Here is a little bit about the truly wonderfully inspiring Jerry (extract from his blog):
Jerry Nelson is an internationally recognized photojournalist.
His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications and news outlets including USAToday, CNN, Huffington Post, Upsurge, CBS, Dream Row, Earthwalkers and others.
He photographs and licenses images for all manner of commercial and editorial use as well as selling through this website.
***
Nelson writes, “I realize the dreams to travel were not mine alone. I have friends that have dreamed of traveling and trekking since the days that we all roamed the woods around Hot Springs, Virginia.
***
I realize that most of those friends will never have the opportunity to journey. Life gets in the way sometimes. But I have tried to share the majesty, intimacy and timelessness of places in my photographs in a way I hope everyone can relate to. I’ve tried to capture the reality of my childhood imaginations and share them with you. I realize that despite having grown up with these dreams, nobody needs to go on trips like I do.
But as we work through the daily routine of life at home, sometimes it helps to know that we could go. That it’s all really there.
Better yet, I hope my photographs inspire a few of you to actually follow your dreams and take your journey. I want to remind everyone that ordinary working people can visit remote places like I have. They do it all the time.
These are not expensive or difficult places to explore if you travel independently and stay with the locals.
And of course, there are endless experiences to be had in the wilderness areas of your own backyard.
You can’t begin a journey if you don’t step out. There is nothing mysterious about a rucksack. All you need are a couple changes of clothes, some hard earned time off and less money than you think.
Snake River Canyon Idaho
Get out there with me and watch the ravens fly through the dazzling glow of a remote slot canyon, watch the northern lights dance over the snows of Denali, walk with the lions and tigers in Lujan, roam the barrios in Buenos Aires looking for the next photograph, stand in the plaza as the Pope gets installed, watch in amazement during the Prayer Dance of the Native Cultural Center in Tennessee, break bread with veterans from the Falkland Islands war, listen for the choppers at the M*A*S*H set in Malibu, drift on The Snake River as we pass The Grand Tetons, stay silent in the Sonoran Desert as we wait for the Mexican drug cartel to appear, break bread with the Shoshone in Idaho, walk a knife-edge ridge in the Smokies and sit around the campfire in the Ozarks with other veterans. Fish for Pirrhana in the Amazon, watch autumn leaves fall in a gentle snowstorm in Patagonia, stand with me as 300 buffalo stampede towards us in Eusick, Washington, marvel at a palm tree swaying dark against a billion stars while camping on a moonless night in the middle of the South Pacific, sail a 16th century ship through the sound into open water, be ’embedded’ with OccupyDC during the winter, live with rugged miners in even more rugged Appalachia and drink Dr. Pepper on the front porch of the old Hatfield homestead in Mingo County.
It’s all there.
And the earth needs people who travel this way, who earn their time with its treasures, and promote its conservation.
***
Time is the most precious commodity we actually own.”
Payette Kayak
Below is Jerry’s Guest Blog Post which he wrote especially for this Clarabelle Blog:
Life Goes On
It grey the morning I stepped outside the door in a small town close to Roswell, New Mexico, on December 17, 2006. I shifted the backpack on my shoulders and walked to the end of the drive. Adjusting the straps again, I stepped into the street and walked to the corner. Looking back one more time, shifting the pack again, I walked down the street, through the town and across America.
I’m a Vietnam Veteran and while I didn’t see as much stuff as some others did, I was affected by the war and its aftermath. After keeping feelings, emotions and nightmares bottled up for years, I was admitted to a psychiatric hospitel in Staunton, Virginia where I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ten days in the psych ward with nothing to do but read ended up being a blessing.
I came across an old issue of National Geographic that had an article about hiking the Appalchian Trail. That was what I needed to do. That’s what I wanted to do. Get out in the woods, get away from everything and everyone I knew. Alone with just my thoughts and the Creator for company. It never happened. Sometimes life gets in the way and for years there was always a reason not to pursue my dream: my wife she…my bills they…my job it… Well, you know how it goes.
In September 2005 my wife of 31 years filed for divorce. I didn’t want it so I sat on the paperwork hoping she would have a change of heart. She never did, and in April 2006 I signed the documents and handed them over. Later that year some friends who were living in New Mexico invited me out to spend the holidays with them so I wouldn’t have to be alone. With nothing better to do, I went. I got there on December 16 and that night felt the God of my understanding say I could take my walk.
I got to Washington DC on June 30th, 2007. Since then I’ve continued to travel, write and take pictures. You can see my work on my website, www.JourneyAmerica.org. I’m always encouraging people to follow my travels and challenging them to take their own journey. If you do, the people you’ll meet are amazing.
People like Omar in a Dallas ghetto who dreams of going to medical school so he can return and care for his neighbors and “Ms. Mamie” in Jackson, Mississippi who went back to school at 80 years old.
The spiritual life-lessons learned on a trip like that stay with you through life and become a guiding force and you learn that:
Life goes on and no matter what you’re going through I encourage you to “Join the Adventure”
Thank you Jerry for sharing a part of your story with us today here on this blog, it has been a real pleasure having you on board and you are most welcome anytime. If you would like to read more about Jerry and his adventures please head over to his blog http://www.journeyamerica.org I challenge you not to feel inspired.
If you are interested in becoming a guest blogger on this Clarabelle Blog, please let me know on the comments below or send me an email to claire@murraypeople.com
Thank you for being here, thank you for reading and thank you for your comments.
Words that inspire, words that speak truth, words from the heart shared with you today. Our journey’s have crossed and our souls are connected and I do hope you are doing what you love today, I know I am and I’m sharing that with YOU. Have a beautiful day, Clarabelle.
