An Interview with Marcy Stone

Available on Amazon and where books are sold

Q. Does writing energize or exhaust you?
I find writing energizing and healing

Q. Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
I would think a big ego would hurt you regardless of whether you are a writer or not. The balance needed is not there and you would become righteous in your words vs. compassionate.

Q. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
No, because what I write is personal and is to help people find their way in time of personal crisis. That means to me that they need truth and to know who is behind the words and have I walked my talk so to speak.

Q. Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

No, that would feel unauthentic. I write from the heart.

Q. Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly? 
To me, writing is a form of communication a message with passion just like music lyrics and art. 

Q. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
While the “The Voice of an Angel” can definitely stand alone, I do feel another book coming that can align with it nicely as it shares the before and how we lived. But in the backwards “Star Wars” kind of way (meaning the order will be backwards, getting the end first and then how we did it after)  The cookbook, “The Best of Both Worlds Cookbook, Heavenly Recipes with a Healthy Twist”, will be a series of sorts. We plan on creating a few more bite-size books in 2019 with healthy options in honor of those that we lost.

Q. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? 
Be kind to yourself and have patience. Know, going into writing, that you are going to uncover some pretty cool things about yourself that you may not have realized before. Have faith that you can accomplish anything, ESPECIALLY on the tough days.

Q. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing? 
I am no longer worried about making a mistake. The process of writing and publishing can be intimidating the first time around but once you find comfort in the process, you can find ways to simplify. 

You can pick up a copy of her latest book "The Voice of an Angel" on Amazon. 

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About Marcy Stone

Following the tragic death of her youngest daughter, Marcy's world shattered, but she knew her Angel was watching over her helping her take that first step, and then the next. This book shares how she found her way through her loss and how she continues to move forward.

Marcy is an accomplished Intuitive Life Guide for over 15 years and holds advanced certificates in several healing modalities in addition to having over 17 years of business leadership experience.

She is a lifetime student of the healing arts and brings her passion for growth and self-empowerment into her work and life. Marcy is married has two beautiful daughters, one that walks with her and one that watches over her.

Are Millennial Men Rejecting “Manhood”?

A major evolution is underway among millennial men and women in their values.

Douglas LaBier Ph.D.

The New Resilience

In this era of #MeToo, and controversy about “toxic masculinity,” some new research is very relevant: It indicates a shift is underway in how young men envision “manhood” — in their attitudes, their values, and their behavior — in their relationships, their careers, and their view of “success.”  I think we’re in the midst of a generational evolution with large-scale societal and political implications. 

To illustrate, one study (link is external)of over 600 millennial-aged men found that they are likely to be selfless, in contrast to the old “looking out for number one” attitude. They are also socially engaged with issues and causes and are highly health-conscious. 

Overall, this study from the University of British of Columbia(link is external) found that the masculine value they most strongly endorsed was selflessness. As described in this report(link is external), “Ninety-one per cent of the men agreed that a man should help other people, and 80 percent believed that a man should give back to the community. Openness also ranked highly — 88 per cent said a man should be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new people — and so did health, with a majority of participants saying that men should be healthy or in good shape.” 

Moreover, the traditionally “male” values ranked lower on the scale. They are still valued by the majority of participants, but less so than other values. For example, 75 per cent of the men said that a man should have physical strength, compared with 87 per cent who said a man should have intellectual strength, and 83 per cent who said emotional strength. Autonomy was also ranked lower, with 78 per cent saying that a man should be “independent.”

I think these findings are significant as generational shifts continue. Although the study was conducted with men from Western Canada, they likely reflect a broad, growing theme among the attitudes and values among younger people who enter adulthood in an increasingly diverse, interconnected world. As lead author John Oliffe said(link is external), they “…seem to be holding masculine values that are distinctly different from those of previous generations. These values may run counter to long-standing claims that young men are typically hedonistic, hypercompetitive, and that they risk or neglect their health.” Added co-author Nick Black(link is external), they “…are expanding their definition of masculinity to include values like openness and well-being. The study was published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity. (link is external)

We’re also witnessing the impact of millennial values — among both men and women — upon the workplace, in how they deal with their work and careers. For example, a new study(link is external) finds that millennials are prone to leave their jobs when they experience a “values gap” between themselves and the workplace culture – particularly around sustainability issues.

