Making a difference...

"One is not born into this world to do everything, but to do something."~Henry David Thoreau

Feb. 22, 2014

It's been a busy couple of years volunteering, making new friends and lots of connections.  All while trying to make a difference and even change the world one step at a time.  I've met some interesting, strong and amazing people.  I've found my voice and became more outgoing and assertive than I've ever  been.

Passionate toward your future?

"Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do."~Nelson Mandela

passionate-sean-howard-photography

Are you passionate toward your future? No matter the circumstances of someone's past experiences or current situations, everyone has dreams of a better future.  From having a better job; a bigger house; a better relationship... the list goes on.

There is work involved in creating any kind of change.  To get that life you dream of, you need to set the needed steps into motion, do the work involved, and make things happen that will move  you toward the future you want.  

"The hear of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of meaning, joy, purpose and passion."~unknown

We all need to find something or someone that awakens a passion within us.  When someone is passionate about what they want, it's much easier to find the time... energy... motivation and dedication to follow through to fulfill their dreams and desires.

Close your eyes and visualize the future you most desire.  How much does it look like your current life?  What can you do right now to bring these dreams to life?  It is within you reach.  Start to make it happen - you can do it!

"There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."~unknown 

Random Thoughts... for 2012

"Our life always expresses the results of our prominent thoughts." ~Soren Kierkegaa

This past year has flown by faster than any I can remember.  As a new year it about to begin, I have hundreds of thoughts and memories running through my mind each time I sit to write in my journal or work on my book.  Since I've been too busy to blog much in the past year, I thought I'd add a few of them now.  

• 2012 started Happy, had highs & lows & ended Great.
• The trials in between had much needed lessons.
• Everyone has experienced trauma in their life.
• We should all have more empathy and compassion.
• Traumas can transform if allowed to push us forward.
• I have shared experiences with my best of friends.
• We must leave our comfort zones in order to grow.
• That was needed for my new career and direction.
• We often stay in jobs and situations out of Fear.
• Have Faith! You don't know, what you don't know.
• Sleep deprivation is everyone's worst enemy. 
• Negative environments are not worth the damage.  
• Unhappy people find fault with each other.
• Hurting people, hurt others.  Don't let them hurt you.
• Showing kindness, can stop the negative verbiage
• Standing up for yourself shows self-respect.
• Immature people push blame and want revenge.
• Mature people try to understand why things happen.
• Respect, the words used and tone of voice do matter.
• It takes 10 positives to make up for 1 negative.
• Nikki Haley is my example of strength and leadership.
• She has character and someone I'd like to emulate.
• Being strong annoys the people who want control.
• We're suppose to put our children First!
• No amount of critisisum over the years helped us.
• Volunteering and getting involved is so rewarding.
• I meet the most amazing people when I volunteer.
• We all need our own friends, interest... Lives.
• No one should depend on you for their happiness.
• Anymore than you should depend on someone else.
• When you're direct and honest; don't ever feel guilty.
• It's more important what someone does than says.
• I'm not emotional any longer because I'm not afraid.
• I'm not afraid of dying or the future; I have Faith.
• When I see death, I pray for the souls and families.
• Kindness and Compassion are a Hugh part of my job.  
• The last job prepared me for my current career/job.
• Having the passion for it, makes me really good at it.
• So much accomplished... so much more I want to do!

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." ~John Burroughs

 What we overcome... helps us Grow

Are you hiding?

Tweet

"Hiding a passion is inconceivable; because passion is in essence made to be seen."  ~Roland Barthes

VOS photo

"Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along, and follow your passion.  This applies to play as well as work.  A day merely survived is no cause for celebration.  You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine.  No more busy work.  No more 'hiding' from success, passion or love.  Leave time, leave space, to grow.  Now. Now!  Not tomorrow!" ~Og Mandino

 "Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." ~Zora Neale Hurston

Spiritual Connection

Tweet

“Rather than basing our relationships primarily on human personality attractions, we tend to be drawn to those with whom we have mutual experiences and significant soul connections.” ~Anna Ellington

sacredbodywork.us

Love is a Spiritual energy.  Passion may arouse and increase enthusiasm, physical pursuits may be momentarily pleasurable, but the deep love energy flowing between two people with a spiritual connection, flows in unspoken words.  A stirring in the heart untouched, the sense inflamed just with a sensory thought of the other. The warmth pouring from the eyes of a loving glance thrown by one to another.  Two souls in perfect synchronicity... spiritually connected and aligned. 