An Easy Choice
I always believed, I always knew
I had neverending faith, this was true
I gave hope a chance, to live in me
I counted my blessings, it set me free
To escape in the moment, do what I love
Creates inner peace, a connection to above
Words that inspire, warming the heart
In this jigsaw of life, it was the last part
To share my soul, to give it a voice
An inner calling, an easy choice
And now you read and now you listen
Our journey’s have crossed, dreams do glisten
I give you the key, to unlock my soul
Precious and light, making me whole
Calm the distraction, bathe in the joy
Trust your intuition, it’s your miracle toy.
I took this photograph below for you when I was in Inverness, Scotland last week to run the marathon. Inverness is such a beautiful place and if you haven’t had the chance to visit it, I hope you do one day. Love Clarabelle
This is a follow on post from the previous posts which related to the Clarabelle Blog core values, purpose and vision. Today I share with you the Mission Statement for the Clarabelle Blog. I will do another post further down the line where I pull it altogether in the one post for you i.e. core values, purpose, vision and mission statement of the Clarabelle blog. There will also be a separate page on the Blog dedicated to these. I want to build this Blog into something really amazing for you and I feel working on the core values, purpose, vision and mission statement will set strong foundations for going forward. It may also me something you wish to do for your own blog, business or even self for that matter, so maybe my posts will encourage, support and give you direction with that. Below is the Clarabelle Blog Mission Statement:
The stronger I become on the inside and the more I develop and grow the better this blog will become and therefore YOU will deeply benefit also.
Thank you so much for being part of this blog, I really do welcome your comments, likes, follows, reblogs and meaningful contribution in guest posts. Thank YOU 🙂 Clarabelle
(L-R) Michelle, Yvonne, Beautiful Bride Donna (BFF), Clarabelle, Sarah-Louise
Life Saver
I want to tell you a story, a true story from 22 years ago, it is the story of the day I believe, my best friend saved my life. I just feel I want to share this with you today and I want to dedicate this blog post to Donna my BFF, best friend forever. Thank you for everything and more.
Accident 1
I was 18 when I was in my first very serious car accident, the police officers who visited me in hospital afterwards told me they don’t know how I got out of the car alive, because where I was sitting in the car, there was basically nothing left of it. I remember that evening so clearly, the sounds, the smells, the conversations, every one of my senses seemed to be fully enhanced.
Full Recovery
Leading up to it, there was lots of fun, joking around and laughter and then all of a sudden I was squealing in pure agony, trapped in a car I couldn’t get out of. But thankfully I did get out of it and after almost 6 weeks in hospital and one and half years with crutches I managed to make a full recovery and get back on track with my life.
That was the first serious car accident I was in but it is the second car crash that happened four and half months after the first one, that I want to tell you about.
Accident 2
My best friend and I were offered a lift by some other friends, I was in crutches and insisted on sitting in the back of the car behind the drivers seat. There was five of us in the car and my best friend was sitting to the left of me, in the middle seat position. The driver stopped to get petrol and my best friend got out to get some sweets. When she came back she wanted me to move into the middle seat of the car but I didn’t want to go into the middle of the car, she insisted and we had a silly mini argument about it and I had enough and just moved into the middle of the car. No less than 2 minutes later the car crashed and my best friend got the full impact of the car hitting a steel pole in the middle of a roundabout. I was protected because I was in the middle, I did get crushed but with bodies rather than metal and steel. My best friend was in a really bad way, she was lying in the middle of the road and all she kept shouting was “is Claire alright, is Claire alright”. Yes, I was alright in comparison to her. She was taken immediately to intensive care and was put on a life support machine, she was given a very low chance of surviving. We said lots of prayers, I have never said so many prayers in my life so that she would get well again, we were told the chances were very slim but I always believed she would and thankfully she did and she made a full recovery within 6 months.
Saved My Life
I know that my best friend saved my life that night of the second car accident. My body was still in recovery from the first one and I was so weak and thin, if I had been sitting in the same seat, I would never have had the strength to have survived that second car accident. As I shared earlier, my friend insisted on changing seats 2 minutes before the accident happened, I believe my best friend saved my life that day.
Fighting Fit
We are both fighting fit now and full of health and we often now just laugh and cry about those times, not funny I know but after 22 years you start to look at things a little differently.
It wasn’t our time to go, all those years ago, God had other plans for us. Thank you so much.
Love and Strength of Friendships
I had many dark days when recovering from my accident, many many dark days, lots of tears, lots of frustrations and lots of anger built up inside of me. I was still a teenager and had a great dreams and plans that I thought, at the time, were getting taken away from me. My dad was also suffering from cancer at the time so I think that didn’t help either. Now that I reflect upon it, I think I was a little ignorant and possibly a little bit selfish. I couldn’t see past my own pain and I blamed a lot of external things for my unhappiness. These life experiences, I believe have made me a better and stronger person. My bitter thinking was all wrong at the time, I can see that now and I am sorry I felt that way, but I learned a lot, I learned a lot about myself and about the love and strength of friendships.
Gratitude
I am such a grateful person now, I have so grateful to be alive, to be healthy, to be happy and to still have my best friend in my life……forever 🙂 I treasure everything that I have and I nurture my positive energy every day.
I actually never ever thought I would share this story on my blog, but for some reason it just felt right to share it today.
In life we are faced with many challenges and sometimes at the time we are facing them we don’t see the lesson……but believe me there is a lesson and it will be revealed through time or if we take time out of the equation, through a change in our thinking.
