You Rock!

I just wanted to tell all of you who have partnered with Dance Like Zach, You Rock! You are partnering with us in our commitment to unleash unprecedented levels of compassion into our broken world.


The other day, I was at Starbuck meeting with a friend. She said to me, "Why does God let bad things happen?" I told her, "I don't know? But what I do know is that I am giving water to those who thirst. I am taking action against the broken, problem filled world. I am doing something about it."


But it is not just me, it is all of you. All of you who have taken a stand. All of you who have said No! to the lack of clean water. All of you who said yes! to spreading love and joy and compassion in this world. Thank you for unleashing your inner you.


Thank you to those of you who have joined me. Thank you to those of you who are changing the world with me. 


Mostly, thank you for taking action, the first step is often the hardest. 


You Rock!

RUF

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1. Starbucks Coffee is more addicting than International House Hunters.
2. If you tied all the shoelaces in the world together, you could make a rope to the sun
3. Panda Bears claws grow at twice the rate of the average person

And now, a video to help you get out of a sticky situation you don't want to deal with:

Happy Tuesday

This thanksgiving, I hope you have a blast. Tuedsays of Thanksgiving week always seem like Thursdays to me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy some tips from one of my favorite chefs.

Well, Let's hope that doesn't happen to you this Thanksgivings. Hopefully, your turkey will be more cooperative.

Inspiration from Sam

Serve

The world becomes a better place when you intentionally serve another person.

So today, simply ask someone, "How may I serve you?"

Getting Picked On

Yesterday morning, I went to a meeting for bankers and small business owners. At this meeting, someone decide to make fun of me because I was young, because I was a "fool",  because I was a "want-a-be Mark Zuckerberg". This person didn't know me at all. He had no idea who I was or what my business was.

He just made fun of me because I was young.

It was super discouraging. It made me think, "Is this what the business world is like?" "Why should I get involved with people who will just make fun of me because I haven't lived as many years as they have?" And then it hit me,

My dreams are worth it.


For those of you young people who dare to dream, who wish for the "impossible", keep on going. It's not easy, but it's worth it. Trust me, it sucked getting made fun of yesterday morning. It was one of the worst ways I could have started my day. But doing the impossible is worth it. My dreams are worth it.

Aren't your dreams are worth it?

Making A Wonderful World

Take time to stop and smell the flowers today. Or to smell the rain. Or wherever you may be. Just stop. Think about what a beautiful and "wonderful" world we live in. Maybe you're having a rough day. Maybe today is the best day of your life. Take a moment and reflect on your day today. Here is a message that one of our members of Dance Like Zach has created for just for you. Enjoy!

Love Life

"Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back."-Arthur Rubinstein

Sometimes, it doesn't always work out this perfectly. But I try to take it as a personally goal to love life and love people. I give my love, not so that I may get, but so that there can be a shared experience of love. So that I can enter a relationship of love with people(or life).

Love with nothing holding you back, even the thought that they might not love you back. Love life, even if it doesn't reciprocate the love. Because, even if you may not be receiving the love back at first, you become a person of love. A light of love that shines brightly and will attract others that love.

Good Morning

Good Morning! I think that every morning is good. When I wake up, I say to myself, "It is good to be alive."

I think mornings are like first impressions, once you make up your mind about it...And often, once we make up our minds, that's how we see it. That's how the day goes. My question for you is, how do you want your day to go? Do you want to have a good day?

Connected

Today, I want to share with you what my 6 year old cousin recently said to his grandma. Please, follow his example and connect with others.

"In my life, my heart is connected to your heart."

Today is a success

So many times I judge my days as lacking. So many days I find that I am not living the "lifestyle" I want to be living. So often I am judging the quality of my life compared to my heroes: Jordan Adler, Blake Mycoskie, Seth Godin, Gary Kelly, and John Maxwell.

One thing that I have started to realize is that, although I am still not as great as a leader or as successful as all of my heroes, I am taking the steps to get there.

A good friend of mine told me yesterday, "Walk the path that leads to your dreams, and you will get there. Take a step in the right direction, then the next step, and then the next. Soon, you will find yourself where you always wanted to be." I may not be living the same lives of my heroes, but I am successfully taking steps to get there. Every day I take a step is a successful day.

Where does your path lead? Are you walking in the right direction? Are you taking a step?

To be like my hero's, I want 1) to help 180 people have clean water and 2) give 25 people the ability to build love and financial freedom through sending out cards and gifts.

Today, I took a step. Today, I talked to people about how to build love and financial freedom through sending out cards and how they could help bring the clean water to those who thirst.

Therefore, today is a success.

Be interested

I went to the wonderful land of Starbucks today to meet with one of my high school friends and the legendary, the one and only...B. Yeah, that's what we call him. B. He is one of those teachers in high school that they make movies about. He is the "Tuesday's with Morrie" of high school. He even had is extracurricular events on Tuesday too. I think Morrie got some of his ideas from B.

The wisdom I will bring you from the B, my Morrie, is this. This is what he told me today:

Everyone is interesting. So instead, be interested.

I feel a pressure in society to be "different", to be "unusual", to be "interesting". But in the past, when I found myself interested in others, that pressure would vanish. Being interested kept me feeling alive. It kept me feeling connected in others.

Hearing B tell me this reinforced my belief that it isn't about being interesting. It isn't about how interesting I am personally.

It's about being interested. It's about being interested in others. It's about getting involved in their lives. And so let me leave you with this:

Be interested.

Talent is not Enough

French poet Edouard Pailleron said, "Have success and there will always be fools to say that you have talent."

Sometimes when people succeed, they contribute their success to talent. Or often, others explain accomplishments by simply attributing everything to talent. How often have you heard someone say of a singer, "He is so talented", or a leader, "She is so talented" or a multi-tasking mom, "She is so talented".

I thought this for a while until I started auditioning. I saw so many people with so much talent. And yet, they were unsuccessful. I remember being astounded at an audition for the musical Showboat. There were over 200 people at the audition. And I only saw 5 people that were not talented. And yet, only 15 people were successful.

