Life Goes On

So silent now, yet life goes on
Somehow in the busyness of existence
I failed to notice that you were no longer completely engaged
In the conversation


Funny thing is that when we said 'goodbye'
It felt right, finally
Your absence is not a hole
It is what it is: an absence in body, but not in soul

I am secure in the knowledge that our paths will cross again
Our lives have been connected for far too many years
For a final fade into the sunset

I know you are out there and
You know where to find me
At this point doesn't everyone....



Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC

C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC

Presents on July 10th, 2009:

Social Media & More:  Going Beyond 101 for Business

This seminar is for anyone who has heard the buzz about social media tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and wants to go BEYOND a general understanding. It will cover intermediate
information focusing on profile set up, platform use and key business
applications for several social media platforms. The seminar will
include interactive break-out discussion sessions and a segment on Branding & Profile Content Creation.

 Attendees will learn:

• Importance of Developing a Brand Strategy
• Importance of Key Word SEO in Profile Content Creation
• Profile set ups for:
• Twitter
• LinkedIn Company Pages
• Google Profiles
• How to develop Your Tribe (Friends, Followers & Fans) for your Business
• Social Media Tools Time Management Strategies
• Overview of Facebook Pages for Business

BONUS!!!

Remain after the seminar for a Networking lunch with other
seminar participants and members of the Cincinnati Small Business Help Group
and enjoy great food while listening to a brief talk & discussion
on SEO tactics for small business by Adz Zoo. Networking lunch will
immediately follow seminar and run from 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. $5
donation accepted for lunch. When registering for this seminar, please
indicate whether you are staying for the bonus session to assist with
lunch counts.

 

    Friday, July 10th, 2009
    Seminar:  9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
    Bonus:  Optional Networking Luncheon w/ SEO speaker:  11:15 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
    Benchmark Financial Services
    8423 Beechmont Avenue, Cincinnati, Oh  45255

    Seminar Cost:  $49.95
    Bonus Networking Session/Speaker:  $5 donation for lunch
    Call Benchmark Financial Services at 513-474-4555 to Register & Pre-pay
    Spaces are limited

  

Michelle Beckham-Corbin, Owner of C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC, has over 20 years experience in the Corporate, Non-profit and Small Business arenas.  Michelle is a former Sales & Marketing Manager for Procter & Gamble and holds an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.  She is an active member of the New Media Cincinnati and Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast networking groups.  Her extensive knowledge of social media tools and energetic personality will keep you riveted in your seats as she shares how social media can be an effective marketing tool to build your business.

Questions:  Contact Michelle:  mbeckhamcorbin@gmail.com or http://twitter.com/C3CreateConnect


http://www.google.com/profiles/michellebeckhamcorbin#about

YOU + ME = COMMUNITY (FOREVER)

"Want you to know that I will forever feel this way. I believe in you." - lyrics from Drew LaPlante.





Wow, Drew's music always speaks to my heart. Drew is a true poet and his lyrics are evidence of his incredible talent. I love the haunting sound of his voice on this track, guided solely by his guitar. Listening to this song took me to a completely different blog post session from what I had originally planned. I am literally feeling myself drift into an altered state of consciousness in which memories are taking me back further and further from this actual moment in time. Love the way music can bring you back to another place.

The statements that "I will forever feel this way" and "I believe in you" are two that I have spoken several times in my life. As mentioned in a previous blog post, when I connect with people, I do it with my entire being, giving my full attention, in fact giving everything I have to give. The relationship that occurs lasts a life-time because we have made an impact on each others' lives. I am blessed to have so many incredible people populating my life and I'm incredibly blessed with the intuitive nature and caring spirit that guides those initial connections. I believe in the power of love and friendship and the growth that comes from people coming together in community.

I believe in you............



Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

SOLITUDE AND DREAMING

Lying in a khaki colored canvass hammock with
Green mildewed stains from many outdoor seasons
The natural beauty of the surrounding yard both
Hiding me and holding me enthralled in its captivating beauty

I stare up at the criss-cross pattern of tree branches,
Green leaves unfurled against the white hot sun
Tiny green cherry balls hanging like natural ornamentation
Just waiting to be picked

I see wisps of clouds and blue sky above me
I feel wrapped in the cocoon of privacy in my
Own secret hiding place on the ground
My heart beats in time to the crickets below

For these few minutes, time stands still
There are no wants, no needs
Only the desire to stay locked in this feeling of contentment
For as long as I dare

The wind blows a small breeze
Kissing the moisture that humidity has cast upon my brow
I feel no chill, only the excitement that I am here alone
Oh, the endless possibilities to conjure up as I lay here and dream....



Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

Timothy: An Introspective

Continuing on in the theme of destiny and people who make a difference in our lives.... I have to say that I have truly met the most interesting people during the course of my life. I always go further, dig deeper, ask the probing question beyond, "Hi, how are you. Let's do lunch some time..." I ALWAYS want to know more about YOU. If we truly connect, then you will find that I focus completely on what you have to say, taking it all in like the smoothest of brandies, inserting the occasional question that takes you deeper than you have ever gone outside of your own consciousness.


I wrote the piece below about my friend Timothy who resides in the UK. It deals with internal demons and ... well you will figure it out for yourselves. Tim has an amazing life story, one that deals with survival of the toughest of circumstances and triumph over adversity. A book about his life would surely make the best-seller's list. I feel privileged that he has openly shared so much of his life with me. Following my piece is Tim's own writing about himself.



Timothy


A great heart in a large body
So focused on the genteel life
Chocolate trifle and fois gras with some Italian Cava
Poured liberally
Movies from the ‘40s and your Bogie-esqe hat
All that’s missing is that Cuban stogie
You so quickly had your eye upon


In your free time you pen lyrics full of schisms of all sorts
Your dream is to be recorded and your music fill the charts
You live the life of a haberdasher, yet socialism fills your veins
A quite abrupt dichotomy that’s lodged within your brain


Somehow you have become fixated upon my American life
You know my full story: mother, writer, dreamer, wife
Yet you see some spark within me that you need to ignite your days
Perhaps you want me to be your muse, in my rose-colored ways


Your life story would read like a best-selling novel
Almost too unbelievable to believe
Poverty, abandonment, self-educated genious,
Hippy mother, S&M, sex, drugs and rock & roll


Yet despite, the most bizarre of upbringings
You rose above it all
Became successful and a gentleman
You heard the call
To be all that was in your nature
To use your brilliance for the good
But beware the devil’s advocate
That seeks to pull you towards Absolut


The liquor calls your name
Like a honey-tongued young thing
Shushing and seducing you
She wants that special ring- the one that will tie you to her forever
Then she will call the shots
As you spiral down within yourself
Your memory totally lost


Don’t give in to her- please save yourself now
“Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace…”

Serenity is the answer
Don’t place your hope in me


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009


****************************************


Absolut-ly Necessary


"In a black and white photo nostalgically nasty I was celebrating sealing the deal
Feeling like a million dollars with inflation isn't that much to feel
Streamlining thoughts in Darwinian doubles 'til I couldn't think of anything else
Making a memory out of pieces of pictures, dreading what I did to myself
I'll be so happy when I show you I can stop
I'm an escapist, I'm makeshift, I've made this mess
But I can break it, I'll make myself convalesce
You see I'm not so empty
I'd say the glass is full
You are what I want to tempt me
And I don't want my senses dull"




by T.H. 12/08

I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME

Blistering heat beating down on me
making me feel
not sadness, nor relief
but resignation to the fact that
some things run their course
some things are meant to end

but oh what a journey
one of discovery and fascination
of learning about life through different eyes
and totally different vantage points

We become who we are today
because someone has walked the path with us
has called us by name
has chosen us to be 'friend'

Leaving their mark on our spirit

Our lives will never be the same
For that I am grateful.

I will never ever forget your name.....