I believe “Happy Ever After” has nothing to do with the “after”, I believe it is in the now, right at this very moment, because this moment, right now, is always we have. I created a poem this evening about “What is Happy Ever After?” and I also recited it on Youtube for you. I hope you like it. May this moment, right now in your life, fill you with true happiness, lots of love Clarabelle.
What is Happy Ever After?
Peace from within, joyful inside,
Gratefulness in the moment, being your guide.
The brightest star, shining on you,
The rainbow smiling, on what you do.
The deepest love, you ever could feel,
Hugging each other, on the family and friends wheel.
A kiss, a cuddle, a warm embrace,
Being in the now, no happiness to chase.
Calmness in the soul, free from stress,
Creating space, living with less.
So on this journey of life, enjoy the laughter,
This is my answer to, “What is Happy Ever After?”
When you are feeling the power of gratitude from within you are putting good energy into your body and also sending out good vibes into the Universe. Please take a moment to answer this question:
What are you truly grateful for today?
I am grateful for living in Scotland, I love the beautiful landscape, the “4 seasons in one day” Scottish weather 🙂 and the Scottish people. I love living in Scotland, I really do and the more spiritually aware I am becoming, the more I really appreciate its beauty.
This doesn’t mean I want to live here forever, I do actually believe I will move out of Scotland in the near future, but it just means I am really grateful for Scotland in the “here and now”.
Thank you Bonny Scotland, you truly are very Bonny indeed.
May you bask in the beauty of gratitude today, wherever you are in the world.
Today I am going to go on a day trip to Balmaha Bay, Balloch, Scotland with my mum and during that trip I am going to be “snap happy” as I will be taking some beautiful photos for my new eBook that’s coming out, “It’s All About Gratitude”. I am excited about doing this and it will also be really lovely to spend a day with my mum.
I love Balmaha Bay, for me it is a place of deep beauty and peaceful tranquility and sometimes this is just what the doctor ordered. 🙂
In 2011 I wrote a poem about Balmaha, I have already shared it on this blog before, but here it is again, just in case you missed it first time round:
A frozen Balmaha Lake January 2011
Sweet Balmaha Bay
Balmaha, an inspiring place,
Oh how I love, your beautiful face.
The silent lake, speaks many words,
A magical paradise, beneath the flight of birds.
My soul’s at home, when I visit you,
I feel at one, below the sky so blue.
As I tie a yellow ribbon, around the old oak tree,
I appreciate your world, for all to see.
The air is clean, fresh and new,
The shimmering sunlight, makes a stunning view.
And the many boats, who sail in leisure,
Uplifting spirits, you provide great pleasure.
In hail or rain, sunshine or snow,
Your tranquil beauty, will always show.
For the depths of your heart, are in everyone,
Sweet Balmaha Bay under the horizon sun.
Poem By Clarabelle, 2011
Wherever you go today and whatever you do, I do hope it brings you sweet happiness and fulfillment, much love to you Clarabelle. 🙂
I am big on personal development, it is a massive thing for me, so so so important. I also believe patience and timing is so important too. Mix these things together and you get the following quote:
“Be patient, give the seed time to take root and grow…..then you WILL flourish like never before”. (Clarabelle)
Please don’t rush the journey, enjoy the now, enjoy the learning and enjoy the growth, there is a much bigger plan for you, the Universe is bringing it to you, all in good time my friend, all in good time. 🙂
Sometimes when we are going through the deepest of pain, your best creative work can be produced. Right now this hurts, it is a live experience for me, however, I have an unbelieveable amount of inner strength, I express what I feel and I become stronger. We live, we love, we loss – we give, we love, we gain. I hope you enjoy this next poem, love Clarabelle.
What do you do?
What do you do, when faced with deep pain?
Emotional hell, love lost again.
What do you do, when all trust has gone?
Before you thought of someone, from dusk till dawn.
What do you do, when your heart is so sad?
You want to hold on, but that would be bad.
What do you do, in the midst of it all?
You build up more barriers, to create a brick wall.
Let me tell you, when tears they do fall,
There is a reason, for you to stand tall.
Life is not easy, love can turn cold,
Be confident in your soul, be bright, be bold
Nothing can break you, nothing at all,
This sadness is temporary, hear my call.
A new love will come, and shine like a star,
Reaching out to you, so special you are.
Keep your self-love, respect all of you,
A passionate heart, will always break through.
Love grows from within, it travels afar,
Needing no transport, train, plane or car.
Your love is pure, gentle and true,
It will always find, the right person for you.
So smile in the morning, wipe away the tears,
A new love will be born, staying with you for years.
I want to share a very beautiful classical piece of music with you today, created by the Italian Composer, Ludovico Einaudi, from his classical album “Divenire” meaning “to become”. I absolutely love this classical piece, it really does connect deeply with my heart and soul – it simply sounds quite magical to me. When I listen to this album track, I feel it takes me on a mystical journey into the deepest realms of my imagination, where faith joins hands with dreams and softly dances under the starry skies – it moves me, it soothes me and it inspires me. Thank you Ludovico
I encourage you to listen to this wonderful piece of musical art and whilst doing so think about this question:
What does “to become” mean to you?
I believe, that in order for you to have all that you want to have, you have to BE and DO first – in that order:
1. Be
2. Do
3. Have
“To Become” my friend is your answer.
There is a star in your heart and it is twinkling at me, I can’t see it, but I can feel it, you are very special, believe that, become that.
“Out with the old and in with the new”, that’s my current mode of thinking at the moment. I’m mainly referring to the refurbishments I am getting done in my home right now, both inside and outside the house and I feel that is a true mirror reflection of what is going on inside of me also. Leading up to these home refurbishments I had been strongly visualising for a while what I specifically needed and wanted done i.e. whole house painted in white, new red sofa, new wall paintings,outside garden to be looking great, trees felled, hedges trimmed back, be gone with the old shed….basically a full makeover with lots of love, care and attention given to the tasks at hand.
