Nathalie Lussier, the Raw Foods Witch, was tied for second place in our contest, “Change the World in One Minute.”

Nathalie’s prizes are:

• A physical copy of the Usual Error book, signed by both of us and our illustrator
• A signed sneak preview copy of the Usual Error audiobook before it is even released for sale!
• A one-hour coaching session with Pace and Kyeli on the subject of her choosing
• A half-hour idea blueprinting session with Megan Elizabeth Morris, That Idea Blueprint Girl
• A signed copy of Bob Poole’s incredible book, Listen First, Sell Later
• A $25 shopping spree at Amazon.com

Congratulations, Nathalie!

And, without further ado…

Here is Nathalie’s entry!

Thank you, Nathalie; well said and well done! Congratulations!

We are pleased to announce the three winners of the “Change the World in One Minute” video contest!

As we mentioned, we’re not much for rules, so we’re going to break our own rules and announce a tie for second place! They were too good to choose between, so we’re going to mix and match the prizes.

Second and third prizes will be divvied up between Megan Elizabeth Morris and Nathalie Lussier! Each of them will get a fair share of the prizes, which we’ll announce when we post their videos.

Congratulations, girls! Your videos totally rock! They’re both uplifting and motivating and awesome.

And now, for the first place winner…

Drumroll, please?

First prize goes to Amanda Braman-Ray! Congrats, Amanda!

She also broke most of the rules, Captain Kirk style, but her video made us both cry and touched our hearts. Tears for the win!

We’ll be posting the videos, one each day for the rest of the week. We highly recommend you spend the time watching them – they are all three totally amazing.

Congrats to the winners, and thanks again to all our kick-ass sponsors for making the prizes worth working for.

Today, we release the Freak Revolution Manifesto.

This Manifesto is the heart and soul of the Freak Revolution. We poured ourselves into it. We wrote, tweaked, adjusted, agonized, and rephrased til we got it just right.

In it, we answer all the questions we’ve gotten so far about the Freak Revolution: why we’re doing this, what it means, what we want to accomplish, how we intend to accomplish it. Really, it’s about you; how you can improve your life and the lives of others, how you can find and create connection, and most importantly, how you can change the world.

It’s 100% free to download, 100% free to share, and 100% free of affiliate links; this is not a money-making document, this is a world-changing document.

Our goal is one million readers. With that many readers, we’ll be well on our way to changing the world! Our blog has quite a few readers, but not even close to a million – so one simple thing you can do right now to help is share this manifesto with anyone it will inspire. (You can download it for free.)

Together, we can change the world!

The infamous Johnny B. Truant has made a last-minute donation: an hour of 1-on-1 tech coaching!  We’ve added it to the First Prize bag o’ goodies!  Thanks, Johnny, for being so generous. (:

299 minutes left until the contest deadline; make one of ‘em count! (:

Our video contest, “Change the World in One Minute”, ends today!

Entries are due by midnight tonight, Central time, September 25th.

Be creative! You can sing an inspirational song, talk about your philosophy, share an uplifting story, use sock puppets… whatever! It only takes a minute, so why not give it a try?

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 29th. (That’s the day after the manifesto release date, so tons of people will see it!)

The three winning videos will be posted in our blog on Wednesday (September 30th), Thursday (October 1st), and Friday (October 2nd) – and all suitable entries will be posted on our website on a special page created just for them!

Only video entries originally created for this contest will be considered. Also, please only submit your own work; having someone help you is fine, but submitting someone else’s work – even if it’s about you – is not.

Our contest is especially honored to be sponsored by Goddess Leonie, Lisa Baldwin, Bob Poole, Megan Elizabeth Morris, Martin Whitmore, and E. Foley; we are extremely grateful to them for their love and support! All of them are incredibly talented, gifted, awesome people, and their prize offerings are going to knock your socks off.

Click here for more details, and submit those entries – before midnight!

Good luck!

I’ve been really stuck lately, as I mentioned in my mind-mapping post.

