Fear. Snap out of it.
The Dreams That Tug…
We all have dreams, goals and aspirations that consistently tug at our hearts. Some annoyingly, some quietly. We sleep, gaze, visualize, but the ideas just won’t go away. Most often we are stuck….afraid to take the leap. Here I share the story of how one dreamer who made the move that impacted generations. May it inspire you to never ever give up.
The cheesecake Factory story begins in Detroit, Michigan in the 1940’s. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper that would inspire her “Original” Cheesecake. Everyone loved her recipe so much that she decided to open a small Cheesecake shop, but eventually gave up her dream of owning her own business in order to raise her two small children, David and Renee. She moved her baking equipment to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best restaurants in town while raising her family.
In 1972, with her children grown, Evelyn and her husband Oscar decided to pack up all of her belongings and move to Los Angeles to make one last attempt at owning her own business. With the last of their savings, they opened “The Cheesecake Factory Bakery” and began selling Evelyn’s cheesecakes to restaurants throughout Los Angeles.
Through hard work and determination their business grew to a modest size and Evelyn was soon baking more than 20 varieties of cheesecakes and other desserts.
With a great foresight and intuition, their son David decided to open a restaurant to showcase his mother’s selection of cheesecakes. Somehow he just knew that guests would enjoy a restaurant with an extensive dessert menu. It was 1978 and he opened the first The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. The restaurant was an immediate success and today there are nearly 200 The Cheesecake Factory restaurants around the world that share the Overton’s commitment to quality and spirit of innovation and hard work.
May the delicious delicacy of the Cheesecake’s story ignite your passion to step out, go after your dream, and do what you have always wanted to do.
Have a dream? It’s never too late. Go get it.
Need help? Let’s connect.
Cheers!
Share this:
Getaway To The Waves. The Sea. The Shore.
Waves splashing. Seas rough. Birds chirping. Softly. Quietly. Then louder as if composing a song. As if complaining … oh why so rough?
Now they fly. They soar. They meander. Still chirping high above beneath the sky. The white clouds embrace.
Waves calm down. Storm’s afloat. Passes by the outskirts as if to say, I’ll stop by next time…whenever that is. Behind it leaves weeds on the shore. Washed up. All aghast.
She Reads By The Sea
Book in hand she reads by the sea. Listening. Listening to the sounds of the waves. The birds. People shouting indistinctly in the distance. Soaking up the sun. Then softly covered by the clouds. Be still my soul.
Trees. Palm trees sway softly. Tenderly. Hear the birds call. The sun shines brightly against the afternoon’s wave.
The Right Time To Write
‘Tis the right time to write. To pray. To listen to the still small voice. Speak. Help me listen. Help me hear you. Don’t let me miss what you must say.
Peace.
Share this:
My Alexander Terrible Horrible Bad Day…
So it was one of those Alexander Terrible Horrible bad day.
1.Disagreement with boss
2.Bigger boss got mad at other boss because of a crazy issue
3.Both upset so everything went wrong after that
4. Rushed out later to return my iPhone
5. Reached post office and iPhone wouldn’t delete my info, smh
6.Tried for over 45 mins (I never give up)! Oh silly me.
7.Rushed into post office continuing manual deletes
8.Did most of it after standing there for another 15 minutes (empty post office but don’t want it to close on me). Delete. Delete. Delete. Slowly but surely …delete.
9. Finally decided to approach the clerk who looked at the box because I asked. He replied “Sorry this is USPS. You need UPS”.
10.Heart failed! Shocked! But laughed out loud! Omgeee! What a crasses!! (Island peeps will understand)
11. My 5 min FB live for book promo done without a caption (important for me).
12. My Heart sank
13. Had to take it down even though it started getting attention
14.Went up to Walmart to pick up a quick item to exchange for another. They said they couldn’t do it at that location. Smh
16.Went home after a long day.
17. Still have iPhone. Gonna try to return another time.
18.Then first thing the next morning I heard of a family returning from Georgia. Parents, teenage twins and another child….drove into a truck. All died.
Then there’s Hurricanes and other natural disasters that create havoc for those in their path.
