barbarafilla's Blog: Passion Clarification

I think your passion is your ‘Why’. It’s the foundational core of who you are, what you are, why you are. It’s lying there in the deepest recesses of our heart and soul, just waiting to be acknowledged, clarified and manifested.

Every person has a passion(s) unique to them. It’s what we are made of, it’s what keeps us going no matter what challenges and situations the world and our surroundings present to us. We just haven’t thought about it because of life’s distractions.

Your passion is your desire, that burning desire, that eternal fire in your heart that keeps you going. The ‘pilot light’ is always on even though we aren’t aware of it or recognize it. It burns in changing colors: yellow, blue, tinges of red. It can change as we develop and grow over time with experiences and wisdom.

Yes, it’s elusive and maybe it has been dormant for a while. You may feel that your passion (whatever that may be??) is way beyond your comprehension and possibility and opportunity.
But it is there….waiting for you to search for it, find it, implement it.

Wouldn’t it be great to get in touch with your passion? define and clarify it? and then take focused steps on a journey to experience it – to truly live your passion(s)?

How to Identify Your Passion
Asking yourself some questions will help you become aware of, define and clarify your passions.
I suggest you write your responses on paper. Writing increases our awareness because it embeds ideas and thoughts into our consciousness. The more aware we are, the more attention and focus we give those thoughts, the better and quicker the results are manifested. Ready. Let’s begin!

1. What do you truly love doing, truly enjoy doing? That you would do forever and never get tired of because it’s fun, interesting, challenging or whatever criteria you have. It puts a smile on your face and a song in your heart? Example: I love working with people, listening to them, strategizing, masterminding. My heart and soul, complete attention gets involved in what people are saying, thinking, feeling. At the end, I feel warm and good in my heart, in my whole being, I’m smiling inside and outside.

2. What makes you dream the impossible, think with total freedom and creativity? What makes you feel excited, full of enthusiasm, what do you feel strongly about? For me, I get great energy, enthusiasm and take more consistent, daily action when I’m around like minded people. People who think creatively and dream the impossible, especially relating to doing things that will assist the world and it’s people to have a good life living in harmony, peace, happiness and financial abundance.

3. What are your strengths – what is very easy for you to do and what are you very good at? Don’t shortchange yourself in this area. Your strengths may display themselves in hobbies, in your basic family process (organizing, leading, planning), or in career, recreation times. I took up knitting as a young mother. Every spare second I could find, a knit, a purl stitch was being made. All 3 sons had heavy double strand, warm wool sweaters with Bambi, then flying ducks designs. My mom wore a sweater I made, with cables, geometric designs. She wore it almost every day of her life, for 30 years, until the day she died.

4. What thoughts are in your heart, on your mind, what do you enjoy talking about often? These are what you are interested in. I enjoy reading, researching, keeping current on things going on in the world, U.S. my community, in business, government, and with people. I enjoy envisioning the ‘big picture’ so that I can share and give value to people as a consultant and in informal conversations with people. What fun to look at possibilities for long term big picture!

5. What, if you never have a chance to do, will you regret not doing? What desire is down deep in your heart that you feel you just need a chance to do and want to do?

6. What would you do for free just because you like doing it? What would make you feel satisfied, fulfilled and happy, even if there was no monetary benefits for you? I enjoy volunteer work with people who are in a crisis, feeling stress, worry, uncertainty. Family members waiting for their loved ones in emergency, surgery, intensive care. The opportunity to listen to them, offer encouragement, make them more comfortable in any small way… The rewards are much greater than money could ever be.

You will be surprised at the vast potential and possibilities you’ve opened up for yourself in this exercise. In most cases, further thought and clarification is needed with yourself or other people. You are laying the foundation for stating more specific possibilities and choices You’re on your way to an interesting, fulfilling life.
Passion Clarification + Brand Recognition = Monetization (and happy, fulfilling life)

What are you passionate about? I invite you to share at Passion Branding Community Blog. Personal messages are also welcome.

Have a wonderfully creative and happy day moving toward clarification of your passion.

Barbara Filla
Entrepreneur, Business Coach
Passion Branding Community
www.twitter.com/platinumbt
Barbara’s Happiness, Success and Wealth blog
SingYourSong@GetTimeMoney.com

Let’s help others get from here:


To Here:
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I need and request your assistance on this. Passion is something different and unique to every woman and person. In an earlier blog post, I shared some thoughts on passion and what it means to me.

It would be wonderful if you would expand upon, shed your unique thoughts and knowledge about passion for you. In the Passion Branding Community, one of our purposes is to assist people to define their passion. The more they know about passion the easier it will be for women and also men.