Inside of Me
I feel that work didn’t properly happen until I worked on the inside of me first and I have been on a major self-improvement plan, really quite seriously since October 2011. I have been doing lots and lots of things to make me a better me and I can honestly say I am feeling the best I have ever felt since probably 2007. I sorted myself out, put my health and wellbeing at the forefront, focused on my learning and development and went to work every day on me. It wasn’t an easy job, some days I had to force and push myself to take action, but I did it….I am doing it and I becoming the person I want to be. I feel an abundance of positive energy flowing through me, there is sunlight beaming from my heart and soul and it is now penetrating into everything I do. An abundance of opportunities are unfolding in front of my eyes and my self-belief has soared to the greatest of heights. My confidence in me and my capabilities is second to none and because I have raised my standards I am getting better results for me.
So why am I sharing this with you?
Well, as I have personally experienced and as we all know, life is not always a bouquet of roses and set backs come our way, we lose faith and hope in ourselves and humanity and we struggle to get out of the gutter. Our minds are saturated with the pain of negative thoughts and our heart feels abandoned. If you are reading this part and you can relate to it right now, believe this….positive change for YOU is on its way and I encourage you to take the first baby step towards freeing yourself from the quicksand. It might be even something simple like making a phone call, speaking to a friend, or like me, expressing your thoughts in poetry. You will have your own unique way that works for you, but you need to “start with the end in mind”, right now, visualise the positive change you want to see happen for yourself and combine that with deliberate personal action.
Inner Spirit
Yesterday has gone, it’s not coming back, do one thing today that will make a difference to your tomorrow, maybe even your now. What will that be for you? Your body, mind, heart and soul is always connected to your inner spirit, dust away the cobwebs, breath in the fresh air and let your inner light guide you on a path that will not only change yourself for the better but will inspire other hearts along the way.
By reading this, you already have the energy of my love igniting your heart……I do hope that’s a nice thought for you and that you will keep the fire burning.
I was visiting a wonderful friend of mine in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago and we took a drive to Whitley Bay. He had some other commitments to attend to so I had about an hour or so to spend on my own. I went to a quiet little bar and thought, I will be happy writing some poetry. Next to the table I was sitting at, there was some small flyers/brochures and I picked up one that was entitled “Saras Hope Foundation”. Let me tell you a little bit about what it said:
Saras Hope Foundation
Sara Hoburn tragically lost a two year battle with a rare form of colon cancer at the age of sixteen in 2001. Her dream was to help other sick children to enjoy normal family lives away from the hospital environment. She is the inspiration behind the charity Saras Hope Foundation, which runs a holiday retreat in Crete, offering respite for children and young people with cancer and their families. Sara especially loved Greece and the Greek Islands and it was her dream to get married in a little blue and white church on the beach.
Sara was known as “Smiling Star” by the medical staff who treated her at the Teenage Cancer Unit in the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle because she was always smiling and had such a positive attitude.
Sara was an inspiration to everyone who knew her and when she lost the battle on 16 January 2001, Sara became a “hero”.
I was so inspired by the above story and as I looked at the beautiful photographs of Sara on the brochure the following poem poured out of me. I share this with you today in honour of this brave young lady who has inspired and helped children/young people and their families all over the world.
“Smiling Star”
I look at her photo, such a beautiful smile,
Her eyes are sparkling, on the rainbow mile.
She brings us hope, she brings relief,
From darker days, felt heavy in grief.
A frozen memory, from a special place,
Now an angel in heaven, and our saving grace.
We are touched with her love, in every way,
Moving our spirits, on this special family holiday.
You are amazing, unique and very special indeed, there is no one else exactly like you. You have the capacity to achieve all that you have ever dreamed of, I want you to visualise that now, see yourself in that place of abundance, love and lots of beautiful laughter. Yesterday is now a distant a memory, tomorrow is not here yet, embrace today, welcome the NOW with open arms, go out for a walk and let the gentle breeze outside blow away the remaining cobwebs.
Awakening Your Soul
Right now, I want you to take 3 long deep breaths, inhale positivity and exhale worries and stress, give yourself a pat on the shoulder and smile……this is your first step to feeling alive in this moment, awakening your soul and freeing your spirit to the thriving energy of the Universe.
This next poem is for you, I wrote it especially for you, because you are so special to me and you are truly loved in this world, more that you will ever know. Believe that someone out there right now is thinking of you and holds you very close to their heart.
Have a beautiful day today my friends. Much love to you Clarabelle.
This is a blog post from an old blog of mine, I wrote this post in April 2010, 2 years prior to me starting this poetry blog. I thought I would share this with you because it is amazing how life evolves as we grow and develop. If someone had told me back then that I would now have a poetry blog and was so commited and passionate about it, I would never have believed them…..my creative writing desires are stronger than ever. We are all on a journey of personal evolution, much of this will be invisible for you right now, who knows what great things you will be part of in a few years from now. Much love to you today. Clarabelle
Personal Evolution
Below is that original post from April 2010:
I absolutely LOVE my job but it wasn’t an easy job getting here—it took me 36 years of learning, being, doing, hoping, having, not having, feeling and experiencing the highs and lows of real life and work. It is only now that I feel wise enough and knowledgeable enough to share this experiential learning.
When I Grow UP I want to be…..
