Viral Storytelling with The Story Lady, Ronda Del Boccio

Today I am excited to introduce you
to nonfiction author Amir Makin.  Amir is the author of A Worthy
Muslim:  Quranic Tools Needed to Overcome
Oppression and Imperialism in Order to Institute Justice.

You can purchase Amir’s book at AIC
Publications and Amazon.

Blurb/summary of book

This material
provides an examination of the Islamic way of life and offers solutions to
problems concerning situations of injustice which underprivileged minority
communities in different parts of the world regularly experience. Socioeconomic
issues such as racism, poverty and legal system imbalances are analyzed. The
author compares these issues with the religious texts of Islam and identifies
imperative tools needed to successfully overcome and conquer them. What
does Islam say about tyrants? Why is Islam not a religion? The answers offered
here address these questions and more.

The book also explains how oppressed communities can
handle and overcome oppression by seriously examining the practice of true
Islam. The author analyzes the difference between what is incorrectly perceived
as Islam and the way of life called Al Islam while also detailing how different
prophets implemented Quranic teachings when standing against injustice.
Information is then used to examine real world situations of oppression that
occur in today’s climate with a particular emphasis on the disadvantaged and
impoverished of American society from not only a socioeconomic standpoint, but
a psychological and spiritual vantage as well.

Do you set writing goals and write them
down?

First, allow me to
express my thanks to you for being able to share this side of me with your
audience. I always set goals by asking myself first what true message am I
trying to convey, what audience am I addressing, and if a layman were to read
my literature would they be completely lost, if so then I’ll modify my writings
to provide a basic education on the subject matter so unfamiliar readers don’t
feel ignored. 

Do you set goals for your physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual aspects of your life with specific action steps and
deadlines?

I establish daily
spiritual goals in my life. I believe in developing one’s spirit first which
can enhance the intellectual and psychological as well. The main one is to make
right today what I did wrong yesterday. If I can enjoin what is right and
forbid what is wrong then I’m satisfied with the man I am. I get regular
inspiration from the Qur’an when it comes to self improvement from the approach
of optimizing one’s manhood development as well.

What aspects of your own life are woven into
your book?

Since the book
deeply examines oppression and many of its depravities, I’ve definitely included
instances of oppression that I’ve experienced and observed such as racism, or
religious discrimination that may come as a result of misunderstanding a
concept of jihad.

How do you spark your creativity?

I am generally
motivated by current events, especially affairs attributed to the Middle East or Iraq or Africa. What I normally do is look at how these
situations are reported and try to understand the information that is suspect.
This search fuels a great deal of my creative fire.

How do you relax?

I normally try to
distress by watching episodes of Mission Impossible. I like the intriguing
plots of that era. I also relax by reading success stories of entrepreneurs and
those who have risen above all odds. This serves to help keep me motivated, and
energized about future possibilities. But my most relaxing moments are with my
family. Ramadan (month of fasting) is also an extremely relaxing time for me
because this is time where four of the five pillars is Islam can be practiced
at one time.

What do you enjoy doing with friends?

I enjoy watching
football games on any given Sunday, where we all gather at someone’s home,
potluck style and leave off the worries of our own personal lives and for those
3 hours the only thing that matters is what happens on the screen.

What quality do you most desire to develop
in yourself as a person?

I’d like to improve
my ability to not take all things so seriously, be a bit more jovial. My uncle
was really good at this and since he passed away I have thought about being
able to do this much more frequently than ever before.

What themes and/or issues predominate in
your work?

I pride myself on
writing about things that many are afraid to discuss or unwilling to address. I
often write from the theme of overcoming the devastating effects of
colonialism. Additionally, I address areas where social justice has been
forgotten and the results felt by those powerless to change it. I’m very much
into trying to stop the “little guy” from getting stepped on, and it’s time
that books on Islam by independent authors began to articulate similar
positions.

What is better about your life now than it
was 5 years ago?

Five years ago I
didn’t have a family, now that I do, I have a better sense of collective
responsibility, and a greater understanding of what it means to be selfless as
opposed to the selfish mentality that comes when you only have yourself to be
concerned about.

What was the most important lesson you
learned about yourself as a person during the writing of your book?

