That passion may be residing down deep in the belly of your tummy, just waiting to be recognized.
Or it may be calling You in other ways -----
– What is it that is compelling you with a strong urge to do something? You don’t know what, but something?
– Do you hear your heart calling, beckoning you, talking to you?
– Is there a desperate call from way down in your belly, a desperate yearning?
The world needs you and your passion.
Suzanne’s story of finding her passion for magic is a wonderful story of finding one’s passion. To read it, go to Passion Branding Community. Click on Topics on right and see her story.
Joseph Campbell, writer and lecturer, coined the phrase ‘follow your bliss’ in the late 1980s. His philosophy is often identified with that phrase. People resonated with the term and it’s been popular ever since the early 1990s.
It caught my attention as another possible, helpful way to describe, understand and learn and share more about what passion really is.
The dictionary definitions I found for both words are interesting. Passion is a strong or compelling emotion or feeling, extravagant fondness, fervor, enthusiasm for anything. Bliss is supreme happiness, utter joy and contentment.
Hmm. This made sense to me, enlightened me…see if it is helpful to you. To me bliss is the ultimate result we are striving for. However, first we need to find our passion. Only then can we take that passion, internalize it, manifest it, and thus live life at the next level, a level of bliss (ultimate passion). Does that make a bit of sense to you?
Passion leads to bliss… --First, we find the calling in our heart (our passion) and accept it completely. --Second, we build, grow and manifest our passion…build a business, build and manifest our life’s work and purpose. --and finally, we monetize it to provide us abundance that supports our life’s purpose, happiness and desired lifestyle… to bliss. Awesome results are possible when we find our passion! And act upon it.
Finding My Passion. Makes me recall a wonderful passion I had for knitting. Seeing beautiful cable knit sweaters, other beautiful knit garments in magazines caught my eye. I wanted to see my young sons, even myself wearing sweaters like that….I REALLY wanted my family to have and enjoy the warmth, comfort and beauty of these unique garments. My curiosity became an intense desire in my gut. I still remember the feeling, a good feeling….I just had to do it feeling.
Build, Grow, And Develop My Passion How can I do that? I can if I learn how, so I took lessons, made some small items. It was so much fun, challenge of making each stitch with same tension so it looked perfect (or nearly). I practiced day and night, every spare moment I could find.
Then I found a unique yarn shop, expert owner there, bought pattern books, yarn, and tackled the BIG projects I originally had in mind. She mentored me, taught me more things, got me the special yarns – just perfect for designs and ducks and Bambi, and more. Everywhere I went, all the time, my focus was on yarn, knitting techniques, needles, patterns, looking for that ultimate beautiful sweaters for my family.
Manifest My Passion It took a few years. My passion increased, my focus intensified, my skills grew from daily practice, and I accomplished my goal. Yes, I knit daily way into the early morning hours when boys were sleeping, it was in my blood, it was my relaxation, my fun, my challenge! I couldn’t stop.
Doing my passion was awesome! It was my bliss to see my family and myself wearing these unique, hand-made sweaters, and receiving compliments from people. Living my passion filled me with joy and bliss.
Monetize My Passion and Let it Support My Purpose We lived a frugal lifestyle where most of the clothes we wore were hand made. We wore the knit garments and didn’t buy sweater-jackets and coats at retail stores. The boys’ sweaters were jackets for cool days, fall and winter seasons (double wool yarn, heavy duty and warm with generous collars that could be opened to almost cover their ears in cold weather). And they stretched to grow as the boys grew, so didn’t require replacement every year. My passion to knit saved money and it gave me great joy.
Today A couple days ago chatting with a lady and conversation turned to knitting. The memory, feeling in my gut and heart……..all the wonderful memories came back. I wanted to run right down to a knitting shop and buy some yarn. Seems that passion is still very intense…now in memory, not action. At least for the time being.
What stories and experiences of passion or bliss have you had?
We welcome your stories in the Topics Section of the Passion Branding Community.
Your stories will inspire and encourage other BraveHeartWomen in their journey to discover their passion.