From the age of 5—15 years I went through different phases of wanting to be a Mum, Air Steward, Dancer, Model, Nun, Song Writer (I had a real desire to write the winning Eurovision song – still do!!), Primary School Teacher, Nursery Nurse and a Secretary. So where did my early career ideas come from, maybe………
Mum: Watching my mum lovingly support and care for our family; wanting to be just like my mum and also being the proud owner of various dolls such as (in its day) the famous ’Tiny Tears’.
Air Steward: Wanting a ‘glamorous’ lifestyle (perceived) and the opportunity to travel all over the world, maybe even marry a pilot!! I also think the popular TV advert for Caledonian Airlines had a big influence….I remember wanting to be a ‘Caledonian Girl’.
Dancer: I was a massive fan of the hit TV Programme ’Fame’ and loved dancing from an early age – still do 🙂
Model: Watching Miss World on TV and aspiring to be like one of these beautiful woman. I wanted to wear that crown!!!
Nun: There was a real religious influence here from my childhood days, in particular at Primary School and I went through a really ’holy’ stage—that was until I discovered my like for boys!!
Songwriter: I used to lock myself in my bedroom for hours and make up songs, I would practice and practice them all day long and never got bored of it—this was a perfect escapism for me at such a young age. To this very day I still remember the songs and so do my closet friends. We often burst into these songs after a few wines!!
Primary School Teacher: I used to babysit for my next door neighbour when I was in my early teens—I loved watching their 3 kids, probably because I could be a ‘big kid’ myself. This inspired me to want to teach young children to learn and develop—I then found out that I would need to study for a further 5 years after Secondary School and this sadly (at the time) put me off.
Nursery Nurse: Again my love for children and helping them to learn and have fun. My Guidance Teacher at Secondary School totally put me off the idea “that’s not the career for you he said, that’s not a good job”. How easily influenced I was as a teenager.
Secretary: Well I figured I would go with the safe bet and be a secretary, after all I was good at typing, passed all my Secretarial Studies exams with flying colours and oh yes my mum did that when she left school and she told me fabulous stories about her career in this field. That was it at the age of 15 I aspired to be a secretary. Well there was nothing else, was there……???
My Career Path
So I finally had come to the idea that I would be a Secretary. So I went to typing College to learn how to touch-type—this proved to be a very worthwhile skill to have during all my future jobs. What where they? Well, my career experience consists of:
Shop assistant, sales representative, hotel waitress, 20 years of various office type jobs from receptionist through to human resource management. A couple of these jobs which I liked and some others I have quite closely hated.
An Independent Decision
Then at the age of 34 I decided to think very carefully about my future career and where it was heading. Why then? Well lots of reasons I believe, but I think coming out of some personal turmoil combined with some major achievements made me a much stronger person with a really determined ‘can do’ attitude.
This included personal triumphs and goals such as Graduating from University in 2005 in Personnel Practice, running the New York marathon in 2007 (I then later did the London Marathon in 2010) and Graduating again from University in 2008 in Human Resource Management. It was in 2006/7 when I seriously reflected on my future and felt much more equipped to correctly answer the following question…….
So what do I really want to do when I grow up?
To answer this, I identified my core values and what they meant to me, I looked at what job activities I particularly enjoyed doing, I thought about what are my strengths, what was I truly passionate about doing, what excites me in life, where did I want to see myself 5-20 years from now and the ultimate question: How was I going to get there?
I had a real belief and confidence in myself and I knew I wanted to have the freedom to explore new territories, learn new things and meet new people. I knew that I wanted to help other people achieve their dreams, goals and aspirations in life. I wanted to coach and mentor people to do just that, I got excited about the thought of it and felt strongly passionate about it. I was truly ready for this and felt fully motivated and inspired to do so.
What did I do?
I researched into Coaching, I wrote to no less then 200 practicing coaches in America asking for their advice, I then went to New York and met some of those coaches, left my full-time job as Human Resource Manager, studied for a further year and achieved a Diploma in Coaching at Distinction level (94%), started up my own business at the end of 2008 and that’s where I am at the moment. I have BIG plans for the business and I know that I will only achieve this through hard work and commitment. To be honest, at times it feels like starting all over again—to what it was like over 20 years ago.
What have been the best parts of my job so far?
Most definitely supporting and empowering other people to achieve their dreams, goals and aspirations in life. Almost 90% of my work to date has been career/business/leadership goals related and with my Human Resource Management background and sound coaching and mentoring experience—it works very well and benefits my clients greatly.
Also being my own boss and having the freedom to use my creativity and innovation to lead the business into great things that will inspire others to achieve great things for themselves.
Personal Learning
I have learned so much over the last 17 months of my business (to date almost 5 years!!) and I feel very proud to say that I have video blogged my real time journey all along the way. My vision is that one day it will be professionally edited and shared with you at home in the format of a short film/documentary.
But………what about being a Songwriter?
Hey, I can still do that, my career ain’t over yet, it is just at the beginning—the true beginning.
******
On 29 March 2013 – Clarabelle says:
I have now had my business for almost 5 years and I still continue to love it…….I am also planning another business which is indirectly linked. I must say however that nothing at the moment, beats the feeling of writing for this blog and getting messages from other bloggers and readers out there……you are magnificent in every sense of the word and my heart and soul is touched everyday with your responses. I see my future in this blog and I do hope you join me on the journey.
Thank you for reading this post today, lots of love Clarabelle.
And just when she was about to give up, something magical happened, just like she always believed, exactly how she had envisioned it and precisely what she had written down. It had always been there, but she didn’t see it at first……then when she opened her heart, all was revealed.
