The LifeBeats Project Story Search Soiree

in the Spring i hosted a Story Search through my podcast The LifeBeats Project

in conjunction with Diana Putnam Photography's series Rose Colored Lenses

asking my listeners to submit stories of people who inspire them

or to share their own inspirational story

it is part of my mission to be able to share how extraordinary people are with you

i had 20 nominees submit stories

and how could i only share 2 of them with you

reading through each one of their stories was so uplifting and inspiring 

that i decided i would honor them all

welcome to the first Story Search Soiree

at my beautiful new home

keeping it simple was my goal

in order to focus on why we were gathering

people

and their stories

our simply beautiful decorations

felt ball garlands, floral buntings, wooden flatware, and sunburst napkins

were there to add sunshine and feminine fun

provided by the darling party and paper store My Paper Crush

dedicated to having all the pretty things in one place

you have a chance to win a $50 gift card to their darling shop

by simply following the steps shown on my Instagram post of the soiree

giveaway will end Thurs Sept 22 so hurry and enter

our guests were provided with some gifts as little physical reminders of how truly amazing they are

notebooks and pen by My Paper Crush

my favorite heartbeat necklace by Sweet Lemon Boutique

perfect for my brand and a special gift to my interviewed guests

beautifully burned wood leather wrap 'be brave' bracelet by Sweet Saltwater Designs

seven of us gathered together

some arriving after our photos

to share in a delicious meal made by my loving mother who knows how much cooking stresses me out

she used fresh vegetables from our garden as part of her main shrimp pasta dish

strawberry shortcake my favorite for dessert

i am glad we got the women behind the lens out in front

to know Diana is to love her

she has a heart of gold and a magical talent

the darling Ashley Lundgreen of Visage Artistry

when i envisioned this dinner

i imagined it to be for the purpose of coming together in meaning conversations and to share our stories

three of the attendees shared their stories through video

together we watched them and were able to discuss together the underlying stories

each of us shared a piece of our story

and we talked into the dark of the evening

creating connection and learning from one another

it couldn't have gone any more perfectly

here are the videos for you to witness the beauty of each of these stories

the passionate Carissa of Family History Modernized

i am so excited to share with you this coming week on my podcast The LifeBeats Project

about the new social media campaign i will be launching soon

to help give everyone who wants to share their story an opportunity to do so

to share that #lifebeatsforme

the incredible Tami Schlappi, one of our selections to interview on the podcast

hear her full podcast episode here

"Trusting in God and His plan even in times of great loss and when you plan doesn't align with His"

The LifeBeats Project

friends i am so grateful that you have stuck around for this ride

that of the journey of transition and finding happiness

as we have adjusted to living with Mike's multiple sclerosis 

as well as my pursuit to provide for our family in a way that will allow me to preserve our family lifestyle as much as possible

i am so grateful for all the things that have come into my life that have provided me 

with learning opportunities and communities of support

and have aided in refining my path towards financial self sufficiency through pursuing my passions

the next stepping stone in this journey comes with much anticipation and joy

as it has so much to do with you

on the wise urgings of my husband who has told me to 'just start'

as opposed to my natural tendency to want to know everything from the beginning to the end

i have 'just started'

and am now able to share the beginnings of this incredible project with you

it is with much excitement and a truckload of butterflies swarming my stomach

that i present to you

The LifeBeats Project is a podcast and blog dedicated to Pursuing the Art of Living Extraordinarily

its a celebration of the extraordinary that already lies within you and

a practice devoted to helping you achieve a breakthrough

to illuminate more of it in yourself

and the world around you

i will be interviewing everyday people like you and me

and sharing their inspiring stories of extraordinary living

as well as expert guests who will share with us practical and applicable steps we can take to help us better our lives and enrich those relationships around us