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

ALMOST HEAVEN

For the first time ever, I am experiencing a slight version of writer's block. I'm thinking that this is because I only have 30 minutes of available time, and given that sort of pressure I am freezing in my attempts to write something profound. I wasted the first 5 minutes or so trying to determine if I wanted to capture something of a creative nature based on what I personally am feeling or perhaps to go off on my very favorite routine of channeling the feelings and emotions of someone else. The subject can be someone in the news that I don't personally have a relationship with or someone that is close to me. I think perhaps the best way around this block is to list some potential topics or people that I would like to examine in an up close and personal way, so here goes:

Neda, the young woman from Iran who was shot on the street during the protest- I saw the video several times and despite the warning, I was not shocked. Unfortunately, in recent years, I have seen too much of the same thing and have become desensitized when viewing. It is later, after I have absorbed the images, that I begin to feel the raw visceral reactions and BOOM! it hits me like a mortar round.

Secrets: what happens when you discover that you are not who you thought you were, or perhaps discover some secret that has been locked away in an ancestral closet for many generations. How does this change your reality?


Highly intuitive people- how their gifts give them the edge with people skills and in life. Is this something that is passed down through generations?

Social Media and the age divide- what kinds of people are embracing social media in their personal lives- is it age-related or is there something deeper, perhaps in terms of a connectedness factor?


Legacy- what is my legacy to my children and to the world. What lasting piece of me do I want to create before I leave the earth for good?


Heaven- want to explore in a fictional manner what it will mean for people to meet up with others from their lives in heaven. Will my neighbor truly know what I thought of him for all those years? Will my first boyfriend realize that I was in infatuation for someone else at the same time? Will all secrets be revealed? Will it even matter? More importantly is there a Heaven?



Hmmn, looks like a pretty nice start to some writing prompts. Too bad these books aren't already written, because they sound like a fascinating read! Guess I have some work to do, hopefully you will meet me on the other side (and no I'm not referring to heaven!).

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

GOING MOBILE @PANERA

Fired up the mobile office today, destination: Panera, somewhere on the West Side of Cincinnati. No, I'm not trying to be elusive about my whereabouts, I'm really not sure what this part of town is called. It's about a 40 minute trek from my office and as far as Paneras go, is only moderately busy with the type of customers this establishment prefers. Customers who come in, purchase their items and LEAVE, not the squatter type who enter with laptops and stacks of books/papers in hand and buy the ENDLESS cup of coffee, just camping out. I am NOT that squatter, I actually had a great breakfast and now am making my coffee last while I kill, (I mean spend) another hour here.

I had every intention of accomplishing a few of my Need-to-Do items this morning, just to keep in sync with my Type A, over-achiever, one-touch, cross it off the list and it's done personality. But the overheard conversations mixed with the relaxing classical music and the pull of my Twitterverse from Tweetdeck are keeping me off that chosen path. I am a lover of human behaviour, which is why I have a degree in Psychology, so I am continually fascinated by how people interact with each other.

This morning, I set myself up at a table that happened to be near two elderly men who were engrossed in a riveting discourse on faith and the Holy Spirit. One spoke with such a depth of knowledge, that I took another glance to see if he was a Catholic priest. He was dressed in secular clothes, but I did hear him mention being in the seminary later in their conversation. As additional patrons entered Panera, it was clear that many people knew these men and that this was a morning ritual for them.

Last week, my mobile office was parked in the Wyoming branch of the Cincinnati Public Library. There, I saw a veteran of WWII approach a young man of about college age with the New York Times in his hands. "Excuse me son," he said. "I want you to know that the New York Times has free obitiuaries and I am older than everyone listed here. Still alive and kicking! The secret to a good life is having a good wife." He pointed to his smiling wife and then launched into stories of his time in the great war and the injuries he had sustained. I am not a fan of history, in fact I hated the subject in high school and took elective classes like anthropology and psychology instead, but found this live re-stating of history absolutely fascinating.

I'm thinking about declaring Fridays #MobileFriday and tweeting my experiences live as I blog about the people I encounter across the City of Cincinnati. This will surely feed my writing soul as well as my need to connect deeply with others.

