thank you
Right Choices/Right Decisions: Deliberate Creators
Control is an Illusion: A Poetic Guided Journey
Gracias and Thank you for all who shared and commented on the Gratitude Posters I shared during Latina Gratitude Month. To celebrate such a successful 4th year, the most participants ever, I’d like to gift each of you a FREE copy of my Guided Poetry Book, Control is an Illusion. It will be FREE for the next 3 days on Amazon.
This is a perfect book for those who are deliberate creators to get clarity and focus on their journey. Take a few minutes to reflect on life gifts, promises, and offerings as you get ready to harvest this fall’s bounty.
This guided poetic journal leads to a journey of discovery using a series of poetic prompts from Zulmara Maria’s poetry collection.
Enjoy and have fun…
Con un pan y cafecito,
Seguimos adelante,
Zulmara Maria
Begin With the End in Mind–Latina Gratitude
Giving Thanks, Today and Everyday
Giving Thanks, Today and Everyday
Thankful today and everyday for all of the blessings in my life, for all of the people who have graced my days and been a part of my journey. To all of you, I say, Mil Gracias, you have been my ROCK, you have been my mainstay, and you have helped me reach levels of success I could never have imagined.
To all of my friends, I hope this day is full of blessings and wonderful moments to be THANKFUL for. You are all soooo wonderful and I am truly blessed to have all of you be a part of my life.
As I continue my journey, I hope all of you join me as I Embrace My Divinity and welcome you to embrace yours as well. Our journey to Reclaiming our Divinity is just begun and we will go very far indeed.
Con un pan y cafecito,
Siguimos adelante,
Zulmara Maria
Olivia Rios and NLBWA
Olivia Rios and the National Latina Business Women’s Association-Los Angeles
This organization is all about helping Latina Entrepreneurs launch and be successful at their businesses. I am giving a special shout-out to Olivia Rios because she has been incredible at planning successful events, getting people there and networking with a passion. As the Associate Director, she epitomizes what the organization is about as she helps each and every one of us develop our business and professional skills. She has vision for the organization and has worked tirelessly to bring first rate events to Los Angeles, that are a mixture of education, business, and pleasure.
NLWBA-LA was created and launched in July of 2003 to meet the needs of the growing ranks of Latina Entrepreneurs, Executives and Professionals from the Greater Los Angeles area. They hold social and networking events, educational classes and workshops, and offer support to the individuals involved.
Each year they recognize Latina Entrepreneurs who have done outstanding work in the field and they have become very inclusive of men as well. If you are a Latina starting or nurturing your own business, this is an exciting group to be a part of.
Con un pan y cafecito
Seguimos Adelante,
Zulmara Maria
Armando Sanchez–Latino Role Model Success
Armando Sanchez—Latino Role Models Success
Armando and I became fast friends when I answered a call on Facebook from Aaron. Aaron needed someone to interview quickly when his interviewee bailed on him. We had been communicating on FB, so I answered the call. We talked on the phone and Aaron decided his dad, founder of Latino Graduate, would be just the person to interview me.
I went to their studio and we had a great interview. I had my book, Chicken Soup for the Latino Soup, where I have a story, The Bear, and we talked about schools, writing, students, Latino success, and all things education. We quickly discovered we both had a passion for the same things and we started working together. We hosted an author’s fair at Jesse Torre’s bank, we held mixers, and we had planning meetings and book signings, and authors come and pitch their books and their passion for writing.
We had a lot of dinners spent discussing different ways of advancing Latinos in education and always with the idea that Latinos would do well when they read books about themselves and when they started to see themselves as successful.
Armando came into my journey at an interesting time. I was just beginning to network and going to various events with him and planning events with him allowed me to get the networking thing down. Those were good times in my early days of getting started and I still enjoy many wonderful relationships with people I met back then.
Latino Graduate is a great concept and great idea. Armando’s vision is to help Latinos navigate the higher education system so they can access financial aide and scholarships. He really believes that all students need an opportunity to succeed and if they do no make it, it should be a conscious decision, not a decision put on them because they did not know the rules or the game.
Mi amigo, gracias por todo que has hecho para mi y para los ninos latinos, eres muy amable.
Con un pan y cafecito
Seguimos Adelante,
Zulmara Maria
Monica Garcia Saenz–MGS Designz
Monica Garcia Saenz–MGS Designz & More
Monica and I go way back, we are both authors in Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul, which automatically made us comadres, madrinas, and online friends. It is true for many of the authors and we used to have a Yahoo group to keep in touch, then many of us moved to Facebook and have stayed in touch.