Be Prepared
Trust in the absolute power of the universe, have faith that everything will work out just the way it is supposed to and know that every false start gets you closer to your goal. Be prepared as much as you can, because when lighting strikes and it surely will, I want you to be ready, to be at your very best, to embrace each opportunity and share the wisdom that grows from this life changing experience.
I love putting lots of focus and energy into this blog, it really feels part of me and I love expressing the voice of my heart and sharing it with you on here. A few months ago I had a meeting with a friend and artist about creating a new logo for me Based on our discussions and what I wanted, Jennifer gave me 7 designs to choose from. I then asked other people which design they liked the best and why. So almost 4 months later I share my new logo with you today – I hope you like it as much as me. If you click on the logo image below it will also take you directly to my newly updated Online Shop, “Express Your Heart”Collection – watch this space for more of Clarabelle’s original products.
Every month I shall be posting a poem/article from a guest blogger. If you are interested in becoming a guest blogger on this blog, please note your interest on the comments section below or email me at claire@murraypeople.com
May I introduce you to a wonderful and talented poet, Maureen Turner. I know you will love Maureen’s work, she is such a beautiful and heartfelt writer.
Maureen Turner
Maureen Turner
Having had tragic circumstances to deal with in my life with the sudden loss of my twin brother, husband and father all within a close space of time, I felt I had to write down some of my thoughts in the form of a poem to try and give me strength to get through such sad times, I feel that poetry helped me express my emotions and hopefully will encourage others to read them and take strength from them to carry on each day and look at every day as a blessing, I now try and look at life in a more positive way and have realised that through time we all get stronger.
Happiness
In our lives the sun may shine, some days I wonder why not in mine. with a spring in your step, you go about your day, but what about those who are not made that way.
Sharing your laugh and sharing your smile, means a lot to those who haven’t felt that in a while, they say try to be bubbly, try to be fun, but that’s really hard when you live a life where there is no sun.
Look in the mirror say what you see, tell yourself is that really me,the frown on my face those unlit eyes, what happened to that smile that could light up the skies.
Pick yourself up get back on track, watch out my girl or you’ll take a step back. So here I am smiling today and I have to tell myself ‘there is no other way’.
Copyright: Maureen Turner
Maureen has created a beautiful ebook of her own poems and if you would like to know more about Maureen’s work, please email me at claire@murraypeople.com and I will certainly put you in touch with her.
You can always make a fresh start moment to moment, by living in the now and using your mindfulness to change your immediate thinking. It is always important to remember to come from a place of love, because when you let love run freely from your heart, it will always make sure it does its job. This next poem is inspired by living life now, go on make it happen, because every moment, is a moment to change for the better. Lots of love to you today, Clarabelle.
We’ve all had days when we feel a little bit ‘stuck’ and I include myself here, after all we are only human. It is possible for you to go from stuck to unstuck within moments and I believe the process for this is different for every person. When I created the poem below I was feeling in a ‘stuck’ place, but by the time I had finished the poem, I had moved to unstuck…the answer came from within and when I was in ‘creative flow’. What will you do today to help you move from a feeling of being ‘stuck’ to ‘unstuck’? There is a way, there is always a way, silence your mind, open your heart and let the answers flow. Much love to you, Clarabelle.
Moving from Stuck to Unstuck
Today I Was Stuck
It’s nearly midnight, and I’m lying in bed;
I think of my inaction, before I rest my head.
Today I was stuck, I didn’t play the game;
Life got the better of me, unleash this chain.
Many brick walls, are in my way;
Built up by me, getting higher each day.
I kick and I punch, the battle is in me;
I’m fighting myself, this I can see.
So what do I do, to turn this around?
Inside is the answer, this I have always found.
Let go of the fight, it’s not a war anymore;
Staring at these four walls, will not open the door.
Step outside, breathe in the air;
Replenish your spirit, feel the wind in your hair.
Dust yourself down, and put a smile on your face;
Slowly walk down the path, and gradually pick up the pace.
To master the mind, it not about control;
Release that desire, and you’ll discover your soul.
Hello and welcome to my Vision Wall post. I wrote a couple of poems regarding the creation of my Vision Wall, you can check them out on my poems home page. I took some photographs of my Vision Wall (see below) to share with you and I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate a whole post to it so I can take you through the creative process that I went through, in the hope that you may want to try it for yourself one day. Below are some answers to questions around the process and some photographs I took of my Vision Wall:
What gave you the idea of creating a Vision Wall?
I am a highly Visionary person and I am really self-motivated by working towards achieving my goals in life. I have come across the term ‘vision board’ before and thought about creating one about 4 years ago but never really got round to it. I am so glad I waited until now to do one, as I have grown so much as person over the last few years and feel that the Vision Wall (its new name), I have created now is much more purposeful, meaningful, in direct alignment with my core values and absolutely 100% true to myself. One of my Facebook friends from America was talking about creating a Vision Board about a month ago and this then inspired me to do one now. I felt I was definitely ready and fully committed to doing this.
What creative process did you go through to create your Vision Wall?
Firstly, I did some further research on creating Vision Boards (the original name). I researched on the internet and came across various blogs and websites about different processes. I then decided to fine tune and adapt that process to what I felt would work best for me. So the following steps are based on that and completely bespoke to me as an individual. This part took me about 2 hours.
I then looked out a number of magazines, brochures, newspapers that I had lying around the house that I wanted to start going through and cut out the words and images that made an inspiring connection with me. This part took me about 3 hours.
I wanted to make the experience as enjoyable as possible, so I did some research into what music would compliment the creative process. I chose a variety of music that I felt would work for me, such as Classical, Meditation, Motivational and Self-Hypnosis tracks. I got most of these from searching on Youtube. This part took me about 1 hour.
