So, here it goes… a confessional to the masses…however many folks are really reading my little craftings of the cranium each week.  I am not a narcissistic twittaholic assuming that my every proclamation and lame diurnal activity deserves a marquis and has a crowd clamoring for their release.  Nope.  I’m just a gal who figured out the power of words when she was a little kid, and who feels that writers, motivators and true thinkers who came before have passed the metaphorical baton to me. 

     So now, here I am.  Here you are.  We are here.

     But let me first start with a back-story.  When I first began writing my Monday SOAPBOX Edition…waaaaay back in 1999, I had a captive audience.  Actually, “captured” was probably a better descriptive, as my readers were the folks doling out cash for my coaching, constructive criticism, and killer workouts to attain some kind of life change.  My musings were equally for me as they were for them, scribbled each Sunday in reflection of what the roller-coaster of life had recently delivered… a great conversation with a stranger, a kick-in-the-gut breakup, a birthday surprise, a crossroads decision still hovering, a sweated-out goal finally attained.  So with pencil in hand and heart on sleeve, I had a conversation with myself and anyone who cared to read and listen.  I wrote to motivate, to entertain, to educate folks to live life to its fullest and become active citizens with true purpose and unshakable optimism.  And every week I simply felt good about trying more, doing more, believing more and loving more.  I lived my purpose.

     It’s almost a dozen years later, and I am still living my purpose.  Sure the landscape has changed, and I’ll confess the roller-coaster has thrown me off the whole damn ride a few times, but I am still here with pencil in hand and heart on sleeve.  So what’s different?  Well, I’ve had an incredible coaching business, run a marathon, become a TV host and producer, moved cross-country twice, returned an engagement ring, done infomercials in the Philippines (yes, you read that right), become an aunt, survived L.A., been published, gained weight, interviewed Elton John, survived a hit-and-run accident, and joined the God Squad (a.k.a. become a Christian).  But in re- reading my last SOAPBOX® ditty (prompted by a caring friend), I realized I wrote it to myself implicitly.   I’ve made living out my mission a challenge in and of itself, viewing it like a battle to win instead of a puzzle to figure out and solve one piece at a time.  My plans look more garbled than ever; my decisions are based out of fear; my own optimism has been shaken; and I rarely take time to acknowledge my accomplishments, my gifts and my need for rewards, rest and recharging. 

     So, where does that bring me…and perhaps you, if you come along for the ride?

     Well, I am cleaning out the clutter and starting from scratch.  Kimberlie Dykeman Enterprises will officially launch in 2011 and it means a whole fresh spin on the SOAPBOX® brand.  A new website for all my undertakings will launch, laying a foundation for more interactive elements.  The SOAPBOX® blog will feature videos of vignettes of past mini-motivations, man-on-the-street interviews, and submissions from readers.  Want to get on your own soapbox and share a story that enlightens, engages and educates others…you’ll have your chance.  It’s pay-it-forward and pass-it-on, folks.  So stay tuned…more details and surprises en route.

    Net-net: I have changed.  My perspective has changed. The world has changed.  But my purpose is still the same …it’s just been taken apart and reassembled to work, in a word, better.  I am here to motivate, entertain and educate you to live your life to its fullest and become an active citizen with true purpose and unshakable optimism.  Try more, do more, believe more, love more.  Thank you for being here with me. 

Now, CARPE DIEM… and bring a helmet! 

– KD