The most valuable
lesson for me is that I need to adopt an attitude of perfection. This means
that in whatever I seek to accomplish I must try to make it perfect in every
way and in all things, regardless of its intended purpose.

Thanks Amir
for stopping by the blog that shows you how to awaken the hero within YOU!

Tags: mentoring, Kama Sutra of Storytelling, home based business, story coach, folklore, host

Did you realiza that bad storytelling can actually be hazardous to your health? 

Did you realize that bad storytelling can make your relationships die a slow and agonizing death.

Did you realize that bad storytelling can destroy your prospecting efforts for your business or charity?

Today I am the featured expert on Power Talk Radio,  with Mr. 90 Day Goals Frank Gasiorowski  And today I am revealing –

“The 7 Deadly Sins of Storytelling and How to Avoid Them”

These 7 deadly sins  of storytelling are deadly because they create harm, distress, or even illness.

One of the 7 deadly sins of storytelling makes physical changes in you that damage your health - unless you understand how to tell yourself the right kind of empowering story.

Another of the 7 deadly sins of storytelling turns prospects away from your business and makes them search elsewhere - unless you understand how to create and nurture trust.

Please join me, The Story Lady Ronda Del Boccio, and Mr 90 Day Goals Frank Gasiorowski tonight at 7 PM EDT on Power Talk Radio.  You may listen via computer or call in to 1-646-716-9940 to chat live.

I’ll also show you how to become a more effective and profitable storyteller in 3 minutes tonight on the call.  This will be the first time I reveal how you can get a customized free report from me that teaches you how to keep from committing the 7 deadly sins of storytelling.

I will also tell you how to grab a copy of the Sneak Peek Edition of the Kama Sutra of Storytelling: Positioning, Power and Profit that now has links where you can earn money simply by sharing!

Join me live tonight - OR you can download the recording anytime.

Ronda Del Boccio, The Story Lady

Tags: story coach, storyation, mentor, Blog Talk Radio, entrepreneurial authoring, success

I’m so sick of the Secret Movie and the “law” of attraction.

OK, I’ve said it.  I’m SICK of it.  Dave Lakhani, you’re not the only one who thinks that calling attraction a “law” is misleading. 

Sure, I believe in creating the outcomes I want, but it isn’t just a head thing and the universe isn’t a short order cook.  Simply running movies in your head about getting a new red car alone won’t make it happen. 

manifesting doesn’t happen in the head.

Do I believe in attraction?  You bet!  But I wouldn’t call it a law.  It’s no secret that what you focus on expands.  Focus on wealth or poverty and that’s what you get.  But that doesn’t make attraction a law, because it isn’t reliable as taught in the movie.

You’re encouraged to comment whether you agree or disagree.  I am not afraid to stir the pot.

all this is relevant to my InnerSpace LIVE Author Interview Thursday night, March 13 at 8 PM EDT.  Dyan Garris is author of several books, including her latest, Money and Manifesting.

This will be a much longer interview than normal, and you will be able to ask questions too, via phone or via chat.  You can get a reminder of the interview before it happens AND listen to it anytime by clicking here.  She is touring the blogosphere this month to introduce her new book to the world on her virtual book tour through Pump Up Your Online Book Promotions.

She addresses the frustration that so many people feel.  You’re thinking positive thoughts and clearing away poverty mindset thinking and imagining abundance coming your way –

but nothing is manifesting, or not as much as you would like.

So what’s the “REAL” secret?

People start manifesting from the wrong place in their bodies, according to Dyan Garris.  Find out more on Thursday’s call on Innerspace.

Listen to the call here.

Download the call after march 13 on the Innerspace page (look for march 13, Innerspace In Depth about Money and Manifesting).

Dyan has a complete system of personal and spiritual growth that balances the body’s chakras (energy centers) and connects you with the divine.  Find all her music, books, meditation aids and other products at Voice of the Angels.

The Story Lady

Tags: mentor, network marketing, leadership training, folklore, host, legend

Previous in series Next in series

May I tell you a story?  It’s about me, but it may be about you too.  The details may differ, but I suspect you and I share some similarities in this area.

I never realized that I devalued myself as much as I did until I started learning about marketing.  I used to think marketing was only about promotion, but I have since learned otherwise.  That is a story for later.

