Did you know that the eye of a storm is the calmest place to be? I've been through several hurricanes, most notably Hurricane Andrew in South Florida in August of 1992 and most recently Hurricane Hilary in August of 2023 in Southern California. While we expect the worst and hope for the best in these situations, the truth is that once we pass through it the skies clear and it's smooth sailing once again. When I made the conscious decision in 2005 to make a one-year plan to resign from my … [Read more...]
Joy of Giving: 7-Day Challenge
Joy of Giving: 7-Day Challenge to Release the Giver Within... I'm excited to be sharing my all new Joy of Giving: 7-Day Challenge with you! You may be familiar with the famous Deon Jacksons’ song Love Makes the World Go ‘Round. It's a simply worded, almost childish song that appears naïve at face value. However, those 6 simple words are the solution to everything that's wrong with the world today. Think about it. Love is often translated through the profound, miraculous concept of giving. … [Read more...]
Ashes to Ashes: The Ritual
The little boxes were stacked high in the top area of the armoire, with a special shelf just above that for the six most recent ones. Antique furniture wasn't her favorite, but this piece had been a gift from her Aunt Bonnie just weeks before she passed. The previous one used for this purpose was a white chest of drawers. It had been put together mostly out of particle board and then sloppily painted with navajo white paint from the Dunn Edwards store. She placed the new box gently next to … [Read more...]
Successful Online Entrepreneurship… For Introverts
Ready to Become a Successful Online Entrepreneur? Introverts Excel with This! I began my Monday Morning Mellow blog in the summer of 2019. My first post was about me, and how I have overcome so much to become a successful online entrepreneur. I even titled this post I'm an Introvert and the response was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, it was this outpouring of acceptance and kindness that encouraged me to keep writing and posting every single Monday since that first day. There is no … [Read more...]
Powers of Rest on the Thinking Path
Charles Darwin Discovered the Powers of Rest on his "Thinking Path" Most people, you included, can only go full tilt for about 90 to 120 minutes. After that, if you try to push through and continue to produce at a high level, you start fouling up the works. Keeping mentally focused and at your highest production level is difficult. Your mental engine begins to break down. The powers of rest are substantial and I'll be sharing more about that with you here. The same is true with your … [Read more...]
Mental Toughness and Resilience
Aquiring Mental Toughness and Resilience Despite the abundance of modern conveniences, we all continue to face obstacles in our daily lives. Life has many challenges and we somehow have to solve them if we want to achieve success. Acquiring mental toughness and resilience is a worthy goal. There are so many demands placed upon us, from all areas of our lives. To get through all of life's challenges we need to develop certain traits. Grit, or mental toughness, and resilience are two such … [Read more...]
The Road Out of Lahaina
For almost half a century, I've had a love affair with Hawaii. It's a beautiful place that became the 50th U.S State on August 21st, 1959. This story of my experiences and the road to Lahaina is a very personal one. The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands and these are their native spellings - Hawai'i, Maui, Koho'olawe, Moloka'i, Lana'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean. Located about 2,000 miles … [Read more...]
Embracing Change in Life
Embracing Change: How to Define Your Life's Path Have you thought about the path you wish to take in your life, from this day forward? I've shared my thoughts around "living outside the box" and the significance of embracing change as a strategy to live a lifestyle by design, so this concept may be top of mind for you. My first name - Connie - comes from Latin and means "constant; never changing." I used to say that was the reason I so disliked any types of change and could not imagine … [Read more...]
Morning Habits to Rule Your Day
Simple Morning Habits That Will Make Your Day Shine Have you ever thought about the concept that creating morning habits would help you to rule your day and accomplish more than you ever thought could be possible? Morning habits and routines were not a part of my life during my first half-century as an inhabitant of our planet. Planet Earth, that is. Instead, I allowed my days to unfold on their own. Although I wouldn’t realize it until many years later, what I was doing was truly a recipe … [Read more...]
Ten for Flinching
It was an exceptionally warm morning, and my thoughts were on the story I'd begun outlining before leaving home. I had coupons to redeem at the drugstore and decided to pick up a few things before going back home to my writing. Creating stories that people could relate to in some way had become my reason for living. I took a cart and placed my large purse in the front. My shoulder had been bothering me and I didn't want to aggravate it any more than necessary. I opened the store's app on my … [Read more...]