We Are The Good People – If Only

April 16, 2017 / Penny L Howe / 18 Comments

anewbegng

♡

“Let us love, not hate in a world of uncertainty & fear. We will always be the one to shape our life’s flow and the direction. If we allow ourselves to be led, let us not blindly follow.”~Plh

“If only” you think to yourself knowing that worries will probably be the start of your new day making it extremely difficult to accomplish things with a happy heart, much less positive energy.

Truly, there exists altogether too much negativity to view and experience in the modern world of our lives a.k.a Social/News/Entertainment Media Overload. Those personal comments by those you know and those you don’t. News media’s seemingly never-ending reflections of what’s wrong in our lives and on our planet. And not to forget the amazing ongoing volume of advertising everywhere for everything (while some advertising appears to be of a positive nature it has still become an insidious encroachment in our everyday life).

But, what if we begin each day with the premise of knowing we are good people with positive, loving thoughts and then expand out from there.

Instead of investing in the newest, latest better than before iphones, pc’s or game playing apparatus and the ever newer extremely violent game (oft time becoming obsessive and addicting), invest instead in positive, happy comfortable feel good types of things (and not necessarily things you purchase ‘with a budget that says you can’t really afford it anyway’) for you, for your family, for your friends, for your coworkers, for life overall. Don’t you think we’ve carried consumerism just a smidgen too far?

Instead of watching increasingly violent movies and/ Cable/TV productions look for happy gentle movies and TV shows (hint: there’s a whole bunch of this type of available content from the previous century) or instead of reading dystopian or the weird and scary type of “best selling” books look for the well written novels with a more evenhanded approach to plot, character development and outcome. Instead of watching the “what’s wrong with everything and everybody” news reports – develop the instinct to recognize actual news reporting from opinion giving commentaries. Seek out places of well-being. Search for happy news. Good people doing good things in your community and beyond. Create an exciting new panorama for your daily life viewed from positive possibilities, subtracting those items (and people) which negate and diminish while adding items (and people) that assist your positive mentality to flourish. You and I can do this. Yes we really can.

Because I have to tell you there is a large amount of positive and good things happening out there. Although currently relegated to the background in much of our everyday life’s awareness; crowded out by negative sensationalism of every type.

You can turn your television or computer or iphone off for a few hours or days or …

You really can. It is still a really good world out there, more noticeable when there’s not so much noisy nonsense filtering it out.

You see, we are good people. You and I and the many overly concerned, confused and fearful multi-billions on this planet. And honestly, one by one, in a polite well mannered way, we can begin to remind each other of this humble and truthful fact. Beginning today.

So, yes we … you and I … can. Right now. This minute. One by one by one.

♡

Wishing you a pleasant beginning of the new week. May it be a positive and prosperous one for you.

With sincere affection,

~ Penny

Why there are rude, nasty people out there today!

June 25, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 33 Comments

It’s because they have forgotten author Robert Fulghum’s wise words regarding what many of us learned as kids.

“These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Stryrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.”
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

I think we’ve got the “Looking” part down pat, but most of the other rules, the ones related to good behavior seem, for many, to have gotten lost. And it feels like the more we stress “social correctness”, the more we see the breakdown of basic, good, everyday manners. Our politicians and other “people in the news” are certainly among some of the worst. But we’re (the private individual) not far behind them. Just go online for any subject, in any social media to find the very worst of how humans can be.

Don’t get me wrong, the very best is out there too, but there are those days when it seems we have to wade through the negative to get to the positive. Come on guys, knock it off. We’re better than that.

When we’re out there making a positive difference and helping others we illuminate the best of who we can be. And sadly there’s not an “app. for that”, so it’s up to us. Let’s be more focused on what’s right and less on what’s wrong.

And let’s be polite and show respect (this includes politicians of all parties). We’re getting darn tired of our politicians behavior, and I believe I speak for most Americans, even though we may individually disagree on a given issue, we all expect better of those we’ve elected to represent us in our government.

So that’s all – just so very weary of negativity. Hopeful for lots more positiveness, which is when things really do happen – for the better.

Have a positive “rest of your week”,

~ Penny

Writers Write – Right? A Promotional Post!

March 31, 2014April 2, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 9 Comments

That’s what we do! In whatever way we accomplish this – we write!