How does this happen? Some of the people that "got cut" were more talented than those that "booked it"?

I do not know what your talent is, but I do know that it will not be lifted to its highest level until you have belief. If you want to become your best, you will have to believe your best.

To "book it", to become successful, those 15 first believed that they could attain a role in the musical Showboat.

What do you want to "book it"? Where do you want to be successful? Where do you want to go, but don't believe you can? Let me leave you with this.

Believe

Life is Difficult

Here is a big secret that many successful people don't want to tell you.

Life is Difficult.

They want you to think that the path they took was difficult, but if you take it, it will be quick and easy(if you just buy their product).

"Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly...about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy." M. Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled

Because we want to believe that life should be easy, we often get frustrated when things get difficult. And then these difficult things aren't just difficult, we make the assumption that they are impossible. And so when it get's difficult, when success seems unattainable, we give up.

We criticize it. Saying, "Who wants that anyway" or "That could never really happen". And when we see someone with less talent or credentials or less intelligence (anyone we see that is less worthy than ourselves), we get soooo mad. Ambrose Bierce, journalist and short-story author, says that success is  "The one unpardonable sin against one's fellows".

Grow Yourself

I have just returned from Houston(Shout out to all my Houston friends). A post hasn't come up in a little while, but I'm back people.

What I want to tell you is...you must grow yourself. This past week, I have been growing myself. I have focused on myself. Let me tell you, I have developed myself so that I could break through to the next level. I do this for all of you. I want to take you all to the next level, but how was I supposed to take you there if I have never been there myself? But I am there! I am at the next level!

Now is the time to go to the next level.

Now is the time to grow yourself.

How I got there is by listening to Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward, and Jordan Adler. I also read Seth Godin, John Maxwell, the new Steve Job's book, and the Bible. These people have a lot of wisdom, and there is always more I can learn, but I have made it to the next level.

Join me at the next level. Read these books and listening to these people. They are great! It's really fun and exciting at this level(plus the new and great people at this level are wonderful, I can't wait to get you connect).

Join me, call me, email me.

I can help you get to the next level or you can get there yourself by reading these books and listening to these people.

Whichever you do, get to the next level, or you will be left behind.

Putting Your Love On The Line

I have a friend who is currently trying to publish a book. I had no idea how complicated this process could be. I knew how to self publish a book, but if you try to get it published through a publishing company...oh boy.

She is just about to send her book to the company. Now, this is bravery. Something that she invested so much time and heart into, is now going to a person who can say either yes or no. Yikes, she is putting something that she truly loves on the line, and someone could just look at it for a sec and say, no. One simple word could devastate what she loves.

But that's what it takes. That's why she is brave. That is why she is courageous. She is willing to put what she loves on the line, because she believes in what she loves.

This makes me think, "What do I love? Do I have the courage to put my love on the line?" Sometimes life asks you to put your love on the line. It's risky and it's scary. So I guess the question is, will you put your love on the line and do you believe in it? My friend does. And it inspires me to do the same.

The Greater the Storm, the Greater the Catch

The Leader of Love on the East Coast challenged me a couple weeks ago based on this theory, "The Greater the Storm, the Greater the Catch".

In the movie The Perfect Storm, George Clooney and his other commercial fishermen crew sail into storms. They have found that in the storms, they are able to catch a larger proportion of fish than when they try to catch fish without the storms. 

One of the biggest storms in my life was creating the Dance Like Zach movement. I thought I was crazy. I was a great dancer and I was just beginning my journey as a professional dancer. And then, I saw a storm. I saw the huge need to help people be able to drink clean and healthy water.

I remember lying in bed. It was 1:30 in the morning. I was staring at the ceiling thinking, "What? I'm going to lead a movement? I'm going to help people spread love and joy? I'm going to give water to the thirsty? I can't do any of that! I'm just a dancer! How am I supposed to do that?"

It was a storm. 

And I knew, somehow deep in my gut, that I needed to sail into it. If I wanted to live a life fully alive, I needed to sail into the storm.

Where are the storms in your life? Where are the places you need to go to get the big catch? Where will you find the greatest catch?

In the storm, you have no idea. Really, you have no idea what you will find. Now, I don't recommend going to actually chase storms. I just recommend you try jumping on your boat and sailing into a storm metaphorically. Throw the net out and see what you catch(again, I just like using metaphors). Here's some storms that might be in your life. 

Talk to your boss about the great idea you have, even though he doesn't like change. Ask that boy out on a date. Go skydiving. Sing karaoke. Say, "Forgive me". Say, "I forgive you".

You don't have to sail into the storm, that's fine. But I'm going out into the storm. Who's with me?

Giving Rather than Getting

The way to move through life joyfully and successfully is by focusing on what you give rather than on what you get. Being of service isn't an obligation, it's an opportunity. Being encouraging is even more fun than being encouraged.

It is one of those things we all know, but it is extremely difficult to do. So let's simplify it:

Give, serve, and encourage.

Not because you want to get anything, but because you love and appreciate those that you are giving and serving and encouraging in your life. The simple truth is...it's really fun. I know this because it's what I do. I have fun giving, serving, and encouraging.

So give to others from the love you have for them. Serve others because of the compassion inside you. Encourage others because you deeply desire peace in their life.

Give, serve, and encourage.

P.S. if you want to have fun giving, serving, and encouraging with me...join me over here today.

Leave a Legacy

 Here is a new video I wanted to share with you. Thanks Animoto for helping make this video!

Encouragement

"Are you confident enough to encourage people to do what's right and useful and joyful, as opposed to what the system has always told them they have to do?"-Seth Godin

I read this and I thought, "Am I encouraging all of you to do what's right and useful and joyful?" I think I do what is right, useful and joyful, that's what the Dance Like Zach movement is all about. Doing what is right-giving water to those who thirst and spreading love into the world. Doing what is useful-saving lives is pretty useful. Doing what is joyful-sending cards and gifts to those in my life is a blast!