Yesterday, I made a big fat list of all the things that are getting me down (“problems”), so that I could face them and make a list of ways to make them better (“solutions”). Sometimes, it was enough to simply identify a problem – just naming it made me think, “Huh, okay, that’s what that was. I’m better now.” Some of them need fixing of a more complicated sort.

And then there are the A/B problems.

I want to save lots of money and I want to buy lots of things.

I want to lose weight and I want to eat junk food all the time.

I want to travel and I want to stay home.

I want to sleep late and I want to be productive in the mornings.

I want this thing and I want its opposite.

But I can’t have both.

But I want both. Really badly! And I get really attached to both, and I don’t want to give up either, and I get frustrated and upset and stuck. Stuck! I spiral down and circle around, looking at A and looking at B, wanting both – and really, often getting neither because I’m too stuck. I can’t get clear, can’t focus, can’t get unstuck.

The answer is C.

The trick isn’t in compromise. Compromising with yourself all too often ends in unhappiness and resentment.

The trick isn’t in alternating between A and B. Having both, in this case, means having neither half the time.

When we want A and B, what do we really want?

I want to save lots of money and I want to buy lots of things: for me, buying lots of things is a sign of financial security. If I’m free to spend tons of money, I don’t have money problems – but spending tons of money will, eventually, create money problems. So the trick there is to find new and different ways of feeling financially secure. Neither A nor B, but C.

I want to lose weight and I want to eat junk food all the time: what I really want is comfort. I want comfort in my body and I want comfort when I’m feeling scared or upset or threatened. Eating brings me comfort externally, but being overweight brings me a lack of internal comfort. The trick here is to find non-food ways of getting that comfort; reading, curling up with Pace and our kiddo, spending time with people who love me – or simply looking in the mirror and loving myself. Neither A nor B, but C. It’s not the lollipop, it’s “what problem are you trying to solve?”

When we’re divided, it’s a call for help. It means we have fallen out of alignment with ourselves. We’re no longer on our own team. Often, our inner child wants one thing and our talking selves (or brain or what have you) want something else, and this creates a back-and-forth split. Dissonance. Division. And that leads to resentment and unhappiness.

So the trick isn’t to compromise. It’s not to give in. It’s not to suck it up.

The trick is to realign. Listen. Take time to get at the heart of the matter, find out what you’re really needing – and then choose that.

Reminder: The Change the World in 1 Minute contest is still open for submissions! The deadline is this Friday!

Today’s post is written by Nathalie Lussier, the Raw Foods Witch.

If there is one woman who has made a large impact in my life, and the lives of many of my peers, it is my Tae Kwon Do instructor.

When I first met her, as a shy pre-teen girl, I felt drawn to her because she wasn’t much taller than me. I learned that size doesn’t matter, since she was capable of beating any of her students in a sparring match on sheer speed alone.

Yet the thing that was most remarkable about my Tae Kwon Do teacher wasn’t her physical strength, but rather the strength that she passed onto her students. She taught us to be confident, to get to know each other, and to look at the world through a completely different set of filters.

Instead of having awkward conversations with people, we learned how to communicate with respect. We learned to discipline our bodies, and in so doing we disciplined our minds.

I remember savoring the moments we could talk openly together, because every time I went away with a new-found positive outlook on life. She encouraged us, invited us to be different, and questioned our most entrenched assumptions about life.

Today, she continues to create a safe environment for kids and adults to test their own boundaries, increase their self-esteem, and make lasting friendships.

My instructor transcends stereotypes because she is both a strong, warrior-like teacher and a warm caring individual who embraces her femininity. That in itself is a great role model, and one that I still look to when I’m faced with trying times.

I feel privileged to have her in my life, and I still enjoy keeping in touch with her. Though she has moved away and started a new Martial Arts school, her students remain to pass on her ideals and teachings.

In many ways, my teacher was a role model for being different – a freak even. She didn’t have a regular job; she taught. She also ate differently; she was a vegetarian. She didn’t share everyone’s view of money, because she once worked in a bank and didn’t obsess over it like others.

All of these little things ended up coming back to me while I was growing up, and now I really understand her points of view in a whole new light.

