Friday, February 27, 2015

The Heart of Gratitude Journey is over! NOT!


Did you really think this amazing journey was  over?

Nope!  Not by a long shot baby!  

Not for me anyway, and I don't think so for you either.

Dana challenged us earlier today with what "Stand Out" things are we taking away from this journey.  I've got 5 HUGE takeaways.  Some I had already started before this journey began and some were HUGE epiphanies and there were many lovely happenings along the way! 

I am calling these takeaways and gifts . . . 
THE FIVE C's

COFFEE CAMARADERIE CONNECTIONS CHOICES CLARITY



Coffee

Coffee is a big part of my brainstorming process and morning ritual.  By myself or not, if I drink a giant cup or just sip . . . it's a "tool" just like my notebooks & pen or my smart phone.

Camaraderie

Having a single buddy and sitting at the coffee shop or a group of women at a meet & mingle or an online group of like-minded ladies.  


It just blows my mind how such diverse groups of women CAN and DO put aside any cultural, religious, age or any of the myriad of excuses that peeps use to isolate themselves or decide not to like someone or for whatever reasons.  These women encourage and support each other, go to bat for each other and always have each other's back.  It's really something special to be a part of.


Connections

This has been HUGE for me.  Making connections can only happen if you put yourself out "there", if only a step at a time.  People are not going to knock on your door just cause it's there.  You need to step out of your door, walk around to the different neightborhoods where the people you want to meet are and invite them to coffee.  Invite them to you your blog.  Send them cookies!  (cookies = nice comments on their blog or other social media platform)  Give of yourself, your time, your talents and soon, they'll come for a visit.  You'll get that knock on your door.  Don't stop though.  Keep sending cookies!  Connect is an ACTION word!  Work it, girl!

This is for an upcoming blog post for Sarah Shotts.  She's got something pretty cool coming up!

Choices

It comes down to choices.  No big surprise there, right?  I suppose, not really anyway.  But how and why we make the choices we do gave me a HUGE ol' kick in the banoonies!  I can boil it down to this sticking point for me.

If you keep doing things the same old way, you are going to get the same old results! 

Well duh, Harvey! (used to say that when I was a kid)

I knew this!  At least I thought I did!  

But what I was really doing was just changing the "exterior" of things and calling it a "fresh start", like I had  learned a lesson.  I had "fresh.start.itis"  It's funny how we can fool ourselves, huh?  Not really.

My follow-through sucked, but I could sure make everything look cute!  But I was just really spinning my cute wheels!  

Don't get me wrong.  I wasn't stagnant by any means!  I learned, I crafted and I learned a whole lot more.  But when it came to my business, for the life of me I couldn't figure out what was holding me back.  Why I was so hit and miss or so hot and cold. 

It was because I didn't know what I really, really wanted to do.  I thought I could do it all!  Holy moley, if you saw all the lists of things I wanted to do and make a biz out of, you would be flippin' exhausted!  Well, I was! 

So when I got out of my own way and started thinking more about helping others and about being grateful for what I do have . . . things started becoming easier.  When I stopped being hypnotized by my own "busy-ness" and all the things I wanted to do and finally made a decision about what I CAN do . . . it clicked.  The light bulb went off!  Thank you for your help in that ladies, SO VERY MUCH!  Which led me to the last C.



Clarity

It's like I've got new glasses, you know that feeling?  It's like when I was 12 years old and I got my first pair of glasses.  All the trees far away were really not "lollipop" trees!  I remember saying to my Mom, "Wow, look at all the leaves on those trees!"  It was amazing!  

The difference now is that I see past the million leaves now.  The HUGE amount of craft supplies and reams of designer paper and embellishments coming out of my ears . . . all screaming at me to "MAKE ME INTO SOMETHING CUTE AND BECOME RICH!  HAHAHAHAHA!"  I'm only kind of kidding. 

I have CLARITY. 

AMEEN.

Thank you ladies once again, for all of your help and support and encouragement and EVERYTHING!  You were amazing companions on this journey, whether you clicked yes to the invite or not.  I am indeed indebted to you all!

