Category Archives: Self Help

Bundled Energy

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“Problems are not the problem, coping is the problem.” ~ Virginia Satir

energy in the worldTime to change the channel, there is no reason to stay stuck on it. http://bit.ly/Xkquu0. I’ve had more than my fill of news about the Carnival cruise ship that let down its vacationers. The travelers talk as if it was if they were intentionally “wronged.”  Fact of the matter – it was  an unfortunate incident that no one could have predicted and everyone was in a difficult situation. And, there are no guarantees that life will always be smooth sailing.

I did hear a few of the “victims” say that they had joined in with others to create prayer groups while awaiting rescue. There you go! Bundling positive energy together and using good coping skills. Would it be any surprise if those folks came away from the incident with much healthier perspectives? When  communities of people bring positive energy together and create networking groups, good things happen. Negative energy does nothing to attract positive energy, we all know that.

Let’s face it. The steam that moves us human beings forward in positive directions ultimately comes from our own reserves; as we draw from our wellspring of strengths, inner exertion and convictions and pluck!

Time to go and plan our monthly meeting for We Write Steamboat – a  meet-up group for independent publishers!  It is happening this afternoon. And, soon it will be lunchtime, when I’ll fill up my tank  and nourish my soul by going on my daily walk. I know I’ll find something fulfilling to write about for tomorrow.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.  All Things Fulfilling, is a space where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

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“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” ~ Chris Grosser 

ted2Have you ever attended an event just because your intuition tells you that you will enjoy it? I am rather excited. Next week, I have decided to attend a TED Conference at the Bud Werner Memorial Library. It will be broadcast from Long Beach, California. 

It’s interesting – the power of words. The titles of the sessions, alone,  have more than piqued my curiosity – vocabulary like progress enigma, the spark, dream, create, sustain, coded meaning, secret voices and the ripple effect. I’m on board – sounds enticing! 

Attending the gathering will be progressive thinkers and doers from the fields of technology, entertainment and design. Speakers will be challenged to stimulate and inspire others to engage in the ideas they will be presenting. 

To learn more about TED and the non-profit organization’s mission, visit their website. http://www.ted.com/. 

Here is the schedule for the four day event at our local library as listed on their website. The event is free, open to the public and you can attend various sessions throughout each day or stay and listen in on the entire conference. 

If  the TEDS conference is as informative and educational as I anticipate, I will be sharing some of the ideas on All Things Fulfilling two weeks from now. Join in and participate in the discussion.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Look for the Lessons

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I woke up this morning and turned on the news. The first image I saw were two girls kissing the ground they walked on. The women were among the 4200 passengers who had just gotten off the cruise liner that caught fire. There are many things to be thankful for  – the vacationers were rescued, there was no loss of life and the vessel was brought safely to shore after days of  people living in horrible, unsanitary conditions. 

Storms-Of-Life-Come___-Adijust-Your-Sails_1As I listened to stories of passengers recounting the incident, time and time again, I heard that the employees of Carnival Cruise Line did all they possibly could to keep calm and fulfill the needs of the passengers within their abilities. 

Sadly, there are people in this world who live in squalor everyday, and their lives are shipwrecks. They are unable to escape, however, they still manage to find a sense of inspiration and gratefulness in their lives. Attached is an article on how to find the positive when life challenges us with difficult situations.http://mayocl.in/12RaDIt.

Although I am sure it was very difficult to find the good  at the time, the 4200 passengers have returned home. Perhaps many have a renewed sense of gratitude for their lives. From here on out, their perspectives on life and their response to the vacation gone horribly wrong will all be about their attitudes.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Songs, Taylor Made

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“Music is what feelings sound like.” ~ Bo Bennett 

taylor MMA official picI have found a new independent recording artist that I love. He has just released his first “ep” (extended play CD), Big Medicine. His voice and his lyrics are  beautifully matched. 

A little about the artist. Taylor Batton is a self-taught musician who writes his own tunes, plays the guitar and harmonica. He is a senior at MaineMaritimeAcademy in Castine, Maine. http://www.mainemaritime.edu/ Because he is a sailor, one might think he belts out rollicking seafaring tunes (perhaps with salty language) – far from it. His music is tender; musical narratives that seem to come from a deep spot in his soul. The timbre of his voice makes for easy listening. You’ll see what I mean when you hear my personal favorite songs on Taylor’s Big Medicine EP -The King and Queen,and Lies and Darkness, songs two and three. http://bit.ly/Uj5wx5.

