Tag Archives: Planning

If failing isn’t an option…

…then is success a fair goal.

I read that title a couple of times and it started to make more sense, what I meant by that statement was this; If you are going to take on a new challenge, and there was no chance to fail, then what would you learn, would the challenge have the same meaning. I practice every day to see the positive in all things, I have often said that fail is;

“F ound A nother I mportant L esson”

So I am OK with failing an attempt at something, if the attempt means you learned how to do it better next time. If you learned that it doesn’t mean you are any less of a person because you tried and did not succeed the first time, and especially if it means you look forward to trying again because it means something different now.

I absolutely love the thought of challenges, not just the ones that others offer, say, at work or in the gym, but the challenges you set up for yourself. Personally, I create challenges for myself every day, and at this point I think it might be the right time to admit I am not competitive, but like everyone else, I find beating the man I was yesterday feels pretty good, like when I go for my walk, yesterday I did 5k steps, today I shoot for 5010, yeah, I know, what’s 10 extra steps? Well to me its further than I went yesterday, and it’s not about the distance, its more about the determination.

Keep in mind as well, that challenges are not just physical, they are also emotional and spiritual, there are days when I wake up and I feel “tired” on a spiritual level, so I challenge myself to breathe, find my light and move forward. Emotionally I can lose myself occasionally, and it’s up to me to find myself, to remember who I am and why I am, and then challenge myself to be a better me.

It comes as no surprize then that I find such a wonderful fit for myself as an Author and now as a Social Marketer with an amazing company, you can probably imagine the challenges I set for myself on a day to day basis. I try to find a customer a day, someone willing to accept how easy it is to live with day to day products that are free of harsh chemicals and toxins, and then I try to find someone each week that may be interested in creating a business for themselves, something that can give them their time back and financial freedom. For me this business is creating the funds I need to publish my books, that is my WHY, that’s what drives me to challenge myself every day.

And yes, most certainly I fail, in fact I welcome failure in this industry because it helps me to grow, believe it or not, failure in the social marketing world means you face your fears, if you are afraid of talking to people, then you challenge yourself to reach out to one person a day, and you build from there. If you are afraid to BE out there, then you challenge yourself to start creating who you are, make your posts about you, about what you like, about what you do, then, working your way up to live videos to show the world that you are real… yes, it’s a huge challenge, and yes you might fail at first, but, you will also learn who you are, and most importantly, you will learn to believe in yourself.

Believe in you and see what happens, you will recognize the person you are meant to BE.

Find my Books here

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

You don’t know. . .

. . . what you don’t know.

I guess it is safe to say that I didn’t know a lot about what I was doing in life, so I learned as much as I could, now, six decades later I have learned a lot more about what I didn’t know.

Absolutely everyone you listen to will have their own ideas, their own perception on what it is they are teaching or sharing. Something else I have learned, and this is only my perception, is that when we hear the words “you have to” it puts us (me) in a defensive state, I would feel much better if I had the option; “you should” or “you could”, hearing this would make us (me) feel much more at ease.

So you want to write a book? Ok, here is the readers digest version of the steps, First; write the book (I have heard this is the easy part) then find THE editor for you (this step is important, your editor has to believe in you) then find THE most awesome designer (also important, your designer has to be able to create using your thoughts alone) then find a printer (yup, also important if you want good quality for your work) and there you have it, you have written your first book. The point here is one you may have missed, none of the people helping you with your book are “above you” they are on your level doing what they love to do WITH you, and if they do an excellent job you are going to share them with others, so, on that note, Thank you to my incredible team (Family) of book experts;

Rachel Small (Editor), Jessee Wise (Graphic Design/Illustrations) Fiona Raven (Designer), Friesens Printing (Printing), Beth Kallman Werner(Marketing), and a list of others too long to add in this post, but the most important are those that believed in me, and you all know who you are.

WI:)ND

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Don’t base your dreams on what yesterday brought. . .

. . .create them with what tomorrow will bring.

I listened to a person last night, a person just like you and me,  he spoke about dream building and goals, and he spoke about believing in yourself. This really hit home for me because I have already lived one of my dreams, so I speak from experience when I say dreams can happen, but when I listen to others that are living and sharing their dreams it makes my heart happy.

My dream was to write one book, to fill it with inspiration and energy, to have the reader open it, read it, feel it and become inspired in themselves, to understand the power of a smile and to create achievable goals. I lived that dream, I wrote that book, and I went on to write 4 more. I am still creating these little books with another 5 books in the works, my dream is not yet done as I will continue to write and share my energy long after I’m gone, those that can feel the wind will share my smiles.

