WINTER RECOMMENDED READING LIST

On a cold WINTER day cuddling up with a good book helps the time fly by while you’re confined indoors.

 With all of the tons of reading material on the market you may be wondering what’s worth browsing, especially if you’re short on time.

 My suggestion is that you create a Seasonal Recommended Reading List.

 

Here’s my WINTER BOOK SELECTION

Of course, there’s always something worth reading when it’s cold. 

 

 

EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

I spent this morning at a local McDonald’s (in Bellevue, TN….store #2755 ) enjoying a delicious breakfast and watching their morning crew at work.  Now if you think customer service is dead, I encourage you to visit this place; because not only did they provide EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE, the place was SPARKLING CLEAN, the FOOD was FANTASTIC….and YES the WI-FI worked too!  I was so IMPRESSED by the Barbara, the person who took my order, Erika the Morning Manager, and the entire crew I selected them as my…..

FRIENDLY FAV OF THE WEEK

The BELLEVUE MCDONALD’S

is where I recommend YOU come to the next time you want to enjoy a

GREAT MEAL, GOOD SERVICE, in a CLEAN ENVIRONMENT….I’M LOVIN‘ IT!!!

Finding Focus

Man, it seems as if it’s been ages since I posted any content to this site because I’ve been truly busy over the past few months getting settled in Nashville.  I can’t believe that three months have flown by so fast since our relocation here in June.

I also can hardly believe the direction that my life has taken in also such a short time.  I went from being an city girl and urban suburbanite  to a bon-a-fide country chick!

Being in a rural setting allows me to maintain the focus that it takes to write in peace without the distractions that I used to have due to city noise like horns honking, sirens and traffic, and the usual sounds of a busy neighborhood environment.

So here I am, finding my focus trying to get back on track with my blogs and the many other projects

on my To Do Check List requiring my attention.

The one promise I made to myself is that now we’re almost settled into our temporary home I’ll devote more time to maintaining my  and work to make so I’m able to cultivate my PASSION to  achieve my Goals and PROSPER in order to be a blessing to my fellow man (and women seeking to use their Potential to live life to the fullest)!

     I vow to make  Creative Girl Content Solutions the place that people want to come to again and again for Information and Inspiration that is makes their lives better.

First and foremost, a special  to my husband Ethan on this day which happens to be his 53rd B-day.  …I LOVE YOU, DEARLY!

I dedicate this post to the memory of my dad, Herman Lee Waddy who gave me the courage to fly letting me know I could do anything I put my mind to.  I miss him dearly.

May he rest in eternal peace.

 

 

Momentum: Shifting Gears and Changing Directions

Now that you know my STARTING POINT  here’s how I gained the MOMENTUM to press forward to overcome obstacles and get to the next level.

The easy answer would be to tell you that I just clicked my heels three times and things magically occurred.  But of course, that only happens in Fairy Tales.  As I said before I’m a girl who deals in REALITY not magic.

Rather than clicking my heels I started moving my feet, got off my butt, and stop wasting my time watching Reality shows–[which I call Fake TV] then I and started learning to do the things that would provide me with the ability to T-A-P into PRINCIPLES that motivated me to shift gears and ultimately change my life.

If you’ve read a few of my previous posts, then you’re probably familiar with these PRINCIPLES…but for anyone who’s new to my site here’s that information again:

T–Talents, Tenacity, Time, Teamwork, Tools and Technology.

A– Abilities, Ambitions, Associates, Assets, Affiliations, and Aspirations

P–Passion, Purpose, Potential, People, Productivity, Products, Performance, Power, Profits

to achieve

PRAISE & PROSPERITY

 I encourage anyone seeking to get out of the rat race or off the hamster wheel going nowhere to utilize these strategies or create your own to define your TRUE self.

 You see, doing something different isn’t for the faint of heart because achieving success in any endeavor doesn’t come easy.  NO, it doesn’t happen overnight either…at least it didn’t for me or anyone that I know personally.  It usually takes time, dedication, sacrifices, and a bit of grit and determination in order to accomplish your goals.

Visualization is great, creating an action PLAN and goals are good too, but YOU must have CONFIDENCE  [and FAITH] to execute those plans along with the PERSEVERANCE to keep going when you’re faced with difficulties (and the naysayers who are quick to discourage your efforts).

So YOU can’t spend your time being concerned about what other people think or are saying about what you’re doing.  I can assure you that plenty of tongues will be wagging about YOU when folks figure out that you’ve decided to do something different from what is considered Normal [that’s a future posts, “Don’t Call Me NORMAL!”]

