Own Your Power

This Own Your Power Fan knows how to give back in style. Check out Fashion for a Cure who is our featured Do Gooder of the week!

 

 

More about FASHION FOR A CURE!

Established in the fall of 2010, Fashion For A Cure (FFAC) is, one of the fastest and most notable fashion fundraisers in New Jersey. It is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Featuring national and international designers who employ ethical means and practices in their design and manufacturing processes to produce products that promote awareness and raises funds for research of various diseases and illnesses of a given community, FFAC provides a forum for dialogue and awareness-building about how fashion, textiles, and design can fuse two societies (fashion and healthcare) and empower communities.

Our Mission

Our mission is to be the pre-eminent authority on the business of fashion and design and to help our members become more effective in their careers.  To do this, FFAC provides insights on major trends at business events, social gatherings, online and in print; access to business professionals and a gateway to the influence fashion plays in the marketplace.

 

 

Like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fashionforacure  and also check out their website here for more info http://www.fashionforacure.org/.

 

If you are a member of Own Your Power or a Fan on Facebook that has a business that helps others in any way, please email me at simone@ownyourpower.biz and we’ll add you to the list to be featured soon! Spread the word!
We’ll feature a new DO-GOODER every Friday on Facebook, Twitter, the Blog, and our Ning Community.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: GO HERE TO BE A FAN!

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: www.ownyourpower.ning.com
Thanks for helping others…please support these charities/businesses that help save the world

Own Your Power,

Simone

This month, in my coaching group, THE CIRCLE OF POWER, the topic was called, “It’s Time to Leave the Masquerade.” We’re discussing each week the masks we wear to protect the TRUTH of why we do what we do.  We’re digging deeper to know our authentic selves. This is a great find that touches on just that from one of favorite blogs, Tiny Buddha. Check out this article for more….

Own Your Power,

Simone

“Don’t think you’re on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path.” ~Unknow

Growing up in Appalachia, women always had grace, class, and sweet iced tea in the refrigerator for unexpected visitors. They smiled when called ma’am or darling and kept an immaculate home.

Many Appalachian women also abided by two rules: It’s impolite to say no, and (my mother’s favorite adage), be as nice as you possibly can and everyone will realize you’re the better person.

For me, this translated as always say yes and play nice. I thought this equated to being compassionate and sensitive.

You’re stranded on the side of the road four hours away during an ice storm? I’ll get you. You want to be intimate on the first date? I don’t want you to dislike me, so okay. You think I’m hateful, unworthy, and a crybaby? You’re probably right.

Yet, I played nice for so long that laughter turned to appeasement, confidence turned to harassment and verbal abuse, kindness turned to obligation. 

As I allowed others to treat me unkindly and without respect, somewhere living soulfully became nonexistent. I always thought that I kept everyone at arm’s length with a smile on my face because I didn’t want to be hurt.

In reality, I was so angry at myself for those specific moments of being run over that I willingly began playing the victim.

It became easier to sabotage myself and continue down that road than to work hard and become a strong, outspoken, and vivacious woman again, which wouldn’t unfold until years later when I spent the night in the middle of nowhere.

In 2009, I left my Appalachian roots behind and hightailed it to the West Coast. But there was an unexpected pit stop in Marfa, Texas, population 2,000, where I changed courses forever.

Splitting the long drives cross-country, my fiancé slept as I descended onto this plateau of immeasurable prairie grass hemmed by stately mountains.

The sunset was hypnotic—a brilliant rust so unfamiliar as it slipped off the horizon. There was nowhere to hide.  I was breathless and exposed.

Sitting by the motel pool in the dead of winter, the urge to cry was unbearable, but I didn’t know what to tell my fiancé, so I fought it. I was enraged, and diverted my attention to blogging, drinking, eating, and sleeping, but in a one-horse town on a Monday night, the only people for miles are nuns.

I had to look at me.

I couldn’t remember the last time that I was truly happy and laughed genuinely. Once again, I was angry that I had deprived myself of that. Then a flood of memories came back when I was strong, truthful, confident, and beautiful.

Those traits were still there. I may have disappeared into my own twilight hour, but I finally heard myself, standing alone watching the Marfa mystery lights with a thermos of bourbon, amidst tumbleweeds and dust devils. Never in my life had the physical moment connected so intensely with the spiritual.

