Tag Archives: Self reflection

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

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

If you don’t look where you’re going. . .

You will never know where you’ve been.

 

So much has happened in the last little while, and I know that sounds cliché but, unless we take a moment and reflect once in a while, we never really understand the “movement”. It seems like forever since I have sat down and transferred thought to paper, and to most it is a task that seldom makes back burner status, but to a writer, it is a “glitch”, a feeling that something is missing, almost an emptiness caused by a disconnection to the world, or in my case, I feel like I have not chatted with the Universe to let it know I am well, and to thank it for guiding my thoughts and sharing with me the energy of life.

 

Where do I start? Even that in itself is a question I have been asked lately, “where is your mindset when you sit down to write” and “how do you know what to say”. I will address those two things first; My mindset when I sit down to write is open, open to all that is positive and peaceful in the Universe, I feel balance, and I try not to focus on any one thing, rather, I wait to feel what comes to my mind first, then I roll my thoughts into words, the finished product is usually something inspirational and motivating, and with a little tweaking is perfect to share with the world. Second; I never “know” what to say, in fact, what happens is I “feel” what needs to be said. I guess an easy way to explain that is; if I see a picture of a flower, I feel the beauty of the flower, I feel the sunshine, the breeze, the dew left behind by the dawn, I feel the energy the flower shares with all who take the time to smell it… I “feel” what the flower feels and put it into words.

 

Now, on to my update, I have met SO many wonderful people recently, people that share the energy in the company I am with, people that are grateful to live clean healthy lifestyles, to have actually found youth and vitality just by trying something new and wonderful. But, its not all about the company, it’s about these people, sure they are all running their business, but they took the time to get to know me, who I am, what I do, they read my books, they follow my FB page, some have even shared smiles that found my heart and brought new light to my life.

 

These “things” that happen in our life, happen because we believe, because we ask the Universe for positive change, well, let me tell you, my world is FILLED with positive change, my business is growing, my books (Series II of BawB’s Raven Feathers) have been proofed and will be off to design shortly, but best of all, I have become re-acquainted with a man I have not seen in a while, I was introduced by a wonderful friend to Robert Chomany, the man responsible for the books, for the smiles, for the inspiration, the man my Mom, Bless her heart, raised me to be.

 

It seems somehow I grew comfortable hiding behind a book title, a name, an image, I was so comfortable being invisible that I forgot about how incredibly rewarding it is to be seen. I am Robert Chomany, I am proud, and I am Inspired to share with the Universe this person I am happy to BE.

 

When you feel the wind, then spread your wings, its time for you to soar,

There is a time for you to see yourself, how beautiful you are and even more..

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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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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The Spirit of Christmas. . .

. . . lives in my Heart.

 

I awoke on Christmas morning the same way I have for some 20,800 previous mornings, give or take a leap year or two, I awoke with energy and the spirit of life in my heart, energy that is all of us, energy that is our belief, our ethics, out pride and our morals, but before all else could be thought of I awoke Happy to simply be.

 

I haven’t any needs or wants, I have no desire for any do-overs, I have Family and Friends, I have responsibilities and I have commitments. I have the present of presence, I open it every morning, no tree, no music no change and no difference, to me it is the greatest gift we can give ourselves, and in turn the smile it creates will radiate to others, a gift that keeps on giving… so to speak.

 

This Christmas I had such warmth in my heart, I had time and calm balance to reflect, I smiled as I remembered Christmases past when I was little, sneaking down stairs to the tree and feeling the energy even then, I had no idea what it meant but I knew it was special… I knew there was more. This Christmas the “more” came to me, as I ambled down my hallway to the smell of fresh coffee and the never ending smile of my little dog Levi, I felt the love and energy of the universe, I have no tree, no lights, no music playing but it was all there, it was a Christmas of memories and it felt wonderful, like it was right there in front of me. It meant the world to me and I am so very thankful for having experienced it.

 

The spirit of Christmas that lives in my heart consists of all the smiles and laughter of the people from my life that have crossed, and all the people that still share it, those that make me smile when I think of them, because I know wherever they are they are smiling back. It is not just the spirit of Christmas for only a few days a year, but it is also the spirit of living, the essence of life, the giving and receiving of presence, every day of every year… and sharing a present that is the warmth of a smile.

 

This Christmas I was greeted in the mirror by the light of life, it reflected my successes, my learning and my encouragement, it was filled with kindness and caring and it is meant to be shared… the highlight of my Christmas this year was holding in my hands my Box Set of inspiration and smiles wrapped in word hugs that was created by the hands and hearts of many wonderful people, that I can now share with the world. This Christmas I was comfortable being me, and I am so very happy to share my world and my dream with all of you.

