When dreams you didn’t even know you had, come true.

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The world is continuing to inspire me with every passing day, and I’m noticing that even though I need at least 3 lifetimes to effectively execute my current bucket-list, and no mater how hard I try to practice some crazy, wild child ambitious dreaming, it seems that there will be some morsels of gold thrown my way, materializing fantasies I haven’t even ‘dreamt’, conjured, tasted, or felt yet.

It is precisely at this point, (when I see paddle-boards on someone’s car roof), that I not only realize that I now want to paddle-board along the entire bay, but also, that my bucket list will never be complete.

I will always need another leaf of paper as soon as all the dotted lines are filled, and a trip to the newsagent, once I have exasperated every option on my 4-pen.

Surely, as soon as I tick off hiking to Base Camp, the Everest trek will supersede my next day-off hike, and just when I think I have seen every crevice of Barcelona, I will acknowledge that Granada is only a short train ride south, with an inevitable backyard of even more spectacular things for me to touch, explore and appreciate.

From that location and perspective, I just know that another place, idea, experience, ride, walk, talk or book will come flying my way and a whole new world will open before me, for the thousandth time.

What I’m learning today, tomorrow, next week, and now, is that this world is fast, so fast that if you blink you might just miss it, the way that you might miss the Town Centre of Yackandandah, if you look down at your volume dial in an attempt to turn the radio up whilst driving. (Shout out to my fave, and only Yack-er, Harry Quealy).

We never really know where the de-tour is actually going to take us, or if we might just find the next big thing on Bean Hunter if we go left instead of right.

The implications and consequences of every thought, word, action, chance encounter, and brief meeting is something we will never truly grasp.

But that’s the beauty of it right? Making rules in order to break them, and setting plans so you can bail last minute for something better, greater, funner?

So keep dreaming, little dreamer, as Cinderella says, a dream is a wish your heart makes. Corny I know, but everyone loves a little Disney flashback (or maybe that’s just me…awks).

“I got the MAGIC in me” – B.O.B

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I’m sure you’ve all heard about the power of affirmations, and if you haven’t I’ll help a brother out.

Now, I won’t go all strong incense burning, new age spiritual counselor with bad breath and extra long hair on you, but basically, it is a common held belief that “you become your thoughts”.

For example:

“The Monash is going to be SO packed this morning”.

“There’s NO way I’m gonna get a park at Chadstone tonight”.

“The lines are going to be TOO long at the Night Noodle Market”.

“I can NEVER resist going to 7 Apples when I go to St. Kilda”

“I’m NOT going to be able to fit into the Bardot short shorts I bought last summer”

Each of these bad boys are exactly that, BAD BOYS. And although many of us totally batted for Ryan over Seth on the O.C purely because he was “bad”, I can assure you that looking/saying/repeating/talking/listening/re-instating/thinking/believing/raving (everyone loves a good rave #discolyf) these thoughts, will 100% make them true…for you. And that would be quite, well, bad.

So as Hilary Duff sung from the top of her lungs: “why not, take a crazy chance, why not do a crazy dance”, and maybe start chiming to some different bells.

I completely agree that stating “I have the body of Candace Swanepoel”may be unbelievable in the present, when clearly you’re not currently repping a Victoria’s Secret rig. So let’s take baby steps.

Try: “I CAN get a HD in Principles of Macro”, “I CAN get up at 6am for Crossfit”, “I can……DO WHAT I WANT”.

The word “can” is extremely powerful, I think Ghandi even told me one time, that it opens the mind to opportunities and events that would otherwise lie dormant, ready for someone “lucky” like Oprah or the winner of Australia’s Next Top Model to snap up.

Same goes for “can’s” evil twin sister, “can’t”, with this gem, you essentially cut off any chances you had with whatever it was you were thinking. I vote that you remove that 4-letter syllable from your vocab immediately!

Soon enough your confidence in “I CAN”, will lead to the assurance that “I AM”, and then, you my friend, very much will be….X.

So, what story are you going to tell yourself today?

P.S. Even the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air knows what’s up. Get around him!

The ‘not-so-chocolate’ ripple.

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Even though I clearly said “not-so-chocolate”, don’t pretend  your not already  frothing at the mouth as you imagine yourself devouring one of grandma’s guilt-ridden, brandy-soaked, cream-filled, peppermint-crisp topped chocolate ripple cakes.

But seriously, this post has nothing to do with your lovely Nanna, her roses, how good she is at knitting, or even  just being so adorably cute….or her famous chocolate ripple cake.

It has to do with this ‘ripple’ thing I’ve been experimenting with lately.

I am yet to determine the proper name for it, and it’s been the first time that old mate Google hasn’t been able to hook me up with a credible answer from his mate, wiki.

So ill try explain it.

Basically, I recently started working at a cute little cafe, and appointed myself a little mission to make every customer I serve smile – this was especially exciting when a stressed/rude/ignorant customer would come to the counter.

What I found is that, with just a little nudge, everyone: the run-down mum, the senile old man, the time-poor executive, the ambitious 20-something chick with the amazing windsor flats and perfect ombré (I must ask who her hairdresser is), are all capable of having an AMAZING day.

What got me excited, was thinking about how the course of their day had now been altered, by my teeny-tiny, one-dimpled, colgate-brushed SMILE.

I am a massive advocate for the whole “law of attraction”, “you are what you think”, “get what you give” etc., etc. movement, and it is profound to think about how circumstances, events and occurrences may have changed as a  result of an altered perspective.

Sure, I only gave Mark his weak cap in a latte mug with extra chocolate dusting and a side of a friendly grin, but I wonder if that little extra, just maybe, inspired him to do something nice for the next person he came into contact with, and then if that person did the same…… and then if that person did the same……and then if that person did the same……and then if that person did the same……and then if that person did the same…….

You get where I’m going with this right?

Moral of the story, start a ripple (it will fit your macros I swear!).

I challenge you to do just one thing nice for someone, and rest happy knowing that you’ve actually changed the world, albeit in a small way.

PS. For anyone who is not shredding for stereo, heres a chocolate ripple recipe.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/25207/choc+ripple+cake