Category Archives: Women in Business

Come Again? No, thanks.

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“Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of “what-if.” ~ www.dodinsky.com

The Reverend of my church celebrated his birthday on Sunday, the day before mine. He explained that last year he thought he was a year older than he really is, thus this year he gets to celebrate the same year all over again. His sermon was about considering whether he liked the idea of “do-overs” in life or not. 

As he spoke, I couldn’t help but reflect on how I felt about that matter since the next day was going to be my turn to add another year to my tally. There have been times in my life that have been difficult and I wouldn’t wish on them on anybody.  Yet, the most beautiful events have been so life affirming. All things considered, the hard times have made me appreciate, even more deeply, the good times. I wouldn’t do any of it all over again if I could. The challenges are what have made me the person I am today. Find out more through this link Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

How would you feel if you could do your life over? Would you, if you could? I’d like to hear your opinion of the life you have been given. 

After the church service, the congregation was invited to Fellowship Hall to have a piece of birthday cake. There were two choices – chocolate and vanilla. For some, the choices were too difficult, so some people had both flavors. I indulged and enjoyed a piece of cake but there were no big decisions on that matter. I  always, always choose vanilla over chocolate. 

Now wait a minute! Before you judge me and say, “How boring!”  read this article called The Scoop about Being Vanilla. http://bit.ly/SdQoxI. Positives come with making the same, plain choices and in the end isn’t it all about what bring personal fulfillment to each of us? That varies.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

In Terms of Personal Fulfillment

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Life is like art. You have to work hard to keep it simple and still have meaning.~ Charles de Lin

I’ve always been a person who has lived relatively simply. Four years ago when I moved to this community of Steamboat Springs Colorado, I came to the area nearly devoid of all of my possessions. My accummulations  of  a thirty year marriage have been locked up and stored, and I came with little more than clothes in a suitcase and some business items.

My grandmother’s antique dining room set, my mother and father-in-law’s beautiful desk, my mother’s china, even our wedding album of photographs were left behind. Not wanting to accummulate more, I have been very careful not to amass “stuff” while I have been here. Learning to live without attachments to material things helps a person to stop and consider what is really fundamental to their existance. I’ve learned what really matters,and less is really more. http://bit.ly/reHMkv.

Today, I want to take a survey. If given four choices, what would rank first in terms of your personal fulfillment. What would you most appreciate having if you had little? Pick  just one thing. Let’s see, in the end, where people place their values. Join in by responding.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Film about Nature and Wild Horses

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“…and God took a handful of southerly wind, blew his breath over it and created the horse.” ~ Bedouin legend

Once again, it is Film Friday. Today we will put the spotlight on another award-winning documentary that has been aired on PBS.

The independent film, Wild Horses in the Winds of Change, by Sky Dancer Productions challenges us to think about nature and the treatment of wildlife, particularly wild horses. Horse lovers who know equines intimately say these sensitive creatures teach mankind about their own humanity, yet there are some people who place little value on the bond between these animals and people.Click for more information and ordering the film

What responsibility does man have to protect the wild species of horses as part of the natural world around us? Should we change our thoughts and actions towards horses who roam the earth in freedom?

A prestigious premiere opening at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood indicates that the Wild Horses in Winds of Change was worthy of drawing a good audience and had appealing elements on many levels.

Essentially this film is a plea to all inhabitants of the earth to protect wild horses from obliteration. Filmmaker, photojournalist, screenwriter and film director Mara LeGrand, PhD’s brings insight to this film from her career in holistic health.

Wild Horses in the Winds of Change is now available on DVD and can be ordered through this site. http://bit.ly/aEEsva.

Equine enthusiasts are encouraged to see this film and speak out against what many see as atrocities that are being committed against wild horses.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime – Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected
www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Marketplace Competition: Mind the Gap

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“One thing I know about change is we are not going to close the achievement gap without educators.” ~ Margaret Spellings
Watching the Olympics last week made me consider how blogging is like an athletic competition. Social media accomplishes many of the same goals as training for a sport does. Blogging provides a platform for: 

  • Improving skills (in writing)
  • Drawing the attention of competitors.
  • Providing entertainment value for an audience
  • Strengthening position in a field of expertise. 