So today I thank God for my Alexander Terrible Horrible bad day.
May this encourage you that there’s always someone worse than whatever you’re going through.
Cheers!
Share this:
The Hikes of Success
Hiking is like life. The Journey requires you to put one foot in front of the other …again and again. And if you allow yourself to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not only at the summit. ~Unknown
Traveling in the slow lane, I get angry. I get upset. Forgetting that I’m traveling in the slow lane. My progress is slowed. My destination eludes me and seem to get further away. My anger grows. My frustration… like a fuse lights up, ready to explode!
But that’s how it is with life. Missed steps, missed deadlines, procrastination. Failed business, exams, twisted careers, and more cause us to feel like we are driving in the slow lane. Our goals, dreams, aspirations seems unreachable. We get angry, frustrated, feel punished. But that’s because we have gone off course. We fail to plan. We fail to focus. We fail to keep our eyes on the goal. Milestones recede…ebbs away in the distance. One by one. We procrastinate saying I’ll get it done tomorrow…, but tomorrow never comes.
But all is not lost. Achieving our goal is like a Hike. If carefully planned our long…
View original post 67 more words
Share this:
17 Ways To Inspire Creativity…
Write. Create. Inspire to achieve.
Who would have thought a flock of birds would create such havoc? Yes indeed. Though extremely rare as one in a billion, it happens. The movie Sully shared the real life story of the pilot whose quick decision saved passengers on an aircraft he was flying. He landed in the Hudson River, and Miraculously saved over 150 lives. It’s a story of humility, bravery, admiration, fear, teamwork, leadership, and most of all calm in the midst of tragic circumstances. Doesn’t this story inspire you?
Who Inspires You?
Brian Tracy asked his audience “Who inspires you?” Many responded giving answers such as God, family including mom, dad, spouse, as well as leaders like Brian Tracy, Oprah, John Maxwell, mentor, teacher, coach, political leaders, and more. But surprisingly, one response stood out when a male said that he was not inspired by anyone or anything. Bewildered? Should this be reason for…
View original post 255 more words
Share this:
If You Do Not Travel…
If you do not travel,
You start dying slowly
If you do not travel,
If you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.
You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.
You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.
You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice.
~Martha Medeiros
Hope this speaks to you as it did to me. Hope it inspires you to step out and do something different today. Something that you have been delaying. Something that you have been putting off. It’s time,
Thanks Miss World Runner-Up Yendi Phillips for sharing. I couldn’t resist.
Cheers!
Share this:
15 Things To Do By Yourself…
Spending time alone is one of my absolute pleasures. I’m sure I’m not alone. You may also like to do that as well. A few years ago I shared that I had some planning to do and decided on a whim to jump into my car and drive to the beach. A few hours later, I had mapped out plans for my top goals for the rest of the year! yea! I left feeling totally satisfied to get things done! What seemed like an drilling exercise turned out to be quite productive, in a serene atmosphere.
Self-Care
Jo Chunyan shared a list of things do alone. I decided to pull my top 15 to share.
- Journal. Write up a list of things you would love to do. Declare your dreams and intentions or simply empty out all your thoughts into your notebook.
- Spend a day at a museum or art gallery
- Meditate – sit. Be still and devote time to listen to your spiritual thoughts. Breathe.
- Have dinner on your own in a nice restaurant – take time to really enjoy the food
- Go for a walk and enjoy breathing the fresh air
- See a film at a cinema on your own
- Rearrange your wardrobe and discover old clothes again.
- Donate old clothes, books and furniture. Make room for the new by clearing out the old.
- Go somewhere in the city where you have never been
- Give yourself a mini retreat weekend…eat healthy food, go for a massage, spoil yourself and really relax!
- Sip a cup of tea and look out the window
- Be Athletic. Go for a jog or walk on the beach. Breathe in the salty sea breeze and watch the waves lick the shore.
- Study. Sign up for an online course in any topic you have an interest in and learn something new
- Take a photo to depict each hour of your day
- Travel on your own. Learn something new about yourself.
Can you add any? Do share!
Cheers!