Without spiritual bonding there is no deep sensitivity, empathy or understanding.  The two people may be attracted to each other physically but remain thirsted and needful of substantiation.  Love of this type has suppressed energy.   

Spiritual love is far more powerful and potent and doesn't require any effort or invention on ones part, for it inspires, warms, regenerates, strengthens, radiates light from within, and fans an eternal flame of love within ones heart. Truly a Spiritual Connection... and a Love of a lifetime.

“The more connections you and your lover make, not just between your bodies, but between your minds, your hearts, and your souls, the more you will strengthen the fabric of your relationship, and the more real moments you will experience together.” ~Barbara De Angelis

Finding Love...

Tweet

 "There are two kinds of sparks, the one that goes off without a hitch like a match, but it burns quickly. The other is the kind that needs time, but when the flame strikes... it's eternal, don't forget that." ~Timothy Oliveira

engtech.wordpress.com

Finding Love...

When we must face the world alone

It seems a lonely place.
If we've no one to share it with,
We cannot see its grace.

We're lost upon an empty sea
Adrift within the storm.
A shadow of our former selves
Without substance or form.

And yet, we strive to carry on,
To see the sun once more.
We place our hearts upon the block,
As we have done before.

But often we will move too fast,
Or try to skip ahead.
If one but glances through a book,
He can't know what he's read.

Each story cultivates a path,
From beginning to end.
It's a trail true love must follow,
The way that it was penned.

If you attempt to circumvent
The courtship at the start,
Your romance will become a fling,
Which leads to broken hearts.

For who could ever trust someone
Who gives themselves so swift,
And shares with one they hardly know
Such an intimate gift.

Happy endings are rarely found,
In tales that start this way.
Such passion sometimes feels like love,
But some passion fades away.

And if no love can then be found,
You'll be alone again.
Adrift upon that empty sea,
Where you have often been.

For if your offered love is free,
And it need not be earned,
What merit do you think it has,
When it is not returned?

Love's worth is measured by the work
Required to make it grow.
But when you give that love away,
Its value is brought low.

So if you seek this treasured prize,
Here's what you'll have to do.
The love you offer someone else
Must mean something to you.
~ The End.    By Mark Spencer

"You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later, when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip." ~Jonathan Carroll

Finding Love... A New Map
Finding the 'One'
Love Manual... please
Unconditional Love
What does Love mean to You?

Be Passionate About What You Do!... Do what you love - Love what you Do! By: Kathy Crofoot

Tweet 

"Passion is universal humanity. Without it religion, history, romance and art would be useless." ~ Honor de Balzac

By emilysd33

"Live with Passion!"

If I’ve learned anything in my years on this Earth, it’s to do what you love and are passionate about, or you’re cheating your client (or boss), and more importantly yourself.  A client that does their own bookkeeping and hates it, is likely to make a mess of it.

I’ve seen a lot of messages floating around the VA Forums about what skills to offer, comparing ones’ own skills to others’ and how would they be able to make it in the VA world with their particular of skills. That one doesn’t have this skill or that skill, and won’t be able to compete with others who have those skills. My question is… Why would you want to compete?  Why not find your passion and do that?

Be Passionate

Darlene of D. Victoria Virtual Assistance creates A Virtual Perception Podcasts.  From listening to her Podcasts, you can tell she’s passionate about what she does.  It shows in every episode she loves every minute of it. Can I do what she does?  Maybe, but I’m not passionate about it, and probably wouldn’t be very good at it.  We’re not in competition.

Because she’s not passionate about bookkeeping, she wouldn’t want to compete with me.  My passion is to apply my bookkeeping expertise to help business owners do just that.  My other passions are Organization and Systems, and helping others find their way.  All of these things are interrelated.

"Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night." ~ Glade Byron Addams

Love what you do!

When I started my first business a dozen years ago,  I didn’t remember much about the bookkeeping that I learned in Business School.  That first year was pretty rough when I went to the accountant with our taxes.  He recommended QuickBooks, and an Accounting class I could take at the University that really sparked my interest.  I continued on with my business, and found myself being sucked into the bookkeeping part of making the business run.  I found out that I LOVED bookkeeping, and that second year when I went to the accountant, with the books in hand, and the tax forms mostly filled out, he said I had a knack for it.

Fast forward a few years when I was looking for a job and put QuickBooks experience on my resume (because by then I knew it backwards and forwards) and I landed a job with a small business.  It was then that I became passionate about bookkeeping, and helping this business owner understand his financial picture.

Fast Forward a few more years, and I’m getting into the VA world, almost by accident.  The opportunity literally dropped into my inbox, and I went zooming off to an unknown future, away from a job and commute I disliked.  See, this job had nothing to do with bookkeeping. Numbers and sales goals, yes, but not bookkeeping. I was ill more often, had accidents, and a general dislike of the people I was dealing with and the situation I was in.  I was doing my employer a disservice by going through the motions.

Today, I help others; by get organized, put systems in place, and understand their financial picture.  I love what I do, and I’m passionate about it.

©2009 Kathy Crofoot

"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing." - Will Rogers 

Blogger of Note (BON)... from 'Words of Wisdom'

Tweet 

Great Inspirational Quotes.com

I am very Happy and Honored that my blog has been selected for "Blogger of Note" by Sandy and Pam @ Words of Wisdom!  It is being featured on Wednesday, November 24th.  The day before Thanksgiving...how appropriate because I am very thankful!  Thank you Sandy & Pam for this honor and a special thank you to Vanessa @ Optimal Optimist for the WOW nomination! 

To my regular followers, please visit Words of Wisdom and see the truly inspiring blogs they feature 3 times a week.  You will love what you find!

To those who have found my blog through Words of Wisdom (WOW), Welcome and Thank You for your visit!!  I hope you read, comment and get inspired!!

As part of being selected, I was to pick some recent blog post to feature here today.  For many reasons, I am going with post that I poured my heart and soul into recently.  I hope you enjoy them and I also hope that featuring them again will help give someone new to my blog... the insight, strength, hope or the inspiration they may need today.  

Hoping that Autism Awareness brings Compassion and Understanding
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/03/hoping-that-autism-awareness-brings.html

What does Love mean to you?
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-does-love-mean-to-you.html

Living a Lie
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/11/living-lie.html

She is crazy... but she is Smart
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/11/she-is-crazybut-very-smart.html

Silencing the Violence of Verbal Abuse
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/08/silencing-violence-of-verbal-abuse.html

When and How to Leave Unhealthy Relationships
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2011/02/when-and-how-to-leave-unhealthy.html

Waiting for the 'One'
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/01/finding-that-one-right-man.html

Knowledge Changes Things
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2011/07/knowledge-changes-things.html#axzz2MiyR3oYF

Betrayal Has Many Forms
http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2010/02/betrayal-can-have-many-forms.html#axzz20kHxvo7w

For those of you that don't know, I'm an Asperger Syndrome parent and advocate. I'm also a domestic abuse survivor and single-parent... although I only have one of my three awesome sons still at home.
I had wanted to write about my life experiences for a very long time. Finally, with the the encouragement and support of great friends who believed in me, I started writing 'publicly' almost a year ago when I started this blog. It has been my therapy and passion every since!

I have enormous compassion and understanding for others, which has lead to my passion for helping people most of my life through various jobs, church and community service. With this blog and my writing about my own life experiences, I've been able to connect with so many people. Guiding parents to special needs resources and giving others the strength to leave bad relationships, heal and move on. This experience of helping others through my blog has been more rewarding than I ever imagined.

Thank you all for visiting my blog!

Blessings & Many Hugs,
Coreen

"If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you." ~ T. Alan Armstrong

 

Sweet Country Boy.......

