Category Archives: Writing

Fulfilling Content and Issues

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“What do I write about?” I asked myself several years ago when I began this blog. It was a risky and uncertain day when my first writing went public. As time went on, I gradually formed and honed my vision for what I wanted to share – issues that were near and dear to my heart such as independent publishing (books, film, music), education, business, career, parenting, faith and all kinds of fulfilling things. Fortunately, I do not have a one track mind. And as you may have noticed, my mind flits from subject to subject. You never know from day to day what you will find. The more I have written, the more my passion has grown for what I am doing.

On Friday, I received my year end blog reports. I am very content, the issues I write about have interest. Here is what the report stated.

  • All Things Fulfilling had enough readers to fill all the majestic spaces and seats in the Sydney Opera House nine times over.
  • There was an increase of 7,000 readers over the previous year.
  • All Things Fulfilling reached 141 countries
  • The busiest day was February 25, 2013 with 3,097 readers – it was also my son’s 25th birthday – that’s pretty neat!
  • The subject I blogged about that day – a book written by Kenneth W Merrill & Barbara Gueldner called Social & Emotional Learning: Promoting Mental Health & Academic Success.  Here is the link to the 2/25/13 blog:

http://bit.ly/1i3zb5X.

I need to work hard to continue to provide fulfilling content!  I have faith that with the continued growth of independent publishing (and now with the popularity of e-books), fulfilling subjects to write about this year will be plentiful.

fulfillment

What else does this report mean to me?  Dear Readers:

Thank you bottom ofheart

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow.

 

Film Friday: New Thought

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Ones destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.  ~ Henry Miller

I when I get free time, I am often torn between watching a movie or reading a book. Books often win out. There is a movie that was on my list for 2013 that I haven’t gotten to yet. It’s unlikely I’ll find it playing in my local movie theatre, but that doesn’t mean it is not worthy of watching. So, I’ll put it on the top of the list for this year.

The movie is called New Thought.Click here for info and ordering  Many of the principles of the “Laws of Attraction” are incorporated in this movie, and if you enjoyed The Secret, I would highly suggest checking out this movie. I wholeheartedly endorse the concept that we can directly affect our life experience through our thoughts. Positive breeds positive and negative breeds negative.

A New Year is a great time to begin thinking in different ways, and making “attitude adjustments.” Here’s to a whole new you!Click here for info and ordering

Do return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Settling In Amid Peaks and Valleys

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Last week I promised that I would share my impressions of moving from the northeastern part of the U.S. to the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I came site unseen since my husband relocated several months prior to my coming.

My original poem begins on the East Coast – and this segment picks up as my husband, son and I drove into Steamboat in a fierce snowstorm the day after Thanksgiving, five years ago.

(The form is a little different due to digital formatting challenges) but never-the-less every word is as I wrote it).

Settling In ~ by Sue Batton Leonard

Relocating, arriving like dandruff on shoulders,

a sprinkling of sugar, dusting about

dancing, leaving polka dots on

peaks and in deep valleys,

marking the panorama, a white capped day

ill-timed to some, peaceful, sparkling to others

trailing like ribbons of baby’s bonnet

freed from summer heat, a white capped day

insulating earth from hoarfrost of winter

playground for skiers, aggravation for vehicles

skidding and sliding, driving the

business of living

steep and deep canyons, icing tiered

high, champagne to play in, romantic visions,

a Christmas rose, welcome alpine

guests of a white capped day

effervescent spirits, chilling exteriors

covered, absolute abundance

paralysis, blocked highways and byways

igloo walls till spring thaw

children naively playing, blizzard conditions

pompoms on powder puffs, feathery scarves,

woodstove fed and red-hot fired,

melting spikes of a white capped day

sit and snuggle, aside a blazing fire

top the chocolate with whipped cream. A cherry.

till next fall, remember, a white capped day ~

whipped creme and cherry

Wishing You and Yours a Happy Holiday Season! Do return tomorrow to

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

Literary Benevolence

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More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.~ Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) Comedic Actor, Filmmaker, Writer

Happy Thoughtful Thursday. Today I am thinking about seasonal opportunities for sharing literacy. If you are a library patron or a book lover, these ideas might appeal to you – acts that you can do for others that will mean a lot.