I do need to encourage you to do what is right, useful, and joyful. Doing these three things is a lot fun. You can join me today, and help spread the love and water(and have a blast while doing it). You can reach me at 815-575-0952 or email me zach@dancelikezach.com.

I encourage you to do what is right and useful and joyful. I also encourage you to encourage others. You know how fun it is to do these three things. Now, just have fun with your friends doing these actions.

Do what is right. Do what is useful. Do what is joyful.

Power of a Whisper

Whispering is powerful. The best coach of the NBA(in my opinion) was the master of keeping it calm and not yelling at his players. He worked with some of the biggest egos of the NBA. He is one of the most successful coaches of all time. He is, of course, Phil Jackson.

When you get yelled at, do you want to listen to what they are saying? Or do you want to defend yourself from the loud aggressive voices?

When someone whispers to me, I lean forward. My curiosity get's peaked. I feel a part of something secret. Something that not everybody knows.

Whispers gain my interest and demands my attention.

Phil Jackson was on to something. Whispers hold more power than shouting or yelling.

P.S. some new things with Dance Like Zach movement you might like...

Push The Brave Button

Push the Brave Button Today. Do something brave. Live a little out of your comfort zone. Feel the excitement of doing something you don't normal do.

It doesn't matter whether you "succeed" or "fail", just push the button.

What Kind of Wallpaper Do You Have?

When I was 12, I heard someone say, "You need to re-decorate your mind". We have all heard the saying, "You are what you eat".

That goes for our minds as well. What we put into our heads, these ideas that we hear or read, they shape us.

It's like wallpaper. What we hear or read gets rolled onto the walls of our mind. It stays with us. It's like our mind is in a room and is staring at the walls filled with what you are hearing and reading.

What do you want your mind to be looking at? Do you want it to be looking at tacky wallpaper, rotten wallpaper, moldy wallpaper? Or uplifting, beautiful wallpaper?

Sometimes when I find myself feeling bored or depressed or just in a bad mood, I think, "What am I putting into my mind? What does wallpaper of my mind look like right now? Do I need to start redecorating?"

What kind of wallpaper do you have?

Thanks Pathways

Just wanted to say thanks to my friends in Pathways for helping support me. Also thanks for all the fun we have had so far and all the fun we are going to have! Going to be a great weekend :)

Love Letters

"Love letters always get to their destination. Love letters always get to the person they are addressed to. Because, in a sense, love letters are addressed to the one who is writing them. That's why we often write love letters that we don't even send. Because sometime they come from us and they're there to work through our feelings, to work through our emotions. And actually, it's not really for the other person at all. They're kinda reading it and overhearing a conversation we are having with ourselves."-Peter Rollins

In many respects, a blog always reaches its destination as well. Because the one who is writing it is the one who needs to read it. I'm not writing to you, but I'm writing to myself. And I need to take heed of what I'm saying. 

What are your love letters that you are writing or maybe speaking to yourself?

I need to be honest with you all...what I've written and what I will write on this blog is very difficult, and I'm sorry for that. As Peter Rollins says, "I hope that you disagree with me, because that would make it easier. If you agree with me, that's much more difficult".

Will you do what is difficult today? Will you join us and take action now? Or will you disagree and do what is easy? Will you watch as others take the risk and stand up for what they believe in? It's really easy to watch and miss out. 

I encourage you to take the difficult road. And it is difficult, but the people on the road beside you...man, are they great. There is encouraging, wise, and (my favorite) really fun people who believe in something greater than themselves. These people make the difficult road, a joyous road. 

So maybe it is not the choice between the easy or the difficult road, but the easy or the joyous road.

Start

This is something I wanted to share with you all. This is what my mentor told me before I began the Dance Like Zach movement:

          Somebody has to start.

          Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, because it is right.

          If nobody starts, then others cannot follow.

          Will you start today?

If you have taken your first step and joined us, this is something that is great to share with others to help them get started. Whether to get started and join our movement, or start something that matters to them, it doesn't matter. But somebody has to start and do what is right.

If you haven't taken your first step and would like to join us today, we would love to have you.

Loosen The Grip

When you are going to jump off a cliff and the only thing that is going to be holding you up is some lightweight poles and some thin cloth material, what goes through your mind is something like this, “AAAAHHHH”. Yep, that pretty much sums up what you think about as you jump off the cliff for your very first time hang gliding. 

What you are tempted to do is to choke the non-existent life out of the pole in front of you. You tighten your grip as hard as you can. You squeeze like you are jumping off a cliff and holding on for dear life(cause you are). It’s the natural reaction to clench the bar as if there is no tomorrow, because in your head, there might not be one.

What you need to do is actually loosen your grip. If you clench and tighten up, you will become stiff as a board. You won’t be able to shift your weight and ride the winds. You won't be able to soar.

You must loosen your grip so that you can soar.

My question for you is, "Where in your life are you holding on so tightly that you are unintentionally disallowing yourself to rise off the ground and soar above the rest?"

Allow yourself to hold on to your dreams, your aspirations, your desires, but don’t choke the life out of those that are helping you soar. Instead, rejoice with them. Thank them. Delight in them.

Celebrate them for soaring with you.

Be a Blessing

To be loved is to be blessed. 

To be loving is to be blessing.

Be loving. Be a blessing. Today.

Thank You Steve Jobs

I can't compose a proper eulogy for Steve Jobs. There's too much to say, too many capable of saying it better than I ever could. All I can say is you inspired millions of us. Your courage to keep going, even when you get fired from the company you started, is motivational. We miss you and we will not stop learning from you. Your life was a blessing to this world and you truly left it a better place.

Here's a Story

There is a story about a woman whose child dies after only a few days of life. She is so distraught, so in pain, that she wraps her child in linen and goes around seeking anyone who could revive her child. She goes to faith healers, magicians, and witch doctors, and no one can help. But somebody says, “Secluded, high up in the mountains, there is a holy man who is so close to God that he can bring your child back to life, he can raise the dead. It might be just a story, but you never know.”

