David Mezzapelle's Blog, page 5
June 14, 2013
Journeying by train
Meet Mona Tippins.
Mona wanted to be remembered for something unique. A “bucket list” did not appeal to her, and her award-winning pineapple upside down cake was not enough. So she decided that she wanted to combine her love of train travel with a world record. And she did it! She traveled through 33 countries by rail and never traversed the same place twice. Her mileage was enough to have circled the globe three and one-fifth times.
By age 65, Mona made it into the “Guinness World Records” and still holds the record today.
Image from Scott Calleja
June 13, 2013
Caring
Meet Sharon Dunbar.
Sharon is a terrific caregiver for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and she always thinks outside of the box. She once cared for a gentleman from Maine who wanted a giraffe. Instead of saying “no” like most caregivers would say, Sharon said, “OK, let’s talk about it. Where do we get the giraffe? How do we transport it? Where does it sleep? How do we feed it?” They even spoke about walking it around the courtyard of his community so that it could visit with other residents by sticking its big head in their windows.
Over time, of course, the giraffe never came. However, this gentleman showed amazing improvement in his Alzheimer’s therapy. He showed focus. He felt loved. He felt valued. And in the words of Sharon, it’s not about the giraffe at all. It’s about the meaning that we give to everyone around us— sick or healthy, black or white, rich or poor.
Image from Jeff Kubina
June 12, 2013
Life Coach Lesson: Empowerment is Key
Friendly reminder: Make sure to order a copy of “Contagious Optimism”!
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For more than ten years, Laurie Martin has been a teacher of self-love and personal empowerment. Laurie shares her wisdom and guidance as a speaker, certified life coach, yoga teacher, advice columnist and author of “Smile Across Your Heart: The Process of Building Self-Love” and her new e-book, “The Conscious Breakup Guide.”Laurie is a contributing co-author in “Contagious Optimism.” For more information, please visit www.smileacrossyourheart.com. You can reach Laurie at LaurieM@SmileAcrossYourHeart.com.
Personal power is freedom. It means we are not looking to others for validation; we are not at the mercy of being defined by anything outside of us. My belief is that each person is beautiful, infinite and fully empowered.
Relationships help us see what is inside of us; they act as mirrors that reflect our insecurities, anger and disappointments as well as inner peace and joy. The more intensely we are triggered negatively by the external, the more important it is to explore why we reacted so emotionally.
Once we get to the “heart to the matter” within, we can use accountable communication skills in our relationships. If we really want to build intimacy and feel empowered, we need to learn how to discern our feelings and how to express them in a responsible manner. The way we communicate during conflicts within our relationships is very important to the outcome.
I once had a client who arrived at our coaching session in tears. Christina, whose name was changed to ensure anonymity, was confused and worried because her husband had excluded her from participating in what he considered as “his” projects. His abrupt change in behavior made Christina feel unworthy.
I listened to her story. I tuned in to how this experience “triggered” Christina. I asked her questions like “What are you afraid of?” I repeated details of her story and asked her, “When he said that, how did that make you feel? Have you ever felt this way before?”
These questions helped her get to the bottom line of how she was feeling and take responsibility. She focused less on her anger and more on the cause of her anger, realizing that this situation was reflecting her own lack of self-love. There is always a bigger lesson in our conflicts—especially when they are triggering strong emotions within us. I helped Christina process her emotions by allowing them to be present, and she drew awareness and power back to herself.
Each time she confirmed her feelings, I had her write each one down on a piece of paper. Up until this point, she hadn’t expressed her feelings to her husband. She was so caught up in her anger; she didn’t sit down and process “why” she was so angry, so she projected her anger onto him. I asked her, “Did your husband express his feelings using actual feeling words?”
Christina said no; he gave his reasons but not his feelings. Christina agreed to stop blaming her husband and focus on her feelings.
