Make your resolution. . .

…then ask yourself WHY?

The single most important thing that I choose to reflect on right now, is that you don’t have to wait for any particular day of any particular year to create a resolution, (that you probably won’t keep anyway) nor do you have to wait for something to go wrong to make changes.

I started a new little business a year ago, and it’s no coincidence that it feels like I have waited a year to “see” if it was going to work, well, it is working, but, could it be better, absolutely, did I wait too long before I decided to make some changes, again, ABSOLUTELY.

Do you find yourself waiting, if so for what? Do you have your own little business, and do you treat it like a business, if you had to wake up every morning and drive to a location, turn a key to open a door, lift the blinds and wait for people to walk in… would THAT feel more like a business?

Here’s the thing, and YES there’s a thing, I chose to run my little business, and in 2 days I am going to throw open the big double doors and start treating it like a store, my store, every now and then you will see a sign in my window letting you know what I do, If you walk into my store I will treat you like royalty, because you are a customer, because you are helping my store survive, if you tell your friends about my store I will remember you and make you feel important, if you like the products in my store I hope you tell me so I can share your success with others.

I will also say hello to other store owners, because they throw open their doors and greet the world with a smile every day, I get it now, you didn’t come to FB to buy things, you came here to be entertained, to live the drama, to hear the rumors, but, while you are here NOT buying things, smile at us, we are the store owners that run our little businesses so you have somewhere to go if you need anything. I guess we are the convenience stores open for you 24/7 so you have somewhere to stop as you drive to your brick and mortor jobs and make money for someone else so they can stay home and not shop on FB.

Believe in you my friends, use what you know to create the questions that help you to find the answers to what you don’t know. Don’t be afraid to make those changes to your life, don’t wait for the right time, or the right day, and for goodness sake don’t wait for a single day out of 365 to invent a resolution you probably have NO intention keeping…

Be happy being you every day, if you need a change then find the way, if negative happens don’t let it stay, and remember…work is work, you need time to play.

Find my Books here

https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=BawB%27s+Raven+Feathers&sitesearch_type=STORE

It’s not always what you think you see. . .

. . .sometimes it’s just meant to be.

I have been growing in the last three months, growing and learning and listening, and most importantly I have been watching others become successful, doing exactly the same thing, it inspires me to watch them and learn, it creates a positive path for me to walk on, with an obtainable goal, and without a “finish line” it makes this journey more fun, it turns it into and adventure.

But let’s take a minute and figure out how I got here, or more importantly how we ALL get here. It starts when we’re 5, we are led to school by our parents or guardians, and we are told to listen to some total strangers tell us what to do, when to do it and how to do it. We are told how to dress, how to behave, how to read and write, how to create formulas using the Pythagorean theory, then after twelve long agonizing years we are released, only to discover yet another path where we can once again become students but on a much higher level. Another four or five years pass and we are finally free, to become ourselves, to use this knowledge we have gained and create a life for ourselves… by working for someone else. By becoming someone else’s profit maker, being told what to do, and when to do it, being given impossible timelines and being told when we can eat, when we can have coffee, when to arrive, when to leave, what to wear and how to behave. Huh, sounds like one of those full circles we hear so much about but never believe could happen to us.

Then comes the dream, you focus that part of your brain that remains yours, the part that wasn’t changed or altered by society, the part that still dreams, and you use it… to dream of winning the lottery… that’s right, you have succumbed to what you believe to be your escape, your deliverance from societies evil oppressive ways. You fixate on something that may or may not happen, I won’t say it can’t, it could happen, but, could it happen too late, what if it happens on your eighty second birthday, are you going to be able to jump for joy?

So, now, fast forward back to today, back to my adventure, something I have never done before, something most of us have never done before…work for no-one else… I work for myself, I dress how I choose, come and go as I please, I can get sick without feeling guilty, and best of all, the money I make, goes in MY pocket, for my trips, my cars, my pets my purpose. Yeah, I know, you’ve read this far, and now you think I either won the elusive lottery or I’m selling something, well, no to both. What I have done is taken the opportunity that was presented to me, I jumped off of societies doomed ship to nowhere, and I landed on my own ship, one that I steer, a fine sturdy ship with tall sails that catch the wind, I have found my adventure.

