Tag: blogger

True to Yourself

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This is a repost. I thought this would be a good time to remind us of something very important when navigating the online world.

Stay true to yourself.

The major similarities I see that unites all social networking forums is that you’re bound to have people who are not being honest about their intentions, and what they plan to achieve by taking part in the online community. Of course, we have to expect that any time there’s an opportunity for people to wear a mask you’re going to have these kinds of situations. This is, after all the internet, and is filled with people who wear a façade. People whose fingers do not transcribe the truths concerning the inward man. In a world as endless as the internet, it is easy to get lost in the hype moving throughout the cyber world. It’s easy to pretend, and to become someone other than who you are. If you’re just naturally wicked, it is also just as easy to pretend to be a good person, though your heart is a web of lies and deception.

When you’re gliding along the social world, it is easy to get distracted from your primary goal and what you set out to accomplish. Further, it is just as easy to start to take on the same thoughts and opinions of those you’re around the most. This is perhaps the most important aspect of online writing that I believe is important for new and experienced bloggers. For the mimicking of purpose to fit in can creep up on you if you let it. By creep I mean that changes do not enter our lives all at once but piece by piece. Slowly and with great patience change chips at you until you have  adapted into something or someone else.

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Blogging, probably more than any social platform is exciting, educational, and inspiring. However, just like every other social platform the truth is that there are more snakes out here than there are angels and they are not your friends, buddies, pals, or playmates. They’re not here to take you to the movies and hang out with you because you liked their post or followed their blog. In fact, they may just be writing your death letter while sending a smiley face.

For instance, in the blogosphere, there are those who often complain that they are not interested in gaining more followers, or networking and such and such. While this isn’t the thought process of most, I am convinced that some of you are not being true to yourself in regard to what you really want from your blogs. Some of you actually care about gaining more traffic but for whatever reasons, you’re afraid to admit it.

Truth is, I think someone can still care about growing their blogs or company without compromising who they are. I believe a person can genuinely care about increasing subscriber rates, expanding networks, and building relationships while maintaining their integrity. I believe there are people who care about these things not because they want people to praise them, and not because they bask in the attention from others, but simply because they’re reaching people, even if only two out of two-hundred are actually paying attention.

In updating this post, I came across two very interesting articles. One from the blogosphere and the other from an article posted from LinkedIn:

Amazon’s New Reviewing Rules – Could it Affect Authors in the Future?

10 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Don’t Do (Themselves!)

You may be asking yourself, what do these articles have in common?

The first article speaks about Amazon’s changes in reviewing products and the other talks about the importance of investing in third party sources to help to build your business. One of my favorite excerpts is:

“Time is an entrepreneur’s most valuable commodity. Yet one of the biggest problems for small businesses and startups is that the founders are wasting their time trying to do it all. We euphemistically say we “wear lots of hats” but the truth is that entrepreneurs are often trying to save money by doing it all themselves. This can be a huge mistake. There are some things that are better done by professional and are better delegated or outsourced.” – Benard Marr

This made me stop to think about the Indie Author Community and how it relates to the first article concerning receiving free items in exchange for reviews. I started to think critically about this and happened upon the epiphany that Self-Publishing didn’t get its stigmas from poorly written books alone. No, there is something else to it and it is possible that Marr is on to something.

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If Independent Publishing is just as important, if not more, than any other entrepreneurial business, and if it is to be taken just as seriously and handled with just as much professionalism, why is it that Self-Publishers invest as little money, time, and effort as possible in this very important field? Why is it that everything must be free for us to trust it? The first article is very interesting in that we may be coming upon a time where authors have to pay for reviews or invest some kind of payment. While I hope not, article two is a great conversation starter into why this may be the case for our future considering Self-Publishing is an act of entrepreneurship.

Amazon is changing things obviously because of the level of fraud out there, and we can be sure that giving away books for free in exchange for reviews is bound to change with every 5 star rating given to an obviously crappy book. While I’m hoping this won’t be the case, the truth is that amazon has a reputation to uphold  and like every other wise business person or company, understands that  free does not always guarantee quality. It’s the reason we pay more for name brands because we know that what we’re getting is top quality.

How does this relate to being true to yourself?

I like thinking differently and speaking on subjects that make people scratch their heads. It is what makes me who I am. I don’t have to be like you, think like you, or agree with you. This is an attitude we should all have. Otherwise, you can be easily influenced by others opinions and thoughts. In short, you have no vison and no goal, and the reason behind your actions is empty.

