Ambition

My Offline Escapades: Vol 2

“Thinking is underrated, don’t you reckon? In this little world of ours, we’re told we need to BE the best, GET the job, MAKE something of ourselves. But when was the last time you just sat down and pondered a little?” -Frankie Magazine

These were some great words to accompany me on my own pro-pondering expedition during the month of January. I went on a complete writing break to immerse myself in the non-digital written word for the purpose to rebuild myself through art.

I’m someone who best recognizes herself through writing and I made a conscious decision to temporarily close up my thought shop and zip it.

What I’m seeing now is how that choice was quite the revolt in nature, equivalent to me cutting off my creative blood supply. (more…)

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My Offline Escapades: Vol I

For the month of January, I went on digital sabbatical with the intentions to reconnect, rediscover and redefine my purposes here at Convivial Society (soon to be renamed and relaunched as The Convivial Woman end of February).

So, January has come and gone and I’ve returned on this fine, icy, cold day in February. Yes, me, Cheryl Chavarria A.K.A. The Convivial Woman is saying Bye Bye sabbatical, Hello writing again.

Wow! January was intense and unforgettable for me. Please tell me you’re all goo goo gaga about my return, because this is a big deal for me! I was beginning to feel pent up like a genie in a bottle. Being offline and in a sense out of touch was starting to wear on me…shall I dare talk about how moody and out of my comfort zone I felt toward the end?

Where to begin, ya’ll?

There are various experiences to share about my offline escapades, so get ready for (more…)

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ON CONVIVIAL SABBATICAL

For the month of January and to kick off the new year, I’m going into full immersion mode and taking a sabbatical.

As I’ve written throughout 2010 and pondered the idea of a Convivial Society, I have decided that to create and experience such a place, you have to start with the very element that sets its foundation, that gives root to the possibility of its creation and existence, and that is the woman…a convivial woman. For this reason…

I’ve decided to rebrand by changing the name of the site from Convivial Society to… (more…)

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Sound Conjures the Soul

Flashbacks. A moment in time. Memories made, forever ingrained. Ahhh…the beauty of traveling back in time to experience life in the present moment.

Want to ignite a feel-good moment in your body? Instantly draw up some much needed energy? Play some music, but not just any music. Choose a song from a time in your life when you were happy, inspired, amazed, and unstoppable.

Songs play in our hearts continuously

and there are times when life is kind enough to play “the song” just when we need it, to shake us up and out of a funk, but overall, it’s for us to make the choice to put the needle on the record once again.

I have tons of songs in my memory’s repertoire and they can instantly conjure up people and places, scents and feelings, pivotal moments in my life I’d love to return to, but physical time and space won’t allow. Good thing sound does the favor of bringing me back to those cherished moments, thus causing an instant surge of energy within me and returning me to innocence and extreme possibility.

The most recent song to add to my sound list came about like this:

It’s the first day of Rich Happy & Hot LIVE, the business and lifestyle event I traveled from Dallas to attend in early November (more…)

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A Rich Happy & Hot LIVE Experience in NYC

The weekend has come and gone! Rich Happy & Hot is over and officially another unforgettable, incomparable experience under my belt.

Here I am sitting at LaGuardia waiting to board my flight and I could talk excitedly about how amazing and inspiring Marie Forleo is, how she’s the real deal when it comes to a business woman showing up 100% as herself, how I met so many amazing and inspiring women with some impressive businesses in the making, etc etc…all true details, but honestly, my emotions are still processing everything in it’s entirety that I experienced this weekend. 

Something big definitely happened

at Rich Happy & Hot LIVE, because whenever something major is happening within or around me, I get quiet. Yes, me- a writer, and occasional loquacious convivial woman, has no words to describe my feeling yet. Powerful, mind-blowing, phenomenal sound weak. So how about I just say (more…)

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My New York Minute: Day 2

In no particular order, this is how my second day went…

Do you know about the country of Ossetia? I didn’t before tonight’s bicycle taxi ride from Times Square!

I’ve never had such pleasant conversation with someone while they pedaled and maneuvered their way around traffic on a bicycle. Alan the rider was from the small Eastern European country called Ossetia. 

He expressed his gratitude for the Southern kindness I showed him by not accepting my tip. I wish him well in life and love. 

Coming to a new country, learning a new language, and creating a new life from scratch is one helluva risk to take on yourself. Where would America be without all the immigrants, all the risk-takers? 

I was walking through the East Village, (more…)

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My New York Minute: Day 1.5

I’m awake thanks to a phone call from an old friend, Lola getting in touch with me. She lives here in NYC and we now have plans to dine and maybe dance this Saturday night. 

Let me tell you Miss Lola’s dancer name should be Rita, because those hips and feet of hers are dangerous on the dance floor. 

I know Lola from growing up in Chicago and I never forget a woman who can twirl the way she does! I can’t wait to see what moves she’s got now.

The convivial mama slept well, but before knocking out, I had a guy outside my hotel window pacing back and forth, screaming into his phone calling someone a hoe repeatedly. He was enraged and I thought, how sad…and how New York.