Barbara Filla Passion Branding Community Passion Clarification + Brand Recognition = Monetization.
Our first born was a special developmentally-disabled little boy, which we didn’t know until he was 15 months old. The doctor kept answering our questions with, ‘He’ll grow out of it’…meaning his slow (almost no) development like other babies and toddlers his age. He couldn’t chew food, or even keep it down so it could nourish and build his body.
Finally after 15 months taking care of Frankie 24/7 with his physical situation, health issues, (surgery, pneumonia, in hospitals and out, and lots more) I had to do something. Now I had a second son who was 3 months old, much more advanced than Frankie at 15 months of age.
His daddy wasn’t available to assist a lot because we owned a business where 12+ hour days, seven days a week was required. The business was very successful, crowded all the time.
When Frankie was 15 months old, we visited a retired doctor that delivered me into this world to get some answers. One look at little Frankie, and he said, “Your son is retarded (developmentally disabled).” I didn’t even know what that term meant. I was a young mom, 20 years old, had seen only active, healthy, thriving infants.
You know, I was so relieved to finally have someone tell me the truth! Now I had a ‘starting point’. I wouldn’t give up, I would find something, some way, some place to help him. That was my passion and ‘mommy determination’.
I began to research, study, write letters even to National Institutes of Health and other places I found in the library. I didn’t find much out there, so took the challenge on myself. I WOULD find a way! I had hope, a passionate hope, that carried me on day after day, many times hour by hour.
I went from one passion goal to another with Frankie because I was determined to find a way to help him progress to be as ‘normal’ as possible. He didn’t learn to sit up until 18 months, and that was with constant ‘practicing’ many hours every day. He also didn’t comprehend when we talked to him, he didn’t talk. He never talked his entire 39 years on this world.
Frankie didn’t know how to chew food, and buying Gerber’s baby food was too expensive. All he could eat was pureed food, otherwise he would choke. So we enlarged the garden, grew our own food, and pureed all his food. We bought uncountable crates of peaches, pears, other fruit and vegetables and canned them in quart jars. I would have 12 dozen quarts of peaches canned each year, and can’t even remember how many of the other fruits and vegetables. I baked all the bread and other items. When I remember back now, I really don’t know where I got the energy or found the time to accomplish everything. Yes, I do know. My reliance on my God, my best friend, my prayers. Miracles happened every day.
Groceries: Once every 6 weeks I went to a larger city to a discount grocery mart, filled the car with enough of everything to last 6 weeks. The milkman delivered milk and butter to the door three times weekly. Sorry, got sidetracked, but this is part of the passion story too. Passion never gives up, it’s unstoppable. Back to Frankie.
When Frankie was 2 years old, I felt there had to be some way to teach him to walk, now that he could sit up. By this time I had researched all over the country, read every book I could get my hands on….searching because the medical people offered no assistance.
He also was sick often, bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, grand mal seizures (these scared me to death every time he had one – the jolting of his little body in my arms, turning blue, then becoming listless…I thought he was going to die.)
Back to walking. We had a 4-wheel walker. Somehow Frankie would learn to walk. I realized the only way he learns is by repetition every day, often. If we don’t follow through daily, even several times each day, he forgets and we had to start over from scratch.
So, in the walker he goes. I crouch down on my knees, place one of his little feet on the floor, then the other… left foot down, right foot down, for many hours every day, never missing a day. Finally after months (I don’t remember how many) he developed the habit of walking. This was awesome success!! My passion was my drive to move forward, no matter what, when, why, where!
But mix that with a little guy who doesn’t comprehend words… He required 24/7 attention because he didn’t remember not to do unsafe or dangerous things. Solving one challenge led to many new ones, too many to share here.
Eventually he learned to open doors… so he’d fall down the stairs into the basement, he’d pull items like hot steaming coffee off the table and get second-degree burns; he opened the outside door and was in the middle of the state highway next to our house.
Frankie did find joy in a couple simple things. He loved Lawrence Welk music and other music too, and loved to suck on a chocolate Hershey Bar (without nuts, of course). Simple pleasures, what a life lesson.
