Inspiration – Particular Passions~Blog for Passionista At Large

Comparison is Distracting

December 23, 2017 passionistaatlarge

Do you get distracted when you look at others, their posts, their accomplishments? Are you comparing? I sure do, at times. Then I remind myself that we all have different callings, abilities, lights to shine. It’s really destructive to compare because we will not “measure up”. So, keep on pursuing your own purpose. And don’t get distracted by comparison.

Big sparkle hugs! Mimi

Thank You, God!

April 16, 2017 passionistaatlarge

God’s extreme sacrifice (of His Son) gave me true life.

Not just life after death, but life in abundance while living.

HE is the source of my joy, my life, my positive outlook, my passion, my love, my energy, my laughter, my caring, my creativity, and every other aspect of my blessed life.

I am beyond thankful (I have no words) for His sacrifice.

Thank You Jesus for giving Your life for me.

I love you with all that is within me!

May you all have a blessed Easter.

Passionista Mimi

Inspiration, Living With Gusto

Life Ain’t Always Sunshine and Roses

March 28, 2017 passionistaatlarge

So here’s the deal.

It’s NOT always sparkle and shine in my life.

There are days like this week when I am burdened for a precious friend and feel helpless in the situation. When I am a bit tired of working, parenting alone, being this age with kids, being indoors, wanting something fun, loneliness, just the keeping on keeping on.

And there are some days when the only prayer I can form is, “Oh God, oh God, oh God!”

That is the real truth, folks. I get in those places too.

I thought maybe you should know.

I never want you to feel as if I downplay your pain. Or suggest that your difficult situation can just go away “poof”.

But I post the positive things I do because SOMEONE needs to read them.

And in my inner spirit those things are ME. They are what I do to keep doing.

I smile, I pray, I spend time being thankful, I reach out to others, I help others if at all possible….

All these things help to center me and bring the “yuck” back into perspective.

I do know that when we fill our brains with positive thoughts,

we attract more positive energy to ourselves.

And that is what being thankful is about.

That is what “speaking to the mountain” (see previous post) is about.

We actually DO have a choice in how we spend our focus/energy.

And when I’m in a funk, I choose to spend mine by rejoicing in all the good I see around me.

Being thankful for the many, many good things in my life.

And realizing that these funks don’t last forever.

Two things I know–God is always faithful, and the sun will eventually shine!

Inspiration

Yes, YOU are Creative!

March 26, 2017 passionistaatlarge

We all have creative power within us.
It’s a source wired into our spirits and it’s a part of what makes us human.

So think about this.
You are creative and you create every single day!
Your choices create consequences.
Your actions create love or hate.
Your words create life or death.
Your thoughts create power or fear.

Dear Creative One,
use your creative powers well.

I’m with you in this.

Love and hugs, Mimi

Inspiration

Write Your Own Script, My Dear

February 26, 2017 passionistaatlarge

So really. Why would you follow in the exact footprints of someone else?

They do not have YOUR unique qualities, gifts, abilities, and desires, and you don’t have theirs.

Should you fashion your life after what other people say? Should you let what is important to them be what guides you?

Perhaps to some degree, if they are people you love. But when it comes to achieving what you truly desire in life, I believe that you need to be the one to determine what is most important to you.

And please, do not let people’s opinions of you alter your course one bit! Know your own truth.

YOU are the one to determine

the kind of person you want to be.

What you wear, how you talk,

what your goals are,

the things that fulfill your heart,

what kind of job you want,

the kind of a person you want a relationship with,

where you want to live, how you run your home,

what books you read,

how much schooling you obtain……

these should be things of your choosing and should not be dictated by the choices of others.

write-your-own-script

Of course I am not discounting the wise counsel of people. We all need help with decisions and lifestyle issues.

I’m referring to giving up yourself

in order to follow blindly.

Or relinquishing your desires

because someone thinks they are silly.

Or not wearing something you love

because no one else does.

Or not truly honoring your heart and spirit

because others criticize you for it.

You have a brain, emotions, intelligence, reason, values, morals, and common sense.

Use them to figure out, and pursue, what is valuable to you. Mark your own path, and

Write your own script for your life!

As always, I thank you for visiting. I’d love to know what you think!