It’s totally not what I thought it was, and I am making it become what I need it to be, it is my own small business, it is my contribution to the world, it is showing people how to make their own choices, you don’t have to buy and use something because the TV and multimillion dollar ads tell you to, you can choose to live your own way, shop where you want and buy what you like. Break free of societies grip, of the brain washing, of the titles and negative energy put on small businesses. Support your friends, support your neighbours, and oh yeah, support YOURSELF, ask yourself why you are continuing to put money in your boss’s pocket, or in the bank of a multi-billion-dollar chain store.

Find something that interests you and DO IT, I’m not saying drop everything and go, I’m saying take a chance to become a part time social marketer, or a customer, spread the word for your friend’s small business and feel good about yourself, feel good because you have helped someone create a life for themselves, then consider your own life, and yes my friends, you can do this… I did.

Choose to live your own life, it is yours after all… WI:)ND 

A new adventure. . .

. . . always begins with the first step.

So here I am, sitting high up on the edge of success overlooking a scene of what my life will become, I am taking the first step to my new adventure. I realized a short while ago that I was there, that place which becomes familiar to artists and authors, people of all sizes and types and backgrounds with all sorts of talents. That place where dreams are so close to becoming reality that you can feel it, then reality hits and you realize that you are two nickels short of a dime to make it happen….

So you dig a little deeper and you don’t ever give up on a dream!!!

WI:)ND🌻

Traded my Harley for Horses. . .

 

 

. . . and I haven’t looked back (the horse didn’t come with a mirror).

 

If you were to have asked me five years ago if I could become an award winning author I would have thought about it for two seconds and replied “could happen, you never know” however if you were to have asked if I ever saw myself trading my Harley for a Horse I would respond by asking you if you had momentarily lost your mind.

 

Now, not surprisingly, here I am in a state of being between Harleys and I am still working with a large black 4-year-old Tennessee Walker named Dracula, for those that don’t know, the Tennessee Walking horse is like the touring class of equine breeds with a natural free flowing gait and, I am learning, a great deal of stubborn pride as well. The gait is incredible to watch, the stubborn pride is teaching me to look in the mirror.

 

I have learned a great deal in this lifetime, I have watched and listened, I have seen and understood, but I have yet to grasp the concept of change, it is something we are faced with almost every day of our lives, in society, in politics, in the weather and in plans made or goals desired, change is something we live with but have difficulty creating. Often we find ourselves desperately needing a change in our lives in order to grow or move forward, yet we are hesitant or reluctant to create changes because they may mean choosing a different path, a path we are not familiar with which in itself is directly related to the universal law of cause and effect.

 

So, all laws aside, I find myself now settled on a different path, in a different place, yet I am still writing with the same inspirational energy and still breathing, believing and being the BawB I have grown comfortable with, so is the change I experienced just a mind set or has my definition of a compatible reality altered just enough for me to allow and accept the flow of positive energy wherever I am standing in the moment?

 

Bob Dylan said it best in 1963 “the answer my friend is blowing in the wind” and I find myself listening to the wind more these days, as long as it is at my back be it Horse or Harley I am at peace.

 

Update on BawB’s Raven Feathers Series 2, my awesome editor Rachel Small has been locked in a small dark room for the last 6 months working feverishly on the next 5 volumes… Okay, I am embellishing a little, she is most often working in a sun lit room filled with light and creative energy working at a relaxed pace sorting through a huge amount of poetic inspiration and is, from what I am told, enjoying every minute of it.  🙂  Thank you Rachel, for doing what you do.

 

The moment you feel a change is needed that will help you just to grow

Is the very moment the wind will push you and a smile will start to show.

 

WI:)ND

bawbsravenfeathers.net

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How do you know if you’ve missed a beat. . .

. . .if you haven’t danced to your own drum?

 

It has been a while since I have had a look at my Blog site, the stats are showing that people still trickle by and read what I have written, but, I felt guilty for not contributing for such a long time. I have followed others as they embark on this writing adventure and I am so proud of them and their creative energy, it just seems to flow once you are in the zone. I find myself struggling of late to find that zone, I still post my morning inspiration each day, but the writing I do for my books is not coming to the surface, I feel it, I just can’t put it into words.

