Are you there yet?

Hey there! We’re almost on the heels of another month! And for me, another year 😉 (More on that later as I get ready for my yearly blog summary and thanksgiving).

I’m happy to finally announce the date for the first leg of my Music, Arts & Motivation Festival 2018 (formerly Book Talk & Jazz). Save it on your calendars: Sun 29th July!

For the new blog followers, I can almost guarantee that this here event is something you have never before experienced … at least not quite in this way. The broad concept is usually done in the US and UK, but of course the theme would be different.

Officially launched in April 2016, the event concept was originally intended to bring to life my 3 books which essentially addresses you finding your niche and coming full circle with your potential and God-given gifts.

Phew! I know that was a mouthful, but to put things simply: It’s not always practical to live your dream(s) unabashed.

What may seem glamorous on the outside, may be far from it, if your heart is not in it when you end up being the one on the inside!

But for those who dare to dream those Big dreams; it can be a crazy-fun-risky-worthwhile experience if your heart is in the right place.

Especially so if you’ve buried (or nurtured) your talents and passions for an uber long time and other people can now benefit from what you have to offer the world.

I shall not bore you with my personal story to following my passion yet again. I will say this (shh tho) I’ve been crawling slowly (and silently) towards these goals for many years. And from where I sit, I am not even close to getting to where I want to go as yet.

What I do hope for, is that one day my efforts will crescendo into a universal and practical measure of success for those who stand to benefit.

What I’ve found is that I am not alone in my ‘lofty’; grandiose, or what may seem like idealistic dreams. That’s why I have invited other exceptionally talented people to share this platform with me.

What’s in store. There’ll be mini-talks on leadership, branding, sustainability, ethics, professionalism, intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship, purposeful work and more!

The format will be completely engaging, fun, funny, motivational, easy-to-digest and process – making it unbelievably unforgettable!

Huge bonus! Of course music is what unites our souls together in this divine dance of life. Our very own Caribbean sun-of-the-soil Solman will be making magic (of the good kind) with his beauuutiful soulful songs that mirror this year’s theme: Carve your Path, Make your Mark! 

There’ll be prose fiction readings from THE best (book) editor/coach+artist/creator eva! Patricia Grannum and other awesome folks who will be reading from my other soon-to-be launched (short) books (:

What I love more than writing itself, is to cross paths and connect with these awesomely awesome, talented, passionate, electric, real humble, unassuming souls.

The common bond within all of us, is that we’ve been doing our purposeful work under the radar for several years/decades, without the bravado or need for approval to validate or give our work meaning.

So much so that when I tell them how great they are, they don’t even believe it! And I’m not laying it on thick just to pay lip service (because FYI I can’t fake it very well). I do it because they/we need to hear it more often, since it’s fulfilling for our work to be appreciated in a totally genuine and real way esp by the people who need it.

For the truly discerning, you too will feel it in your core when someone is telling you the truth. Not the truth that you want/crave to hear, but the universal truth that you know and feel in your heart and may secretly wish for the world to know too.

Countless others have done this for me when I had (and still have) doubts/misgivings, so it is only natural (once I can), that I do everything in my power to spread the love. You can view the line-up here under the events category. Be sure to also stay tuned as more excitement unfolds and I recap what transpired at the last three events.

You’ve got only one life to live. If you live it right, with pure intentions and a good heart the world/God/Universe will lead you to the right people and situations at the right times to make it happen, as your goals become a living, breathing reality.

Nobody said it’s gonna be easy. But if you do it right, it may appear that way (to the onlookers). Be the person you want to attract and all else will seem effortless.

Grieve when you have to. Retreat when you have to. Be still when you have to. Get angry/vent when you have to (behind closed doors preferably). Choose your inner circle wisely. Choose your career and environment carefully, so you can thrive and inspire others in the process to truly live their best lives, no holds barred.

On another note. It’s vital to know when it’s time to fold and let go of anything/one that no longer serves you emotionally, physically, psychologically, spiritually or otherwise. In sum, that which is not good for your health – professionally or personally.