Love and sparkly hugs,

Passionista

Inspiration

Do Not Apologize For Who You Are!

February 21, 2017February 21, 2017 passionistaatlarge

Oh darling, don’t you know that who you are is the most amazing and fabulous gift to the world? Who you are is full of wonder and possibility. You deserve to be loved and fulfilled in what you do. I know it’s tough many days. I know some of you are not in an ideal situation. I know some of you feel as if the ground is swallowing you up and closing in over you.

I know because I’ve been there. And it took action and big steps (in little baby steps) to get me out of that hole. But I am here to tell you that YOU can start today to change your situation. There are people who will help you.

Do not try to do it alone. I know, precious one, that you feel as if you must be strong and do this life thing (as hard and unpleasant as it is) by yourself because that’s who you are. Well, you only limit yourself when you limit your possibilities.

Start talking to people. Start saying what you want and need. I promise, lightning will not strike you. Start asking for help. Start with someone you trust and get them involved in seeking help you and ways to improve and/or get out of your situation.

You are NOT alone! You do not have to suffer in silence. There ARE solutions. I know. I found them.

The biggest thing is to start realizing how valuable you are. How much the world needs your special, unique gifts and love. Start telling yourself the TRUTH–that you are amazing and have wonderful abilities and gifts for this world.

Start seeking ways to BE who you really are. To pour out your beautiful spirit and shine your gorgeous light.

Because darling, you are perfect, just as you are! Never apologize.

Love and sparkly hugs! Mimi

Inspiration

Choosing Joy

February 1, 2017 passionistaatlarge

today-i-will-choose-joy

“Joy” is one of my favorite words.

Even when life is a disappointment or a trial,

we can still have a consistent joy.

I believe that joy is that which runs deep in our spirit,

and it flows from gratitude and appreciation,

and the ability to recognize and cultivate them.

Sometimes having joy requires

making the choice to take it easy.

Breathe. Enjoy. Relish. I love that word “relish”.

By definition it means…

great appreciation of something,

or enjoyment, gusto, liking, loving, savor, zest, and taste.

I have “great appreciation of”, or relish, those moments of pure simplicity….

like evenings, or unexpected snow days, at home

with my “treasures” (better known as my kiddos),

birds chirping after a season of cold silence,

that flash when the sun breaks through after long periods of cloudy sameness,

oh, and the first lick of chocolate cake batter from the bowl.

Perhaps the simple things are the big things in life after all.

Did you know you can teach yourself to recognize them?

Of course, that means being purposeful about it

and being aware.

Looking for those precious moments of pure gift.

Actually seeing everything around you.

Yes, there is a lot of ugly.

And yes, it means we can’t be numb,

and when we open ourselves it can sometimes

be the gateway to emotional pain.

But without allowing ourselves to sense and see,

we also delete from our lives the gifts of joy we are given on a daily basis.

Sometimes we have no choice because we are overwhelmed by life.

Many times we do more….we fill our lives with unnecessary busyness,

often trying to please others with agendas that aren’t in our best interest.

I’m learning what matters most to me (what a process!)…

being with my children, conserving my energy so I can be “present” with them

(and learning what “conserving my energy” means, when I used to believe I had a bottomless reserve!),

choosing carefully when to meet with people,

not sacrificing my important priorities because others want me to.

Wow, it’s taken a very long time to reach this place!

I used to absolutely run ragged doing all the “shoulds”.

I’m so thankful I have learned to choose (most days).

It’s funny how all the unnecessary stuff begins to fall away

and we are left with the things and

people who matter most.

The people we treasure, the acts that feed our spirits,

and the laughter that connects us and supplies endorphins to keep us going!

I wish for you, my friend, the choice…that you may relish–with JOY–your life and the people who fill it.

May you be blessed with JOY and abundance of the simple things in life!

Much love,
Passionista

Inspiration

Be The Light (Guest Post)

October 29, 2016October 29, 2016 passionistaatlarge

Today I am sharing with you Vanessa’s post on At The Picket Fence. She wrote about how we are called to be the light in this increasingly dark world. It resonated with me, perhaps because I believe my purpose is to shine my light as I speak life and truth in my writing and speaking, and even in my Empowordment Cards. I love what ATPF and other bloggers are doing. She writes about it at the end of her post (in the green). Read on!

