I returned to my alma mater today. I gave my spouse, CB, a ride to school and chose to hang out near the music building and use the venue to do a little writing. I spend a lot of time in my home office, so sometimes it’s helpful to have a change of scenery.
I graduated from community college in 1985. It was an 11-year process to earn a two-year degree. I’m sure many folks thought I’d never finish. But, if I am anything, I am persistent. Once I moved on to Arizona State University I completed my bachelor’s degree in three years. So in total, it took me 14 years to earn a four-year degree. However, in my defense, I gave birth to both of my daughters, worked part time and still kept up with my responsibilities of being a wife, parent and volunteer.
If I had gone to school full time during that time during my 14-year educational stint perhaps I could have done something more prestigious, like become an orthopedic surgeon. Instead of wielding a scalpel, I have a pen and computer. I do not have a MD after my name, but I am a healer of sorts. That is why I decided to co-write the new, self-help book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. My co-author, Jackie, and I saw people in pain and we decided to do something to help.
It all started when Jackie and I were discussing some of our favorite self-help books and how they had helped us. Then the conversation shifted to people we knew who were in terrible emotional pain and very negative because of it. We wondered, “What would it take to help someone like that?” We brainstormed and decided that there needed to be some sort of primer, or “read this first” book that could help them erase their negativity. Then once they were no longer entrenched in negativity, they could go on and enjoy the optimistic messages in other books. Our thought was that if a person doesn’t erase their negativity first, any optimistic front would just fall apart.
I’ll be honest, sometimes ongoing education is a pain. After my marathon process to earn a Bachelor’s degree, it was years before I wanted to park my butt on one of those uncomfortable little wooden desks and listen to a lecture again. But I did. I also learn in other ways such as webinars, reading, attending lectures etc. Like it or not, we are always learning new things. Sometimes we continue the educational process by replaying old, negative messages about our past. That is about as useful as studying for a urine test. But I digress.
Whether or not you are in a classroom, learning is a life-long process. For instance, Jackie and I chose to focus our energy on the topic of erasing negativity. Why? Because negativity is a killer of happiness, a robber of the spirit and the best friend of despair. No one is born negativity (although I’ve met some crabby babies.) Pessimism is a habit we learned. The good news is we can take steps to learn how to erase it.
That is why I’m reaching out to individuals to offer free, 30-minute phone consultations to the first five individuals who qualify for this offer (yes I make you fill out a form, but it is not a big deal.) Please contact me through my blog, www.erasenegativity.blogspot.com, website, www.erasenegativity.com or email me at MarksPR@cox.net and let me know if you are interested.
Forget about the old cliché about you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. There is no time like the present to begin a new journey toward a happier, magical life. I look forward to hearing from you. Now go home. Class dismissed.
Showing posts with label creating optimism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creating optimism. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Friday, October 1, 2010
Halloween Rerun
It’s nearly Halloween and the stores are filled with ghoulish décor. On a recent outing my little granddaughter, Rosannah, discovered some holiday decorations packed more trick than treat. Rosannah is nearly two years old and quite fearless. She runs through the house with her hands in the air, scales the couch and her high chair with the speed of a mountain goat, and follows the family’s Rottweilers through the doggy door, with no worry of being trampled.
However, my plucky, little granddaughter’s bravery melted like a candy bar when she encountered a cackling witch at the local hardware store. Rosannah buried her head into her mother’s shoulder and whimpered, “no, no.” When she looked up, she saw another display – a werewolf. She smiled at the item and said, “doggy?” Then the eyes of the beast turned red. This elicited another whimpering “no, no” and she buried her dimpled face into her mother’s shoulder once again. Even something as innocuous as a skull on a glass elicits a quick retreat.
I’m not sure why the symbol of a skull is so frightening to Rosannah. It makes me wonder if there could be universal phobias that are buried deep within our collective consciousness. I read somewhere that snakes are feared in many cultures – including those areas that have never seen one of the slithering reptiles.