Listen to my 10 minute introductory podcast over at www.thelifebeatsproject.com 

that will share more about how my passion was sparked and ignited

as well as what you can expect from upcoming episodes

be sure to subscribe with your email address to receive notification of when my first podcast will be released

beat alongside of me in all the beginning stages on instagram @lifebeatsproject

and of course I would love to hear from you

my longtime friends

please share with me your thoughts by commenting below or emailing me at briana@thelifebeatsproject.com

and if you would like to share your story with me

or someone else's story who has inspired you

please share it with me at the above email address as well

thank you for your continued support 

the impact your encouragement and confidence in me has provided

has helped carry me through this rollercoaster journey

moms living happy: our new adventure, you and me

every once in awhile something seems to fall from the sky and land in your lap that was just meant to be

i know better

what would seem like some random fruit falling from the tree 

is more like a heat seeking missile with your heart's signature as its target

something designed for an impact just for you

this is how i feel about Moms Living Happy

a project that will change the way we look at ourselves as mothers

and which will reach out to the corners of the earth and bring together a community of moms who despite life's vicissitudes choose happiness

i am honored to be a co-founder in this brilliant endeavor 

to step into the homes of countless such moms 

and tell their courageous stories in video form

your story

you

and you

and you

so how are we going to hear your story

or the story of your inspiring friend, neighbor, or own mother

we need to hear from you

email us your stories at momslivinghappy@gmail.com

and who knows we could meet in your living room with a film crew 

to tell a story that needs to be told

of Moms Living Happy

so hope on over and see what we are all about

subscribe to our newsletter so you won't miss a single inspiring story

head on over to 

hipster baby boy's first birthday: the paper crepe challenge

this past week as been filled with lots of projects

and you know i love a good project

well i was elated to be hired by an up and coming party supply company called The Paper Crepe

in collaboration with my dear friend Amy from Commona-My House

{another newly planted Utah resident}

to create displays for their party tour hitting the cities of Sacramento, Dallas, and Chicago

the challenge: 

to design themed displays using only a box of provided paper products, ribbon, twine, and washi tape that could be shipped, used, assembled, disassembled, packed over and over again!

not as easy as you may think

we were able to add a few elements to give it some height, stability, and structure

but not a whole lot

was i up for the task

of course

i snagged the idea of hipster baby boy's first birthday party

incorporating some of the trending shapes and graphics

triangles, chevron, feathers, teepees, tassels, and woodland elements

it was fun to see sheets of paper and rolls of ribbon and twine

quickly transform into the bones of a birthday party any baby boy would love and mama too

quickly

yes, did i mention that we had four days to complete the entire task

the elements of this hipster baby party display include:

name initial for little brave baby 'A'

feathered head band

teepee table display

cake bunting

straw holding canoe

goodie bag

triangle bunting

crepe paper criss cross wall display

be sure to look for little tutorials for some of these items coming soon...

as well as my Merry & Bright Christmas 

to see Amy's Vintage Tea Party and Whirly Pop Centerpieces click here and here

**{check out the hipster baby birthday cake bunting tutorial here}**

if you live in or near Sacramento, Dallas, or Chicago, be sure to check out The Paper Crepe Party Tour for dates

from a dancing chicken to a positive self-image: the power of daily affirmations for you and your children

ok so how many of you have done daily affirmations
you know, that thing when you say great things about yourself aloud
i mean, don’t we always say nice things about ourselves
well if you fall into the ‘saying nice things to myself out loud is cheesy and weird’ camp 
you have been in good company with me
until now

doing something new in your life that requires you to stretch and grow is hard work
it makes you reach down deep inside and pull out everything you’ve got
it takes all your insecurities and parades them straight in front of your face
you step out of that comfort zone and into that arena for the world to watch you squirm and struggle as you take those initial unsteady steps 

the subjection of ourselves to the scrutiny of our own doubts and the world’s peering eyes
makes it rather difficult to want to stay on that course
of ‘the new’
the dream
the quest
the change
and especially long enough to reach that other side
the side of accomplishment, success, fulfillment, triumph
for by the time you have crossed over into those things
most of the work has already been done

so how can we stay the course
for we all know why we must
why we want to
why we continue to place ourselves in positions to grow, change, dream
but that ‘why’ is different for every one of us
what makes us get up and try again after a fall is different for you and me

as i have been on this journey of being a new business owner and building my success story
a legacy for my family and those of you who link arms with me in the process
my ‘why’ has grown 
but what has gotten in the way of achievement has been myself
my own doubts
my own fears
in myself
those self-sabotaging thoughts and barbed wire i placed around my dreams as i wrote about here 

