We Might Have To Sprint; You Should Probably Stretch

Welcome to Friday, everyone. 'Tis the first Friday of September and I'm kinda' shocked. We are right in the middle of 2012's third quarter. Good grief! Where did the time go, right? Yowzers.

So it's that time again for me. Time to report my year and accomplishments to date. For any new readers, in December of last year I set out to accomplish one new thing each month for the year 2012. I figured as opposed to looking at the year and all I hoped to do within a 12-month period, I would take smaller bites and look at each month instead. If successful, as of December 31, 2012 I'd have twelve new accomplishments that I could be proud of. Wanna see how I've been doing? And for the swillionth time, me sharing this list with you is about me being accountable – I hope you get that.

JANUARY

STEPPING ON A FEW TOES successfully completed another run by participating in Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest 2012.

FEBRUARY

I participated in another installment of URBAN LEGENDS, a poetry showcase held several times a year in Hollywood, CA.
I co-directed the short play THE BLACK HISTORY OF POLITICS written by Justin Key.

MARCH

I was a featured guest on the Rare Woman show, and the interview can be heard here: http://gvbradio.com/archives/rarewoman-031612.mp3

APRIL

I worked at this year’s Milk and Bookies (http://www.milkandbookies.org/), which is a celebrity charity event that focuses on literacy and giving books to children that don’t have access to books of their own.  It was a wildly fun event and I was part of a host of character actors brought in to entertain the kids in attendance.  The character I played?  The White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland, and yes – Alice was there with me.  We had a blast.

In addition, I had the great fortune of being the guest on the Rare Woman radio show again last Friday.  Feel free to listen here:  http://gvbradio.com/archives/rarewoman-042712.mp3.

MAY

STEPPING ON A FEW TOES had a successful run of a show sponsored by the Rare Woman organization on May 12, 2012.

I was the guest speaker at A Celebration of Strong Women presented by The Dream Catcher’s Foundation on May 31, 2012.

JUNE

I worked as Associate Producer on CAN YOU SPARE SOME CHANGE, an indie short written and directed by Nicolle Whalen.  It’s a comedic film taking a look at how far one will go to secure funds for a film.  In addition it gives perspective on the homeless living in Los Angeles.  I had a small cameo in the film as well.

JULY

I have created my very first poetry CD.  The title is STILL STANDING and it’s a compilation of some of my most intimate pieces, really letting you into the life and mind of the person that is Jasmynne Shaye.  My poems are laid to original music by Jasonic Audio.  I’m calling it the soundtrack of my life.  Interested in owning your own copy?  Email Noelle Ryan for info:  soft_noelle@yahoo.com

AUGUST

I have been hired to be a regular contributor for the new online presence: YEAH I SAID IT MAGAZINE (http://yeahisaiditmagazine.com/). I was invited by the site's founder and creator, Bonnie Sludikoff, because of my unique writing style. With this site it is her goal to cultivate conversations that engage and enlighten at the same time. I am super excited to be a part of this fresh, new online space, and I can't wait to unleash my tongue on the world! Yeah, I said it! [More info regarding the site's official launch will be forthcoming.]

In other news...this is for those that were unaware. Yes! STEPPING ON A FEW TOES is available on DVD. Absolutely! Below is info on how to go about nabbing yourself a copy.

OWN YOUR OWN COPY

“Stepping On a Few Toes”
12 characters. 1 message. her story.
written & performed by Jasmynne Shaye

~ NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD ~

Order yours today!!
1. Call: 323.347.8554
2. Email: soft_noelle@yahoo.com
3. Paypal: softplay.staff@yahoo.com
4. Or you may send your payment by mail

Supporter Packet Includes
personal message from Jasmynne Shaye
reviews of the show
complimentary show bookmark
show DVD + Q&A w/Jasmynne Shaye
plus more!

all for only $20

Contact us today to get yours!

Alright peeps, I will leave you with this... We're not quite there yet, but the year is definitely winding down but that's not a cue for you to throw in your towel and raise your arms in surrender. Nothing is over until it's over. “Getting there” and “getting close” aren't “over.” If there is even a second's worth of time left you still have an opportunity to 'do' and 'get done.' Just slap some sense into yourself and get your hind parts in gear! Come on, man! I can see the finish line ahead – let's run for it together! Are you with me?

My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.

Anything Is Possible; If You BELIEVE

The power of the mind is so incredible. This is another one of those things that seems completely hokey, but it's true, and science can back me up on this one. I'm sure you've heard of the placebo effect, right? Sure you have, but for those that have no real knowledge or understanding on how clinical studies are carried out, let me take two seconds to explain...

The results of any clinical study are only as good as the study itself, and to truly know if a medication or procedure is effective you have to measure it against something. So for a study you might have Person A taking a medicated green pill orally and Person B will also be taking a green pill orally, yet their pill will contain no medicine – therefore making it a placebo. Now science has shown us that it is not uncommon for Person B to experience positive effects from their non-medicated pill, and this is the placebo effect.

Placebo Effect: the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered. [from http://www.skepdic.com/placebo.html]

In essence, if Person B believes he is popping a pill that will make him better that belief may be all the medicine he needs. Weird, right? I know, but it's true and it doesn't stop there. It's just that medicine provides us with the most measurable occurrences, or at least it provides us with situations that others are more apt to believe themselves. When you see a cancer tumor shrink, you can't deny it. But that's no different from the athlete that breaks a world record. When asked how they did it, many respond, “I just believed I could.” For some reason that's a lot harder to wrap our minds around than a shrinking tumor. “You mean to tell me you leaped a tall building just because you believed you could??” They've got to be pulling your leg, right? Wrong. They're totally not. They're dead serious and they mean every syllable that they speak. If you want to get anything done, I don't care how large or how small the task is, it always begins with belief. And I gotta' tell ya'...I just about want to vomit right now for what I'm about to say, but I can't help myself and I'm gonna say it anyway. Sorry (don't say that I didn't apologize).

If you don't think you can do it, if anywhere in your mind and body you don't believe you have what it takes to get it done, if you have even the slightest bit of doubt – it wins, and it wins every time. And here goes the vomit inducing cliché: if you don't think you can, you are absolutely right. (Leave me alone, I apologized.)

Come on guys, it's this simple: YOU have to be your loudest cheerleader. YOU have to be your greatest advocate. YOU have to be the one singing your praises when no one else is. You just gotta'. If you don't believe in you why would anyone else? Honestly. And the first cousin of belief is confidence, but I won't have the time to get into that one today. Just know this (and you already know it): there is a reason why confident people seem to get whatever they want. There is a reason why confident people have no lack of friends. There is a reason why confident people are memorable. Confidence is magnetic, it's fun, it's attractive, and it's sexy. But here's the kicker, you don't get confidence without first having some belief. And I could type all day, but I won't. I just hope someone is hearing what I'm saying. If your nose isn't shaped quite right, if you're carrying a few extra pounds, if you're not as tall as you'd like to be, if everyday seems to be a bad hair day – own it. Own every single drop of it, and make it you. Quit hiding behind what you believe to be your flaws and turn those supposed inadequacies into your calling card. What's the worst thing that could happen? Someone might not like you? Someone might talk about you behind your back? Sorry to burst your bubble, genius, the haters are gonna do that regardless. So if you're gonna go out, go out believing that you're the shit and that you have what it takes to get the job done. Then walk with all the confidence in the world and watch what happens.

My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.

photo credit: http://msxml.excite.com/search/images?q=believe