Nothing's Gonna Break my Stride...

Image © C. K. Correia

It’s been a while since I've blogged. It’s not because I didn't want to but, I just got caught up with other things…infinite apologies. #worklifebalance. I got invited to Fashion Week and also a great chorale in concert last weekend…so unfortunately time was against me. But apart from that...'on the go' internet is just not the same…ooh how I miss regular High Speed Internet! 

This weekend was quiet, yet I got a lot done. Just came back from showing a client a venue to host her event and been working on a presentation for work…I’m prepping to teach a Life Skills workshop – hopefully all goes well. The past few weeks have been good, a lot of hard work but I feel like I've accomplished a lot and broken down a lot of barriers and built meaningful relationships. Let’s hope I can stay in my happy place beyond today...

I've also started back going to church which has been really good! Since I've gotten here I've only gone twice prior to my recent stint. This is now my 5^th time! The parish priest is charismatic and he makes the sermon come to life with his dynamism. He thoroughly does his research and brings a new spin to things. I also really like the location and whole atmosphere and feel of the church as well. The parishioners are also friendly and homely.  

For a minute there I had lost my exuberance for my new locale but almost in the same breath I realized what was causing this feeling wasn't worth it! In essence I love what I do and I’m good at it too (if I do say so myself…others have also said it:) and that's all that  matters.

Today I am on my porch with my laptop and a cuppa and I feel at peace. There’s no one here but me and I feel at one with nature and the world around me. The atmosphere is cool and the birds are chirping and I even saw an agouti come up to the bottom of this tree! 

Yesterday I had a feast…I went into the garden and picked a couple grapefruits, breadfruit and mangoes…YUM! Can’t get better than this:-) This is what I moved to this island for…peace and relaxation…to catch up on my writing. I finished my presentation and now I am going to continue along my journey to writing my second book…so far so good! I'm also going to have guests next week....can't wait...

Food for thought: Sometimes it takes a little challenge to open our eyes and make us realize our true worth. When we look to the Creator for guidance, there’s nothing or no one that can stand in our way to our climb to excellence. When we do this, doors open for us, people welcome us and we attain our zenith as our inner light shines forth to outshadow the darkness. Faith moves mountains! We can do anything once we believe.

Cheers to a great week ahead!

Journey to Book #2

photo credit - reference.yourdictionary.com

The journey continues. So I started writing another book in 2009, set it aside since receiving a bad review and never continued...until now. So upon reviewing it, 'twas amazing to see how much I've developed as a person and a writer since then. 

Some of the things written was really awful which I deleted immediately, since I won't want that to see the light of day! But on a serious note, most things were really good...refreshing even. I did some editing and writing and have a newfound mission! Not sure what direction this new book is going to take since I only have a few chapters, but I need to write some more to get everything into focus and come up with a concept. 

I am really going to make a concerted effort to continue steadfastly to write something every week. I am giving myself until next year. At first I was so excited...I thought I could have it ready by the end of this year but I want this to be a masterpiece so next year it is. I hope to be in a completely different place mentally and emotionally by next year as well. It's going to be a great journey. Can't wait...

I decide this day to take each day in stride, to live every moment to the fullest. To learn the lessons and don't let anything get to me. It's funny what difference a week can make. I have a new mindset and drive to conquer and live my purpose. I hosted my first function at my new job on Friday and that was my turning point. To see the look on all the faces and have everyone listen to each other as they shared their experiences of being a mother during the team building exercise was priceless. To watch the excitement as they all played a game together was also truly exhilarating! It made me realize that this is what I was meant to do with my life and I am going to put things in place to start doing that. There's so much more to accomplish beyond sitting behind a desk. Everything changes when you interact with people. It has brought about a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment as you are actually able to enrich lives, empower persons and make a difference.

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and were pampered or did the pampering. This is the first Mother's Day I did not spend with my mother since I moved away, but I spoke to her several times throughout the day and night so she knows she's in my thoughts and we are connected regardless of distance.

Tomorrow begins a brand new week...Remember to Make it Count!

Peace.

Happy Mother's Day!!

A common bond shared by all mothers unites us and makes us one

photo credit - hdwallpapers3d.co

Mother and child are inseparable despite physical distance
We are reminded of her love till the end of time...
Memories are a wonderful gift of her sacrifices and love
She is ever loving, ever virtuous and special beyond words
Irreplaceable, priceless and unique...
Whether you are a new mom, mother-to-be or play the role of mother...
Hope your day is as special as can be...
Happy Mother's Day:)

 

Let Go...

Sometimes when you least expect it, life happens. Circumstances change, discoveries are made, connections are forged, memories are created and meaning is derived. 

When you least expect it, you may discover a new side of situations or people and a new journey begins. When we learn to let go and allow "life" to happen, we may embark on a new path of fulfillment and see beyond the surface. 

We may discover our true purpose and brand new territory worth exploring. We may even realize that we are all the same regardless of our (inconsequential) differences. 

If we stop to consider all of these things, we may actually be able to find ourselves and therein find true and lasting happiness, peace and love.

Time will Tell

photo credit - breakingchainsministries.com

They say everything happens for a reason. And yes indeed this is a universal truth. In order to properly deal with what comes our way, we must accept this fact of life. At times you may question the order our life takes but in the end we must look for the silver lining.