Frankie was my passion for five years, until I just couldn’t keep him safe at home any longer. By then we had two younger sons, and their lives were very important too.
Frankie was the ‘angel guide’ who transformed my life. He is the reason for my passion in health care and for assisting people to accomplish and achieve their desires and goals, no matter how small or large.
I began that transformation by working in health care facility, then as accountant and business consultant to health care and other businesses, entrepreneur, and more. I always have passion. Frankie taught me that passion (an intense desire and commitment) is necessary foundation to accomplish anything.
This little boy did learn to walk and he taught me more about life than anyone or any thing ever could.
Frankie lived his purpose on this world and he led me to my purpose and passion(s). Thank God for the opportunity to have an angel named Frankie in my life!
Barbara Filla Passion Branding Community Passion Clarification, Brand Recognition, Monetization and more
PS: I invite you to share stories about passion(s) you’ve had already in your life – small passions, large passions, short term passions and long term passions. Passion is what carries you through difficulties and challenges. Your story is the perfect inspiration for other people.
“Live out of your imagination, not out of your history” Stephen Covey
Reminds me of my granddaughter, at age of four. She drew me a picture of…I had no idea of what. Then she asks me what it is………. As I’m studying the maze of colors, zig zags, lines all over…..and finally I tell her I don’t know. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings after she so diligently and conscientiously completed her work of art. She says, “Grandma, just use your imagination!” Wisdom from a child! I’ll never forget her words.
So is life, huh. It’s what we imagine it to be in our mind. When the vision is so beautiful and strong that we must have it, we will make it come true somehow.
Reality is: sitting in my recliner rocker, laptop computer on my lap - working, gazing out the window at cold, white snow, gray overcast sky, my body is cold in the house….. snow coming Wednesday through Friday…history of winter season.
But my vision and imagination takes me somewhere else: I’m in a warm climate taking a leisurely walk, enjoying the sun, soft breezes on my face and body, brilliant green trees, grass, beds of flowers of all colors. Warm, sunny feeling of being carefree and free from cares of the world, just bliss and beauty.
Want to join me for a cup of tea, lemonade or….whatever you like? and some good conversation. Can we have dessert too – just this one time? anything chocolate, something new I’ve not had before, surprise me.
I’m ‘likin’ this imagination stuff more and more. That was my break – ready to go back to work now, filled with renewed energy, ideas….
I found this on Web today. Recipe and author's style is interesting. It's long, so I bolded the Recipe Title farther down in the blog.
Best Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe for Colds and Flu 2/16/2009 9:25:00 AM www.OpenZine.com
So you are under the weather huh? Has your family spread their sickly germs around and you are just waiting for your turn? Maybe you don't live near your mother close enough to take advantage of her cooking and caring for you. Are you coughing? Can't breath through your nose and you're wheezing? Feel like a cold's coming on or you know you got one bad?
Well continue to read and get this great recipe I have concocted which creates a few twists to your normal homemade chicken soup recipe made specifically to help clear your nasal passages, open your airways and to help you start to feel better as soon as you have your first spoonful.
Containing fresh garlic, onions, rosemary, jalapenos, red cayenne pepper, cumin, scallions - it is with these fresh ingredients that help shorten your cold and open your airways allowing you to breath, aids in making your coughs productive and take rest to start healing.
How this recipe came to being:
Recently, my partner's son was in from overseas, and while my guy was preparing for his son's visit, he went out and bought what seemed like the farm when in came to the amount of chicken he brought home. I never had so much frozen chicken in my house. And though we hadn't had our first colds of the year, we started taking turns every week in making our versions of homemade chicken soup. We came up with many versions - all delicious, each having their own characteristics and variations of added seasonings.
What we learned is that homemade chicken soup regardless of how you make it, or what ingredients you put into it, hot chicken soup is always good for the body and soul especially when you are feeling under the weather.