 

I am not worried however, my incredible Editor Rachel Small keeps nudging me while she works on the content of the remaining volumes. That, as I have mentioned before is so important, to have a flowing, comfortable and copacetic working arrangement with your editor, no pressure, just an honest understanding of what’s involved with what you are writing. One day I will wake up and there it will be, on the surface, ready to type.

 

Now this is not to say I am not busy, quite the contrary in fact as I am busier now than when I was working full time. I have moved south of the city to escape the pressures of big city living, the traffic, the drivers, the lack of motivation, my life was becoming ritualistic, patterned if you will. Okay fine, I was in a rut, plain and simple.

 

So here I am in a different, calmer, more laid back environment where I find the time to concentrate on doing what the Universe wanted me to do; help others to help themselves. Currently I am still Co-facilitating my Literacy and Parenting programs in the city for the Further Education Society, as well as Mentoring the up and coming authors at the Oilfields High School in Black Diamond AB. The wind also led me to the FCSS in Claresholm where I am now working with an amazing group of Ladies that excel in sharing their kind energy to those that need support.

 

And if that’s not enough I am now the proud Papa to a very handsome black stallion named Dracula’s Raven, (he came to me named Dracula, I added the Raven to share my spirit with him) together we are working to build a bond and to share what we both know about life. Eventually he will be under saddle, which I will call a graduation day for us both, and we will ride off into the sunset.

Until that day I will continue to write, and I am learning as I live;

With each new day you share yourself in the smile that you give.

 

WI:)ND

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On a path of adventure. . .

. . . the journey is always enjoyable.

 

Four years into this adventure of mine and I am still learning, and one of the greatest lessons so far is, I have learned how to share. I have learned how to take a compliment, I have learned how to wear the title of Writer, Author, and Publisher of 5 award winning books ( http://www.indiebookawards.com ) I have learned how to be patient and when to ask questions, I have learned that if I do something myself it becomes a much more appreciated task, and now with everything I have learned I become better at what I am doing, better at reading my work in from of others, better at sharing my opinions and thoughts and better at math (adding up the book sales) but still, with all of Beth’s effort   (http://www.authorconnections.com )  I am still not very good at marketing.

 

Try as I might I just can’t seem to get the knack of promoting myself, or “pushing” my books, I am still quite humble, I have never been pushy, more I think “to myself” which created my comfort box. Well, to all of the up and coming artists out there, when you have done what you enjoy doing and you share it with the world, your “box” whatever it may consist of, disappears.

 

So here I am today stripped of any boxes, enclosures, spheres or armor, here I am today practising the incredibly misunderstood and often unappreciated art of marketing.

 

Christmas is rapidly approaching and I can’t think of a better gift than that of inspiration, this year give a gift that will continue to be a gift for the next year to come. Put a set of BawB’s Raven Feathers under the tree of that special someone, or friend or family member, show them how to share a smile with the world and they will share it for a lifetime.

 

The paperback editions are available for order (or on the shelves of Calgary North locations) of Chapters, Indigo and Coles.

And Hardcover editions are available Individually or as a Boxed set at all the wonderful stores mentioned on my website( www.bawbsravenfeathers.com ) please stop into any one of these stores to do some of your Christmas shopping as they all carry those amazing little “must share” gifts.

Yes, it is still a little uncomfortable promoting myself and my work, but I am told every day that what I do needs to be shared with the world, and I truly believe that what you do as well needs to be shared, and if you are still in the learning stages then you are moving in the right direction, if you have any questions ask them, if I can help I most certainly will.

 

And one final note, I am seeking a distribution company, Canada and the US, my little books are doing really well in and around Calgary but they need to be shared everywhere else, if anyone has any tips or suggestions please share, and yes I do ask for directions. 🙂

 

Christmas is a time for giving, your heart, your soul, your smile,

Give the gift of inspiration and it will last a good long while.

 

WI:)ND

BawB

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If you continue to inspire the Universe. . .

. . . the Universe will continue to inspire you.

