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Lori Bruton

Author | Writer | Lifestyle Blogger |Speaker

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Hi, I'm Lori.
Author, Speaker, Coach, Ghostwriter

Look No Further. You Found It!

May 15, 2022 by Lori Leave a Comment

Look No Further

It’s May 15th as I write this message. That date represents my Grandpa’s birthday when he was here on earth. Fond memories bring a smile to my face of when I spent time with him on his farm. I got a giggle watching all the pigs snort, wiggle, and root around trying to find something in the ground.

Pig rooting in the ground

Those seemed like simpler times to me since I was a young girl and carefree. I had fun swinging on the tire hanging from the big oak tree. I could just be me, free-spirited and carefree.

Why am I telling you this? Sometimes as adults we complicate things and get overwhelmed. Doubt and fear creep in through our thoughts and other people’s opinions. Can I get a witness?

Don’t let doubt dominate your thoughts or beliefs. You can do more than you think you can. You do have the skills. You can acquire new skills. You will serve with excellence and accomplish more than you can imagine.

Okay, so does anyone else still question their destiny? I even joined a group called, “Your Dream to Destiny.” It’s about how to step into the dreams that God has put in your heart and activate your calling. It’s a great group of people and good content. That was one step I took.

What are you searching for?

Why did I keep searching for my destiny? What is my purpose? Have you ever asked yourself those questions? It may cause stress and discouragement if the answer is unknown to you. You may want to give up hope… but don’t.

 

 

Personally, self-sabotage was one obstacle that kept rearing its ugly head. Comparison and comments caused me to question myself. Some people said I took too long to do certain things. However, the end result that I produce is excellent. I refuse to put out half-baked work or half-baked cookies. Don’t rush the cook. Everyone has their own pace. That’s got to be worth something to somebody, right?

Instead of believing that I was slow, maybe it was that their instructions weren’t clear, or their budget wasn’t enough to pay for the value I provide. No more undercutting myself, even though people in other countries can do many projects quicker and cheaper. Yes, that has its place at times.

I know there are people who do want what I have to offer and the value I bring. Too many want the blue light Kmart special. Is Kmart still in business? Anyway, those people aren’t your people.

Once I got clarity, (I’ve got an essential oil for that, by the way. LOL) then I saw a new perspective. The right people at the right time will come. Divine appointments and divine assignments meant for you and me will happen.

Look no further. It’s been right in front of you but you couldn’t see it yet.

Back to the destiny question. A book in my collection was highlighted to me; a specific chapter called, “Writing is My Destiny.”

That was the answer and confirmation. I have authored three books so far as well as articles and content creation and repurposing. In the book, Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul, a quote in that chapter said, “Deep in your coded instructions, your Creator has placed a very special job that only you can do. You are patented and copyrighted in Heaven.”

Can I get an Amen? The author of that chapter quoted her writing teacher, Bud Gardner, “When you speak, your words echo only across the room or down the hall. But when you write, your words echo down the ages.”

Those words spoke to me and inspired me to write this blog. Hi, I am Lori Bruton, Writer (and more). I am thankful for that gift and passion. I hope this message has inspired and encouraged you.

No matter what your bank account says or what people say, let God highlight and confirm the desires of your heart. If you’re not already there, step into your destiny because it will change and save many lives. Your destiny will create a legacy.

I’ll close with this question. If you need help with your business, what would you need help with? Let’s talk. Message me. If I’m not the one, maybe I can connect you with the assistance you need.

What do you need help with?

Here’s what I know. We were created to create and impact lives.

In Gratitude,

Lori Bruton
Author, Writer, VA

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: article, assignment, author, bestvalue, blog, books, business, clarity, confusion, content, contentcreation, copywriter, delegate, desires, destiny, doubt, dreams, faith, fear, help, hope, message, overwhelmed, program, project, purpose, quotes, repurposecontent, search, skilledva, VA, virtual assistant

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo: Serve this Guacamole Dip

April 19, 2022 by Lori Leave a Comment

 

May is right around the corner. Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is a great time to celebrate. Sharing this recipe will get you off to a tasty start.

Here is a fresh way to mix up some guacamole:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 avocados
  • 2 drops Citrus Fresh vitality
  • 1 drop Lime vitality
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
  • 1–2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Remove the pit from the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl, mashing roughly with a fork.
  • Add all other ingredients and stir until mixed.
  • Garnish with cilantro.
  • Enjoy with tortilla chips or with your favorite Mexican-inspired dishes!