So, you wanna start a blog? Then do it with authority. Own your words and stand by your decisions and your goals. So what if you’re a nobody, so was Oprah at one point in her life. So was Stephen King, and so was your beloved JK Rowling. Pay no mind to what others say or think of you and never ever depend on man to validate you. Stay true to yourself and why you set out to embark on the journeys to which you find yourself. People fall in love with other people, not echoes. What is success? You choose. Dare to be different. Change the game.

5 Reasons We Doubt (And Why We Shouldn’t)

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  1. Belief – We have no faith. Period. We invest more in our problems than we do in possibilities. We spend more time thinking about the bad stuff before the good stuff which ultimately leads to stress. In addition, our unbelief tends to lead us to wait until we get what we want before having joy. Why do you have to wait until you get the job to appreciate the job? Why wait until you are acknowledged for a skill to nurture or appreciate the skill? We wait when we should rejoice on the way. Rejoice during the journey, not just afterward.
  1. Fear – Fear is the biggest reason for doubting because there is no fear in faith. Our fears vary. Could be the fear of rejection from others or a fear of failure. In any event, it is not something that we so easily notice or that we even care to admit to but it’s there. At the root of not doing our best is the fear of something. I remember when I was a little girl and I got into this fight. I hurt this person so badly that I didn’t want to fight anymore. I literally restrained myself from it. I didn’t take up for myself sometimes. I let people pick on me, and push me around.

My secret wasn’t that I was afraid to fight. My secret was that I was afraid of my own strength. I didn’t want to hurt anyone and I was afraid that I’d do just that. Sometimes our fears are not because we know that we will fail (although that too), but that we will succeed and what that will mean for our future, for with great authority comes greater responsibility. What will it mean for us to be who we were ordained to be? For many of us, the answer’s a frightening one. But look at it this way: You cannot turn a light on and off simultaneously. You have to either have the light turned on or turned off because light and dark cannot coexist. Likewise, fear and faith cannot coexist. You will either be fearless or you’ll always be afraid. Afraid of what others will say. Afraid of what others will think, and afraid of how your light will make others feel. That’s a terrible way to live.

  1. Disagreements – Also known as criticisms, one major cause of doubts comes from disagreements among others. Who remembers the Ach Conformity Experiment? A series of studies performed in the 1950s that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups. These are also known as the “Asch Paradigm”. In one such experiment, there were five men who were to perform a very basic task: Match the line on the left with the line on the right. It was something your three-year-old can do. Four of the men were agents, people in on the program. They matched the line on the left with the incorrect line on the right. The subject knew they were all wrong but because they were the majority he chose the same wrong answer.

Even though he knew everyone’s answer was wrong, because they were all on accord and he wasn’t he doubted himself and chose the wrong answer. Remember, let no one make a prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit. But as it happens, as soon as the majority shake their heads and say to themselves, “How foolish of us”, that’s it. One minute you’re confident and hopeful and as soon as the slightest wind of a disagreement comes along we are done. Boom. Over. Joy depleted. Spirits crushed. Dreams deferred. However, remember this if you remember nothing else: Beware when all men speak well of you. Every great person who has ever stood for something was mocked, laughed at, teased, and assumed to be foolish by his or her contemporaries.

  1. No Support – Usually from feeling isolated, almost just as bad as disagreements among others is no support at all. This can leave a big gaping hole of doubt in our minds. The feeling is so great that it can lead to sadness and depression. This causes a doubt that can be very dangerous as we can miss our purpose putting off what we were built to do because a lack of support gave the perception that it was not for us at all. The truth is that it just wasn’t the right time. Why wasn’t it the right time? Well, that depends but it could be that you were not in a place to do it. Could be that you were not mature enough to carry it through. There is always a reason for why things happen in our lives and if we stop trying to change what we have no control over we won’t be as stressed. As Einstein once said, “I am thankful to all those who said NO. Because of them, I did it myself.”
  1. Mistakes – A big cause of doubt is failing. Mistakes leave huge stains on our spirit and sometimes cause us to give up altogether. It also ceases us from trying again or thinking we had it in the first place. The truth is that sometimes you have to be torn down to be built back up. Remember that it is not being knocked down that makes the difference but staying down. I believe the man who has fallen seven times and stood up eight is a greater man in the end than he who has never fallen.

This Month in Black History – September

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This month sped by so fast I almost missed this month’s history wrap up!