As someone who is mostly blind, I found it difficult for any employer to take me seriously.  I was one of the brightest in my class with terrific grades and unstoppable drive, but because I could not see well, employers assumed I couldn’t perform the job.

It’s very hard to prove job discrimination based on disability even when you’re darn sure that’s exactly what’s happening.  They say, “We chose another applicant who was a better fit” or “we chose another applicant who was better qualified” when what they really meant was…

“We chose an applicant who isn’t obviously deficient.”

No, I don’t believe I am deficient, and I did not then either.  But what most likely happened is that the employer stood at its desk, put its ands over its eyes or maybe even turned the light off and said, “I couldn’t cope, so neither can she.”

Maybe the reality was somewhat more subtle than that, but that’s what was going on in the employer’s head.

I had been taught that you go to college and get a job.  Going to college - no problem!  Learning was the only part I ever liked about school.  Kids teased me and went out of their way to be cruel in grade school and high school, but books never called me names or teased me because I wasn’t good at sports or threw a ball at my head because they knew i couldn’t see it.

The jobs I ended up doing after college were not worthy of anyone with a degree, for the most part, but I took what I could get.  I ended up working in disability services eventually, because that was one area where I experienced reverse discrimination.

A lot of the service providers for people with disabilities MUST hire a majority of qualified disabled employees.  Sure, I was qualified as much by life experience as by degree, but I had really tried hard to work in something other than a disability related job.

Yes I was good at what I did and yes, of course I cared very much about the people I served, but I discovered that working these kinds of jobs taught me to devalue my contribution to the marketplace.

Imagine getting a barely living wage for doing all of this: 

• Creating promotional materials, including letters, flyers, and so educational booklets
• Speaking to groups in order to raise awareness, raise funds, or recruit students into a training program
• Coordinating statewide events
• Traveling all over the state to recruit new students 
• Writing, editing and proofreading of various types (yes the blind person is a good proofreader)
• and more

When I made my entrepreneurial leap a couple of years ago, I made a major mindset shift when I really GOT the whole concept of valuing myself.

I love sharing this with people, because I want you to have the breakthrough that I had.  Please listen to my latest show on Today’s Guest on BlogTalkRadio.

Click here to listen.

Download here by looking for the March 7 show and clicking on Download (right next to Play).

Tags: BookWise, host, I\’ll Push You Steer, Kama Sutra of Storytelling, story coach, folklore

Well, now that I’ve had the first Blog Talk Radio InnerSpace Author Interview with Dyan Garris,  I’m using the audio in a different way you may not expect to create interest in the show.  I amde a video and used Traffic Geyser to shoot it all over the net.  Since Dyan has so many products related to her Angel Cards and angelic guidance - such as CDs, greeting cards, spiritual guidance cards, meditations and music - I took those images and made them into a video with the audio track overlayed. 

See, even if you don’t have a digital camera that shoots 300 frames per second (fps), you CAN create videos!  All I did was use Windows Movie Maker (iMovie if you have a Mac), to organize the images with transitions between them and add on the audio track.

I also made a show logo today, which I rather like.  That was simple with PrintMaster.  After creating the logo, I saved it as a JPG file (export as).

I also plan to take short snippets of a couple interviews once I have more and make a short video, but this was fun.  No, I won’t be doing this for every author.  It took me quite a bit of time that I wouldn’t have every week.

Anyway, have a look at the video - and if you would care to give me a positive rating and comments, that would be great.  I will check out your videos too.  (see the podcast link below)

Watch the VIDEO

The Story Lady

author and author coach

Tags: folklore, Awaken The Author Within, Kama Sutra of Storytelling, story coach, host, legend

I have a show on Blog Talk Radio called InnerSpace LIVE! Author Interviews.  I am also one of the Fab 5 on the Today’s Guest show on BTR.   Naturally, that means I want to get exposure for the show.

 So how do you get exposure for your Blog Talk Radio show?

