Category Archives: Affirmative thinking and living

A Real Peach of a Community

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We can never get a re-creation of community and heal our society without giving our citizens a sense of belonging.— Patch Adams

What makes a great community? As an outsider, I’ve noticed things the 2014 Winner of the Coolest Small Town in America, Berlin, Maryland has in common with Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the town I’ve called home for the past seven years.These elements are what, in my opinion, helps a community to thrive.

  • Cohesion between a strong Main Street Association and the local Council on the Arts
  • People who are forward-thinkers, not afraid of change but respect the past.
  • A strong volunteer base who want to contribute to building a town that others will envy.
  • Leaders who understand the history behind the community and what makes it unique.

Berlin, Maryland “Historically Charming & Artistically Alive & Eternally Young” has been the location site of two movies, which no doubt has helped bring notariety to the community. Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere was filmed there in 1998 and contributed 27.5 million dollars to the local economy. In 2001 Berlin was transformed into a town at the turn of the century with dirt roads, period costumes and horses and carriages for the film Tuck Everlasting. Actors Sissy Spacek, Ben Kingsley and William Hurt starred in the fictional film.

Movie producers as well as the audiences were captivated by the Victorian town center, the tree-lined streets and historic homes and museums in this small town in “Chesapeake Country.”

Want to know more about what makes a great community? Read this article,  and visit the Berlin, Maryland website. Also scroll back to the two previous day’s blogs to see more pictures. Every business in Berlin is worthy of mention on All Things Fulfilling. Due to lack of space, only a small number are featured. Each makes this community a fulfilling destination that reminds us of what it was like to live in charming small town America.

If you are a baby boomer, you’ll appreciate the lyrics of this 1972 song which you’ll probably remember from the crossroads of your life. Listen in as you scroll through these images!

 

Berlin Peach grocery signed

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storefront signed

Berlin house with fan window signed

berlin grey house withflowers signed

Atlantic hotel dining room signed

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Street &Trees in Berlin signed

old delivery van signed

20150808_112127 Yarn shop 2 Jans signed

 Thanks to my twin sister Jan for the photo contributions to this blog. It was wonderful to have an early celebration of our birthday by painting the town together.

Yarn shop looking out Jans signed

 

Yarn shop 3 inside Jan signed

 

 

Globe Theatre signed

Join me tomorrow as I celebrate a special segment of local artists in the place I’ve resided for the past seven years. They make up in part what is unique about the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Berlin. Maryland, that is.

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Happy Monday! Glad you are with us!

Today, we are taking an on-line road trip to  Berlin, Maryland. Join me over the next few days as we take our journey down memory lane on All Things Fulfilling. America’s Coolest Small Town is indeed “historically charming & artistically alive & eternally young.”  I love this community which is only seven miles from the natural beauty of Assateague National Seashore.

Don’t forget to turn on the modern-day record player by listening to the music from this You Tube audio as you scroll through these images. 

 

IMG_20150728_094713_565 autograph

IMG_20150728_093438_332 bike autogr

 

cupcakes berlin signed

IMG_20150728_094128_471 TaDa autog

IMG_20150728_094502_559 Atlanti 2 autogr

IMG_20150728_110116_608 Church mouse thrift

IMG_20150728_094430_245 Atlanti autogr

IMG_20150728_094913_918 enhanted tearoom autogr

 

IMG_20150728_110523_398 methodit autogr

IMG_20150728_102249_009 hore and buggy autog little

IMG_20150728_094943_369 Bungalow Love autogra

IMG_20150728_102859_380 bakery autogr

IMG_20150728_103155_647 dumpling bakery autog

IMG_20150728_104721_491 interior off main autog

IMG_20150728_110058_836 Bank autogr

 

 

 

blacksmith restaurant signed

 

IMG_20150728_110050_772 red door autog

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I wish I could feature an individual story on every business in Berlin because they all contribute to the overall good feelings that I got when I walked the charming streets. Do return tomorrow there will be a myriad of images that will illicit memories from the past. Hopefully the pictures will stir up thoughts of only the good times in your life.

Thi blog is brought to you by the author of the three time award-winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Oh, Baby Boomer! Return on Monday

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Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick 

What are you doing this weekend? Anything different?

Aging with AttitudeI came across this picture that made me think about all the people who dread the idea of returning to work on Monday and dream of their retirement. Over the next decade there will be many people who will leave their job and enter into the next phase of life. Are you one of them?

Will you settle into a new kind of inspired existance and take the opportunity to pursue something you’ve always wanted? Baby Boomer, what kind of retiree will you be?

If you are approaching the renaissance years it’ a good time to put some thought into your second act. What will it look like? Will you sit it out in a chair uninspired or do something to put a little zing into your life?

At the beginning of next week on All Things Fulfilling, I am going to take you on an on-line, visual road trip for a few days to what is reported to be “The Coolest Small Town in America.” Don’t miss it!

Have a great weekend. his blog is brought to you by the author of the three time award-winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

The Good News is Within Us

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gift-of-good-news“ We never lose human worth, we only lose sight of it.” said author James M Evans in his recent interview on Living a Richer Life with Dr. Charlotte Grant-Cobb. The subject of the interview was The Power of Human Worth: Unleashing Your Full Potential.

According to the author, “we are all given equal self worth, it is our birthright.” Through the self actualization process we can increase our self esteem, self awareness and self concept. Through our choices and experiences we also reach our full potential. Listen in to the full interview with author James M Evans.

As Anne Frank once said, “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! “What a fulfilling thought on this Thirsty Thursday.

