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A Passionate Life

Today's Positive Thought:

Every woman is born with passion and has the right to live a passionate life (Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now by Vickie L. Milazzo).

I have always been passionate about:

1) Creating
2) Traveling
3) Learning
4) Teaching
5) Being of Service

Today I am passionate about figuring out how to combine them.

What are you passionate about right now?
Posted by Keianna at 6:35 PM 2 comments: Links to this post 

Finally got a chance to take some pictures. Can't upload all the ones I took b/c I am using some them on my HOF LO. However, I really like these too. These are straight from the camera. I haven't cleaned them up in photoshop. I am really am trying to do more work in camera, so I can spend less time using photoshop. Rob is always good about participating :-) Fall is my absolutely fave season. While at the park we saw two families of deer. Very cool experience and great weather. Posted by Keianna at 5:34 PM 5 comments: Links to this post One Friday each month, a different department in the school is responsible for providing lunch for the staff. My department went this Friday and my Jambalaya got rave reviews. I had people e-mailing me for the recipe.

My mom and sister are coming up for Thanksgiving. She kept asking what I was cooking and I kept thinking, geez it isn't like thanksgiving is right around the corner. Well egg on my face b/c it is in 3 1/2 weeks. I think we will be having ham, turkey breast, macaroni, dressing, green beans w/bacon, pecan pie, sweet potato pie. What is your fave Thanksgiving dish?

I convinced Rob to go out with me today to take some Fall photos. Haven't used my camera in a while, so I hope I haven't forgotten all I learned in that photography class. I need some great fall photos for this 2 page LO I want to complete. Wish me luck :-)

Posted by Keianna at 9:19 AM 2 comments: Links to this post 
I have been trying to figure out why my blog numbers have be down. My husband and I came up with two reasons.

One, I haven't been posting as many LO's and pictures. Reason: I am entering this big contest and you have to submit 10 never before seen LO's. The pics have to be new as well. So I am kinda stock piling my LO's to find the best ones to submit. I have completed 3 so far, and I really like them.

Two, my Blog content has changed. Rob says people don't mind commenting on your day to day activities, but they are more hesitant to comment on entries where you are writing about your hopes, dreams or failures. Makes sense to me. My last few entries have been about finding myself and acknowledging my life's passions. I Blog about what is going on in my life. For me right now, it is finding myself and my true calling.
So if you haven't been commenting lately, I understand and it is cool. Just say HI every now and then :-)
Posted by Keianna at 8:36 AM 2 comments: Links to this post 
when you want to be inspired it comes from all directions :-)

Here is a little more inspiration for you today. Came upon this book on another Blog and felt really inspired after reading the author's intro. It is called: Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now by Vickie L. Milazzo

She basis the book around 5 promises that influence the hidden strentghs described in the book.

The author's words:
In 1982, the year I turned 28, I realized my life was headed all wrong.
I had gone into nursing wide-eyed, thinking I could make a difference—even improve the state of healthcare. Then I bumped up against the reality that no matter how hard I worked, my efforts would never make a dent. My financial advancement was also moving far too slowly, and I was forgetting what it was like to have fun on the job.

It wasn’t easy admitting I’d chosen the wrong career. I had worked hard to become an RN, earn my bachelor’s degree, then my master’s, and had worked six years in the hospital. Now my passion was dying and my potential was wasting away.

That was 60 million dollars ago. And that’s when I first made my 5 Promises. I have renewed them daily for more than two decades. These 5 Promises transformed not only my career but my entire life. I promise they’ll work for you, too.

PROMISE #1— I Will Live and Work a Passionate Life.
One of my passions was ignited in me when I was eight years old. For hours each day I taught an imaginary class. I was so absorbed with my class that my dad would come in and break it up to encourage me to play outside with my real friends. To this day I have no idea what I was teaching, but I was darned passionate about it.

At eight years old teaching was play. At 28, I turned that passion for teaching into a business, and I’ve been playing ever since. When I left hospital nursing to start my legal nurse consulting business, I promised myself I would work only my passions. Later, when I started teaching other nurses how to become legal nurse consultants, as The New York Times reported, I “crossed nursing with the law and created a new profession.” That’s the kind of Big Thing that can happen when you commit to Promise 1, to living and working a passionate life.

