Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Inspirations’

International Women’s Day and Balance In Life

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , on March 3, 2009| 7 Comments »

I have reflected on many things today. When I am tired, I have to think in a more guarded way, remain very focused, and prioritize my day that much more.
Women have, in my opinion, the unique ability to hold wisdom, and to be many good things. Many of us can multi-task, perform many jobs at once. And I am one of those. I love to have several projects at hand, it keeps life at an interesting level.
But sometimes we must remember to take care of ourselves, or we will not have the ability to take care of the things that we truly love to focus on.
My business goals were put on paper when 2009 began. I try to meet the goals daily, and on most days I do meet them. My personal goals, put on paper as well, have taken a step back, my social goals are right where I wanted them to be. I have spoken about balance and need to do so again today. I have several different bulletin boards, one houses keepsakes such as thank you cards. Another, the board that I looked at a while ago holds family pictures, goat pictures, dog pictures, a new truck picture, personal goals, business goals, and even a photo of my husband taken 30 years ago by his brother. All of these things can be parts of our often busy lives when we make sure there is a balance!
The balance consists of the important things in life: financial, physical, social, family, mental, and spiritual. My tune up and re-evaluation is on the way. It is time to stop and smell the roses, put all goals in gear, focus on what is most important in my life, and remain true to the woman that I am. You need to do the same! But remember, you are in charge of pampering you, with a balance! Take care of you!
Sunday is International Women’s Day, a day where women across the globe celebrate women’s economic, political and social achievements of the past, present and future. Perhaps some of these women made big waves, some made smaller ripples in the sea of life, and some were just as happy to make a difference without rocking the boat at all, and that is okay, but there is no doubt that every successful women (thank to you each one of them) has focused on the balance in her life from time to time! No doubt at all.
Happy Women’s Day to each of you!

Read Full Post »

Artisan Goat Milk Soap

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , on February 17, 2009| 8 Comments »

Today I drew a blank…just what to write about?

My inquiring mind began to think about the term artisan. Many of us have a general idea of what the definition of artisan is, but mainly speaking for myself, really did not know how to term it. An artisan is a person that is a skilled manual worker, a craftsperson, practicing a trade or handicraft. The handicraft items produced by the craftsperson can be either functional or decorative.

I believe we can call soap, such as my lemon berry goat milk soap, artisan soap. No doubt!

We can also call craft wares such as cheese by Jama at Prosperine Goat Hill, weaving by Kathy at Spot On Cedar Pond, knitting by my friend Annie at Knit4dolls (please visit her brand new blog and leave a comment), and many others as artisan.

I am glad we have the opportunity to craft what we feel creative at doing! Just the thoughts of the blessing of our abilities can push the winter doldrems out, and bring forward a renewed sense of…marching forward to make soap, cheese, knitting, and weaving!

By the way…I have all but 3 of my business goals crossed off the to-do list for the year of 2009. The remaining goals are long term. Just as with my “renewed sense,” I hope you are marching forward too! The thoughts of spring helps too! 🙂

Read Full Post »

Goal Setting

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , , on December 31, 2008| 12 Comments »

Today, appropriate to New Year’s Eve day, I have been thinking about goal setting.

My first thoughts were jumbled. What is goal setting? What is important when setting goals?

One of the most important aspects of goal setting is to make sure you set any goal at an obtainable level. You know what hurdles you can jump, you know what you can achieve, and you know your own personal wants and needs. Your goals are just that, yours!

When setting goals, start with the largest of thoughts. Where do you want to be in life a year from now? Then begin breaking the big picture down into small pieces. The small pieces are what drives your daily life, what is important to you (family, friends, business, health). Prioritize the smaller pieces, and base your goals on what importance each places in your life, and what you can actually obtain. Be realistic.

When goal setting, it is best to use pen and paper. This allows you to see your progress throughout the year, and helps to keep yourself focused. One of the biggest obstacles in reaching goals is looking backwards. It is not a bad thing to have wisdom, to learn from mistakes, but never look back and allow the past to control your future. Set your eyes on the goal, and move towards it. Friends and family, with the greatest of loving intentions, can stray you from your goal setting path. Your determination will mean that you stay sure-footed, knowing what is good for you, and ensuring the end results that you are seeking are going to be met.

