As I experience life I am reminded daily of those who enrich my journey, who support my ideas, and who encourage me to go for what I want. I feel blessed. When we choose to move away from our roots, which is more common today than in past years, the relationships we develop become “our extended family”. During times of joy and moments of challenge, I rely on my friends. They applaud, they listen, and they help. All I have to do is place a call, make a visit or ask for what I need!

Friendship is all about being there for one another. When a friend calls upon me I feel special knowing my ideas and my time are valued. Sharing experiences with friends makes events more memorable. Having a conversation that creates clarity when uncertain about an issue makes it easier to decide. Friendship has no time constraint and no limits. Years pass and yet friends have the ability to re-connect and re-establish their relationship in an instant. Distance is not a barrier to friendship. People move, jobs change, unexpected circumstances occur and friends can still remain friends. What a wonderful concept! In a rapidly changing world it’s reassuring to know that friendships can endure. Neither politics, the economy, or the weather can replace an enduring friendship.

Recently I received a call from a long-standing friend whose husband is not well. Although we don’t see one another often because of geographic limitations, she knew when I picked up the phone that she could count on me to listen and support her as she struggles through a stressful time. Frequently friends just need a listening ear, a caring heart, and warm reassurance. Sometimes a friend is excited to share good fortune. There are times when a conversation or visit with a close friend is just the prescription we need when feeling out of sorts. Each of us has a never ending capacity to love and to care. We have unlimited opportunities to be supportive wherever and whenever someone needs us. Having friends and being a friend are priceless gifts we give to each other. Call or visit someone today.

These Joy of Connecting networking events are coming up in March. Find one near you and start connecting!

Atlanta Journal Constitution article:  Networking is critical to one’s success.  In good times and bad, it’s the ties that bind.  www.Google.com -  Check out networking associations and organizations – there are tens of thousands available!  Tired of the same ‘ole networking chatter?  Wish you could be somewhere else?  Is anyone listening to what you have to say?  Does anyone care?

With 29+ years of networking experiences to draw from, it’s obvious to me that for most individuals networking is either ‘tell and sell’ or ‘hit and run’!  The race to the finish line seems to be about who can engage in small talk faster and collect the most business cards.  Recognizing that females differ in the way they network, The Joy of Connecting was created to provide a platform for professional women to meet, to socialize, to build relationships AND foster business without the harried/impersonal format that’s most familiar at mixed gender events.  Women love to connect with one another and do so naturally.  Just recently I received several testimonial/endorsement letters from JOC participants and thought – why not let you hear about The Joy of Connecting from women who value their experience and were open to sharing their thoughts with others?

Testimonials:

Bonnie, as a first timer at a JOC event, I immediately felt at home and welcomed. Every single female in the room was open, positive, and encouraging! It was a safe place to be yourself and share with other likeminded women. The evening was organized, well ran, and respected everyone’s time! Yasmeen Lord, Designer – By Yaz – Atlanta, GA

I had to share a few words to describe my first Joy of Connecting event: welcoming, relaxed, educational, positive, and productive. We first enjoyed a delicious meal and got acquainted simply as individual women, without performing pitches or “commercials.” Then we followed a structured format to share information about our products or services with the group in a natural way which reflected our genuine personality and sincerity. At the program’s conclusion we freely mixed and mingled to ask questions, try free samples, and follow up on interest. A few sales were made on the spot. A special treat is the inclusion of artists who sometimes share their talents, such as a wonderful song or fabulous fashion piece. The room was brimming with mutual support, encouragement and reciprocity. There’s no doubt in my mind that each one of us left feeling very “connected” to other participants and were eager to attend the next JOC. Joanna Boyce, Ardyss, Int’l – Licensee for Lawrenceville, GA

I always immediately know it when I’ve connected with positive people.  An entrepreneur since 2005, last night’s Joy of Connecting business networking forum was the best meeting of its kind that I have ever attended! From the extraordinary ambiance to the fantastic food ~ this room filled with empowered women was delightful in manifold ways. The strength, support and resourcefulness shared promises to yield great benefits to my business and my life. So as I take another whiff of Kathey M’s “Good Soap” ~ I am reminded of the joys of connecting! Thanks Bonnie ~ you rock! Val McLeod, Chief Facilitator – Conversations with V (Savannah, GA)