so how have i overcome them and turned them off
oh they are still there
they creep in whenever i give them a crack of opening into my mind
and even the little ones that leak in are loud and echoing
you’re not good enough
you’re inexperienced
you’ll never be as successful as them
what makes you think you can do this

i think you know them all too well

during my trip to Baltimore for Nerium i experienced something different that i had never experienced before
something that pierced me to the very heart and brought me to tears
it was the power of affirmations
in a room full of 5,000 people a man named Mark Michaud stood on stage and asked for our participation in an experiment
he first asked us stand up and act like we had won a million dollars
yell, scream, jump up and down
however we would act and really mean it
i have to say that i felt very apprehensive standing up
you know that feeling you had at camp or at your music performance when you had to flap your arms like a chicken or do some painful choreography of acting like a dead tree
yeah it was kind of like that at first
but as i looked around and saw others exploding with excitement
hugging each other, screaming, waving their arms in the air
the energy was palpable and contagious
i felt the temperature rise inside of me as i began to join them in the jubilation of winning a million dollars
Mark then instructed us to then take that excitement and with that feeling of positive energy and true belief
repeat loudly after him
wait...what?
we’re going to do that thing where i say nice things about myself?
out loud?

but i just went with it
with all the energy and belief i could muster

and then it began

i am a leader
i am a winner
i am changing the world
i control my destiny
i am strong
i am courageous
i overcome challenges positively
i help people daily
i am a warrior
i am unstoppable
i love my life
i am grateful
i am worthy
i can do anything
i am a champion
this is my time
this is my time
this is my time

as i yelled out these words i was transformed
i felt of their truthfulness in my soul
i am strong
i am worthy
these two particularly struck me to the core as i repeated these for the world to hear
it changed me

why is it so hard for us to think so positively about ourselves
if we are not going to believe these things about us
who will we believe
we must realize the impact our underlying thoughts play out in all of our actions
we need to fix our thinking

on that plane ride home as i sat there in the rays of the sun
i thought about the impression saying those simple things about myself made
and i thought about my children
how do i want them to think about themselves
how do i want them to think about who they are now, who they can become, what they can dream and achieve
i decided that these daily affirmations needed to be a part of our routine
and so it began

each morning on the way to school we take turns thinking of something wonderful that we just won or received
a trip to Disneyland
an endless supply of Legos
a house on top of the mountain
a million dollars
a trip to Paris

Felicity now chimes in
‘what did you win Mom’

and then we channel that enthusiasm into our daily affirmations
or good words
{we are trying to come up with a more kid-friendly term...suggestions welcome}
sometimes one person is in charge
sometimes we take turns

i am awesome
i am obedient
i am a worker
i am a winner
i am strong
i am a champion
i am a child of God
i like Legos
{somehow they are always involved}

i confess there have been many mornings i have not wanted to do this
some mornings we are running late
the fight over the front seat becomes intolerable
so and so breathed on me
and the tone of our excitement and decibel level may vary
but we have done it every day
i want my children to feel of the power of a positive self-image
i want my children to know from a young age that they are worthy of achievement
whatever form that may come in
they are worthy
we all are

i have read that how you speak to your children will become the voice in their head
but i would say that how you speak to yourself about yourself truly is that voice
what does it say to you
what will you believe

i challenge you to try some daily affirmations
you may feel like a dancing chicken on a stage at first but i promise it will change you

how has a positive self-image helped you achieve your goals and dreams?
how have you instilled that in your own children?

10,000+ thank yous

sending out 10, 264 thank yous
to all you beautiful people
for helping me cross over the 10,000 page views for my blog this past month
this is a huge milestone for me

thank you to each of you who have
come and stayed
learned about who i am
who my hubby is
and who we are together with our four kids
and have come back again and again

who have commented
whether on facebook, instagram, or on here
pinned something that you liked
shared my blog with others via facebook
entered a giveaway
encouraged me about my writing

pinterest and facebook continue to be my leading traffic sources
and i am elated and humbled when i see you sharing my blog with others
you are all helping to make my dream come true of having a sustainable blog to help provide for my family
i have invested my soul in this space for seven years
and my heart is here with you
here in this place i have come to share and grow as my mind becomes clear as i write through those things that weigh me down so deeply
and through moments of epiphany realizing that what i already know
and what i already have is what brings me the greatest joy
faith, family, friends, creativity, opportunities to grow