 

I woke this morning to begin a typical day, I let my little dog out, grabbed a coffee (I program the coffee maker for 5 AM so the coffee is ready for me) and I sat down in my office to write my morning inspiration, https://www.facebook.com/iambawb                                                                     the beginning of a typically wonderful day at BawB’s house.

 

My day was soon to change, for the better. I found myself needing to pursue with a bit more aggression the distribution of my little books, I am doing pretty well here in Calgary, but that is just not enough, I needed more visibility. So, off I go on my quest, first stop IBPA https://www.ibpa-online.org to click on the resources tab to find a list of distributors and wholesalers.

 

I made my selection, and then began writing an introductory/query letter to introduce my books and myself and begin a new adventure. While I was writing my letter I thought it might be a good Idea to include a review or two that I have received to help promote the sincerity I am trying to generate with these companies.

 

This brings me now to the Universe part of this new adventure that brought a tear to my eye, again. While I was searching for a review I found this most recent one I had not yet seen on Google:

 

http://www.yourmindschool.com/bawbs-raven-feathers-reflections-on-the-simple-things-in-life/

 

I added it to my letter and I wanted to share it with You because the Universe shared it with me.

 

I am so very proud of these little books, and so thankful for all the people involved in helping me create them… and of course for all of the readers that are enjoying them…my adventure continues.

 

Don’t ever give up my friends, keep writing, painting, drawing and creating, then share with the world what you have done, share your pride, share your tears and your laughter… and for the absolute joy of being you and doing what you do, share your smile in the wind.

 

Happiness is not just something you imagine you can be

It is found by letting yourself image that you are.

 

WI:)ND

 

BawB

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Imagine if you will. . .

. . . that we still have the will to imagine.

 

I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately, and no, that is not why I have been neglecting my writing. I have not been writing because I have had nothing to share. This is a Blog after all, it is an open forum to share our thoughts, the ones we think the universe would like to hear about, and although I have kept busy with things, the universe is a busy place, so I was being thoughtful.

 

I am engaged in a new program (Further Education Society of Alberta) at a local facility with my Mentor and Co-facilitator Lois, and in this program I am seeing things a little differently. The participants are an awesome group and enjoy the fact that we are there for them, but my outlook has changed. I am looking at life a little differently, or should I say a part of life, which I think we lose at a very early age. This part of life I am focusing on is our ability to use our imagination.

 

We lose our imagination when we start school, (in my opinion) we are placed at a desk among our peers and we are told to learn, and for the next 12 years straight our minds are filled with facts, figures, information and opinions, we lose our imagination completely. Oh I know we get caught day dreaming a lot, but that is not the same thing. Now, some fifty years later I am finally able to imagine again, to run through puddles like a grizzly chasing salmon, to see shapes in the clouds and imagine myself flying through them with outstretched ebony wings.

 

The “key” I think, to enjoying life and being happy is to simply imagine you are, but without the ability to imagine, we are doomed. I have the absolute privilege to have the opportunity to chat with some very wonderful people in my day-to-day adventures, and I am appreciating the fact that most everyone I talk to is thrilled to learn of my thoughts on our imagination. It seems as though all it takes is the simple turn of a tiny key to unlock a gift that each and every one of us is born with. Now if we can attach this tiny key to the smiles we share in the wind, the world will be that much happier.

 

On another note, my little books are now available (paperback editions) through Chapters/Indigo and Create Space (change the little grey box in the upper right from “site” to “store”)  and the Hard Cover Boxed Set of Series One is available at all the New Age, Spiritual, Mind and Body shops in Calgary and surrounding area. Please see my website for locations and stores. Plus I can share with the Universe that my little inspirational books have made it over to Japan, this is just the start of a wonderful adventure to come I imagine.

Stay tuned for information on Series Two.

 

If you want to find your happiness, just imagine that you are

Once you do it looks good on you, now its time to touch that star.

 

WI:)ND

BawB

http://www.bawbsravenfeathers.net

 

Use positive steps. . .

. . . and you will arrive at positive places.