Pick your battles. Everyone has the potential inside of them to manifest their desires. If you consistently work on true enlightenment and evolution with pure intentions, you can live the life or your dreams. Not the one on TV or social media, but your dream life on your own terms which is a soul-searching-work-in-progress.

To purchase your tickets, reply to this blog or follow the link to enter your info.

There are 10 days left to claim your discount off your E-Tickets. (Sms) Text CLAIM IT to (1-868)-798-8596 and redeem your discount!

Until next time…look out for more deets on speakers and much more coming soon!

Carpe Diem & Endless Love,

Carolyn x

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Keegan shares his moment of truth

I’m so happy to be part of this journey towards fulfillment. Thank you for being receptive to the experience Keegan! Best wishes always x

To June with love

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We’re almost mid-year and what a ride it has been!

I have to say thanks and Mother May I for all that came before to prepare us for this here month and all that which is to come.

 

To all the June babies: I wish you the happiest of birthdays and best wishes for a meaningful month and year filled with infinite possibilities for abundance.

To the dads and fathers-to-be who consciously choose not to be an accidental father (in name only), I wish you a very special Father’s Day in advance (:

Speaking about choosing and choices. To be brutally honest (in the gentlest of ways possible), there are many things wrong in the world today … but it’s not like it’s all ‘our’ fault. Some are too difficult to ignore (depending on where you sit … or stand).

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Lots say: ‘Quit the complaining if you’re not part of the solution’!

 

A privileged few say: ‘It’s not my problem; as long as everything’s copacetic with me and my seed. After all there’s more than one way to skin a cat’! (not literally of course).

Yet others say: What can I do? 

(I’ll just use a disclaimer here to say that this is not a Star Wars article, neither is it about cats!)

Here’s what we can all do (and by we, I also mean me). I know I’ve probably said this before in different ways, but we did not get here by accident.

Today’s thoughts and actions are as a result of our past. Whether it is our subconscious (repressed historical or ancestral past); or our immediate past choices.

While everyone may not at all times be conscious of why we do (and say) the things we do, don’t blame it on the rain (again not to be taken literally!).

Each of us are being led by a ‘force’.

Photo by Daria Tumanova on Unsplash

Whilst I know not everyone is gonna believe everything I believe in (neither do I want to force my beliefs on anyone), the onus is on us to learn from our mistakes and be consciously guided towards our destiny.

Some may laugh at the notion of the Holy Spirit; but by whatever name you wish to call it/Him/Her, there’s a force guiding us everywhere we go.

I was taught early in life that depending on how you carry about your life, our signal to the ‘force’ may be stronger or weaker (kinda like our wifi signal based on our location ;-).

If we choose to diverge from what ‘the force’ wants for us, then our signal to it will become weaker and weaker, until we may be ‘guided’ by another force (if you catch my drift).

My belief (which I think is universal in all religious and/or spiritual teachings [and normal humans with a conscience] is to be just/fair, kind, respectful, non-judgmental, non-confrontational and appreciative for our blessings in the form of ppl or otherwise.

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Everything bad seems good at first; but after a while, it just swallows up our joy, love, progress and prosperity as attempts are made to find placebos to outdo former ‘feel-good-sorta-temporary-(bad)-quick-fixes’ to appease something deep inside ourselves.

While some may measure ‘prosperity’ by houses and cars and boats and lofty positions; others may measure it by genuine, unconditional and unfailing love and acceptance from others, freedom, laughter, passionate and purposeful living, good health, a (natural) youthful energy and countenance, lasting joy and peace of mind.

Photo by Elena Taranenko on Unsplash

With pure intentions guided by the one and only true force (whatever you believe that to be), all the (material) items in the first above list can be yours.

The continuity of such, depends on how well you (and I) manage the above virtues which are aligned to ‘the force’.

 

Side-note: One should discern between the want for (material) things that is coming from a personal place of enjoyment or necessity; in contrast to a need/urgency to disrupt priorities or values in an effort to play catch-up, or please/appease/compete with another.

The thing is: if (por ejemplo as the Spanish would say) I want a red car just to get the attention of someone else; then they leave — after realizing there was nothing behind that red car (but gas/hot air), then my efforts would be in vain and rendered wasteful if I never really wanted/needed the red car in the first place.

