Doreen McGettigan

During the month of April I am participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge. You can learn more about the challenge here:

My theme this year is Keep Moving Forward

Victory

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Today’s post is part of the annual A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. Each day of April (except Sunday,) we write a post corresponding with that day’s letter of the alphabet. For more information on the challenge and its creator visit:

My theme for this years’ A-Z Challenge is Keep Moving Forward

Kindness

Some psychologists believe that ‘being nice’ isn’t really so nice after all. They believe being nice actually comes from a fear. We ‘act’ nice towards someone because we want to be liked or we fear what others will think of us if we are not perceived of as a ‘nice’ person. As kids, especially little girls we were constantly told to ‘be nice’ and to ‘be sweet’ even to people we didn’t like. We were taught to keep the peace at all cost even if we were filled with hate. Some little girls learn very young how to use niceness as a way to get what they want and as they get older, as a way to gain power. Being nice is telling your boss to have a nice day because it sounds good but actually you could care less what kind of day she has.

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Today’s post is part of the annual A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. Each day of April (except Sunday,) we write a post corresponding with that day’s letter of the alphabet. For more information on the challenge and its creator visit:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My theme for this years’ A-Z Challenge is An Intimate Look at the Homeless and Mental Health Epidemic in America which just happens to be the subtitle of my next book, The Stranger in My Recliner. The book is the true story of Sophie.  She was the eighty-year-old homeless woman that my husband brought home one night. She lived with us for nearly three –years. The book will be out this fall.

Some psychologists believe that ‘being nice’ isn’t really so nice after all. They believe being nice actually comes from a fear. We ‘act’ nice towards someone because we want to be liked or we fear what others will think of us if we are not perceived of as a ‘nice’ person. As kids, especially little girls we were constantly told to ‘be nice’ and to ‘be good’ even to people we didn’t like. We were taught to keep the peace at all cost even if we were filled with hate. Some girls learned how to use niceness as a way to get what they wanted or as a way to gain power. Being nice is telling the cashier in the supermarket to have a nice day because it sounds good but actually you could care less what kind of day she has.

Overly nice people usually have very low self- esteem and are only nice so they can feel better about themselves and so others will like them.

Being overly nice can put you at risk of being used and mistreated. It can leave you feeling powerless and out of control. It can cause unhappiness and even illness.

Being nice is being selfish.

Kindness on the other hand comes from real love, compassion and empathy towards fellow human beings and all living things. Compassion and empathy are real needs that some people have to help others or ourselves. It makes kindness the total opposite of being nice. Being kind is looking that cashier in the eye and saying, “It looks like you are very busy today. I hope you are done soon and can go home and relax,” and meaning every word. Being kind is opening and holding the door for an elderly woman, looking her in the eye and then taking her bags to her car for her. It is easy for kind people to be assertive because they care as much about themselves as they do others. They earn and expect respect.

Kindness is not a feeling it is a choice. It is a character quality that we can work on until it comes naturally. It is choosing to do the right thing even when the right thing is the hardest to do. There is a direct correlation between being kind and being happy. When we are truly good to others out of love we feel real happiness.

Being kind is being selfless.

Thank you for reading,

Doreen

I’m one of Lisa’s Live Wires! Lisa is a challenge co-host Lisa Buie-Collard.

I am excited to be working with this bunch of fabulous bloggers …

Rhonda Albom –   Bob R. Milne –   Tamera Narayan –  Stephanie Faris –

Heather McCubbin –   Randi Lee

Keep Moving Forward Challenge…

My friend and the facilitator of Bucks County Creative Explorers, Kelly wrote a blog post about being stuck. She wrote that she felt like her feet were stuck in concrete. That is exactly how I was feeling too.

Kelly then posted this challenge. If you are feeling stuck too please join us. Let’s inspire each other to smash our concrete shoes.

CHALLENGE:

I will post an entry in the Keep Moving Forward Challenge every Thursday from now through March 2015. To join in on the journey, use the comment section to tell us about how you “kept moving forward” that week. Write about it on your own blog site (and include the link in the comments), make a video, and/or use the hashtag #KeepMovingForwardChallenge on the social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).

