practice happiness

I handstamp these cuffs with reminders on how I should live life.

The latest is "practice fear". I don't mean to jump off a cliff,

simply because you are scared. In fact, that might be pretty stupid.

What I mean by "practice fear" is do something

 that you've always been afraid to do because you think you

might look silly, embarrassing or dumb.

For instance, if you always wanted to sing in front of a crowd,

go to a karoake bar and do it. Who care what others think.

We are here to take care of our own happiness.

I began riding a motocycle.

There's a great song called

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

Originally, it was a column in the Chicago Tribune in 1997 written by Mary Schmich titled

"Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young"

Eventually, the Australian director Baz Luhrman put the words to music

and placedon on his 1998 album Something for Everybody  it became this huge hit.

"Do one thing everyday that scares you" is the line that inspired me to

handstamp "practice fear"

Here is the video

and below are the lyrics

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,

sunscreen would be it.

The long term benefits of sunscreen

have been proved by scientists

whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;

oh nevermind;

you will not
understand the power and beauty

of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years

you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now

how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….

You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t,

 maybe you’ll have children,

maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40,

maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Handmade Jewelry & Mannequins

What can you do to "practice fear?"