I left the next morning exhausted.

Once the cross-country journey ended in San Francisco, I didn’t know how to be nice to my fiancé for two months because my only thought was, “Who am I?” I was paralyzed. I spent every day huddled on the floor between the bed and the wall pouring over job ads, trying to find anything that would give me a role to fill. I had no idea how to be myself.

That moment of clarity in the desert ultimately led to rediscovery, which was uncomfortable. I wasn’t leaving the apartment because all I had was myself, and I didn’t know or trust that person. And one day, I rode a bus and ate alone for the first time in my life…terrified.

My year in San Francisco became the most humble year of my life. My clothes didn’t even fill one dresser. I went from corporate guru to stocking the fridge in a law office.

As cliché as it sounds, taking the unpaved back road on this journey and abandoning the familiar was liberating.

My clothes fit better. I was glowing. My fiancé and I scraped by, but we were living in a gorgeous Edwardian apartment, eating amazing yet simple meals.

Indulgence was a scoop of ice cream or a good beer. Date nights were no longer extravagant dinners in ties and dresses but walks to the park after work to find my fiancé on a blanket reading. Then, we would wander across the city for hours until we decided to call it a night.

Nothing was judged or expected that year, and everything was appreciated.

I knew that it would be hard for me not to fall into old habits once I moved back to Virginia. I am a yes man again, and the anger toward myself builds each day. I feel as though I scattered pieces of myself across the country, my heart in San Francisco, my freedom in Marfa, but that’s not true.

I know that I am capable of practicing kindness toward myself and others while being authentic. I wrote to a friend that I met in Marfa after reading Baron Baptiste’s Journey into Power:

“I’ve been reading this book for a yoga workshop, and there was a passage about releasing yourself from the lies of everyday life that define you, and that you may not like who you…

 

READ FULL STORY HERE…

 

This week Own Your Power Communications nominated our Atlanta-based member Jaz Owens as Do Gooder of the week!  She’s the Founder of the A Song for Life Sarcoidosis Foundation and a trailblazer in spreading awareness about this rare disease. Read her story and find out more on how you can help!

“I was diagnosed in May 2006 with the systemic, inflammatory disease Sarcoidosis (sar-coy-doe-sis), the same disease that Comedian Bernie Mac died from ad that many others around the world suffer with.

 

I was driven to start this organization shortly after my diagnosis because as I began my quest to understand what was happening to me I found myself in the middle of a medical mystery that not even my doctors could solve!

 

The main goal of the ASFL Sarcoidosis Foundation is to one day become a safe haven of support for sufferer’s andtheir families by positioning ourselves to become a gateway to effective resources, relief services and information for alternative disease management. ASFL is passionate about raising more awareness and finding ways to raise money for research that will lead to finding a cause and a cure!

 

With each year that passes sufferers of Sarcoidosis continue to stand together in faith, with the hope that one day Sarcoidosis awareness and research efforts will become as big as other causes like Cancer & Autism but until that day comes it is up to those of us who live on the front line of this battle to continue to find the strength to fight the good

fight!

 

Sufferers of Sarcoidosis can’t accomplish what’s necessary alone we need the help of people like the members of the Own Your Power network to stand with us and get involved! April has been adopted as Sarcoidosis Awareness Month so there will be many rally’s, walks, fundraisers and awareness activities being held from coast to coast so, I encourage people to check them out.

 

My own 10 year old son Jared has come up with his own FUN awareness activity to honor me and other Sarcoidosis sufferers around the world. He will attempt to set a World Record for wearing the MOST​ ​military/dog tags around his neck at one time to help raise awareness and funds for research and we would love it if your readers would participate!

 

Each military/dog tag costs $5.00 each and will be custom made to reflect support for Sarcoidosis. Jared’s record setting attempt will be captured on video and the name of each supporter &/or loved one being honored will be mentioned as it is placed around his neck. After the attempt has been completed ASFL will mail participants the tags that they purchased and proceeds in access will be donated to a Sarcoidosis Research Program.

For more information about participating in Jared’s efforts to set a World Record in the name of Sarcoidosis Awareness send an email to: Asongfoundation@gmail.com.