  • Write a literary letter from a beloved literary character about the true meaning of Christmas.
  • Leave post-it notes in random places with uplifting quotes from inspirational writers.
  • Pay off someone’s late fees at the library
  • Drop-off free, pass along books on buses, at a table in a restaurant, on a park bench, in a senior citizen center.
  • Pick-up an extra newspaper at the newsstand and give it to the person behind you in line.
  • Arrange a book swap in a public place and invite anyone walking by to join in, even if they come empty handed. Make sure you have a good supply of  pass-alongs.
  • Put a pass-along book in someone’s mailbox, gift wrapped. What a nice surprise!
  • Create a gift for a loved one – a Shutterfly book of memories. www.shutterfly.com
  • Check out an extra book from the library and take it to a shut-in.
  • Set up a Book Angels program in your community to give new or gently used children books at Christmas time.

book angels

Photo: Book Angels from www.deviantart.com

These random acts of literary kindness can be given at anytime of the year but will especially be appreciated during the holidays.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Virtuous Names

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Christmas is the keeping-place for memories of our innocence.–Joan Mills

I’ve often wondered whether a women who bears a name like Hope, Grace, Faith, Charity or Patience are generally more highly-principled than someone who bears a name like Cruella de Ville, Brandy Alexander or Fannie Hill?  Do people feel pressured to live up to the virtues of their names?

Likewise, if you live in a town that sounds lovely and festive, is life a little different? Are crime rates lower in cities and towns in nice sounding places? After all, people may feel the pressure to live with Christmas spirit or good intentions year-round.

What do you think? Is there is a higher quality of life living in places like these:

  • Angels Camp, CA 95222
  • Bethlehem, PA18016
  • Blessing, TX 77419
  • Christmas, FL 32709
  • Faith, NC 28041
  • Hope, NM 88250
  • Joy, IL 61260
  • Nazareth, KY 40048
  • Noel, MO 64854
  • Saint Joseph, IL 61873
  • Saint Mary, KY 40063
  • Santa   Claus, IN 47579
  • Shepherd, MI 48883
  • Snow, OK 74567
  • Star, ID 83669
  • Wiseman, AR 72587

I ponder if these places are any closer to paradise than any other cities? If we could peek into the lives of the ordinary citizens in these communities, do you think life would be any more fulfilling than other places on the map?

Christmas in the heart

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Ringing and Singing

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Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that’s all that matter in the end.” ~ Kris Kristofferson

nostalgic carollersI stepped into a local shop a few days after Thanksgiving and holiday tunes rang out. It stirred up memories of my childhood going from house to house Christmas caroling. People rarely carol anymore. According to an article in Time Magazine, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, Bob Thompson says caroling has seen a decline since the 1960s. http://ti.me/1bEe9IG

Hearing Christmas songs in the stores always puts a bug in my ear that it is clearly time to get out the holiday CDs and enjoy them. I never tire of the same old tunes. I’m endlessly delighted by the melodies. The Yule season passes all too quickly, and then it is time to put the Christmas CDs away until next year.

Today I thought I’d see what’s being sold on the internet marketplace for new holiday releases.

Here are a few CD suggestions. I bet you can’t go wrong with selecting any one of them. Each one would make for a fulfilling holiday listening experience:

  • Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson
  • A Mary Christmas – Mary J Blige
  • Christmas Voices  – Celtic Thunder
  • Sending you a Little Christmas – Johnny Mathis
  • Hope for All the World – Craig & Dean Phillips
  • Angels Sing: Christmas in Ireland      – Libera
  • Christmas in my Heart – Gretchen Wilson
  • Christmas Spirit – David Arkenstone

If you are at a loss for an affordable gift-giving idea, a Christmas music is always greatly appreciated and it will be enjoyed for many years. CD’s are great stocking stuffers, too!

“It Came Upon Midnight Clear, that glorious song of old…..”

What’s Inside Counts

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God’s gifts put mans best dreams to shame ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Gold BoxHappy Thoughtful Thursday! I am going to keep this blog short and sweet. Check out the touching short Christmas story I’m posting through a link. It’s only a few brief paragraphs and worth reading. I promise it will make you think twice about the spirit of Christmas and the gifts you put in a box.

