3 Simple Acts Towards Beautiful Rebellion this Fall

Growing up in the magical Rockies gave me an appreciation for the four seasons and the rain and rainbows in life that we feel. So much unravels in phases ... the four quarters of a football game ... the four phases in design thinking ... the four stages in product life cycle. Each phase represents something different - the fall used to be my favourite time of year, it was time to suit up for soccer season! Now retired from playing and living in the Pacific Northwest, the fall time with its cloudy wetness (and no snowflakes in sight) is when I need to work hardest at keeping my fire stoked. It's the time of year where I most risk hitting the pause button on my ambitions and fun-factor. So over brunch with some friends, we schemed up a hit list of three things to help keep our Beautiful Rebellion mojo going this fall.

1. Instagram your way to a Beautiful Rebellion. Words are often inadequate to explain what stokes your fire. Instagram is a fun way to visualize something and the act of snapping photos brings focus to the present. Pick a theme that you want to focus more of your time and mind space on (my current obsession is capturing moments of beautiful rebellions, YAH!) then capture a photo a day and post it on Instagram. If you haven't already joined Instagram, do it now, it's free and you won't regret it. Tag your Instagram photos with the hashtag #BeautifulRebellion and I'll feature some favourites on one of my next blog posts.

2. Heroes! Find or re-discover heroes that inspire you to want to live life full-tilt. One of my brunch buddies couldn't name one single hero she had (I volunteered to be her hero but don't think I made the cut). For as long as I can remember I've had heroes and they've helped me stay my course, widen my dreams, anchor my values and inspire me to create the future. Mia Hamm opened up a sense of possibility to my ambitions in sport, my parents are daily living examples reminding me to live life fearlessly (serious beauties those two are), the two Richards - Richard Branson and Richard Way - show me the audacity and perseverance you need to succeed in business, and I have a stable of other heroes that continue to challenge me, inspire me to bring pause to review my fundamentals and keep charging forward.

We took this to a whole new dimension of silliness by playing "My Fantasy Brunch Crew", a spin on an Alexandra Franzen trick I'd read about recently. Think up 10 of your greatest heroes that you'd invite to an imaginary brunch and write down why you'd invite them and what that means about you. Pretty fun exercise to do on your own and a ridiculously comic thing to hash out with good friends. Try it, like Instagram, you won't regret it.

3. Envision your ideal 12 hours. The scenario where you've got your stoke on and you're being totally spectacular in the way only you can be spectacular. This is idealistic bigger thinking - it's clarification visualization. Imagine it, write it down or Instagram photos that remind you of it (especially if you have a short memory like me), then spend the rest of the fall season getting after it, letting yourself have it, enjoy it, even if it's just one part of your ideal day, step by step make it your reality. Do it for your work life or your play life, or both. Check out this video and let the fearless Danielle Laporte guide you through it.

What are you doing this fall to stay amped on life, your work and play? I'd love to hear about it.

Please share this post if you liked it, loved it, found it inspiring, or funny (that's unlikely, I'm not that funny) or your eyes were zapped open by amazement - thanks!