 

For a list of other Sarcoidosis activities and events happening around the country check out visit the A Song for Life Sarcoidosis Foundation’s event calendar at: www.asongfoundation.spruz.com or visit ASFL’s Sarcoidosis Event Calendar page on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/SarcoidEvents365.

For a list of other Sarcoidosis activities and events happening around the country check out visit the A Song for Life Sarcoidosis Foundation’s event calendar at: www.asongfoundation.spruz.com or visit ASFL’s Sarcoidosis Event Calendar page on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/SarcoidEvents365.

 

If you are a member of Own Your Power or a Fan on Facebook that has a business that helps others in any way, please email me at simone@ownyourpower.biz and we’ll add you to the list to be featured soon! Spread the word!
We’ll feature a new DO-GOODER every Friday on Facebook, Twitter, the Blog, and our Ning Community.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: GO HERE TO BE A FAN!

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: www.ownyourpower.ning.com
Thanks for helping others…please support these charities/businesses that help save the world

Own Your Power,

Simone

 

 

“Never apologize for showing feelings. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.” -Benjamin Disraeli

I tend to live with my heart on my sleeve. If I’m in pain, you know about it. If I’m ecstatic, you definitely know about it. If I feel it, vibe it, experience it, then I express it.  For sure ,there are worse problems to have, but this naked truth tendency gets me in a lot of trouble sometimes. I’ve put my heart under a bus at least five times in the last year alone. There is nothing that happens to a heart that’s placed under a bus except that it gets smushed into the road like an unlucky frog. 

Lately, I’ve had a parade of girlfriends advising me that it’s time to clamp some sense around my unbridled feelings. No! No! No!  They say when I recount my latest spilling of the beans. “‘He’s going want me, I’m not going to want him’ is my motto,” one declares. “Honey, he should be flying across the country for You girl, you are worth falling for!” the other exclaims. “Have some self-respect, don’t give him the “A” until he earns it, heck- start him off with an F!”

The trouble is, I see the best in people. And, I inflate them in my head. And, I love to fall in love. You can whisper a sweet nothing into my ear, or blink at me a certain way, and I will soar into fantasies about our house and the children we will raise communally within the white picket fences. There is one caveat to all this- it is a prerequisite that you don’t, absolutely refuse, to like me back. God forbid our love is mutual. Fawn over me and it is an instant recipe for my distaste.

I’m exaggerating of course, I love to exaggerate for the dramatic effect. That’s a writer’s ploy- dancing within the deliciousness of language and extravagant ideas. But there’s some truth to this interplay of wanting what you can’t have, and taking for granted what comes easy, – and I know the folly is not mine alone. How many have succumbed to the tricks of “the chase”, the delicate balance between pure honesty and a little splash of “game.”

So, the question that arose for me this week was the following: do I continue to try to play it cool, repressing the songs within my heart dying to burst open? Or do I reveal my true colors, making myself vulnerable once more and exposing myself to potential rejection that I prefer to deny? I should have known what was coming anyway. If someone likes you, you know it. You can tell. They express it. It’s very clear. The very fact that I was sitting here picking flower petals “he loves me, he loves me not” was already a red flag, n’est pas?

So, today, I tossed out all the advice of my friends about being the bigger person, and in one compulsive impulsive gesture, I skyped the newest object of my affection and blurted out my truth as honestly as I know how. I even told him that per friends’ suggestions, I was trying hard to reign myself in, though obviously failing. We talked about which effort would be more authentic. He shared that the withholding seemed to do with power and games, whereas the unapologetic expression of feelings seemed more real, self-aware, and in line with one’s integrity. I agreed.

So, true… I got my heart smashed again. But at least I’m now precisely clear on where I stand, on where we stand. It was indubitably important to reach out and test the waters to see if we were on the same page. Once more, the answer was “no.” “No, I don’t have feelings for you in that way”; “No, I don’t want to explore the potential for more”; “No, I don’t want to have a long distance relationship”; “No, I don’t see a romantic future for us…”

I learned today that I apologize too much for feeling the way I do, to the point of apologizing for being apologetic! My feelings go this way and that and can’t often be trusted, so it’s easy to try and hide them, discard them, ignore them, and suppress them rather than undress them.  

