never say no to fun

Why I like to gang up on perceived problems

May 1, 2017 34 Comments

“Life is beautiful not because of the things we see or the things we do. Life is beautiful because of the people we meet.”–Simon Sinek
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If you’re a regular at this blog, you know how much I love my Lawrence possibility posses and how important I think it is for all of us to “gang up” on perceived problems of lack and limitation.

I am so thrilled that groups are forming all over the planet to talk about the principles in E-Squared, E-Cubed and Thank & Grow Rich. And so grateful for all the amazing things people send to me—everything from origami roses to Love Lists (thank you Sherry Richert Belul).

Since I get together with my one of my posses every Sunday (they’re like my own personal pit crew who help me change my flat tires when I’m heading in the wrong direction), I often have great stories to tell on Monday.

Here are just three from yesterday:

Never Say No to Fun Rhonda and Carla were driving home from a gardening workshop in Overbrook. Rhonda said to Carla, “You know what I need? A friend who loves to garden and has lots of extra plants to give away.”

The next day (literally the next day) she’s at the posse and a new guy walks in. Rhonda starts chatting him up, welcomes him to the group. “So what do you like to do?” Innocent enough question, right?

He replies: “I’m a Master Gardener.” She has been getting free plants from him ever since.

Jeff didn’t mention it to anybody, but thought, “I’d love to get a mountain bike.” He filed it away in his “someday when I get some money together” file.

Last week, out of the blue, one of his co-workers presented him with a…do I really have to say it?..a mountain bike with a 29-inch frame that was too tall for its original owner, but just the right size for Jeff.

Robbin’s daughter, Kitty, who recently manifested the perfect interior architect job just manifested a second job at the same company for her best friend from college. The two recent graduates moved into an apartment together that, included in the rent, just happens to have its own concierge, its own driver and its own personal trainer.

There were more stories (there are always more stories), but I’ll close for now by reminding us that we are here on Planet Earth to magnify and glorify infinite potentiality. We can’t do that if we depend on what we’ve seen in the past, what we think we know. That’s why it’s so darned important to keep this conversation going.

Anyone else have a great story to share?

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy.

The soon-to-be national holiday of Rhondafest begins today

July 3, 2015 11 Comments

“Spontaneous dance parties are important in my life.”—Amy Poehler

Okay, so I should probably be writing my book.

But, NO!!! I’m taking this break to celebrate the dawn of Rhondafest. Seems I’m taking lots of celebration breaks this week. My power posse from Omega agreed during our Magic and Miracles weekend that we’d all dance together (wherever we happened to be) on the next full moon. That was Wednesday.

Today, Friday, is Rhonda’s birthday. I won’t say which number. That’s for her to reveal, if she so chooses. And since she reads Dr. Christiane Northrup, too, I’m guessing she agrees with me. Why bother?

Rhonda is my amazing friend, the one I’ve written about here on the blog and in my books. She’s the friend who vowed never to say no to fun. Maybe if there’s room (Who am I kidding? There’s always room on the internet) to repost my blog about her anti-Nancy Reagan campaign. Actually, she’s never mentioned Nancy Reagan, but if you remember, Nancy suggested just saying “no.” Rhonda always says ‘yes.” At least when there’s fun and joy involved.

She’s the friend who, last Friday, joined me in spontaneous celebration of the awesome Supreme Court decision to “Choose Love.” I felt so jubilant, so grateful that my country did the right thing that I had no choice but to go downtown (it’s a thing here in Lawrence) and whoop it up! At 10:30 in the morning. Most adults are working at that time and unwilling to just extemporaneously celebrate. I made a couple calls. Couldn’t find a taker. To be fair, one of my friends was undergoing hernia surgery which was a pretty solid excuse.

Then I called Rhonda. The party began. And this is even when she’s in the throes of launching her new feng shui business. She’s an interior designer, a pet sitter and now she’s starting–I think it’s called White Orchid Feng Shui. Although she might want to call it Fun Shui (it would fit her personality), I have no doubt it will be a smash hit. I might just hire her to Fun Shui the whole world.

Anyway, Rhonda is a wonderful listener, an inspiring, compassionate friend who offered to smash the knees of the person who dissed my Denver talk (yes, Rhonda was there and, no, she really didn’t–that was just my temporary insane fantasy) and did I mention, today is her birthday, yo!!!

Here’s the post (again!!!!

I have a couple groups here in my hometown who get together with the sole purpose of HAVING FUN. And therefore attracting MORE FUN. It’s a constant reminder of why we are here on planet earth. I walk out of those groups….no, I should say I dance out of those groups buzzing with joy and love and creative ideas.

Yesterday, one of our newest members told this story. A couple years ago she made a New Year’s resolution to “never say no to fun.” That meant if anyone asked her to go to a concert or go out dancing or out to lunch, she was committed to say “You betcha!”

She had begun to notice that she was turning down invitations because well, she’s a mom and she had a busy day or she was tired or…..you get the idea. There are a million rational reasons adults can give for declining an offer to enjoy themselves.

Kids, she noted, never turned down fun. They were in constant search of the next good time. Teenagers, too, would never spurn a party…no matter how late or how much they were going to piss off their parents by sneaking out the bedroom window.

It begs the question….when was the tipping point? At what point did we begin rejecting the chance for joy and glee?

What she discovered during her year of “just saying yes” is that the energy she thought she was going to conserve by staying home actually grew. The tired feeling that had previously impelled her to give the other answer completely disappeared.

And now, she says, “I don’t even have to think about it. I always say yes to fun.”

Happy birthday, dear Rhonda!! Can’t wait for tonight.

Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.