            This woman goes to the mountains and searches for this mysterious holy man. And after days of searching in the mountains, she stumbles upon a little hut beside a beautiful lake of water. She nocks on the door and a little old man comes to the door. She says, “I do not know if you’re the man I’m looking for, but I need your help.” She begins to cry and tells this man her story. Once she is done, he says, “I am the man you have been searching for. I can help you. But first you must go down into the village and you must look for a home that has not been struck with suffering. And from that home, you must bring back a handful of mustard seeds. Once I have those mustards seeds, then I can help you.”

            So she goes down into the city. She goes from house to house and she can’t find any house that has not been struck by suffering, death, pain, and loss. But somehow, as she hears the story of other peoples suffering, she gradually comes to term with her own. Until, one day, she is finally able to bury her child in the earth.

            The point is, we often want to say to those that are suffering, “Here’s the answer. Here’s God. Here is what you need to do to fix the problem.” But you know what? Sometimes the answer of faith is, “I will suffer along side you. We will share our stories. Together we can provide a space of healing.” God is not some answer. Because when we hold on to God as if he is some answer, then we don’t actually go through the mourning process. We hide ourselves from it. When we treat God like that, he is an object. He is an idea we have to hold on to in order to cope with life. Instead, let us have a community of broken people suffering together. And in that space, God is manifest in the relationship of healing. The woman was going to the holy man, who is so close to God, so that she could have her answers, when she finds that the whole time, surrounding her in her city, was the love of others and the healing that she so desired from God.
            Love works something like this. If I desire food, I desire it until I have it. Once I have it, I no longer desire it. But with people, you cannot lover or desire someone you have never met, because you never met them. Peter Rollins, author and speaker, says this, "The romantic truth is this, 'I never needed you until I met you. But when I met you, I realized I always needed you'. The need is retroactively given...whenever  you meet someone, they are a universe still to know. The coming of your beloved is the still to come, the not yet. So when you meet the person you love, desire is born and need is born."

            

Glory

John Ortberg, author and speaker, defines glory as such; “Glory is that particular excellence of a thing that makes it praiseworthy”. The glory of a sunset is its’ beauty. The glory of an actor is his believability. There is a glory of a flower, an ocean, a mountain, an antelope, an eagle, a perfectly implement kick off return, or a masterfully played piano.

We are designed to detect and express glory. It’s what it means to be human. If you see something glorious(a beautiful day, a young puppy, the Grand Canyon, a spectacular mountain top) you want to tell somebody. It’s part of the joy. And if you see somebody who is glorious, it's even better. When we tell somebody that they are gloriously wonderful, and they receive the praise, they are pleased by it, they delight in the praise, then you get to be blessed by their reception of it. It strengthens the relationship. And in some profound and deep way, you share in their wonderfulness. That is glorious.

When we try to bring glory to ourselves, we just end up looking…like this. Here is a scene depicting a new boss trying to look important and popular in front of an employee.

It just doesn’t work. People can see right through you when you attempt to bring glory to yourself. 

This brings me to the Dance Like Zach movement and what we do. We tell others of their glory. We bring love and appreciation into the world. We tell a woman she is beautiful the way she is, even when the world says she needs a certain makeup, or clothing, or a certain dress size to be beautiful. We tell a man he is strong, even though the world tells him he needs to drive a certain car, lift a certain amount of weight, have a certain amount of money to be strong. We give life to those who the world says they don’t have a chance. We give purpose to those that march with us.

C.S. Lewis, author of the famed Chronicles of Narnia, wrote a book entitled, “The Weight of Glory”. Near the end, he writes this,

“It may be asked what practical use there is in the speculations which I have been indulging. I can think of at least one such use.

It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.”

Let us carry the glory of our neighbor in humility today.

That's Not...!!!

That's Not...!!! How many times have you heard a sentence starting with these 2 words? Often the people who tell you that, are often, what I like to call, the "That's Not'ers". The "That's Not'ers" of the world like to tell people how things should be (and how they shouldn't be, thus that's not...how it should go, a good idea, what is best).

Last night I was making cookies (trying to make cookies), for my friends. I thought I had messed up, but I figured out a way to fix my problem. I showed them the cookie dough, when I heard, "That's Not cookie dough!!!" So first, I was upset because I fixed the problem and he thought that I still had problems(because the cookie dough didn't look like "normal" cookie dough). Second, he didn't appreciate that I was making this for him...ugh!!! Anyway, now that I am done complaining, I'll get on with the story.

I put the cookie dough in the oven, and when it came out...it was awesome! It was super delicious. It was superb.

Moral of the story...there are going to be some "That's Not'ers" in your life. There have been some in my life. That's not how you make cookie dough. That's not going to work. That's not how most people want to spread love. That's not actually going to help kids in Haiti and Honduras.

People, please don't listen to the "That's Not'ers". They aren't helping you grow. They aren't encouraging you. They aren't believing you.

P.S. If you say it out loud and hear the words that snotters, and get the ugly idea that someone is a snotter (someone who snotts regularly)...that's the point. These people try to snot on your dreams. It's gross. It's what they try to do.

RUF's

Today, I want to share with you guys just some random untrue facts(solely for the reason that I hope this makes you laugh).

1. If Oprah ran for President, it would take approximately 2 years for America to conquer the world. (The untrue thing about this is that Oprah doesn't need to be president, she already runs the world!!! Insert Beyonce singing, "Run the World(Oprah)")
2. The average person can only count to the number 27 without getting bored.
3. If you had enough water to fill 1 million gold fish bowls, you could fill an entire stadium.
4. America hasn't lost a war when donkeys were in use during battle.

Here's a funny video to hopefully bring you some joy...I hope it's not too geeky for you guys.

Let's Move Mountains Today

I am currently siting in Panera, and the rain is pouring. As I am looking out the window, people are rushing from their cars to the safe indoors.