That’s especially notable because it contrasts with older generations. That is, many people report great dissatisfaction and dislike with their management and leadership culture, as many surveys and polls show. But most tend to suffer emotionally and physically; often frozen in place, perhaps from fear of losing what they already have, or insecurity about change.

Millennials appear to have a different mentality altogether. A summary of this new study from the University of Missouri(link is external) reports that millennials tend to job hop – something well known about them, and that older workers don’t understand. And a major reason is that they feel a disconnection between their personal values and the workplace culture. As one of the researchers, Rachel LoMonaco-Benzing explained,(link is external) “Not only did we find a gap, but we also found that workers were much more likely to leave a job if they felt their values were not reflected in the workplace.”

Co-author Jung Ha-Brookshire added(link is external) “They have been raised with a sense of pro-social, pro-environment values, and they are looking to be engaged. If they find that a company doesn’t honor these values and contributions, many either will try to change the culture or find employment elsewhere.” The researchers say that companies need to understand that the new generation of workers have high ethical and social expectations. The study was published in the journal Sustainability.(link is external)

All of these changes in values, attitudes and behavior among millennials are likely to have increasing impact on all realms of our society in the years ahead. Stay tuned!

Original article

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-resilience/201806/are-millennial-men-rejecting-manhood

How Just Touch 360 is Helping Students and Parents

Since 2007, Just Touch 360 has nurtured our communities youth and provided them an opportunity to unleash their inner potential. Whether you’re interested in becoming a professional athlete or entering a health-related career- we’ve got options that are suitable for everyone.

Through the application, youth will have access to scholarships, job readiness, college tours and more! 

For Youth
Making a Difference One Child at a Time

At Just Touch 360, we strive to empower the lives of youth in our communities through our full-service app. Our application is designed to provide youngsters with all the tools they need to be great leaders tomorrow. We are happy to be a driving force behind the development of our children and hope to continue making a difference in their lives.

For Parents
Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow

We know you love to see your child excel and we want to help you empower them! Through our Just Touch 360 application, we provide access to career readiness tools and life enrichment tools to guide your child to the right opportunities enabling them to reach their full potential.

Get in touch today to learn more about how Just Touch 360 helps the community.

What is Just Touch 360?

Just Touch 360 is a full-service application whose mission is to provide a better quality of life for underprivileged youth. We do so through a platform that engages youth academically while navigating them to the career path of their choice. With guidance, access to a multitude of resources we help youth reach goals that ultimately transition into life successes. 

Confessions of the Heart: Interview with Canaa Lee

Part I:
An up close and personal interview with Canaa Lee author of Confessions of the Heart

What were you like at school?

In high school, I was a social outcast.  I always had my nose in a school book.  I was an overachiever and involved in a plethora of activities: piano lessons, girl scouts, 4-H, leadership events, summer enrichment programs, skating and band.  It was not easy being different.  My brother made fun of me all of the time, and people talked about me in school.  I was shy and stayed to myself.  But that lasted until I went to college.  All of those hurt feelings, low self-esteem, teasing and jokes came out, and it was not nice.  I became conceited, arrogant and prideful.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Writing a book is not just about developing a piece of literature.  It also includes an attractive tag line, a book cover, marketing strategy, developing themes that draw people into the story.  I definitely was not able to do this without a publishing company.  It was a daunting task to find a reputable publishing company. As a result, I thought I would attempt to self-publish my book.  It initially sounded like a good idea.  I was cover designer, editor, publisher and marketing team.  It quickly turned out to be a lot of work and required a lot of time.  I was getting nowhere fast.  The book did not get a lot of feedback.  I quickly found out that everyone wants to self-publish; it is almost impossible to get discovered.  I had to decide on the right points of the story to highlight; this was one of the most challenging tasks to do.  I decided to take the book down and make some revisions.  The Lord brought me Christian Faith Publishing.  I believed the story is one that is worth telling.  The literary agent agreed with me.  