Who knows, perhaps this will turn into a book and be published long before Gabrielle and John unite in RL after a year of a virtual gaming relationship. Confused?? It's my novel that has been sitting on ice for 2 yrs now......

So follow me on Twitter and see what happens.


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

Wisdom Involves Giving Back

There is something to be said about experience; about having gone around the block a couple of times. I think I have hit that age where wisdom and youth have merged and I am staring at the other side of the mentor-mentee divide. It's time to reach out, pull up and give back. I have spent so many years learning from those wonderful women who walked before me and I now see that the shadow is behind me because I'm casting the image that touches those around me.

As I mentioned to new girlfriend Erin Schreyer today, I am in a truly blessed place. A place where I can call the shots and excel at being ME using the strengths and talents I have been given to make a difference in the life of a company, a business owner, a person in transition. People I meet say that I radiate energy and passion; they feel electrified in my company. I just believe in my mission and am truly excited about the work that I do and the relationships that I foster and I think this powerful energy shines through my pores!

Really, really psyched about an opportunity to bring both of the above points together: passion for giving back to other women while leveraging my strengths and unique value proposition. I have an awesome life and wouldn't change a single thing about the path that I have traveled. It's all part of the big picture called DESTINY......


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

WHAT I WANT.....

Time for some stream of consciousness writing.......Finally getting to a place where I can breathe- summer has that way of relaxing you mentally. Life has been crazy busy in the best of all possible ways so I welcome the whispers of summer calling me to slow down and take stock.

Our time to walk this earth is fleeting and summer reminds us that we need to appreciate each day and make the most of the connections that find us on our individual paths.

So in deference to heeding the call. Here is my list of non-work things I want to do this summer:

• Bake my first apple pie ever (or at least find a damn good replica at a local bakery)
• See one (1) Cincinnati Reds game (gasp... I hate baseball, so 1 is really all I can handle)
• Read the stacks of magazines purchased last year to assist a local school's magazine drive (they run the gamut from Mother Jones to Time to Redbook to Rolling Stone with a bunch of People thrown in for good celebrity measure)
• Read a book that has NOTHING to do with SOCIAL MEDIA
• Finish writing my own NOVEL which is where my relationship with social media began in 2004
• Ride my bike all the way to our local library
• Take a canoe trip on the Little Miami and fall in for the hell of it
• Grab a jelly jar and catch lightning bugs while Ryan Adams plays on my iTouch
• Campout in the backyard (until the neighbors go to bed, then sneak into my own)
• Make homemade icecream and invite friends over to party
• Stop working....(well, hmmmn, going on strike would not be such a hot idea in a universe where the county unemployment rate is 11%)

That's it for now. Glad I came up with some things. I was recently asked what I wanted for my birthday, which is fast-approaching and I still haven't come up with anything. Maybe a world where everyone is gainfully employed and all people have access to affordable health care.....


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

Starlight.....

When is goodbye never the end?


Our lives entwined like the strands of a macrame rope
We weave in and out of each other's history
You move on, discovering a new path to your life's journey
I rejoice in your choice and make plans of my own, yet
Footsteps appear once again in the shadows before my door
because you just can't let me go

This is a pattern that has rewoven itself many times
Is it a mental game that we play or
truly a dance of two souls
that just can't seem to fully separate?

The words and the whispers will always remain
as a template for the ultimate novel but
Bolano has been packed away and Ryan Adams barely touched
Seems pointless now, since busy lives are leading us elsewhere
yet.....back to the beginning we seem to traverse
well, really a much better version of the middle

Will there ever truly be an end.....................

Meanwhile Drew LaPlante's haunting melody plays on
as the wind whispers through the sheer curtains of today

"I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight....."



Image credit: www.browniescraps.com/shop/images/LLD_starlig..
Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

One Voice Shatters Structured Reality

You know, sometimes it takes one voice to put the world into perspective. One voice to reach into the clutter of our busy lives and to give us a mental wake-up call that there is more to life than the hustle and bustle of routine and work and schedules and ferrying kids to extra-curricular STUFF.