Taylor has traveled many nautical miles over his short lifetime on wide open seas, experiencing the worst weather conditions imaginable as well as glorious days of ocean travel. The art of steering tugboats and other vessels, laden with heavy loads, safely to shore he has learned as a maritime student. He also understands how to crew on a team, all working together, to bring success.

When asked what sailing does for his songwriting, this is what Taylor  had to say  “You get a really strong sense of loneliness. At the same time, you feel a really strong and strange power. All of that kind of ties into how I go about writing the music. I just try and capture that feeling. ” Taylor racing

I look forward to hearing more independently produced music from this artist. Taylor Batton, may you always  weather the storms of life through your ability to communicate with music. Keep on riding the high and low tides with your face directed to the light.  Happy Valentines Day.

Visit us again tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Seek the Good in the World

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“To love what you do and feel that it matters, how could anything be more fun?” ~Katharine Graham 

You’ve heard it time and time again, look for the positive not for the negative. Well, that is exactly what You Are Never Alone Foundation, a Vermont 5013(c) in Dorset, Vermont is focusing on between now and March 28th. The foundation is hoping to have help, around the world, in capturing and writing down ONE MILLION Acts of Caring and every community can participate! 

The idea is so simple. In your home, school, place of work, in your place of worship, or other public spaces in your community, place a “caring box” with pencil and paper in plain view. Every time you witness and catch someone in an act of kindness, write it down and put it in the box. If you see someone sharing a welcoming smile, extending a hand by volunteering to help or any other kind gesture or words that demonstrates caring, acknowledge it. Between now and March 28th focus on finding all the truly good and compassionate people around the world. 

You are never-AloneYou can go to the website for You Are Never Alone Foundation and get the resources you need to start a movement where you live. There are posters/flyers to print out, and a design to wrap around a box, so people will know to drop their testimonies of witnessing kind deeds and acts. http://bit.ly/TPEAEY . 

March 28 is the annual worldwide I Matter…You Matter Day and Salley Gibney, founder of You Are Never Alone Foundation has challenged people everywhere to tally up 1,000,000 caring acts by that date.

One Million Acts of Caring need not end on March 28th. You can engage in caring year round.As Salley says, “Caring is Contagious. We all need to share messages of caring, connection and hope.”  

One great act of caring would be to pass this message along and participate in the challenge!

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Transported to Another Realm

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The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. ~James McCosh

I purposely disassociated myself from my home reading environment over the past few days. For three hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I sat in our local library on a hard wooden chair sitting bolt upright at a table, sequestered in a corner, engaged in a story. I wanted to remove myself from as much external stimuli as possible and fully commit myself to a paranormal reading experience, literally and figuratively. Away from all thoughts of jumping up to do the laundry, do the dishes, or pay bills. You know how it goes -there is always something we can think of that we ought to be doing besides reading. I took no chances of being distracted by a lovely “cuppa hot tea” while reading the book, or let myself experience how nice it is to settle in and read surrounded by soft pillows. 

book transporting-520x366Sure, there were plenty of cushy chairs I could have chosen in the library, but the only thing I wanted to get comfortable with was the story. It worked! I forgot all about my aching derriere as I sat on a chair that felt as hard as stone. Completely engrossed in a fulfilling narrative,  I was transported into some other realm. Here are other tips for focusing while reading.http://bit.ly/12lWpdY.

In the coming days, I will be featuring information about the publication I was reading, which I perceive would be put in the new genre of books, that is growing – paranormal fiction. The book also fits into the context of what is beginning to take up more space in library catalogs  – electronic books (e-books or as some refer to them, digital books). 

Return tomorrow. We will be broaching a subject on human behavior. What with the news stories we learn of in this in this day and age, I am beginning to think the behavior we will discuss is paranormal. Perhaps by focusing on it, we will find that it is  more common than what we realize. For our future world, I certainly hope so.

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

Books and Films with Inspirational Messages

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“No heart has ever suffered when it has gone in search of its dream.” ~ Paul Coelho

heart pillows stuffedFebruary is Happy Heart Month! Over the course of the past month, messages from inspirational books and films have been at the core of our minister’s sermons at the UnitedMethodistChurch in Steamboat. Many people without religious backgrounds have read and appreciated these books also. They have been New York Times bestsellers. Here are the titles:

  • The Alchemist by Paul Coelho  (the movie is coming in 2014)

Click for info & ordering

  • Tuesdays with Morrie  by Mitch Ablom   (film adaptation also available)

Click for info & ordering

  • The River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean  (film by Robert Redford)

Click for info & ordering The authors of each of these books have created stories that take the reader on a journey into their own hearts, in search of the meaning of life and the Universe. Thought provoking, illuminating and inspiring, they raise awareness of some of the best parts of human nature, as well as stir up more difficult issues we are faced with as people who were created with faults, weaknesses and a full range of emotions that run from admirable to undesirable. The truth of the matter is that good books and films give us reason  to stop and ponder.

