Wednesday, November 23, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 2: What do Passions Bring You?”

Are you sick to death of your job? Are you one of the many Americans who just hate getting up in the morning and having to deal with whatever day you think you might have ahead? I used to be like you, dreading even waking up. I used to think there was no hope and I could barely go outside to find it. I’m here to tell you there is hope.
Hope is energy. Hope is an unlimited supply of force that propels you forward when nothing was there before. How I got my hope, wasn’t from a pill or my favorite pastry, it was from my passion for writing. My passions are what gave me hope when I thought I had none. Even writing this to you now I feel scared. I’m scared of tomorrow and of what will happen. My hope is the light that pushes that fear away, my hope is fueled by my passions.
Writing is not my only passion. Health, beauty, and the environment are also things in life I feel inspire and motivate me. I try to use them in conjunction with my main passion, writing, to get the most out of my talents. Everyone has talents. You, reading this, may have a talent no one else has. Perhaps you’re the best at this one thing, or good at many things. In my book, Can Your Passions Save You?, I guide you through, step by step, what it takes to identify and harness your passions.
The world is meant to be full of meaning and purpose. When you’ve lost your purpose you feel frustrated, in darkness. Let me help you, through my story, learn to help yourself, push yourself through the tough times. Some things are meant to only be healed through time, the trick is lasting until you reach that point. Your passions will help you last. I can guide you in your search for your passions to truly know what you’re meant to do and how you’re meant to do it. The ride of course, is unknown. You don’t know how you’ll get there, or even when, but with determination and your passions showing you the way, you’ll be able to withstand all the trials and tribulations. All you have to do is spend $5.
I know what you must be thinking, this is a tough economy. Why should you waste $5 on a book when you spend that on food? It’s because food will only nourish your body, my book can help nourish your soul. I don’t sugar coat anything in my story, I tell you the facts, what really happened, and how my passions truly saved me. I wrote Can Your Passions Save You? because I saw so many people out there confused about what to do in life and feeling bored. I wanted to contribute something to this world that could actually benefit people in the long run.
So don’t spend those $5 on a game you’re only going to play for a couple of days, a ringtone you like, or your morning coffee, spend it on something that will work for a lifetime. Ten years from now you can look back at my book, your own life, and see how you’ve grown and changed. You can do anything you set your mind to. I’m living proof. I was a suicidal college dropout. Now, in just three years, I have my Bachelor’s in English, and  I wrote three books, all with no help from anyone, just relying on my passions. Believe in your power, believe in the world, and most of all believe there is hope.

Bless you,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera

If you wish to purchase my book, please go here.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 8: You Say What Now?”

I don’t know about you, but I used to not be very assertive. I was the quiet one who kept saying sorry even when someone bumped into me. I was the good girl who always did what she was told and never questioned anything. Now I speak my mind and let it be known how I feel. How do you think I was able to do that?
Life is pretty simple if you think about it. You live in some sort of shelter, you “hunt” for food, you go to the bathroom, find a possible mate, and maybe reproduce. The problem is we, the human race, aren’t simple. We aren’t like tigers who just live by themselves or monkeys who fight for territory. We are domesticated, social beings who have to talk our way into not only getting what we want, but also helping and connecting with others.That’s where the whole being assertive comes into play.
Being assertive means being clear with your intentions, wants, and needs. There’s no round about way when you’re assertive. You say it like it is without putting behind it, any strong emotions. Some people confuse being assertive with being angry or standing up for one’s self. That’s something different. The key to successfully showing what you want is owning up to the responsibility you have of interacting with another person who has the same goal as you of expressing wants and needs and being able to state without being overly emotional or critical, how you’re going to go about doing it. I’ll give you an example.
Lady A goes to Mr. B at a cafe and asks him for some coffee. She explains she find him attractive and wants to talk. Mr. B doesn’t want to, but also doesn’t want to hurt her feelings. He tries to play it nice and just nods. Lady A takes it as a yes and continues to flirt with him. This gets him upset and he forces himself to realize he has to state clearly what he wants from her.
Mr. B explains to her that although she is a nice, young woman, he does not feel the same way and doesn’t want to talk to her anymore. Even if the woman is offended, she sees his face and body language and understands there’s no point in continuing and leaves. Real life isn’t going to be this easy all the time, but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get what you want when you clearly state it with tact and honesty.
In my book, Can Your Passions Save You?, I show you how you can learn to be assertive by developing a stronger sense of self. How can you tell people what you want, when you don’t know what you want? Your passions are your fingerprint, they’ll guide you to your true desires and in turn help you have a deeper understanding of self. Tell the world what you want, you’ll be surprised with the outcome.