Most interestingly, though, is the older woman who just left. She was hobbling out (hobbling because of her broken right leg) when she told me, "I won't forget how I broke this leg. I was watching my son coach football when I slipped on the bleachers. Oh, it hurt bad. But I also pulled two muscles in my left hip. It's kinda hard to walk. Oh, I told God I was really a nice person and I didn't deserve this. I guess we are going to have another talk."

As I looked at her striking blue eyes, I came to realize, it can rain in some peoples lives. Now outside, it was pouring, I mean pouring, like if you were outside for more than 5 seconds, you would be soaked. But, for her, the storms of life were worse. I couldn't imagine having 1 broken leg and 1 leg with two pulled muscles.

I decided to bring some sunshine to break through the clouds. I smiled at her and laughed. I treated her like an individual who needs some sunshine, not some cranky old lady.

Steve Jobs said this, “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

Here is something simple:

Love.

Love can move mountains. Let's move some mountains today.

Let's Dance

We got another round of thanks coming up. So everyone, put on your boogie shoes!

Take A Step

Take a step. That's all. Take 1 step.

Most people know what their dreams are, some even believe they can attain them, but only a few actually take a step towards their dreams.

Now, if you worry about the quality of your first step, let me just tell you something. Not taking a step, doing nothing, absolutely zero work, will make what you do perfect and you won't mess anything up. It's safe. Not reaching for your goals, not impacting the world, not changing lives, doing nothing is safe and perfect. You won't ever mess up anything if you do nothing.

Or you can take a step. You won't be perfect and it won't be easy. But you don't need to accomplish all of your dreams on your first step, just take a small step into the direction you want to go.

Take 1 step and you will have accomplished more than all those that are "perfect and safe". They did nothing, perfectly. Join us, take a step.

Awaken Your Soul

Let's Awaken our Souls.

Let's live passionately.

Let's give freely.

Let's bring joy endlessly.

Let's spread smiles ceaselessly.

Because we care about those in need.

Because we long to give rest to the weary.

Because we desire to help the helpless.

Because we yearn to give water to those who thirst.

Because we love our community.

Because our hearts break for those without water.

Thank you for all those that are part of our movement, whose souls are alive and whose lives are passionately spreading love and appreciation to their communities, and whose actions have given clean water to those who would have died without it.

If you desire to have your soul awakened, if you long to spread love and apprecaiton to your communiy, if you yearn to give life to those without a chance, the simple truth is, you can. Join us. Join our movement.

Good News!!

Is there anybody here today that needs to hear good news? Is there anybody here today, who has been beating themselves up, dragging your own past around everywhere you go? Is there anybody here today whose heads are filled with negative message and whose hearts have been beaten down with negative words about who we are and what we’ve done and how we are going to mess it up in the future?

Sometimes we come here limping, sometimes we crawl, pulling ourselves along by our fingertips, and sometimes we are flat-out carried because we are so enchained to the idea that we cannot offer anything. But know this about our movement:

As we send out cards to those who need refreshing, life-giving words of love and appreciation, sometimes we do this to remind ourselves of who we truly are. Sometimes sending cards is an action that we do to remind ourselves of who we are in spite of how we feel, what we think, or what we’ve been told.

Is there anybody here today that came here limping, crawling, or was carried? That’s ok. That’s what we are here for. These cards have been a sustenance and a strength and a joy for thousands and thousands of people.

Perhaps that’s you today.

Or perhaps you just need to hear inspiring words of love and appreciation. Perhaps you have come here with all types of doubts and questions. Perhaps you need the faith of others. Perhaps you need someone to actually believe in you. Perhaps you need to be reminded of who you are. We have that for you too, it's our manifesto.

Perhaps you have come here carrying the burden of despair. Perhaps you question whether anyone is doing something for this broken world, or for your broken life. And in your despair, you need to let the hope of others enter your life. You need to let the hope and love of others breathe life and joy back into you. If you do not have joy and love, just take it from others here. You don’t need to do anything, just take in the love and joy of others here and in our movement.

Perhaps today you don’t have the energy to send a card, but you stand with our movement and let others send out the love for you. Perhaps today you come with confusion about where your life is going and even what direction you need to start looking towards. Right here, these people part of this movement can breathe life into you, hold you up when you start to fall, and bring new meaning and purpose into your life.

Let me tell you something. The Dance Like Zach movement not only comes from the blessings we have been given, but it also comes from what we receive and give to each other. It’s about the community. It’s about people saying, “Here is what I need.” Or, “This week, I need a card of encouragement.” Or, “I need some help training up others to spread the love” Great! There are a bunch of us, and we can help you. Maybe it’s you saying, “I have this! Who needs it? Who I can serve?”

Perhaps you come here, and you don’t leave a comment. You just watch others post comments. You just watch them. Or if you do find yourself leaving a comment or sending a card, that’s great too. You have no idea what your simple act may be doing for somebody else.

Over a year ago, I sent a card to a friend. Something happened that reminded me of her, and I felt prompted to just send her a card. I simply sent her some words of encouragement and love and appreciation. Well, I contacted her the other day, and she told me she still has that card. She said every time she looks at the card, it makes her smile. I couldn’t believe that the card had such an impact on her for such a long time. And as I laid my head on the pillow that night, I went to sleep confident and comforted by the fact that I made an impact on her life. And, she made a tremendous impact on mine.

She enjoyed the gift.

It changed everything for me. I made a simple gesture, I sent a simple message, I crafted a simple card, she appreciated the card, and it meant the world to me.

When we look back on how we get through a tough situation, sometimes it’s the simple things that make all the difference.

Enjoy the gift that others have to offer. And, most importantly, enjoy giving a gift of life, hope, and love. You never know what kind of impact you can have, until you take the first step and spread the love to those who need it.

Perhaps today, you want to become a distributor of joy. We all have a community. Where we go workout, where we go to school, where we shop, where we get our groceries, where we get our coffee, where we work, where we live, where we play, where we party, where we eat. We have a sphere of our life. Perhaps today, you want to enrich that community with love and joy and appreciation.