Of course, the red car is used as an analogy for anything we (think we) want in life.

Similarly, if you choose to associate closely with people who share these ideals, you will eventually become just like them and your signal to the force will grow weaker and weaker until it is no more… and your own persona (among other things) will be no more.

These are just my thoughts which are in no way meant to cause you to diverge from your beliefs, once those (consistently) work for you and you are happy with the outcome. To each his/her own.

Until next time. ‘May the force be with you’ 😉

My Endless Love,

Carolyn xx

Let’s keep in touch. Drop me a comment and subscribe for more via the top right of your page or via my social media handles found on www.carolyncorreia.com

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I wish I may, I wish I might …

‘Have this wish I wish tonight …’ (by Anon) (delayed post due to ‘narcolepsy’ 🙂

May marks a very special month for love, of remembering love and sharing loVe …

• My papa’s birthday (he would have been 83! Aweee :).
• My twin nieces (who I’ve witnessed transition from diapers to college alums!).
• Countless friends and new colleagues turned friends.
• The anniversary of a very epic arts + entertainment event circa 2017!

Lots to say, but I’ll keep this post concise in the essence of time and space.

Spoiler alert – this may appear semi-promotional.

Photo by 沂榮 楊 on Unsplash

After much planning (phew!), 2018 is the year I will be re-branding my Book Talk & Jazz event now in its 3rd year! Before I go into the deets (aka details) and get all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, I’ll preface it with a bit about the back story:

Since launching this micro-business/full-time[passion], the period has been filled with many moments of pleasure mixed with pain. The first time always is …

Especially going in headfirst without a safety net. Unofficially, I began with the publication of my first book in 2011. Back then, I still had the comfort and security of a monthly salary (which afforded me a lot of luxuries and privileges I still enjoy).

Leaving the job market in 2014 *hopefully for good* (fingers + toes crossed), I really had no clue what I was doing (nun none whatsoever!). I still went brave on the encouragement of folks – some of whom hadn’t been there as yet.

I did get some guidance from some trusted and true masters who were already there, but basically I had to fend for myself and learn much along the way by trial and error.

At first, it was like jumping from a plane without a parachute…

Like .. jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool and trying to tread water without a floaty. It was like … ahh you get my ‘drift’! (hopefully).

If I might also add, there were lots n lots of errors and trials … some by epic proportions, grief and consternation.

Phew! But by some fluke, I survived it and now here I am …

But where is ‘here’ exactly? The journey toward improvement never truly ends, but I do feel as though some of the uncertainty has dissipated and my footing is a bit more solid as a result of my experiences and attracting kindreds along the way. 

The re-branded event will be less about me and more about sharing the platform with other talented creatives and subject matter experts with a unique spin.

Photo by Gritte on Unsplash

My greatest teachers. I’ve been fortunate to have met and learnt from true experts and those on a similar journey. Their stories touched my very being and to this day, their words echo like a crescendo of sound that boomerangs in a still forest.

I took their advice, felt their pain and internalized it as though it were mine. In the process; I formed bonds, gained customers and some friends along the way.

Hey! I can’t say how much those connections and experiences meant to me. Even the ones that were just one-off or short-lived due to life, experience or changing priorities.

A few people revealed that in our culture folks aren’t as honest and open as I am, which I find odd, since our talent and individual expression (of such) can never be replicated in quite the same way. Ideas and processes can be copied, but trying to reproduce [the] genuine passion, innovation and heart [of another] never wins.

There’s really no contest when you’re doing your best and your heart is in the right place.

WHY continue? I’m almost certain that I can transition back into full-time employment in ‘virtually’ in any part of the globe, but I can only do what comes naturally to me.

I have received soooo much from sooooo many along the way. It is from sharing freely, I manage to attract abundance amidst the challenging moments and experiences.

It may sound cliche and even a bit corny, but when your passion shows despite the challenges and sporadic internal chaos, there’s much fun to be had…

You always find your way back ‘home’, attract the ‘right’ customers and providers amidst the ones who are placed to teach us the tough lessons needed for our growth.

Photo by Frankie K. on Unsplash

How? I lay my heart and soul out there in my work and I am vulnerable enough to help where and WHEN I can and when it feels right.