Promoting our written words can be much more difficult, so anything that helps to get the word out (ha,ha) is a good thing!

I was asked a little over a week ago to participate in a writer’s “blog hop”. If you have followed my blog for awhile you’re aware that it is with great infrequency that I engage in these activities. However, in an effort to further the writer’s cause, I’d like to thank Dee Strange for her invitation. This version of blog hop involves a 3-step process of participation.

Part A – answering questions, Part B – introducing the writer who invited you to blog hop, and Part C – passing it on.

Part A: Penny’s Q & A

What am I working on? With the patient support of my publisher I’ve been working (for over a year on an inspirational (achieving self determination) nonfiction book for women. In addition, I’ve been working on several fictional pieces.

How does my work differ from others of its genre? Well, the hope is that the inspirational book will actually make an impactful and positive difference, that it won’t become “just another reference book” to occasionally review, but something that makes an immediate difference from the first reading on.

Why do I write what I do? Because I love words and reading them. Because I like to create. Because I care.

How does my writing process work? I do my most creative writing early in the morning, or adversely late at night. Perhaps the stillness of those time periods has something to do with this. During the day as a thought or idea comes to me I will take a minute to jot it down, in a paper tablet or on my ipad. There are times when I can write for 3 or 4 hours and force myself to take a break before getting back to the written words. Other times my writing will be of short duration.

Part B – Introduce the person who brought you into the blog hop:

Allow me to introduce you to Delia, the writer.

Delia Strange was born in Aucklnd, New Zealand (north-west of Hobbiton aka Matamata) and lives in Brisbane, Australia. She wrote sci-fi stories in her teens, speculative horror short stories in her twenties (some were published), then put the writing aside for a little while and tried to act normal.

Normalcy didn’t work in her thirties so she resumed living in another world on the page instead of just in her head. Along the way she picked up her closest friend as a co-writer and together they mix all fantasy genres (science fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance). In 2014 she began an indie-publishing project for her science fantasy Femme, and is blogging about the process.

Blog: http://strangewriter.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @strangewriter42 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeliaStrangeAuthor Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13582300-delia-strange

Part C – Find 3 more writers to be the next blog hop participants and introduce them in your March 31 blog post. They will write their own entries a week after you (7 April) and then they will each find 3 people (for 14 April) and so it continues on from there. Promo your blog post as you see fit.

And here in Part C is where I, Penny, leave the script. When reviewing the fellow bloggers I’ve come to know in the last several years (online), I realized there were hundreds of them currently published or in the process of getting their first book “out there”. It was impossible to choose only 3 from among them.

What I would like to humbly suggest is – those of you who fit either of the above “published or about to be published” categories, are encouraged to participate in this blog hop. Follow the directions above and please reference Delia Strange as the writer who encouraged participation in this promotional and self help event.

Thanks for reading, hope your week has started out well for you,

~ Penny

With Eyes Wide Open – Information Technology in our lives!

February 21, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 30 Comments

THE BAD Too much information. Too much opinion. Too little thought. Too quick to respond so you’re not making informed decisions. Too little time to allow change to happen correctly in the offline world. Too much, too fast!

THE GOOD More people connecting around the world, More people sharing, More people learning, More people reaching out to others. More is a very good thing here. An excellent thing, actually!

The good and the bad things connected with all of the instant connectivity of information in our lives is overwhelming. Throw in commercial enterprise and politics and it is absolutely impossible to know what is true and what is false. On the scary side it does seem as if everyone is selling something to someone else. Whether its a product, a service or a mindset (think politics here)!

There is really no way around the fact that each day we are overwhelmed with more information than we can reasonably assimilate.

So what to do? Easy deal. Slow things down. Turn it off. You decide for how long. A few minutes, A day, A weekend. More. It will all still be there when you return.

Connect with things outside of multimedia. This means no computers, no tv and no iphones or ipads. Now there’s a thought.

Inconceivable? I don’t think so.
Necessary, I would think so, most especially with eyes wide open.

Have great weekend!

~ Penny

Why Do You Blog

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 54 Comments

???

The obvious reason is because you enjoy blogging. But Why?

