet so heavy-hearted, too.

As I sipped my coffee, I texted a few friends about this book, just published. My sweet friend Sam wrote it. This was a huge dream of his, and how I wish he was here to hold the actual printed version in his hands.

This time of year is my favorite; Warm temperatures, lots of exciting summer plans to be outside in the fresh air and sun, BLR Play It Forward is coming soon, and of course, commencement speeches. I never went to college, so I’ve only experienced commencement speeches online or at some else’s graduation. I wish these kinds of speeches happened all year around, and not just at universities during graduation month. I dig inspirational messages from people who’ve pushed through a bit of life’s minefield keeping a hard-earned smile, and then share their lessons.

I got a phone notification this morning as I was snuggled up, about Sheryl Sandberg’s Commencement Speech at UC Berkeley. She talks about grief, loss, and what she learned in death. Well worth the 26 minute watch:

My favorite parts are at around the 9:45 and 18:45 marks and towards the end when she says “Now I celebrate always.”

My Blue Lollipop Road mantra has always been to live simple. That “stuff” doesn’t matter…people and time do. Our theme for Play It Forward is Remember. Celebrate. Live; Remember where you came from, celebrate memories and what you have, and live like today is the day- don’t wait.

I know like Sheryl and many of you, I will wake up tomorrow still missing. I will always miss someone, a hug or holding that hand. I will always miss seeing some certain smiling faces or a laugh I remember that always felt so good to be around. I will also wake up tomorrow celebrating, because no matter what we’ve been through, we’ve got to keep kicking the shit out of option B. I hope all of us continue to love hard and leave it all on the field.

If there were only 11 more days left…what would you do?

#Celebrate #TodayIsTheDay #HopToIt

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i dare you

So this is a car ad (and who cares about fancy cars), but every time I hear or see the words only those who dare drive the world forward in this commercial, it makes me want to jump up and scream, HELL YES!

I went with a CPA friend yesterday to a local Title I high school to talk to students about basic financial literacy. We tried to be cool, fun, and as current as possible as we shared about thrilling things that every 16-18 year old (ha!) is just chomping at the bit to learn about like credit card interest, opening a bank or savings account, and how best to fill out a job application. As we made our important points about how to kick off life with a few bucks in your pocket and how not to (ahem) eff up your early money life by making mistakes that we (or at least, I) did, we found ourselves circling back to a basic foundation message that has nothing, (but everything) to do with money and creating a healthy, happy life:

Stay curious, figure out how you like to spend your time, trust your gut, and hustle for what you want. Speak up, keep getting up, and never take no for an answer.

Walking out of the school it felt great to know maybe, just maybe, we could’ve made the slightest impact on a young life. I couldn’t help but think though, that perhaps all of us “adults” could use to be a little bit more daring; To remember who we were, what we dreamed about, and the things that made our hearts beat fast back in the day when we first found out the world was our oyster.

I dare you.

#LifeOutsideTheDroneZone #TodayIsTheDay #Dare

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live simple, do more

This video will be just one example in the gazilllion that are coming here on BLR about how living simply and less wasteful is not only good for the environment and your soul, but your pocket, too!

Why do we think things like traveling or using/eating homemade or local products is so unaffordable? Not true! Moving forward, I’ll be sharing a whole bunch on how to live big on a minimal budget. (And how to get yourself unburied from all those bills.) Blue Lollipop Road is all about LESS STUFF. MORE FREEDOM. HAPPY LIFE. It’s not about deprivation, It’s about choices, and being conscious about how, when, and where you spend your hard-earned loot!

Do you want more freedom from personal, physical, and financial “stuff” so you can do more of what you love?

Yes, please!

Awesome. Keep following along here, and sign up to get these blog posts in your inbox. Just scroll to the bottom of the home page and “SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL.”

Blog post subscription

Life is way to short to waste so much of our time, energy, or money…on all that stuff that’s weighing us down.

Ready to make some changes? Yeah! I love working with clients who are sick of feeling buried. Drop me a line:

Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com

804.339.6514

#StopWastingStartLiving #LessStuffMoreExperiencesHappyLife #LiveBigSpendLess

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don’t forget your pads

I’ve followed Mark Manson for a while now. Today’s post cracks me up. Read it here.

Basically what he is saying (what we all know but try to deny), is that life’s just one big shit show. This is not a bad thing, it simply means the circus, the roller coaster, that whirling dervish is there and always will be- even when we try to make sense of things. Every single one of us humans is messed up. If you are over the age of 5 and reading this, you’ve been through something (if not a lot), and likely have more baggage than a holiday weekend at JFK.

Thanks for joining the club with me and all of our other homies!

What we do, what we practice, every single day to protect and/or heal our beautifully battered and bruised smiling selves is what makes all the difference in the world.

I say wake up in the morning, (picture you’re a kid here playing imaginary dress up) strap on your football pads and helmet, and run out in the world ready to get it, see it, be it, do it. Remember where you came from, knock some stuff around, get a little knocked around, be a little sore after the clock runs out at the end of the day, but know you have tried your best to make some kind of sense, and some kind of fun out of all the madness in this crazy awesome life.

Yep.

How’s that for a shot (of tequila?) in your arm for Cinco De Mayo?

Cheers!

#DontStopGetItGetIt ##Effort #WhenInDoubtNikeItOut

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the things we think, and do not say

This Jerry McGuire scene is one of my absolute favorites, and pops in my head weekly when the same conversation with everyone in my personal and professional life, seems to play on repeat mode:

“Do other people think about this stuff?”

(Forget the sports specific theme here, and roll with this for me.) And scene:

Many of us live in pain, locked in and loaded with fear of being judged at every turn, we suppress huge parts of who we are or what we want because we think we’re going to disappoint someone else. We’re convinced the wheels will fly straight off the bus of life going 100 miles per hour if we speak up about what we really think is right. We’re adults. We’re supposed to stay in our lane, act like it, and not ruffle any feathers.

What a bunch of crap that is! I’m thinking we should all be a little more like Jerry.

“I had lost the ability to bullshit.”

“It was the me that I’d always wanted to be.” 

“I was 35. I had started my life. 

We should bullshit a lot less, be who we want to be, and start life now if we haven’t already, at 35, 45, or 85 because we can and It’s never too late. We should shout from the rooftops about what we’re passionate about, stand up for what we believe in and speak up about what matters. When a “who’s with me!” fails (because it sometimes will) and when it seems like everyone around us thinks we’ve lost our minds (which they sometimes will), we will at least sleep good at night knowing we left it all out there on the dance floor.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met a beer bellied old man at the end of his life on any porch I’ve ever sat on, who’s told me he wished he’d never spoken up.

Today is the day. Show yourself “the money,” baby!

#ThinkItSayItDoIt #LessFearMoreActionHappyLife #ThanksJerry

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