As with sports workouts, blogging with discipline and regular practice brings positive results.If you mind the gap between well-frequented blog sites and sites with few visitors, my advice is to get in the game wholeheartedly and become serious about your social media useage. Step up your goals and set the bar higher by becoming more rigorous in your blog posting efforts. 

Fulfilling feelings will follow when you work toward the challenge you have set for yourself and take pride in your achievements. Blogging becomes a fun  way to market  products and services.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Telling Stories about Community

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In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it. ~ Marianne Williamson

Have you ever noticed that every community has its own unique “characters?” You know, people who are known to everyone in town, in all social circles. North, south, east or west, all neighborhoods have their own quirky people.

Author Sandy St. Clair offers a panoramic overview of the culture and climate in “Ski Town U.S.A.” in her new novel “Living with Miss Scarlett.” A real mountain resort town that she writes about, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is where locals describe their community as a place “where the odds are good but the goods are odd.”  Click here for info & ordering

This book is about two mismatched widowers whose lives converge in “the Boat” and leave you laughing and weeping at the spirit with which they rebuild life together in a town of diverse people. Many women will relate to the plight of the two main “characters,” Sissy Rawles, a Dallas socialite and Ali McDaniel, an Iowa housewife.

Although the story is set in a tourist town in the Rocky Mountains, readers may feel as if they have met the characters before. Perhaps similar to a person who has drifted into their own life, has found they liked it and stayed put. Or akin to someone who has journeyed through on the pathway of life, managing to leave their mark on the hearts of hometown residents.

This delightful read, Living with Miss Scarlett, is available in e-book format through all major e-book retailers.

Sandy Eshbaugh St. Clair is also the author of The Cookbook for Non-Cooks published in 1984 by Workman Press.Click for info and ordering

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Community of Writers in Steamboat

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“Writers will happen in the best of families.”  ~ Rita Mae Brown

This week is the All Arts Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Art, in all kinds of mediums, will be represented. Performance artists, visual artists and culinary artists will be involved in this five day event that runs from August 14 to August 19th. For more information, please visit this link http://bit.ly/QsiJPR.

In 2012, the literary arts have been added to the annual event with A Festival of Local Authors. Stop by the Bud Werner Memorial Library on Saturday, August 18th from 10am to 2pm in Library Hall. Book signings along with panel discussions on writing history, writing the outdoors, telling stories in novel form, poetry reading and conversation is on the agenda. Book selections from the local writers will be on sale ranging from poetry, to publications of regional interest, to non-fiction to fictional stories – something for everyone.

The Steamboat Springs Art Council, Steamboat Writers Group, Off the Beaten Path Bookstore & the Bud Werner Memorial Library have teamed up to bring together 27 Yampa Valley authors and  publishers.

Indeed, there is a growing population of writers in Steamboat and the surrounding county. Some have been traditionally published while others have jumped on the Fast Track with Independent Publishing.

To learn more about how you can turn your dreams of becoming a published author into reality, there is a 18 minute webinar available through the Colorado Independent Publishers Association that will give you insight and perhaps pique your interest in going forward with your aspirations. http://bit.ly/oIkV2g.

Keep your eye on this website, All Things Fulfilling. We will continue to feature a growing number of authors who come to the Steamboat area seeking inspiration for their writing. Click here if you want to know more about Steamboat and the surrounding area.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Do the Thing that you Fear the Most

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You’ve heard them all – time and time again….”Do the thing that makes you most uncomfortable, do the thing that bothers you the most, step out of the box for self-growth, do the thing that you most don’t want to do.” 

Well, I just did it. I signed up for a course in creative writing . It is something I’ve kind of, sort of, wanted to do but kept backing away from it. No more procrastination or excuses, this time I am going to tackle it! 

Over the past few years, I have stepped out of the box a lot, only to find self-satisfaction in my accomplishments. I’ve learned to read out loud to a writers group in voice that is not my own (or is it?), I started blogging and have written 900+ postings (only to find out that I have lots of readers and I love writing it), I am getting comfortable with public speaking (which I used to shy away from). With each one of these things, opportunities have come my way that I would not have otherwise had if I hadn’t done the thing I feared the most.