So now this girl and her blog and her Facebook page and her Pinterest Account and her Instagram Feed are ready to kick some major BANOONIES and make it happen!  

Are you with me girls?  You sure as heck better be!! :P  It's only just begun!!

The prize for this last day of The Heart of Gratitude Journey will be the tried and true "Vintage Book Page Bundle" and it's going to include some vintage buttons too!   I'll give you till 11:00 am pacific time, Feb. 28, to comment for that one and . . .

SURPRISE!  One more giveaway!  I told it's not over!!  

I will post it around noon pacific time and then you will have till 9:00 pm pacific time, Feb 28 to comment!  And ladies,  I'm telling you I am grateful.  Beyond words and yes, dangit . . . I am tearing up, Bloody Again!!  This one is going to be AMAZEBALLS on crack!  (That's a good thing if you are a surprise giveaway!)  ALL prizes and I do mean ALL prizes will be shipped by Dana in the first week of March.  She'll come over to my end of town (I so owe her a visit!) and will have coffee and chat.  We'll talk about the amazing journey that In sha Allah, (God  willing) never ends.  And maybe cook up something new?  I'll just bet we will!  Love you guys! Peace.

CRAFT HAPPY!





NANCY

10 comments:

  1. Your post is inspirational! Thank you for helping me with my C's- Contentedness Connectedness, Consideration, and Caring <3
    One of my personal goals is to live out The Golden Rule, perform random acts of kindness, and be more generous than "others" think I should be because it all comes back around to each other, to us! Whether we call it karma, serendipity, coincidence it is all the same to me energy is attracted to its kind and I have chosen positive, happy, cute, caring energy into my universe and that brought you and Dana along with all of your wonderful peeps!

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    1. Hello, Susan!

      Oh, I just love your C's too! I'm totally taking yours too! You've been such a joy to have had on this journey! (Dana agrees!)

      CRAFT HAPPY!

      NANCY
      XOXOXO

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  2. Love these C's - I need to make an art journal page for each of them - because I don't want to forget that we are gonna OWN 2015's BAHOOONIES! oh yes we are! I am looking forward to many summer get together's - Hey someone offered and I am doing that! more camaraderie , more connecting, more open doors and windows - and a fantastic finale to the year that we started off with a bang!

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    1. Hi, Dana!

      I do too! I really like Susan's C's as well.

      I just want say thanks again, Dana, for thinking of this awesome idea! It was one of the best things I've ever been a part of!! The Heart of Gratitude will always be in my heart!

      I'm so glad I met you, Dana!!

      CRAFT HAPPY!

      NANCY
      XOXOXO

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  3. SO many great take-aways in this one, Nancy!

    You know how I feel about camaraderie! It's the THING that makes everything else work: it's the gas in my engines :) And you are one of the ladies who really makes it turbo power fuel.

    xo
    K

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    1. Hello, K!

      Thanks, it was a super feel good post to write, ya know? Thanks for your sweet words! I so agree with you. It's a such an important part for me as well and I don't think I even realized it, or at least to the extent I do now, not until the CTG course. Truly happy that I met you all!! :)

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  4. It was an honor and a privilege to be on this journey with you.... I have learned so much and I live your spirit and your attitude.

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    1. Hey, Miss G!

      So, so, SO happy you chose to join us on The heart of gratitude journey! Your kind and supportive words have made such a difference throughout the whole adventure! Thank you, friend. :)

      CRAFT HAPPY!

      NANCY
      XOXOXO

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  5. I may have missed the date as I had my calander wrong but I wanted to comment anyway. You are so amazing and I really am inspired by this post as your points hit home in more ways than one. This journey has really hit home and even when my health has been bad I really need to remember that there is something to be grateful fore. This past month has only been the start of my journey. My heart is full of so much gratitude to you fore helping me reach this point.

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    1. Hi, Tanya!

      I am so happy you joined in, even when it was difficult! I am beyond thrilled you've gotten so much out of your journey! It was pretty amazing, huh? My heart it pretty happy too, girl! :)

      CRAFT HAPPY!

      NANCY
      XOXOXO

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