Positive changes

I was speechless when I saw this in my E-mail. I am honored to have received this private newsletter, Chicken Soup for the Soul Communique, distributed only to multi-published Chicken Soup writers. My story, Two Little Words With a Big Impact, (but/and) was published in Chicken Soup My Resolution in 2008. Six years ago! And my words are still circulating and impacting others. We never know how far a reach our words will have or for how long a time our words (good and bad) will last.

I received an acceptance on my story for the Chicken Soup Alzheimer's and Dementia book to be released in March. Humbled is what I am. If it makes final round selection, it will be my 21st Chicken Soup for the Soul published story.

Have you ever been unable to forgive someone for something they did or didn't do? Sit down and write about it as though you are talking to me. Then wait a day, edit your story and send it off to Chicken Soup for the Soul on Forgiveness.

A Note from Your Publisher 2014

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We

are going to put words on them ourselves. The

book is called Opportunity and its first

chapter is New Year’s Day.

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A N E XC LU S I V E M O N T H LY C O M M U N I QU É F O R O U R W R I T E R S

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

 

People tell me that I’ve changed (for the better), and they seem to attribute

it to my work at Chicken Soup for the Soul. I guess you can’t help but be
affected when you read thousands of revealing, heartfelt stories every year,
submitted by people who are selflessly sharing their best advice, wisdom,
and experience with readers (and editors) they don’t even know.
All this advice from contributors comes in handy at this time of year, when
it gets dark early and there is plenty of quiet time to think about the
changes I want to make in my life. I have learned so much about making
resolutions from your stories and re-reading Chicken Soup for the Soul: My
Resolution. It contains many resolutions you can implement easily,
simply by deciding that you will.

 

So here’s an easy New Year’s resolution that you might want to try: Have you ever caught yourself saying something negative and wished you could stop? I certainly have. Well, we can stop ourselves. We are, after all, in charge of what comes out of our mouths.

 

One of the resolution stories that has stuck with me was by Linda O’Connell, one of our regulars, who made me think about the negative power of the word “but.” She wrote, “I’ve been listening to myself lately, and I don’t like the way I sound. As a veteran teacher, I know that praise can be a huge motivational tool.” Linda went on to admit, “My daughter called to tell me about a house she was interested in. I listened to her. I said, ‘Honey, I am glad that you’ve found something you like, but don’t you think, with the gas prices, you might want to buy closer to your work?’” As soon as Linda said the word “but” her daughter’s excitement faltered.

 

Thank you, Linda, for a great reminder. It’s amazing how many positive changes we can make in our lives merely by deciding to change. And one of those decisions can definitely be what we say or don’t say.

Your publisher, Amy Newmark @amynewmark