Bless you,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera

Saturday, November 19, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 7: Don’t Believe in Luck”

Funny how when you least expect it, something lucky happens. Yep, you get a package in the mail of a duplicate order of your favorite shirt you just bought online and you weren’t charged twice for it. I’m here to tell you that kind of stuff will never happen if you wish for it. Probability is the name of the game when it comes to certain things, and that is much more helpful to you then expecting some random occurrence. That’s why it’s random, randomness can’t be expected.
Why am I bringing this up? It’s because a lot of people, me included, rely on luck to help us through certain things in life without realizing luck has nothing to do with it. If it’s a test you hope you didn’t flunk even though you didn’t study for, or a chance meeting with Mr. Right at a club full of dirt bags, you just can’t count on luck for bupkiss. I never knew what bupkiss meant. Is that even a word? Luck would have it I don’t have my phone with me to check. See what I’m getting at?
Probability is what some people (like me) mistake for luck. If you know all about probability, you’ll know the trick to getting a desired income with probability is setting yourself up to have the best chances. That means understanding the rules of the game, following them, and acquiring as many resources as needed. A good instance would be, being a chef.
Let’s say you want to be a world famous chef. You see a flier that says win a chance to work for a famous chef, just enter the contest. You sit there and hope that someday you’ll make it, maybe even wish for Wolfgang Puck to show up to your door and say work for his kitchen. Some time passes and nothing happens. You don’t win. Now you’re short $10 and no where close to being a world famous chef.
You’ve had enough of daydreaming and decide to apply for culinary school. You get in and even get financial aid. You work hard and sure enough get a local gig at a new restaurant and become a chef. Then you decide to master a signature dish and ask a famous blogger to feature it. You butter him up, wow him with your skill and he grants your request. Now everyone sees what an amazing chef you are. But that didn’t happen with luck. It happened with probability, it happened with passion.
Can Your Passions Save You is my book that shows you how you can use your passions to never rely on dumb luck again. It’s funny, the minute you stop relying on luck, it just comes to you in the most wonderful ways. Your passions can put you back into the driver seat of your journey and will allow to have those wonderful, dumb luck moments. Rely on yourself and believe in creating your own “luck”.

Remember, life is about dealing with what comes to you. Stop trying to guess what will happen and do it.

Bless You,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera
Click here for book

Friday, November 18, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 6: Return of the Bulge”

Obesity sucks, especially because when people look at an obese person they think, “Man she let herself go.” You don’t want to be like that, no one does. The problem is more and more women are turning to purging and fasting to keep slim. Is it worth that number on the scale? Do you feel like you just can’t control it? I’m here to tell you, you can.
I myself have dealt with Bulimia. It used to get worse the more stressed out I got. Even though I’m still recovering, I learned to be happy with my body regardless of how “big” or “small” I am. Let me tell you, it’s worked. Without being so obsessed with being a certain weight, I managed to keep my weight stable for the past 2 years. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t go back to old habits every now and then, but it’s not as bad as it was before.
One of the ways I was able to curb my disorder was my passions for health and writing. I researched what a healthy diet consists of and I wrote down a lot of the anxieties and worries that were plaguing me. It gave me peace of mind to know I could still get better even though I was so obsessed with the whole binge, purge cycle. When I finally expressed how I felt through writing, it made me have a sense of relief and understanding. I wrote down my thoughts on being thin and how I planned to do it. I even vowed never to be Bulimic again.  I realized it’s not realistic to tell yourself you will never binge or purge.
Life is a constant flow of randomness and uncertainty. You never know what will or can happen. What you can do is set realistic goals so when you regress, it will not be so damaging to you. I remember I used to set insane goals for weight loss. I told myself I would lose 30 lbs in 30 days. I was setting myself up for failure. When the pressure got to me, I snapped and GAINED 5 lbs. Now I tell myself, today I’m just going to be active and eat healthy, who cares if I lose. Guess what, I actually ended up losing a few pounds.
Let me show you how you can identify your passions to at least get you started on developing a stronger sense of self to combat that twisted self image you may have. My book, Can Your Passions Save You?, consists of ten chapters interwoven with my true story to show you how to deal with obstacles, set backs, and self esteem. Have faith you have the power to change your life, because at the end of the day, you’re the one who holds the key. You can be the beautiful person that you already are on the inside, by being kind to yourself on the outside. Show the world you’re a force of light.

Open the door to a better tomorrow by helping yourself today.
Bless You,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera
Click here for the book

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 5: Learning When to Let Go”

You just cheated on your diet or skipped class, or even worse, are stuck in a troubled relationship. You’re pulling your hair attempting to comprehend why you’re doing this and you can’t think of anything to explain it. You’re anxious and nervous and worrying about tomorrow. How do you fix it? How can you learn to let go?
I’m not a magician. I can’t instantly relieve your fears or bad habits. I can however assist you in becoming aware of what it is that’s going on. I was there in the same place you are in now, holding on for dear life. I’m here to tell you that when I finally began to let go, it was the proudest moment of my life; it can be the same for you.
The first step to letting go is knowing what it is that kept you hanging on in the first place.
How can you achieve that? Easy, I’ll walk you through it. Imagine the one instant in your life that makes your stomach turn. Each time you even think about it, it creates this heaviness inside you, where you feel tired and apathetic. Pull that memory out and into a box. Now imagine the happiest dream you’ve ever had. One where you felt complete and connected. Take that box holding the bad memory and open it inside the happy dream. When you open it, picture the box containing absolutely nothing.
Why would the box holding your worst feelings about something, contain nothing? It’s because that memory is in the past. It can’t exist anywhere else. If you stay in the past, that memory will be alive as ever and will grow and consume you. But if you put it in a box and move on, it can’t exist anymore. It’ll be confined to that box. What’s so powerful about a box?
Picture the box as your passions. The key that holds the power to confining those dark memories. In my book, Can Your Passions Save You?, I’ll show you through my own experience how to let go of your past and finally move on. It’s going to take a while for that box to have nothing inside, but the first step is the most important. Let me offer you that first step. Change is never easy, but when you get there, it’s the most amazing feeling.
Lastly, don’t be ashamed if you think about your past every now and then. We all look back and wonder, what if? You just have to snap out of it and keep going, no matter what. Let your passions get you there.

