Contest Countdown 🎂 🎂 🎂 (To My Birthday)

How we gonna wrap up this #DontSettle summer?

On Instagram of course, with five solid weeks of picture perfect contests, rolling right up until Labor Day (AKA my Birthday) Weekend. (September 2nd: Holla!)

That cake? (And celebration of life.)  Still going down. Everything else gets the reboot. (So stay tuned 'ya scaredy cats of creativity.)

Each Saturday, check out @WriteOnGrrrl for a new quote from Settling Down, a humorous novel of female empowerment by Dawn Keable. To enter: (1) Follow me on Instagram, (2) Tag your favorite beach babe, then (3) Submit your picture perfect takeaway of what the quote o' the week means to you.

(Be sure to use the hashtag of the week, so I can find you.)

This time 'round it's a team effort: Creativity? On you. I've got the prizes. And my uber talented husband @thefunkyphotog shows up as your (non-Simon Cowell) judge.

Every week he'll determine one lucky winner of the #DontSettle prize pack, that will include: An autographed copy of Settling Down, a fierce luggage tag (for your own personal journey), twenty #DontSettle prayer cards (so you can help spread the message) and a piece of dope jewelry to vary weekly (and featured in the Saturday slide show).

➡ Contest rules (ugh. Sorry to be the wet blanket.) :

1. Open to lovelies ages 18+
2. The world needs love, but this contest is open to US mailing addresses only.
3. Previous winners of any #DontSettle prize pack must wait (60) sixty days in order to win another prize. Thank you for allowing us to spread the love equally. 

The #DontSettle Summer Ultimate Beach Bag Giveaway Take Two

Welcome to the weekend!  Let's celebrate beach reading, shall we? 

As promised, behold The #DontSettle Summer Ultimate Beach Bag Take Two. One lucky winner will score:  An autographed copy of Settling Down, a humorous novel of female empowerment by Dawn Keable, a fierce #DontSettle Beach Bag and luggage tag (for your own personal journey), twenty #DontSettle prayer cards (so you can help spread the message) and a beautiful green resin bangle bracelet ( 'cause 'ya can't feel good, unless 'ya look good).

➡ Contest rules (ugh. Sorry to be the wet blanket.) :

1. The world needs love, but this contest is open to US mailing addresses only.
2. Previous winners of any #DontSettle prize pack must wait (60) sixty days in order to win another prize. Thank you for allowing us to spread the love equally. 

The #DontSettle Summer Ultimate Beach Bag Giveaway Take Two

Fearless, Girl!

What. You thought this #DontSettle Summer was all about free stuff?

(Well, mostly. Big ups to Jenny H., for scoring thefirst round of Settling Down swag on Facebook, as well as all 300+ of you who entered. There'll be more where that came from.)

But in the meantime, a brief take-down, of that little hussy,  Good Enough. 

Believe me. It's kinda personal.

For most of my life, me and Good Enough were besties. Inseparable even. Good Enough was my protector. A voice against the critics. A safety blanket against fear. Against errything.

And I worked her like a boss.

Or maybe she worked me. 'Cause that chick Good Enough is a trickster. 

Good Enough comes from the Latin (not really) phrase meaning:  'One who does the most basic of requirements, in order to complete the task at hand, specifically to avoid failure, success, attention of any kind or being challenged by anything or anyone around her.'

In concrete terms, Good Enough is the C+ on that 10 page research paper you wrote in 45 minutes. Good Enough is the dude who has 3 of your basic requirements and one of them is breathing. Good Enough is that unflattering sundress that winds up in your closet on price alone. Good Enough is tricking yourself, and everyone around you, into believing that you are trying your hardest, when you're really only working on 20 percent.

If you have no desire to grow, well, ever, this is an excellent place to be. It's quiet here in the land of low expectations. And predictable. There's absolutely no pressure. Or disappointments. Or criticisms, outside of the silent ones going down in your own head.

But this life, while seemingly safe, is also hella boring. 'Cause once you saddle up with Good Enough, not only do you give up all claim to your fierce power and the magic that you're capable of, all by yourself, but you also give up all of the amazing things life has in store for you, just because:  You simply believe that you deserve them.

And this, my friends, may be the biggest #DontSettle argument of them all.

The #DontSettle Summer Ultimate Beach Bag Giveaway

The #DontSettle Summer Beach Bag Giveaway

Oh, hello #DontSettleSummer

Welcome to the official kickoff of the #DontSettleSummer!

The vibe? Massive female empowerment, baby. 'Cause there's an epidemic in this world. Of women afraid to live their best lives. Yup. Instead of having the faith to believe there's something even more amazing on the horizon, too many girlfriends are willing to grab what's easy and in front of them, whether it be a man, job or a clearance handbag.

That my friend is called settling. 

And it needs to go the way of the mullet. File under extinct.

The #DontSettleSummer festivities are gonna pop off with a bang, way before any 4th of July fireworks, with exciting giveaways across the big three social media channels:  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Stick around if you:  

• Are a voracious reader of women's fiction, ya know, like my debut novel Settling Down.
• Like your stories to go down with humor, sharp wit and the undying expectation that you, as a smart chick, can be entertained without packing away your intelligence. 
• Enjoy cheering on other ladies on their life journeys, while internalizing their lessons to improve your own situation.
• Are committed to growing into your best person. And then growing some more. And then...you get the picture.
• Wanna stomp on stereotypes that there's a one-sized journey of life.
• Like free stuff, like beach bags, luggage tags, autographed vacation reads AND jewelry.

Settling is about giving up your power.

The #DontSettleSummer is about taking it back.