September 29, 2016

Shine Blog Hop 116

Welcome friends and Happy Thursday!

The SHINE Blog Hop is a weekly link up of family friendly posts that have been posted on different websites around the internet.

You can add your links (if you’re a blogger). If you’re a non-blogger, then please feel free to visit the featured posts and/or visit any of the links that are of interest to you. Comments on this or any posts are always welcome!
Features from SHINE BLog Hop 94

We would love to connect with you on social media!

Hosts for the SHINE Blog Hop

Tiffany | A Touch of Grace can be found on:

Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom can be found on:

Maria | Collecting Moments can be found on:

   {Facebook}  {Pinterest}  {Instagram}  {Google+}  {Twitter}

Feel free to grab one of our fancy buttons too!

<div align="center"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://thedeliberatemom.com" title="The Deliberate Mom" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j452/deliberatemom/SHINE225.jpg" alt="The SHINE Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

So without further delay, here are the top viewed posts from last week's SHINE Blog Hop:

Book Spotlight: A Drop of Water- A Spiritual Journey

I am always so astonished by people's strength and endurance when it comes to grief and loss; it's not a very easy thing to grapple with such heavy things. However many do and Yvonne Williams Casaus is among them. Her personal story of healing and growth as she dealt with such devastating loses one of inspiration and strength and I'm so honored to spread the word about her book with you.


Book Description: 

In this extraordinary book, Yvonne reflects upon her past experiences, grief, and losses to find her way back to her spirituality and strength. She bares her soul, yet is able to use water as a lighthearted, uninhibited, and fun way to express how we are all connected. It is a spiritually inspired book about healing, grief, and personal growth.

It becomes a beautiful poetic journey as she discovers her love of water as part of what led her towards her spiritual path. Through her writing she expresses how she found her way through several tremendous losses, including the loss of her husband. In her ability to endure, she found a strength she never knew she had.

This book is for anyone that has ever struggled with depression, grief, or loss of any kind. It is for anyone interested in personal growth and healing. By sharing her personal story she is able to remind us that we are never truly alone. Water connects us all.


  Buy A Drop of Water here 
Find Yvonne here | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

September 27, 2016

Continuing the Cycle of Kindness


Aliyah's words are ones we should all take heart. During our conversation, she highlighted an important aspect of being kind: that it's cyclical. We learn to appreciate the kindness that we've received by giving it back to others. It's a simple thought, but one (among the many) that resonated with me during our discussion. Read on to see what other inspiring things she has to say about self-care and teaching her teenage boys about kindness.
 
Tells us the kindest thing you’ve ever experienced as a parent.

Many years ago, within weeks of moving to a larger apartment, our first son was born by emergency cesarean after 33 long hours of labor. After a few days recovery at the hospital, I returned home with a baby who was struggling to breastfeed every two hours around the clock and an infected incision (which took 6 weeks to heal). Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted. As an only child with an estranged father (my mother had died several years earlier), I didn’t have family to offer support and couldn’t afford to hire any help. As Hubby had just started a new job and couldn’t take any time off work, I feared for my health and sanity as I struggled to get from one hour to the next. I needn’t have worried. Our community rallied around us, coordinating lifts to and from appointments, providing babysitting help, delivering hot meals daily for a month (yes, a month!), donating hours of cleaning help and running errands and even gifting us with boxes of good-as-new infant clothing and linens. Their generous and loving support literally carried us through an exhausting and challenging time and gave us the great gift of strengthening our health and connection, freeing us to nurture and enjoy our beautiful baby. It was the embodiment of ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child and support its family.

Who/what inspires you to be kind? Explain why they/it inspires you to do so

So many people inspire me to be kind. When I was a child, I enjoyed Biblical stories of helping those less fortunate. As I matured, I began to appreciate the kindness my parents showed others: strangers, neighbors, friends and myself. Today, I appreciate the efforts of organizations and philanthropists dedicated to helping large numbers of people and the smaller, less ‘public’ acts of everyday individuals: people holding open doors, someone giving up their seat on the bus or subway, another person kicking a piece of glass off the sidewalk into the gutter. Little things like a smile in the waiting room, a kind word in the elevator, all make a difference in someone’s day and, to me, that’s tremendous kindness, too. Kindness doesn’t have to require large amounts of time or money. Small donations of even a dollar add up. Five minutes a week to call a shut-in can make a huge difference in someone’s quality of life. A ‘gesundheit’ or ‘bless you’ to someone’s sneeze can cheer a person for the day. Knowing we can all make a difference, daily, at home and at large, is inspiring. We all have something we can contribute.