You can enjoy this recipe anytime. Since May is coming up as I write this, I was inspired to share this with you.

On this Lifestyle Blog you will find many morsels from food, health and wellness, travel, inspiration, motivation, and stories you will enjoy that educate and entertain.

Let’s have some fun. Feel free to browse other items here.

Stay tuned for more Lori’s Stories, especially Lori’s Stories By the Water, which is my favorite place to be.

Let me know how you like this guac recipe and how you celebrated even if it was dancing by yourself at home. Crank up the tunes and have a dippity do dah day. Olé!

Lori

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: author, avocado, blog, brandpartner, celebrate, chips, cincodemayo, classes, copywriter, dance, eat, educator, entertainment, essentialoils, faith, food, fun, guacamole, health, hope, inspiration, lifestyle, lifestyleblog, lorisstories, lorisstoriesbythewater, love, may, mexican, motivation, music, recipe, spanish, thelorifactor, travel, travelwriter, VA, virtualassistant, wellness, youngliving

Travel, Explore, Discover

February 1, 2022 by Lori Leave a Comment

Travel, Explore, Discover

You are not limited by your environment or circumstances.

As I write this it is a new month in a new year, February 1st in fact.

Are you satisfied with where you are? Not only your physical location but where you are in all aspects of your life.

It’s winter where I currently live. The temperatures have been bitter cold with piles of snow. Some people may enjoy that. I’m not one of them.

I treasure the trips I have taken thus far. Some of my favorites were Monterey Bay in California, Savannah, Georgia, and Tybee Island with the lighthouse and a dolphin excursion on a tropical island. I plan to take many more. In the meantime, here are some adventures to enjoy.

When it’s time to escape, make it an adventure.

How can you travel, explore, and discover? It can happen by going on trips and vacations or even experiencing the wonder in your own living room.

Travel is gearing up again after the world has been on lockdown. Let’s talk about how you can create an atmosphere of exploration, discovery, and relaxation in your own home if you prefer.

Stimulate your senses to set the mood. Pick your preferred essential oil recipe to put in your diffuser. (Note:  Only use Young Living essential oils for best results.) Here are some ideas.

Essential Oil Diffuser Recipes

Look at this lantern diffuser. It has a candle-flicker setting. By the way, that is a good way to keep the air clean and fresh and free of toxins. Many candles are toxic. A diffuser with pure oils is a great option.

Now if you have a honey, it’s a good time to cuddle. If not, get cozy and enjoy your own company.

Maybe you have little ones. Grab a children’s book like this one.

Take yourself on an adventure. Watch a movie or dive into a good book. Discover a new experience page by page.

Enjoy the journey as you read.

Here is a book that will transform you.

https://thelorifactor.com

The Lori Factor: Live the Life You Were Born to Live

 

 

What do you like to do for fun? You may have guessed that writing is one of my fun things, especially travel writing and freelance writing. Add reading, travel, essential oils, and dark chocolate and that recipe is the perfect one for me.

Take time for yourself. Have fun.

When huge tasks are overwhelming, feel free to reach out. I offer virtual help. I specialize in writing and repurposing content as well as creating social media posts and more.

 

 

Anything to do with Wellness, Abundance, Adventure, and Living the Life You Were Born to Live contact me.

Big things are about to be released in your life. Don’t miss out. Your best days are ahead no matter what your life looks like right now.

Let’s explore and discover together and travel down new roads of awe and wonder.

Lori Bruton
Author, Speaker, Writer VA

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: abundance, author, blog, books, chocolate, content, copywriter, create, delegate, diffuser, discover, dolphins, dream, essentialoils, explore, freelancewriter, hope, life, lifestyle, lorisstories, lorisstoriesbythewater, montereybay, purpose, read, recipes, repurpose, savannah, speaker, thelorifactor, transform, transformation, travel, travelwriter, VA, virtualassistant, write, youngliving

Can I Bring Anything?

November 9, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

Can I Bring Anything?

 

Do you ever have holiday or social gatherings where each person or family is assigned to bring something? How does that work out?

One advantage is that the work is shared among everyone. Each person makes a contribution, which is helpful. Therefore, the work and expense doesn’t fall just on the host.

[Keep reading to discover 5 juicy solutions.]