Truly we are living in a time where darkness could threaten to overtake us. Many things are pulling at our spirits and some days it’s a huge battle to stay positive and uplifting.

If you are a parent, you know the effects of being grumpy, impatient, or dismissive to your children while you are feeling down in the dumps. It’s quite important to be on top of your feelings and communicate with your children if you are having a bad day. That is being honest. We shouldn’t pretend everything is fine if we are feeling out-of-sorts, because children are really good detectives. And, at least with my own, they will become anxious, sensing that something is wrong, and begin to act out themselves.

Unfortunately, right now during election time, anxiety and fear are on the rise. I’m not going to debate anything here, but if you have even been half awake the last several months, you know what I’m talking about. Vanessa writes about it and adds her wisdom. Make sure you visit her site to take advantage of the opportunity mentioned at the end of her post.

BE THE LIGHT

The other evening I found myself feeling so down. My spirit felt burdened, I was grumpy and I just wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over my head. But, as I stood at the kitchen sink washing the last of the dinner dishes I began to wonder why I was feeling that way. Nothing bad had actually happened. There was nothing in my own life where I could actually draw a correlation between it and my feelings. I couldn’t even blame it on PMS. So I started thinking back through my day, trying to trace the shift in my mood. And that’s when I realized what had triggered these feelings.

Social media.

A discussion had taken place on Facebook. A political one (shocker!). And I found myself getting sucked into it.

My engagement in it was minimal, but the effect it was having on me was significant. I allowed it to suck me in, to take me to a place that felt very dark. It left me feeling confused, fearful and isolated.

As I stood there at my kitchen sink, washing up the last of the dinner dishes, I realized that I was giving power to this darkness by permitting it to invade my mind and my spirit.

And that’s when I felt the gentle voice of my Heavenly Father reminding me of the truth. The truth of His sovereignty and what He is calling me to be in this temporary world of mine.

He is calling me to be light.

So, when I was approached by my dear friend Deborah of Salvage Sister and Mister to join the challenge to be the light in the ever growing dark world and confusing world of social media, I didn’t hesitate to say yes!

***During the week of Nov 1-8, 8 bloggers will share their stories and encouragement to be the light in the darkness.***

The purpose of the ‘Be the Light Challenge’ is to encourage~

How to share opinions (political or not) in a Godly manner

How to guard our hearts and minds

How to deal with conflict online

Setting limits/boundaries (1 Corinthians 6:12)

Encouraging/building others up

Fruits of the Spirit

Visit her blog post for the links to other bloggers that are helping us through the darkness. I’m really glad they are doing this.

Perhaps you’d like to shine YOUR light too. Think about it.

Big hugs and sparkles and lotsa LIGHT!!

Mimi

Inspiration

I Hope You Blew It!

March 29, 2016 passionistaatlarge

I hope you have messed up really big. At least once in your life. Better yet, a whole bunch of messes. Mistakes. Wrong choices. Foot-in-your-mouth embarrassment and falling down onstage kinds of messing up.

And please don’t think I’m mean, but I really hope that life has given you lemons. And disappointments. And some really hard times to work through.

Now before you think me cruel-hearted, stay with me a bit. I have some things to say about why struggles and challenges in our life are a good thing. This is truly a Motivational Monday post and you can read the rest here.

Picture 3 2.15

And if something I said helped you (because that is what this is for, actually) go ahead and share it with someone who needs it too! I’d be ever so grateful! Spread the word!

Love and hugs,

Passionista Mimi

Inspiration

First You Must Trust Yourself

November 19, 2015 passionistaatlarge

First you must trust yourself…if you can’t, you may put too much weight on what others think or say.

Big sparkle hugs! Mimi

Share this:

Like this:

God’s extreme sacrifice (of His Son) gave me true life.

Not just life after death, but life in abundance while living.

HE is the source of my joy, my life, my positive outlook, my passion, my love, my energy, my laughter, my caring, my creativity, and every other aspect of my blessed life.

I am beyond thankful (I have no words) for His sacrifice.

Thank You Jesus for giving Your life for me.

I love you with all that is within me!

May you all have a blessed Easter.

