Do You Want More?

It's been days counting and I'm sticking to my daily blog routine. Can't believe I did this years ago with my full time job...Creating readable content every day is no easy task, unless you are a creative genius or have a very exciting life and repertoire of lessons! I have/am neither.

So here goes...*still trying to figure out what to write tonight without boring you about my life or mundane motivational rehash!*

photo credit - C. K. Correia © 2012 All rights reserved
Dallas, Texas

Recently someone told me that I am doing great...why are you never satisfied? (to paraphrase). I am not sure what context to take this in, but I asked myself the question. There's no simple answer...

I always say that success and happiness are two relative concepts: It is in the eyes of the beholder. My idea of success or happiness may be quite different from yours and the next person. 

Also no one really ever knows the 'real deal' with what is going on with a person behind closed doors. That's why we should never compare ourselves to others, because each journey is different. I must continue to emphasize that "all that glitters is not gold."

With that being said...humanistic psychology dictates that it is human nature for us to always want more...at different times...(well some of us at least). To add my two cents: It is what we choose to do with "more" when it comes and the reasons why we want more, that holds the key to the concept of either becoming self-actualized and being the best we can possibly be, or just being greedy and ungrateful. 

I for one, would like to utilize my passions and talents to their fullest potential. Not just for my own personal ambition and satisfaction barometer, but to impact other lives, because this in my opinion brings true joy and ultimate peace. This is what fulfilment feels like: to know that your life has meaning and purpose and you're not just passing through and killing time till you die.

To know that someone has benefited or can find healing, joy or motivation to get going or sort things out in their lives/vocation is rewarding beyond measure....well at least for me. It also helps you learn about others and become a better person in the process. For example, when I read the comments from my blog and even face to face with my speaking engagements and business projects, it makes me buoyant and provides the impetus to push even further. 

I am not perfect...and never will be, but there's always time and space for more.

Do you want more? Ask yourself why.

Until next time...

Peace & Love

Like this post? Sign up for my weekly newsletter coming this Wednesday by completing the contact form on your right. You can also find more by following me on facebook -https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingoutLoudbyCarolynCorreia

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."
 Erma Bombeck

Lean, Mean Rhyming Machine!

Where did the first Friday of 2015 find you? I have been visiting friends over the last few days...it's wonderful catching up...so grateful for our paths having crossed! Thank You. What do you value the most in a friend? I love their sincerity, supportive nature and genuine, honest, neutral conversations and advice. I love their empathy and how they wish the best for me and vice versa. 

photo credit - C.K. Correia © 2013. All rights reserved
Jemma's Treehouse Restaurant Speyside, Tobago 

I just got a call from one of my Tobago peeps and as always it's such a joy to connect. Can't wait to see you this year...hopefully for Carnival or sooner! BIG love to all of you...near and far....you know who you are. I am literally bursting with gratitude and excitement for a brand new year of adventures.

So far I have two tangible goals for 2015: to publish two collections...one is my book (which is being edited as we speak...will share more soon) and the other is a collection of poetry. This I wrote in June right before my accident. It's quite an emotional piece! Woosah! 

I deliberated over this for a while but having read it for two of my friends, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and get it out there. My healing and catharsis is done. It can't do me any good hoarding it...it's meant to be shared and enjoyed. 

As I mentioned some months ago on social media, I never paid much attention to poetry in the past, as I thought I wasn't creative enough, but life has brought me to this place where I can vent through this forum. And you know what? I realized that I'm a 'lean, mean rhyming machine!' Not sure about the form or the ABAB...rhyme and so on that I studied eons ago, but a couple poetry gurus I know, told me to just write!

I was going to use a pen name, but my friends said that's not necessary as what I've described in this collection is universal to us all. I am human and everyone has these experiences at some point in their life. They were all impressed and feel that people would be able to connect as the reader/listener can actually feel the pain and emotion that I describe through my use of words and projection. 

I would love to do a spoken word CD as well, but that's way into the future and possible only if I am blessed with some miracle to meet the right people and find the resources to do so! Hey...it has happened before!

Did I 'whet' your appetite for more? Stay tuned....Will keep you posted!

Newsletter/Blogs come soon!

