Ron Doades talks about the cover of 'Realizing You'

Is that a sunset or sunrise on the cover of Realizing You?

It all depends on your point of view. That point of view is the lens through which you lead your life—through which you experience living. You should be acutely aware of your point of view before cracking the book’s cover.

If you see the cover picture as sunset, ask yourself why. Perhaps it’s because that’s the way you lead your life, and the way you may view your future. Is the sun setting on your life? Do you view the future as if the best part of your life is over—as if you are just playing out the remainder of your life? Do you spend a lot of your time thinking about the past, instead of what’s going on in the present, and what you can do take to make your future as happy and fulfilling as possible? If you believe this does not describe your view of your life, and then move ahead. But, if it does, please keep that perspective in the front of your mind as you read Realizing You. Observe how some of the main characters wrestle with the “sunset” view of life, and what they do to let the “sunrise” view of life prevail—to let the sunshine into their souls. Engaging with those characters will help you to get maximum value from the book, and should make it a more fun reading adventure.

If you see the cover picture as a sunrise, ask yourself why. You might affirm yourself that you truly are looking forward to a bright, sunshiny future. If that positive, optimistic point of view is really who you are, keep that perspective in the front of your mind. It will help you to empathize with many of the characters and to learn many positive things that will help to motivate you to rise to greater heights of joy in your life. And, by opening yourself to letting even more sunshine into your life, you may discover things about your behavior that are blocking greater sunshine.

REALIZING YOU
By Ron Doade with Susan Sloate

BLURB:

Meet Robby Aihn, the newest star in the self-help universe and author of the runaway bestseller, Realizing You, now struggling with his first taste of fame. Though his five principles for good living are changing other people’s lives, his own life is starting to fall apart. When Robby stages a lavish self-help conference in Dallas, he attracts others with their own secrets: his estranged wife and unhappy teenage daughter; the businessman pursuing his own agenda; the all-star pitcher facing the end of his career; and the shy co-author Robby never acknowledged, who is searching for meaning in her own life. Join Robby and the others on their journey toward understanding and fulfillment, in this truly novel approach to changing YOUR life.

Read an excerpt:

Sophie was the last one awake. She lay tensely in the queen-size bed next to her mother’s until she heard Marie’s soft, even breathing. Certain that her mother was deeply asleep, she slipped out of bed, tiptoed to her suitcase, and took out the little pink and red bag. Inside nestled a print scarf and a multi-colored beaded bracelet. Both items still bore their price tags. She’d snipped the tag off only the tortoiseshell hair comb so she could wear it today. She took it from the nightstand, looked at all three items, shook out and stroked the glossy material of the scarf, then quietly tucked all of them back in the bag, which she pushed deep into her suitcase. She wouldn’t take them out again until she left Dallas. She’d never wear that stupid hair comb again. She told herself it wasn’t as pretty as she’d thought when she first saw it in the store. The stern little voice inside her head told her that wasn’t the reason.

Sophie refused to allow herself to know what the real reason was.

She hadn’t left Colorado with those items in her suitcase. Her mother didn’t know she had them. She couldn’t explain where she’d gotten them.

But taking them had made her feel better. Everybody did it, at least once or twice. No big deal. She took a deep relaxing breath, thinking about how the act of lifting them from the counter made her feel, and realized she was finally getting drowsy. She crawled into bed, turned over, and was deeply asleep in three minutes.

Available on Amazon

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

RON DOADES is president of Ronald Doades & Company, a consulting firm that, since 1977, has helped the people of large and mid-size energy companies improve their individual and corporate performance results by learning from the best-practice experiences of others. A popular speaker on the topic of managing change for optimal results, he holds an MBA from Columbia University and an MS in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Visit him at www.realizingyoubook.com

Author of STEALING FIRE (#2 Amazon bestseller and Quarter-Finalist in 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest), co-author of FORWARD TO CAMELOT: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION and REALIZING YOU. 2003 edition of FORWARD TO CAMELOT, a time-travel thriller, was a finalist in 3 book competitions: 2004 IPPY Awards, 2004 Arizona Authors Assn. Literary Competition and 2008 Beach Read Competition. It was also a #6 Amazon bestseller in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, optioned in 2005 by Fast Carrier Pictures for film. Also author of 17 published young-adult books (fiction and non-fiction, sports, biography, romance, etc), which includes Silver Medal/2007 Children's Moonbeam Awards, for RAY CHARLES: FIND ANOTHER WAY! from Bearport Publishing. MYSTERIES UNWRAPPED: THE SECRETS OF ALCATRAZ (2008, Sterling Publisher) led to author appearance on MYSTERY QUEST: ALCATRAZ, a special for The History Channel, summer 2009. Playwright of two produced plays, screenwriter (2 screen properties optioned), sportswriter (major-league baseball and power volleyball). Founded and chaired the East Cooper Authors Festival in May 2007, a program that brought together published authors with students from primary schools through high school outside Charleston, South Carolina in programs designed to excite students about reading. Inaugural program reached more than 8,000 students in one day.

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