My experience of attending The Joy of Connecting event in February 2012 has impacted my business tremendously. The diversity and versatility of every leading lady in attendance was truly rewarding in every aspect of business growth. I have attended countless seminars over the years and have to admit that JOC is one of the most effective and powerful of them all. The beautiful angel and founder of JOC, Ms. Bonnie Ross-Parker is like a magnet of energy and compassion in connecting women business owners. I am proud to be a lifetime member of JOC and will continue to support and encourage every new or veteran business owner to attend. I promise every woman will leave there on a natural high of success…like I did. Thank you Ms. Bonnie for embracing me with your gracious and elegant spirit. I am definitely a certified JOC supporter! Pebbles, Owner of  Closet Talk Consignment Lounge Smyrna, GA

“Those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment” (Anthony Robbins). When I think about all the “things” that are in my life it’s clear that materialism is no substitute for connecting one’s self with a worthy cause, participating with people who share the same vision and values, or doing something for someone without any expectations in return. The feeling of fullness because your heart place is alive with energy and purpose is immeasurable.

Your resistance to change, negativism and unrewarding work are no substitute for doing something about which you are passionate. Fulfillment can be experienced through volunteerism, connection with your spiritual self, working toward a far-reaching goal, being someone’s support or mentor, or any activity that elevates your sense of self. It’s worth both time and energy to search for and find that vehicle or outlet which reflects your uniqueness and values your participation.

Denis Waitley says, “Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success.” Feeling satisfied and knowing that who you are and what you do contributes to the well-being of people and community is powerful. Fulfillment is not the job you perform or the task you accomplish. It is how you feel about yourself because of the difference “being you” makes! Here is the question. “Where are you in your life’s experiences as it relates to feeling fulfilled?” Are you connected to something bigger than you? Are you engaged in tasks that are rewarding? Are you stretching your mind to explore new possibilities? And more importantly, are you willing to consider other options that could take you to a place you’ve not yet been? Take time to expand your self awareness. Find answers to these difficult questions.

Congratulate yourself if you are leading a fulfilling life. Give yourself permission to seek more rewarding avenues if you’re not. In either case, life is a journey. It’s your journey. What you do and accomplish in this lifetime and who you share your life with are your choices. Remember, you and your contribution matter!

The following message is taped over my desk. It was given to me by a friend. “If you knew where the treasure is would you enjoy the journey as much, or, would you miss things along the way by focusing on the treasure?”

It’s been my experience that regardless of the outcome I anticipate, sometimes the fulfillment comes from implementing a plan rather than actually achieving the goal! Think about a time that you planned a surprise, arranged the details for a vacation, the years you were in college to earn a degree, overcame a job loss, or spent weekends looking for the perfect home to purchase.

While every journey of value has its challenges, how meaningful would reaching the destination be if there were no stories or excitement related to the experience? A significant part of getting what you want is in the road taken to achieve it.

While intellectually this makes sense, if you are like me, I get impatient. When will my plans come together? How much longer must I wait to achieve the rewards I desire? Why is it that the closer I get to something I want, a challenge shows up creating a set back? Are road blocks treasures in disguise? Do we willingly learn life’s lessons or are the lessons we learn the result of our having to alter our course to reach our destination?

The reality is that there is no end to one’s journey. It simply continues day to day, as one experience follows another. The journey embraces the people who impact us, circumstances and changes we can’t control, the choices and decisions we make and the effect of those actions over time.

The road is comprised of trial and error, risks and opportunities, pleasure and disappointment. Through it all, we learn and grow as we move closer to our destination. I encourage you to be patient with yourself and the universe. Take time to experience your journey and enjoy the treasures along the way.

February 14th is set aside to show our appreciation and love for one another. I’m sure you would agree with me, appreciation and love should be expressed all throughout the year. I came across an interesting quote sent out by Tony Robbins through twitter. It stated; “It is not beauty that endears; its love that makes us see beauty. “ –Leo Tolstory-

As a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, I have the great pleasure to cross paths with many beautiful women. Today, I speak of the woman who for the first time sees the beauty within herself.

As I sit across the table and I notice the uncertainty of trying the skin care products, let alone even putting on a dash of color; she states, I don’t know if I could do this every day, it seems like too much work. Well, if I could teach you everything you needed to know to take care of your skin and a few simple techniques with a little color; it would only take five minutes in the morning and about five minutes at night. Do you think you could stick to a daily regiment? Still some uncertainty?

It wasn’t until after the appointment that I understood the uncertainty. As women we sometimes don’t believe we deserve to look and feel beautiful. We are too busy taking care of everyone else and never taking the time out for ourselves. Does this sound familiar? I’m sure at some point we all have been in this position. As we grow in life, we begin to understand who we are and start to see our inner beauty in a whole new light.