Now when I write, I think about a cover and opening lines that will catch people’s attention.  These are two important things that are essential when writing.  I learned when getting my new release published that presentation, opening and closing thoughts and visuals are imperative elements to keep in mind during the planning and writing process.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

I find that I have moments of energy and exhaustion.  When I find myself really passionate and inspired by God, then I can sit down, and thoughts and words pour out of my mind and my heart like a rushing river.  In my mid-20s, I struggled with my relationship with Dad and dating, so I was moved to write poetry.  That season has passed, and I cannot write anything that is poetic in nature.  In contrast, there are times in which something stirs up within me and I want to write in it down, but nothing comes out.  In those times, I sleep a lot, and wait several days or weeks for the thoughts to come together in one cohesive, thought-provoking piece of literature.  It really depends on the season I am in my life and the message I want to convey.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

As a writer, you must have a balance.  I have been writing since I was in high school.  I have written two math books.  They were not as successful as I would have liked for them to be.   In my past life, mathematics was my passion, the area of my career I spent my all my time and energy.  However, when I surrendered my life to Christ in 2013, I did not intend on writing my new release, “Confessions of the Heart.”  I dedicated and placed this book in the hands of the Lord.  I have seen more success and doors of opportunity available because my ego has been put aside; I have allowed the Lord to guide and to lead me.  When you come to the understanding that success comes from the Lord, and when you don’t acknowledge Him, and then it hurts you as a writer. 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

It is my intentions to be original, and deliver content in a way that both intrigues and sparks curiosity in potential readers.  Too many times we go after what is new and fresh, but not always what people need.   It is my desire to give people a story that is inspiring, motivating, truthful and encouraging.

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

My Dad was a poet and a public speaker.  He was very talented but didn’t know how to share that with me.  As a freshman in high school, I tried to write poetry.  It was not very good at it.  But as I got older and gain some life experiences, the feelings and thoughts of my broken heart began to pour of me.  I would sit down and write; I could find the right words for the stanzas for rhyme.  So it is not that I couldn’t write but it was provoked by the trials and tribulations, and heartache and pain.  Writing became therapeutic for me, and gave me an outlet to express my feelings and emotions in a constructive way.

                                                          What is your book about?

“Confessions of the Heart” is just a snap shot of my thought life in my mid-20s, and immediately after surrendering my life to Christ.  When I experienced a broken relationship with my Dad, it influenced and skewed my thoughts, feelings, and emotions about every other man I got involved with.  It also affected my perception of God.

What did you edit out of this book?

I did not tell about all my relationship struggles or how God used my younger to help explain some things about life to me.  In addition, I did not talk much about my Mom in this book .

What draws you to this genre?

Many times we Christian forget how we used to be, and do not take the time to tell our stories.  This is a perfect opportunity to share my life in such a way that people are drawn to Christ. All the trials and tribulations have allowed to me relate to many different people on many different levels. 

Why do you write?

People are bombarded with much information all the time, and they do not know where to go and what to believe.  I use my gift of writing to give people sound Biblical advice and direction; give people encouragement, inspiration and motivation; to understand and to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is only reason to do anything: to the glory of God.

Want more?  Part 2 is coming! 

Join us February 7th for a LIVE interview with Canaa Lee of Confessions of the Heart. 

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Check out Canaa Lee on social media
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HeartOfRepentance

Confessions of the Heart Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/EpistlesOfARepentantHeart/

YouTube Station: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI4JNnIfEcg5Cgcrz3tQilw

Confessions of the Heart Website: http://www.christianfaithpublishing.com/books/?book=confessions-of-the-heart

Writing in Cursive - More Than Making Loops on Paper

J. Richard Gentry Ph.D.Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers

5 Brain-Based Reasons to Teach Handwriting in School

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience support teaching handwriting in school.