When the time was right, I closed myself off from all distractions, played my music and started going through all my magazines and brochures and cut out words and images that made a real connection with me. This was a very inspiring part of the process, I could really feel myself getting excited about the significance of what I was coming across. This part took me about 6 hours.
Once I had looked through about 20 magazines/brochures, I was happy that I had cut out everything that made a real connection with me. I then headed off to the local supermarket (Tesco) as I wanted to buy paper, crayons, glue etc…. to start my Vision Board – this was when the name changed from Vision Board to Vision Wall as I knew one piece of flipchart paper would not be suffice or indeed be as empowering, I knew it had to be much more than that, so I purchased a roll of white paper, 5 metres long to do the job. Thus the name Vision Wall was born. This part took about 1 hour.
Next, again I got myself into a quiet place, put the music on and carefully laid out the roll of paper that was going to contain all my words and images that I had cut out….then I got to work. This was the most time consuming part but such a wonderful, inspiring experience, piecing it all together felt really amazing. This part in total took about 10 hours.
Hooray, my Vision Wall was now complete and the next challenge was getting this masterpiece of a Vision Wall up on my house wall and also deciding which wall. I live myself, so it felt perfectly right to put my Vision Wall on my living room wall – I wanted to be inspired by it every day and in as many moments as possible, so for me the living room was the perfect home for it. This part took me 30 minutes, after all the Vision Wall is over 3 metres long!!
Honestly, I feel so proud of myself for creating the Vision Wall and more importantly its contents and what they mean to me. The words, the images, the order, the colours and the very fact that I committed to achieving it is so inspiring for me. I look at it all the time and I am totally feeling the benefits of producing it and having it there in front of me. And to share this whole experience with you, this part took me 2 hours. But the process isn’t over yet, it’s only the beginning, please read on……..
So now that your Vision Wall is complete, what happens next?
Well, as we all know, it is not just about dreaming, we have to create a plan of action to turn our dreams into reality, so that is my next step. For each section within my Vision Wall I will now create an action plan and I will commit to following through on it. And in those famous words by Jim Rohn, “What gets measured gets done”, I will ensure that I am measuring and evaluating my progress, this will all be included as part of my action plan. The more results I get, the more self-motivated I become and the momentum builds into something truly fabulous for me and others around me. I know and truly believe that I will have helped thousands and thousands of people through my work – so everyone involved benefits. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”Ghandi – so this is where it all starts and I am excited.
What are the benefits of creating a Vision Wall?
Now that I have gone through the creative process myself I can offer my own honest opinion of what I have personally experienced by doing this. Here you go:
It’s an empowering and spiritual process which I feel was very beneficial for my own wellbeing.
It helped me to get especially connected to the core of my being, who I really am, what makes me tick, what inspires me, what my core values are and what will give me life fulfilment.
It provided me with the space to think creatively about what I want out of life, what I want for me, what I need to be, do and have to achieve all that I want.
It helped me to separate ‘me’ from the materialistic things in life, it got me thinking about my own mental, emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing – who I need to be first to attract all that I want in life. The focus was on me growing and developing as a person, not on the materialistic things in life. This is a fairly recent shift in my thinking which is already getting me results
It has given me an amazing sense of achievement by doing something for me that is so powerful and impactful in my life. It really has made me much happier inside, I get excited everytime I look at my Vision Wall.
It has given me the opportunity to share this experience with you in the hope that if you choose to create a Vision Wall for yourself you feel the real benefits of it the way I have done.
I am closely monitoring and evaluating its impact, I am noticing positive changes in my thinking, feeling and doing – I am behaving in a way that is keeping me more in alignment with the goals on my Vision Wall – I know it is seeping into my sub-conscious in such a positive way when making decisions and choices throughout my day.
It makes me feel just great, I can’t really explain how it makes me feel, I just love it, LOVE IT and I welcome and encourage you to create a Vision Wall for yourself one day. In the words on my Vision Wall, I’m away to ‘Celebrate the new me‘. Lots of love Clarabelle.
Do you feel you don’t have enough time to create your own Vision Wall?
After all it did take me more than 25 hours of my time over a 3 week period, so that’s an average of just over 1 hour per day. How much time do you spend watching TV? Could you give up an hour of that time and replace it with creating a Vision Wall for yourself, just a thought. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” (that statement’s on my Vision Wall too)!! I do hope you choose to Go For It 🙂
Sometimes I feel like I could just explode with excitement and happiness and yesterday (05.01.13) was one of those days. So I grabbed a pen and paper wrote the following poem (well 8 in a row actually). Embrace life and all of its adventure, even in the toughest of tough times, there is great learning to be had. Open your arms to the world, live this life for you and nobody else. Have fun, dance in the moment and be brave in all that you do. May your day be filled with love and laughter. Much love to you Clarabelle.
life is an adventure
Life is an Adventure
There’s fun in my heart, waiting to escape;
The invisible boundaries, cover it with red tape.
I’m bursting with song, love and laughter;
I’m on the move, towards happy ever after.
As I free my spirit, I wake up to the light;
The orange bird dances, wings spread in full flight.
I do hope 2013 is getting off to a great start for you. I am so focused and driven to achieving my goals this year and one of them relates to putting a lot of energy into this blog and making it even better and more impactful for you. I can genuinely and honestly say that I LOVE this blog, I just love working on it, love sharing with you and love reading your comments and your posts too.