It’s important to be kind to others, but it’s just as important to be kind to yourself. What do you do (or plan on doing) to be kind to yourself (either as a mother, as a professional, or as a woman)?

For a very long time, I prioritized helping and caring for others at the top of my list, creating the all too familiar scenario for wives and mothers: neglecting my own self. I got away with it for years… until I developed a chronic illness. In his enlightening book, When the Body Says No, Dr. Gabor Maté explains how our body sends us clear messages when we neglect important aspects of our health. When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I got the message. Now, I make sure to care for and strengthen myself so I have enough energy and reserves to give to others. ‘Rest and recharge’ is my new motto: I take time to read, enjoy a walk outdoors, linger in a scented bath, sleep a little longer when I’m tired and sit on the porch in the sun, listening to the sounds of nature. I now appreciate that my health is the foundation of all I am and have to offer and my first and greatest gift to others is my own wellbeing.

It’s often said that kindness is easier said than done. As a parent, what valuable advice can you give for showing kindness to others (especially to those who may not seem like they want or deserve it)?

True kindness is the act of providing care or benefit to another without the ulterior motive of acknowledgement or reward. It’s an expression of our value of the life and wellbeing of another for their own sake alone. When we give with the unspoken desire for reciprocity through thanks or appreciation, we become the ultimate object of our giving, not our intended recipient. But when we give freely and unconditionally of ourselves, regardless of the recipient’s response, we bless ourselves with integrity and wholesomeness and compassion. As parents, we practice kindness myriad times daily in the physical and emotional care of our children. Most often, there’s no direct reward for the changed diaper or laundered clothing or attendance at the PTA. The reward is in the knowledge of our eventual contribution to posterity and society at large by raising responsible adults. It’s also in the opportunity to acknowledge and show appreciation for the care we received as children ourselves by continuing the cycle of kindness. Focusing on the bigger, broader benefits of kindness makes the practice not only easier but an act of gratitude and grace.

What lesson do you want your kids to learn about kindness?

I want my children to understand and appreciate that kindness is in the little, everyday things we can say or do to make someone smile or help them. It can be as quick and easy as saying ‘good morning’ to the teacher or more involved, like sweeping the elderly neighbor’s walkway. It’s also picking up the spoon Mom dropped in the kitchen or opening the fridge door when Dad puts away the leftovers. Kindness makes others feel good and as a real plus, we feel good, too, knowing we are making the world a happier, nicer, more considerate place for all of us to share and enjoy. We all have the privilege of building the world and we can start just where we are; there’s no right time, right age to develop and share kindness. It’s open to all of us in every moment.

 



September 26, 2016

Continuing the Cycle of Kindness


Aliyah's words are ones we should all take heart. During our conversation, she highlighted an important aspect of being kind: that it's cyclical. We learn to appreciate the kindness that we've received by giving it back to others. It's a simple thought, but one (among the many) that resonated with me during our discussion. Read on to see what other inspiring things she has to say about self-care and teaching her teenage boys about kindness.
 
Tells us the kindest thing you’ve ever experienced as a parent.

Many years ago, within weeks of moving to a larger apartment, our first son was born by emergency cesarean after 33 long hours of labor. After a few days recovery at the hospital, I returned home with a baby who was struggling to breastfeed every two hours around the clock and an infected incision (which took 6 weeks to heal). Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted. As an only child with an estranged father (my mother had died several years earlier), I didn’t have family to offer support and couldn’t afford to hire any help. As Hubby had just started a new job and couldn’t take any time off work, I feared for my health and sanity as I struggled to get from one hour to the next. I needn’t have worried. Our community rallied around us, coordinating lifts to and from appointments, providing babysitting help, delivering hot meals daily for a month (yes, a month!), donating hours of cleaning help and running errands and even gifting us with boxes of good-as-new infant clothing and linens. Their generous and loving support literally carried us through an exhausting and challenging time and gave us the great gift of strengthening our health and connection, freeing us to nurture and enjoy our beautiful baby. It was the embodiment of ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child and support its family.