Teaching handwriting in elementary school is getting huge support from research incognitive psychology and neuroscience. Some state legislatures are paying attention and mandating that handwriting be put back in the elementary school curriculum. That’s smart. Handwriting absolutely helps support children’s literacy and academic development. Here’s what the research now says regarding both “why” and “how” to teach handwriting.

Five Brain-Based Reasons to Teach Handwriting: 3 “Whys” and 2 “Hows"

Why? #1. Handwriting helps kids develop reading circuitry in their brains.

If we want kids to learn to read, we should teach handwriting beginning in preschool. Brain scanning has demonstrated that handwriting in manuscript helps preschoolers learn their letters (James & Englehardt, 2012). In doing so the child who is learning to print letters is setting up the neural systems that underlie reading. How? By connecting several reading and handwriting distinct shared neural systems or networks in the human brain (James & Englehardt, 2012). Think of writing by hand as being indispensable for helping children develop a brain that reads with proficiency. That’s why schools that have thrown out teaching handwriting should bring it back.

Why? #2. Handwriting makes better writers and spellers and predicts reading and academic success.

The handwriting is on the wall. Research shows that learning to write by hand is a key component in improving both spelling ability and written composition. With beginners, handwriting experience facilitates letter learning (James, 2010; Longcamp et al., 2005), and letter learning not only sets up the neural systems that underlie reading, writing, and spelling but it is a primary predictor of later reading success (James & Engelhardt, 2012; Piasta & Wagner, 2010). In addition, handwriting fluency frees the child’s mind for more complex composing skills for making meaning (Dinehart, 2015). Much of the current handwriting research demonstrates immediate gains and lasting benefits for academic achievement. Even in upper elementary and middle school, research has shown that learning to write in cursive improved spelling and composing skills (Berninger, 2015). The takeaway? It’s worth taking the time in the daily curriculum and it’s worth the financial investment in teaching resources for handwriting.

Why? #3.  Handwriting makes both children—and adults—smarter! Close those laptops!

Learning handwriting in preschool is better than learning letters on the computer because research shows that handwriting in print—not keyboarding—leads to adult-like neural processing in the visual system of the preschool child’s developing reading brain (Stevenson & Just, 2014). In one study, researchers found gray matter volume and density correlating with higher handwriting quality, which signals more efficient neural processing and higher skills and ability (Gimenez et al., 2014). Furthermore, when older students lack fluency in their writing, composition skills suffer along with self-esteem, grades, and test scores (Stevenson & Just, 2014).

Even in adults handwriting is better than keyboarding for learning. Public Radio International’s Marc Sollinger reports Pam Mueller’s notetaking research at Princeton University that led Sollinger to champion handwriting and implore laptop writers to “Close Your Laptops!” and write notes in longhand. Mueller’s notetaking experiments found that typing on a laptop was much less effective for remembering and synthesizing information. Those lecturer-verbatim laptop notes weren’t as good as longhand for studying for the test or for retrieving information because ENCODING in writing—just as with preschoolers and kindergartners—is better for the learning brain than keyboarding.

How? #4. Start out with teacher modeling.

Exemplary veteran kindergarten teachers and researchers Eileen Fledgus, Isabell Cardonick, and I worked for over thirty years synthesizing the research and showing kindergarten and first grade teachers the benefits of teacher modeling for letter learning and writing. Even if children come to kindergarten classrooms unable to write their own names we have them drawing their story or drawing their information and writing meaningful pieces within a couple of months (Feldgus, Cardonick, & Gentry, in press). Now our techniques are supported by neuroscience and psychological research (see for example Puranik & Alobaita, 2012; Puranik,& Lonigan, 2011; Puranik, Lonigan, & Kim,2011).

How? #5. Teach handwriting directly and explicitly.

Handwriting is a complex skill engaging cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills simultaneously. It is best learned through direct instruction (Beringner, 2015; Berninger et al. 2006; Hanstra-Bletz and Blote, 1993; Maeland, 1992).