Tune into Living a Richer Life to learn about other author interviews about leadership, personal growth and fulfillment.

I hope you’ll check in on us tomorrow! This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Nurturing the Spirit

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Life is just a chance to grow a soul. ~ A.Powell Davies

Building a life for oneself that includes all things fulfilling means different things to different people.

Some people have big life ambitions, some small and some none at all. Personality, culture, family and societal environments, values and education are just a few factors that play into how we design our lives or not.

We’ve all heard the expressions “life is what you make it or make the best of your life or you only have one life to live so make it a good one.” Self-reflection and self-growth is needed if you want to follow these adages because we need to know what makes us happy and then make a life in sync with our interests and passions.

4b6503d1c532e6edca80afe32abcf64d (3)For some, growing a soul is a very foreign concept! Here is an article that outlines seven steps to grow a soul that I wish to share with our readers.

Summertime is the best time of year to grow anything. It’s the high time. The sun is shining, we are feeling optimitic and spending more time outdoors in nature. What are you doing today nuture your spirit?

This blog is brought to you by the author of the three time award-winning book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Growth of Self

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“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you will discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~ Alan Alda

Home Sweet Home! Where everything is familiar, safe, and there are few unknowns. I found out seven years ago that you can find fulfilling things when you leave your comfort zone and strike out on new adventures. I left my home state of more than 30 years and ventured into unknown territory, by moving to a place site unseen. It was a culture shock at first for an East Coast gal to move to remote ranching/ski community in northwestern Colorado. But I’ve grown to appreciate all that it’s brought to my life. It ended up being good for the mind, body and spirit and a time of enormous personal growth.

I jumped in wholeheartedly, and did something even more risky. I independently published a book, a memoir, about my remarkable young life.

My life is far from over, and there is more to discover about myself. I suspect it will come next time I step out of my comfort zone and into something else.

Speaking of comfort – did you know there is a place called Comfort, Texas? What I found interesting is there is little information about the place on their website. Perhaps that’s by design so visitors will come see the place for themselves.

What if you flyWhen was the last time you really stepped out of your safe environment? If nothing else you might learn you are stronger than you think!

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Film Friday: Pursue Your Passion

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Since this week’s blog theme has been about finding fulfillment in work and career, today I’d like to suggest some movies that will inspire you to pursue your passion. 

My personal favorite out of the movies listed is Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which I featured in a blog posting some time back.

come alive leadership

Have a fun weekend. The summer is slowly getting away from us, so enjoy every moment.

See you on Monday on All Things Fulfilling. I hope you found something meaningful that related to the context of your life in this week’s blogs postings.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Click here for information on her publications Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Cowboy Ethics

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  • Real courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne

I doubt I would have ever become acquainted with the term “cowboy ethics” unless I had moved West. Sure, I believe and practice what it is about but I’d never attached such a term to it.

In fact, when I began this blog All Things Fulfilling, before I even knew what cowboy ethics were, I had decided I’d use all the principles associated with the term as I went about my mission of inspiring, informing and educating people about independent publishing. The fact that I found personal fulfillment in my writing was a bonus and a God-send.

In an interview on Living a Richer Life talk radio some months ago, the host, Earl Cobb,  mentioned that many people say they are going to write a book but never accomplish their mission. “How is it that you were successful?” he asked.  When I set out to prove to myself that I could publish a book independently as an inexperienced writer, I took to heart the inspirational words I’d heard someone say “I wanted it more than I was afraid of it.” I also changed my vocabulary from I was going to try to write a book to AM writing and publishing a book. I eliminated the word try out of my vocabulary completely. What a difference it made in the outcome and I even became an award-winning author, to boot!

If you want to accomplish your goals and if you can’t eliminate the word try completely, this video featuring Jim Owen of Cowboy Ethics points out another way of looking at the word TRY. You will find it interesting!

Last week in the blog post A Shepard’s Tea, I mentioned having a celebration after the New Year. Perhaps a Hoe Down might be more appropriate since I found fulfillment using Cowboy Ethics in Colorado. Want to learn more about the principles behind the term Cowboy Ethics, visit this website. 

cowboy ethics

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information about her publications Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

 

Your Soul at Work

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Never work just for money or power. They won’t save your soul or help you sleep at night.” ~ Marion Wright Edelman

If you read my blog on Monday called A Shepard’s Tea, I mentioned how combining business with spiritual-centered idea has brought personal fulfillment to me. It is a growing concept in this country that I hope we hear more about in the future. Because working an entire lifetime at something that is not personally satisfying seems to be a waste of a life and not what life is intended to be.

labor of love

The other day I came across an article from McKinsey and Company. The good news is our country needs more leaders in all aspects of industry.  At the center of leadership there needs to be certain conditions for successful outcomes. They are as follows:

  • Meaning
  • Managing Energy
  • Positive Framing
  • Connecting
  • Engaging

If you wish to know more about the principles that are the cornerstone of centered leadership, I suggest you read this article. 

If you are unhappy in your current work environment or career, take time out to read and consider how you might be able to make changes in your life which will lead to greater levels of personal fulfillment. Even baby steps toward a greater goal will make a difference.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on her publications.

Life Colors Thought

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How long has it been since the biggest decision in your day was which hue to use out of a box of  sixty-four colors of crayons? If only life was that elementary.

Have you ever considered this thought?

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No doubt about it, there is truth in that statement.

Unfortunately life is complex. Things aren’t always reduced to black and white.

Next time you’re agonizing over decisions or find life challenging – simplify your thought process by remembering this –

attitude isThis blog is brought to you by the author of short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul and Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.