Some bloggers begin with a “fixed agenda”. They have a product to sell or they are part of an organization and have a message they want to get out into public awareness on a professional level.

For many of us, it just seems like a fun thing to start doing.

Currently I’m writing a piece on how to promote your blog site so I recently visited quite a few bloggers and read the various reasons given for why they blogged. (When I was active in the marketing world one of the first questions I would ask a client was what they hoped to accomplish with an advertisement or promotional campaign.)

So the question “Why do you blog” seemed like a good place to start.

The answers were interesting because they were multi-layered and the reasons for blogging morphed or changed a bit over a period of time. The first reason.

It makes you feel good. The creative process, writing the words/or creating the artistry, displaying the results; photographs, illustrations and videos, music etc.

The second reason was also obvious.

Wanting to share your words, ideas, (creativity, thoughts, images sounds and moving action) with others. And to share theirs. Learn about their world and what they were/are doing!

The third reason was the most interesting, however. And the reason I think many of us feel a sense of addiction, after awhile, to the blogging world.

validation. Or more to the point, connecting with others, creating awareness of yourself outside of the world you live in. Being liked and appreciated for who you are and what you’re doing.

In summation, many people set out to blog, to find their own identity, to explore themselves (unaware, to a degree, that this is what they are doing). As soon as we’re old enough to recognize our need for other’s approval, we consciously or subconsciously continue to look for it. And whether we receive it as a child or not, a part of our adult makeup continues to want and need that approval. To be well thought of. Validated as having purpose, value, a worth.

The blogging world is excellent for this purpose. With very little understanding of the how and why of the online technology of today you can create your own blog and connect with others.

The ‘like’ button lets the blogger know his/her current post has been “liked”. The ‘follow’ button let’s the blogger know their posts “in general” are liked and the other blogger wants to “follow” them. The ‘comment section’ allows a blogger to share their feelings about any given post that has been written. The additional ‘multi-media options’ (such as twitter, facebook, linkedIn, google+ and so on) allows others, (visiting your blog), to spread the word (further endorsing that they like what you are doing).

And there you have it. Approval and validation. And don’t think it isn’t important. How many of you are unaware of the numbers of how many visit you, and who they are? And why is it important to you? Just think on this a bit.

So we’ve come full circle back to the question. Why do you blog? It’s for all of the above reasons.

I believe, for most of us, blogging is exceedingly healthy. You reach beyond where you are or where you’ve been, or even perhaps where your going. You set your sights a little higher. You bring potential goals a little closer.

I’ll venture a guess and say that most of the emerging bloggers -including myself – (in the last year or two) as well as those coming out right now, don’t have much of a clue about the technology they are using to communicate with others. They just know they want to.

And that – all by itself becomes an enriching learning process. The global communication system now available to so many of us is an excellent way to learn and grow, share and connect and become more than you’ve been.

So ask yourself, one more time – Why do you blog? Is it to connect and communicate with yourself and others? To share, learn, grow while being creative and interactive? To achieve a greater awareness of who you are and feel good about those discoveries? I’m guessing for most all of us the answer is yes to all the above!

Happy blogging, enjoy the process and create, share, learn and grow, I know I am.

~ Have a great day,

And yes, after a year I decided to change the “theme” of my blog page, I hope you like it!

~ Penny

Marketing (online)!

June 12, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 18 Comments

Before there were websites, before there where buildings where people sold “goods” there were open air Markets. There still are too. An open air market is a place where people come to buy needed or desired items. “Vendors” (Those with a product or service to sell.) would set up their area, (booth, specific location) arrange their products, and wait for customers to arrive.

That’s the hard part. In the marketplace, potential customers (foot traffic) will show up. Online (your website) you have to go get them, convince them to show up, encourage them to buy your product or service and then, make it happen (the Sale, of course)!

As people walk by an open market, Many vendors “hawk their wares” that is to say, they yell out or do something to attract the attention of the people walking by. Their purpose is to draw individuals over to them, so they can do their best to sell their products.

The word “hawking” can be used metaphorically today to describe people or businesses who aggressively promote anything for sale. Notice the words “aggressively promote”. For many (writers, artists, etc) being aggressive takes you out of your comfort area. But unless you are very aggressive with the presentation of your product/service to creative an awareness (branding) and then remember to ask for the sale, it isn’t going to happen! So before you try to sell anything, it is a very good thing to understand the nature of the “art of selling”.

Know who is most likely to be interested in buying what you have to sell. (your potential customers) and focus (target market) on them.
You don’t need to know fancy or special terminology to understand marketing. Follow the wisdom of the successful “Vendors” in the outdoor markets.
Have a specific area where people can come to view that which you’re offering for sale.
If you don’t have a naturally ability to be “out there” (promote) so people notice you and your products/services, hire someone else to do that, and or have a hook (an original angle that attracts people to your location). Multi-media leads the way for getting the word out in the online world. And there are numerous online locations to “hawk your wares”, so take you time in deciding what combination of these communication connections will be of greatest value to you.
Create an online identity with yourself and/or your product (branding) that people will come to recognize. It isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Stay tuned for my next marketing post!
Have a “hook”. A clever angle that draws the customer to you. (yes I know I already said this, but it bears repeating to you artistic types).
Understand and know you need great passion believing in yourself and your product (every day). This passion will give you the much needed ‘will power’ to be aggressive (not an “in your face” aggression – but a persistence of purpose or attitude to sell). There are many unsuccessful people with great talent. The two greatest assets for selling your product or service is persistence and determination.

In my next Marketing Basics post I’ll discuss the Art of Promotion (yourself and your product) – getting the word out there!

Thank you,

~ Penny

The Lemmings Express – Awwwfully Interesting!

November 8, 2012 / Penny L Howe / 18 Comments

Awww-fully Interesting – Group Mentality!

Lemming is the name for a number of small, plump animals related to the mouse. Lemmings live in the cold, northern most parts of our world. One of the most well-known kind – the Norway lemming – lives in the lands of Scandinavia. I’m Norwegian so cast no aspersions here.

This little guys grow from 3¹/2 to 7 inches (9 to 18 centimeters) long. They live for about 2 years.

About every four years, in most cases resulting from overpopulation, the number of Lemmings in the wild become greatly reduced.

Scientists believe severity of winters, diseases, and behavioral changes due to “stress” trigger these extreme die-offs.

Some people believe that large groups of Lemmings throw themselves from cliffs. But Lemmings do not deliberately kill themselves.

Lemming suicide is fiction. They do not periodically hurl themselves off the edge of a cliff. What is not fiction is that as a result of population explosions, Lemmings do attempt to migrate to other areas to relieve the pressure.

During the course of the migration (because of being so closely grouped together), they can fall over cliffs or drown in waters.

These are not deliberate deaths but rather the result of a Lemming’s (group mentality here – staying with the herd) venturing into unfamiliar territories and being crowded and pushed over dangerous ledges.

The truth of the matter is when the competition for food, space or partners becomes too intense, Lemmings are more likely to kill each other than to kill themselves!

Now if anyone is thinking that there is a play on words here and that this is a veiled reference, a hidden meaning – BINGO you win!, Metaphorically speaking of course! GOT IT? Thought so!

Thanks for the visit, have a great day by being “that very special unique and separate from the crowd person” that you truly are!

~ Penny

Sometimes I ponder – The trending of it all!

November 7, 2012November 7, 2012 / Penny L Howe / 59 Comments

When – What Then

When sands of time – cease to flow

When dreamers – cease to dream

When thinking thinkers – just don’t know

What then will come, what then.

When roaring rivers cease to flow

When laughter fades away

When breezy winds no longer blow

What then will come, what then.

If tomorrow isn’t there

And only now exists

Will my heart beat matter much

this moment to the next.

~ Penny Howe, 2012

Ponder this – if you will: Is staying on top of – tuned into – and gravitating towards the next big trend of things really all that important in life? Really? What do you feel, where are you trending … and is it where you want to be tomorrow?

Thanks for the visit, I hope that your tomorrows are all they can be!

~ Penny

Looking for Love in all the Right Places

November 7, 2012 / Penny L Howe / 46 Comments

Don’t all of us look for love, in some way or other? I think we do.

I believe with a quick reference to multimedia here, that while commercialism is certainly in the mix, whether we go online and “search”, or twitter, facebook, blog, or a variety of interactive things in the everyday world we are looking for love. To be loved and love in return. It is important.