A lesson about having no fear from a 3 year old

Dream Big, Dreaming  //  10th January 2013

Hello from somewhere in between Phoenix and Dallas… where they say there is absolutely nothing! But I definitely woke up to a pretty view and I was kind of pumped about it! ;) Talk to me in about 8 hours when the scenery has not changed although we have been moving the whole time and I might feel differently! ;) But for right now, I am so excited and kind of like a little kid who is looking at airplanes in the sky! ;)

Anyway… we are now 2 stops into the What’s Next Tour and we are feeling so inspired by all of the AMAZING people we are meeting along the way! Seriously, the What’s Next Tour attendees are coming in ready to do the hard work and make their dreams a reality! And THAT makes us smile! We are so humbled by all of our new friends we are meeting that we thought we would share a few of their stories with you! Believe me, their stories will leave a special place in your hearts!

We totally wish we could share everyone’s story, but we will start with one at a time and see where we get! ;) lol. However, be sure to follow along on Instagram because we are definitely sharing stories from each stop there!

Today we are going to begin with our friend Chris from LA… and actually her daughter, Ada, whose story rocks my world! Chris is a photographer who IS giving herself permission this year to get back to her passion and create art that speaks to her heart. She is going to explode in her business while creating priceless images that will leave a lasting impact on the hearts of her clients and everyone who views her work! Chris had so many light bulb moments at The What’s Next Tour stop in LA that I have no doubt she is going to live her life with passion and a purpose and with no more fear!

I am most confident in that “no more fear” thing because Chris has this AMAZING example in her life. Her name is Ada and she is 3 1/2 years old. ;) Ada is actually Chris’s daughter who decided one day after over hearing a story about the relief efforts in Haiti on NPR, she wanted to help. A few weeks later, Ada brought her piggy bank to Chris, dumped out her $17 and some change and said she wanted to send it to Haiti. After further discussion and a brainstorm (with a 3 1/2 year old, can you imagine?!? ;) ) Ada decided she wanted to make drawings and bake cookies to sell and raise funds to add to her $17+.  Why not right? She set a goal of $500 and $705 later… Ada has created art, sold it, and made a HUGE donation to Partners In Health to make a difference in the lives of others. No fear and no questions asked… she made it happen!

That, my friends, is an inspiration! If you want to help Ada and her efforts to touch the lives of others and make change in Haiti, visit her fundraising website at: http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/personal/Ada4Haiti

And for our new friend Chris, check out her website too and send her a little love! She is not only an amazing artist, but she is one AMAZING momma!

There is no wrong way to live your life | J&M What’s Next Tour L.A.

Dream Big, Dreaming, Uncategorized  //  9th January 2013

We sat on comfy couches in a small circle.  If only we could have gotten the fireplace to work…

Yesterday was the first tour stop for Justin & Mary’s What’s Next Tour.  During a portion of Mary’s talk the AMAZING attendees were asked what their Big Next was and then to break out into smaller focus groups.  Liz and I had the honor to lead a group on rebranding.  Having just recently rebranded the discussion was right up our alley! :)

When we originally started our business the brand we created was focused on what we saw everyone else doing.  We named it Elizabeth Ryan Photography because Ryan Elizabeth didn’t sound as prestigious to us.  We created a website whose main colors where black, gray, and white (in those orders) because all the other photography sites we say were those colors.  Our brand quickly became what we thought it should be based on what everyone else was doing.  It didn’t take us long to realize that we had made a mistake.  By the time everyone started thinking Liz’s last name was actually Ryan instead of Bower we knew it was time to rebrand.

We shared this story with our group and chatted further about creating a brand that builds up the business you want to run and the life you want to live.

One of the first things we are often asked is to think about what our ideal client looks like.  But we are not often asked to think about what our ideal brand and business looks like.  If you are in the process of creating a business, or even at a crossroads of life, stop for a moment and think about what you want it to look like, not what everyone else wants it to be.  What do you love? What is your style? What is your Big Next?

As we chatted with our group the following thought popped into my mind. Just like the Reese’s commercials – “There is no wrong way to eat a Reese’s,” there is also no wrong way to run a business.  And for that matter, there is no wrong way to live your life.

Make it what you want it to be!  Make it yours!

Thanks to the AMAZING new friends we made last night in LA.  We wish you all much luck and success in the rebranding process.  And if you are still looking for a little extra help, be sure to check out the fabulous ladies at Making Brands Happen!

