Why you can Begin, Again

February 13, 2018 AuroraLeave a comment

I’ve thought about these 2 words, almost obsessively, for the last month and a half. Begin Again. Aurora, you can BEGIN.AGAIN.

It’s funny, a new year starts and all of a sudden you’re given this feeling that everything can start fresh. 11:59 changing to 12:00 on January 1st sparks something that gives you the feeling that you can do anything this upcoming year. For all of the social media posts that I see stating things like “New Year, New Me,” Or “This Year is My Year,” I also see the ones telling us that we don’t need a new year to start something new. That we don’t need a new year to wipe the slate clean, start over, get a new job, leave that lousy relationship, lose the weight, begin the hobby etc. I always fell in the category of the first group of people, because the new year, to me, felt like an auto-delete of anything you’ve been unhappy with, and provides the (whether you like it or not) birth of something new. It’s a fresh start.

This new year was different for me though- I didn’t make many changes I was hoping to, to jump start 2018. I began the year sick, had a sudden loss of someone close to my family and found that after all of this died down, I wanted to rest. Rather than propel myself into my “New Year New Me” attitude, I wanted to take a breather.

And the above, really got me thinking.

What are the things I want to change this year? Why do I want to change them and what’s the motivation to do so? Why did I have to start January 1st, and why can’t I start anytime? While the excitement of a new year has always been something to motivate me, the reasons WHY I want to make these changes should be enough to motivate me to get going. To begin, again.

So starting with the publishing of this post, I’m giving myself permission to BEGIN again. It’s not 1/1/18, nor did the clock turning to midnight last night mean anything spectacular… it just meant it’s my day to be ready to press play. What am I pressing play on?

Lent begins tomorrow. That means, for Catholics, preparing for the death and resurrection of Jesus. AKA I’m gonna continue attending church weekly and being more mindful of prayer and the big G!
I need to get my work out on! I know when I’m stressed or feeling low, that a good work out can boost my energy and help me feel more productive throughout the day. This means, 3+ more gym visits a week and minding my diet. I also think this will include runs with my pup… because she loves that!
Reading my mountain of books at home before buying more. I’ve been averaging 1 every 2 weeks, so, so far so good.
Reestablishing connections with the family and friends in my life that I haven’t spoken with as much as I’d like to. Sometimes you have to be the one to initiate, and it’s better to help build than to wait. My brother is doing this one too, so having that reminder helps too!
Get more sleep. There is no explanation needed here.
Lastly, I’m going to put my positivity and inspirational attitude to the test. I’ve always been proud of the way I carry myself and engage others with my warmth and excitedness for life. Some things in my life have gotten me to feeling a little unlike myself, so I’m going to work harder to put my best attributes forward.

Is there anything you need to Begin Again?

I encourage you and pray that you do it… because you owe it to yourself to!

To beginning again, cheers.

-Aurora

Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2017January 9, 2018 AuroraLeave a comment

This is the best thing about a new year… it’s a chance to start new!… a fresh clean slate! The best thing about the past year… it’s gone! It’s amazing- one single day can make such a huge difference when you think about where you’ve been and where you want to go. The new year is a chance (and fuel) to kick of something you really want to do or reach for a goal you really want to obtain.

Let tomorrow be your chance to kick off the new year in a way you’ve been wanting to! Don’t want to start any changes or resolutions tomorrow? Then don’t!… the same energy of the new year can be there once you’re ready! One of the biggest failures of resolutions is starting when you’re not ready! The holidays can make it hard to set your goals in stone, so take your time!

As an optimistic person, the line that caught me here is the final one, and I believe this to be true: only the best is yet to come. 🖤

Happy New Year xo< em>-Aurora

Counseling · Entrepreneur · Faith · Friendship · Goal Digger · Goals · Motivation · Networking · Paying It Forward · Self Realization · Tribes · Uncategorized

Of All The Things That Happened, What Didn’t?

November 23, 2017December 11, 2017 AuroraLeave a comment

Sometimes you need to thank God for what didn’t happen. Thank Him for the things He’s stopped that you knew nothing about.

How deep is this? Trust me, I know. But it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially as we head into the time of year thinking about things we are thankful for, spending time with loved ones, exchanging gifts etc. We all have the scenarios in our lives that we wish played out differently. Maybe it’s a lost relationship, a negative situation or argument or even that one job you wanted to get that never worked out. God’s plan is so much bigger than ours that we can’t begin to fathom it’s greatness and complexity.