PROMISE #2—I Will Go for It or Reject It Outright.
If you want something better for your life and career, you owe it to yourself to go for it or reject it outright. Don’t wait for the conditions to be perfect. That will never happen. People who wait or dabble usually end up at their retirement party rewarded with a glass of watery punch and a piece of white cake. Own up to your passions, then step out and grab hold of them with both hands.
Despite a fear of cliff-hanging heights, I stepped out of an airplane at 14,000 feet to sky dive. I was terrified. Once out of the plane’s cabin I couldn’t step back in. I was truly committed, even if not by choice, and the exhilaration I felt later at overcoming that lifelong fear proved to be a catalyst for future accomplishments.

Most of us stay in the safe cabin of everyday life. We never step out into the audacious dreams that smolder and spark inside us. What would your life look like if you didn’t have the choice of that safe cabin? If your only option was to grab that dream and jump into it? To go all the way once you made the jump?
Fear will freeze you in place. Don’t tell yourself, “One day, some day, I might get around to living my dreams.” With that attitude one day, some day, you’re sipping that punch thinking about all the things you didn’t do.
If you want something, go for it all the way and go for it now.

PROMISE #3 – I Will Take One Action Step a Day Toward My Passionate Vision.
Dreams and visions are great, but without action they are nothing more than hallucinations. Without action your visions scud away and dissolve like clouds. I’ve met many people much smarter than I am who had dreams and ideas but didn’t do anything with them. They didn’t take action.

When a national news anchor from CNN asked me how I got to where I am today, in light of my humble beginnings, the answer was easy—one step at a time. I lacked business savvy, but with each small step I gained both knowledge and momentum. What I learned in the process and what still applies now is that it is less important what I do and more important that I do something.
By taking action every day you develop the habit and discipline to make your vision a reality. When you focus not just on the idea but on making it happen, you stay in motion, not just dreaming your passions but living them.

PROMISE #4— I Commit to Being a Success Student for Life.
All great athletes and performers practice every day. Even after they achieve a level of success, they continue to practice and take instruction from their coaches, learning new ways to reach higher levels. They are lifetime students.
Becoming a success student for life is about practicing being successful. What’s hard today is easy tomorrow—with practice.

It is a myth to think you can launch a successful career or succeed in other life goals without learning, even if your driving desire is as intuitive as being a full-time mom.
Even as a successful CEO, I still learn every day—from my students, staff members, favorite writers, speakers and other business experts.

PROMISE #5—I Believe As a Woman I Really Can Do Anything.
I was lucky to go to an all girls’ high school. Co-ed schools have advantages, too, but when I grew up men were expected to be the business geniuses, women to be helpful homemakers. I gained confidence in those formative years from not having teachers telling me the boys were smarter or calling on them instead of me. As a young woman I honestly believed I could do anything. Believing you can do it is 90% of the win.

Any time I have hesitated to go for it, it was because I had stopped believing in myself the way I did in those glorious adolescent years. Today, when an opportunity arises and I find myself hesitating, I remember, “I’m a woman. I can do anything.” I think back to my past success as an RN in the hospital, making split-second decisions that were the difference between life and death for my patients. Then I remind myself: If I could save lives in the middle of the night while the rest of the world was sleeping and a doctor was nowhere in sight, surely I could make effective decisions in my career and life.

Find your own example, a personal or career accomplishment that gives you pride and encouragement, then use it to bolster your resolve. Any time you’re not grabbing the opportunity, tell yourself, “I am a woman and I can do anything!”
Sometimes we make a promise, set about achieving a goal, and we do achieve it, but then it’s over. Success is a journey. Apply these 5 Promises daily—you’ll take your career and life to new heights. Promise BIG and promise NOW.

Posted by Keianna at 6:56 PM 1 comment: Links to this post 
The Right Moment

Sometimes you do things and something happens, which makes you feel like it is the right moment and the right time. Yesterday, I put into writing something that has been on my heart for a while. I also wrote about overcoming fear and believing in my dreams. Today I read Ali Edward's Blog and she wrote about having confidence in your artistic endeavors. The article spoke to me and resonated with my spirit. I hope it inspires you to have confidence in your endeavors as well: http://www.lifeartmedia.com/newsletter5.html
Posted by Keianna at 8:25 PM No comments: Links to this post A Life Lived in Fear, Is a Life Half Lived: I Decided that I want to be whole

Okay, so I think I am having one of those early life crisises. This is a new phenomenon that happens in your late twenties and early thirties. It is where you feel like you should be doing more with your life and you want to take some chances and live a few dreams.