Human behaviour is a mystery that I would never be able to wrap my head around. Sometimes things happen to make us wonder what's in a person's DNA to influence their behaviour. Is it due to childhood angst at the home or in school? Or maybe socialization? Perhaps an insecurity stemming from feelings of inferiority? Is it a a hereditary gene? Or then again maybe there is no explanation besides an overly competitive spirit and mental, emotional or psychological dispositions. Sometimes you will never know until years later or perhaps never.

What most people do not realize, is that we are all the same underneath it all. What really separates us is our mindset and attitudes that we exude. When we liberate our minds and remove the hang ups, insecurities and preconceived notions, then we would truly be able to live as one. We may even realize that we like each other. 

Time is a great phenomenon and once we allow nature to run it's course, we would find the solution to most of our problems. Sometimes all it takes to change your focus is to step out of your routine for a moment and then suddenly you will feel liberated and unfettered. Once we concentrate on the things that really matter, it would become clear who is really in charge. And yes maybe we will find peace.

Nothing more...

Is there something more? Many of us are striving for that perfect life. You

photo credit - flickr.com

know the ones you see on television where everything seems flawless and surreal...

Or when you're at the grocery store or mall and it's like an ad for a breakfast cereal, with the perfect (well-behaved) kids, GQ husband, modelesque wife (with the perfect figure after multiple kids) and a home out of HGTV...

Well you know what they say: "the grass is always greener on the other side." But we need not look at what our neighbour has (or is doing) because you don't know what they did to get it. You don't know what they sacrificed or is enduring to get where they are. You don't know what their life is really like when the party ends, people leave and the doors are shut to the outside world. 

We ought to focus on the good in our own lives, which may already be pretty perfect if we really stop to consider it. We need to continue to work hard for what we want to see come to fruition and live every moment with the matched joy and exuberance of our happiest moment. Nothing comes easy. Things that are worth it, require a lot of effort. So live with creativity, colour and splendour until we believe that we indeed have a perfect life and there is nothing more!

It's Now or Never...

What a rainy week we’ve been having on this side of the world! I stayed indoors all day and hibernated, did laundry, made lunch and drank loads of tea and hot chocolate! It was heavenly. It’s now night time and still raining… hasn't stopped since last evening. But after many episodes of the Big Bang Theory, Anger Management and BBC followed by a very entertaining rounds of swapping voice notes via bbm, I decided it’s time to do something constructive like blog, finish a presentation for work and continue my second book! It’s gonna be a long night…

photo credit - www.shutterstock.com

With that said…it’s time for some #ThinkingOutLoud...

Sometimes things can be going great in your life and by all appearances, people looking on from the outside may think that you have a wonderful life yet…however, an inner impulse may prompt you to have other thoughts and strive for something more. It’s not being ungrateful, but I would like to think it’s a normal human reaction. Things may not be bad per se, but how do you surpass your former level of satiety? Is there something missing or perhaps have things become mundane? How do you change the routine aspects of your life to make it a fabulous day-to-day existence worth living and jumping out of bed for each morning?

I’ve been speaking with a few people over a period of time and I get the impression that sometimes people are comfortable with the way aspects of their life are, whether it is work, family or social facets of life. And though they are not completely satisfied, they do not really want to change the way things are. Many people are not risk takers, they are fearful of the unknown, fearful of change, of what lies ahead or fearful of loss in one form or another. Some of us are fearful of failure or fearful of rejection.

It is the truly adventurous, brave and strong-willed among us that can start over from scratch, leave familiar territory and go boldly where few decide to tread. Sometimes it’s not the wisest thing to do and may depend on how much you have to lose or how badly you want something…how badly you crave change.

Many of us stay in jobs we are unhappy at for years on end without attempting to find alternative means of making a living or sometimes giving up on our dreams for comfort or commitments. The same can be said for friendships or relationships. Sometimes we don’t know what is preventing us from making that step, making a conscious effort to bring about that change we desire. But we need to look within and evaluate our life. 

Try to picture ourselves in a different place where things are how we would like them to be. Don’t visualize a fairy tale where things are perfect, but weigh the pros and cons and imagine the realistic or perhaps worse case scenarios that can occur. Perhaps we can compare it to our present life and think of ways we can make ourselves happier with our present circumstances. Then measure this against our imagined "ideal life with changes” and determine which way is best to indeed live our best life yet.

Remember life is short. Life is unpredictable. Things can all change drastically in the bat of an eye. You only have one chance at it. So make the most of it now before it's too late. It's now or never.

If only I can take my own advice in all aspects, then indeed this would be a “Beautiful Life!”

Time will tell what the future holds:)

Peace & Love

Audio book - Thinking out Loud

The moment I've been waiting for is (almost) here....

I have before me the artwork for my audio book of Thinking out Loud!

What do you think?

Coming to bookstores and available digitally soon!

We are all connected

When we allow others to see the true us, we realize our true worth and value to humanity. We reach in and

photo credit - photobucket.com

discover what life is all about. We reach out and extend ourselves, beyond what we are accustomed to and therein find ourselves in the process. When we evaluate our connection to others, we realize our importance in a global context, as it starts within our immediate circle and quickly spreads to the wider reaches of "our world." It must of course first begin within. Yours is a power of vast proportions. Look to your Creator and therein you will find your strength.

You can find more by "liking" my author's page on facebook>>>

https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingoutLoudbyCarolynCorreia?ref=hl