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Altruism Helps Our World Grow

Selflessness Moves the World Forward

Altruism is a fresh breath of air in today’s world. We are all painfully aware of the seams that have been ripped open in Charlottesville, Houston, and throughout the entire state of Florida. These tears are both manmade and natural disasters. Nearby, in Mexico, record-setting earthquakes and tsunamis also created more angst for the region.

During times of crisis, we do our best work. And maybe that is because it is not for ourselves, but directly for others.

And, as September 11 always reminds us, we grow as a nation every time we go through dark times. Each time we are able to rewrite the negative narrative with positive acts of selflessness. And each time opportunities abound in how we can suture up the wounds with healing actions and words.

As a business owner, I am involved with a county-wide project as the selected Erie County Poet Laureate called “Picture This”. At Monday’s ceremony, Remembering 9/11, I was asked to write and read a poem. I chose to create one from the Fred Roger’s quotation on how altruism helps children in times of crisis. His quote speaks about the wise words his mother would say to him when he saw disasters play out on the television: ” Look for the helpers.” Below is the poem I wrote for the occasion. May we all realize that in times of crisis that the helpers are as close as our own two hands.

 

Helpers

When I was a child and saw scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Fred Rogers

 

When the sky filled with fire and the towers fell,

first responders poured into the fray.

Dug and dug and dug to find survivors.

Some served bottled water and pizza.

Others respectfully draped coats on the dead.

 

When the wind howled and the ocean rose,

volunteers stacked sandbags, hammered

plywood sheets over window panes.

Some gave their generators away.

Others gave up airplane seats for the elderly.

 

When the earth shook and cracked wide open,

rescuers pulled people from the rubble,

got them to stand single file, avoiding

downed pour lines. Held them close, closer

as they trembled in their own aftershocks.

 

Helpers can be found, quietly mending

that which has been torn, gaping at the seam.

They offer personal hygiene kits to homeless teens,

hand out stuffed animals to displaced children.

Listen, carefully, on the other end of a suicide hotline.

 

When the fire ate up the sky as the towers fell,

when the wind howled and the oceans rose,

when the earth shook and cracked wide open,

helpers were found quietly suturing the world

one stitch, one sandbag, one brick, one kind act at a time.

 

Marisa Moks-Unger

Erie County Poet Laureate, September 11, 2017

Written for the Remembering 9/11 Ceremony

Blasco Library of Erie County, Pennsylvania

 

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Writers’ Resilient Behavior Hallmark of Professionalism

Writers Keep Resilient With These Three Tips

Being willing to write as a beginner keeps writing blocks at bay.
Just as flowers bloom after long winter snows, so do writing blocks melt with action.

Busting through a writer’s block compares to the upward thrust of Spring flowers – their resilient nature ensures that they will continue to bloom. I have never met a professional writer who has not battled his or her share of writing blocks.

  • Most are formed over basic errors, such as spelling, usage, or style. Some are formed over taste or popular or aesthetic appeal. Will people understand the point? And the final is based on courage to create or “Does anything I write matter?”

Questioning Basics is a Common Block

Between writing under tight deadlines, searching for new markets to publish work, and interviewing or researching subjects, most writers have a lot of balls to juggle. The worst blocks send all the blocks tumbling to the ground. Being able to juggle several assignments – or the tenacity of a very long project like a novel or screenplay – depends upon adopting a beginner’s attitude. Being willing to look up the differences in affect/effect when drawing a blank keeps the balls in the air. Reading manuscripts backwards is a similarly tedious, but basic task that catches errors. And, detecting errors is what resilient writers and editors do.

The Deal with Public Appeal

Writing under deadline means setting aside personal ideology and meeting the needs of the reader. Is the vocabulary appropriate? Are the basic questions of who, what, where, when, and why being satisfied? Moving beyond what is trending into creating prose that touches on new takes on subjects keeps writing fresh. And writers in flow.

Does Anything I Write Matter?

Writers write to inform, encourage, and inspire readers. Once that is ingrained, blocks are less frequent. Why? Because the point of writing – outside of personal diary/journal accounts – is for the benefit of others. Finally, when that is routinely accomplished, then the courage of creating arrives regularly. In other words, confidence is born by picking up the balls and juggling them again and again.

 

 

 

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Close Observation Creates Better Copy and Content Writing

Take These Three Passes When Observing Subject Matter

We’ve all seen cats observing their vistas. Sitting in windows, their tails twitch with excitement. We, too, can easily write better copy and content by looking at subjects with intense curiosity. Three views we can take on a subject include its physical appearance, its social impact, and its holistic application.

Physical Appearance Drives Most Copy

Want better copy and content writing experiences? Opt for close oberservation.
Close observation of the physical, social, and holistic applications of writing.

As the old adage goes, “you can’t tell a book by its cover.” Yet, much of the writing we create for copy and content is heavy on visual appeal. So if we are already transfixed on how a product or a service appears, then how can we look more closely at it? What we are looking for are the details of the product or service that make it unique or valuable to the consumer.

For example, does a nozzle on a garden hose have new settings for water distribution not found on competitors’ hoses? Or, does a restaurant offering freshly made juice stand apart by using only sustainably produced serving dishes and cutlery? Specific features make a subject stand out from the competition. Beyond the cover or visual aspects are positive societal impacts to entice customers, too.

Describing How a Product Helps Consumers Connect with Others

Enabling consumers to connect with others in a product or service description is another way to add value to a copy and content writing. Going back to the previous example of the hose, a product or service can  appeal to people when they can use it to help others. A long-range flow might help one neighbor water an elderly neighbor’s flowers. Relationship building among potential customers can easily move from copy writing into social media, which are enhanced with photography and video.