Other phobias are not so universal. For instance, my friend, Michele, has a 36-year-daughter who is afraid of dryer lint. I reminded her of this quirky habit. I assumed she had outgrown it. Nope. If her husband wanted a divorce he could chase her around the house with the lint, much like how her brother used to do when they were kids. But, like I said, the man wants to remain happily married so he takes care of the lint disposal. My normally logical sister, Diane, gets squeamish touching balls of cotton. I always felt I had a sense of power over her as I would valiantly pull the wad of the white padding from bottles of aspirin. Recently I reminded her of this childhood fear. Well, guess what? She still won’t touch the cotton balls.
The point is, there are many things that strike fear into the hearts of humankind. However, there is one demon that, unlike dryer lint, has caused tremendous harm, but holds free reign in society – negativity.
These pessimistic messages take various forms – news reports, gossip, complaints, lack of gratitude, judgmental thoughts, as well as stinging criticism of ourselves and others. Unfortunately, negativity has become so pervasive that many of us accept it as a normal part of life. This is especially true because we are bombarded with negative news 24/7. The reality is there are many more happy incidents in a day, but no journalist is going to lead the 5 o’clock news with a story of good cheer. As the old adage goes, “if it bleeds, it leads.”
As dismal as this may seem, the good news is we still have a choice on whether or not we are going to allow negativity to stain our lives. There is no law that says we have to watch depressing news. We should not feel compelled to listen to others say disparaging things about others. And we should never repeat gossip…period.
Living a happy life is not that difficult. Even in the most depressing situations there are things to be grateful for. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Every morning I recite several things that I appreciate in my life before I get out of bed. This only takes a few seconds, but it creates an attitude of gratitude that I try to embrace throughout the day.
For those who have a little more trouble adopting a positive attitude, there are little tricks you can perform to shift into an attitude of gratitude. One is to pretend you are happy until the real feeling washing over you. The “fake it until you make it” strategy is more powerful than you think. And what do you have to lose except maybe a rotten attitude?
In the meantime, you can always adopt an adult version of Rosannah’s technique when confronted with negative messages. It’s the same thing we teach children who are tempted to take drugs. Turn away and just say no.
However, my plucky, little granddaughter’s bravery melted like a candy bar when she encountered a cackling witch at the local hardware store. Rosannah buried her head into her mother’s shoulder and whimpered, “no, no.” When she looked up, she saw another display – a werewolf. She smiled at the item and said, “doggy?” Then the eyes of the beast turned red. This elicited another whimpering “no, no” and she buried her dimpled face into her mother’s shoulder once again. Even something as innocuous as a skull on a glass elicits a quick retreat.
I’m not sure why the symbol of a skull is so frightening to Rosannah. It makes me wonder if there could be universal phobias that are buried deep within our collective consciousness. I read somewhere that snakes are feared in many cultures – including those areas that have never seen one of the slithering reptiles.
Other phobias are not so universal. For instance, my friend, Michele, has a 36-year-daughter who is afraid of dryer lint. I reminded her of this quirky habit. I assumed she had outgrown it. Nope. If her husband wanted a divorce he could chase her around the house with the lint, much like how her brother used to do when they were kids. But, like I said, the man wants to remain happily married so he takes care of the lint disposal. My normally logical sister, Diane, gets squeamish touching balls of cotton. I always felt I had a sense of power over her as I would valiantly pull the wad of the white padding from bottles of aspirin. Recently I reminded her of this childhood fear. Well, guess what? She still won’t touch the cotton balls.
The point is, there are many things that strike fear into the hearts of humankind. However, there is one demon that, unlike dryer lint, has caused tremendous harm, but holds free reign in society – negativity.
These pessimistic messages take various forms – news reports, gossip, complaints, lack of gratitude, judgmental thoughts, as well as stinging criticism of ourselves and others. Unfortunately, negativity has become so pervasive that many of us accept it as a normal part of life. This is especially true because we are bombarded with negative news 24/7. The reality is there are many more happy incidents in a day, but no journalist is going to lead the 5 o’clock news with a story of good cheer. As the old adage goes, “if it bleeds, it leads.”
As dismal as this may seem, the good news is we still have a choice on whether or not we are going to allow negativity to stain our lives. There is no law that says we have to watch depressing news. We should not feel compelled to listen to others say disparaging things about others. And we should never repeat gossip…period.
