Tag Archives: Facebook

Say “No” to Hate

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Picture via pixabay.com

“Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change. Kiss slowly, forgive quickly, play hard, take chances, give everything, and have no regrets. Life is too short to be anything but happy!” – Unknown

Just the other day, I went online to research urological treatment options for cats and I came across a vet med site where other cat owners shared their advice and experiences. As I read down the endless list of back-and-forth comments,  I was appalled.  A subject as benign as “cats with bladder issues” unleashed a barrage of hateful commentary. Rather than giving constructive advice, empathy or encouragement, there were nasty comments like “You gave your cat that medication? You’re an idiot and an irresponsible cat owner!”  And that was one of the nicer comments. These people didn’t even know each other, but were quick to pass judgment – all behind the shield of anonymity, of course.

It never ceases to amaze me how many haters there are out there. Blogs and social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn seem to be a breeding ground for these angry people, emboldened by the name “Anonymous.”  Amazingly, I’ve only had one hater comment on this blog – since its inception in October 2011.  I never published the comment, because my policy is to never give a hater any public platform to spew their hate.  Criticism is fine. Venom is not. Sarcasm and dark humor is okay. Crass and ignorant commentary is not okay.

Apparently, hate is not relegated to social media.  Just look at the ridiculous nastiness and vulgarity displayed during the recent GOP presidential debates. Opportunistic presidential nominees are feeding off the anger of  a nation, as the world watches with amazement and disgust.

Now, there is nothing wrong with being angry.  But when anger becomes rage and gives birth to a population of serial haters, then we’ve got a problem, folks. Anger, when properly channeled, can bring about positive change.  Rage is a different animal altogether.  It just festers. It becomes malignant.

The fact of the matter is, Life is too short.

Who in their right mind would choose rage and hate over happiness and love?  Yes, I said “choose.”  It’s all about choice.

Say “No” to hate.  It simply takes up too much energy.  It gives you frown lines and makes you bitter.  It’s like a dark, murky cloud that follows you around everywhere.

I firmly believe that a positive attitude attracts good energy.  So, I say “Yes” to love.  And I’d rather have a face riddled with laugh lines, than frown lines – any day.

Cheers,

Heather  (not “Anonymous”)

The Intricate Web of Book Publicity, from the Author’s Perspective

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“A new book is just like any new product, like a detergent. You have to acquaint people with it.  They have to know it’s there. You only get to be number one when the public knows about you.”
  — Jacqueline Susann 

For many authors, the mere idea of self-promotion fills them with dread, discomfort and distaste (the alliteration… not intentional).  I was of the same mindset and so, recently,  I approached a seasoned publicist and asked him how he would go about selling my book. Aghast, he said “I can’t promise book sales, only exposure.”

“E-x-p-o-s-u-r-e,”  I repeated, speaking the word slowly, trying to digest its ramifications.

Sensing my skepticism, he went on to assure me that with the right exposure (which would entail a lot of dog and pony shows on radio/TV, book events and, of course,  a social media blitz), my book will likely garner enough publicity that will eventually translate to sales.  Note: the only word I heard was “eventually.”  

In my naïveté,  I (like Kevin Costner, in the movie “Field of Dreams”) truly believed that:

“If you build it, they will come.”

I thanked the publicist for his words of wisdom and decided to develop and implement a publicity plan for myself, starting with social media.  Everyday, I learn something new.  This wealth of knowledge will serve me well in the long run and, each week, I’ll be sharing some of my insights with all of you who may have a book, a product or a service to market.  Perhaps it will be helpful. I hope so.

A few days ago, I launched a Facebook Page for my book, Casualties of the (Recession) Depression.  I’m reserving judgment on this social media avenue, since it’s only been “live” for four days.  Too soon to tell.  Please drop by and let me know what you think.  I sincerely welcome all feedback.  At the top right sidebar of this blog, you’ll see the tally of “Likes” on the FB page.  Hopefully, the number will increase exponentially.

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I’ll sign off for now.  I need to go and search through my pile of DVDs for Field of Dreams.  Suddenly, I feel a bit nostalgic.

Steve Jobs – gone too soon….and in his own words “how to live before you die”

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Steven Paul “Steve” Jobs  – February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

I am a Baby Boomer. I grew up in a time when I had to use an old Brother typewriter to type up my highschool essays.Then came a few tentative innovations in the evolution of wordprocessing: the Timex Sinclair and the Commodore 64 computer (yikes, we still have them stored somewhere, after all these years!).

Clearly, we all knew  that our generation was going to bear witness to a technological revolution that would change the way we worked, created, and communicated.   And we were not disappointed.  In the mid-1970’s,  young  technology visionairies-turned inventors-turned entrepreneurs led us all into a new era of computers  –  with the introduction of the Mac and the PC.  The names of some of these creative geniuses may sound familiar:  Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and (of course) Bill Gates! These very (very) young men proceeded to take Silicon Valley by a storm!  And their impact was global.

So, yes, I am proud to say that I am part of that idealistic generation of young men and women who participated in a technological renaissance that we will likely not  ever see again … with the exception of  the Millennium’s new breed of tech geniuses who created Google and Facebook.

When I learned that Steve Jobs died two days ago at the very young age of 56,  after a long and brave battle with pancreatic cancer, I was very, very sad.  Gone too soon.

I would have loved to be sitting amongst the Stanford University graduates of 2005 at their Commencement Ceremony, as Steve Jobs imparted some passionate words of wisdom to a whole new breed of young idealists.

Here are some of  the highlights from his Commencement Speech:

On the subject of love and loss:

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

On the subject of death:

” Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external  expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart……”

“… No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

And, Steve Jobs wrapped up his speech with four simple send-off words to the 2005 Stanford graduates  –  words to live by:

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

Rest in peace, Steve.  And, thank you for having shared your dreams with the rest of us.

Photos via Thepoliticalcarnival.net, Wired.com, and Thedroidguy.com.