Once we define our feelings, the next step is to use responsible communication techniques with others. To connect with others, we need to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and share how we feel in an accountable and respectful way. As the speaker, the intention is to be authentic—to speak from the heart about his or her feelings, to create a connection and peaceful resolution. With this intention as the foundation, it alleviates the blame game. It’s also important that each person has the opportunity to speak without the other person interrupting, making faces or shaking his or her head.
I told Christina that when she talked to her husband, she should stick with expressing her feelings and needs and give her husband the same opportunity. One night Christina told her husband that her anger was coming from her own self-love issues. Christina’s husband listened to her and expressed sympathy. To Christina’s relief, he apologized and said that he did want her involved in the projects. Christina finally felt acknowledged by him.
I’m proud of both of them. They shared their feelings and needs, listened to each other, felt heard and came to a happy resolution. I spoke to Christina a couple of months after this incident, and she told me that they were doing great. Now she is helping her friends use this communication technique in their relationships.
Surviving
Meet David Katz.
David survived the Holocaust on a very simple recipe, which wasn’t so simple to follow at the time: “Do what you’re told, never complain and most important, constantly visualize yourself being freed of this hell.” He shared this recipe with everyone around him. For those who listened, they survived and still thank him today.
June 11, 2013
Finding true love twice and forging family ties
When a loved one passes away, that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy again. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to mourn your loved one. You’ll want to honor his or her memory.
But eventually, you’ll start to remember the happier times. You’ll want to experience that bliss again. And when you find another special someone – through meticulous selection or happy accident – you might be surprised by how much you’ll gain by opening up your heart once more.
Here’s to moving forward with the past in mind.
Meet Jim and Rachel Harper.
Jim and Rachel lost both their spouses in the 1950s. However, within a few years, Jim and Rachel met through an amazing set of coincidences and serendipity. They eventually got married and brought all their children together in a “Brady Bunch” type of way – long before the “Brady Bunch” was ever heard of. The children hit it off so well that they created an unwritten rule which said, “We are not step-siblings; we are true brothers and sisters.” Well, 60 years later they still follow that rule today. Jim and Rachel are still very much in love and are thankful to have found true love twice in a lifetime.
Image from creativecommons.org
June 10, 2013
Meet Barbara Woodworth
Meet Barbara Woodworth.
Barbara tells us about her husband, Bill, of 53 years, whose optimism is so contagious it inspires everyone around him. Bill had polio as a child and was forced to endure painful treatments and live in and out of hospitals most of his young life. Instead of complaining, Bill channeled that energy into humor and optimism that he shared with children who were also stricken with polio. It was said that he added light to their darkest days and helped them to recover as well. Today, Bill asserts that optimism and a sense of humor are as vital as food and water.
June 9, 2013
Age is just a number
Frank McCourt. Mary Wesley. Norman Rush. What do these three authors have in common? They became published authors well after age 50. These writers – and their works, which have affected the landscape of literature – show that you’re never too old to start writing and get published. Now who is next to join their club?
Perhaps Diane May, one of our contributors who is not giving up on her lifelong dream.
Diane tells us about how her father would whistle like a mockingbird to call her home for dinner. Today she is in her mid-90s, and every bird she hears reminds her of her childhood. She even wrote a children’s manuscript, entitled “The Perfect Whistle,” about a mockingbird named Mockswell that whistled pleasant songs to soldiers during the war to help remind them of home. Well, despite her age, Diane hopes to get it published some day.
June 8, 2013
Allison Frattaroli and Sasha Clark, two girls who saw others in need
Meet Allison Frattaroli and Sasha Clark.