The story is called The Gold Wrapping Paper. http://bit.ly/18xB44Q.

May other thoughtful, meaningful stories bless your life during this holy season!

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Simply Nutty Holidays

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Its a gift to be simple, Its a gift to be free,
Its the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
Will be in the valley of love and delight. ~ Elder Joseph

Does anyone roast chestnuts anymore? My Dad used to roast chestnuts for us kids over an open fire every year in our big stone fireplace. That’s just one fulfilling nostalgic Christmas memory from my childhood.  I am sure he thought it didn’t mean a thing to us, but I remember it vividly – the earthy, nutty flavor sprinkled with just a tad of salt. I liked sitting fireside, watching the flames flick and flicker as he tossed the nuts around in the pan to keep them from burning. I haven’t had roasted chestnuts since.

A few years ago, I saw chestnuts in the store during the Xmas holidays, and I got all excited. I bought some and brought them home, I thinking I’d give it a go by roasting them in the oven. http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Chestnuts. They were such a disappointment. The nuts, I realized, once I got them home were old, dried and shriveled up even before I popped them in the oven. Into the trash they went. “So much for that,” I thought.

chestnuts roasting on open fireIsn’t it strange how small memories from childhood stick with us? Christmas doesn’t always have to be about extravagant giving. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. “It’s the thought that counts.”  Put extra time into other kinds of gift giving such as creating unique, memorable gift wrapping, setting a beautiful table, cooking food that you delight in having only occasionally. Rather than insanely rushing around trying to do too much, spend sacred time with your friends or family. It will mean so much. It’s difficult to enjoy the Christmas season, that comes just once a year, if life is too harried.

~Simplify~

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Right, No Matter What

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“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you‘re right.” – Henry Ford

This adage is all about “mind over matter,” a motivational principle that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The phrase means” the mind is more powerful than the body,” according to Wikipedia.com.

Little Engine that CouldThe “mind over matter concept” was integrated into the storyline of a children’s book all the way back in 1930 when “The Little Engine That Could” was published by Platt and Monk. This tale is still popular today. In fact, as recently as 2007, an on-line poll rated the book as one of the Teachers Top 100 Books by the National Education Association.

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned the recent speech I gave about Helicopter Parenting. Within the context of the speech I cite the fact that if parents do everything for their children, kids start to doubt themselves and lose confidence in their abilities. They begin think they can’t or may not be able to handle a task. Here is a relevant article about the power of the mind and how to use it as a great tool. http://bit.ly/IllFOz.

In my speech I related some of my own experiences in life. To this day, I count myself as a very fortunate child because my parents didn’t let me know that I may face an uphill battle when trying to accomplish certain goals. They expected me to be able to keep up with everyone else. Guess what – it usually worked!

Thanks, Dad and Mom! Now that I am “big,” an adult, that is, I can I admit you were right!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Hope you’ll return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow for more self-fulfilling thoughts.

Preparing for the Stump

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“Speaking from the heart can be the strongest move of all.” ~ Rick Hanson, PhD 

How many of us stay within our comfort zones just because it is easier? I can’t exempt myself from that. There have been many, many times in my life when I have taken the easy way out.

Most people say “public speaking is outside of their comfort zone because it is terrifying and they avoid it all costs.” In fact when I talk with potential clients about their book marketing plans that is the first thing authors mention that they WILL NOT DO.  “If you think I am going to get up in front of a crowd and talk about my publication,” they say, “just forget it.”

speaking from the heartIn September, I decided that I was going to step outside my comfort zone and tackle my own discomfort with public speaking. I enrolled in a class. I have not shied away from speaking to groups completely. In fact, over the past five years I have done more public speaking than any other time in my life.

Guess what? It feels good to move ahead, rather than staying stuck because of self-imposed limitations. Am I cured of glossophobia – the fear of public speaking? I think so because I know I CAN DO IT! In fact I am proud to say for my most important speech of the semester I even impressed myself! What was my message? Something I have strong opinions about. I spoke from the heart about “Helicopter Parenting.”

I have made a further challenge with myself. I will seek every opportunity I can to get up in front of a crowd. So, don’t be surprised to see me out on the stump, especially when my book has been published!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.