Monica and I have touched each others lives in many different ways, including a Cajita de Amor that the group sent around to share fun stuff with each other. So, when I was ready to hire a web designer, I called Monica. The first time we talked on the phone, it was like we were sisters who chatted everyday. We talked for 2 hours and I knew she was the web designer for me. She gets me and I love that.
We had fun developing my site and we were on the same page in so many ways. She went above and beyond the call of duty on many occasions and I would recommend her to anyone who wants a website, branding, or a different look.
MGS Designz is dedicated to helping you grow your business and get noticed. They do marketing for print or online, in English or in Spanish, they really try to tailor your site to your needs and they want you to be happy with the results. Their client base is mostly referrals from happy customers who have good things to say about how we helped them with their marketing needs. I can truly say, I am a very happy customer and I have enjoyed working with Monica and her team to build my online presence.
Monica, eres como una hermana para mi, and one of these years, we have to get together face to face so I can try some of your home cooking.
Con un pan y cafecito
Seguimos Adelante,
Zulmara Maria
Celebrate International Latina Day of Gratitude!!!
In Celebration of International Latina Day of Gratitude was a success! Thanks for participating!
As most of you know National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15th to October 15th. this year we decided to combine our wonderful message of Gratitude and our Latina culture and end Hispanic Heritage month with something Very special! We decided to create an International Latina Day of Gratitude on October 15th and it was a total success!
Thank you to everyone who helped spread the word and who participated. We made it a day of being grateful for all the wonderful sunrises, sunsets, drinks, and fun times we have shared. Our collective voices were heard as we spread the Attitude of Gratitude to anyone who was willing to listen. In honor of this special day Zulmara Maria gave away a FREE copy of her poetry book – My Life is My Message which is available in her bookstore if you missed the free download.
We gathered together at a Google Hangout and had fun talking about what Gratitude means in our life. If you missed the hangout last night you can view the video below. We’re all still learning how to use it but I’m sure we’ll all be experts at it soon!
We’re all excited about having a Latina day of Gratitude and we have lots of fun and wonderful plans to continue to spread the word and make this an even bigger event next year!
Mil gracias to you all!
Go to Latina Gratitude and post why you are grateful!!!
Con un pan y cafecito,
Seguimos ADELANTE,
Zulmara
Some of My Favorite Gratitude Quotes
Gratitude and Appreciation
Appreciation and self-love are the most important tools that you could ever nurture. Abraham Hicks
Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important, and by far the most life-changing. Zig Ziglar
Being truly grateful for what is already present in your life will automatically and effortlessly attract more good into your life. Make a conscious decision to appreciate and acknowledge all that you have already been blessed with. These emotions are of the highest vibrational frequency, and through the Law of Attraction they will attract even more to be thankful for. Jack Canfield
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. Kahlil Gibran
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. Maya Angelou
Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. Brian Tracy
And my personal favorite:
Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
con un pan y cafecito,
Seguimos adelante
Zulmara Maria
A Serving of Gratitude
Research on the Benefits of Gratitude
Dr. Emmons is a premiere researcher on Gratitude and he has discovered that being in a place of gratitude makes a big difference in one’s life. As a psychologist who studies emotion and religion he has been interested in how the mind and body are affected by our emotions. His research shows that those who live gratitude on a regular basis, even for the little things in life, are happier, sleep better, have lower blood pressure, and enjoy healthier and more productive lives. It appears as if the practice of gratitude enables one to live with less anxiety and depression and be more productive, alert, and kinder to loved ones. He has discovered that a little gratitude goes a long way.
His article, A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day, explains his research and helps with understanding why gratitude can make such a difference in our lives.
He is the author of The Psychology of Gratitude (Oxford University Press), Words of Gratitude (Templeton Foundation Press) and THANKS!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier (Houghton-Mifflin). “If you want to sleep more soundly, count blessings, not sheep,” Dr. Emmons advises in “Thanks!” his book on gratitude research.
For more information on Gratitude Research, check out his page HERE.
To learn more about healing, health, and gratitude please join me and Jes Sophia con a twitter chat on Tuesday, October 15, 2013, the International Day of Latina Gratitude at 4:00 pm PDT.
Please stay tuned for more information on the twitter chat to be happening on the International Latina Day of Gratitude.
Seguimos ADELANTE,
Zulmara Maria