She looks into the mirror with her head held high, shoulders back and with a smile she says, “I LOVE IT”. With the spark of the eye, she realized it was something deeper inside which came alive. She thought back to her younger years and whispered, oh my. She had lost what was so dear. I left this woman’s home full of cheer. Yet I found out later on, when she closed her door, she broke down in tears.

The following year on February 14th, she called me and wanted to show me her appreciation as her Personal Beauty Consultant. She shared with me her story of not loving herself and it was on that day she saw the BEAUTY and began to love self again.

Take time out to pamper you and appreciate the love within.

I find it very difficult to maintain my faith in something when the anticipated outcome ends up not to my liking. I can think of numerous times I did not get what I wanted. For example, I had to withdraw a contract on a house purchase because I didn’t sell the home I owned. The job I wanted was offered to someone else. The vacation plans I made fell through. The speaking engagement I anticipated was cancelled. Each time what I thought was in my best interest was not mine to have. It’s during situations
such as these I began to doubt myself and the universal plan. Why are my wants going unfulfilled? Why am I not getting the results I want?

This is what I have learned. If I feel doubtful I will experience doubt. When I have faith that everything unfolds according to my best interest and not according to what I think is best, I can maintain faith. The only way to eliminate doubt is to embrace faith. Faith and doubt can not co-exist. Regardless of the circumstances around you, choose to maintain faith within you. Choose faith over doubt If you doubt today, you will limit your trust and faith for tomorrow. Strong faith moves us forward without fear. Faith refuses to acknowledge doubt or render you discouraged. Faith is blind to impossibilities. The essence of faith is to believe that every possibility exists. Faith is the fuel which moves us forward. It is essential to peace of mind. The weak person remains doubtful, but the strong person maintains belief.

Faith requires patience and trust. It defies logic, believes in the impossible, expects miracles, and renders explanations unnecessary. When one has faith one has confidence in the outcome of our circumstances even when we don’t understand them.

Life is a continuous battle between faith and doubt. The beginning of doubt destroys faith; the end of doubt restores faith. It is challenging for those of us who like to be in control because we want to insure the outcomes as we imagine them. However, experience shows us that the universe doesn’t always view things with our set of eyes. It sees beyond what is visible to us. For us to maintain faith we have to believe in the unseen.

All that I have experienced so far is evidence enough to trust what I have yet to see. For me, life is worthwhile when I combine faith, and commitment with enthusiasm for something. When I am on purpose and my actions are in alignment with that purpose I have faith in the journey, including the outcome. Faith stems from the heart; doubt from the head. Life is a series of choices. You can choose to live in faith or you can choose to live with doubt. What will your choice be?

It’s been said the more you celebrate the more there is to celebrate! All of us celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, promotions, graduations, retirement, and new homes. Sometimes I’ll be at the supermarket during the middle of a work day and see someone at the check-out line with a personalized cake in one hand and a happy birthday balloon in the other. When I comment it looks like a party, the person is usually taking the surprise to a colleague at work. Imagine the joy the recipient feels in being remembered and the joy that comes from remembering to do something special for a colleague. We even have king-sized chocolate chip cookies to celebrate special occasions.

Card companies do a great job in encouraging us to celebrate. They offer holiday and commemorative cards for everything. Florists are also quick to remind us that any occasion is a perfect occasion to send flowers. Why we choose to celebrate at those times is obvious. Why not celebrate life in little ways every day?

Everything we have, everything we do, and all the people we love and who love us are reasons to celebrate. Imagine if we took the time to look at life from a new perspective and gave ourselves permission to honor the everyday events in our lives. Imagine if we decided to celebrate our accomplishments, a great week at work, having dinner with our family or with friends, our health, or anything else that brings us happiness. We would feel so much better if we acknowledged those parts of our lives that pleased us instead of focusing on those things that didn’t go the way we had hoped.

One of the things at this stage in my life I’m celebrating is being a grandma. I enjoy talking with young mothers, marveling at their small children, and delighting in buying cute clothing and fun toys. Watching grandchildren make small steps in their daily development is cause for celebration. I clap for every joyful moment, laugh at every opportunity, and give hugs and kisses as often as I can.

I encourage you to recognize and create special times in your life to celebrate. Look for happy moments and invite others to share those moments with you. Celebrate your life. Celebrate the lives of loved ones. Celebrate every chance you get. Life offers us many reasons to celebrate. Find your reasons.