Cessna 182 airplane
Blog post: 17 Sep 2019
My mission statement is this: to help people. And I am passionate about it. So, okay, help people what? I want to help people prepare for and cope with setbacks in life. What do I mean by setbacks? Setbacks come in many forms; death, divorce, job loss, debilitating illnesses…all sorts of things. The problem we have is most of us don’t like to think abut this sort of stuff and don’t plan for it. Our society focuses on “winning.” But when it comes to loss, especially losing loved ones, there are two kinds of people: those that have, and those that will.
About the book
I wrote the book to pass on my learning experiences of suffering a devastating loss in the hopes of helping others. The hidden gem is that it has been extremely healing for me to write the book and to help others.
The book is broken down into basically four areas:
· Why it is so important to have your personal affairs in order (wills, estate planning, etc.)
· How to cope with the loss of a loved one.
· How to act around someone who has lost a loved one. For instance, don’t say “well the deceased is in a much better place now.” UGHH…I hate that one!!!
· And quite frankly, the book is a love story. A love story that ended way too soon.
People get creeped out when they hear stuff like “get your wills in place, and your affairs in order," and they want to avoid the topics. I think it is because it scares us and makes us think about our own immortality. What I am here to tell you about is just the opposite; it is all about YOU being the survivor of someone ELSE dying. It is hard as hell to get through it, but it can be done. My kids and I are proof it can be done. Too many people suffer hardships and they just can’t seem to understand that with time and effort, you can 100% get your life back. It might not be the same life you had before, but you can go on to be happy and live a fulfilling life once again.
The website
My website will morph and grow over time. I want it to be interactive and hear from readers on things they want to know about, from a survivor’s point of view. Or, chime in on your own experiences of how to cope.
Things I will be blogging on:
· Why we need to teach kids in high and middle schools coping skills to overcome setbacks in life.
· Why we need to change bereavement policies at work. Three days bereavement time off is crap. And the workplaces/schools/etc. need to do a better job of helping people dealing with losses such as death, divorce, job loss…..any kind of setback.
· What it’s like to do a TED Talk.
· The power of prayer, for believers and non-believers alike.
· The art of being a nice person, and why it will reduce your stress.
· What’s all the reference to “Live a Great Story?”
· Camp Brave Heart….what do they do at the camp?
· What it’s like to write a book.
· And much, much more!
Steve