Now we obviously know there are a lot of moms and grandmothers out there who swear (OK they don't actually swear, well at least some of them don't swear out in public - OK some of them do and you probably have seen those few moms on the Jerry Springer show, but I digress). But thesemothers and mothers of mothers certainly promise that their chicken soup recipe is simply the best to help cure colds - one thing is for sure, mothers (including yours were right). Sipping hot fluids really do help thin out mucous sputum and help open up the nasal passages - and as there are a countless number of 'mothers' out there, there are certainly a countless number of different versions of chicken soup to help you during your colds...
There really are scientific results stating how hot chicken soup can shorten a cold's duration while relieving symptoms - so what are you and I waiting for? Here's my latest version. And if you are curious to read wikipedia.com's comments on the history and healing properties of chicken soup - simply click...
My version with the added red chili pepper flakes and sliced jalapenos really help open up your airways and allow your nose to actually breath again while the fresh rosemary helps your lungs function. So shall we get started cooking?
Recipe for Chicken Soup
The cooking process is rather simple, you will be adding the ingredients along with the chicken and water and allowing it all to boil then simmer for at least 90 minutes until the chicken is done. Then removing the chicken allowing it to cool so that you can remove the meat from the bones. Then cooking your noodles separately if you want to add them to your soup, then adding the last of the reserved veggies to your soup and returning the now-deboned chicken along with the noodles to the soup and serving it up to you and your family.
Ingredients:
* One large Soup Pot * chicken pieces - I used three leg quarters (legs and thighs) * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 4 stalks celery - diced (reserve one stalk) * 2 jalapenos - diced (or more) * 2 medium sized onions - diced * 3 large carrots - diced (reserve one carrot) * 2+ teaspoons kosher salt * 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper * 1 teaspoon+ red pepper flakes * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper * 4 tablespoons of FRESH rosemary, minced * 1/2 teaspoon cumin * 4-6 whole 'cloves' of allspice * 2 large bay leaves - fresh or dried * 6-8 cups of water * 2 tablespoons of 'better than bouillon' chicken flavored paste (optional) * 4 stalks of scallions - diced and added at the end. * 2 cups dried noodles (optional & cooked separately near the end) * chopped fresh parsley or cilantro added at end or to the bowls when serving.
Directions:
* Gather your ingredients and place your large stock pot on your stove or even use your slow cooker. * Add olive oil to your stock pot (if you are using your slow cooker omit this step and simply add your ingredients to the slow cooker starting with the vegetables first, then add the chicken, then the water and turn it on) * Remember to reserve one celery stalk, one carrot and all the scallions - you will be adding those last to the soup pot once your chicken has cooked and you have removed the meat from the bones and replaced it back into the soup - this keeps them slightly crunchy and adds color) * Add diced onions, celery and carrots to the mix and turn the heat under pot. * Allow the vegetables to sweat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. * While vegetables are cooking, remove skin off chicken and separate legs from thighs. * Add chicken to pot, add all remaining ingredients: garlic, spices, salt and peper, jalapenos, etc. (except for one carrot, one celery stalk, scallions) * Add water to pot enough to bring the water level to about one inch from the top. * Allow to come to a boil, then lower heat and allow the soup to simmer for at least 90 minutes. * Scoop out chicken. Let cool slightly so it is easier to remove meat from bones. * While noodles are cooking (see next step) and chicken is cooling, add the reserved diced carrot, celery and scallions to the soup. * When removing meat from the chicken bones, I like to keep the chicken in chunks. * Cook noodles separately and when done drain and rinse noodles before adding to soup. * Serve up in bowls to feed your cold and starve your fever!
Variations & Tips:
* You can easily allow this to cook for much longer of course, just remember, the longer you cook the chicken in, it might be a bit 'drier' despite it being cooked in the soup. * Adding additional jalapenos or red pepper flakes at the end will bring up the 'heat factor' opening up the most stubborn of stuffed noses. * Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the bowl will also up the vitamin C content. * You can 'cheat' with the chicken and buy a pre-cooked roasted chicken, remove meat from bones and 'start' the soup with the bones only and adding the meat after 90 minutes. - This is especially helpful for those too weak and need a quick fix of chicken soup. Just be sure not to add any of the skin to the soup. * By adding the jalapenos, red chili flakes and cayenne pepper in the beginning, the soup takes on a gentle heat mellowing out the spiciness of the jalapenos. I personally like to add more red chili flakes and sliced jalapenos into my bowl just before serving to make it extra spicy - it gets my nose passages to open up so fast, I simply love being able to breath again. End.