Register now to attend Writers Retreat and boost your writing project
Share this:
I Hate My Life. I Hate My Life…
I hate my life. I hate my life. I hate my life. That’s the chant I heard her saying as I approached her. Why would anyone say that? Such negative thought.
She had lost her husband. Her job. Her house. Her children. Her sense of independence. She felt she had nothing to live for. Beautiful. Smart. Educated professional she was, life had handed her difficulties. She thought she could never overcome life’s storms.
What were the right words to say to someone such as this?
There’s Hope
- When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.
- Only the strong survive.
- Hold on, never give up.
- The tide will change. Keep going.
- Stay positive.
- Meditate. Pray.
- While there’s life there’s hope.
Will she find solace in any of these? I’m sure. Your thoughts? Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
Share this:
4 Strategies To Beat The Over-Qualified Syndrome…
The fear they seek becomes their own
The Qualified are haunted and hunted by the overqualified syndrome. One recruiter even went so far as to say she would not hire someone who she believes is ‘over-qualified’ for the job. But has that recruiter examined the reason the so-called over-qualified applicant is searching? It could be for a career change. It could be to start a family and the person chooses to take a step back. It could also be an empty nester with a desire to simply slow down.
Give the Peeps a Chance
Here’s where it becomes necessary for the well-experienced candidate to use strategies to convince recruiters that you have no intention to come in to wreak havoc. Your desire is to join forces and work hard for the organization and/or department’s benefit.
Be warned Recruiter, one day you may be get there and then you will understand…when you’re misunderstood.
4 Strategies to Overcome
In her Wall Street Journal article the overqualified trap can hit you at any time, Sue Shellenbarger shared several strategies to combat the syndrome. Here I share my top 4 favs:
- Explain upfront why you’re applying for a position that seems beneath you
- Be consistent in explaining your reasons for applying throughout all interviews for the job
- Line up references who will vouch for your commitment
- Network with contacts who also know insiders at the target company
As a HR practitioner myself, I tend to be open to diverse applicants and our society certainly expects it. However, not all organization’s search process is without idiosyncrasies. So if you are an experienced job searcher as The power of Resilience when things go wrong in this depiction, the strategies listed before will help.
If you are on the hunt and find that there’s something that works for you, do share, we would love to hear.
Cheers!
Share this:
The Writing Process…
Writing is usually done in a private space… as in a cave all by ourselves. We tell no one unless we choose to share with those close. Oft it can even be top secret or shouted from the mountain top as happens when some celebrities write. It’s entirely up to you.
It’s Your Prerogative
Writers commit a month, a year, 2, 3 or more to their Writing process. It’s your prerogative. It all depends on you. No need to attend a retreat, until or unless you’re ready and you can always remain silent in the background listening to others speak. At a writers Retreat, some talk. Some don’t.
Spend time doing what you want to do before, during and after the retreat.
Why Bother?
People approach me to share my knowledge and (writing) experience with them. That’s the whole point of doing a Retreat. Facilitators or Hosts often incur a loss or just barely meet the expense for meals and accommodation for a small group retreat when it’s done for aspiring local authors. Over the years, it becomes more profitable.
But it’s worth it because of the satisfaction it brings. Often though some aspiring authors who actually need the help tend to hesitate to go the extra mile to acquire the knowledge. For me, before I wrote my first book about my phenomenalogical study on leadership and success, I attended a writers event and it helped me a lot. I invested resources to attend and like a sponge was happy to hear from the facilitators on their experiences. Before that I attended many writing events held throughout the industry and on campus to boost my craft.
Personally, I tend… to attend both good and bad’ sessions. Essentially, I love to compare what’s happening in the marketplace. From the ‘bad’ I learn what NOT to do. From the good…well that’s self-explanatory. I want to do better than the best while helping others achieve their best potential, whatever that is.
All in all, Writers have to test what works. Each individual differs. What works for one person may not work for the other.
What works for you? Do share. We would love to hear!
Cheers!
Register now to attend Writers Retreat and boost your writing project
Share this:
Life. It’s The Little Things…
Heal the World. Make it a Better Place. ~Michael Jackson
Save a Life. For my Birthday, I Donated. You should too.