And let’s talk about gratitude- It’s so much easier to be thankful for something when you wanted it and now appreciate having it. How about the things we never had to endure or go through because God stopped them from happening? There are very few times in our life where we can see something almost happened and didn’t (and we become grateful), but what about the things we can’t see? I’ll tell you what- these thoughts alone are enough to make me grateful.

To know that God has had my back my whole life and continues to do so, regardless of my continued praise and appreciation that I may forget to show sometimes. How amazing it is to have the ultimate spiritual, mental, emotional and physical bodyguard, even if you forget to say thanks every once in awhile.

Thank you for all the things that didn’t happen.

-Aurora

Community Giving · Friendship · Goals · Motivation · Uncategorized

Holiday Hope Chests- Your Opportunity For Holiday Giving!

November 13, 2013December 12, 2013 AuroraLeave a comment

12/10 final update!! WOW what an amazing, feel good opportunity the Holiday Hope Chests provided for over 100 of us who put together, wrapped and GAVE an amazing box of presents to children in need here in the Lehigh Valley. To say I’m in awe is an understatement. Each and everyone one of you, near and far, who donated is making a difference in the life of a child. How incredible is that? In the end, 70 Hope Chests were donated in the name of TheWeeklySparkle.com and our initiative to adding a little sparkle into other peoples lives.

The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley was so excited to receive our boxes and sent their thanks to our amazing group of givers! Total, they received over 4,000 Hope Chests!!!! Can you believe it? It’s hard to understand how 4,000 children in our community would go without getting a present this holiday season, but I’m grateful and humbled to know that because of you, and what we’re doing, that they’ll have a piece of Holiday cheer, just as we all love this time of year.

Please refer to my recent post for pics!! Thank you again! Xx

Aurora🌟

12/2 Update!!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know I added another drop off day for the boxes right before the deadline 🙂 It will be this Thursday 12/5, from 6:30-8pm at the Panera on Airport Rd! Please try and drop your boxes off then. Affordable Pet Center will also be accepting boxes anytime between now and then at their business! It’s in Northampton on Main St by the Roxy!

Thanks again for giving!!

★Aurora

11/27/13 UPDATE!! Wow! Thank you all 65+ people involved in making all of Holiday Hope Chests!!! Together, we’re going to make the holiday spirit brighter for 65 children in need! Truly amazing.

Many of you have reached out to me about when you can drop off your Hope Chests and what would be convienant with your busy holiday schedules. Based on many conversations I’ve had, I think having two separate drop off points would be the most helpful!

That being said, this coming Sunday and Monday I will be setting up shop at Panera on Airport Rd in Allentown (across from Target, next to Logan’s Steakhouse) where you can drop off your Hope Chests when it works best for you!

I will be there Sunday 12/1 from 7pm-8:00pm and Monday 12/2 5:45pm-7pm. I am also going to be at the Panera in Whitehall Tuesday 12/3 12:30pm-1:30pm! If these times do not work for you please feel free to reach out to me and we can work something else out!! Thanks everyone! ✨🌟

Hey everyone,

Happy Holidays! While I know it feels far away, the Giving Season is upon us, and now is the prime time to start thinking about whose holiday you’d like to make sparkle. ✨

The Weekly Sparkle is dedicated to the sole idea of giving back and paying it forward. Why not do something really cool this holiday that you know is sure to make the season bright for another? I know of the perfect organization right here in the Lehigh Valley that provides presents/ little care packages for children in need right here in our community.

Holiday Hope Chests have been created and given to children in the Lehigh Valley over the years from caring individuals, businesses, families, groups and community partners trying to make a difference. The concept is simple: all you need is a shoe box, a little creativity and giving heart to make an amazing memory for a underprivileged child over the holidays. Help make the Holiday Hope Chest Project 2013 the most successful it’s ever been! The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley provides the delivery of these items to children associated with non-profit organizations around the holidays!