For more information:

http://kellydeeny.com

Please make sure to use #KeepMovingForwardChallenge on social media so that we can comment, like, share, favorite, or retweet!

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It happened again. I lost another dear friend far too soon. At first I was in shock, then, I was angry and wanted to know what cruelness snatched her from her family and friends. Now I am so sad.

Recently I heard that every time you lose someone close to you, you re-grieve everyone you have ever lost. That would explain a lot.

I know I am supposed to wake up every morning feeling grateful and ready to attack the day but today I just want to pull the covers up, find the cool spot on my pillow and go back to sleep.

Time has no trouble moving forward no matter how I am feeling. In fact it just sprung ahead an hour leaving me desperately wanting that hour back. Just sixty-minutes to make my brother one more cup of coffee and tell him how much I still miss him, to laugh at one of my Dad’s goofy jokes one more time, to watch my BFF’s eyes fill with those proud Mommy tears as she watched her baby girl being sworn into the Navy and to catch up with my friend because I hadn’t seen her in awhile. None of this is possible now except for in my dreams, which is why I want to sleep.

Last week my goal was to clean up my e-mail and as hard as it was I got it done. Email is like laundry though because it keeps coming. I am hoping to get rid of the junk daily.

This week I need to take care of a frightening health issue. My blood pressure has been consistently spiking for days now. I take blood pressure meds so it is usually controlled. Perhaps it’s a warning to keep moving forward but doing so a bit slower.

This week it will be one hour; one day and one foot at a time but the motion will be forward.

How do you keep yourself moving towards your goals when life or death keeps getting in the way?

#keepmovingforward

Doreen

WritingWednesday

Wednesday is the day I share what I have learned on my journey to publication, marketing and publishing again. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. If you have any tips to share please do…

Public Relations PR Part 2/ Press Releases

Just when you thought writing the book was the hard part you were told you had to write a synopsis, then an outline, a proposal and the hardest of all a query letter.  You finish all of those and breathe a big sigh of release only to find out you need to write marketing, advertising and PR plans and those include writing press releases and media pitches.

If you have the budget to hire a professional to write and submit your press releases for you, they are well worth the money. If a professional isn’t in your budget no fears, you can write your own.

The fact that you wrote and published a book is not ‘newsworthy’ to most media outlets. They are looking for news that is of interest to their entire audience.

The main thing you have to remember when writing a press release is you are informing the audience of something important to them, you are not promoting your book (that would be considered advertising.) What expertise or insight have you gained from writing your book? If you wrote a book about your transition from the corporate world to owning a bakery perhaps your angle could be ‘the pros and cons of opening a small business in (name of town,) or tips on how to have a memorable celebration. The possibilities are endless but you should choose 2 or 3 and stick with them.

The second thing to remember is keep it concise and professional. Use simple words.

The third thing is to send it to the right place. Do the research. Make sure the publication is right for ‘your news.’ If it isn’t something their readers would be interested in, you are wasting your time and theirs.  My suggestion is to start small, think close to home. Your small hometown paper, magazine or newsletter is a great place to start. On most media websites you can find a place to submit press releases. Does your alma mater have a newspaper or newsletter, does your church? Once you have submitted to these local publications submit to 3 or 4 city papers closest to home. You can expand from there.

There are web based businesses that are promising to distribute your press release, for a fee. It is time consuming but you are better off looking up the publications and submitting to them yourself.

Do not submit press releases to the same publication more than once a month unless the news is really big.

Tips on format:

Your headline has to be fabulous and should be no more than 8 words. You only have about 15 words to grab an editor’s attention so the headline counts big-time.

Next you want to put your first choice for the date you want the release to be published. Most people put, For Immediate Release.

Next you want to write an introductory paragraph. Press releases are written in third person. If you are announcing a book event, mention that and the host and any other authors involved. Think hooking the reader here.