If you have been reading my previous posts, than you know that I have become more and more unsatisfied with my job. I have been thinking about trying a new career, but afraid of the unknown aspect and lack of security. I have taken risks in my life, but they have been calculated risks according to my husband. Well based on our conversation on Sunday night, I realized that I didn't want to be impaired by fear. I don't want to look back and wonder what if I had been bolder. So I have decided to take a risk, I have decided to follow a recent dream, I have decided to do something that I think will bring me satisfaction...

I have decided to look into starting my own business in the scrapbook field. Typing it makes it seem more real somehow. Right now I am just doing the research on the different angles I could take. For those not familiar with the scrap world, you can: scrap for others, do an online store, do a brick and mortar store, manufacture scrap items, start a kit club, do direct sales, teach classes and hold scrap parties, do photography, or write books. I am not finding alot of information on the angle that interests me most, but I am not letting that discourage me. I am looking into licensing a name, tax considerations, cost factors, advertising opportunities, website creation, how I could put my mark on something, and reading about people's personal stories in the scrapbook field. I am reseraching and working towards a dream, and something feels real good about that. I know it won't happen over night, I know it may not be easy, but I am excited about the potential for success. If others have done it before me, than why couldn't I as well. So anyway, PRAY that I take it from the PLANNING stage, to the ACTION stage and then to the IMPLEMENTATION stage. I don't want to get stuck at stage one.

Also, if anyone has any tips or stories to share, please do so. Experience is good, but learning from others is also very helpful.
Posted by Keianna at 8:19 AM 4 comments: Links to this post 
I have two LO's completed for my HOF entry. I feel good about them.

I spent the beginning of the day watching football and then napping with my husband. I spent the end of the day sipping good wine, listening to jazz music, and eating spicy sausage while learning about my husband, myself, and our future goals. Great conversation was had over two bottles of great wine and a home cooked dinner. No photos for moments like this.
Posted by Keianna at 8:43 PM 2 comments: Links to this post 
Love and Revelations

My hubby is the greatest guy I know, next to my stepdad. Rob read my blog and said he teared up b/c he felt pained by my pain. Nice to know he loves me enough to emphatize (sp) and not just sympathize (sp). Anyhoo, he said quit your job in May if you want and we will find a way to work it out. But then we started talking about the logistics of it, and I wasn't liking the picture. I don't want to sell the home we built, cancel our two week trip to Europe next summer, give up my scrap budget, and basically scale back our living. BOO to that. I also realized that I am scared of the unknown and scared to look for a new job. This tells me that I may want to quit, but I am not ready to quit. So I must learn to adapt to my situation and cope with the circumstances. I also realized yesterday that the things bothering me the most were the things I had no control over. So I spent the day today telling myself, "this is not worth getting upset over, this is beyond your control so let it go." My day wasn't peaches and cream, but it was markedly better. I can not save those who don't want to be saved, undue 15 years worth of bad habits, or rework the system, but I can learn to let go and only concentrate on what I can do and not what I can not. It is a very liberating thought indeed. It was exactly the revelation that I needed today.
Posted by Keianna at 6:03 PM 3 comments: Links to this post 

I am trying out for Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contest. Do I think I can win, HECK no. But I am excited about the fact that it will push me to scrap outside my box and help me to develop a more creative style. For example, I went and bought paint, needle and thread to use on my scrapbook pages. Never used these techniques before, but I have been inspired by the contest. It is a grueling process, but I am excited about the possibilities. Even if I don't win, I will have some awesome LO's and hopefully stretched myself as an artist. Here's to being creative and loving it.
Posted by Keianna at 7:07 PM 3 comments: Links to this post Weekend was fine, we made it back safely. I enjoy Rob's mom and learning more about his family. They are very open people.

