Tag Archives: personal fulfillment

The Art of Meandering

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“Wondering is healthy. Broadens the mind. Opens you up to all sorts of stray thoughts and possiblities.” ~ Charles deLint 

Have you ever walked as a way to help sort out your thoughts? I find fulfillment in using it as a method of putting things in perspective.  Far too often, however, my objectives also include giving myself a cardio workout, so I move at a very brisk pace. 

 One day as I walked this past summer, I was behind “a slow poke.” I proceeded to pass the woman. I reached my endpoint, turned around to go back home and passed her again going in the other direction. As I zoomed by her, she remarked to me that I sure walk fast, and that she was impressed. 

walking in waterWalking at a fast pace is all well and good but my thinking tries to keeps pace, so it is hard to quiet my mind when I move along too quickly. There is value in letting our thoughts wander, roam and journey off the beaten path. 

Since my goals for walking are not to lose weight, I need to practice the art of  meandering. I have made a deal with myself that a couple of days a week I will: 

Go on a meditative walk

Be more focused on observing the surroundings

Imagine a personal paradise and escape to  it 

 Marcel Proust says “the only paradise is the paradise of lost.” I interpret that to mean being lost in our dreams, imaginations and thoughts. That kind of oasis can be found by all of us, if we allow it. 

If you were to write a book  about your personal utopia, what would it look like? Do you think you will ever find it? How?

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.

Steps to Extending Life

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“Only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way you use them.” ~Unknown 

looking up cover_Cynthia Olsen’s book, “Looking Up: Seven Steps for a Healthy & Youthful Midlife and Beyond is part resource and part personal testimony. It very effectively tells a story of someone who recognized at a young age, the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection. The insights she shares about her ancestors health gives the reader motivation to know that we need not be inheritors of poor eating habits, and diseased bodies and spirits. We are in charge of our own experience. 

“Looking Up: Seven Steps for a Healthy & Youthful Midlife and Beyond is an IPPY Gold Medal award-winning book. The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) has recognized the book for excellence in independent publishing. This book is not the first book Kali Press has published for Olsen. Here is a list of her other publications, all health related: 

  • Australian Tea Tree Oil Guide (lst ed)
  • Australian Tea Tree Oil Guide (2nd ed)
  • Australian Tea Tree Handbook: 101 Ways to Use Australian Tea Tree Oil (1st ed)
  • Australian Tea Tree Handbook: 101 Ways to Use Australian Tea Tree Oil(2nd ed)
  • Essiac: A Native Herbal Cancer Remedy (2nd ed) – 1997 IPPY Gold Medal Award Winning Book.
  • Birth of the Blue: Australian Blue Cypress Oil 

For more information on Kali Press’ books and other products, please visit www.kalipress.com.  Olsen’s publications are available at the following libraries and bookstores:  

  • Walgreens- Steamboat Springs, CO
  • Off The Beaten Path- Steamboat Springs, CO
  • Bud Werner Memorial Library- Steamboat Springs, CO
  • Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO
  • Wilkenson Public Library- Telluride, CO
  • Between the Covers Book Store- Telluride, CO
  • The Book Worm- Edwards, CO
  • Eagle County Libraries, Eagle and Avon, CO 

picture of cynthia olsen belliniThis book is highly recommended for anyone who is seeking change and improving their habits for a fulfilling life at any age. There is some great advice, especially for Baby Boomers in this publication.

 (Photo: Author Cynthia Olsen)

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Notes to Myself, Redux

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“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, achieves the impossible.” ~ Unknown

notes to myself_Sunday, February 25, 1973. I remember a note I wrote to myself that day back when I was in college. It said, “Finish reading Notes to Myself by Friday for psychology class.” The note was not kept in a cell phone, palm pilot or any other kind of digital device. It was written on a big paper calendar hanging on the wall in my dorm room.

The last sentence of Friday’s blog writing called Keeper of the Keys, stirred that memory. Scroll down to Friday’s blog if you have not read it or follow this link if you missed it.http://bit.ly/UXoiY9

In 1973, as a sophomore in college, the world was becoming my oyster. Full of wisdom, optimistic, I’d made it through my freshman year, with good grades.If I am not mistaken, I may have been on the Deans List.

psycho-cyberneticsNotes to Myself, a curriculum-required book for my psychology class helped me make an important decision. I thought,  “If being a psychology major meant reading other meaningful books like that, I was up for the task.”  I hung on the words of Hugh Prather, the author of Notes to Myself, along with the thoughts of Maxwell Maltz, M.D, the author of Psychocybernetics. Psych students, at that time, flung around words like psychoanalysis, existentialism and transcendental meditation.