While I didn’t get the answer I was hoping for, what I got in revealing my own truth, was more truth. A truth that did indeed set me free. Rather than get bogged down in cobwebs of worry, jealousy, desire to control, and fear, I opened myself up to the reality, and let the weight of it fall heavy on the ears of my heart. But the instant relief, calm, and even joy that followed, was a result of aligning with what is real, rather than with an imaginary expectation. 

Thus, the question I pose for one to ponder and explore is this: What is one way that you can be unapologetically you today, and open to the truth- your own, and that of others?  Try it on for size today, and bare your story to us! Comments and responses welcome.

Love,

Jeanine Nicole

 

 

Jeanine Nicole is a writer and yoga instructor who lives in NYC. A firm believer in inner transformation for outward social action, she explores life through her blogs, 50datesny.com and 

ZestforTheQuest.com, and writes for the inspirational mindfulness hub at JasminBalance.com/blog. You can reach her at Jeanine@Jasminbalance.com and follow her on Twitter @ZestfortheQuest.

FREE Online Marketing Seminars! Own Your Power Communications and Constant Contact Partner to Provide a Monthly Online Marketing Series IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact and Booking: 877-545-7352 Email: simone@ownyourpower.biz        Pembroke Pines, Fl- March, 29, 2012-Own Your Power Communications and Constant Contact present monthly Online Marketing Seminars for small businesses in South Florida. Own Your Power’s CEO, Simone Kelly was recently named as a local expert for Online Marketing and Social Media in South Florida. Simone, also a Holistic Business Coach and Master Life Coach, was recognized by Constant Contact for her years of excellence in online marketing and was hand-picked to host educational events for entrepreneurs. She’ll be a speaker for small business groups, Chambers of Commerce, networking organizations, colleges and more. “We are really excited about having Simone on board as a local expert.” said Constant Contact’s Regional Development Director, Lisa D. Sparks. “Own Your Power and Constant Contact look forward to providing world class educational programs to support entrepreneurs to grow their business online and off.” Simone will bring her high-energy and inspiring style to the table that leaves attendees with an abundance of knowledge and many tips and tricks. There will be several online marketing seminars for small businesses including The Power of Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing Made Simple, Supercharging your Facebook Marketing, and much more.     Free Seminars To Educate Today’s Small Business Each seminar covers basic understanding and knowledge of these skills and will leave guests with helpful tips they can immediately implement. The focus is to help businesses grow and flourish in this social media age by embracing and utilizing Online Marketing. “I’m delighted and honored to be partnering with Constant Contact to present this amazing series of seminars to various groups! I love that I’ll be able to offer them all at no cost to start-up businesses who really need the guidance to jump-start their online marketing”, said Simone. “This service provides value to Own Your Power members and gives them more tools to help promote themselves and their companies.”

About Own Your Power Communications, Inc. Simone Kelly is a marketing and small business expert with over 20 years experience developing and implementing marketing strategies for businesses and organizations spanning a variety of industries. Simone will be running frequent free seminars on email marketing, interactive training workshops, and industry specific programs in South Florida. In her role as a Local Expert for Constant Contact, Simone uses her expertise to provide coaching for small businesses and organizations.   Own Your Power® Communication’s mission is to serve as an empowering Guiding Force, connecting entrepreneurs to their fullest potential. Explore our personal growth, business development, energy balancing services and events to help you live the lifestyle you deserve! Own Your Power Communication’s* (OYPC) mission is to serve as an empowering Guiding Force ..connecting entrepreneurs to their fullest potential.   OYPC has been influencing today’s entrepreneur since 1996. The CEO and visionary behind the Own Your Power movement is Simone Kelly. She’s passionate about personal empowerment and encouraging many to own their OWN businesses and to pursue a holistic lifestyle. Simone has reached thousands with her advice and uses her talents best with various forms of media: as an author, speaker, coach, and radio show personality. Through her programs under the OYP umbrella, Simone can help you gain results to help you own YOUR Power! About Constant Contact, Inc.   Constant Contact is revolutionizing the success formula for small organizations through affordable, easy-to-use Engagement MarketingTM tools that help create and grow customer relationships. More than half a million small businesses, nonprofits, and associations worldwide rely on Constant Contact to drive ongoing customer dialogs through email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, and online surveys. All Constant Contact products come with unrivaled KnowHow, education, and free coaching with a personal touch, including award-winning customer support.