Culture Rebel: Because the World Has Enough Desperate Housewives

By Connie Jakab

You were called to be dangerous, not desperate.

Connie Jakab is a force to be reckoned with. She will settle for nothing less than wholesale changeboth in the way women view themselves as well as the way society suppresses their life transforming capacities. Long may her cultural rebellion last!

Alan Hirsch
Author, Activist, Dreamer, and
Honorary Member of the Sisterhood

"Jakab had me at 'Visa bill as heart monitor'! Connie Jakab has allowed her eyes to be opened to the captivating lure of culture, and in this book your eyes will be opened as well. Warning: Don't read it if you have no intention of being challenged or changed. This journey is for the brave of heart!"

Margot Starbuck
Author of The Girl in the Orange Dress,
Unsqueezed and Small Things With Great Love

Culture Rebel is a high-spirited and unapologetically no nonsense read. With personal story, humor, and poignant insight, Jakab reminds us all to rebel -- to throw off the tyranny of opinion of the world and fearlessly be who we are made to be.

Shayne Moore,
author Global Soccer Mom and Refuse To Nothing

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449757373

Connie Jakab

Connie Jakab is a culture rebel, living to transform the culture we live in. She inspires others to rebel against what's "normal" and stand off to the status quo. A member of the Redbud Writers Guild, the founder of WILD (women impacting lives daily), as well as Mpact (www.mpactdance.com), a dance company that produces shows based on social justice issues. Connie drives her passion outward into the arms of those wanting something more radical and meaningful in life. She is an active speaker and lives with her husband and two boys in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She can be found on Twitter @ConnieJakab

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Copyright © 2012 Connie Jakab

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5738-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-5737-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012912853

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/02/2012

Contents

Why I Wrote This Book

Rebel without a Cause

Feeling Rebellious?

From Success to Surrender

From Comfort to Security

From Desperate to Dangerous

From Status to Love

From Consumer to Steward

From Isolation to Community

Culture Rebels Wanted

He Really Is Offensive

Rebels for a Cause

Detox and Revolutionize

From Culture Rebel to Culture Maker

Change Your World

Create!

Culture Rebels

Rebel Resources

To my husband for being brave enough to marry a culture rebel and for supporting yet another crazy idea.

Why I Wrote This Book

I like to live on the edge. I’m a brave, gutsy, ADD type of gal who can’t sit still. The problem is that I’ve lived on the wrong edge for the last twenty years. Since my first full-time job, I have lived a life with me at the center of my attention, and now I have nothing to show for all my years of work, college, and career. Coming close to forty, this has caused much introspection. What I’m discovering isn’t nice to look at.

Ask me how much I’ve saved in twenty years? Zip. Well, that’s not entirely true. Thank goodness I have a savvy hubby who saves money in places I wouldn’t want to mention for fear of making you blush. So yes, I have some savings … through him.

Even more pressing, ask me how much I’ve given in twenty years? Okay, that I can brag about a bit; I love to give. I consider myself to be pretty generous. I love taking people out and giving lovely gifts; it’s nothing, really. I just put it on this shiny silver card that I carry in my wallet, and I don’t feel a thing. The problem with this shiny card is that they send letters to my hubby, and he’s never in a good mood after he opens their mail. What’s that about?

Ask me where I’m sitting right now writing this book. Starbucks, but isn’t that where all the cool writers write? Yup, I’m pretty trendy sitting here with my five-dollar coffee that’s already cold. I think I must own stock in this place. Oh, no, I don’t mean their bean stock, which I’ve heard great things about. I’ve decided to go a more modest route: If I buy one five-dollar coffee per day, let’s see— I’m not so great at math, but that’s got to be around 1,625 dollars a year. (Pretty impressive estimate, eh?) Okay, I totally used my calculator, but getting back to my investment, with all that five-dollar coffee inside me, I should be heading toward becoming a part owner of this place one day! Or maybe not …

Are you wondering where else all my money has gone in the last twenty years? Me too, but I have some ideas. I love movies. Actually, I really just like the popcorn; the movie is an added bonus. I also love clothes … and bling. Not Tiffany’s bling, but bling nonetheless. I’m not a show off, but I really like those big rhinestone earrings that hit the shoulder (from their great length) and make my head go lopsided when I’ve put one in one ear. I’ve lost my wedding ring … twice. I’ve owned some great clothing too, but I don’t know where half of it has gone. I did see one of my items in a local Salvation Army store, and I almost bought it again; it was beautiful!

I’m not a shoe person. I don’t fully understand those people. I mean, what a waste of money. Not to mention, what a clutter nightmare! Don’t get me wrong. I do own a pair of heels that I bought in three different colors to be sure that I could match all the basic wardrobe essentials. I have boots with both heels and without (because sometimes you just don’t want to wear heels while you are grocery shopping), and each of these are in three different colors. But that’s all just practical, isn’t it? I have runners for dance (naturally in every color to match my hip-hop Adidas jackets). And of course, I purchase new runners every six months for running because I don’t want to injure my coming-up-to-midlife knees! Nope, I’m definitely not a shoe person; I think I’m more of a coat person. Now that makes more sense to me. I have a coat in every shape, color, size, and style you can imagine—leather, tweed, fleece, down. I consider this shopping addiction more practical, as I live in a winter city. Keep warm and stylish. Win-win.

I’m also a sucker for diet books and trends; if there’s a diet book out there, I own it. I’m considering opening my own library in my basement. Name a diet-fad product, and I’m sure I’ve tried it: pills, shakes, bars, metabolism-boosting drinks, and stretch-mark cream (what a farce!). I’ve done every diet program out there: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, raw food, vegan, drink-nothing-but-soup (I passed out on that one), Eat Clean, Balkan, and fitness model. (On that last one, I got to put chocolate pudding powder in my protein shakes! What a treat!) Then there’s all the equipment I’ve purchased. (Old exercise equipment make lovely side tables, by the way). There’s the BOSU, the band, kettlebells, a treadmill, the yoga block, a medicine ball, a bender ball, a pilates ball (really anything that ends with ball). And I can’t forget to mention my workout DVD library, which consists of Jillian Michaels, Windsor Pilates, yoga (every type just to cover all my bases), Hip-Hop Abs, P90X, and Richard Simmons. Did I just say Richard Simmons? Geesh, how did that get in there? Who has that one, right?

I should probably just make a quick note about my love for my hair; it’s my crown, and I love doing funky things to it. There’s nothing like a trip to the hair salon! I have to dye my hair. No, really, I do; you should see how many gray hairs I have! I even have them in my eyebrows, which also calls for a trip to the spa to get my brows plucked and waxed. Maybe add a manicure onto my bill