As I was saying; Instead of worrying about what people were saying about me I made it my mission to give them something to talk about.  My husband and I love the song: ‘Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About’. If you’re more concerned about what other people think or are saying about YOU then there’s no way that you’ll be able to manifest your DREAMS due to your need to fit in with the crowd or fear of rocking the boat.

In order to get ahead in life you MUST be willing to do something that most people would probably not agree with and have the COURAGE to step away from the crowd that exists within your COMFORT zone.

It’s sort of like when you’re riding a bike or driving a vehicle that’s set only in first gear… You have to shift gears in order to accelerate and move to the next level or you won’t get very far.  Sometimes you may be fortunate enough to coast downhill, but sooner or later you still need to shift gears in order to gain any traction.  So I made up my mind to put the pedal to metal and invest my energy in REDEFINING myself in order to be the person I aspired to be….rather than settling for living according to my circumstances.

One of the first things I did was to complete a SWOT analysis in order to clarify my assets and abilities.

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OBSTACLES (and OPPORTUNITIES)

THREATS (TALENTS & TEMPERMENT)

Completing this analysis helped me to realized how the things I’ve previously done worked together to shape who I am Today.  Believe me nothing was wasted because over time it all had a particular PURPOSE in impacting my GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT.

I then used the information from my SWOT analysis to draft a CONCEPTUAL PLAN that outlined my P-FACTOR PRINCIPLES.   [But in the meantime, I still had to do a few more odd jobs to make ends meet].  Yet it was the results from my SWOT analysis that provided me with the determination to shift gears and change directions in order to live a more PRODUCTIVE life.

Might I suggest that you to use the SWOT analysis as a tool to do what I did….

Determine your PURPOSE

Define your GOALS

Create your VISION

Actualize your MISSION

One of my personal saying [that I refer to when facing DIFFICULTIES] is: “Out of a Negative comes a Positive.”  I believe that it is the NEGATIVE (which are those experiences that you regret when you’re going through them) that become the driving FORCE that create POSITIVE changes

[But, that is only for the people who are willing to see the BLESSING in the LESSON rather than just become conditioned to having a victim MENTALITY].  Otherwise the mistakes you’ve made will be repeated because you didn’t learn anything or you failed to take any accountability for the part that you played in the situation.

You don’t always have to know where you’re going when you decide to shift gears or have a map that outlining what direction you want to go, but you must be open new IDEAS in order to expand your HORIZONS.

Of course I’m still a work in progress because GOD isn’t finished with me yet.   I invite you to continue following me on my journey to see where life takes me…and of course

see   what I do next.

The Starting Point: My Journey from There to Here

         Well, by now you know about me being a CREATIVEPRENEUR, but maybe you’re wondering what was the path that I took to get to this point.  I’d like to tell you that it was a smooth transition but that would be a LIE.  My journey here was filled with twists, turns, ups and downs that many people may experience when deciding to change their life.

I don’t happen to be one of those people who believes in the fairy tale of an overnight success because if you examine most people’s life story their success wasn’t something that happened instantly, usually their endeavor occurred over a period of time.  Not to mention like me, they also had to do whatever was necessary to make their dreams a reality.

First, YOU must have the courage to take the reins in order to steer your life in the direction that you want to go, regardless of your current circumstances or concerning yourself with what other people may think or say about your decision.

Before I began telling you about my journey; which is too long for just one post [this is why the content will be a five-part series]:

The Starting Point: My Journey from There to Here

Momentum:  Shifting Gears and Changing Directions

Surprising Stuff: Some of My Amazing Experiences

Curve Balls: Handling The Challenges of Life’s Ups and Downs

Home Base: Settling Into The Place We Call Home

My Starting Point began the day I decided to use my gifts, talents and resources to pursue my creative PASSION versus continuing to work a traditional job.  From that moment on, it was as if no matter how much I liked the job I had when I started, sooner or later I’d find myself yearning to do something different.  This of course was my catalyst towards the ventures that I choose to pursue…(Yes, there have been many over the years).

But that’s another story…..

The fact is, I always knew that I was born to do more than just be a regular employee which was the real reason for my workplace displeasure.  TIME is the most precious commodity that YOU have.  When you spend the bulk of it doing things merely for the sake of satisfying others a piece of YOU dies a bit more each day waiting for your turn up at bat.  I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t easy but it was WORTH it because my soul is full of JOY every time my fingers hit the keys and I see the end result of my efforts.

I woke up one day determined to do the things that the CREATOR had placed in my heart to do.  At first, I took a few baby steps to get my footing.  When I stumbled I picked myself up, dusted off and pressed on with doing what was necessary to live the life of my dreams.

