Articles by: Darrell Fusaro

It's not what you think of me that makes me upset, it's what I think you think of me that makes me upset.  Jumping to conclusions as a result of mind reading is a dangerous mode of operation, and this usually happens before I'm about to speak to a large group or teach a class.  "OMG.  Why did I agree to do this?" 


Whenever I catch myself beginning to worry about what other people will think of me I try to remind myself that it's all in my head.  I'm the one making up the judgmental thoughts I believe they'll be thinking about me.  Thank goodness I've found a solution that snaps me out of this, and not just for whenever I'm about to speak or teach.  This works whenever I catch myself mind reading and jumping to negative conclusions: I begin to shift the focus from the negative things I'm imagining they'll think of me to thinking loving thoughts of my own towards them.


I get my mind out of a 'getting' mind set and into a 'giving' mind set.  When I worry about how people perceive me, or whether or not they'll approve of me, I feel cut off and at a disadvantage, but when I think thoughts of giving love, appreciation and adding value to their lives, I feel connected, confident, and optimistic. 


It's simple but it's not always easy to shift gears from worrying about how people will judge me to blessing them.  This is when affirmations are helpful.  Affirmations make us feel better because they're statements of truth.  I've included some here that I use.  When choosing affirmations it's best to pick the one that naturally feels like it clicks for you.  I like to go with the one that gives me an optimistic boost upon first read.  Don't bother with affirmations that you 'think' you 'should' be saying.  It defeats the purpose.  The affirmation that transforms is the one that feels great just saying it. 

Here are some affirmations I've found to be effective.

My soul is filled with divine Love. I am surrounded by divine Love. I radiate Love and Peace to the whole world. God is Love, and all men are expressions of divine Love. The Love of God burns in me for all humanity. I am a lamp of God, radiating divine Love to all whom I meet, to all whom I think of.  

–From Around The Year With Emmett Fox  


The following are from Your Word is Your Wand by Florence Scovel Shinn  


Divine Love, through me, now dissolves all seeming obstacles and makes clear, easy and successful my way.  

I love everyone and everyone loves me. My apparent enemy becomes my friend, a golden link in the chain of my good.  

I am at peace with myself and with the whole world. I love everyone and everyone loves me. The floodgates of my good now open.  


This one is from The Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes

The Power Within Blesses All  

The Power within me is blessing all mankind, and is forever healing all with whom I come in contact. The Power within me is God, and it must bless and help and heal all who come near it. Silently the work goes on, and silently all are being helped by this Inner Power which is operating through me. I will give thanks that my Power within is silently blessing and helping everyone to whom my thought reaches.  The life within me blesses all mankind.


–Darrell Fusaro

Hope you've enjoyed watching how to make pizza with Two-Time World Pizza Champion Fabio Ferrari and Piccolo Chef co-founder Tina Fanelli Moraccini as much as I have.  Piccolo Chef Founders Tina Fanelli Moraccini and Lilian Palmieri have a vision to make healthy cooking attainable and fun to children of all ages and walks of life.

 

They opened Piccolo Chef to teach children and their parents the art of healthy cooking and reconnecting with one another through all phases of the cooking process from the garden to the table. They deliver all of this with compelling recipes, highly nutritional ingredients, a kitchen with real tools and a nurturing team-based approach which respects the intelligence and abilities of children in different age groups.

 

The expanded Piccolo Chef team includes celebrity chef Celestino Drago and many incredibly talented chef instructors. Together, they offer classes, workshops, summer camps, private parties and more for children ages 3 to 17. Topics covered include all phases of the cooking process from garden to table, including etiquette classes to polish the experience.

 

Prior to opening Piccolo Chef in 2008, Tina and Lilian worked as a team for 12 years at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles (Cultural Center of the Italian Consulate General) where they organized countless cultural events which underscored authentic Italian culture.

 

Both Tina and Lilian reside in the Los Angeles area where they happily cook wonderful meals together with their families (almost) every day of the year.

 

For this recipe and more, please visit http://piccolochef.com/


Host: Tina Fanelli Moraccini

Executive Producer: Stacy Jolna

Director: Michael Abbott

Writer: Stacy Jolna

Special Guest Chef: Fabio Ferrari, Two-Time World Pizza Champion

Piccolo Chefs: Annabella Fanelli, Ethan Jolna

Food Stylist: Susan Heldman

On-Set Chef: Pace Webb

Music: Monitor-Pop

Production: United Front Films

Editor/Post: Biscardi Creative Media

Piccolo Chef Co-Founders: Lilian Palmieri, Tina Fanelli Moraccini


SPECIAL THANKS

Steve Wiener & Jim Hardy, Illuminate Hollywood

Chef Celestino Drago, Drago Centro Restaurant, Los Angeles

Fabio Micucci, Micucci Collection

Kate Seton, Oliver Dashiell by Kate Seton Jewelry Collection

Paul Vitagliano is DJ Paul V, a renowned club and radio DJ in greater Los Angeles, who created the blog  in January 2011 as a simple and sincere way to celebrate the awkwardness and acceptance of growing up gay.  His modest blog became wildly popular among people from the LGBTQ community and today has achieved more than 4.3 million views since its debut.  In addition, it has been featured on NPR, Salon, CNN, The Huffington Post, The Advocate, and ABC News.  Paul's blog doesn't just limit itself to growing up, there are stories of childhood, a shared history of the gay community, and lots of photos.  The photos are priceless.  Not only are these photos worth a thousand words they inspire just as many smiles. 

Recently, Paul Vitagliano has added another talent to his repertoire: author.  Inspired by the blog, his new book, Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay, is a collection of adorable childhood photographs accompanied by sweet, funny, and at times heartbreaking personal stories of those who grew up LGBTQ, (the acronym for lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer). Feeling different is, for many LGBTQ people, a central part of the experience of growing up.  Born This Way features 100 photographs submitted by participants from around the world, dating from the 1940’s to today, and paired with personal narratives about the images and about each contributor’s unique perspective on growing up LGBTQ. Their warm, inclusive stories give people the courage to say, “Yes, I’m gay. And I was born this way. I’ve known it since I was very young, and this is my story.”

Among the diverse entries are contributions from Rep. Barney Frank; columnist Michael Musto; Erasure’s Andy Bell; celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, actor/drag performers Miss Coco Peru Jackie Beat, Sutan Amrul (Raja, winner of the reality TV series, Ru Paul’s Drag Race); Grammy-nominated singer Sia Furler; acclaimed photographer Mike Ruiz, and award-winner composer Marc Shaiman.


*Author and DJ, Paul Vitagliano will be at the West Hollywood Book Fair, Sunday, October 29th. He will be available in the LGBT Lounge at 3:30pm as part of a panel discussion on LGBT memoir writing.

Click on the following links to follow, for more information and to purchase your copy of the book today:

Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay

Writer Darrell Fusaro and his wife, Lori, have known DJ Paul V since 1997 when he sent them a fan letter regarding their then public access TV show, "Psycho Dance Party".  They reciprocated by inviting him on the show to join the party and they've remained friends to this day.