As a result, a flood gate of help and empathy (not pity!) opens up to light my path. Even the times when I feel unworthy for not managing my emotions adequately when coping with the all-consuming challenges of business and adversity that comes with life. 

Making the switch from corporate life [for over 2 decades + counting]. (Yeh, I’m that young 😉 to creative endeavours is (a tad) different.

In fact one might say, you kinda have to adopt different personalities to manage the best fit for your brand in the public domain.

A brand image that is not skewed to be perceived as too stiff, too academic, (too corporate), too sheltered, or too rookY-ish for others to relate!

An image that is mature and professional enough to be taken seriously.

A brand that is fun, engaging and natural enough to be deemed credible!

I was forced to adopt several personalities or archetypes (as Carl Jung would say if he were alive). Truth be told; I did not quite know what the heck to do with the information overload over the years, or if it would even ever serve me, or prove useful in real life.

Wsup? Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be reacquainting the past subscribers and the new ones I’ve recently met, with the stuff I’ve packed into my suitcase of life.

NEW year, new FIRE! I will have a marginal role in the entertainment events, while I roll out an exceptionally talented crew. If you stick around, you can read all about the new + improved experience (and even be a part of it) as I reveal them to YoU.

So much things to say and every day the plot thickens. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt [over the period 2016-7 especially] is this:

What life, business, loss and tragedy has taught me: 

It’s not WHAT you know, it’s HOW you TRANSLATE the knowledge to benefit others.

It’s not WHO you know, it’s how well you know them and how they see and value you and learning to tell the difference quickly to save face, time + possibly pain.

First impressions count, but character and ‘authenticity’ shine through to the ones who are true.

It’s not how much pain or joy you feel; it’s how well you manage it, in order to learn and make things comfortable and/or great for others.

Photo by Ashley Van Dyke on Unsplash

It’s not about comparing your journey.

It’s about being happy for others whose intentions are pure; being grateful for yours and all the people and things in it, so as to attract more abundance to your life with good karma and hard, honest work.

That’s life: A series of events that can either be mere events to be ‘advertised’………………..or,

Meaningful experiences that will be forever immortalized in time with the ones who were lucky, blessed or open enough to experience them, without you ever telling a soul.

Stay tuned for more.

Until then…

Endless Love,

Carolyn xx

You can find me on www.carolyncorreia.com, Facebook and Instagram.

Oh, Mother Me!

Happy Sunday,

For those of us that can read the words on this page, that means a special lady brought you into this world (unless you grew from a stalk, which I highly doubt). Whatever the circumstance after that, there is something for which to be grateful.

No matter if your story began like that wonderful book turned movie that some of us adore at 50 or twenty-22, our story is ever evolving and how it turns out is up to us.

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There was this TV drama in the 90’s called Relativity. While I cannot remember the plot exactly, my point is our situation is always relative to someone else.

If we step outside of our ‘little private Idaho’ and look around, I’m sure we’ll find at least 3 things for which to be grateful.

If we continue to be grateful for those 3 things, soon you may find that it will begin to multiply and manifest into more than those 3. 

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

Whatever we think about manifests into behaviours and actions which in turn determine how others view and treat us.

If we keep our thoughts to ourselves depending on our mental and emotional ‘make-up’, we may actually implode if we cannot effectively transcend our inner ‘noise’.

Eventually those unresolved emotions can manifest into outward actions that may become subtle, or not so subtle to the outsider. Or worse, manifest into diseases or depression.

If we chitter chatter about traumas (especially to the wrong people), that can also work against us, as my mother says (then all your business may be on the market).

It is also said that some people take comfort in our pain and sufferings, since it makes them feel better about their not-so-perfect lives (but whose is anyway?) so they can feel as though they have the edge on us.

So from where I sit, there’s only one way to go.

Turn inward, meditate, talk to your creator, commune in nature, find your center, listen to your heart and follow your gut …

Wait for the answers to emanate from your being as that higher power will point you toward the signs and right answers/solutions to whatever it is you are going through.

If this practice is done consistently – daily or even twice daily, it can have a tremendous impact on your life over time. However, the ‘pull’ to conform to life’s routine and survive especially in today’s modern world; while co-existing with other people who may create a dynamic that pulls in the other direction, may be easier said that done!