I invite you to share from your heart. Your words or videos will shed more light on this wonderful concept of passion. It will help other women to take the next step to find and clarify their individual passion, and follow through to use their passion for their benefit: to live their passion, to work with passion, to build a business based on their passion…

I welcome your comments in text or video.
-- How would you describe passion – in the context of knowing, living, working, building a business based on your passion.
-- What does it feel like it? what emotions do you experience?
-- Where does it manifest itself? internal, external?
-- How does your passion affect your daily life every day? or week or over long period of time?
-- Add your personal thoughts, feelings, results, benefits. Share with us what passion means to you.

Your comments will inspire and assist people to awaken to and become aware of their own unique passion.

Thank you for sharing!

Barbara Filla
Coach
Passion Clarification and More
SingYourSong@GetTimeMoney.com

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.

Barbara Filla
Passion Clarification and Passion Branding
www.BraveHeartWomen.com/barbarafilla

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.

I found this poem about finding your passion. It resonated with me, how about you?



Hear Me Calling YOU
By: S. M. G.

I touch you
through a beautiful scene
you leave it feeling peacefully serene
who do you think put it there

For your eyes to glean?

I speak to your heart
sometimes I even shout
you hear but don't respond
your thoughts have gone beyond

Then you secretly abscond!

I reach for you
in ways that count
as your days feel numbered
you gently dismount

I will continue to reach out to you
I have never forsaken you
as my words speak through you
I again will not cease to rescue you

Your angelic virtue is true as you untiringly pursue.

Hear Me! Calling YOU!

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Find your passion. I invite you to join our Passion Branding Community.

Barbara Filla

Passion Clarification + Brand Recognition = Monetization

All you dear BraveHeart Women, have a delightful, wondrous day!

Give Love...........
http://greatday.com/v.html?2210m07L6naz


Barbara Filla
Passion Branding Community
Find Your Passion and more..

“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….

Barbara Filla
Passion Branding Community

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.

Barbara Filla
Entrepreneur, Passionate Coach and 'sometimes' a cook too
Passion Branding Community
www.braveheartwomen.com/barbarafilla

What is authenticity?
It’s being real, genuine, legitimate and truthful. Authenticity gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling of comfort, trust, credibility.
I think Leland R. Beaumont offers a complete, understandable description of the ‘authentic self’: “The true you; aligned and congruent self image, stature, values, beliefs, goals, behavior, word, and public image.”

Why do we value the principle of authenticity?

Authenticity builds an emotional connection between people as well as things like businesses, brands and almost everything.

Where does authenticity come from?

1. Authenticity comes from a place we can connect with," a place with a real story of a purpose-driven life, that touches us and that we always remember.”

Captain Chelsey Sullenberger (Sully), the pilot of the US Airways Flight 1549 that crashed into the Hudson River without any major injuries or fatalities is an excellent example of authenticity story.

2. Authenticity emerges from "people with a deep passion for what they are doing.” Ellie and Charlie are examples of this. Their passion and energy comes from deep down in their souls.

3. Authenticity is a person or thing that is what it says it is. The story the person tells through their actions aligns with the story they tell through their words, their body language and all other nonverbal communication. The recent Miss USA Pageant runner-up, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, exhibited authenticity with her genuine response to a pageant question. Her response kept her beliefs and convictions aligned with the words she spoke. She demonstrated genuine truthfulness and credibility.

The examples above are some outstanding ones, the unusual ones, to illustrate and clarify a point. All of us can be and can manifest authenticity of our real self the way we naturally are. Each of us is unique in our own way and authentic in that way. Let’s look at what we have to do to become authentic.

How can we become more authentic?

1. Believe in everything you say and do.

2. Always speak the truth and act in accordance with your moral compass at all times to all people: to your friends, your colleagues, to the public and to your customers. No hyped "pitching." No hyped "selling." No little white lies. No fear of what others will think of you, your brand or your company. No acting in a way that you think others will like you more.

Just complete and total honesty showing your genuine, unique, and passionate self. Nothing more. That’s the most powerful selling you can do.

3. We make the decision to be authentic or not. Authenticity is required but it cannot be compelled onto us. No one can be genuine and real when forced into it.

For more in-depth discussion and clarification, refer to “Authentic Self”.

Personal and Business Success Mindset Requires that we be Authentic

That is a fact. We have no choice if we want success. It is up to us to make that decision to believe, to be and to act in truth, with authenticity.

Barbara Filla
Passionate about people, entrepreneurs and business
Passion Branding Community Coach
www.BraveHeartWomen.com/BarbaraFilla

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

Purpose: BraveHeart Women Community members and many other people often talk about finding purpose, living life with purpose. Entrepreneurs seek purpose because it’s necessary to experience success in their business.

People nearing retirement or retired, people laid off, people experiencing significant changes in their lives like divorce, death, debilitating accidents and disease, regular folks in all walks of life are seeking purpose.