What can be some downfalls?  The people who are chronically late offer to bring the appetizers. That is not helpful, because the meal is ready by the time they get there. No appetizers were served since you were waiting for them to arrive ahead of time so that everyone could enjoy hor d’oeuvres and mingle before the meal.

I had a family member who offered to bring appetizers and was always late. The lesson I learned was tell her no thank you and that she didn’t need to bring anything. That was the solution to politely decline her offer to bring a dish. I could have assigned her dessert, but I enjoy making the desserts.

When my mom served a meal, it was always on time. She didn’t penalize the ones who got there on time instead of rewarding those who were late. She wasn’t going let her hard work result in a ruined and cold meal by waiting for the latecomers. She was a wise woman.

Respect the host and be a good host.

What standards are you setting personally and professionally? Let’s say you are holding a webinar. What are your expectations? Once you have invited people and promoted your webinar, you expect people to show up on time, right? The attendees are investing their time and also expect you to show up on time as well. Yes, sometimes there are technical issues, but that aside, everyone needs to show up on time, especially the host.

Start. No matter who is on or not on the webinar, start on time. Those who are already there deserve to have their time honored. Anyone who jumps on late can tune in from wherever you are in your presentation. Maybe they can catch the replay for the part they missed. There are legitimate reasons why people could not jump in on time. That’s not the point. The point is that they will join when they can. It’s their responsibility to catch up. It’s our responsibility to start our webinars on time. It’s frustrating for those who are already there when you say, “We will wait a few more minutes for more people to join us.” Tick, tick, tick. Just start and honor your word.

Replays. Not everyone can tune in live. Thankfully, many people record and offer the replay. Different schedules and time zones make it challenging for everyone to tune in live every time. Important note:  When you promise a replay, be sure to deliver it. Keep your promises no matter how you think the quality turned out, people need that content.

What can you bring to your present and potential clients? Value.

I mentioned in my previous blog about your plate being too full. When you are juggling everything in your life, some of those plates will fall and break. That can result in breakdowns. Breakdown in communication, breakdown in completing and keeping up with all you have taken on, which may lead to personal breakdown and burnout. You don’t want to end up there.

Here are 5 recommendations:

  1. Value yourself and value your clients. Don’t let your overbooked schedule affect your clients. Look at what to keep doing and what is too much. That’s when you need to get help, have a backup, or remove some things to lighten your load.
  2. Be prepared. Are you taking time to be prepared for your meetings and webinars? We often forget to factor that in. We rush around and start a meeting without reviewing and preparing first. Our clients and prospects can tell.
  3. How can you be better prepared? If you are on Zoom, make sure your lighting and surroundings are good. Make sure all your equipment is plugged in and charged. Have water near you to drink as needed. Have all your notes and slides on hand and ready to share. Read through, review, and practice first so that it is fresh at your fingertips and fresh on your mind. Don’t try to run around and do errands or fit in something at the last minute that will cause you to be late to your own meeting. Make sure you take a bathroom break ahead of your meeting start time. Allow for connection time. Be in the Zoom Room a few minutes early, especially if you have it set up where you need to let people in the room.
  4. Hire a Holiday Helper. There are virtual assistants who can help you on a short-term basis, especially during the holiday season. That solution can turn into long-term assistance if you discover you need the continued help, which frees you up. Think about what tasks you can outsource. For example, maybe you need social media graphics and posts created or blogs and articles written. Do you need videos or audios repurposed? Do you need thank you notes written and sent out? Those suggestions should whet your appetite. Message me if you need a holiday helper as I provide VA services and know others who do as well.
  5. Hire a Holiday Shopper. Some things are nonnegotiable in your business and must be done by you. That may not leave you time to do personal things. For example, you want to give special gifts to your staff and colleagues, but you don’t have time or know what to get. Keep in mind that is a service I offer, contact me if you want to know more.

Now that we have reviewed the menu, what would you like to bring to the table? Remember you can assign some dishes to others. If you rather cook it all up yourself, I hope these tips were helpful.