Peace & Love

Happy New Year 2015!

Wishing one and all a Happy New Year. May 2015 be filled with many beautiful moments where you have a chance to shape your destiny into one that is pleasing to you and can inspire others to positive change. 

photo credit - C.K. Correia © 2012 All rights reserved
Mason Hall, Tobago

Forget the naysayers and detractors and just do you. You are capable of great things...open yourself up to the multitude of possibilities that exist...you may just find that it exceeds your wildest expectations you have for yourself. 

2015 is a time to put the past behind and live in the now. Whatever transpired before now, should serve as a learning experience...the perceived negative transformed into a positive and the positive the foundation for good memories. 

The choice is ours. 

Be blessed and Make Every Moment Count! 

Peace & Love xo

A Look Back on 2014

It's so remiss of me to not do my usual Ole Year's ritual earlier this year...but after a hectic day and month here I am! Here's my lessons for 2014...

Photo credit - Arnos Vale, Tobago
Carolyn Correia All rights reserved 2013

After a wonderful year of soul searching and honing my talents in the tranquil sister isle of Tobago in 2013, I returned to Trinidad in January 2014 to "Chart my Destiny." ...

Whether I succeeded or not, is not for me to judge, but everyone I meet seems to think so! And this is not by what I have told them, but what they have seen. While I welcome the recommendations and kudos of my peers, I also tell them that "all that glitters is not gold." 

Even though I've accomplished a lot during the short space of time, everyone has different standards by which to measure success. I feel like I have done a lot, but there's always more. A new friend just told me on facebook, that many opportunities are coming my way in 2015. I embrace this wish with my whole heart, mind and soul.

While some may measure success in dollars and cents, I feel pride in knowing that I have fulfilled my reason for returning to Trinidad, which was to be with my Dad during his battle with Alzheimer's disease. Those fond memories I shared with him are golden and irreplaceable and I will cherish it all the days of my life, when things get tough (and I am told by my older sisters that they will!) 

Now that my father went to be with the Lord, I feel contented to know that I did everything I could have done to make his last year enjoyable and easier. I look back on the last few years and though there are things that I could have done differently, I feel totally at peace to know that I was here for him when he needed it the most. He knew we loved him dearly and I told him this every day. To hear him return the sentiments in his response each and every time was like music to my ears.

All my other accomplishments for the year pale in comparison to this feeling. I have no regrets, no what if's, no I should have's. I am not even overwhelmed with sadness at this time, because I know this is what he wanted and he is in a better place watching over me. I have hope that I will see him once again when my time has come. I am glad that it was not several months ago and I was given a second chance to make it right.

When people misjudge you and accuse you wrongfully, I know it's okay because what is in the dark must come into the light....the longest rope has an end and the whole nine yards. When I think of all the lessons, good times and what both my heavenly and earthly father endured for me, I just have to smile and wait on the Lord to do His work in my life.

I am not going to list again all the things I am grateful for, but I do thank God for my family and friends who have supported me every step of the way both emotionally, physically and just by being in my corner. I am thankful for my blessings and talents. This has allowed me to complete my second book this December which has been dedicated to my Dad since 2009 who has been the driving force behind me writing books. I am also thankful for the detractors and naysayers, for it is because of them that I have come this far and I am so pleased with the result. 

While I know I have much more to learn, I have grown by leaps and bounds and I feel happy in this knowledge because I understand that I am a work in progress.

So on this day: Wednesday 31st December, 2014 I say goodbye to what is old and say hello to a new beginning...welcoming #positive #change in #2015. New synergies, new hope, new goals realized.....weeding out the untruths, uncovering the pain behind the words, letting go of fear and hurt, clearing out the clutter and releasing that which no longer serves a purpose in my life. 

Thank You 2014...it was wonderful...but I gotta let you go...Forward ever, backward never....Let the good times roll....2015 here we come! 

Peace, love and abundance to you alwayz...xoxoxoxoxo

Feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you've learnt in 2014 and what you look forward to the most in 2015.