As the world changes more quickly, the discussion and quest for purpose becomes more serious and intense. Entrepreneurs, professionals and regular folks try to define purpose, wonder if they have or can live with purpose, wonder how they can get it.

Steve Pavlina has found a very simple, easy process to discover your purpose. Here it is… I quote:

“If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught (including the idea that you may have no purpose at all).

So how to discover your purpose in life? While there are many ways to do this, some of them fairly involved, here is one of the simplest that anyone can do. The more open you are to this process, and the more you expect it to work, the faster it will work for you. But not being open to it or having doubts about it or thinking it’s an entirely idiotic and meaningless waste of time won’t prevent it from working as long as you stick with it — again, it will just take longer to converge.

Here’s what to do:

1. Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
2. Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.

That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a counselor or an engineer or a bodybuilder. To some people this exercise will make perfect sense. To others it will seem utterly stupid. Usually it takes 15-20 minutes to clear your head of all the clutter and the social conditioning about what you think your purpose in life is. The false answers will come from your mind and your memories. But when the true answer finally arrives, it will feel like it’s coming to you from a different source entirely.”

More information on finding your purpose is available on Passion Branding Community. Then click on Documents.

Barbara Filla
Passionate about doing good for people, entrepreneurs and business
Passion Branding Community Coach

If so, I want to share a really neat tip on how to grow your very own Community in BraveHeart Women (BHW)
If not, I encourage you to start a community to share your passion with other women. Allow other like-minded women to join you in conversation, actions, similar purpose and goals. Now, onto a special tip.

Neat Tip to Grow Your Community
I just learned this simple and automated process to gain new members into my Passion Branding Community that I want to share with you.

Invite people from outside of BraveHeart Women such as family, friends, peers, associates….. in addition to inviting BHW members.
When outside women join BHW, they automatically become members of your community at the same time. That’s great leverage.

Steps to add contacts from outside of BraveHeart Women:
-Go to www.braveheartwomen.com and sign in.
-Click ‘My Content’ on your toolbar.
-Click on ‘Tell Friends’
-Click on “Invite Friends” on the toolbar (navy blue with green letters)
-Add email addresses for your friends and those you wish to invite
- Send -- and see the New members joining you.

What a strategic process – leveraging and automating the system to receive new members. It’s easy, efficient, effective and is a productive use of your time.

Enjoy meeting new women every day.

Barbara Filla
Passion Branding Community Coach

This is a new week, a new day. How will you spend your 168 hours or 10,080 minutes this week? -- Efficient? -- Effective? Will there be happiness, joy, purpose and balance included too? See the brief video in Passion Banding Community or in Video Section of BHW under category of Advice. There is also a new article in Passion Branding Community with questions to assist you with defining your purpose and passion. See you in Passion Branding Community. Have a happy and (efficient - effective?? - you choose) day. Barbara Filla Passion Branding Community Coach

John C. Maxwell is an icon on leadership and success. His book, “Failing Forward”, is one of my favorite books and one of the first books I read on leadership and success. A mentor recommended it when I ventured into a new business in a new industry.

I share a ‘longer quote” from “Failing Forward” with you on timeless and timely wisdom.

The Impossible Question

When I was growing up, one of the questions I used to hear from motivational speakers was this: “If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt to achieve?”

That seemed to me to be an intriguing question. At the time it prompted me to look ahead to life’s possibilities. But then one day I realized that it was really a bad questions. Why? Because it takes a persons’ thinking down the wrong track. There is no achievement without failure. To even imply that it might be possible gives people the wrong impression. So here’s a better question: If your perception of and response to failure were changed, what would you attempt to achieve?

I don’t know what obstacles you are facing in your life right now. But whatever they are doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is that your life can change if you’re willing to look at failure differently. You have the potential to overcome any problems, mistakes, or misfortunes. All you have to do is learn to fail forward. If you are ready to do that, turn the page and leg’s go!

Your First Step to Failing Forward
Realize There is One Major Difference Between Average People and Achieving People

Look at the way an achiever approaches negative experiences, and you can learn a lot about how to fail forward. Read through these two lists, and determine which one describes your approach to failure:

Please see attached file for "Fail Backward and Fail Forward Chart " from John Maxwell's book.

Think about a recent setback you experienced. How did you respond? No matter how difficult your problems were, the key to overcoming them doesn’t lie in changing your circumstances. It’s in changing yourself. That in itself is a process, and it begins with a desire to be teachable. If you’re willing to do that, then you’ll be able to handle failure. From this moment on, make a commitment to do whatever it takes to fail forward.”

Ponder this wisdom and choose to Fail Forward often.

Barbara Filla
Passion Branding Community
Passionate about assisting you to Fail Forward to success.