Perhaps today you are bored and you want your life to be enriched by purpose and meaning. 

Perhaps there is something in you calling you to go to a place you never thought you would go. You wouldn’t know what to do when you got there, but something is calling you to be in that place. Something is calling you to give life to the lifeless. Something is calling you to restore hope for the hopeless. Something is calling you to be a light in that darkness.

Perhaps today, you are totally terrified and scared of that something that is pulling you, but you know that you are up for it. You know that it’s hard and scary, but you will do everything in you to be that light in the darkness.

This Is What I Know

This movement cannot be stopped

From Americans to the Taliban,
From Israel to Pakistan,
From the Politicians to the Poor,
From the dripping showers of wealthy to those who need clean water just to survive,
This movement will spread to the very corners of the earth.

You will take it there. You have the power inside of you.

You may lose your ability to see. You may lose your ability to hear. You may lose your ability to walk. You may even lose your ability to talk. You may grow old and wrinkly and forgetful. But you will never lose your ability to love and appreciate others, as well as your ability to love and appreciate the gift of life we have been given. You will always have the ability to love and spread your love to others. That is power.

Let me warn you. With spreading love and joy and appreciation to others, with witnessing our movement, comes risk. There is a possibility that someone might reject you. There is a possibility that you might fail at one time or another. But let me tell you this:

You are the greatest success this earth has ever known. If you are alive, if are breathing in and out, you are a success. When you have the fear of failure, or maybe you have just failed, or maybe you believe that you are a failure, understand, that is all a lie. You are not defined by your past. You are not defined by your fears and failures. The truth is you are the greatest success that the creator has ever made. That is good news.

You have the ability to reach out with love to your community. You can use kind words and appreciation to change the lives of those around you. You can passionately serve with love and respect those that cannot attain clean water without you. You can invite others and show them how to make a difference in the local community and the global community. You can lead with love and appreciation.

You have the power inside you, to be empowered by Love, to go out and spread that love to the ends of the earth.

You are Changing the World!!!

It is a pleasure to be working with you all, helping make this world a better place. Thank you for changing the world.

20/80 Rule

Let's make 100% of what we do change lives. Let's make 100% of what we do generate positive, passionate experiences. Let's make 100% of what we do have an impact in our lives, in our families, in our communities, and in the global community.

135 lbs.

135 lbs. That's how much weight I wanted to be able to bench this month. I know it isn't that much. It looks a lot cooler because 135 lbs. means you add the big 45 pound weights on each side.

Well, I benched that!!! That was my goal for this month, and I totally rocked it! I benched 135 lbs., with 3 sets of 3.

Like I said in my post about the 180 Project, I am taking my goals and my dreams seriously. And I am just so excited that I accomplished one of them. And I had to share that with you. Not to brag, because the other guys at the gym, some are literally doing twice what I do, and then some. I am just telling you this because I am sharing with my friends how I took my goal seriously and I accomplished it. I have been working out consistently for the last month, biking, swimming, running, and lifting. And it's just great that I could accomplish my goal.

Now my dream is to bench 155 lbs., which is 15 lbs more than I way, and to swim 1000 yards. Right now I can only bench, obviously 135, and swim 600 yards, but I am getting closer. Like I said, I just wanted to share with my friends...I did it!!!

P.S. I also want to share with you...saw Contagion last night (Demitri Martin is in that movie-Awesome) and I thought it was great

Bringing it On Campus

Hey everybody!

I'm Jenna. I am a freshman at Palm Beach Atlantic. I am starting up the Dance Like Zach movement here in Florida at my school. I asked Zach if I could share my vision for how Dance Like Zach could grow at my school, and he loved it. I am sharing with you my vision because, while I do not always comment on every post, I feel like this is an encouraging place. Here is my vision:

First, I want to throw a “You Are Loved” party at my school. I want people to understand the need our country has right now for love and encouragement (and it’s also really fun). And second, I want to start a Dance Like Zach club at my school. I want my generation to be a part of the movement. I believe that we can help give clean water to those who thirst. I am just sick of hearing professor tell me, “Read these books. Write these papers. This will help you in the real world.” AHHH!!!! I AM living in the real world. These papers aren’t solving the real worlds problems. People in the real world are dying because they aren’t getting clean water! Wake up Professor’s!!! Wake up students!! Sure, a paper can help me better understand some subject material. But I already understand one of the most important things that they will never teach in class. I AM ALIVE! The tide has not come. I also understand that there are people in desperate need of help, and I will do all that I can to help them. That is why 3rd we are joining the 180 Project. At Palm Beach Atlantic, I will help others turn a complete 180. We will help 180 people get clean water.

I cannot do it alone, though. I will need your wisdom and support. If you guys have any great ideas on how to successful run a club, I would love to hear them. I already have a few ideas, but I know that you guys are great and super supportive. I will also be touching base with you guys throughout the year to tell you how it is going. Can’t wait to see the 180 turnaround that I can bring to my school!!!

180 Project

Hey peeps, something that I have been wanting to talk to you guys about for a couple of days now is the 180 Project. On the side of my blog you may have noticed that I am, for the rest of my life, taking my dreams seriously. The 180 Project is one of my dreams that I am going to be taking very very seriously, and you will see why.

Now the other day, I was thinking how I do not want it to become cold. When the fall comes, one of the only joy's I have is knowing that Christmas is coming. And during the holiday time, all people give gifts and say that they are giving to each other just people they want to give (when in fact, I think I get most of my gifts because it's "what you're supposed to do"). Well, I realized that I wanted to go into the holidays knowing that, I am not just giving because it's the giving time of the year.

I also came to understand that, this could be hard. I had lived so much of my life focusing on myself and how I could get better (and strangely, I still wasn't taking my dreams seriously living this way). I grew up going to school (like everybody) where the goal is to focus on myself and how I can get the best grades in the class. And frankly, I don't like that. I don't want to focus just on myself, I want to change.