10 Ways to Publicize Your Blog Talk Radio Show 

1. Give your show a keyword rich title that the search engines will love.  InnerSpace LIVE! Author Interviews has the key phrase “author interviews.”  Likewise be sure each individual show title is descriptive with key words for the search engines.  Same goes for the show description.  Today’s show is called “InnerSpace: Meet Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels,” which gives the author’s name as well as her body of work (also this is her website name at VoiceOfTheAngels.com), and of course InnerSpace will become associated with me as it gains a reputation.
2.  If you already have a show, you may have already seen something under “My Account” called “Promote.”  How lovely that Blog Talk Radio gives you some tools!  Thing is that most people will gloss over this and not pay attention.  I’ll focus on some of the ideas from the Promotion information in another post.  If you ahve a guest, be sure to remind the guest to blog about the show and inform his/her network of contacts.  Use the tools that are there for you to use!
3. Tell your distribution list/membership list about your Blog Talk Radio show.  If you have guests, be sure to remind your guest to publicize the show to his/her list. 
4.  Blog about your show, being sure to use the name of your show and Blog Talk Radio in the post and your show name in the title.
5. When your guest or anyone blogs about your show, go give them a Dig or add them to Delicious or other social bookmarking sites.  This gives you more footprints on Google (and the other search engines of course).
6.  Remember that BTR is a COMMUNITY.  Go check out some shows in your niche.  Make some friend requests.  I’m just starting to do this now since InnerSpace LIVE Author Interviews is new.  I did a search for “author interview” and “author” and made a bunch of friend requests.  I will let you know how this helps my traction and ratings as we go along.  You get to be a fly on the wall, and I’ll share everything I learn with you, OK?
7. Give favorable comments to great shows.  Don’t we all love an encouraging word?  This also shows you’re not just there to promote yourself.  Again, InnerSpace LIVE Author Interviews is new and so you can watch the list of friends grow and learn with me how to optimize exposure and get attention for the show.
8.  Tell key people in your niche or topic area about your show and invite them to be guests.  Any author has the opportunity to apply to be on InnerSpace Live Author Interviews.  You can get an application here.  If I don’t know you, I’ll probably give you a call to pre-qualify you.  naturally, I want you to shine.  I’m letting authors know about the show in the various networks and author groups of which I am a part.  (That includes the InnerSpace Author Interviews on this blog as well, naturally!)  Examples include Ning networks, forums and communities where people in your niche “hang out.”
9.  Ask your friends/subscribers/contacts to give your show a positive comment and 5 star rating.  Today I interviewed Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels.  When you listen to her interview by clicking on the show title, you’ll see a comment box and a star rating system.  Since you’re there anyway, why not leave a comment?  I’ll do the same for you if you have a show.  Reciprocity is a wonderful thing.
10. Add the Blog Talk Radio show button on your blog and/or website.  You’ll see mine in the upper left corner of this blog.  It lets people know that you have a show.

Let me know what YOU discover as you publicize your Blog Talk Radio show, and be sure to listen to the amazing authors I’ll be interviewing on InnerSpace LIVE Author Interviews.

The Story Lady

Tags: spiritual tradition, author coaching, Blog Talk Radio, I\’ll Push You Steer, success, story

I am so very excited to introduce you to a wonderful person and author.  I discovered her when she was taking a virtual book tour of the blogosphere with her intuitive cookbook.

Be sure to listen as I interview her on InnerSpace LIVE! Author Interviews Friday, January 18 at 11 AM EST.

Dyan Garris is a prolific author, as you are about to discover.

The Book of Daily Channeled Messages is 180 messages from angels to be used as daily angelic guidance or a bibliomancy tool.

Voice of the Angels Cookbook – Talk To Your Food! Intuitive Cooking is about opening one’s creative centers, being fully in the moment, and taking raw ingredients and transforming them to what truly nourishes you on every level, not just the physical level

Voice of the Angels-A Healing Journey Spiritual Cards are 30 angel cards to be used for angelic guidance and divination. Each has an angelic message in memorable quatrain verse. Each card is a scene from A Healing Journey Guided Fantasy, which is the last track on …

A Healing Journey-Voice of the Angels CD. There are six CDs in the series of music and meditation for self-healing, chakra balance, and vibrational attunement of mind, body, and spirit.

The Journal is for recording your card reading journeys.

The Meditation Journal is for use with the CDs and is for recording your meditation journeys. Fish Tale of Woe-Lost at Sea is a small story about entitlement, victim mentality, and more.

And now for the InnerSpace Author Interview:

Introducing…Dyan Garris