Tag Archives: ebooks

Not Caring What Other People Think is A Superpower

This is the title of a book by a guy I interviewed on my podcast and who has accomplished a lot, especially in the last 5 years. (Physics degree, 13-1 professional boxing record, military service, sobriety, successful online business, three books, over 90k Twitter followers).

I strive to completely adopt that attitude and it’s a quality I admired most about my dad. More importantly, I try to encourage the kids not to care what other people think-especially their parents.

I don’t want the kids to make choices based on what I think is best, I want them to make choices and learn from their own instincts.

How else can they grow and thrive on their own?

This idea has a slightly different context when I apply it to myself. There are some things that I would like to do or try but I hold myself back based on what other people think, including the kids. How weird is that?

For example, I would like to practice getting comfortable in front of the camera. I think it’s a valuable skill to be able to articulate an idea concisely with a camera pointed at you. An easy (in terms of non-cumbersome) way to do that is on Instagram stories but my kids (well, one of them) would be mortified. So, I haven’t yet.

A friend records herself regularly on stories as part of her fitness business/journey and I admire her so much for it. She has gotten more natural over time. Her stories are clear, concise, articulate and entertaining.

I’ve gotten better at not caring what other people think as I’ve gotten older. I would never have homeschooled the kids, started this blog, started a podcast or published an ebook if I had considered what other people thought of those projects.

I’ll press on, though. Doing and learning new things is the only way for me to grow.

What others think of me is none of my business.

Khaled Hosseini-And the Mountains Echoed

Reading and Writing: What I’ve Been Up To

 

Khaled Hosseini-And the Mountains Echoed

 

If you’re here from Elizabeth Foss‘ blog, WELCOME!

Sorry I’ve been absent this summer. When I launched this new blog, I had big plans for updating it regularly and telling you about the new kitchen in my mom’s apartment among other things. Then…the summer of going all over the place hit but it’s been great. I definitely want to write about that as a wrap up. Not that anyone but me cares, I just want to remember everything we did.

I read a lot of ebooks and blogs about blogging and writing ebooks. (If you’re interested in any of the titles, let me know).I could read about both topics endlessly but I decided to write an ebook! I’m in the process of having people proof read it, then I’ll convert it to a format that’s compatible with Kindle and it will be available as a download. I’m hoping to launch that in a couple of weeks. I also built a new website related to the topic (PA Homeschool Law) which I made public TODAY! (I’m nervous and excited)

Let me say this (and I promise to write a more in-depth post about it later), all my research convinced me that EVERYONE is an authority on some topic(s) which can translate into an ebook or ebooklet. What I’ve read about digital publishing is definitely consistent with my behaviors as a consumer.  For example, I love to read and tend to purchase inexpensive (or free) titles that focus on a limited topic. So, I really  will write about my experience jumping into it, including what I learned.

I did manage to read some fiction this summer. Just one book, though….the new Khaled Hosseini novel, “And the Mountains Echoed” and it didn’t disappoint. I love his writing. He’s a great storyteller and is what I call an efficient writer. By that, I mean he can portray a landscape, a character, a culture and a voice without a lot of unnecessary words. He does a great job of introducing the culture of a different country, its history, its triumphs and troubles. I’m painfully ignorant about most other countries, especially middle eastern ones. So, I have liked that aspect about all three of his books. Remember, Hosseini wrote ‘The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns“.

Possible Spoiler Alert, But Maybe Not

If you’re like me, you don’t like to hear any details about a novel before you read it. I won’t give anything away but I have one major criticism about this book. It jumped around so much that I ended up not really caring about ANY of the characters. He tells each segment beautifully and I figured out the connections but I ultimately didn’t connect with any of the characters.

You know how sometimes you’ll care so much about a fictional character that you find yourself thinking about him or her as you go about your day? That wasn’t the case here and it was disappointing. In spite of that, it was a page-turner because the story was well-crafted. I’m still glad I read it.

Let me know if you read the book and what you thought.

Since Elizabeth posts about books on Thursdays, I’m commenting over there.
needle and thREAD

Head over to Elizabeth’s blog and check out what she and others are sewing and reading. You might be inspired!

 

 

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