I haven't tried the recipe, but I love chicken soup, so have it on my list.
My computer went down last weekend. It’s like being without water to drink. We are so dependent on our technology-assisted lives - what will we do if a major break in service ever happened? We should have a backup Plan B for our lives.
Anyway, called computer consultant Monday. They are small business, 2 owners with some tech assistance, and have a retail store also. Started business about 2 years ago. They can hardly accommodate their growth.
They came to my office, fixed the problem in short time (some break in system). He (an owner) could have left, but stayed and gave me additional service to make sure I got a full hour of service, which is their minimum fee for on-site services. He did some wonderful updates for me, installed a backup system to my laptop - and showed me several tips. At the end he presented me with invoice for my convenience, saying they would also send an invoice.
Couple days later I got the invoice with stamped, self-addressed envelope, which I don’t get from larger companies many times.
They go the extra mile, giving value that I didn’t ask for, teaching me things to make my life easier. They are organized, have a system that makes them efficient and effective and they surprise customers with extra special benefits.
A great business model to emulate – a small business operated by 2 entrepreneurs. Someone I will always call.
What kinds of extra special services have you gotten – from what kind of business?
Are you ready and open to the principle of living a life of purpose personally and in your business or career? Reflect on these inspiring quotes on the principle of purpose.
"You are only as strong as your purpose, therefore let us choose reasons to act that are big, bold, righteous and eternal." -- Barry Munro
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"There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it." -- Napoleon Hill
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"The purpose of life is a life of purpose." -- Robert Byrne
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Purpose – How to Find it in 4 Easy Steps. Visit this blog for that topic tomorrow.
Barbara Filla Passion Branding Community Coach Dedicated to assisting people, entrepreneurs and business to achieve results they desire
Here’s our simple Success journey – a process filled with fun, excitement, challenges and results!
1. Afraid of being a Fool. 2. Look like a Fool 3. Fool 4. Successful Entrepreneur 5. Genius
They make sense to me – I’ve been at every one of these levels more than once. How about you? Once you started, did you persevere to reach the ‘Genius’ stage as an entrepreneur?
These steps come from John Maxwell’s book, “Failing Forward”.
Barbara Filla Passion Branding Community Passionate about assisting You to become a Genius! Join Passion Branding Community.
What if Thomas Edison Quit? He would have failed and the world wouldn’t have light bulbs and many other inventions. It’s reported that he tried 10,000 times before the light came on. So, did he fail 9.999 times?
No, because he didn't quit. It just took 9,999 lessons to learn how to make the bulb shine. He never quit. He learned another lesson from each of the 9,999 tries. Each time he created a new idea, a new strategy to implement.
That’s the lesson for us. When something doesn’t go as planned, we never Quit. We examine why it didn’t work and develop a new strategy. Maybe we tweak the process a bit or in a major way; maybe we take a new direction or a new path, but we never Quit.
Each step is an experience that moves us forward – one step closer to success. The process is “Failing Forward” like John Maxwell says.
The world is on your side. It wants us to succeed – to never fail by quitting. It provides us with abundance in our thoughts, heart and actions to have the passion, determination and commitment to ‘fail forward’ one step at a time. Quitting is not an option.
Will you accept that abundance and the challenge to let your light shine bright for the world?
Your mindset is the starting point of everything in your personal life, business, and all of life. Mindset determines what, how, why and when you do anything = the RESULTS you get.
“You can do all things correct, but if you don’t have right mindset at that time, you’ll blow it. You can be the weak link in the chain, so constantly work on daily basis for the right mindset.” Quote by Charlie Drake.
What is mindset? Mindset is your mental attitude or disposition. It pre-determines your responses to – and – your interpretations of situations. It’s a habit.