Wishing you the Best and much Success,

Lori

Author, Copywriter, VA

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: appetizer, appointments, article, assignments, assistance, blog, business, clients, colleagues, content, contentcreation, copywriter, delegate, deliver, dessert, dishtopass, entrepreneur, expectations, gifts, help, holidaygatherings, holidayhelp, holidayideas, holidayshopper, ideas, investment, menu, offers, pie, prepare, promise, promotion, recommendations, recording, replay, repurpose, schedule, shoppingservices, socialmedia, solutions, standards, table, time, tips, VA, value, VAservices, virtualassistant, webinar, work

Writer VA Ready to Serve

September 28, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

Hi, I am Lori, Author, Speaker, Copywriter, and founder of The LORI Factor. I help people who feel stuck, hopeless, and unsure of their purpose get unstuck and transform and discover the life they were born to live so that they come alive in a new way and are excited to wake up every day with a deeper love and passion.

Who are you looking for? Is it me? I am a WRITER. In fact, I am a WRITER VA. VA stands for Virtual Assistant. I write content including blogs, articles, and social media. Key points from a blog can be turned into social media graphics for posting. A service I offer is repurposing audios and videos by transcribing them and creating new content, such as workbooks, eBooks, blogs, and more.

If you want value and expertise, let’s talk. However, if you are looking for an entry level VA and you require tests, proof, and hoops to jump through, I am not the one. You are reading the proof right here, right now. Business owners willing to invest in quality are welcome. If that’s you, I would be happy to serve you.

A huge project that I poured my heart and soul into is launching between November and December of this year 2021. It’s my second book, The LORI Factor:  Live the Life You were Born to Live.

My messages and stories have and will impact many lives. A couple hashtags I like to use are #lorisstories and #lorisstoriesbythewater. By the water is my happy place, which reminds me of my favorite kind of writing, Travel Writing. I am published in magazines, which you can check out on my portfolio page.

Words, written and spoken, are my passion. That is why I came out of my shell and became a speaker. Mentored by the Legendary Les Brown in the Power Voice program, Les also helped me develop The LORI Factor. I am thankful that Les wrote the Foreword for my book. Anyone looking for a speaker, feel free to contact me and check out my speaker page. It’s time for my voice to be heard and add value to many audiences.

Editors and Business Owners looking for a copywriter, feel free to reach out to me. I continue to hone my skills and have taken many courses from AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute). I have written for other authors, speakers, and coaches.

Now you know what I offer and if anything fits your needs, connect with me. Here is to your success. Have a fabulous day!

Lori Bruton

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: AWAI, blog, blogger, book, businessowner, coaches, content, content creation, contentwriting, copywriter, ebook, editor, entrepreneur, help, hire, invest, lesbrown, lorisstories, love, mentor, passion, published, repurpose, speaker, story, stroies, thelorifactor, transformation, VA, value, virtual assistant, voice, water, words, write

Lori’s Story of a Snail

September 21, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

Hey Snail, what’s your story?

What made you show up at my house?

Do you have a message for me?

 

What can I tell from your attractive spiral shell?

Could it be that I am going in circles?

Am I going too slowly?

 

A snail’s pace is often an accusation of laziness.

But, what if, it’s a sign to slow down and rest?

You are a gentle creature who comes in peace.

 

Wherever you go, you are at home.

How do I know? Because you carry your home with you.

You make your own trail and travel at your own pace.

 

You bring a message of patience and I’m right on time.

No need to get caught up in the ways of harried humans.

I’ll take a clue from you and will not participate in the pressure.

 

What else may I glean from your visit? Ah, it’s time to pivot.

Look at potential dangers and what’s not working.

With a shell of safety and protection, explore a new direction.

 

You appeared to me so that I could see your mobility.

I stopped to observe and consider other possibilities.

I ask myself what are my undiscovered talents and abilities?

 

Speed is not the key to success.

Your colorful, spiral shell reminds me to cherish each season.

Life is fragile. I am here for a reason.

 

Thank you, Snail, for crossing my path when I have much to handle.

You showed me your mobile home, and how to survive alone.

There is a time to be still and a time to move, help me find my groove.

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: ability, author, awareness, blog, copywriter, decisions, direction, discouraged, help, home, hope, hopeless, inspiration, journey, lessons, life, lifestyle, lorisstories, lorisstoriesbythewater, message, motivation, move, nature, notice, overwhelm, pace, path, patience, peace, pivot, possibilities, pressure, protection, rest, season, shell, sign, snail, speaker, speed, story, survive, talent, time, travel, travel blogger, travel writer, visit, visitor, write

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Hi, I'm Lori!

I'm a copywriter, blog writer, and ghostwriter, with a focus in the inspirational and travel niches. Need custom copy that motivates? Learn more about what I do!

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