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you're a leader." ~John Quincy Adams

I saw this man a while back who at first glance was a nice looking sweet country boy. Then I met him and realized he was so much more. Up until that time in my life, I'd never met anyone like him.

When I first heard him speak it was to a group of young people about his career choice, having a positive attitude and how he managed his people based on that positive attitude.

He was so incredibly passionate about what he did and the importance of attitude.  He was obviously very intelligent too, but without being arrogant.  Just open, honest and genuine!  He inspired me to believe in myself and to follow my own passions!

Since that day we have talked and gotten to know each other a little better. We have similar personalities, character qualities and the same family values.  We are very much alike.  I know in my heart that we were meant to be friends; because we each needed a friend at that time in our lives.

I feel comfortable around him.  I think he’s a true friend and that I can trust him.  Even more important, I think he ‘gets’ me.  A lot of people don’t, but I think he really does and I like that!

I had talked about writing for many years, but had never taken the initiative or just got started.  I had this dream of helping people with my experiences and stories.

Then I met this man with the passion for his job and the heart of gold toward other people.  He inspires me every day.  He is the reason I started writing, finally following my own passions and started fulfilling my own dreams.  Many of my stories are inspired by him and already help many people.  I know this from the private emails I receive everyday from those who find understanding, inspiration and strength from my blog post.

Much time has passed since I met this sweet man; and although we are busy with our careers and taking care of are own families; he continues to inspire me every time I think of him.  I know that my life, and the lives of everyone who knows him, will never be the same because of this sweet country boy!

"If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived?  Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you." ~T. Alan Armstrong

Finding that 'ONE' right man.

After my divorce several years ago, I started meeting new friends and going out.  I quickly rememembered why I didn’t date much in high school.  Because dating can be uncomfortible and even scary at times. 

In the last 5 years I have dated quite a bit. Most have only been 1st dates, where I knew right away they were not the ‘ONE’ I was looking for. So I didn’t accept another date. Others I thought could be, so I went on a few more dates. I then either realized I didn’t feel what I should. Or I saw red flags, and RAN!

At times I’ve been told that I don’t give even the nice guys a chance. So I've gone on some second dates, just to make sure they were not the ‘One’. But that has never changed my initial intuition or gut feeling.  It has only confused and hurt some good men. Which is never my intention and I always feel bad when that happens.

I dated one man who was very nice, but who lived 2 hours away.  At that time in my life, I didn’t have the strength or energy for a long distance relationship. Another man I dated a few times seemed very nice at first.  I quickly realized that he was controlling and manipultive.  He just didn't want to be alone and wanted someone to take care of him.  Actually, I've met more than a few men like that the last 5 years.

Several other men I briefly went out with were very angry and bitter toward their ex-wives or girlfriends. I don’t want someone who is angry or bitter.  Life is too short for that.  So I knew right away that none of them were the 'one' for me either.

Then of course there were the smooth, sweet talking men who were only after one thing. These men were all very self-centered with little or no real respect for women. They go from one pretty flower to the next with no intention of building a lasting relationship. These types of men get angry when a woman wants to wait until she is sure where the relationship is going.  Men like this are never the 'one' for any women.  This is why all women should have ‘rules’ or standards if you will.  Having standards gets rid of men like this very quickly.

I believe there should be more depth and meaning in a relationship than just self gratification and living in the moment. ~ “If you’re not worth the wait, it’s a sure sign they are NOT the ‘ONE’!” ~Me

Another complaint I've heard is that I’m too picky.  I disagree with that perspective too.  It's not that I'm too critical.  It's that I know exactly what qualities I’m looking for in a man.  There is a difference!  In the past I have lacked self-esteem and almost settled for less than what I deserve.  So a few years ago I raised the bar.  Since then some men have argued that my ‘bar’ is set too darn high! My response to that is ‘it’s about time’!

I’m an extremely passionate person, with emotions that run very deep.  That is who I am!  I want to be with someone who appreciates those characteristics and truely understands me! Someone with similar beliefs, family values and a positive attitude!  A man with the same heart and soul as myself, if at all possible.  I’m waiting for that ‘ONE’!

"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." ~Sam Keen