 I am going to turn my life around. Do a complete 180. And to represent the complete 180, I am going to help 180 people have access to clean water.

180 Project

To do this, 23 people need to join the Dance Like Zach movement by December. Now, I already have personally, 7 distributors, but that doesn't count. I need to help 180 more people get clean water by December. If you want to help make this happen, visit here. If you want to join the 180 Project, and you personally want to help 180 people have access to clean water, join our movement and once you do that, give me a call or email and I will be happy to help. Here's my number-815-575-0952 and here is my email-zach@dancelikezach.com

This is my dream, I am taking it seriously.

Where's The Director?

One of the things that I do to fill up my cup is ride my bike. I love going fast. And when I ride my bike and the wind rushes across my face, and I feel that sense of speed...I LOVE IT!!! Well, I think about and pray for you guys a lot, and I do that often when riding my bike. And today, when I was riding my bike, something happened to me that made me 1)think of all of you and 2)need to share it with you.

As I was riding my bike, I saw police cars lined up on the street. There was also a huge fire truck. People were coming out of their houses and were looking at something...

A car ran into a house

It looked like something that would happen in a movie. A car drove into a house. Now, let me set the record straight, the house was more than 30 feet away from the street! Since there were so many people checking out what was going on, and so many policemen and firemen, I thought they were filming a movie. It must be a movie, no way would a car run into a house. But, there was no director or film crew. There were no big lights or actor's trailers.

I don't know if there is anything to learn from this story (except maybe, don't drive into a house), I just wanted to share this with you.

P.S. here are some ruf's(random untrue fact)
The average nail-biter eats 5lbs of human nail a year
George Clooney is obsessed with Japanese women's household slippers. He wears them everywhere, even to bed.
If you eat 20 twinkies, you'll go blind. The twinkies have a chemical component...well...let's just say, you were blinded by science (by Thomas Dolby-that's right, obscure 80's reference).

Fill Up Your Cup

Today, I was thinking of you guys during my quiet time in the morning. As givers, we obviously love to give. To give our time, our ideas, and our hearts to those things we find most valuable. When we give, a little bit is taken out of the cup that makes us who we are.  When all we do is give and give and give, there comes a point when we have given so much of ourselves, that there is nothing left to give. So we must fill ourselves up. We must surround ourselves with things, ideas, and people that energize us, so that we can give our very best.

I encourage you, today, to do something that fills you up. Whether it is to go out for ice cream, read a book, have some quiet time, or have a party, fill yourself up. Don't forget that you are important and that you need to fill yourself up so that you can make the most impact you possibly can.

P.S. I am super proud of all of you for being willing to make a change in the world. Thank You!!!

Magic

I think we can all agree, the gift of human connection is magical. We are given the ability to see, to hear, to run, to swim, and to play. And as we get older, our physical bodies wear away.

Although somehow our ability to give, to love, and to connect, these things will always be a part of us. I think it is what sustains us. Our bodies may grow old, but instead of giving in to wasting away, we live on.

When we see others connecting, whether in business or friendship, we are drawn to them. When we see or hear people laughing, we want to look. There is a joy blossoming between the two. There is magic in the connection and that magic draws us in.

Now let me tell you something. Your connection to others, your relationship with others, that is magical. You are born with the ability to make magic, and that ability will never go away. Sometimes we need that bit of encouragement to inspire us to take action, so...

I encourage you to wave your wand at some people this week. Spread your magic around. Send an extra smile to someone who needs it. Invite someone out to lunch. Send a card to someone you care about.

Make Magic

How old are you?

So I am often encouraging you guys about giving, being creative, and doing what you love. And though I truly believe it, sometimes this road is really, really tough. Many of you know how much I love dancing (as you probably have seen by the title of the blog and my videos), and you might also know that I find a lot of joy teaching dance. Well, today, I was going to start teaching a new class when I discovered, literally 5 minutes before the class, that I was going to be teaching 3-5 year olds-I thought they were going to be 7-10 year olds. There were only 4 of them (Thank God!!!), but 2 of them seemed like they were younger than 3- after class, a mother specifically told me her daughter was going to be 3 soon, so I guess that's fine? One of them couldn't say her name, so I didn't know what to call her the entire class. When she tried to say her name, I asked the girl sitting next to her if she heard anything, and she said "..."? What? Why aren't they communicating? Though I love kids-I swear I do- these kids were crazy!!! For an hour, the only thing I taught these 4 girls was how to hold their arms up in a circle, down in a circle, and in the middle in a circle. That doesn't even make sense, which is exactly my point.

Although, it wasn't all terrible. We did learn how to make butterflies on the ground, which was great. This started because I was trying to have them sit in a circle and tell me their names, and one girl just fell back and started saying, "I am a butterfly". So, I hopped on board and told all the kids, "Let's make butterflies". As you can tell, I was thrown for a huge loop.

Sometimes life throws us for a loop. We really do try to give all that we can, and somehow we get into a situation we had no idea was coming. There is no way to prepare. There is no way to avoid. All you can do is...make butterflies. Now, I am going to tell you, I was pretty mad that this happened to me. I didn't want to be teaching this age group. I didn't want to be running around after 2 year olds. They honestly didn't learn anything. If I would have put in a video of Dora the Explorer, they would have been better prepared for a dance class. But, you know what, I did it. Life is hard. We all can attest to that.

Somehow though, in the midst of all the craziness, I knew one thing, these kids were having fun. They might not be doing anything I am telling them. They might be tripping over their own feet(and then crying because they fell...then crying because they hurt their eye wiping it too much). But hey, they are enjoying life. The joy that they have is incredible. I learned so much from watching them not pay attention to me. You know the biggest thing I learned? They were mesmerized by life.

I want to do that. I want to be mesmerized by life. And you know what? I think I am sometimes. When I dance and celebrate, whether at a "You Are Loved" party or making a video to thank you wonderful supporters, I often feel mesmerized by life. I feel the joy and the excitement these kids do, maybe more. And my joy isn't coming from making a butterfly on the ground, though that is surprisingly fun. My joy comes from seeing you people make a difference.