And now I’m a freak, and in turn I inspire others to be a little different, too.

Nathalie Lussier, pronounced as “regular Natalie” Lucy-ay, is the Raw Foods Witch. She first learned about the concept of raw foods in early 2005. Like most people, she experienced tons of resistance (both internal and external) when trying to go raw. In March 2006, she dove head first and went 100% raw for 30 days. Since her 30-day raw trial, she’s learned what are the best ways to transition to a raw diet – and she can use her wisdom to help you make changes in your diet and in your life!

Don’t forget about our crazy awesome contest, under way right now and with over $1000 in prizes!

The Rules

We’ve never been much for rules, so we’ll keep it simple.

Submit inspirational and uplifting videos, approximately one minute in length, telling us something about what’s wrong with the world, how you’re making changes, what changes you plan to make in the future, what you want to see more of in the world, or something along those lines.

You can enter as many videos as you like, but you can only win one prize.

Entries are due on Friday, September 25th.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 29th. (That’s the day after the manifesto release date, so tons of people will see it!)

The three winning videos will be posted in our blog on Wednesday (September 30th), Thursday (October 1st), and Friday (October 2nd) – and all suitable entries will be posted on our website on a special page created just for them!

Only video entries originally created for this contest will be considered. Also, please only submit your own work; having someone help you is fine, but submitting someone else’s work – even if it’s about you – is not.

Our contest is especially honored to be sponsored by Goddess Leonie, Lisa Baldwin, Bob Poole, Megan Elizabeth Morris, Martin Whitmore, and E. Foley; we are extremely grateful to them for their love and support! All of them are incredibly talented, gifted, awesome people, and their prize offerings are going to knock your socks off.

So, without further delay…

The Prizes

There are three prizes, with a combined value of over $1000!

First Prize:

• A physical copy of the Usual Error book, signed by both of us and our illustrator
• A signed sneak preview copy of the Usual Error audiobook before it is even released for sale!
• A one-hour coaching session with Pace and Kyeli on the subject of your choosing
• A custom avatar drawn especially for you by our own illustrious illustrator, Marty Whitmore
• A one-hour session of clutter clearing, space making, or to-do list taming with Lisa Baldwin, the incredibly talented declutter sensation
• A half-hour idea blueprinting session with Megan Elizabeth Morris, That Idea Blueprint Girl
• A Copper dating/online profile workup with the ever-excellent E. from Geek’s Dream Girl
• A $50 shopping spree at Amazon.com

Second Prize:

• A physical copy of the Usual Error book, signed by both of us and our illustrator
• A signed sneak preview copy of the Usual Error audiobook before it is even released for sale!
• A one-hour coaching session with Pace and Kyeli on the subject of your choosing
• A half-hour idea blueprinting session with Megan Elizabeth Morris, That Idea Blueprint Girl
• A $30 shopping spree at Amazon.com

Third Prize:

• A physical copy of the Usual Error book, signed by both of us and our illustrator
• A signed sneak preview copy of the Usual Error audiobook before it is even released for sale!
• A 30-minute coaching session with Pace and Kyeli on the subject of your choosing
• A Divine Dreaming meditation kit from the awesome-amazing-lovely Goddess Leonie
• A signed copy of Bob Poole’s incredible book, Listen First, Sell Later
• A $20 shopping spree at Amazon.com

Entries are due one week from today, so get those cameras rolling and send videos to Kyeli@FreakRevolution.com!

Good luck! We can’t wait to see your entries!

“Don’t go to the cheese factory” is a metaphor we coined during a recent coaching session with a couple who were having troubles in their relationship.

Photo by aimlessbird

Bob has a problem. He’s addicted to cheese. Soft cheese, hard cheese, sharp cheese, mild cheese, round cheese, square cheese, cheddar, brie, gouda, jack, bleu, feta, wensleydale. He can’t get enough cheese.

One fateful New Year’s Day, Bob resolves to give up cheese. It’s not good for his health, and he doesn’t want to support the dairy industry for ethical reasons. These reasons are more important to Bob than his cravings.