I co-facilitated a Non-profit program this morning for parents undergoing divorce with the objective of helping them to help their kids get through the challenges of family change. Tough to do considering that the folks in my class are court-ordered to spend time with me and that time involves a Saturday morning. Saturday, that bastion of escape from the realities of the work week: the stress, the pressure, the BOSS.

So at 9:00 a.m., Brent and I, coffee in hand face a room of not so happy people. The good news is that after spending the morning with us, the majority leave feeling that it was time very well spent. We have had many people tell us that we really caused them to think differently about what their kids were going through and their own role in harmful games that parents can play (make child communicator with ex, make them choose sides, etc.).

Each group that we do is completely different and although the material we present is basically the same, we tend to flex to the specific needs of the folks assembled before us. I really enjoy presenting these classes and making a difference in others' lives. Sometimes the stories that are shared are heart-rending. Today was one of those days. Two incredibly sad stories that deal with loss. I won't go into details, other than to say that one participant has had so many catastrophic things happen to them in the past 4 months, that it is amazing that they are able to function. This person has lost everything- literally EVERYTHING- home, possessions (due to fire), job, death of mother, and a tough health diagnosis for their child in addition to divorce.

Despite all of this, this individual gave advice and consolation to the other group members and wore a continuous smile, letting us know that they would make it through the tough times. The individual talked about how having a support group of friends was key to surviving in these incredible circumstances.

I was leading a discussion on Losses incurred during the divorce process for both adults and children. Listening to the personal story in our small group, really made all of the other participants realize that some of the losses they had experienced paled in relation to the ultimate loss of EVERYTHING. Made me realize that even though I love what I do: Marketing and Social Media Strategy work, I need to make sure that I maintain balance in my life and continue to appreciate every God-given minute I have on this earth. Because the reality is, that you can lose it all in the flash of a second. Take some time to enjoy where you are planted; to give nourishment to the special people in your life and to live joyfully, keeping your inner pitcher filled to the brim with things that keep you refreshed and energized.

Image credit: http://lawrenceyong.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/image-header.jpg


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009

New Media Cincinnati Gets the Word Out!

Ranting in the Rain storm.......

I'm lagging on the posting again, so you know what that means.....Recycling some of my creative writing. I am dying to get back to my novel, so I think I will post part of it here to act as inspiration for me to dust off the outline and jump back into where I left off. Life truly is a path, actually in my case, a highway. So many things along the way have been interconnecting and creating this unseen web that has led me to where I am. It's all back to the destiny theme that keeps resurfacing, but I digress. If I continue this rant, it will morph into a blog post, so without further ado, here is an excerpt from my novel:



Justin reached for another Miller, crumpling the empty aluminum can of the finished beer in his fist and lobbing it against the wall. Another night spent lying on the couch; laptop by his side. Another night of fighting back the physical pain of his injuries with meds and the emotional pain of the break up of his marriage with alcohol. He has already spent eight weeks recuperating from the accident: the event that changed his life.


He had always loved bikes; loved their sleek metallic coolness; the roar of the engine as they revved up and the sultry smell of the exhaust pluming into a cool September day. He began racing back when he was nine years old by challenging neighbor boys to beat his times around the dirt moguls of East Texas. This love carried on into his teens and adulthood as he joined the Fox Racing team and won many competitions. Life happened and Justin had to put the dream of motocross super-stardom away in order to support a wife and a family. He would still occasionally enter competitions on the weekends but lived a mostly non-assuming life by day as a mid-level business manager at a wholesale merchandising company.


Justin followed motocross tourneys across the country and thoroughly loved the lifestyle: the competition, the thrill of the crowd chanting his name, the free-flowing alcohol at the all-night parties and the women who hung on his every word. It was such a multi-dimensional high for him especially given that he was such an extreme thrill-seeker. He got off on danger and living on the edge. Unfortunately, these characteristics hastened the demise of his marriage and contributed to the reason that he was here alone now on the couch. He thought back to the event that caused his leg to be shattered and his life splintered.....




Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2009