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September 5, 1859 – Harriet Wilson’s novel Our Nig is published

September 8, 1965 – Dorothy Dandridge found dead

September 8, 1986 – The Oprah Winfrey Show debut

September 9, 1739 – The Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution, occurs in South Carolina

September 10, 1963 – Schools in Alabama desegregated

September 11, 1977 – Roots wins 9 Emmy Awards

September 12, 1905 – Master Horseman John Ware is killed when his horse trips, crushing him and breaking his neck

September 12, 1913 – Jessie Owens is born

September 12, 1947 – Jackie Robinson named rookie of the year

September 13, 1885 – Alain Locke of the Harlem Renaissance is born

September 15, 1963 – The 16th Street Baptist Church is bombed in Birmingham Alabama leaving 4 little girls dead and one blind in one eye

September 15, 1978 – Muhammad Ali becomes the WBA Champ

September 16, 1794– The French Abolish Slavery. (Slavery is reinstituted under Napoleon in 1802 along with the reinstitution of the “Code noir”, prohibiting Blacks from entering French colonial territory or intermarrying with whites).

September 17, 1858 – Dred Scott dies of Tuberculosis 17 months after emancipation

September 18, 1850 – The Fugitive Slave Law is passed by Congress

September 18, 1919 – Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard is the first African American professional football player for a major team

September 18, 1970 – Jimi Hendrix dies in London (at the young age of 27)

September 20-24th 1830 – The First National Negro Convention met in Philadelphia

September 20, 1958 – Martin Luther King Jr. stabbed in the chest while signing copies of Stride Toward Freedom in Blumstein’s department store in Harlem

September 24, 1957 – Eisenhower orders the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock Arkansas to force desegregation at Little Rock Central High School

September 24, 1935 – Joe Louis defeats Max Baer at Yankee Stadium, Bronx New York

September 26, 1967 – Riots erupt in Tampa, FL after police shoot Martin Chambers, an unarmed  black teen

September 28, 1991 – Miles Davis dies

September 30, 1919 – Oct 1 –  The Elaine Race Riots (also known as The Elaine Massacre) occurs in the Elaine town of Phillips County Arkansas

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In Case You Missed It: This Month in History – August

Discover My Top 8 Historical Reads (That you’ve probably never read!) Get it Here.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – SICKER by Christa Wojo.

Title: SICKER – Psychological SICK Series Book Two

Author: Christa Wojciechowski

Print Length: 107 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1533513538

Publication Date: April 13, 2016

Language: English

ASIN: B01CWGKIL0

I’m amazed that John can be even sicker in book two of Christa’s psychological thriller than in the first book. If you’re new to this blog, you can read my review of book one in this series here.

In book one, we pick up where Susan Branch left off, having just learned the truth about her husband’s ongoing ailments. Because of these circumstances, she was deprived of a fulfilling marriage and a feeling of self. These ailments compromised the most private aspect of her: her thinking. A disease brought on by a sick person robbed her of what may have been.

John’s secret is so bizarre that Susan is caught up in a wrath that consumes her and is forced to question her own sanity. As a medical professional, how could she miss so many of the signs that revealed the true nature of her husband’s illness? How could such an illness, so much more superior than physical bruises, have gone unnoticed?

Sicker focuses on the source of John’s obsession as he recounts a childhood riddled with sadness, loneliness, and trauma.

While my first impression from the first book was that he was mentally unstable, book two offers much more insight, changing my initial judgments. As crazy as this sounds, I almost feel sorry for John. This book made me think about the importance of love in our lives. The need to feel loved and be loved is critical to our operation and balanced and healthy individuals. People denied the privilege of this love become the same people we deem crazy in mental institutions. The truth is, it doesn’t matter whether you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth or a plastic spoon; everyone everywhere at some point in their lives needs love, without which we are no longer human beings and can, therefore, be driven to do unspeakable things.

Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 5/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5
Characterization: 4/5
Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
Thought Provoking: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5 / 5 stars

SICKER is available  now!

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Be Sure to Follow Christa Online:

Blog:  http://christawojo.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@christawojo

Facebook: Facebook.com /WebbellaChrista 

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Need a review? Apply for one here.

Wait for Me

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Would you let me ribbon tie my waiting into your lap?
Take me dripping in mistakes like I got flaws for fragrance
Can you wait for me to get it right?
This belly
filled to the brim with passion
like I got fire clenched in my fists and a furnace in my throat
As if you’d just emerged from the safety of your mother’s womb
would you wait for me
to breathe life into your lungs
to breathe logic into your conscience?
Let kindness touch you gentle,
soft like pillow talk
or whispering prayers in a bowl of incense
Touch me endurance
and I’ll dip my hands into purpose
and feed you hope through a straw
So let the storms begin
let the winds blow
and the nations rage
let the heavens chop off pieces of ice for our tribulation
let hailstones come bungee jumping from the sky to put dents in our joy
and I promise you
if you wait for me
I’ll command my words to stitch you a smile
and in time
we will simmer tragedy
into the polished pillars
of diamonds in the ruff.

Wait for me.