My mission was to combine my PASSION for WRITING and STORYTELLING with my Administrative Abilities

Sales & Marketing Experience

Interior Design and Professional Organizing Skills

to explore how to Create Content for Online Media Sources.

When I started there wasn’t a ton of information available on the market like it is today.  So I read everything I could get my hands on either at the library or bookstores (Anyone that knows me knows that these are me and my husband Ethan’s  (click the link to check out his website) favorite places to hangout).  Along with the material that I garnered from books I also acquired material over a period of time from online sources.  Then I found people who were doing the very thing that I desired to do.  These resources were invaluable in helping me to develop my writing style.

By this time the pieces of the puzzle started to take shape guiding me in the right direction.

Next I combined my skills and resources to DESIGN WEBSITES.  It actually was a couple negative situations [That’s another blog post title ‘OPERATION RECOVERY’] that motivated me design my own website which in turn led to my creating sites for a select few relatives, friends and associates in order to construct my PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO (click the link here to check out my work for yourself). This sparked my interest in creating SUPERIOR QUALITY CONTENT for POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS, ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS and finally constructing BLOGS.

I’ve always been a person that goes against the grain rather than conforming to what other people consider a NORMAL or TRADITIONAL lifestyle, so deciding to become a CONTENT SPECIALIST was the perfect fit for me exercise my ARTISTIC muscles which is what allowed me to become CREATIVE GIRL 49.

on my blogs or check out

my sites

      

to learn more about my journey and see what I do next.

Feel free to leave me a comment here or on my Facebook or Twitter page because I’d love hearing from YOU.

Hopefully this inspires someone else to become a CREATIVEPRENEUR too.

FARE-DE-WELL JULY, 2015

I can hardly believe that this is officially the last day in July….zipping      out of here on the wings a dragonfly.

It seems like it was just yesterday that the month came blazing in like the beams radiating from the hot SUMMER sky.

You know, the kind of heat that makes you want to take a dip in the beautiful blue waters at the beach, maybe lounge around the pool, or relax for hours watching a good movie in an air conditioned room.

Or how about the days when a cool breeze is a much welcomed treat…or when the downpour from a brief shower provides relief from the scorching heat.

                                          Does it seem like the dog days of this season are flying by?

Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago when we were

celebrating the Fourth of July? 

 

So ado and so long…another month celebrating SUMMER

has come and gone….Fare-de-well July (2015) may you be long remembered as a period that provided families with an opportunity to make some WONDERFUL memories.

Nashville Nice Part III

                            I’ve been having an time   here in NASHVILLE meeting so many

 

FANTASTIC FOLKS that are going to be featured in my blog

NASHVILLE NICE

Which means I have a filled with tons of stuff to do that is keeping me pretty busy,

So Bored is the one thing I’m NOT.

Currently the final BLOG site for NASHVILLE NICE is under construction so I decided to create an addition to

Parts I & II

which means that this is Part III

(I never intended for the blog to be a sequel but it just turned out that way)… For the record, NO there will NOT be any further continuations to this post section, because rarely is anything after Part III worth viewing.

So without further ado here are some of the FRIENDLY people whoI’ve recently met at various sites around town who were nice enough to be photographed for this project along with sharing some interesting facts about themselves (which was done to prove they’re REAL people and not stock photography models).

You’ll learn more about the people feature here on the final production of the

NASHVILLE NICE blog which will premier

August 15, 2015

DISCLOSURE: The people shown were NOT paid, compensated, or promised any favors to promote their business, company or organization in any way for their involvement in this project …

NOT ONE THIN DIME

They were randomly selected just because they exuded

the qualities of

  KINDNESS    

COURTESY  

or they simply embodied a Spirit of

     COMPASSIONCONFIDENCE

or they showcase enterprising characteristics of

EMPOWERMENT

that comes from exemplary

TEAMWORK

and

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE

or they possess a strong Sense of

HUMOR

 

and a spirit of FUN

ADORADABLENESS

ADVENTURE

or the exemplify the Look of LOVE 

HAPPINESS

FRIENDSHIP

FAITH

       HOPE      

   ENTHUSIASM

PASSION

CREATIVITY

 PURPOSE

RESPECT

FAMILY

PATIENCE

(which comes in handy when dealing with children….because kids really are SPECIAL LITTLE PEOPLE that merely require a bit of patience & understanding).

Needless to say, I have to replenish my supply of BE GOODBEES Thanks to all of the (invisible) ones that I’ve handed out to children

  (and their parents

So I hope you all enjoy the blogand share it with your friends…but most of all provide me with tons of comments and feedback

How else would I know what you think about Creative Girl 49?