Sat at my job today and spent the entire time trying not to cry or lose it. This behavior prompted me to search for other jobs, which inturn prompted me to feel trapped. You may think that the more degrees you have, the more options that are open to you. This is not always the case depending on your field of learning. My dislike for my job is growing. I spent the majority of last year trying to get through and debating on if I should resign my contract for the new year. I even wrote my thesis paper on how to retain teachers and how to rejuvenate your passion for the job. I signed my contract thinking that it was just where I was in my career. The education field has the greatest teacher turn over rate at the 4-5 year mark. I have been teaching 4 1/2 years. I thought I would give it one more year. Part of me regrets doing that. The problem is that I am good at my job, I love the concept of my job, and it is all I have ever wanted to do. I just don't know what I would do if I didn't teach, so I feel trapped. Some of my friends think I am crazy to want to quit b/c I have a knack for what I do. Teaching is second nature, but I don't enjoy it anymore. I am not enjoying the kids, the paperwork, the constant pressure, administrative directives, and generally the overall flow of the education world. I could quit, but what on earth would I do that pays me as well as I am paid now (I make more than some college professors who taught me). What would I do with all this specialized education that I have? What else would I enjoy doing day after day? What else is my passion? I have alot of questions that I need to answer. It is so hard to answer them from my spirit and not based on fear or insecurity.
Posted by Keianna at 6:41 PM 1 comment: Links to this post 
Geez, I have been a bad blogger this week. I have been super busy though. Parent teacher conferences were two days this week. I didn't get home until around 8 p.m. on both days. I had 27 people the first day and 6 the second day. I teach 160 kids, you do the math. Super tired though because I was spending over 13 hours at work those days. Tomorrow we are driving to MS to visit my mother in law. She is a great woman, but I really don't want to sit in the car for 7 hours. The things we do for family. It is definitely worth it though. We will be attending the tailgate and game forJackson State's Homecoming, so that should be fun. I wish I had been able to get my hair done. I am not going to work on Monday because I need to recoup from the weekend drive.

Next week is Homecoming for the high school, so I will be busy again with practices for my girls, their big pep rally performance, the parade, the game and the dance. No rest for the weary aye. Plus, I have to figure out a way to grade the 120 essays I have left. I hate grading and I hate grading essays even more.

Hopefully between all the happenings I can take some great photos to scrap later.

Okay, rambling is over :-) Have a fab weekend :-)
Posted by Keianna at 10:30 PM 1 comment: Links to this post 
Documenting My Day

Loving the Elsie book.....still :-) This was a challenge to document a day in your life. This is what I doMonday through Friday (morning to evening) most weeks. I enjoyed doing it. The future is unpredictable. I want to be able to remember who I am today five or ten years from now. It's neat to think that five years ago, I was living a different life. I wonder if this will be the case five years from today. I challenge you to preserve your life today, so future generations will have insight into your era and your life.
Posted by Keianna at 9:35 PM 9 comments: Links to this post This is what I created with a few of those Apple Picking photos I was so proud of last week. I love this fall paper by Ki memories and A2Z. I got the papers in a kit club I tried for the first time this month. When I saw both these companies in the same kit, I couldn't resist, plus it came with leaves and a Heidi Swapp frame kit. Check them out if you are looking for a great fall kit: http://www.sweetpeascraps.com/pages/index.php
Posted by Keianna at 7:08 PM 1 comment: Links to this post Some people think I scrap because I am bored or just don't have anything more interesting to do. These photos reminded me of why I scrap. We built our first home two years ago in December. Anyhoo, I was looking through our video camera bag for a cord and found these photos. I didn't remember taking them, putting them there, or having lost them (pre-scrapping days). But just looking at them, brought back so many memories to my husband and I. That's why I scrap, to preserve the experiences in our lives and to give our photos the respect they deserve. Journaling Quote: Peace and rest at length have come, All the day's long toil is past, And each heart is whispering, Home, Home at last. Journaling Tag: Our ist home was our attempt at the American dream. We loved every moment.
Posted by Keianna at 7:53 PM 5 comments: Links to this post 
Time for Yourself

We had a discussion at work today about finding time for yourself. I told my friend that it was utterly necessary. There aren't enough hours in the day to do what we are required to do at our job and still maintain our personal sanity and some type of home life. I came home today and refused to do any work for my job (not out of the normal :-) I went up stairs to my scrap room, turned on some music (I am really liking the new Ludicris CD) and completed two LO's (my husband was at class). I enjoyed myself. The downside of my job is that you feel guilty for taking time to seperate yourself from the job. Education is a weird entity because it is about giving yourself every minute of every hour that you are there. Kids are so needy and 150 of them can be draining. You feel bad when you aren't giving yourself because you need to refuel. Whenever I take a day off, I spend half the day feeling bad and wondering what the kids are doing while my husband doesn't even think about it for a second.

Tip of the Year: Do you when you need to, so you will be willing to be there for others when they need you. Took me four years on the job to learn this and I am still trying to put it in to practice.
Posted by Keianna at 7:40 PM 5 comments: Links to this post