Next you want to go more into ‘the news of your release,’ answering the who, what, why, when and where questions. Remember you cannot ‘sell’ in a press release so don’t mention where your book can be purchased. You want the ‘news’ of the release to be so good that the reader will go look for your book.

A short bio comes next and then you want to list your contact information. Let the editor know what contact information you want published and what information you don’t want published. I usually list only an e-mail publicly. If it is for a book event you can list the phone number of the book store or wherever the event is being held.

When a publication does publish your press release, thank them, promote them and share on social media.

Next week: PR part 3-TV and radio pitches.

What unique angle or area of expertise can you use to make your book, WIP or your blog newsworthy?

Happy writing,

Doreen

*** Before the angel of success arrives in your life, you should devote yourself to preparing your welcome for her. Polish your craft and strengthen your body to be fit so that you can do your job and enjoy success when it comes. Sharpen your mind and spirit so they are ready to face the challenges that accompany a visit from the angel of success. If you are not ready when the angel knocks, she will flee. And who knows when she will make it back around to your door again. Unknown ***

Will I see you here?

http://midlifeboulevard.com

Or here?

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

With one breath I want to say I am so glad the A-Z Blogging Challenge is over and with my next breath I miss it so much and I am already looking forward to and planning for next year.

This was my third year of participating and my first year as an ambassador. It was also the first year I had a theme and also the first year I pre-wrote some of my posts. Being prepared certainly did take some of the stress away and I plan to pre-write even more next year.

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For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a list of all of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

Today’s Letter is the Letter Z

Zee End of my A-Z’s of Mental Health

I believe we have a Mental Health crisis or more like an epidemic not only in America but Internationally.

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For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a list of all of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

Today’s letter is the Letter Y

Young Binge Drinkers and Mental Health

Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood/alcohol concentration up to high levels, quickly. For men it would take five-drinks in a two-hour period and for women it would be four-drinks per two-hour period.

Binge drinking is common among the eighteen- thirty-four-year-old – age group. In fact ninety-percent of drinking in this age group is done in the form of binging.

Young drinkers may be the most common binge drinkers but those over sixty-five years of age binge drink more often usually five or six times a month.

This type of drinking is also much more prevalent among households that earn more than seventy-five-thousand-dollars a year and men are two-times more likely to binge drink than woman.

Excessive alcohol use can cause all sorts of medical problems including but not limited to liver cirrhosis, cancer, cardio vascular disease, gout, pancreatitis, nerve damage, infectious diseases and more.

Having one drink may give you a relaxed feeling due to the chemical changes the alcohol causes in the brain. It can relieve anxiety. If you continue to drink a negative emotional response can occur. You can become angry, anxious and or depressed.

It can also complicate mental health disorders. Alcohol use has been linked to depression, self harm, suicide and psychosis. It can be extremely difficult to diagnose psychiatric disorders when alcoholism and mental health disorders co-exist. In fact people that have a mental health issue and use alcohol excessively are at great risk of suicide.

Someone who is taking anti-depressants, anti-psychotic or anxiety reducing medication should NEVER binge drink. It can be fatal.

Occasional binge drinking is not going to cause a mental health disorder. Excessive binge drinking can cause mental health problems, physical problems and medical problems.

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I would love to hang out with you here too:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bristol-boyzStomp/113804488656243

http://www.twitter.com/doreenb8

For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a list of all of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

Today’s letter and the most difficult letter

thus far in the challenge is the Letter X

Xanax and other benzodiazepines

If you or someone you love is experiencing some sort of mental health issue, chances are your doctor will prescribe a medication. Anti-anxiety, anti- depressant and anti-psychotic medications have changed or saved the lives of many thousands of people. They can also have minor to severe side effects. Some people have to try a number of medications or several combinations of medications before they find the one that is right for them.

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For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a list of all of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

Today’s Letter is W

Worry

Some people worry about everything, some are so laid back they appear to care about nothing and then there are those people that seem to do a bit of each. A bit of worry can be a healthy thing. Think about it, would we ever get anything done if we didn’t have pangs of anxiety nudging us to move faster, study more or to be careful?

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