Now, I am meeting other people with dreams, they don’t just have dreams, they create their dreams and they are living them, everywhere I go now I am meeting these people and they are sharing their dreams, they are smiling, they are happy and all they are doing is sharing what they believe in. They are not writers they are believers, they are not sales people they are sharing people, to some of them it is not about the money or the potential earnings it is about the dreams and the Why.

It donned on me last night while I was listening to this person, that one of my dreams was to share with the universe the energy and the desire to believe in yourself, now I am feeling that everyone who has read my little books has helped me to live my dream, so it is my turn to give back to the world with an opportunity to create yours.

Every time I hear one of these people speak I think of how amazing it could be if everyone could live one dream, well, this is a chance to do just that. I have reached out to my friends, because they are my friends, I have shared with them and given them the choice, now I am sharing with the world, and giving everyone that same choice and the same opportunity exists to live your dream.

http://www.bawbsravenfeathers.net

Thoughts are Things

WI:)ND🌻

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Yesterday is a memory. . .

 

. . . tomorrow’s on its way.

 

How far ahead do you plan? Do your plans carry certain expectations? What if something goes wrong? If a glitch appears in your plans, are you disappointed? Or, are you capable of living in the moment and altering plans without so much as furrowing your brow? Life really is difficult sometimes, so it’s important to find balance by controlling your stress levels and increasing your fun times, even while enduring unforeseen circumstance.

 

They say “live in the moment,” but what does this mean, exactly? If you live in the moment can you still make plans? Yes. Living in the moment means breathing without worrying about your next breath. It means going ahead and making your plans but finding the balance required to understand and appreciate changes. Things are going to happen—let them, then change your plans in the moment.

 

Life should flow from one moment to the next. One day, one week, should flow to the next. Plans can be made, and then you can flow until the day and time the plans were made for. But try not to wait for that day, as the unwritten laws of physics state: “The object waited for becomes the object furthest away from the moment you are living in.” You’re right, I just made that law up, but this is always what happens when you wait for something, so it should be a law. Instead of waiting, try to have fun with the balance between excitement and nonchalance Too much anticipation can lead to disappointment if “things happen.”

 

Live your life today and stop worrying about what’s to come. Your life is going to happen, and it will be what you make of it, so make it happy and fulfilling. Use your moments to share a smile, enjoy the little things, and plan for the big things. Spend time both making memories and enjoying them as they happen. Don’t rush tomorrow—it will come, and with it will come 1440 new minutes to live in.

 

Mother Nature goes out of her way to give you things to see and listen to. She even knows that smells can trigger memories. So out of all the moments of your life, take at least one or two a day to appreciate the beauty of it. In between the plans you’ve made.

 

When you smile at beauty a memory is made, like a camera’s clicking shutter.

If it’s butterfly you’re smiling at, then take the time to hear her wings flutter.

 

🙂

 

BawB

 

I feel like a kid with a plan. . .

 

. . . in a candy store.

 

Whoever said life gets boring as you get older never wrote a book. The writing process is not just about the effort it takes to produce words and make sure they all come together—it’s also about anticipation, waiting, wondering, and learning. I asked my editor, Rachel, if every author gets this excited every time he or she publishes a book or if the excitement wanes after a while. She said “I’m not sure, but I certainly hope so because there is so much joy to be found in the process.” Personally, I have been just as excited working on volume II as I was while working on volume I, and I don’t see any difference in the anticipation factor either.

 

I am growing each day, learning new things, experiencing the reality of what living a dream feels like. I am thinking thoughts that take me five years down the road, where my dream of publishing a series of ten volumes of my little book is becoming a reality; the books are sitting on my shelf in the box I designed for them, the colors of the dust jackets shifting gradually with each volume, at least, that’s the plan 🙂

 

The excitement I’m feeling comes from the fact that I created a goal and put a plan together to achieve it after looking at every angle and path available. My marketing expert, Beth, from Author Connections, said, “If I could tell people one thing about writing a book, it would be that they need to plan.” This statement really hit home when I received the Marketing plan she put together for me, it is full of doors to open and paths to follow, talk about planning at it’s best.

 

I have learned that it is good to dream, but to make things happen, you do need to plan. I have learned that writing the words is the easy part—just don’t quit. But then comes the planning: who is going to read your book? Where can they buy it? How are you going to distribute it? Plan, plan, plan. First, plan on finding an editor to work with, explain  your dream, and show  your excitement; an editor might help guide you with your plans. Be prepared to learn. If you are not learning, you are not asking the right questions.

 

Apply this concept of planning to your life in general. Plan your future, plan your holidays, plan your next meeting, or just plan to go for ice cream. Don’t be afraid to dream, and don’t ever second-guess yourself. You are the only one who can make your life happen. Make your dreams come true—start with the little ones, then dream big.

 

Walk with pride down your life’s path, enjoy how simply being feels

Dream of doing what you want to do, then plan to make it real.

 

🙂

 

BawB