Somewhere in my  moves from apartment to apartment after college, my two bibles of thought were discarded. Since then they have been replaced by other personal development books introducing me to new ideas about this thing called personal fulfillment (or the art of living.)

digital notesToday, I’ve made a note to myself, in my hand-held digital device, to re-read Prather and Maltz’s books. This time,  in electronic format (e-book versions) on a digital reader. Both have updated book covers!

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

Connected Through a Gesture

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Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~Scott Adams

It’s hard to find good news on TV. The other day, I was getting more disturbed by the moment, as I flipped through the TV news channels. Everything I heard was negative and upsetting. I subject myself to that, as little as possible.

Finally, I flipped to Fox News and just happened to catch the story of Laura Schroff & Maurice Mazyck. Have you heard their beautiful story? It is about the power of one person to change the life of another. Although, if you listen to interviews of these two people, whose lives came together many years ago, this is, by no means, a one-sided story.

The tale is about trust, family, hunger, need, rebuilding lives, compassion. One person’s stepping out to help another is now helping to drive the fulfillment of other’s needs throughout the country, through the publishing of this inspirational true to life story. Click here for info and ordering An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny.

Proceeds from this book are being donated to No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization. http://bit.ly/Wmsej9.

an invisible threadThe story, The Invisible Thread, has become a NY Times Best Selling book. It would make for an outstanding book to film adaptation. I hope it is in the works!

Rather than tell you more, please take the time to visit this website. Be prepared! It will deeply move you, but in a way that is very different than most news stories. http://www.aninvisiblethread.com/

Look forward to visiting with you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling –  where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business; I hope you’ll join us. This blog brought to you from www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.

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Color and Creativity

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“The soul becomes dyed with the color of it’s thoughts.” ~ Marcus Aurelius 

I’ve often wondered what life looks like through the eyes of the colorblind.  So many aspects of our lives require making color choices.

Color choices even affects our attitudes and dispositions, helping us to feel as if we can conquer the world or not. Try wearing all black one day and the next day wear fuchsia, orange or brilliant red. Wearing bright colors puts extra spring in our steps. 

Colors of LifeI know two men who are color blind. Evidently, the male chromosome make-up is more susceptible to this condition. Here is an article explaining why this is so. http://bit.ly/ZSMqRL. 

Are the brains of color-challenged people wired with enhanced creative thinking skills to make up for their inability to see color? Or are their  imaginations stymied because they can not see color? I came across this interesting article about being a color-blind artist.http://bit.ly/Zx2Cag.

The Huffington Post cites green as a color that “sparks inventiveness.” http://huff.to/Wjc5v2 . Perhaps the reason the Green Mountains of Vermont draws their fare share of artists and writers. Gorgeous, lush green, including the most wonderful perennial gardens, provide inspiration from nature. 

But, let’s face it, beautiful landscapes whether they are forests, seashores, wide open vistas in the plains, craggy rocks and other unique earth formations provide artistic stimulation. 

What colors and sights bring the greatest fulfillment to your eyes and spirit?

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Anticipated Cinema Releases for 2013

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“What counts for me today are: making movies, creating and giving dreams.” ~ Claude Van Damme

fandango-movie-tickets

 

 

Last year, I went to the movies more frequently than usual. I’m hoping that the film industry will bring many fulfilling films to theatres in 2013. Here is a short list of anticipated movie releases for next six months; just a sampling from many from different genres.

To read the long list, please visit this link. http://www.movieinsider.com/movies/-/2013/   Many of these films are independent, while others are produced by the big film studios. Note: If you click on the title of each, when you go to the link, you can read a short summary of the film. If you click on the dates, there are even more titles.

Movie tickets can now be ordered over the internet, in advance, from www.fandango.com. Happy Movie Watching in 2013!

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The Color of Life

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To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist. ~Schumann

Have you ever noticed how some people like to look at things through rose colored glasses and others through dark shades?

Our perspectives on life are often a reflection of our experiences, or a response to our day to day existence. As we open ourselves up to new ways of being, we add color to our journeys and our attitudes.

I received some interesting feedback from the annual blog report of All Things Fulfilling the other day.  Glassworks Inspired by Nature was the second most popular blog I have ever written in 1,013 posts. If you missed it, here is a link. http://bit.ly/12WopI6.

Why was this blog so significant? I think there could be a number of reasons why people found that blog post fulfilling:

    • They liked reading about Louis Comfort Tiffany’s art
    • The book, Clara and Mr. Tiffany, was interesting to learn about Click here for info & ordering
  • People wanted to know something more about stained glass and it’s history. http://bit.ly/Wj0YlQ
  • The life of an artist who saw life through a full spectrum of colors and through the love of his craft , is inspiring.