I will say this: Your mind, silence and nature has limitless power. 

But, what does this have to do with Mother’s Day you say?

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Before you were even formed in the womb, there was a Higher Power that knew exactly why and how and to what family and circumstances you were going to be born into. Though it may not have been the best circumstances in some cases, there’s always a story and lesson to learn.

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If we remain closed and allow our pain to cause us to shut out our talents and deeper purpose, then we may miss the opportunities and signs to evolve to the next stage of our journey.

This may be something extraordinary if only we allow ourselves to embrace the pain regardless of how harsh and unfair it may seem.

No matter how ‘bad’ we think our situation may be, there is ALWAYS someone going through something worse.

While this does not take away from our pain however tragic and painful we may find it to be, perspective and relativity will get us to the other side of the ‘mountain’.

Endless Love to my mum & all she has done for all of us, and all the women who have been mothers to me at some point in my life.

Carolyn xx

 

Happy May-Day to YoU!

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Good morning and Happy May to the beauutiful people reading this blog! 🙂

This is the day/month for celebrating the day of the worker and for Catholics, Mary the mother of God! 

It’s also the birth month of many – including friends, colleagues and my papi rest his soul.

It’s a new month to give thanks for all our blessings great and small. Though life may get us down from time to time, it’s important to still remember the good in our lives …

The good people/situations …

The good in the perceived ‘bad’ people and situations, in order to apply the lessons. 

At times, we may not have all of the information related to why people act the way they do, or why situations happen.

Years later we may realize that other factors not limited to cultural, familial, societal, economic and environmental influences may have impacted or precipitated those actions or situations.

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Though this does not justify or excuse some of the heinous or unjust offences/acts done to us and others, it does provide a deeper explanation for its occurrence.

Even though we may be enlightened to understand the psychology behind it, overcoming the hurt and pain is another story altogether.

This isn’t an overnight process or a switch that you can turn off in your brain or heart at will. The fact remains is that we are all human with different propensities to process, overcome and heal the past.

Photo by Andreas Fidler on Unsplash

This is especially so if the situations are reoccurring, or there are constant triggers and reminders of the suffering that we have endured.

You should also not judge a book by its cover, since still waters run deep and there’s always two sides to a story.

Karma also has a way of coming back to get us for transgressions we, or our ancestors may have subconsciously or consciously committed against others.

Christians may be able to relate to the proverb found in various parts of The Bible, ‘as you sow, so you shall reap’.

When we choose to live in the moment operating with a sense of mindfulness, we may be able to process factors in our life in a deeper way.

Though it takes time to heal and bring forth change, we would be able to have a sense of discernment when treating with future situations and people.

Wishing you a month filled with simple joys, pleasures, lessons, healing, peace and contentment to attract all things good to fulfill all the desires of your heart at the right moments.

My Endless Love,

Carolyn xx

The ‘magic’ is You

There’s something familiar about cleaning out your closet and finding old relics. Many of us find pleasure in various activities throughout our lives. If we are blessed enough to live to three score and ten in more or less good health, we would realize much changes.

Not that I am there yet, but I was able to live vicariously through my parents.

Photo by Gemma Evans on Unsplash

As a child growing up, I never had the opportunity to get acquainted with either of my grandparents. Mainly because of the fact that I was what my parents referred to as a lagniappe (which is the French colloquial connotation of ‘a little something extra’ – being born more than a decade after my siblings).

That would also explain why I always thought when you got ‘old’, you became decrepit and senile. Of course, I realized this was far from the truth since nowadays some folks seem to be drinking from the fountain of youth. I’ll try to explain why I think this is so …

Photo by Jesus Santos on Unsplash

At school, we had to visit an old folks home once a month, cook meals and spend time with the ladies there. I often dreaded those visits and wondered how come the other girls could relate to the ladies so well.

Flash forward to many years later, I watched my own parents become virtually my grandparents before my eyes! In fact, many people mistook me for their grandchild lol

I was surprised to find that seeing them age did not bother me in the least and I did not have that old feeling, when I viewed other elderly people in my younger years.