Allison went shopping for a prom dress last spring, a rite-of-passage for teen girls every year. Amongst all the excitement, Allison realized that many girls couldn’t afford these dresses and couldn’t go to their proms. Instead of doing nothing about it, Allison decided to start a prom drive by collecting pre-owned dresses, shoes, and accessories for underprivileged girls. As we all know, prom dresses and bridesmaid dresses usually get worn once and are never worn again. So, Allison and Sasha formed a team of their friends and the staff from Kids Helping Kids, a nonprofit organization in Connecticut, and together they made Prom Drive a reality. And due to its overwhelming success, Prom Drive is still going strong today and will continue every year. How awesome is it that these two young girls combined their hearts, their brains, and some common sense to create a free service that can make so many people so happy?
June 7, 2013
Contagious Optimism LIVE! Officially Launches
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Becky Woodbridge
(561) 561.251.7059
Contagious Optimism LIVE! Officially Launches
First Event Scheduled for October 4, 2013 at FAU Lifelong Learning Society Jupiter
Jupiter, Fla. (June 7, 2013) — The Contagious Optimism team, including author David Mezzapelle, co-author Becky Woodbridge and publisher Viva Editions, along with Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Society Jupiter, is excited to launch Contagious Optimism LIVE!
Contagious Optimism LIVE! is a series of events featuring inspirational talks from speakers with uplifting real-life stories from around the world. Speaker coaching will be offered by Hayley Foster. Each event will also include audience participation, entertainment, food, drinks and more.
This first event, scheduled for Friday, October 4, 2013, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Society, Jupiter, Fla., is free and open to the public. Online pre-registration is required. A reception will immediately follow the event.
According to Mezzapelle, Contagious Optimism Live! was created to:
Make optimism contagious before a live audience in cities and towns around the globe. This allows people to hear and see uplifting stories of perseverance first-hand.
Offer a motivational event unlike any other that people of all demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds can afford. The team believes that everyone deserves to experience Contagious Optimism regardless of his or her means.
This event is sponsored by Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Society Jupiter and Viva Editions.
Learn more about registration and other details at www.contagiousoptimismlive.com.
About David Mezzapelle:
David Mezzapelle believes that all humans have the capacity to make optimism contagious just by sharing their life’s adventures, their successes and even their failures. Mezzapelle is the author of Contagious Optimism, an uplifting book series that contains real stories from people around the globe. Mezzapelle was the founder of Goliath Technology, a global data center infrastructure company. Mezzapelle also orchestrated one of the most innovative internship programs ever created, a staple for organizations today. After selling Goliath, Mezzapelle launched several companies and philanthropic initiatives and along with serving on various boards. Throughout his life, Mezzapelle has encountered great peaks and valleys – all of which he is grateful for and has always kept his glass “completely full.”
About Becky Woodbridge:
Becky Woodbridge has lived a life taken down many avenues. With more than 25 years as a major airline attendant, her background in owning a real estate company, and now the experience of organizing TEDxDelrayBeach and Contagious Optimism LIVE!, Woodbridge sees each opportunity in life as another chance to live.
Originally from Bangor, Maine, Woodbridge needed a change in scenery, so she packed up her bags. Discarding the idea of a limited horizon, Becky eventually settled in sunny South Florida. She quickly became an active member within the local business community, holding memberships with the National Speakers Association, Florida Speakers Association, American Society of Training and Development and the International Coach Federation. In 2007 Becky participated in Leadership Boca Raton and Leadership Delray Beach and is a contributing author to the book “Contagious Optimism” by David Mezzapelle.
About Viva Editions:
Viva Editions is a California-based publisher that releases books meant to inform, enlighten, and entertain. Visitwww.vivaeditions.com for more details.
Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Society Jupiter:
The Lifelong Learning Society at FAU Jupiter offers non-credit, university-level courses for learners of all ages, backgrounds and interests. Courses are available in topics like foreign policy, fine arts, philosophy, science, and many others. More info here: http://www.fau.edu/divdept/lifelong/LLSJupiter/llsjupiter.php
Uplifting Stories and Motivational Advice for Positive Forward Thinking
By David Mezzapelle, Foreword by Marshall Goldsmith
ISBN: 978-1-936740-41-3
Trade Paper, $16.95
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