Again, make your goals something that you know you can obtain. Do not set goals that are not within your own grasp, meaning, if you know that there are outside influences (financial, physical, locality), reasons that make your goal impossible, then do not put yourself at risk of feeling failure. Start with goals that you know you can achieve, those that help you to move forward towards the “big” goals that you can eventually reach.

Have fun with your life, make sure you use your abilities. You are in charge of you! If something truly interests you, or if you have a talent, a niche, a creativity, reach for it! The more you allow your mind to open, the more open it becomes, and then you can begin to see end results that you, yourself, are truly happy with.

Happy New Year!

Read Full Post »

Blogs and New Year’s Thoughts

Posted in General Reflections, tagged , , on December 30, 2008| 15 Comments »

I truly appreciate my fellow blogger friends.

We are living in a time filled with opportunity. Through something as simple as a blog, for example, we can connect so easily with like-minded business people, friends, and people with interests similar to our own. We can visit a work place, a home, or an office where we normally would not be able to venture, and it is a grand learning experience!

This means we can live lives that are full to the brim with fresh ideas, challenges, humor, and we can put on listening ears and be here to help others in even the smallest of ways!

I appreciate your comments. I do not know how many people read this blog from day to day, but I can tell you that I feel compelled to write, and I love it!

There are so many things that I want to do in life. At 50 years old I seem to be embracing so much more than what I did a few years back. With the new year fast approaching, I realize that putting some direction in my life is a good thing as well. The direction goes beyond losing the pounds in the middle, or straightening the pantry shelves, it means that I need to look at what truly matters in my life (thank you Anne-Marie for helping me to remember this), and to stay focused and grow with what really matters.

I also think this is a perfect time for many of us to move ahead with business plans. I am not looking at the economy to slow me down. Yes, I am cutting way back and struggling like many others, but what seems like a slump will eventually works its way back up, and we will be the first ones on the track going back up!

Read Full Post »

Back To Basics

Posted in Inspirations, tagged , on December 13, 2008| 5 Comments »

I paid the bill for the newspaper yesterday. I debated on canceling the subscription, thinking that the newspaper could be read online for free. But there is something about taking the 5 minutes that it takes to sift through the printed copy each day (except Sunday, and now Monday) to find a tidbit that catches our eye. Today I found just that tidbit.
It has been reported that there are approximately 9 million less travelers on our roads than there were about a year ago when the gas prices began to rise. Even with the dropping of gas prices, the amount of drivers declined this October.
Speculation is that the overall economy might be affecting people, leading them to choose to not spend the money on gas despite the lower cost. I agree with this idea to a point, however, I also feel optimistic that people have learned to stay home.
My take is, when a person learns to relax, they become aware of an entire different world. Learning to relax means less going out to eat, less trips to the store, keeping the car in the parking spot at home, and it also means spending more time with family and friends.
I hope and pray that my theory is correct. I, myself, am glad that I have slowed down on my spending habits. I group many chores into one. I now conciously group my needs and chores so that the trip to town is worth it’s time and expense. When I am out, I look right back towards coming back home.
I have never been a huge shopper, but I did occsionally enjoy a planned day of shopping (department store, book store, craft mall, hair dresser, and then finally the grocery store on the way home), but something has now changed. So much of what I see appears to be junk, junk that I do not need to spend my hard earned money on. And, based on what my friends are saying, they are seeing many items as junk too. Why didn’t we see this before we felt the financial crunch? I really do not have an answer for it, but I can say now, the eyes have opened.
I went to the big W.M. today, my most unfavorite place to shop. My trip was made to purchase my husband’s prescriptions, and one or two needed items. What did I see in the center aisle of that wonderous store? A gift set for a female. The price was good, $5.00. What did the set contain? In the little colorful plastic gift bag was lotion, body wash, a bar of soap, a bath fizzie, and a bath scrub. I make soap and bath products. One bar of my soap is sold for nearly as much as that entire gift set. But what was really in that set? It surely was not very natural. It could not have been of any quality, based on the fact that it could be sold (retail) for $5.00! Scary, isn’t it? I would rather save my $5.00 . And I hope others hold their chin up and save their $5.00 as well.
Better times are ahead.
And if you are feeling the warmth of back to basics…kudos for you! I pray that you are. We will all get through this. I will not give up the things that I love. I will not release my hopes and dreams. I will not spend $5.00 on something that isn’t good for me, or you, or for our economy.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started