Here is where YOU and the fun come in. Simply message me here, or shoot me an email in my contact information page to tell me you want to get involved. You need a shoe box, (which I’d be happy to provide), and to fill it with age specific items from a list that I will provide for you once we get a final donor count on Friday Nov. 22nd. . With a larger number of donors, each of us can have our own individual child to benefit this holiday season. Example gifts range from socks, nerf balls, gloves, stickers, shampoo, combs, dolls, flash cards, water bottles, picture frames etc.

All Holiday Hope Chests have to be delivered to the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley drop off site by Dec 6th. That being said, I will have two different dates where I can meet anyone at Panera in Whitehall or off of Airport Rd (by Target), with flexibility to meet and pick up boxes up until Tuesday Dec 3rd.

We can do this!!!!.. And it’s going to be amazing to see all of the glowing smiles we create simply by giving a little of ourselves this holiday season. Get your kids, friends, families and co-workers involved! The more the merrier.

It’s the season to Sparkle, let’s do it together : )

-Aurora Beani 🌟

Thank you to our current committed donors!!::

–Joe Brunovsky (+10 Merck Co-workers!)
-Aurora Beani (4 chests)
Rosi and Fran Bauer (2 chests)
-Dan Yarros (2 chests)
-Steven and Kathy Beani (2 chests)
-Deborah Ledbetter- Estock
-Jess and Billy Ford (2 chests)
-Timmy Huertas (2 chests)
-Illona and Dan Golden (2 chests)
-Meghan (2 chests)
-Isbabel Szoke (2 chests)
-Kathleen McNeill (2 chests)
Janelle Margolis (2 chests)
-Ellen and John Herman (2 chests)
-Jeffrey Bilheimer
-Jessica McDermott (2 chests)
-Jessica Scott
-Katie Nemeth (2 chests)
-Ken Wickiser (chests)
-Mary Ann Sofronie (2 chests)
-Michael Ford (2 chests)
-Mimi Ochrank (3 chests)
-Kristie Smith (2 chests)
-Adam Beani
-Michael Ford
-Kathleen McKitosh (2 chests)
-Nicole Nemeth (2 chests)
-Linda and Dan Gunkle (2 chests)
-Karen Bouche
-Krissy Erat and Cole Shimer (2 chests)
-Megan Yaich (2 chests)
-Karen Clark and family
-Rochelle Metzger (2 chests)
-The Mudri Family
-Monica George
-Rochelle Metzger (2 chests)
-Mary Ellen Ford

Below is a list of suggested items for the children as well as a list of things to not gift for safety reasons.
Suggested Listing

Have a large group that you know will want to form a sponsorship together?
Click here

Check out the other volunteer and giving opportunities in the Lehigh Valley here!

Friendship · Goals · Motivation · Uncategorized

Sorry Doesn’t Make It Okay

September 4, 2013June 21, 2014 Aurora15 Comments

Grab a plate and throw it on the ground.
-Ok, Done.
Did it break?
-Yes.
Now say sorry to it.
-Sorry.
Did it go back to the way it was before?
-No
Do you understand?

Wow. My cousin sent this to me as its been a topic that she and I have discussed a lot over the last few years. I think it’s a harsh reality that many of us have to face every now and then when the friendship we broke, or a friend broke with us, just cannot simply be repaired.

You try and go back to where it was before, and that place just doesn’t exist anymore. What makes it a harsh reality is that whether or not both parties want to go back to that place, the friendship is forever changed. One or both of you saw a side of that other person that you didn’t know existed… Or better yet, never existed towards you.

I speak from experience in knowing what it is to be on both ends: the breaker and the breakee. I’ve always prided myself on being a good friend and doing what I think is right toward all people. Unfortunately there have been a few times that I can look back on and wish I had made better decisions based on the needs/expectations of my friends and what the situations called for. While hindsight is always 20/20 and everything is clear now, at this point you need to accept that things won’t be as they once were, and adapt to the way they are now and will be.

The other end of this that I have been on is where you have been hurt by a friend, and whether you want it to go back to how it was or not, it’s simply not an option you can let yourself get to. I have wanted to go back to normal with a friend a few times now, but there are limits to what we can consciously allow ourselves to do. Call it what you want, but when someone burns you, or doesn’t think enough about you before hurting you, sometimes our hearts just won’t allow us to go back— which is okay. It’s the harsh reality.