so lets link arms and keep walking down this path further and further
there are so many places i would like to take you to
i think you'll continue to find me a happy companion
and i just might share my push pop and little debbie star crunch with you along the way

lets keep climbing
you
and
me
together

the other side of the weekend: being fed at every turn

mike and i took a leap of faith and sent me to dallas for the Nerium national convention this past weekend
loaded up with 45 bracelets that i planned to sell there to pay for my trip

i packed up my only business clothes that i had
threw in some high heels that i rarely wear but love any reason to
soon after mike came home from the store with his ‘dad’s alone with the kids’ food pyramid
{i could seriously hear my children’s arteries clogging}
i kissed my kiddos and hubby goodbye

i worried about leaving all the kids with mike
knowing his limitations
but i also knew of his incredible parenting skills and prayed all would be well
for weeks he has had the kids on a summer schedule
packed with morning preparation, scripture memorization, flashcard review, reading, snacktime, and physical fitness
no joke, this dad is a father of champions
with me taking the reins of providing for the family more
he has taken the lead on achieving some incredible things i have attempted to do with the kids for years
why is it that kids just seem to respond better to dad than mom
{read his side of our weekend here. packed with awesomeness and gross-outs}

i am not afraid to travel by myself but i still get nervous about logistical stuff like missing my flight and finding the right shuttle to the right terminal
the difference is that i only have myself to worry about instead of 5 other people
in san diego i parked my car in a park n ride place and hopped onto the shuttle
in a panic i looked for my phone only to discover i had left in my car
ugh.  i had to ask the shuttle driver to turn around
thankfully he was kind about it saying that this has happened before, mainly with women
i jumped out and found my phone on the driver’s seat
quickly returned to the shuttle
jumped in
only to realized that i didn’t lock my car
aww
i jumped back out and literally ran back to my car in my heels
locked it and headed back
an eventful start to my trip
thankfully i’m really good at laughing at myself

i love airports 
they give me a rush knowing i’m heading somewhere
i love to travel and married someone with the same love
if we could have it our way, we’d travel the world with our kids
and of course sometimes without them
i studied humanities in college
and am fascinated by the way others view the world and the beauty they create to capture their perspective and philosophies 

i love airplanes
i began flying by myself when i was about ten
my grandpa was a pilot
which enabled me to fly fairly inexpensively to go visit him and my grandma in park city, utah
my second home growing up
i love the thrill of taking off
that rush of sound and velocity
and being up above the clouds is so peaceful and causes for great reflection as you look down on the world below
just in case i was close to heaven i looked for daddy;)

during my two and a half hour flight i decided to take that time and blog
by hand writing on paper
something i haven’t done in a long time
the words seemed to flow naturally with the movement of my hand

from the moment i stepped on that shuttle after i arrived i was greeted by incredibly friendly people
all headed the same place for the same reason
to make their lives and the lives of others better
you can see it on their faces, you could hear it in their words, you could feel it in their embrace and greeting
the culture of this company is so unique and i tell you it changes you

the first night i stayed up til two chatting with some of the leaders in the company
people i knew the faces well having seen them on videos and on stage
it was rather intimidating at first, but their conversations put me at ease
and then guess what, something marvelous happened i slept in til 10
what??!!
i was in disbelief 
i could stop right there and the trip would have been worth it

as i was waiting for the conference to begin along with the other 10,000 people that were there
i was greeted by a text from mike sending me a card Tate wrote to Eyan from Eyan’s ‘girlfriend’

Eyan was not thrilled
i think its hilarious
you can see Eyan's scribble attempt to change this to be from Tate's girlfriend

throughout the three day conference i received a variety of texts from mike like this:
‘i’m so glad that you are there’
‘we’re out of wipes!!!!!’
‘you’re the best.’
‘i cannot tell you how proud i am of you... you are being incredible in going out trying to help us become financially independent and build something incredible.’
‘did you lay out clothes for felicity...she may or may not be in the same dress she was in when you left’
‘you’re the best. and i’m so glad you have been there. everything went real smooth here. but i’m ready to have you home!!!’