  So, rather than think “How much worse can it get?” I am approaching this writing course with the attitude of how much better can it get?” 

All set now, I have talked myself into seeking personal fulfillment in  the creative writing process. It is the next right thing to do.

You know what scares me the most? It’s not the teacher; it’s being asked to write poetry. On second thought, I’ll bet that requirement is in Creative Writing 2. I will escape it. Dear God, please have my back on that one….. I am shaking.

Note: This pillow can be ordered through www.casaandco.etsy.com.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Ripening Thoughts of Creative Writing

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“There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.” ~ Andre Lord

Today, I am thinking about growth as a writer. I am betwixt and between about whether or not to sign up for a creative writing course. One minute I am resolute in my decision; the next  I am waivering.

“What’s the hesitation?” you might ask. It’s scary. What if my left brain attributes override my creative side?  Except for a lot of independent publishing education, I haven’t stepped into a classroom for many years. But, then I think of all the benefits that a creative writing course could bring me. Perhaps I’d find ways of putting together  new bouquets of words that have meaning, and I’d grow as a writer.

For now I will let thoughts of  signing-up deepen on the vine.  Just like after a long cold winter, the warmth of sunshine on my skin brings fufilling and enriched feelings. If I decide to harvest the idea of becoming a more creative writer and jump into action, I will commit and register.

I don’t know what to do. I am thinking.  “Do I really have time to fit it into my already busy schedule?”  You are thinking ” She’s procrastinating and not making a decision.”

It is the reason for this blog posting. It has been said that if you write down your intentions, thoughts are more likely to become a reality. Now that my blog readers know of my dilemma, I feel the pressure. Why, oh, why did I ever mention it?

In a few days, I will let you know what I’ve decided, in the meantime, perhaps a book on creative writing might
motivate me. Lets see what’s on the list.Creative Writing Books.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Tribute to the Indies

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Expectancy is the atmosphere for miracles. ~ Edwin Louis Cole

 “I just learned that Publishers Weekly reviewed my upcoming novel Tributary. That’s a near-miracle, as my publisher is both small and independent!” Barbara K. Richardson wrote on an on-line communication from www.SheWrites.com, a web-based group about publishing that I belong to.  

I am so excited for Barbara! But, I am not sure it is a near miracle; I have come to expect there will be more stories like hers. More and more book reviewers are finding there are good reads to be had by the independents. Thus, non-traditionally published books are having increasing success in the marketplace.  That translates into authors having wonderful, fulfilling feelings about their efforts in writing. 

For more information on Barbara K Richardson’s book, Tributary, we have tracked it down for you. http://bit.ly/99BjmH. 

Just last week, an article appeared about four authors who digitally  published through www.Smashwords.com that reached New York Times Best Selling author status all in one week. To read the article, follow this link. http://bit.ly/OzYdOo. 

These days, stories of independent publishing success arrive weekly. It’s hard to keep up but, this blog site, All Things Fulfilling, strives to share stories like this with you, our readers. Please return again tomorrow!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Speaking Bookselling Opportunities

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Today, we will drift back into dialogue that is current and a hot topic in this century for those who enjoy speaking the language of bookselling through e-commerce, public speaking and independent bookstores.

You are Cordially Invited to:

 A Writers Workshop

Date: August 24, 2012

Time: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Where: The Book Worm (An Indie Bound Bookstore) at Riverwalk 

City: Edwards, Colorado

Description of the Workshop:  Owner of the Book Worm, Nicole Magistro will be speaking about getting independent publications onto the shelves of bookstores and consignment arrangements, author of Scones and Sensibility Lindsay Eland will presenting tips about selling books through public speaking and Sue Leonard, Owner of Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC, a company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing  will be talking about marketing publications over the internet.

Time will be allotted for Question and Answers and Helpful Resources will be provided at the event. For more information on the Book Worm in Edwards,Colorado or on the Writers Workshop, please go to

Look forward to seeing you there!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.