How to make your next road trip more AMAZING

Celebrating the Everyday, Travel  //  8th January 2013

Hey everyone! It’s Day 2 of our CRAZY adventure with Justin & Mary for their What’s Next Tour.  Today is the first day workshop day of the tour and then we pack up and head off to Phoenix! (We are finishing this post up will Mary is speaking and let us just say that she is definitely ROCKIN’ IT!)  Since we will be traveling quite a bit over the next few weeks and and we knew we would most likely start missing some of our favorite things from home, we decided to create a fun little travel box to make our adventure just a little bit more AMAZING.  Here a few of the things we’ve included:

Sour patch kids! These are probably Ryan’s all time favorite candy (not consisting of chocolate and peanut butter).

Hairbro Gummy Bears! In addition to sharing the bus with J&M, we are also sharing it with our good friends Ashley and Jeremy.  A while back Jeremy had posted that hairbro gummy bears were his favorite.  Say no more, we included these too!  Ok, I promise, our box of travel amazingess doesn’t just include candy!

Air Freshners! We LOVE to burn candles at home.  The smell of fresh linen, cupcakes, spiced pumpkin, and cinnamon are some of our favorites!  Although burning candles while driving might not technically be illegal (if anyone knows for sure we’d love to know!) it isn’t exactly the safest thing.  Hit one pothole and all of a sudden you have a flaming projectile flying through the air!  So instead, we picked up these AMAZING air freshners from Yankee Candle.  Now the bus will still smell like spiced pumpkin and cinnamon and we won’t have to worry about testing out the smoke detectors.

Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz! The tour, although a super incredible once in a lifetime AMAZING fun time, is still going to be a lot of hardwork!  Last night already consisted of set design at midnight while using head lamps!  Yes head lamps!  Like the kind you would use while spelunking! So to fight off the urge to curl up in a ball and rest like a baby, we picked up energizing face spritz from The Body Shop!  One quick sprtiz is an instant pick me up of citrus AMAZINGNESS!

To round our the rest of our box we included Ghiradelli Chocolate, Cheez-its, gold stars, and Rolos.

Ok, so this wouldn’t be a “how to” post unless we shared a few tips on how you can create your very own travel box of goodness to make your next road trip more AMAZING. Below are a few ideas to help inspire you!

Find a fun box to store everything in! A boring old plastic bag or cardboard box just won’t do!  The goal is to make your trip more AMAZING and that includes the box.  We picked up a fun little rustic box at Homegoods then stuffed it with all of our goodies.

Include a few of your favorite indulgences!  Traveling and roadtrips are meant to be a break from your everyday lives so spice it up with your favorite chocolates and candies.  As we mentioned above, we included sour patch kids, gummy bears, Ghiradelli chocolate and Rolos.  Before your next road trip, head to the grocery store and spend a few extra minutes in the candy aisle picking out your favorite sweet treat!

Think therapeutic spa! Whether you are going on a road trip or traveling for business, travel can be rough on the body. Help rejuvenate your body and mind with fun things you world normally only find at a spa.  Pack your favorite body lotion, air fresheners, bath soap, and in our case, Vitamin C Spritz.  These little extra touches will make your trip that much more relaxing.

In addition to your box of fun, don’t forget to pack the essentials you simply can’t live without. Yesterday we asked on Facebook “What is the one thing you can’t go without while traveling?”  Thanks so much to everyone that responded!  We received a ton of AMAZING answers and we wanted to share a few of our favorites today.

Brad Slater –  A travel partner! Makes it so much more fun. Otherwise, my rollerboard suitcase. It’s been all over and makes navigating airports so much easier.

Natalie Franke – New music / a playlist for the trip!

Abby Field – fresh socks!

Have an AMAZING week and safe travels on your next trip!

Take a Chance | The Amazing Life Manifesto

Amazing Life Manifesto, Dreaming  //  7th January 2013

Ryan has a way of saying things that leave me thinking… thinking hard. During the times I need it most, he asks the right questions and says things that stop me in my tracks. I remember one specific situation where I was at a cross roads (a breaking point, if you will! ;) ). I needed to hear exactly what Ryan was going to tell me. He said, “You will never know if you can live your dream or not until you Take a Chance and try. If you fail, you fail. At least you know you gave it all you’ve got.”