Odd, but true.

The things that I would have once considered gory, cumbersome, or even scary became like second nature at times for me. The message I am trying to convey is that once a man, twice a child and our thoughts have a role to play in all of this.

I’m sure many of us would have lost people close to us, and we ourselves never expected some of the experiences to happen to us in quite this way (so soon or late at times).

I remember things said growing up that I watched manifest within recent years. I shudder at the thought of history repeating itself, if we collectively don’t guard our thoughts, words and actions. (This is actually in part stated in one of the Holy books).

I know it may be easier said than done, if there are constant triggers in our environments or social circles that precipitate those habitual actions/mindsets. 

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What it means to be Mind-Ful/Conscious

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A few years ago, I was introduced to the new age concept in spirituality known as mindfulness.

You can say this holds the key to our sustained peace, joy, abundance and success in life.

As with most things, it must be practiced consistently to be effective.

Though I did not delve deeply, I think I was (innately) practicing this on some scale from a young age. However conditions did not allow for maximum effect.

From time to time, (what I think to be) weird and random thoughts pop into my head.

I sometimes dismiss them, only to find out further afield that other people had these same thoughts and it’s actually a concept!

My random thought for today is this (it’s a Biggie, get ready for it).

I wondered ………… What if no one is really happy for a sustained period?

What if some are happy in the moment, but when they return to their normal life’s routine, they really have this void within?

I really became fixated on the thought that few people are honestly really happy for most of their life. That’s why they assign value to symbols: material objects,  positions, credentials and people to give them a temporary fix (to find joy).

At the time, they may not even know it’s a placebo, since sometimes we as human beings consciously and subconsciously bring this upon ourselves and other people. 

Other times, these things do improve the quality of our lives, but it’s not the surefire way to joy or success if we can’t apply them to benefit others. For it is often said, that many times the act of giving actually makes us more joyful than receiving, since our purpose on this earth is to serve others.

(The flip side is that it must be joyful and not reproachful giving. In other words, if you don’t really want to (at that point in time at least), just don’t, because it won’t have the same effect and people can tell).

Personally, the last few years were some of the toughest of my life for various reasons and I had literally no.more.to.give.

Then it all came to a crashing halt last year; though many people looking in and within my social circles never noticed what was really wrong, or rather that there was ONE main and very HUGE trigger.

I could not understand it.

I guess because somehow they found joy in my company? Some knew the truth and to this day we are still pretty tight, so I know the ‘love’ is unconditional.

Even when I crawled into my temperamental ‘hole’, they still found me, brought me back to life and welcomed me with open arms. Only certain people have that ability in your life. You will know when it feels right. Weird, but true. Do you have any friends like that?

How I found the ‘secret elixir’ to lasting joy

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

September however, is when I learnt to be truly happy in my own company.

Despite the reminders of the source of the pain and the environmental triggers, somehow my inner joy was able to rise above the surface-emotions of hurt, anger/rage and betrayal.

Through a process of venting with close family and friends; spending time in silent reflection, meditation and prayer, I was able to crawl out of that place of hurt that was preventing me from producing, progressing and socializing closer to my optimum levels.

Nature also helped me to recharge, appreciate and feel the beauty and love of Creation.

 

I was able to better discern who was true and what was important.

I was able to determine what I wanted and how to get it.

I was able to create a plan and start putting it into motion.

Soon, I was once again attracting (and manifesting as they say) what and who I needed to bring me closer towards my goals of more sustained joy, peace and abundance.

Well, September ended and we’re now in April of a brand new year (2018) and guess what? My joy is still here. Yah know what they say, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

‘Mania’ is fleeting … but true joy is eternal once you know where to find it.

I still have some things to work through; but FYI I also lost over 10 lbs, I’m a little more fit (and flexible) without going to a gym or diet pills I may add, my 2 grey hairs are gone and I’m singing myself silly in between the spaces of my thoughts and my next Big idea!

Wanna learn what’s next in ‘store’ and how you can join the fun? Subscribe to this blog or follow my social media handles via the top right of my website: www.carolyncorreia.com

Until next time. Cheers to the weekend!

Endless Love,

Carolyn xx