If you are searching for good reads with heart and soul content, you may want to consider Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

New Generation Libraries

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“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things….create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut  

When I moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado back in 2008, I felt like I had hit the jackpot when I saw Bud Werner Memorial Library. It had just undergone renovation and had opened only three months prior to my arrival. The improvement in physical structure (addition of approximately 26,000 sq feet) is not all that  impressed me, however. Since then, the library has become a real hub of community activity. Library services have been expanded and updated to accommodate for the digital age. The library’s computer technology is relied on, heavily, for people in the surrounding rural communities where internet access is a problem. 

quote on librariesI enjoy learning about other communities, throughout the country, who have recently built or expanded libraries with an eye on the next generation of readers. There is a library, in Tiverton, Rhode Island, which I am very excited about. It has been in the planning and developmental stages for many years.; construction begins this coming May.

Union Studio Architects: Architecture and Community Design of Providence, Rhode Island was instrumental in bringing the vision for the project together. http://bit.ly/WMDsiX . A young, hip firm, founded in 2001, draws plans for what they see as being fulfilling living in community development for the next generation. I am proud to say one of my nieces, Kara, is a contemporary in the company and helped design the Tiverton Library.

To learn more about the Union Studio Architects and their philosophy on new urbanism, here is a short video. http://bit.ly/YC4yyf .  Check out the movie star, Stanley, in this video – he is as charming as Barney, President Bush’s, dog who  sadly went to doggie heaven this week.

I look forward to seeing this facility when it is completed.

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Words to Live By

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Good Morning! To describe the resource book that will be featured tomorrow,  on All Things Fulfilling, will take more words than I usually use in  blog writing.  People in all creative industries, will want to learn about this newly-published independent publication. Don’t miss out.

So, today, I’ll use my words sparingly along with images to tell a story:

Flourish. Learn something new every day!

flourish

Grow.  Always strive to enlarge your world.

growingbook

Succeed.  Much better than the alternative.

succeed

Inspire. Actions speak louder than words.

 ifitdoesntchallenge

Smile. Progress is good for the world.

laughing-girl-lying-on-grass-with-a-book

Friendship. Connect!

green-business

Create. New beginnings gain strength with time and energy. 

 green screensjpg

Believe. In anything, higher than yourself.

grow in grace

Share. Makes life more fulfilling!

sharing storms

 Tomorrow. Another chance to get it right!

hands with green world tomorrow

Return on  Tuesday to All Things Fulfilling,  where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Exploring Painting through Video

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My heart and soul have been surprised over and over again, with every work of art I explore. ~ Kathleen Carrillo 

ThePaintingExperience.com claims that “if you can hold a brush, you can paint.” Fair enough – you may not be able to create a museum quality piece, but there is no reason why anyone who desires it, can’t try it. 

A short video from http://www.thepaintingexperience.com explores the therapeutic value of “dabbling with art” or experimentation with painting. The video makes a powerful statement for seizing the moment and allowing your heart to lead the way through color, shapes and forms put to canvas. To watch the video, please go to this link.  http://bit.ly/VulI01.  

life paint and passionThinking you’d like to try your hand at some kind of art, is a positive first step. Smart people learn to follow their intuition. Art creation, of any kind, provides a wonderful outlet for our translating our emotions and our thoughts into imagery whether it is through music, film, words, dance, theatre, or any other kind of art or craft. 

Not every community, such as the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has imaginative businesses like Splatz Canvas and Wine, providing space, instruction and all the art supplies needed, so you can just dabble. An alternative –  in-home art workshops, brought to you digitally, is also useful. Learn more about www.thepaintingexperience.com through their website. 

artistically speakingThanks to artist Sheryl Allen http://smallbizbiglife.com/ for sending me information for today’s blog. Earlier in the week,  she contacted me as a result of a blog posting on All Things Fulfilling about Splatz Canvas and Wine. She’s been on a blog radio show called, Artistically Speaking http://bit.ly/VocrmJ.

Visit us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.