Last night at the Brass Monkey (more…)

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My New York Minute: Day One

I’ve stopped to take a break in the Financial District to rest a bit and write.

So, I’ve finally made it to New York. It’s big, it’s sweet, and I’m definitely gonna take a bite outta this Big Apple. 

Day 1

Took an early flight. As the plane’s engine was revving up for take off, I peered out the window to see the airplane’s wings and thought, “Let’s do this!” Then…I fell asleep. 

When the captain announced it would soon be time to land, I felt the plane start to descend, so I decided to open up my window pane and just as I did, my eyes were greeted by the beauty of (more…)

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A Rich Happy & Hot November (Audio File)

Get me a ticket for an airplane! Ain’t got time to take a fast train…lonely days are gone…I’m a comin’ up!

I’ll be trekking all the way from Texas to the Big Apple to attend the Business and Lifestyle event, Rich Happy & Hot LIVE with Marie Forleo!

I didn’t win the contest but I’m still going to be part of this amazing event. To get more details on how I went from dreaming about being there to making it a reality, check out the following convivial audio file!

LISTEN HERE

Cheers to going for what you want!

XO Cheryl Chavarria XO

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Self-Definition: Choose Your Mirrors Wisely

An excerpt taken from Walking In This World by Julia Cameron:

“All of us are creative. Some of us get the mirroring to know we are creative, but few of us get the mirroring to know how creative. What most of us get is the worried advice that if we are thinking about a life in the arts, we’d better plan to have “something to fall back on.” Would they tell us that if we expressed an interest in banking?

It could be argued that as people and as artists, we are what we are- however, we also become ourselves, all of ourselves, by having our largeness mirrored back to us.

I think of a scene from the Disney version of Cinderella, when the heroine sees herself in the dress for the first time and realizes she is a beauty…There is a magical “click” of recognition when the looking glass says back,

Yes, we are what we dream.

Too often we lack such mirrors and such transforming moments. No magic wand taps our life to make us into what we dream. Like Rumpelstiltskin, the artist most frequently has to name himself.

“I am an artist”- a filmmaker, a composer, a painter, a sculptor, an actor, or something {a convivial woman}- something the outer world has yet to acknowledge.”
(more…)

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My Shedventure to the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende

I was graciously asked to be a guest writer by Bindu Wiles for The Shed Project, an 8-week adventure in letting go that she launched in early September. The project is about coming together as an online community, to support each other in letting go of excess baggage, of whatever is weighing you down. It could be your need to let go of material goods, negative thought patterns, a job, a lifestyle, etc. It’s still going on, so if you haven’t joined in, learn more here.

So, here’s my story about a time when I let go of all that was comfortable, of a life I was no longer happy living, and the details of the results yielded from taking a risk and following my heart’s desire…

Every act of creation starts with a feeling.

(more…)

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Mantra: What’s Your Thought Form?

I have this humongous Synonym Finder that I’ve had since my sophomore year in High School and keep handy, because looking up words and all the many different ways to say things fascinates me. The next best thing to that is Google, Wikipedia and Merriam-Webster online. I also love the book Sin and Syntax, and perusing books by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. (Feel free to share you favorite resources in a comment!).

So, I found myself hanging out on my bed with my friends, Synonym Finder, Laptop and my All Things Convivial notebook and I started thinking about the word Mantra. The following post evolved because of that thought…

MANTRA: is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of “creating transformation”; a translation of the human will or desire; an expression of “Being”; “Thought forms.”

Here are my thoughts in word, sound and symbol form (as well as a brief history behind how they came about for me):

Word: Convivial

The year is 2001 and ‘m watching Barbara Walters interview the cast of the movie, Ocean’s Eleven. Leading lady, Julia Roberts is surrounded by Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Don Cheadle. Along these lines, Barbara asks her, “So how was your experience making the movie with all these great guys?” Julia purses her lips as we all know her to do and says, “Convivial.” Like a gust of wind to the depths of my soul, I was overtaken by the sound of this word. Never forgot it. As you can tell.

Mantra: Know Your Power. Live Your Life.

Sitting in my kitchen with my dear friend, Nina thinking of a tag line for my soon-to-be site, Convivial Society. What do I want to say? What is my message? Those were the questions to kick off our brainstorming session. Nina wrote while I threw out words and phrases, scratching this and that off the list…then…it hit me…and she smiled and wrote it down. That was it. No doubt about it.

Symbol:

While working to create the logo for this site, I provided these details to the designer for logo creation:

Need a logo designed for woman’s website that will focus on empowering and connecting women in age group 20-40’s who want to learn from and share their experience with like-minded women who are ambitious, original, caring, energetic, positive, fun-loving, and seeking the guidance,resources and relationships to live a convivial life.

(Wanted designer to get a feel for me, since I am my target market, so I said the following…)

Intuitive, insightful, thoughtful, lover of the written word, creative, writer, diligent, vigilant, persevering spirit, embrace strength, humility and vulnerability ; love the words equanimity, rhapsody, sexuality, harmony, bossy…and lovely.

…

Convivial times, indeed.

When you imagine your thoughts in “form”. What do they look like? Sound like? Feel like?

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