But then one day, Bob goes to the cheese factory. “I can handle it,” he tells himself. “I’ll be fine.” At the first offer of free samples, he’s gobbling up the cheese again, stuffing his face with abandon.

Bob continues to visit the cheese factory from time to time. He tries as hard as he can; sometimes he resists, and sometimes he succumbs. “I tried my best,” he says. “It’s just so hard to resist when the cheese is right there in front of me.”

This is my advice to Bob:

If you don’t want to eat the cheese, don’t go to the cheese factory.

Photo by jtuason

If you don’t want to wake up in bed next to a stranger, don’t drink so much at the party.

If you don’t want to eat junk food, don’t buy junk food.

If you don’t want to come home with a cute little puppy, don’t go to the animal shelter.

If you don’t want to spend money on books, don’t go to the bookstore.

If you want to eat smaller portions, serve yourself smaller portions instead of relying on your willpower to stop eating when your plate is still half full.

If you don’t want to waste 20% of your life watching television, get rid of your TV set, or your cable.

If you don’t want to waste 20% of your life playing World of Warcraft, unsubcribe.

If you don’t want to spend all your money on gorgeous stripy socks, don’t follow @SockDreams on Twitter.

If you don’t want to get back together with your ex, don’t talk to your ex.

Don’t rely on your willpower in the moment, when the temptation is right in front of you. Rely on your willpower once, ahead of time, when you’re feeling clear about what you most want.

Don’t try not to eat the cheese once you’re already at the cheese factory. Make one decision in advance: choose not to go to the cheese factory in the first place.

What examples of “don’t go to the cheese factory” can you think of in your life, or of people you know?

When Pace posted about slowing down in life, one thing she recommended was, “Slow down when you drive. It’ll only cost you a couple of minutes and will make the quality of your drive (and your life!) better.”

A few Saturdays ago, I was driving slowly behind a cyclist. We were on a narrow, windy (curvy, not blustery) road going up and down hills, with miles of no-pass double yellow lines. I wasn’t in a hurry and was giving the cyclist plenty of room. Suddenly, a tiny white sports car and a huge black truck were right on my tail. I wanted to speed up, but didn’t want to crowd the dude on the bike or cross the double yellow line – and not just because it’s illegal; I couldn’t see far enough to safely pass.

The longer this situation drew out, the more tense I became, until my knuckles were nearly white. Pace kept suggesting that I chill out and ignore the cars behind me, but peer pressure wasn’t the problem; the problem was that they were so close that I was terrified of the possibility of a major accident if I had to stop suddenly.

Finally, we rounded a curve and could see a little way off, so the white car slammed on the gas and sped around me and the cyclist in a cloud of dust and hurry. The black truck followed suit, and I was able to relax and slow back down.

After the cars behind me had disappeared, I was going no more than 15 mph. I wasn’t rushed or bothered. I was perfectly content to drive at the veritable snail’s pace, passing trees slowly enough to see how many leaves sparkled in the sun. But the discomfort of dangerously fast cars tailgating me pushed me to drive outside of my own comfort zone (and probably outside of the cyclist’s comfort zone, too).

If I’m late, speeding or reckless driving isn’t going to save me much. Pace timed a few of our trips and found that the difference between hurried driving and relaxed driving rarely made a difference of more than 30 seconds. How will 30 seconds make or break me? It might even wind up costing me a lot; I could get pulled over by an officer or get into an accident.

I’ve made it a habit to either leave early enough to be on time or let go of caring about being late. (Usually the former.) I drive at the speed limit most of the time, and I let the other cars careen around me. I find that life won’t pass you by if you slow yourself down a bit – the opposite occurs, in fact. Life is slower than our usual hectic speed, so slowing down allows us to experience more of it.

Driving doesn’t need to be a competition; if someone wants to merge into your lane, slow down and let them over. Fighting them won’t save you time and will cost you in stress. Remember that it’s not about you – that careless guy that cut you off is probably worried about losing his job or his house and not even thinking about you, so carrying anger at him for miles won’t help you.

Relax, breathe deeply, and slow down – in life and on the roads.