Who/what inspires you to be kind? Explain why they/it inspires you to do so

So many people inspire me to be kind. When I was a child, I enjoyed Biblical stories of helping those less fortunate. As I matured, I began to appreciate the kindness my parents showed others: strangers, neighbors, friends and myself. Today, I appreciate the efforts of organizations and philanthropists dedicated to helping large numbers of people and the smaller, less ‘public’ acts of everyday individuals: people holding open doors, someone giving up their seat on the bus or subway, another person kicking a piece of glass off the sidewalk into the gutter. Little things like a smile in the waiting room, a kind word in the elevator, all make a difference in someone’s day and, to me, that’s tremendous kindness, too. Kindness doesn’t have to require large amounts of time or money. Small donations of even a dollar add up. Five minutes a week to call a shut-in can make a huge difference in someone’s quality of life. A ‘gesundheit’ or ‘bless you’ to someone’s sneeze can cheer a person for the day. Knowing we can all make a difference, daily, at home and at large, is inspiring. We all have something we can contribute.

It’s important to be kind to others, but it’s just as important to be kind to yourself. What do you do (or plan on doing) to be kind to yourself (either as a mother, as a professional, or as a woman)?

For a very long time, I prioritized helping and caring for others at the top of my list, creating the all too familiar scenario for wives and mothers: neglecting my own self. I got away with it for years… until I developed a chronic illness. In his enlightening book, When the Body Says No, Dr. Gabor Maté explains how our body sends us clear messages when we neglect important aspects of our health. When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I got the message. Now, I make sure to care for and strengthen myself so I have enough energy and reserves to give to others. ‘Rest and recharge’ is my new motto: I take time to read, enjoy a walk outdoors, linger in a scented bath, sleep a little longer when I’m tired and sit on the porch in the sun, listening to the sounds of nature. I now appreciate that my health is the foundation of all I am and have to offer and my first and greatest gift to others is my own wellbeing.

It’s often said that kindness is easier said than done. As a parent, what valuable advice can you give for showing kindness to others (especially to those who may not seem like they want or deserve it)?

True kindness is the act of providing care or benefit to another without the ulterior motive of acknowledgement or reward. It’s an expression of our value of the life and wellbeing of another for their own sake alone. When we give with the unspoken desire for reciprocity through thanks or appreciation, we become the ultimate object of our giving, not our intended recipient. But when we give freely and unconditionally of ourselves, regardless of the recipient’s response, we bless ourselves with integrity and wholesomeness and compassion. As parents, we practice kindness myriad times daily in the physical and emotional care of our children. Most often, there’s no direct reward for the changed diaper or laundered clothing or attendance at the PTA. The reward is in the knowledge of our eventual contribution to posterity and society at large by raising responsible adults. It’s also in the opportunity to acknowledge and show appreciation for the care we received as children ourselves by continuing the cycle of kindness. Focusing on the bigger, broader benefits of kindness makes the practice not only easier but an act of gratitude and grace.

What lesson do you want your kids to learn about kindness?

I want my children to understand and appreciate that kindness is in the little, everyday things we can say or do to make someone smile or help them. It can be as quick and easy as saying ‘good morning’ to the teacher or more involved, like sweeping the elderly neighbor’s walkway. It’s also picking up the spoon Mom dropped in the kitchen or opening the fridge door when Dad puts away the leftovers. Kindness makes others feel good and as a real plus, we feel good, too, knowing we are making the world a happier, nicer, more considerate place for all of us to share and enjoy. We all have the privilege of building the world and we can start just where we are; there’s no right time, right age to develop and share kindness. It’s open to all of us in every moment.

 



September 23, 2016

Top 5 Tips To Go from Employee to Entrepreneur Mindset by Felena Hanson Author of Flight Club


In her book Flight Club, Felena outlines 10 tips to go from Employee to Entrepreneur; she was generous enough to share the first five here!