You can look through a kaleidoscope of colors in your own life by exposing yourself to an interesting mix of people, food, culture, faith and art. Or you can also enter into places of worship to look at stained glass windows, which will show you a full spectrum of colors in a different, equally fulfilling way.

tiffany-windows_05These are my reflections for today. We all have our own independent thoughts, words and views on life. Thanks for visiting this site; I’m grateful for an audience.

Note: The image is a Tiffany Studios creation of beauty.

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

Cheers! Moving Forward

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“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn

Ring in a New Year tomorrow! Acknowledge and forgive the past, accept and bless the new.

Did you ever consider the two things that we can not change are our genetic predispositions and our family lineage?  But, we do not need to be limited by either. Although we may not be able to do anything about the fact that we are related to eccentric Aunt Mabel or the way we are engineered to age, our attitudes toward both can be altered. We can limit our exposure to Aunt Mabel if her attitudes or lifestyle rub us the wrong way or we can make resolutions and act on changing our habits, so that our bodies can better cope with the hand we were dealt genetically. That’s good news.

Taking responsibility for our choices is the first step toward changing what we do not like in our lives. The first of every year is the best time to do some personal house cleaning of our environments – physically, emotionally, environmentally and in our relationships. A New Year provides us with the opportunity to get rid of the things that have gotten us stuck. Start anew.

51yt7mbRA-L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_[1]Conspiracy for Greatness: Mastery for Love Within, a book about personal fulfillment, addresses how our lives change when we take responsibility for ourselves, our actions and decisions.Click for info & ordering

Looking inward, fully committing to the thought that the past need not determine our present and future, is a start to personal change. To read an article by Behnam Bakhshandeh, the author of this book, please follow this link. http://bit.ly/UeGg6B.

Kudos to you on this New Years Eve, if you have decided that 2013 will be the year you are going to eliminate, from your life, what has been holding you back from moving ahead in a positive direction.

Happy New You! Happy New Year! Cheers!

Happy-New-Year-Images1

 All the Best in 2013 from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Knitting Happiness

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“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your actions.” ~ Dalai Lama XIV 

countdown-from-year-toHave you made your New Year resolutions? Many of us share the same goals for 2013. I’ll bet at least one of your priorities is on this list of top New Years Resolutions, since the same issues hold concern for many Americans.  Many people have these changes in lifestyle on their list for this upcoming year.

  • Loose weight
  • Get a better job
  • Get Fit
  • Drink less alcohol
  • Take a trip
  • Get a better education
  • Manage Stress
  • Quit Smoking
  • Recycle, Reuse and stop waste
  • Volunteer
  • Save more money 

Notice that PLAY MORE is missing from the list of American’s top New Year’s resolutions. Why is that? Because Americans tend to over eat, over extend their budgets, over drink and they spend a lot of time trying to get their lives in order  and rebuilding their lives after abusing themselves. Sad, but true.

A few weeks ago, I saw a show about Spain, It is touted as one of the top countries for happy people. Why? The work day comes with a two hour lunch break and people in Spain get 30 days vacation from their jobs every year. The lifestyle in Spain provides more time to PLAY, which provides personal fulfillment in their lives!  Want to learn more about Spain’s population of happy people? http://onforb.es/VbOugN

cafe_linkI contend that if Americans spent more time at play, some issues would take care of themselves. There would be a reduction in stress, people would spend less time over eating and drinking because they would find personal fulfillment in other ways – doing what ever it takes to make their hearts zing. 

How about you? What one thing will you add to your play list in 2013? I am going to add knitting more to my list again this year. I did not succeed in fulfilling this wish last year because I spent a lot of time writing. Winter is the perfect time to pull out the yarn and knitting needles.

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Kindle your Aspirations and Share the Peace

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“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” ~ Sy Miller and Jill Jackson 

christmas-earth-dove-painting_1280x1024Reading these words reminds me that although I can not control others actions in this world, I can be mindful of my own. 

So, in that vain, I would like to pass along a message of gratitude to all of you who have visited this website All Things Fulfilling over the past year. Your readership and comments makes blogging worthwhile. 

I have enjoyed learning about our client’s inspiring independent publishing projects in 2012 and look forward to seeing what 2013 brings, for others, who have just begun the process. For so many around the world, having the ability to tell and publish a story that has been burning inside, just waiting to be told, has been a first step towards peace within. We are fortunate to have freedom of press freedom in our country, and the choices in publishing platforms has grown with the development of e-books.

merry-christmas-sign

Merry Christmas, Everyone! May you celebrate this holiday in a way that is meaning and fulfilling to you, personally.

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