AMAZING, right?! Take A Chance. Ahhh! It feels good just to say it! ;)

If there is something that is holding you back, or you have something in your mind that you just can’t wrap your hands around to make happen… please share it with us! We want to encourage you and help you do what you need to do to Take a Chance and make your dreams a reality!!

We are your cheerleaders this week! Go and do!! ;) (Don’t laugh too hard thinking about Ryan in a cheerleading uniform…. I actually might have a picture from Halloween in High School of what that looks like! :) …it is quite funny!)

Have an AMAZING week!

PS, sorry for the late post today! We have a super AMAZING video to go with this post too but have been having wifi issues today :( Once we get it uploaded we will be sure to share it here and on Facebook!

[Updated With the Video!]

AMAZING Life Experience Consultants | The What’s Next Tour

Dreaming, Our Dreams  //  4th January 2013

To say our January is going to be crazy is probably a little bit of an understatement.  The wildest-most-fun-little-bit-chaotic-time-of-our-lives is probably a better description.  We mentioned on Monday that we would be heading out on the road with Justin and Mary for their What’s Next Tour.  When we try to explain this to our family and friends, we often get asked tons of follow up questions.  So today, we wanted to share a little bit more about some of the preparation and planning we have been doing to get ready for our crazy adventure on a bus.

The thing we have probably been asked the most is where will you be staying and getting around during the trip? 

We will, in fact, actually be staying on a bus for the entire trip! Crazy!  Ok, it won’t be that bad, we do have a pretty sweet ride thanks to the amazing team over at Showit.  It’s equipped with an espresso machine and two Apples TVs just to name a few of the awesome amenities.  ;) See more about the bus at Showit’s website:

http://bus.showitfast.com

After we finish explaining to everyone that we will be living on a bus for three weeks, the next thing everyone usually asks is what will you be doing?  When Justin and Mary asked us to be part of their crew we pretty much said yes without even asking what they would need us to do. (Honestly, we were ready to learn how to drive the bus! ;) lol!)  Maybe it was because we just both finished reading Love Does. One of our favorite lines in the book is:

“You know what it is about someone that makes them a friend? A friend doesn’t just say things; a friend does.”

So we decided to DO.  We said yes and knew we would figure out the rest later.  Since then we have given ourselves the title “Experience Consultants” and have pretty much been working non stop coming up with ideas on how we can make the tour as AMAZING as possible for Justin & Mary and everyone attending.  We feel so blessed to have friends like Justin & Mary that trust our vision.  We can’t give away all the secrets but let me just say that the tour is going to be AMAZING and that if you have a chance to attend you definitely don’t want to miss it!  Below are a few sketches of some of the ideas we came up with for the tour that we created with the Paper App.  Forgive my poor drawing skills, at the time I wasn’t planning to share my sketches with the world, otherwise, I would have at least given the barista in the one sketch some hair! :)

One of our favorite parts has been creating a “What’s Next Café” that will serve drinks as people arrive. Now, if we could just figure out how to get this giant sign we are making in our luggage …

In addition to coming up with ideas on how to make the tour super AMAZING for everyone attending, we have also been hard at work coming up with ideas on how we can make life on a bus super AMAZING.  One of our ideas might just include gold stars.  Yes gold stars! You know, the ones you used to get in 3rd grade when you scored a 100% on your spelling tests.  We will be sharing more of these ideas throughout the tour, so be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter at the top of the page to stay up to date!

Finally, the last question we get asked is where will be going?

We will be traveling to 10 cities with Justin and Mary for their tour.  The cities are Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Orlando, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., New York City, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Kansas City!  If you have any suggestions on fun cafes and places to eat in any of these cities we would LOVE to hear from you!!!

We will also be stopping at a few other places along the way.  We are hoping to have some spontaneous twitter meet-ups during our “off” days too!  Be sure to follow everyone on twitter so you don’t miss a chance to hang out with us.  Below are links to everyone’s twitter pages so you don’t have any excuse not to.

https://twitter.com/marymarantz
https://twitter.com/justinmarantz
https://twitter.com/liz_and_ryan
https://twitter.com/abarnettphoto
http://twitter.com/jeremymitch
https://twitter.com/THEandrewbarlow

If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet be sure to do so today!  LA, Dallas, and DC are almost sold out!  And if you use the code “lizandryan” you will save $50 on your full day ticket!

www.thewhatsnexttour.com

Can’t wait to see many of you out and about!