Doing More with What We Have

-- Quote of the Day --

“Animals have a tremendous healing power – they don’t judge, they don’t care what you look like. …Animals have time to just be, and this is incredibly appealing when your mind is filled with chaos. They taught me how to get quiet. …When you have been abused, trust is a real issue – you really don’t trust humans. With animals it is different story - the worst they can do is bite or scratch a bit; they are not going to create searing trauma in me. {So in therapy} one can start with trusting animals and eventually transfer that over to humans.”   

~ Kelly Meister ~ Aug 19 2010

Today's quote originates from the Nurturing Nature & Wildlife Woes interview that aired back on Aug 19, 2010 on the Conscious Discussions talk radio show. To access the archived interview simply click on the hyper-linked show title above - To access recently aired Conscious Discussions episodes, look to the sidebars on this blog. 

-- Conscious Living Events --

We are in the middle of Waste Reduction Week and there are a lot of celebrations and events happening to honor this awareness holiday. Here are a few:

Oct 20-22:

Coast Waste Management Association Annual Conference

Location:Parksville, BC (Canada)

Info: www.cwma.bc.ca

Oct 20-23:

Automotive Recyclers Associations 67th Annual Convention & Expo

Austin, TX (USA)

Info:www.araexpo.org

Oct 21

Recycling Council of Ontario; Waste Minimization Award Ceremony

Location: Toronto, ON (Canada)

www.rco.on.ca

-- Blog Guest --

Robin Cain joins us today with a lovely article on how authors can do more for the planet - She lives in Scottsdale, AZ with her husband, daughter, three dogs, three horses and an adopted donkey named Sophia. As a novelist and regularly contributing columnist for The Examiner, she spends her days searching for the perfect words to amuse, enlighten and touch her readers.

An excerpt of her book, When Dreams Bleed, can be found on her website,http://www.robincain.com. ** A portion of the sale proceeds of this novel will be donated to the American non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), which aims to present hope and find help for people struggling with problems such as depression, drug addiction, self-injury and suicide.

 

 

Let’s Do More Than Toot Our Own Horn, Shall We?

Those of us who have spent a lifetime with the goal of becoming a published author know that, like any goal, it doesn’t happen overnight. And anyone familiar with the goal knows the amount of hard work and dedication it takes to get there – or even try to get there. The rules, requirements, formats, procedures, qualifications and politics are all clearly spelled out for those who want to play the game. To rehash them here would be both redundant and tiresome. Any would-be author worthy of the prize should know all about fonts, formats, margins, plots, arcs, character development, queries, agents, royalties, etc, but how many know about the social responsibility that comes with being in the public eye?

Nowadays, more and more authors spend their days writing and self-promoting. They gain their audience through places like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Stumbleupon, dotspots, blog posts – what have you - and then they often use their ‘fifteen minutes of fame’ to stand up and shout their own name and accomplishments – “Look what I did! Send your money my way!”

Some would argue that this is just what an author is forced to do in our economic times, given the ever-expanding competition vs. the ever-shrinking book buying public. Others, like myself, believe that a captured audience (however large or small) provides an opportunity to focus on something greater than self; something more important than book sales. Yes, the game is about selling books, but shouldn’t making the world a better place in the meantime also be one of our goals?

Whether a Super Star or a Rising Star, an author (or anyone in the public eye, for that matter) has an obligation to use his/her platform as not just a tool for self promotion, but as a means of promoting social consciousness. The single unifying trait of an audience – any audience – is that they are willing to listen (if even for a short while). Aren’t we (as people in the public eye) being remiss if we don’t share our spotlight with some of the people or causes who don’t have that same audience? If we can convince even one reader or one book buyer to contribute, volunteer, donate, or even think globally, haven’t we then just doubled our personal wealth and contributions to society?

There are needy and deserving organizations and causes all over the world – some of which you’ve maybe never heard. They don’t expend all their efforts and funds tooting their own horn. Instead they choose to focus on those who need their help the most.

Isn’t it about time more of us did the same?

© 2010 Robin Cain

Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blogs, and more at: www.brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or purchasing a book - each book sold raises funds for charity as well!