Simply, it is made up of 2 words: mind and set: it’s what mood and attitude YOU set in your mind. YOU have total control over your mindset.
Our mindset will embrace and manifest any attitude, philosophy, principle we choose. Make sure you choose positive, helpful, effective mindset principles to manifest every minute, every hour, every day.
See more on Mindset View more articles on mindset, effective, positive principles and attitudes. -- Passion Branding Community. Click on Documents, then on Mindset category. 7 articles: authenticity, believe in you, responsibility, integrity and more.
I invite you to add your topics and articles there, pose a question in the discussion area. Your wisdom is always valued.
Make everyday a more happy, successful day by manifesting a positive mindset!
What are your strengths? Here’s an easy, excellent way to discover your strengths.
Ask yourself this question: What do you feel while you are doing an activity? - It comes naturally to you - It feels easy, almost effortless - It just flows, don’t have to try very hard to do it, - You enjoy doing it, you feel ‘on fire’ - Time flies by when you are doing it - You concentrate and focus with excitement, energy, inquisitiveness - You want to do it more and more - You want to learn more about it - You feel strong, confident while doing it
Make a list of these activities. When you are doing something that makes you feel and experience some of the emotions listed above, make note of that activity right then.
You are accumulating your list of strengths…. This is an exciting time because you are discovering strengths you didn’t even realize you have.
Use your strengths to help you find your passion…. or to reaffirm your current passion. When you find your passion using your strengths as the base starting point, your chances of finding your true passion are excellent. Why? Because you already love and enjoy doing them; you do these things with more ease and more emotions and feelings than other things.
A few years ago I completed a similar exercise when going through a transitional period. What I learned, to my surprise, was that I had been doing my passion for many years, even though I didn’t realize it. I always enjoyed doing what I did, and the exercise reaffirmed what I felt.
Over the years I continued doing many of these same daily and weekly activities, however some adjustments as to where I used my strengths occurred as time went on.
Consulting, strategizing, empowering and inspiring people were always regular activities for me. It started as door-to-door Fuller Brush Rep (I broke the rules of ‘pushy’ sales tactics because I just couldn’t do them; in fact I hated them. Meeting and being with people, assisting them was what I loved. So I tried using a “What questions do you have today and let’s try to find a solution’ approach. I was so grateful it worked… cause I was too scared to do the recommended process.
Six years later my seamstress business started. Later I became an employee in corporate world consulting with clients…. followed by starting and building my own consulting business to entrepreneurs and other businesses and organizations. Consulting, strategizing, empowering and inspiring people has been a dominant theme throughout my life…. no matter what I was doing. It was, is and will be my passion.
I encourage you to become more keenly aware of activities you love doing, make a list of them to see how they fit into what you currently do or what you may want to do.
Enjoy this process and the clarity that will come to you about your strengths. It will guide you toward your passion, your dream business, your dream life.
If you missed the video, here it is again. Or just click to bottom of video to see the missing piece.
All the info discussed is certainly crucial, I agree wholeheartedly.
But one question immediately came to mind. To have and enjoy this extraordinary life, we need to consume things from basics to things for a more extraordinary life. How do we get those consumable things and remove the limitations we are concerned about? Financial resources, cash. A full life or a basic and ordinary life requires we have money.
Maybe people don’t like to address money – for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at it as the necessary component of anything and everything in life that it is - and seek solutions just like we seek solutions to other bothersome challenges.
I encourage everyone to talk about money openly, visualize life with as much as you want, and let your positive thoughts about money be pleasing. Speak about it, get it out in the open because most of us are dealing with it in some way that is limiting our happiness, fulfillment, joy: we want more, we would like more, we have big dreams that require more.
Let’s tackle the money issue head on and control it instead of IT controlling us. Become aware of the amount needed, plan how to acquire a source of money to meet your goals and basics.
And live an extraordinary life with full peace of mind, no limiting internal concerns.
I always welcome your thoughts about money and any other pieces you may believe are missing from the video. Help out your BHW sisters by opening up about money, sharing ideas, thoughts and ways to get more of it to complete our life picture.
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