Holistic Approach to Subject Observation

The added-value of a holistic observation of a product or service creates brand loyalty. If a customer experiences satisfaction, then he or she is more likely to be a repeat customer. For example, if a particular demographic consists of environmentalists, then they may be more likely to feel good about eating at a restaurant that serves biodegradable service wear. The menu selections may further resonate with such consumers if it contains organic, locally sourced produce and animal products. The restaurant itself may resonate with consumers who prefer a small business over a nationally known eatery. These personal sorts of considerations are viewed as holistic benefits to a product or service.

Observations Increases Value of Subject Matter

Creating catchy copy and content writing benefits from close observation. The physical description brings a subject to life. The social description adds the appeal of altruism to the subject. Finally, the holistic description encourages consumers to relate their personal beliefs to an item’s identity. They are the easiest way to produce thoughtful and enticing wording for any number of products and services.

 

 

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How Counting Blessings Reveals Power in Gratitude Journals

Gratitude Journals a Great Place to Pracitice the Act of Gratitude
With an attitude of gratitude, abundance flows.

Gratitude Journals House Heartfelt Feelings of Abundance

The German mystic, Meister Eckhart, noted the power of gratitude hundreds of years ago in Germany when he wrote: “If the only prayer you say is thank you, then that is enough.” Now his philosophy turns up on memes in social media feed, T-Shirts, and, yes, on the covers and pages of elite writing journals. Gratitude, it seems, has become trendy.

The Variety of Options in Curating Thankfulness can Cause Problems

Gratitude Journals are viable, simple, and practical tools for advancing abundance. Yet, many people get so caught up in the proper way to write about abundance that it leads to confusion. Should the journal be written like a diary account of an incident that reflected gratitude? Or should it be a list? If it is a list, then should is be bulleted, dashed, or numeric? Should journal writing be done first thing in the morning or right before bed? And what about the journal itself? Should it be lined or unlined? A formal hardback “Gratitude Journal” embossed notebook, cloth covered book, or plain steno pad? The answers to these and other ways to use a gratitude journal could very well fill up whole volumes of books in the self-help section on Amazon.

The Secret to Creating These Journals Correctly

After nearly 20 years of keeping a gratitude journal, here is what I know: there is no one-size-fits-all method to writing about things you are grateful for in journals. And the journals can be as opulent or utilitarian as you choose them to be. The power rests more in the act of being willing to curate notations in pretty much any type of blank book available to feel empowered, centered, and in connection with creative flow. And, in any format that suites the writer. I have listed in bullets, stars, and dashes. Furthermore, I have done full-page stream-of-conscious writing to delineate optimal experiences, too. And, while I do not fix a specific time to do my journal during the day, one of my friends swears that by listing pleasantries before bed helps her sleep like a baby.

Still Confused? Set an Intention, Then Start Writing!

Circling back to Meister Eckhart, set a simple intention of thank you in your journal. Then, in any form that feels authentic to you, jot down examples from your day that resonate with the intention in mind. Some days it will be easy when blessings seem to pour freely into your path. I am grateful for the sunshine that streamed through the trees on my walk near the shore. I am grateful for the GNO and the laughter we shared. I am grateful for the pot of soup Mom brought over when I was down with the flu. Other days the basic provision of head-to-pillow gratitude may be all that can be mustered. I am grateful that this day ended. I am grateful for my bed. I am grateful for my blankets and soft pillow as I go to rest.

Often, however, there is a tug towards center to create an entry that shows appreciation for the steaming hot mug of tea, the kitten curled up on my lap, or the beat of the rain on the window like a metronome helping me to place my words on the page.

In short, Gratitude Journals are as unique as people and the experiences. These tools harvest heartfelt praise in even the darkest of days. And, yes, that in itself is enough.

 

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Founding Father on Productivity: Write – Or Not

Deciding to Write – Or Outsource Communications – Key to Productivity

Ben Franklin knew a thing or two about productivity and time management. He created time management ideals by observing that one should not “waste time, for it is the stuff that life is made of.” And, too, he argued that people should “either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Which brings us to the concept of doing one’s own copy and content writing or outsourcing communications to someone else. What is your time worth? And, are you applying it well?

Write - Or Not
Considering productivity? Do a Ben Franklin: “Write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

The Stuff Life Is Made Of

Being productive is all about how time is spent. Is writing something you enjoy doing? Do you wish to create your own web content, your own sales ads, your own elevator pitch? Or are there other more pressing matters in your day-to-day business dealings, which you could spend energy on more productively? When I was growing up my father used to say to me, “Do what you do best and hire others to do what they do best.” Seems like something Ben would agree with, too.

Write Something Worth Reading

What if you do want to create your own work and it just doesn’t seem to flow? Does it have great SEO? Or, what if you like the idea of writing your own content. You end up talking about it all of the time over coffee with friends, but then never get around to keying it? The resistance can make getting the ideas down seem like a huge chore. The cliché, “making a mountain over a mole hill” rings true here. Procrastination can cause the simplest task to seem like a daunting endeavor.

Do Something Worth Writing

There is a middle ground here. You can provide an outsourced writer or editor a greater amount of detail about the project to make the writing streamlined. The document you assist in creating would be easier for a contractor to complete that way.

Turning the Key

Whether you write your own text, let a professional writer handle it, or work collaboratively with a professional writer, you want results. You can turn the key on to greater productivity when deciding which method would work best for you.

Why Meet Clients in a Coffee Shop?

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