My advice for this however, is that we try our hardest to never let our friendships get to this point. Sounds easier said than done you say? Well, it’s not. It all comes back to the golden rule and a little extra thinking. You treat people the exact way you want them to treat you, and beyond that, think about how the other person feels and how they will react if you hurt them. We can’t be perfect, but it is possible to be pure and genuine in thought.

To the friendships that sparkle in your life…

♡ Aurora Beani

Goals · Motivation · Uncategorized

Graduation, Success and Looking Ahead

June 3, 2013 AuroraLeave a comment

“When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world, try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”
– Steve Jobs

http://t.co/rsS3FmJtoE

I had the opportunity to watch this video a few days ago, and I knew it was something worth sharing. Steve Jobs is someone I have grown to admire over recent years, as it seemed like his influential and motivational speeches, comments, conversations etc came more to light before his passing. I lump the lessons I’ve learned from him with some of my other favorite, inspirational people, like Oprah, Ellen and classic go-to, Confucius.

Last weekend, I walked in my graduation from the University of Scranton where I received my Masters degree in Community Counseling and Mental Health. While I finished classes months ago, I knew I wanted to walk in the ceremony, as the sense of accomplishment and success hadn’t fully set in since completing my course work. This is probably how I stumbled across this video. Each year around graduation time, all of these videos, commencement speeches and books surface to inspire the grads as they move ahead in life. “Sky’s the limit,” “Oh the places you will go;” “Let your dreams and ambitions come true,” are all sayings and motivation we offer to those graduating in our lives to show them we believe in them and know they have the power to accomplish great things.

In hearing Steve talk in this segment, I’m inspired by the not-so-common approach he takes when looking at achievement and success in life. He says, “…life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” I LOVE this. He’s right. The world we live in tells us what our successes can amount to and what is expected of us as we strive toward greatness.

I guess what I gather from this mainly, is that we are the ones who can define for ourselves just what greatness is. This is why I’ve begun my journey and created The Weekly Sparkle. This is what my site and definition of Sparkle is: become your best self in the way that YOU define it. Go against the grain. It is so easy to fall in line with what society tells us and expects of us. I am by no means saying we shouldn’t want a family, good career or to “stay in the lines.” I’m simply saying that the greatness within you can be one that the world has never seen; spinning a new way to influence others and add value to the world we live in.

My desire in life is to break the mold, be different, inspire others and leave the world a little bit brighter, just because I was here and impacted the lives of others. As I reached another great milestone in my life, I’m reflecting upon the amazing experiences I’ve had so far, where they can take me, and the blank pages ahead of me that are open for my interpretation and ability to make a change.

I want to continue to pass the Sparkle to all of you, and challenge you to do the same for those in our life. Go against the grain, and be bold.

Sparkle strong,

Aurora

Community Giving · Motivation · Uncategorized

Attitude of Gratitude

March 7, 2013March 13, 2013 Aurora5 Comments

I feel like a major theme of a lot of things I discuss is strongly focused around the subject of gratitude. Meaning, overall attitude; is it thankful, appreciative, is there acknowledgment of the good things going on in our lives, or the things given to us? Do we take a second and be thankful for all the things going right, or can we only focus on what we don’t have or wish we had (more of)?

It is always easy to see ~~and complain about~~ what it is that we don’t have. Right?

I read the quote a long time ago, and each time it pops up in my life, I feel like its for a reason…

How spot on is this in many of our lives? It’s so easy to complain about how we don’t have enough of what we want, or aren’t happy with aspects of our lives. The challenging piece is recognizing it in the moment and changing our thoughts. We can control what we have and don’t have, but it’s socially acceptable and normal to voice what you’re unhappy with, rather than praise all the good things going on.

I feel like this is particularly hitting home for me now, because I have so much to be grateful for yet I find myself focusing on the things I want to change in my life, and areas where I feel like I’m not good enough. The truth is, I am good enough. And I know this, but it’s the negativity and stress of everyday life that makes us all question ourselves, what we know we’re good at, our intentions, our capabilities, and so on and so on and so on.

So I’ll end by saying that I’m grateful for my relationships. All of them. I’m gracious that I am related to some of the most supportive, amazing people I’ve ever met. In addition to my family, I’ve formed friendships and bonds with other people in my life that lift me up and motivate me to become a better person. They say, you are who you surround yourself with, and if that’s not enough to make me grateful, then I don’t know what is.

Sparkle on, you!

Xo Aurora