Passionista Mimi

Share this:

Like this:

So here’s the deal.

It’s NOT always sparkle and shine in my life.

There are days like this week when I am burdened for a precious friend and feel helpless in the situation. When I am a bit tired of working, parenting alone, being this age with kids, being indoors, wanting something fun, loneliness, just the keeping on keeping on.

And there are some days when the only prayer I can form is, “Oh God, oh God, oh God!”

That is the real truth, folks. I get in those places too.

I thought maybe you should know.

I never want you to feel as if I downplay your pain. Or suggest that your difficult situation can just go away “poof”.

But I post the positive things I do because SOMEONE needs to read them.

And in my inner spirit those things are ME. They are what I do to keep doing.

I smile, I pray, I spend time being thankful, I reach out to others, I help others if at all possible….

All these things help to center me and bring the “yuck” back into perspective.

I do know that when we fill our brains with positive thoughts,

we attract more positive energy to ourselves.

And that is what being thankful is about.

That is what “speaking to the mountain” (see previous post) is about.

We actually DO have a choice in how we spend our focus/energy.

And when I’m in a funk, I choose to spend mine by rejoicing in all the good I see around me.

Being thankful for the many, many good things in my life.

And realizing that these funks don’t last forever.

Two things I know–God is always faithful, and the sun will eventually shine!

Share this:

Like this:

We all have creative power within us. It’s a source wired into our spirits and it’s a part of what makes us human.

So think about this. You are creative and you create every single day! Your choices create consequences. Your actions create love or hate. Your words create life or death. Your thoughts create power or fear.

Dear Creative One, use your creative powers well.

I’m with you in this.

Love and hugs, Mimi

Share this:

Like this:

So really. Why would you follow in the exact footprints of someone else?

They do not have YOUR unique qualities, gifts, abilities, and desires, and you don’t have theirs.

Should you fashion your life after what other people say? Should you let what is important to them be what guides you?

Perhaps to some degree, if they are people you love. But when it comes to achieving what you truly desire in life, I believe that you need to be the one to determine what is most important to you.

And please, do not let people’s opinions of you alter your course one bit! Know your own truth.

YOU are the one to determine

the kind of person you want to be.

What you wear, how you talk,

what your goals are,

the things that fulfill your heart,

what kind of job you want,

the kind of a person you want a relationship with,

where you want to live, how you run your home,

what books you read,

how much schooling you obtain……

these should be things of your choosing and should not be dictated by the choices of others.

Of course I am not discounting the wise counsel of people. We all need help with decisions and lifestyle issues.

I’m referring to giving up yourself

in order to follow blindly.

Or relinquishing your desires

because someone thinks they are silly.

Or not wearing something you love

because no one else does.

Or not truly honoring your heart and spirit

because others criticize you for it.

You have a brain, emotions, intelligence, reason, values, morals, and common sense.

Use them to figure out, and pursue, what is valuable to you. Mark your own path, and

Write your own script for your life!

As always, I thank you for visiting. I’d love to know what you think!

Love and sparkly hugs,

Passionista

Share this:

Like this:

I know because I’ve been there. And it took action and big steps (in little baby steps) to get me out of that hole. But I am here to tell you that YOU can start today to change your situation. There are people who will help you.

Do not try to do it alone. I know, precious one, that you feel as if you must be strong and do this life thing (as hard and unpleasant as it is) by yourself because that’s who you are. Well, you only limit yourself when you limit your possibilities.

Start talking to people. Start saying what you want and need. I promise, lightning will not strike you. Start asking for help. Start with someone you trust and get them involved in seeking help you and ways to improve and/or get out of your situation.

You are NOT alone! You do not have to suffer in silence. There ARE solutions. I know. I found them.

The biggest thing is to start realizing how valuable you are. How much the world needs your special, unique gifts and love. Start telling yourself the TRUTH–that you are amazing and have wonderful abilities and gifts for this world.

We all have creative power within us.
It’s a source wired into our spirits and it’s a part of what makes us human.

So think about this.
You are creative and you create every single day!
Your choices create consequences.
Your actions create love or hate.
Your words create life or death.
Your thoughts create power or fear.

Dear Creative One,
use your creative powers well.