So quit holding on to things that are bad for you, and embrace your passions.
Bless You,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera
Click here for the book.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

"Can Your Passions Save You? Series 4: Accepting Responsibility"

You are the captain in the boat that is your life. You command in which direction your mast will be pointed towards. (Don’t start thinking perverted.) You control which crew mates can come on board and how fast you want your ship to go. So what happens when you stop being the captain of your ship?
From my personal experience, when I stopped taking control of my life, I stopped caring about it. I didn’t care how I dressed, how I looked, how I ate. All I cared about was being numb. All I cared about was how to get numb. Nothing else mattered to me.
That was a large chunk of my life. If you’re like me and feel that way right now, you have to look in the mirror and accept what is and take back control. Be responsible for your actions today. It doesn’t matter if you falter and stumble. As long as you claim what you’ve done and to whom you’ve done it to, even if it’s just yourself at first, that’s enough to move you forward. Really, progress isn’t based on achievement, but rather the courage to move past all that was.
You’re past could have been full of pain and despair. You could have been born with a rusted knife in your mouth instead of a silver spoon. That doesn’t mean it has to dictate how you’re going to be for the rest of your life. I’ll admit, when you have a bad start, it’s really difficult getting your bearings. You can’t give up. You can’t lose control of what makes you, you. Hard lives must be lived through patience.
The best way to learn patience is by being able to harness and focus on what you can do and let go of what’s out of your control. You can’t dictate the status of the weather or how a person will receive you. Don’t worry about that because at the end of the day, that’s out of your zone of ability. What you can do is put on a raincoat, wear your favorite outfit, and smile at whoever you’re facing. That is the key to accepting responsibility and moving on with your life.
My book, Can Your Passions Save You? deals with owning up to your actions and finding ways to continue. Passions can and will give you back your steering wheel to life because they are your deepest desires. They are the road maps to who you truly are. Let me just say, deep down, you’re an amazing person. We all are.

Let go of the past, move forward to your destiny.
Bless You,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera

Monday, November 7, 2011

“Can Your Passions Save You? Series 3: Getting up When You’ve Fallen Down”

I can’t tell you how many times people have told me they’ve had it, they’ve made one too many mistakes and are done with it all. I get it, I make mistakes all the time. I make a fool of myself from never understanding advice given to me or never reading the instructions. I’m sure you have flubbed often yourself with a project for work or school or asking a person you like out on a date. The world it seems, is chock full of mistakes.
So what if it’s a world of mistakes? I love mistakes; you  want to know why? It’s because mistakes help a person grow and learn. You can’t learn from a mistake unless you understand what happened to make it and how to not repeat it again. If you’re stuck in the mistake and refuse to move on, you’ll be stagnant and still. In life that is the WORST thing you can do.
Imagine you’re on your couch or bed, and you’re sitting there not moving. People walk past you, a bird flies on your head, and nothing causes you to move. You just stay there motionless for hours. Eventually you stay there for so long your body has decayed. You haven’t eaten, you haven’t bathed, you haven’t even gone to the bathroom. It’s as if you’re a statue. The only thing is, you’re not a statue and this staying still business is killing you.
That’s what you’re doing when you stay stuck on a mistake. The more you ruminate, you focus on that tiny mistake, it becomes the anchor, the root, to an even bigger mistake. Because before, you were just sitting on that bed or sofa, completely fine. Now, after some time has past, you’re almost dead. The question then becomes, what can you do to stop hovering over this mistake and those mistakes in the past? The answer for me was clear.
My passions helped me get over the failures I deemed insurmountable. I used to be a perfectionist, so much so, that I wouldn’t do something in fear of doing it wrong. I was stuck, but my passions forced me to say, “You know what, it doesn’t hurt to try.” You have to try! You’ll  never know what’s out there unless you move. Yes you can make more mistakes in the future, and you most likely will because let’s face it, we’re human. But if you keep moving, keep going, no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be okay. Can Your Passions Save You? is my book that I wrote to help you learn to do just that.

So please, let go of staying still and get moving, because the saddest thing about falling down is never getting back up. Get back up, never give up, never give in, not even an inch. When you keep on getting back up, each time will be easier.

Bless you,
Rosemary Jasmine Rivera
Click here for the book