Some schools in the United States have stopped teaching manuscript explicitly in kindergarten and first grade, and stopped teaching cursive beginning in grade 3 ostensibly due to not having time to teach handwriting in elementary school. That’s a mistake. Handwriting for school children is a boon for reading, writing, and spelling. It’s still required in Great Britain—they are getting it right. It’s supported by research. We should be teaching handwriting (and spelling) in the U.S.

Invest in handwriting instruction, and as I reported in previous posts, invest in explicit spelling instruction. If you are a parent, a principal, a school board member, or aneducation administrator insist on direct handwriting and spelling instruction throughout primary and elementary school. Both are important stepping stones on the 21st century pathway to academic success.

Make Room in Your Office for the Helicopter Parent

Victor LipmanMind of the Manager

When "Helicopter Parents" Land at Their Kids' Jobs

"Mind if I Skype in to my son's interview?"

“Helicopter parents” are increasingly landing in their kids’ job scene.

Long known for over-involved hovering around schools and sports events, helicopter parents’ flight paths now sometimes include stops in the workplace.

These are the findings of a fascinating survey by Office Team that recently examined the phenomenon of such parental involvement, and how management is responding to it.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

For the survey, managers were asked to recall some of the more “unusual or surprising behavior” of helicopter parents. Some of the responses are below.

“One parent asked if she could do the interview for her child because he had somewhere else to be.”

“A job seeker was texting his parents the questions I was asking during the interview and waiting for a response.”

“A father asked us to pay his son a higher salary.”

“A woman brought a cake to try to convince us to hire her daughter.”

“One mom knocked on the office door during an interview and asked if she could sit in.”

“The candidate opened his laptop and had his mother Skype in for the interview.”

While the precise level of incidence is hard to determine, Brandi Britton, district president for Office Team, confirms parental involvement is a reasonably common phenomenon. “As a staffing firm, it’s not uncommon for us to encounter helicopter parents in the job search,” Britton says, ”And we’ve even heard of moms and dads hovering in career stages beyond that. This time of year, especially, we tend to hear more about helicopter parents since many students recently graduated and are hoping to land their first positions – potentially with a little help from mom and dad since finding a job is totally new to them.”

Managers' reactions – So how do managers react to parents being actively involved in their kids’ job search?

According to the survey, 35% felt “It’s annoying – job seekers should handle things on their own.”

34% felt “I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’ll let it slide.”

29% felt “It’s totally fine for job seekers to get help from their parents.”

Let me here interject a longtime manager’s (and parent’s) perspective. Personally, I think the managers interviewed for this survey have been extraordinarily tolerant and patient. And I do get that parents want the best for their kids. Sure. Understood. We all do. As a former manager for the largest employer in my area I was occasionally asked by a parent to guide a son or daughter’s resume to the right hiring manager or HR executive – and if I knew the young man or woman and thought highly of them, which I usually did, I was glad to voluntarily put in a good word for them. That level of parental involvement is entirely reasonable networking – it’s just how business is done. I never at all minded, never even thought twice about it.

But that kind of parental involvement is entirely different from the Skyping and cake-carrying and interview-meddling described above.

I don’t mean to sound like a curmudgeon, but this is my candid reaction to such “high-touch” parental involvement. If mom or dad had asked me to “Skype in” to an interview with their son or daughter, after I recovered from my initial astonishment I would have had five words for it.

1.Outlandish

2. Inappropriate

3. Not a chance

There’s a great old saying that parents should give their children “roots and wings.” Roots for a solid foundation and wings to make their own way.

That doesn’t include the wings of a helicopter!

Perhaps most important, for job searchers and parents this level of over-involvement just isn’t helpful. It’s counterproductive.

Ms. Britton offers the best perspective. “Ultimately,” she says simply, “Companies seek employees who display self-sufficiency and maturity.”

Original article found here

Building Relationships

Relationship - it's turned into a "four letter word" for some, while others need a label for clarification and comfort. Understanding the importance for proper classification and categorization can help many to see where they need to make adjustments in their lives.

Do you refer to people as your “friend” yet you’ve only known them for 2 weeks?  Do you feel that your cubical mate is your friend or as a co-worker?

Join us as we look at what to call the various relationships in our lives.