……of Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days by Mari McCarthy

8 Vicki Summers Newell Tweet About the Giveaway

Today is day 3 of Armchair BEA and the topic of discussion is the following:

Today is the day that we discuss networking.  Many of us bloggers network online.  Afterall, Armchair BEA is all about networking online, particularly with other bloggers.  However, how can you get more involved offline and in real life?  Have you ever wondered how some bloggers have established those connections with local bookstores or libraries or even beyond?

For Day 3, we want you to share your positive experiences of using your blog to get involved in your community.  This can involve partnerships with the local literary scene, attending author events and signings, or getting together with bloggers in your area.  We want to hear it all!

Another day in this community and another issue learned.  I, unfortunately, did not know about the above and hoping to gather information on how to partner and network within my community.  I thought, naively, that all networking among us was via internet.  So since I have no experience in this area, would appreciate any tips, where to start, what to do, etc.  I thank you in advance if you are stopping by and leaving comments on this subject.

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

The statistics of marriages and divorce in today’s world are staggering.  The days of  The Cleavers ( a family sitcom in 1957-1963) are gone.  So when Rebecca from The Cadence Groupcontacted me about today’s guests, I thought it would be an interesting visit.  Please help me welcome Dr. Tony Feretti and Dr. Peter Weiss to our group.

                       DR. TONY FERRETTI       and           DR. PETER WEISS

Dr. Peter Weiss is physician and healthcare executive with a passion for helping others to health and wellness. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Weiss currently serves as an executive for the Adventist Health System in Orlando, Florida.

His coauthor, Dr. Tony Ferretti is a licensed psychologist who has helped clients recognize the addictive nature of power, control, and “success” for over twenty years.  A Ph.D. graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, he’s appeared on Dr. Phil and hosted his own popular radio show, “Talk to Tony.”

GUEST POST

Change Your Life Not Your Wife

 Peter J. Weiss, MD

Tiger Woods, Elliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford, John Edwards, Jack Welch, Arnold Schwarzenegger…  The list goes on and on.  Who will be next?  It’s only a matter of time until the newspapers headline another major public figure who destroys his marriage, family and perhaps his career through self-destructive behaviors.  The world wonders, “What happened?  How could he throw it all away?  What was he thinking?”

Some of us know what he was thinking.  He thought that that the purpose of life is accomplishment or conquest.  Perhaps his greatest drive was achieving more at work, making more money, or having more stuff.  Hey, I’ve been there, and I see it all around me in medicine and business.  Thinking that way can get you far in life, but it’s not a healthy way to live.  Often it destroys marriages and families.

Occasionally a marital crisis may cause one of these high flyers to wake up to life’s bigger questions.  “What’s life all about anyway?  Why am I living like this?  Why do I feel so much pressure?  How do I want to live?  How can I enjoy life more?”  But some never wake up.  They just dig in and work harder.  Achieve more.  Earn more.  Buy more.  Perhaps even get the “trophy wife.”  And then the cycle repeats.  Third or fourth marriages are not uncommon for these folks.

Unfortunately many of the same personality traits that propel us to material success can spell trouble for our relationships. Emotional immaturity, intense ambition, perfectionism, and “control freak” behaviors are common among high-achieving physicians, attorneys, businesspeople, politicians and entrepreneurs, in all communities and of both genders.  We all know these individuals, and we are often witnesses to their crumbling relationships.  I’m sure you can bring some names to mind.

The good news is that people can change.  It takes work but it can be done.  Relationships can be repaired.  Marriages do heal.  When couples are willing to work through their issues dramatic improvement and healing are possible.  That’s why I coauthored Change Your Life, Not Your Wife with Dr. Tony Ferretti.  People need help.

So if you’re the typical Type A personality climbing the ladder of success, my advice is don’t wait for your crisis.  Don’t be next.  Admit your issues and change for the better.  Conceding that you have a problem is the hardest part, but truth is, others around you already know what you’re like.  Many, especially your spouse, would probably be happy to help.

Give some attention to your spiritual and emotional health.  Seek answers to life’s bigger questions.  Make time for your family and friends.  Take it easy on yourself.  Learn about managing your emotions, especially anger, stress and frustration.  Enjoy life more.  This doesn’t mean that you need to be less effective at work, just less consumed by it.  You may even be more effective at your vocation as a more balanced person.

Change your life, not your wife.  You’ll be glad you did!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Are you winning at work but failing at home?

Save your marriage before it’s too late!

Divorce is everywhere. Especially among high-achieving and success-driven professionals-sometimes even those in long-term marriages. Unfortunately, this divorce pattern often repeats itself resulting in more broken relationships. In Change Your Wife Not Your Life, Drs. Ferretti and Weiss demystify this seeming discord – highly successful individuals failing at home and making life-damaging choices. They offer hope through insight and easy-to-understand exercises to improve these most important relationships.