Freely, Freely You Have Received, Freely Freely Give

For once I'm at a loss for words...What should I blog about today? This daily blog is harder than I thought (and I did miss yesterday!). Write about my life? Who wants to hear about that all the time? Inspiration? That's overdone...Ahh write about your life while inspiring others to action or transformative thought...There's an idea!

photo credit - Stonehaven Beach, Tobago
Carolyn Correia all rights reserved.

For many persons reading on, this life is .... *fill in the blanks* with the first words that come to mind...

• Unpredictable
• Amazing
• Unfair?
• "What You Make It"
• "A Dream"
• Short
• "Promised to no one"

Life is a short, amazing, unpredictable, sometimes unfair dream. It is what you make it and it is promised to no one. 

It's up to us to make each moment count and live every day as if it our last so that there would be no regrets when all is said and done. Each person's life is different. We experience pockets of enjoyment, sorrow, heartbreak, success, disappointments and grief....some more than others. What is important is that we never ask why, but instead take it all in stride as God never gives us more than we can bear. He gives us our share of all these things in order to shape and mould us into the unique person we were meant to become. 

I am no different from you, nor you from me or the next person. It's what we learn from these experiences that matter most and how we can transform our present state into something meaningful to assist ourselves and those around us. "...Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

As this year winds down, I will be doing my Ole Year's (New Year's Eve) ritual on my porch and penning my thoughts about the year. What have you learnt in 2014 and what are you going to do different? Who would have thought that the end of your year would find you here! It certainly did not start out this way....Feel free to connect and share on this space...

Peace & Love

Do You Have False Expectations of Others?

Oh noooo! I missed my Boxing Day post...ahhh well. Here I am....This is my post Boxing Day post...For those just tuning in...This is my 5th post for the week (see earlier posts here: http://inspirationescape.blogspot.com/). Hope your Christmas was grand and you are still enjoying the season with family and friends as we get into gear for the New Year 2015. I'm currently listening to Nat King Cole, Jim Reeves, Frank Sinatra (old blue eyes), Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis and Dean Martin...a CD I made for my Mom a weekend I visited my parents last year...oh the memories.

A Tobago Christmas - Scarborough Botanical Gardens
Photo credit - Carolyn Correia. All rights reserved 2013

I posted to my personal facebook page a while ago that I'm thinking it's time to move on, now that my reason for staying here is gone. I no longer feel tied to these shores and I miss my Tobago free-spirited life so much. I know you can never really go back and return to how things once were, but who knows. It's just a thought ...first I have to think about survival because coconuts just won't do (:

Tonight I visited a friend's house...I got more than I bargained for: book, business and life advice, inspiration and well...good food, cake and ponche de creme...who could top that right? And to think I almost stayed home. I always say: take two steps outside your front door and change your perspective. 

My friend's significant other told me I should return to Tobago. This after I told them about my new book and what it was about. Part of the inspiration came from the sister isle. But most of all, my Dad inspired me to start writing books all those years ago and that's one of the places we shared a love for. I will never forget those priceless memories. We were chatting about life and death and my friend Rabindra told me that my Dad's last words to me imparted everything I needed to live my life successfully.

I'll also share unabashed that I was told tonight that I'm weird....because I expect everyone to be like me and hold my values and expectations. He said to me that I have high expectations of people. He said other people would offer what they can (in terms of their friendship, time etc) in their own timing... *scratches head* I'm so not used to this. I wondered to myself if this is an authentic connection...What do you think?

As I drove home, I saw another friend's lime in full swing...(hence the reason for this comment...To use my friend Curlyn's Antiguan expression: Meh warn you! (meaning could you believe?) Needless to say I missed the speed bump in the process and nearly damaged my tyre! lol). Still, despite my 'weirdness' I couldn't help but wonder if my invitation got lost in the mail somehow...not even a Merry Christmas! This is weird I thought, since this person has been in constant contact with me...and not the other way around...But I digress...

I've come to the conclusion that people have different levels of involvement and authenticity. What I thought was an actual friendship, may just be a casual acquaintance to him and other friendships that have died a natural death over time. In the past, I would have just distanced myself from such people...nurse my hurt for a while and take my time to move on. Now, I still find their behaviour sooo difficult to accept...but times a-changing. I am changing....Need to learn to accept and deal with it accordingly. That's one of my 2015 wishes...What a change! I think that's weird!!! :P ....It's Christmas ... I'm just having a silly moment :) But there's some truth to it!

