Owning Pink with my dear friend Katsy Johnson, whose 40th birthday we were celebrating in the Outer Banks, NC

Someone recently said, “Owning Pink is a lifestyle. I want you to teach me how to live it.” It got me thinking. If Owning Pink is a lifestyle, what would that life look like? Here’s how we at Owning Pink aspire to live (you can be sure we falter!)

BE AUTHENTIC

Strive to be all you, all the time. Be the Nancyest of Nancys or the Janest of Janes or the Billyest of Billys. Do you even know who that person is, or are you so busy wearing masks that you’ve lost touch with your authentic core. Don’t judge the real YOU. Just OWN it, love it, express it, BE it.

CHANGE WILLINGLY

Change can be scary as hell, but it can also be transforming. Don’t put yourself in boxes you can’t get out of. Those who are willing to go with the flow of the Universe must be willing to allow change into their lives, even when it feels uncomfortable.

FEAR NOT

How would you live if you took fear out of the equation? Isn’t that a clarifying question? Now assess the fears that hold you back. Are they valid fears meant to protect you or just limiting fears that are keeping you from living the life you’ve always wanted? Surrender your fears to make room for possibility.

GIVE FREELY

Give to others with absolutely no expectation of receiving anything in return. Not only will it bring you joy to do so, but you have the power to change someone’s life. Make a conscious effort every day to give a gift of love to someone who needs it. It will change your life.

KEEP LEARNING

Just because you graduate doesn’t mean you aren’t a perpetual student. Keep your mind open, seek the truth, get out of your box, cross barriers, and keep your eyes pealed for growth opportunities. What have you been curious about? Buy a book, sign up for a workshop, get online and study!

SPEAK YOUR TRUTH

What would you say if you didn’t care what anyone thought? Write it down. Tell the whole truth. Now speak your truth to someone you trust. OWN it. It’s YOUR truth.

EXPRESS YOUR HIGHEST TRUTH THROUGH YOUR WORK

Do you love your job? Would you still do your work even if you didn’t get paid? Does your work give you the opportunity to express your highest truth? Loving your work is two-fold. Part of it is finding meaningful employment that resonates with your authentic self. The other part is attitude- it’s a choice. The janitor at the hospital where I used to work LOVED his job. He spread kindness like wildflowers to every stressed-out grumpy doctor and nurse there and we transformed that kindness into patient care. What a blessing. What if you transformed your work in that way?

PLAY JOYFULLY

Work is necessary, but play is critical to staying whole, healthy, joyful, and young at heart. If work is filling every day, you’re failing to live as joyfully as you can. Give yourself permission. Stop working. Put away your computer. Play with your whole heart. Invite your inner child to express itself. Blow bubbles. Do cartwheels. Laugh out loud. Play joyfully.

BREATHE DEEPLY

Take time out multiple times during the day just to take big, deep, cleansing breaths. While you do so, try to clear your monkey mind of all the clutter that chatters away. Focus on the breath and feel the tension within you ease. Feel good? Try 15 minutes of daily meditation. Who doesn’t have 15 minutes to spare? Awaken your mind and watch your heart blossom.

CARE FOR YOUR TEMPLE

Let your body know you love it by nurturing it. See your doctor regularly. Take your supplements and medications. Exercise regularly. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Affirm that you are beautiful. Get massages, pamper yourself, and let your body be your temple.

EAT MINDFULLY

We must each find the healthy diet that resonates with us. We at Owning Pink headquarters drink about 5 green juices/day and consider ourselves raw food vegan omnivores. Sound crazy and oxymoronic? Well, we eat a primarily raw food vegan diet, but when we go to restaurants, eat at our friends’ houses, or feel like cooking up a steak, we do. Why? Because we optimize our health and well-being by eating a mostly vegan diet. But life is short, we’re foodies, and we don’t like putting ourselves in boxes. Occasional indulgence in chocolate, ice cream, cheese, and wine is good for the spirit. We buy locally, organically, and sustainably. And I grow my own organic garden, which provides much of the produce for my family.

CREATE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

We are all creative geniuses. “Not me,” you say? Think again. Maybe you just haven’t found your slash (as in doctor/artist or lawyer/gourmet chef or housekeeper/jewelry designer or mother/gardener). We all need to continuously give birth, not to babies but to ideas, thoughts, creative expression. What is gestating within you? How can you be the midwife of those dreams and ideas?

INTERACT WITH KINDNESS

The Dalai Lama says, “My religion is kindness.” Make it yours. Commit to consciously spreading kindness in the world. Imagine a world in which kindness was the religion. Now help us create that world.

BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR SKIN

Accept your body just the way it is. That doesn’t mean you can’t strive to make it more healthy, but say this out loud right now. “I love my body, just the way it is.” Repeat that mantra 10 times daily. Plastic surgery, expensive skin treatments, and fancy hair dyes will never fulfill you if you don’t love yourself. Instead, change the things you can change to better reflect your inner beauty. Invite your appearance to reflect who you really are. Let your wardrobe reflect your authentic self. When you’ve got mojo, you’re beautiful, regardless of your weight, your body shape, your hair color, or your wrinkles.

CONSUME CONSCIOUSLY

Be mindful of what you consume. Not just to protect Mama Earth, but do you really need all that stuff? Does it really contribute to your happiness? Must you drink all those bottles of plastic water? Must you drive yet another car? Most of us consume to fill a void that material possessions can never fill. What are you trying to fill by shopping? How can you better fill it?

PARENT LOVINGLY

If being a parent isn't you, Own it! But if you do chose to become a parent, be a great one. You only get this one life to show your children how much you love them. On your deathbed, you will never regret the days you didn’t work, but you may regret those you didn’t use to express your love to your family. Make a conscious decision every day to love your child generously. Say “I love you” all the time. Hug and kiss every day. And don’t let that stop when they’re all grown up. We all still want the affection of our parents until the day we die. Someone once told me, “There are a lot of assholes in the world and some of them reproduce.” Don’t be that kind of parent. Allow parenting to become an opportunity for you to express your highest truth every day.

MOVE YOUR BODY

Not into the gym? How about yoga? Get outside and exercise-hiking, cycling, rollerblading- whatever! Even if it’s simply a 20 minute walk around your neighborhood every day, moving your body reminds you to be in your skin, invites you to be present, gets your mojo juices flowing, keeps you fit, releases endorphins, and gets you up and about.

PRAY WITH TOLERANCE

Discover your spiritual path and allow others to discover their own. Don’t like my religion? Fine. But don’t reject me because I believe something different from you. We must all walk our spiritual path alone, so be respectful of those who do not share your beliefs. At Owning Pink headquarters, we call God JABA (Jesus/Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Athena, etc) because we want to be inclusive of all spiritual seekers, regardless of their faith.

LOVE GENEROUSLY

It’s impossible to express too much love. At Owning Pink, we call you “sweetie” or “sister” or “darling,” even if we don’t know you personally. Why? Because we all need to feel loved, and we love each and every one of you for the beautiful soul you are. What if we all did the same? What if we approach new people in our lives as if we already know and love them? What if we open our hearts and tell those we already know how much we care? What’s the worst thing that can happen? Sure, you might get hurt. But isn’t it worth the risk to live in a world full of love? It’s better to have loved and lost than to never love at all. I swear, it doesn’t feel like that when your heart is broken. But I guarantee it’s true. Love as if you might die tomorrow. Fling the doors of your heart wide open. BE love.

SLEEP PEACEFULLY

We at Owning Pink try to end our day with a meditation. My personal favorite is guided imagery (I listen to Belleruth Naparstek). Guided imagery quiets my monkey mind, creates peace in my body, and invites loving, intuitive dreams into my sleep. Getting enough sleep is critical to getting and keeping your mojo. Make your bed a sanctuary, then surrender to it.

MAKE LOVE WITH AN OPEN HEART

Sure, sex is fun, but what if it could be more? What if it could be an opportunity to connect deeply, heart to heart? Be adventurous in your sex life- and we’re not talking about wild and kinky stuff (although that’s fine with us if that floats your boat!). Be willing to take risks, speak your truth, ask for what you need, and give generously to your partner. Communicate honestly, and if you and your partner have different sexual appetites and needs, be willing to compromise, as long as you can do so while staying authentic to who you are. Take responsibility for your sexual needs and express them. Own your sexuality!

Do we at Owning Pink live this way? Nope. We're human, just like all of you. But we do strive to live this way, and when we fail, we forgive ourselves.

Here's what my friends on Twitter have to say about How To Live:

amandabeezlive and enjoy every special and precious thing that is actual life, just being here is something so magnificent......enjoy it!

FreeBeingWhat's your advice on HOW TO LIVE? With your eye on eternity!

groovynursebe HONEST

LisaBarger Trust your instincts. . . . Understand that others won't always wish you well.

urbancrafterlike you were dying! Fearlessly. With passion. Authentically!

RNconsultAdopting a healthy lifestyle is the best WAY.

bhtrezevantLet go of negative energy and replace with positive.

autumn_meadowsDon't play the ratrace, be happy with the little things in life, always be true to yourself, never compete with anyone but you.

StewpotTake each day as it comes as it may be your last.

Of course, these are just my recommendations for how I strive to live. I don't expect others to share my belief system or live like I live. Instead, I would encourage you to do the same. How do you WISH to live? How do you Own Pink? How else can we strive to live well? Share your wisdom with us, please. If we each have a vision of how a rich, full life would be lived, we're one step closer to BEING it!

Living the Pinkest life possible,

Lissa, Joy & Matt