It’s been a while since I have had the pleasure of sitting with the keyboard and sharing my thoughts. I still write every morning but only my short bursts of inspirational poetry, which come to me at 0500 with my first cup of coffee. I choose to abstain from writing if in fact I have nothing to write about because I don’t want to end up with nothing to read. 🙂

 

I have decided to move forward with Series Two of BawB’s Raven Feathers; my editor Rachel has plunged herself into the piles of print and papers I have sent to her, she is using her positive perception while perusing for some perfectly printed prose and poetry, and in this series there will be a particularly pleasing positive twist using pristine pictures… whew, that’s enough p’s for one paragraph.

 

I have also had the absolute pleasure of growing in my role as a facilitator with the Further Education Society of Alberta. So far I have co-facilitated two full programs at the Calgary Remand Center, and I have found working with those groups to be incredibly rewarding, but it gets better. I was offered an opportunity to run a writing circles program at the Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society and although I was nervous as heck to step up on my own, it too has been very rewarding.

 

The real ground breaking, earth shattering, life changing event for me, was being trusted with my co-facilitator Lois’ (I am actually Lois’ side kick, but we work so well together) group at the Alcove Addiction Center for Women. I have never in this lifetime met such a wonderful group of strong, dedicated, determined women. This group not only welcomed and trusted me but also made me feel accepted. Together over the last few weeks we have, in a two-hour session each week, achieved a level of balanced calm, while using our imaginations to escape for a moment to a place of much appreciated inner peace.

 

I have such tremendous respect for the men and women in these groups I have been asked to work with, as they possess the will and desire to achieve their own level of happiness after experiencing and learning from some of life’s hardest lessons. The positive energy they share with me in our two-hour sessions lasts me for the entire week and I look so forward to sit with them again.

 

I hope only to absorb some of their wonderful energy and have it mix with mine while I follow the path to becoming a seasoned and well-rounded facilitator, so far I am honoured to sit with and watch the masters while I learn from them and to share with these groups of amazing people my own peaceful, positive and inspirational energy.

 

Keep doing what you do if it works for you and each day you’ll find yourself growing

Share what you learn with others you meet and your smile will always be showing.

 

WI:)ND

BawB

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Time is more than something you have. . .

. . . it is also something you need to make.

I have experienced a shift of sorts in my understanding of “time”, I don’t profess to truly understand it or it’s effects on the world as we know it, but I think I now have a better grasp of what it means to me. When I started writing my books I was told that in the book world the concept of time slows to a crawl. It can take months, even years to finish a manuscript, which then goes to an editor, who needs time with it to work their magic, then a designer, whose time has not yet been measurable in anyone’s standards, they are just amazing in their own right and can do the impossible in whatever time it takes. Then off to the printer, and in “no time at all” you have your book.

Now, my question is; How much time does it take to get a book “out there”? I have been at it for three years, 5 volumes, 1 boxed set –Series One. Done. Now, I wait, and as I understand it I wait until I understand it better, when that happens I will let the universe know. Until then I keep doing what I’m doing and sharing my experience to others caught in the book warp; good things will happen, you just wait, you’ll see.

J

With all of the questions I have been asking myself about my time and my concepts of limits and unwritten rules, I find myself chatting more frequently with people in their own situations who are faced with their own concepts of time. We tend to agree there are pressures from society to “let go” and “move on”, and I ask; move on to what? Let go of what? Who wrote the book on the rules of time in situations of the heart and soul? When a soul we held dear in our hearts crosses over, is there a rule somewhere that states:

We must complete our passage to a place where we should be living comfortably without a soul we miss, by the second Tuesday of next week at any o’clock or we are no longer invited to compete in the human race.

Really!

We are all individuals, we are all unique, whether we are waiting for a book to be enjoyed, a painting to dry or a heart to heal, our concept of time is our own, there is no getting over, no moving forward, no letting go, until each individual chooses their own time, and in due time they will let the Universe know they are ready to BE who they choose BE once again.

If I had the power to make one wish come true, it would be a wish for all living things to make the time to enjoy the time they have on this colourful world we call earth. It is our chance to do the things we enjoy doing, to share in the happiness of simply being and to cast to the Universe enough smiles that it will take a lifetime to enjoy them all.

Take your time to see the things you really need to see

Make the time to be the you that you really want to be.

WIJND

BawB

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