i am the luckiest woman in the world to have a husband who feeds into me like that
always building me up, always demonstrating confidence in me, always doing his best to be an incredible father
how can i be anything but successful when i have a constant influx of optimism and love coming my way 

those three and a half days were packed with continually feeding from those around me
my husband
my team
strangers
my leaders

heaven smiled upon me in placing me in a team of people who care about me and my family
jimmy is one of the leaders of our team and his continual inspiration played a large part in being able to hurdle over those initial months of self-doubt
he had encouraged me to make those 45 bracelets to sell
reassuring me that they would sell and he would help me to do it
one of the mornings we set up shop outside of the vast convention ballroom

i was overcome with gratitude as jimmy and his parents directed crowds of ladies over to my bracelets
calling out ‘have you heard about the Nerium bracelets...this is the girl’
to some people he happily shared my story
a mom with an ailing husband and four young children
working hard doing whatever she can to provide for her family
strangers came and hugged me, cheered me on, and bought my bracelets
one by one
tears of gratitude streamed down my face
this feeling of support and love from this culture continued
when jimmy handed me three one hundred dollar bills
i couldn’t believe what i was holding
i don’t know what he said, but he had shared my story with one of the ladies in corporate
she gave him the money to give to me from the company
i raced over to her and threw my arms around her
thanking her through tears for this generous gift
she told me it was from the company
to help pay for my trip and to go home to take care of my husband
she said, ‘this is what we do, we take care of our family.  and if you ever need anything else, please let me know.’
i couldn’t believe what i had just experienced
truly an affirmation of the company’s mission to make people better
and to create a culture of loving, caring, sharing

beside witnessing two major announcements for the company
that of the new daycream which supercharges the night cream for 24 hour anti-aging Nerium power
and the doubling of our commission structure with a builder bonus program
i learned so much about how to make small changes in my life to be better
better equipped to take care of my family and be a better version of me

favorite takeaways from the conference:

the more perspectives you see at the same time, the more success you can have
how are you looking at the world around you?
the words we use create a reality

we must seek to construct and change our view of reality through a more positive lens
we are used to looking at this photo and asking if we see it half empty or half full

we need to construct a new reality and what our brain focuses on
that those questions of half-empty or half-full don’t apply
a better question to ask is where is the pitcher
shawn achor ‘before happiness: the 5 hidden keys to achieving success, spreading happiness, and sustaining positive change’

your adversity is your advantage
your past has developed muscles not wounds
its not what you know, its what you do with what you know that matters
am i doing what i know?
you are the compound effect of the choices you’ve made up to this moment
success is not a result of heroic deeds or quantum leaps
success is a result of small, seemingly insignificant moment to moment choices
you will suffer one of two pains..the pains of discipline or the pain of regret...james rohn
the pain of discipline weighs ounces, the pain of regret weighs tons
darren hardy ‘the compound effect’

know who you are, where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there
people want to make a difference
turn people from a receiver to a transmitter and you can start changing people’s lives
people join this company for the product and the comp plan
they stay to make people better
i’m in the making people better business
we are looking for people who fearlessly believe in the mission
willing to give up something to make it happen
willing to do the thing that you said you committed to long after the mood has left
willing to build your dreams
willing of being accused of being driven
to succeed you must be willing to show up consistently over a long period of time, with desire and faith, willing to pay the price and do it with integrity
jeff olson ‘the slight edge’ ceo and founder of nerium

its not stepping on God’s toes to dream big
imagination is given by God
you can imagine, it separates us form the rest of God’s creatures
learn to manage choice and the gift of imagination
we are commanded to multiply stuff
{see the parable of the talents}
multiplying what i’ve got is what i’m expected to do
it is natural human instinct to ask ‘when can i rest?’
you can rest with the abundance of achievement
we must give ourselves permission to fail
however we have to learn to lose without being defeated
david byrd, ‘the next level achievement system’

as you can see i was indeed richly fed
ready to come home and be a better mother, wife, friend, teammate, and person
truly this experience has been a blessing from a loving Heavenly Father
who continues to tell me that i can do this
i can be successful at providing for my family
and he will continue to put tools and people in my path to accomplish that

what experiences and words have inspired you to be a better you?