Now, I have posted the Dance Like Zach manifesto here(it's free, YEAH FREE THINGS!!). It is all about making a difference. And if you haven't signed up to be a part of our Dance Like Zach movement, I strongly recommend that you do. It will change your life.  

My final words to you...if life throws you a loop, make butterflies. Be mesmerized by life.

you make my dreams

This is my thank you to Kristin for the incredibly nice post and for throwing a sweet party.

This is my thank you to Jenna, Elliott, Danny, and Ross for agreeing to throw a You Are Loved Party.

This is my thank you to Sam for the sweet TED video.

This is my thank you to Andi for recently joining us. And thank you to Alise, Kristine, Ross, Sam,  Hilary, and Jenna for following me for a while now.

You guys make my dreams come true!!!

ZP has got it going on...

I received an e-mail from my good old friend ZP and he told me to throw a ‘you are loved’ party. I immediately LOVED the idea and decided to take action. I had already planned to have some ladies over for a Mary Kay make-over, so I decided to combo it with that. It was really cool because we got to love on ourselves a bit during the make-over, then we switched over to the 'you are loved' part of the night and we got to love on others. I had treats and drinks for my guests, and through that I was able to show them love! Everyone, including myself really enjoyed the night and took pleasure in looking through the cards to pick the perfect one for the person they chose.

That night when all was said and done I was very happy with the night. Everyone had a good time and left with a smile on their faces. Not to mention the joy that we brought to all the individuals that we sent cards too. A few of my friends really loved the card website and are looking to send more love and more cards.

I talked to ZP after I threw my party and I was even more encouraged. I want to throw a ‘you are loved’ party every week!

Thanks ZP!

Thank You Miss Nelson!!!

Thanks you so much. It means a whole lot to me. It is great to see people throwing "You Are Loved" Party's.

Your Life is WAYYY to Important to waste on a job where you fight change

I am reading the book, "Tribes" by Seth Godin, and I thought I needed to share a piece with you. I highly recommend you check out his work if you haven't already.


"It's four a.m. and I can't sleep. So I'm sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Jamaica, checking my e-mail.
       A couple walks by, obviously on their way to bed, having pushed the idea of vacation a little too hard. The woman looks over to me and, in a harsh whisper a little quieter than a yell, says to her friend, 'Isn't that sad? That guy comes here on a vacation and he's stuck checking his e-mail. He can't even enjoy his two weeks off.'
      I think the real question-the one they probably wouldn't want to answer-was, 'Isn't it sad that we have a job where we spend two weeks avoiding the stuff we have to do fifty weeks a year?"

This totally impacted my life. I hope it speaks to you.

This Is Not For Everybody!!!

This blog is only for those of you who want to give. This is only for people who want to touch others lives. This is only for people that want to make a difference.

If you are not serious about spreading joy, than this is not for you. Seriously, if you do not want to take personally responsibility for your future and if you are satisfied with how the world is, then this is not for you. I am telling you this not because I do not want you to be a part of something that will give you the power to improve others lives as well as your own. But I am telling you this because your life is important and your time is important and what you do with your time is important. So if you are not open to new ideas, you do not want to take personal responsibility for your future, you like how the world is, and you do not want to give to others, this is not for you.


Now for those of us that are serious, let's get down to business. I have already shared with you how you can make a difference with TOMS, or FEED Projects, or Child's Play. 

Here is another way that you can spread some love and joy...and it's for free. Just throw a You Are Loved Party.

PS. You do not need to purchase any food or drinks. All you need to do is celebrate that You Are Loved. Celebrate because you have made a difference in someones life.  Once you have sent your free cards...just dance like zach. Boogie down. Do the stanky leg. Teach people how to dougie.

Fashionably feed the hungry

Lauren Bush, who I totally have a crush on, stepped up in a big way(or should I say bag way). She was a model and also a spokeswomen for the U.N.'s World Food Programme. What she couldn't stand about the World Food Programme was seeing all the hungry students. Especially when it could cost, on average, $25-$50 to feed a student...for an entire school year!!!

In 2004, at the age of 20, she had the idea that she could sell fashionable, re-usable bags(which were starting to become quite popular at the time) to help these students. For every 1 bag sold, 1 student would be able to eat food for an entire school year. It took her a little while, but by 2007, she had launched FEED Projects. They now have sold more than 500,000 bags and provided enough money to feed 60 million school lunches around the world.

Why I am telling you this story is because you do not have to be a successful entrepreneur, multi-millionaire, or the next Albert Einstein to do make a change. To make a difference, you just need to send out some love. Lauren Bush sent food to the hungry. Blake Mycoskie(Founder of TOMS) sent shoes to those who have never had shoes before. I send water to those who thirst.

Spread your ideas. Give your ideas to the world. Make a difference. Stand out. Be a part of something that really matters. Use your one and only life to leave a legacy.

Yesterday is the perfect time to start. But since you might have missed that, today is the next best thing.

If you want to learn more about Lauren Bush, check out feedprojects.com
If you want to learn more about Blake Mycoskie, check out toms.com
If you want to learn more about me...just ask, or check out dancelikezach.com

the boogie song

Can you imagine being Celebrated every day?!

ruf of the day

Lots of people are telling me the most random facts.  I couldn't believe how many random facts I was hearing. So, I am making it my goal to respond with ruf's. Ruf stands for random untrue fact. You can try using some of these and see if it works.

1. There are more people that speak English in the world than there are toes in the United States.
2. If  you break all the lightbulbs in the world, you can fill 800 million swimming pools.
3. The average shark will eat only eat 3lbs. of vegies in its entire life.
4. The dog Toto in the Wizard of Oz actaully had no teeth.
5. Sir Ian McKellen had to work out for 6 months before they shot his "You Shall Not Pass" scene.

Speaking of Ian, I hope this brings you some joy.