I am so excited because this weekend I will be celebrating my BFFAE’s bachelorette party as her Maid of Honor! We have been BFFAE (that means Best Friends Forever And Ever if you don’t know) since 7^th grade. That’s like over 15 years.  My best friend Jeanine has been there for me through thick and thin, in good times and in bad and I can’t believe she’s getting married in a few months! It’s time to celebrate in a big way and I know this weekend will be amazing because I have planned some great things!!!

I know you may not all be going on a bachelorette party this weekend, but here’s a few secrets to letting loose in your life!

1) Have more fun As my mentor Gabby Bernstein says “I measure my success by how much fun I’m having.” So, how much fun are you having?

If your answer is not as much as you’d like, then find ways to incorporate things you LOVE doing on a daily/weekly basis.  It can be something simple like taking some time to get in a date with your glossy mag subscription that’s piling up or something extreme like joining an S Factor class.  Whatever it is, try to get it in a few times a week if possible or at the very least a few times a month.  Doing something fun once is great, but that is not how to have more fun in your life. It should be something that you can repeat a bunch of times and constantly look forward to.

2) Go with the flow “No matter how much structure we create in our lives, no matter how many good habits we build, there will always be things that we cannot control – and if we let them, these things can be a huge source of anger, frustration and stress.” – Good advice from the author of zenhabits.net (article here) You can’t control others and you certainly can’t control some aspects of your life. This is especially true if you are going on a bachelorette party!  The combination of so many girls and so many different points of view can let things get a little messy at times but its key to go with the flow.

Bend like the bamboo or you’ll snap like the reed. (hehe, I totally made that up but it sounded so zen, right?)

Sometimes you just have to go with it.  In a work environment this can be especially true when you are working on a group project or with a client who has conflicting views.  Get off the ‘my way or the highway’ train and bend like the bamboo! 

3) Why so serious? Look who’s talking here! I am the queen of taking life too seriously but I know as well as any that taking things too seriously is not a recipe for happiness but a recipe for stress.  Check YO self.  I do this constantly!  Life is too short to take too seriously and if you have a little bit of faith you can see that “You are EXACTLY where you are supposed to be right now” and that the Universe has a plan for you. So sit back, relax and buckle up for the ride. Keep it light and keep it fun.  Seriousness comes at a time and a place but know when the time is right to let go a little.

4) Get curious I don’t care who told you this but CURIOSITY DID NOT KILL THE CAT.  Maybe curiosity with no restraint killed the cat, but if you want to stick your paw in a light socket, it’s good to be curious about what will happen – but first – go google it.  Then decide if it’s a good idea or not.  So get curious, what would happen if you took that risk? What would happen if you trusted your intuition and not your brain sometimes?  Google the *ISH out of your question, learn from example and then grab some chutzpah and take the risk.

Here’s where the google part comes in… It’s a little bit of a different story when you want to get curious about what would happen if you decided to fly an airplane without any training. Google or research the steps to take to get your pilot’s license.  Then if you think it’s a good idea, go through the process.  Low and behold you can become a pilot and fly through the sky, but you would have never tried it if you weren’t curious.  Curiosity formed the best inventions out there and makes for a life well lived. Being curious brings excitement into your life, a fresh perspective, new ideas, and is like mental crunches for your brain. Get curious and see where the road takes you. That will help you let loose in your life and take the road of awesomeness.

5) Let your hair down Letting your hair down to me means to relax, be more in your natural state and not so restrained and pulled back.  Let yourself breathe.  Take a moment to connect back with the natural you. Take a bath, go to the spa, walk in nature, play a silly game, hang with your girls, or be more of your authentic self.  We live in a society of facades and pretty pictures but it’s always a good time to be more real and connect with your relationships in a more meaningful way.  For business and in personal, everyone wants more of your authentic self. Don’t like something? Stop agreeing to be polite, let people know the real you and take pride in what you stand for.  Stop restraining yourself as the “prim and proper” politically correct mannequin of yourself. Be real and it’s ok to be vulnerable with those you trust.

As always, keep it classy and don’t do anything illegal or immoral!

This one goes out to Jeanine for her bachelorette weekend– by far the hottest bachelorette around and my BFFAEAEAEAEAE….!

Hope that inspires you!

Xoxo

Emily