 

Find peace and balance in the days to come and in the year that follows, believe in you and believe in your spirit within.

WI:)ND

BawB

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What happens in a writers life. . .

. . .when a writer has nothing to write?

 

Well in this writers life it seems the weeks between the time the files for a book are uploaded to the printer and the arrival of the books are the longest weeks of your life. Now you can double the anticipation if it is December and you are hoping the books make it for Christmas, and believe it or not, you can triple the already overwhelming anticipation if you throw in something new, like a beautifully designed slip case that is going to enclose the five volumes of the first series of books you have published.

 

During these weeks that take forever, I find I am productive non the less, tweaking files for the paperbacks at Ingram Spark, chatting with New Shelves to make sure everything is in place for smooth and worry free distribution, planning a launch locally (without setting a time or place until I have my book in hand) creating a Pubslush campaign and a give away on GoodReads, submitting an entry to the Indie awards, posting inspirational quotes on Facebook every morning, trying to Tweet more and all without becoming a pest to those that share my path. Waiting can sometimes bring out my over anxious behavior when I have too much time on my hands.

 

So you want to be a writer, well for goodness sakes write, and when you think you have nothing to write about, I for one will know why. I speak from experience when I say you probably have more going on when you are not writing, then when you are fully immersed in the creation of your story. The tricky part is to find the time in your hectic life to sit and share what you are doing with the world, and to promote the calm non-stressed energy that the world thinks a writer emits… hehehe 🙂

 

In case I get busy 🙂  (I just checked my Friesens page, it says my books have shipped) I want to take a moment to Thank everyone for reading what I write, without you this would be a page of unseen words. I would also like to send a Smile and a Hug across the pond to Rachel Small, http://rachelsmallediting.com for her continuous remarkable work with bringing together the words in my little books, and a Hug and a Smile to Fiona Raven, http://www.fionaraven.com for adding her energy and expertise to the design of my books, Smiles and Hugs to Beth Kallman Werner, http://www.authorconnections.com for always being there with advice and support, Amy Collins, http://www.newshelves.com and her team of amazing ladies working with me to share my books with the world, The entire staff at Friesens Printing, http://www.friesens.com for making all of my books look incredible, and to Carrie Mumford, http://www.carriemumford.com for reading each book repeatedly, looking for mistakes that aren’t there, and finding them.

 

A huge Thank you goes out to the stores and shops that put my books on their shelves, their info is available on my webpage www.bawbsravenfeathers.com

As well as all the thanks and warm energy the wind can carry to all of the people in my life that walk with me on this path, support me and believe in me.

 

So you want to be a writer, then write, share your words with the world, send your smile out with the wind but always remember a book is the combined effort of smiles and energy shared right from start, the words that fill it, all the way to the end, the eyes that read it.

 

WI:)ND

 

BawB

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When you send positive energy to the Universe. . .

. . .the Universe will send positive energy back.

 

As I have mentioned quite often I have always been comfortable just being me, I am happy when I am in the company of my Friends, Myself or even just the Wind. In the last little while however I have been walking on a different path, one which requires more of a presence, more of an outward approach to being me. I have published 5 Volumes of BawB’s Raven Feathers, I have done several Launches, several Signings, made several appearances, I have met so many incredibly talented and wonderful people, and still nothing could prepare me for how positive I felt when i saw this:

 

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2014/09/18/pump-up-your-book-presents-bawbs-raven-feathers-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

 

Alyssa Livolsi from New Shelves Distribution put this together for my little books, and on this virtual tour it is my energy out there, it is my essence, my smile, my happiness, it is a dream becoming reality and I am positive it is the Universe reflecting back my energy. It is also (and this is very important) the proof in just what can happen when you believe in yourself, when you are positive about what you are doing, and when you are patient in your search to find the right people to help you accomplish your goals.

 

If you have been following my posts you would know I had no idea what I was doing when this adventure started, I have not been trained as a writer, nor have I spent a lifetime reading. I simply had a desire to share my smiles and my positive energy and the only way I could do that was to turn hugs into words to convey my message. I found a path and I followed it, in fact I am still following it, and it seems to carry on over the horizon, so that’s where I am headed. Along the way, the people I have met that believe in me and in my books, will continue to show me it is good to have a presence, to stand up and be proud and to continue to share what I am learning along the way.

 

I am writing these blogs to share with you the good things that have happened in my life because I believe in myself, and I also write these blogs to convince you that you are just as deserving of all the positive energy and good things you can handle, if you send positive out to the Universe, the universe will send positive back.

 

Find a path and follow it, you’ll see where it will lead

Believe in you and staying true and practice to succeed.

 

WI:)ND

 

BawB

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