FYI:  As I’ve mentioned before, none of my photographs have been purchased by ANY third party sites (they’re all of REAL people that I met while doing this project).  If any company names are locations are identified it is merely shown to clarify where I met the person or where the photograph was taken and not  to promote any particular place including but not limited any locations within the city, surrounding communities of Nashville, or the state of Tennessee.   My goal in creating this post was simply to show that people here truly are NICE….and that about covers it.

(Now if you do see any of these NICE folks on my social media site please don’t tag them, assume their identity [which of course is NOT nice] or make any NASTY remarks about them, their attire, race, size, gender, religious beliefs, or nationality or I may just have one of my BEES to hunt you down and sting you for being a MEANIE)!

~~FINAL FOOTNOTE~~

Information about the participants will be featured in the final

Nashville Nice Blog set to publish on

 August 15, 2015.

To everyone who generously gave of their time and participation in this project

Having A Blast

                       

Today, July 15, 2015 marks our ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY since arriving in Nashville

[aka The Music City.]

Man this time has really flown by quickly. And as you can see from the pics we’re

 

HAVING A BLAST!

Here in ‘The VOLUNTEER State’.

 We’re truly having a

time meeting FRIENDLY FOLKS,

 seeing some AMAZING SITES,

and going to all sorts of places around town

all in an effort of getting used to being in the place that we intend to call

HOME.

I can hardly wait to find out what the remainder of this year has to bring.

One thing’s for certain; with so much to see and do here in    we won’t be bored

   

With Ethan busy working on multiple projects and me constructing websites and posts for my

And of course hanging out with all of the

NICE PEOPLE  we’re connecting with;

              From Downtown, Nashville West to Mt. Juliet, Lebanon Donaldson, Hermitage, etc.

There are tons of Places with Friendly Faces

to have a BLAST in Tennessee

Which is why we’re having a SPARKLING Good Time.

CHICK-FIL-A COW APPRECIATION DAY

Here are a few pics that I promised to share with some new acquaintances that I met last night at

CHICK-FIL-A COW APPRECIATION DAY (Tuesday July 14, 2015)

It just goes to show how much fun you can have when you let down your ears, put on a pair of hooves, adorn yourself in spots, and sport your udders for FOOD

“WAY TO GO PEOPLE!  OPPS, I MEAN ALL YOU COWS!”

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN AND THE REST OF THE HERD AT THE SAME WATERING HOLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE….IN THE MEANTIME…BE KIND….CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR MOOS..AND

GO FORTH AND REMEMBER TO #COW APPRECIATION DAY  #Creative Girl 49,  #Blogger

#Creative Girl Content Solutions

“EAT MOR CHIKIN!”

THANKS FOR MAKING ME WELCOMING INTO THE HERD AS A NEW TENNESSEE HEIFER (female cow)…

SPECIAL THANKS TO HANNAH J. and her family of cows (Top Pic)

(for providing me with the enough attire to feel like part of the herd).

[I didn’t get the names of anyone else pictured because I was too busy shooting these quick pics.] Hopefully, they’ll see the pics and identify themselves that next time we meet at Chick-Fil-A during another COW Appreciation Day.

 

SHOOTING FOR THE MOON

 Being such a BUSY BEE ,I hope you didn’t think that BLOGGING is all I do?

 

  I is to one day use my CREATIVITY to provide services to various COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS such as the NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, GIRL SCOUTS, or GIRLS & BOYS CLUBS  to conduct one of my projects such as:

BLOGGING CONNECTIONS WORKSHOPS

TALES FROM THE OTHER SIDE STORYTELLING

                  Granny’y Eulogy of Barnmum T. Wolf at a Toastmaster Storytelling Event

CHARACTER KIDZ DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

 Le Mime Petite Performances

                                              Performance at the Fifteenth Street Baptist Church Youth Event

Performance at District 8 Toastmasters Fall Festival Ball

                                               Raymond A, Taffi C. and Jacqui V hanging w/Le Mime Petite

                                                                           Mary K. & Le Mime Petite

                                                                Le Mime Petite kissing Hubby, Ethan

                                                                            Farah R & Le Mime Petite

                                                                                                      Me & Curtis S. (aka James Brown)

                                                                       Posing w/ Taffi C. & Cassette S.

                                                              

Here’s Le Mime Petite getting down with some fellow Toastmasters who really know how to P-A-R-T-Y!

I’m just a girl who likes expressing my CREATIVITY through multiple outlets…. take a look at some of the things I’ve done and judge for yourself.  It’s evident that I like hanging around people who know how to have fun and enjoy whatever they’re doing regardless of their age.

 

I’m shooting for the MOON in my quest to be a STAR!