Living a happy life is not that difficult. Even in the most depressing situations there are things to be grateful for. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Every morning I recite several things that I appreciate in my life before I get out of bed. This only takes a few seconds, but it creates an attitude of gratitude that I try to embrace throughout the day.
For those who have a little more trouble adopting a positive attitude, there are little tricks you can perform to shift into an attitude of gratitude. One is to pretend you are happy until the real feeling washing over you. The “fake it until you make it” strategy is more powerful than you think. And what do you have to lose except maybe a rotten attitude?
In the meantime, you can always adopt an adult version of Rosannah’s technique when confronted with negative messages. It’s the same thing we teach children who are tempted to take drugs. Turn away and just say no.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Erasing Envirnomental Negativity
I enjoy traveling, seeing new sights and soaking up the culture of other places. I recently had the opportunity to live and work in the Pacific Northwest for six weeks. The Washington coast could not be more different than the Arizona desert I’ve known and lived for most of my life.
Yet, when I returned home, trading the emerald-colored trees, cool temperatures and the snow capped mountain peaks of Hurricane Ridge for the dusty brown, hot and dry Arizona desert, I still felt a sense of relief.
I was home again.
Those who know me and my semi-reluctant camping ways, may assume the relief was because I was luxuriating at the convenience and comfort of a real bed, running water and electricity that wasn’t limited to a campground restroom. You try keeping a lap top and cell phone juiced up without a generator.
But, alas, that was not an accurate depiction of my travels. Three weeks of the trip were spent in a cute, two-bedroom bungalow – complete with cable television and Wi Fi. The temporary abode was also conveniently located and I was able to walk in town and visit book stores, art galleries and eat my favorite treat – pizza. So I wasn’t suffering from a lack of amenities.
But it wasn’t home.
So even though I enjoyed the beautiful setting, met some wonderful people and had the opportunity to exercise without risking heat stroke, I was glad to be home again.
One reason I am happy is home is a place where I can enhance my environment to suit my needs. This is no small matter. I learned from Lisa Montgomery, a feng shui expert in Phoenix, that the circulation or stagnation of an invisible energy called qui (pronounced chi) can have positive or negative effects. This ancient Chinese practice consists of positioning objects, buildings and even whole communities to maximize the flow of energy and have it flow more in harmony with nature. The following excerpt is from my book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, regarding the results Lisa experienced using feng shui techniques in her own home.
“I saw a dramatic change in three months,” said Lisa. “Once I was able to put feng shui into practice, along with a positive attitude, everything came together. My financial situation, which had been strained, improved. And not just typical things like making more money. I’d enter contests and win. My luck changed dramatically. But, best of all, I felt more comfortable and in balance with my environment. And when you feel balanced and happy, it makes sense that your life is going to be more open for good things to come. Even now, I tell clients, I can’t promise you that feng shui is going to make you rich, although a lot of them do see their money luck change. But I can promise that you will experience more harmony in your home and feel more balanced.”
Not everyone wants to employ a feng shui expert, so here are a few things a layperson can do to enhance qui in their home.
•Give the house a thorough cleaning. Qi stagnates in a messy environment. Not everyone enjoys cleaning, but your life is worth it. Clean up your act and keep it that way.
•Get rid of clutter.
•Box items you don’t use and put a date on it. If you haven’t used it in a year, sell it, give it away or donate it to charity.
•Take an inventory of the things in your house. Pay attention to how each object makes you feel. If you experience a negative sensation, get rid of it.
•Surround yourself with things you love. If that means getting rid of that ugly lamp you inherited from Aunt Tilly, so be it. You don’t wear Aunt Tilly’s clothes and you don’t have to live with her ugly furnishings.
For more tips, be sure to check out the book at
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11183
In fact, during the Happiness Happens Month of August (and through Sept. 10, 2010) I’m offering a 25% discount on the book.
We may experience setbacks in our lives, but no matter where we hang or hat or pitch a tent, we can take simple steps to erase environmental negativity and embrace the magic within.
Yet, when I returned home, trading the emerald-colored trees, cool temperatures and the snow capped mountain peaks of Hurricane Ridge for the dusty brown, hot and dry Arizona desert, I still felt a sense of relief.
I was home again.