Drs. Ferretti and Weiss explain how the same character traits that propel us to succeed in our careers can bring our family life crashing down. Using true-to-life examples that we all can recognize, they clearly outline the perils posed by being achievement or power oriented in your intimate relationships.

Eschewing the blame game, the authors stress that usually both partners have had a role in arriving at a marital crossroads. It’s not just one person’s fault. Their good news is that relationships can get better. Marriages do heal. When couples are willing to work through their issues, dramatic improvement and healing are possible.

In this book you will:

· Discover the common personality traits behind the succeed at work/fail at home syndrome,

· Understand how your current behavior in relationships has been shaped by your childhood experiences,

· Assess the priorities in your life and the importance of shifting your focus from possessions to people,

· Find simple assessments, and exercises to help you evaluate your marriage,

· Learn through a step-by-step process how to heal, nurture, and grow your marriage with proven and effective tools,

· See how counseling works to help couples heal relationships, or to heal separately when relationships do fail.

THANKS TO REBECCA FROM THE CADENCE GROUP, I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO THE GIVEAWAY
PAGE.   U.S. and CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE
LARGEST ISSUE WHY MARRIAGES END IN DIVORCE?*

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*
*NO P.O. BOXES*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

   “It’s not that, ” says the guy. “I”m sorry about this, I really am, dude. I’m actually going to kill you now.”
He looks.
“What did you say?”
“It’s the principle,” the guy says.
Then the guy hits him over the head with whatever he’s got in his hand.

page 4

I have an embarrassing issue to confess to.  The BEA starts today.  How I so wish I could attend one year but due to the difficulty of walking, I know that it is something I probably will never be able to do.  Last year I saw Armchair BEA  around bloggyland but thought that it was just bloggers relaying their experiences while they were actually present at the event.  

Yesterday, via another blog that I visited, sorry can’t remember which one to give them the credit, but they had the link for the Armchair BEA.  I did not realize that I could actually participate virtually so I signed up yesterday and am so excited about being part of this event.  Today’s assignment is getting to know each other.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself:
Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
My name is Cheryl Masciarelli (pronounced Mash-a-relli, hence the nickname Mash. Have been married for 31 years with 2 phenomenal sons, who both live out of state due to jobs :(.  I have been blogging for 2+ years and am now also a partner in a virtual tour company, Partners In Crime Tours, with Molly, from Reviews By Molly. I stumbled onto a book blog, never knowing they existed and for that matter, didn’t even have a clue at that time, what a blog was. I stalked a few for a month or so and it looked like so much fun that I decided to join the club.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
I am currently reading The Bright River by Patrick Somerville, from The Hachette Book Group. Favorite book?  Tough question, since I have to say that this year there have been quite a few that were 5+.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
For those who follow me, there really isn’t one thing as I tend to share my real life experiences on my blog also.

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews, memes, something specific to your blog)?
Favorite? I love everything, the daily memes, guest authors, giveaways, challenges, and most importantly, the people I have met because of my blog and working with authors, publishers and publicists.

Where do you see your blog in five years?
Still here but hopefully that I will learn more about the social media sites and understanding and navigating the platform of wordpress.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?
It would have to be 2. One when my Mom passed and the other would be about the special angels that took care of her.

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
Ironically, yesterday plans were made to meet and have dinner with an author. I was contacted a while back to read and review a book, Ragdoll Redeemed by Dawn Novotny and to host a showcase through WOW Tours. The book was phenomenal and really left an impression. Since she wasn’t scheduled for the spotlight until this Thursday, June 7th, I decided to send her a copy of my review so that she wouldn’t have to wait to see it as it was her first tour. We started emailing and clicked. She is a kind, nice, genuine, amazing, strong and down to earth person. We developed a friendship and found we had some similarities in our life through emails. She is attending a conference in the state I reside and we made plans to meet. I can’t wait because I feel that I have known her for years.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
Meeting other bloggers and forming friendships is first and foremost. The other is sharing thoughts on books read since I am not surrounded by readers in RL.
Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
Yes. I have read books with the premise and/or genre that I wouldn’t have chosen prior to blogging.

I can’t wait to see what is next in Armchair BEA!

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

This week’s question:
Do you have a reading goal for the year, such as __ books? Why or why not?

My response:
Last year was awful in the number of books that I read.  Due to many personal issues/real life interference, I read a total of 50 books.  This year I signed up for both Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge, which I put 75 books as my goal.  I also signed up for the 100+ books Challenge, which I knew was wishful thinking on my part, but will sign up every year until I make it.  As of today I am at 34 books read.   I need to pick up the pace a bit to make my goal.  But once again, there are a couple of issues I am dealing with but at least I am reading several books a month, whereas last year, there were months where I only read 1 book.  I also need to be more disiplined and spend less time blogging and more time reading, which I hope to do for the second half of 2012.

Good luck with your goals!  Do you keep track of the number of books read?  If so, what is your goal and how many books have you read?

June is being hosted by Alternative Read

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                   Gina from Hott Books      The Hachette Book Group

                 

                Author                                               Author