Podcast Host
Whilst looking into blogtalkradio this evening, I came across a podcast host, http://www.podbean.com. I got so curious and excited about it and after a good 6 hours playing around with it and voice recording some of my poems, I have now created my own Poemcast website http://poemsbyclarabelle.podbean.com which is directly related to and linked to this blog. I wanted to create podcasts, which as I am sure you have guessed by now, I have renamed to Poemcasts (thanks to a wonderful conversation I had with my friend Tom last year – his idea).
Poemcasting
I think it was Tony Robbins who said the quote “where focus goes energy flows” and I can’t agree more, because my focus on making this blog even better has led me to a new world of Poemcasting!! I share this information with you today, because you may wish to try it out for yourself.
So, if you would like to hear my beautiful Bonny Scotland accent whilst reciting some of my poems, you can.
Below are three links to my most recent Poemcasts for YOU, I do hope you enjoy.
I have also added the above links into the related posts on this blog and I have a lot more to update!!
I am sure I have still a lot to learn but baby steps all the way and I am very excited on this journey.
Much love to you as always, Clarabelle.
Can you understand my broad Scottish accent?
If you enjoy what you read here on this blog, you may be interested in borrowing for FREE and/or purchasing one of Clarabelle’s self-published inspirational poetry ebooks available to download now on Amazon Kindle, please refer to the Author page on this blog or clickHERE
Sometimes in life, I truly believe that we are meant to meet some people, I know they have crossed my path for a reason. Sometimes at the time, that reason is not clear, however, as time goes by, that reason comes to light – a big, bright, beautiful, stunning shining light, shining the way for the path ahead. That meeting benefits both people in different ways and creates a mystical magic that grows from within our heart and soul. I was introduced to a new friend last week and it was this person who inspired the next poem in me. Never give up on your goal, never give up on your dreams, never give up on your vision and most of all, MOST of all never give up on YOU. I hope this poem inspires you to take control of your life, make things happen for you and reach out for help, there is always others who want to help and I am most definitely one of them. If you feel I can help you, then I know I can, I am here for each and everyone of you. Wishing you a day full of inspired action towards all that you want to achieve in life. Much love to you Clarabelle.
A massive thank you to everyone who visited my blog in 2012, I am so glad I decided to start the blog in April last year, without you, the information below would not be there.
You can also listen to the Poemcast for this post by clicking on the link below:
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 7 years to get that many views.
I’ve been feeling alot of love in the air recently, it’s everywhere around me, it’s abundant, I know I don’t need to search for it, it is always there and you have it within and around you too. In the silence of my heart I drew a picture of love, which then led me on to writing this next poem about love, and I share it with you today. Much love to you Clarabelle.
love is
Love is . . . . .
Love is the fresh air, on my face,
Love is the energy, in this place.
Love can move mountains, travel in time,
Love is a symbol, that’s truly sublime.
***
Love is creation, with all your heart,
Love’s bond is unique, and can’t be broken apart.
Love is truth, and calmness in sea,
Love stops wars, and frustrations in me.
***
Love is free-flowing, and beauty at its best,
Love is mother-nature, putting us to test.
Love is the stars, moon and the sun,
Love is where we belong, love is everyone.
***
Love is me, and love is you,
Love is wholesome, and vibrates in all you do.
Love is the answer, love is the song,
Love just “is”, and has no right or wrong.
***
Love is the journey, and the destination in one,
Love is magnetic, love is pure fun.
Love is in your eyes, and in your precious smile,
Love is your radiance, shining mile after after.
***
Love is joy, and peace from within,
Love is happiness, and the air you breathe in.
Love is the universe, the future of time,
Love is abundant, love is divine.
poemsbyclarabelle, 21 December 2012
If you enjoy what you read here on this blog, you may be interested in borrowing for FREE and/or purchasing one of Clarabelle’s self-published inspirational poetry ebooks available to download now on Amazon Kindle, please refer to the Author page on this blog or clickHERE
Self discovery for me is in the search for paradise. What do I mean by that? So there is this place that my mind goes to every 20 years or so, I picture it quite clearly and I call it ‘paradise’. I used to think paradise for me was a place but now I realise it is a metaphor I use to create a special feeling inside of me, the most beautiful feeling in the world, that no words can describe. What does paradise give me? It takes me to who I am today, right now and it helps me answer the most challenging questions- only by connecting to my inner self can I get the true answer for me. This is a hard one for me to explain but I know it works. I trust you will discover your own paradise one day, maybe you are already there and if you are, I know you are smiling now because you have found your soul in solitude. This next poem is inspired by paradise. Love Clarabelle
I’m about to make some life changing decisions in the very near future, decisions that I feel will positively shape my life forever, new endings will meet with new beginnings and a new chapter of my life will become alive. So how do I know if I am making the right decision? I can honestly say that I am a values-driven person and I will use by values as my inner guidance to ultimately support the right choice for me. After all, how else can I ensure I be deeply authentic to myself if I don’t honour my values. It’s all about nourishing your heart and that’s what inspired this next poem for you.
Nourishing Your Heart
Values are your inner guidance, that’s what I believe
Honouring your values, will help you to achieve
They live inside of you, keep your soul on track
Holding you together, never looking back
They hold the golden key, to a life that’s true for you
Filling up your senses, in what you choose to do
Decisions in each moment, to always meet your needs
Nourishing your heart, planting little seeds
I am values driven, the steering wheel is mine
Living life on purpose, it feels so mighty fine.
poemsbyclarabelle, 2 May 2012
If you really like what you read here on this blog, you may be interested in purchasing one of Clarabelle’s self-published inspirational ebooks available to download now on Amazon Kindle, please refer to the Author page on this blog or click HERE
The stronger I become on the inside and the more I develop and grow the better this blog will become and therefore YOU will deeply benefit also.
Clarabelle Online Magazine 