Those who know me and my semi-reluctant camping ways, may assume the relief was because I was luxuriating at the convenience and comfort of a real bed, running water and electricity that wasn’t limited to a campground restroom. You try keeping a lap top and cell phone juiced up without a generator.
But, alas, that was not an accurate depiction of my travels. Three weeks of the trip were spent in a cute, two-bedroom bungalow – complete with cable television and Wi Fi. The temporary abode was also conveniently located and I was able to walk in town and visit book stores, art galleries and eat my favorite treat – pizza. So I wasn’t suffering from a lack of amenities.
But it wasn’t home.
So even though I enjoyed the beautiful setting, met some wonderful people and had the opportunity to exercise without risking heat stroke, I was glad to be home again.
One reason I am happy is home is a place where I can enhance my environment to suit my needs. This is no small matter. I learned from Lisa Montgomery, a feng shui expert in Phoenix, that the circulation or stagnation of an invisible energy called qui (pronounced chi) can have positive or negative effects. This ancient Chinese practice consists of positioning objects, buildings and even whole communities to maximize the flow of energy and have it flow more in harmony with nature. The following excerpt is from my book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, regarding the results Lisa experienced using feng shui techniques in her own home.
“I saw a dramatic change in three months,” said Lisa. “Once I was able to put feng shui into practice, along with a positive attitude, everything came together. My financial situation, which had been strained, improved. And not just typical things like making more money. I’d enter contests and win. My luck changed dramatically. But, best of all, I felt more comfortable and in balance with my environment. And when you feel balanced and happy, it makes sense that your life is going to be more open for good things to come. Even now, I tell clients, I can’t promise you that feng shui is going to make you rich, although a lot of them do see their money luck change. But I can promise that you will experience more harmony in your home and feel more balanced.”
Not everyone wants to employ a feng shui expert, so here are a few things a layperson can do to enhance qui in their home.
•Give the house a thorough cleaning. Qi stagnates in a messy environment. Not everyone enjoys cleaning, but your life is worth it. Clean up your act and keep it that way.
•Get rid of clutter.
•Box items you don’t use and put a date on it. If you haven’t used it in a year, sell it, give it away or donate it to charity.
•Take an inventory of the things in your house. Pay attention to how each object makes you feel. If you experience a negative sensation, get rid of it.
•Surround yourself with things you love. If that means getting rid of that ugly lamp you inherited from Aunt Tilly, so be it. You don’t wear Aunt Tilly’s clothes and you don’t have to live with her ugly furnishings.
For more tips, be sure to check out the book at
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11183
In fact, during the Happiness Happens Month of August (and through Sept. 10, 2010) I’m offering a 25% discount on the book.
We may experience setbacks in our lives, but no matter where we hang or hat or pitch a tent, we can take simple steps to erase environmental negativity and embrace the magic within.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Book is Out!!!
Dear Readers,
At long last, my book has been published! For those of you who have offered encouragement, helpful advice, an occasional kick-in-the-butt- I want to thank you for your support.
My book is currently an ebook. By next week, it should be available as a download for kindle, iphones, Apple reader and other similar devices. In time, I hope to have it published as a traditional book, but for now it will be electronic only.
Now I really need your help. I’m asking you to click on the link below and check out the book. If it doesn't work, please cut and paste it or google Sally Marks, Erase Negativity and look for the smashwords entry.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11183
Right now, you can read half of the book for free. If you decide you want to download it, it’s only $4.99. However, the more people who download it, or even click on the free version, the higher the book will go in the ratings and the better presence it will have on the page.
I’m asking all of you to please let your friends, family, everyone in your computer contact list etc., know about the book and have them check it out. Of course I will be doing all the typical promotion I can, but word-of-mouth publicity is always the best. Everyone knows other people, and those people know folks. If I can get you to help me spread the word by asking your friends, co-workers, neighbors etc to check this out, I would be very appreciative.
I am very proud of this book and I truly believe it can help others in a significant way. Although I have always wanted to be a writer, I never saw myself as a self-help writer. I always thought my expertise was in comedy. I feel like writing this book is a true calling to help erase negativity in the world. I sincerely hope you will help me spread the word about the book and ask your friends to ask THEIR friends to do the same.
Many thanks to all of you.
Love, Sally
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