Thank God for all my wonderful friends and good times ... don't know where I'd be without you (you know who you are) ... thanks for loving me in spite of my foibles ...people say that if you meet two good friends in a lifetime that's plenty but it's been 10 - 20 years and counting in some cases and you're still at my side ...you all help me become a better person and vice versa ...the new ones feel as though I've known you a lifetime... I feel so blessed and fortunate .... Much love ....God bless the day I found you! ... Decisions ...decisions for 2015...

The Reason for the Season

The day we've waited all year for is here. As quickly as it came, it is almost gone in some parts of the world. Let's not forget the reason for the season which is the birth of a Saviour. Be blessed and put Christ first. Whether you appreciate the season from a traditional, religious or cultural perspective...let's give a gift of love this Christmas and cherish the ones we love, for we never know when it can be our last to spend with them...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones this day and always.

Peace & Love CC

photo credit - Scarborough Botanical Gardens, Tobago

Have A Very Merry Christmas!

Yesterday I finally mastered the art of Mail Chimp...What an accomplishment putting together my self-imposed mailing list! It took a few hours but I did it...after shelving the project in May. 

So now, I will be disseminating mini newsletters with my blogs and updates....Can't wait...The only thing left to do is master the art of personalizing it to include names...(which I thought I did...If you can help, please give me a shout via the contact form to your right or a comment. 

Folks the day we've been waiting for is mere hours away...let's not forget the reason for the season which is the birth of a Saviour. Here's my first 'campaign' via Mail Chimp...what d'you think?

Peace & Love...until tomorrow...

Wishing you and yours peace, love and joy during this Yuletide season. May the spirit of Christmas warm your hearts and stay with you throughout the New Year and beyond. Extending thanks for sharing in all the magical moments of 2014. Bringing good tidings from our home to yours...May all of your nearest and dearest dreams come true. Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for an Abundant New Year 2015.  Peace & Love, Carolyn Photo credit - Scarborough Botanical Gardens, Tobago. Carolyn Correia All rights reserved © 2013.

I'm Gonna Love You Anyway!

Blogger how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

photo credit - Scarborough Botanical Gardens, Tobago
Carolyn Correia 2013 All rights reserved.

Blogger, wordpress and tumblr all do something great, but it's been 7 years and counting and no matter what anyone says...#Blogger .... Imma love you anyway! 

As they say: if it ain't broken, why fix it right? That's how I feel about you with google analytics at your finger tips, great user interface and all the features you need...why go elsewhere? 

To hell with SEO key words...I know I need to learn, but I love what I do...the most important thing to me is getting what I have to say off my chest. The "hits" will come with time.

One more day for Christmas ...the eve of Christmas Eve and I'm blogging about blogging....

Today my sister and I went out to do errands...mostly my errands and a bit of Christmas shopping. I took a drive by the Botanical Gardens last week and saw the beautiful lights just like Tobago. Thought she needed to see that. I guess I will take my mom and other sister soon. 

As that time nears, we're just doing ordinary things: painting, cooking, making sorrel and ginger beer and trying to keep my Dad's memory alive.  Still have to make ponche de creme and bake the traditional turkey and ham that we picked up tonight. We will not be putting up a tree or any lights this year however. I have to tell you though, it's getting harder. I don't even want to think about the future when the house gets emptier and I have to carry on with my normal life.

For now, I'm savouring the memories and making the most of the moments. Trying to keep busy and "do my do." I still love Christmas and I think it's gonna be okay. Life is made to be enjoyed and lived to the fullest. I know he wouldn't want it any other way. I always told him I wanted to go before him, but he wanted me to live and be happy. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." I continue to pray for his eternal life and light.

I've completed my book, so now I have something to look forward to. On to the next! Already thinking of continuing my poetry and publishing an e-book in 2015. I wrote 10 poems in June. The rest will be dedicated to my father's memory.

What is the legacy you leave behind? I hope to leave behind my writing...in the hope it can help generations after me. 

Happy Holidays....See you tomorrow. I'm getting the hang of this blogging every day thing...this is the shortest blog yet ...completed in 15 minutes or less!

Peace & Love.