1. Dream and do at the same time. You must be the long-term visionary while simultaneously keeping the day-to-day tasks under control. As an entrepreneur, you have to project your mind forward, thinking about the potential pitfalls and opportunities that lie around the corner and making decisions based on uncertainty.

2. The buck stops with you. In a job, you're often waiting for things to happen—for someone to give you permission or for your boss to give you the "green light." Entrepreneurs have an incredible opportunity to create something from nothing, but this means you must be 100% self-motivated. You decide what you do, how you do it, and when you do it. While many long for this kind of autonomy, the reality of all this decision making can be challenging for some.

3. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. As an employee, you have a significant safety net. In most cases, you have coworkers to support you if you drop the ball or make a mistake. You typically have checks and balances all the way to the finish line to make sure things don't go wrong. As an entrepreneur, there is no net. You see what others don’t, test new ideas, seize new territory, and take risks. This requires courage, a thick skin, and the ability to keep going despite rejection and skepticism—daily!

4. You can't only focus on what you do best. When you're an employee, you can typically hone your skill set on a functional skill: accounting, law, marketing, HR, operations, admin, etc. As an entrepreneur, you wear every hat simultaneously unless you have the funds to outsource what you're not good at or don't want to do. This is one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. They want to do what they do well and ignore the other areas of the business. You can be the best social media strategist, but if you don't bill and collect from your clients, you'll be out of business in short order.

5. You're always seeking knowledge. As an employee, training is often delivered to you; the company lines up continuing education, which is part of HR’s job. As an entrepreneur, you’ll have to find information on your own via online courses, books, magazines, or mentors. This can include learning to set up an accounting system, getting investors on board, marketing your ideas, crafting your perfect pitch, or using unfamiliar technology. It can be overwhelming to decide where to go to find the most relevant, actionable information, but as an entrepreneur, you must love to learn—you'll be constantly immersed in gathering new information.

 

  Buy Flight Club here 
Find Felena here | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

September 22, 2016

Shine Blog 115

Welcome friends and Happy Thursday!

The SHINE Blog Hop is a weekly link up of family friendly posts that have been posted on different websites around the internet.

You can add your links (if you’re a blogger). If you’re a non-blogger, then please feel free to visit the featured posts and/or visit any of the links that are of interest to you. Comments on this or any posts are always welcome!

Features from SHINE BLog Hop 94

We would love to connect with you on social media!

Hosts for the SHINE Blog Hop

Tiffany | A Touch of Grace can be found on:

Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom can be found on:

Maria | Collecting Moments can be found on:

   {Facebook}  {Pinterest}  {Instagram}  {Google+}  {Twitter}

Feel free to grab one of our fancy buttons too!

<div align="center"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://thedeliberatemom.com" title="The Deliberate Mom" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j452/deliberatemom/SHINE225.jpg" alt="The SHINE Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

So without further delay, here are the top viewed posts from last week's SHINE Blog Hop:

September 21, 2016

Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business: Flight Club by Felena Hanson Book Spotlight

So excited to spotlight Felena's ideas from Flight Club! If you're trying to make your passion into a successful career, this is definitely worth your time. She brings insight from six different female entrepreneurs and also offers some tips and advice on how to start your own business. Read the description below and prepare to be inspired!


Flight Club is a call to rebel, reinvent, and thrive! The book shares the journey of women who "leaned out" of corporate to launch their dream business.

Felena Hanson, founder of Hera Hub, shares her personal story and rise to entrepreneurship. The book also features the journeys of and advice from six courageous female entrepreneurs: Debby Eubank, Linda O'Keefe, Lorin Beller, Sara Clark-Williams, Deirdre Maloney, and MaryCay Durrant. Each shares an exercise to help you craft your flight path.

The final section of the book includes access to an online platform (www.StepsToStartup.com) which walks you through 17 foundational steps of launching a business. Book buyers will receive three months free access!

This book is for you if ...
You are tired of building someone else's dream
You want to pursue your passion as a career
You are over the corporate politics
You want more control of your time and life
You don't want to build your dream business alone

  Buy Flight Club here 
Find Felena here | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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