Be selfish – Do some good today (The art of giving and taking)

Frank Selmo - WANA commons

As a child we give and receive unconditional love - it is such a shame we lose that instinct as we grow.

I read a self-help book many years ago and a very simple concept put forward by the author (I cannot remember who wrote the book) talked about being a ‘go-giver’ not a ‘go-getter’.  It was the common thought at in that time that to be successful you had to aggressively ‘go’ and ‘get’ what you wanted to become successful.

In my younger, more ambitious days that is how I thought as well.  My ‘friends’ were those people who I thought could be useful to me and each situation I faced was approached with a ‘what can I get out of this?’ attitude.  I have learned that most experiences, good and bad, have a way of shaping and changing your views of the world, and of other people.

I was one of the world’s most cynical ‘glass half empty’ people, and, being a lawyer, have always insisted on proof before accepting a concept.  Well, now I have the proof.

My roller coaster ride of transition from lawyer to writer has been disappointing, uplifting, upsetting, exhilarating, and above all educational and instructional – mostly in a very positive way.

When you start out as a writer, with no connections, no money, the IT skills of a goldfish and limited time, but with the skill and genius of all the best writers who ever lived (sadly, so far unrecognized by anyone but me and my cat), promoting your product and your skills is challenging (I have learned that ‘challenging’ is the ‘in’ word for ‘bloody difficult’).

The good news is that the community of writers has proven to be warm and receptive, welcoming and friendly. Being a Go-Giver is definitely the way forward – I have given what time and resources  - re tweeting, sharing posts, reviewing books, and helping other writers in whatever way I can – I can spare.  I can honestly say that these small, helpful acts have come back to me a hundredfold and I have built up a wonderful group of writer and IT friends who will help me with any problem or need.  Writers really are, in general, a selfless and giving group – I am proud to aspire to be one of them.

I am not an expert in writing, marketing or IT.  I am an expert in Law, I am reasonably proficient as a piano player, and I am half decent as a beach fisherman.  I do not claim to be imparting expert knowledge in these strange blogs.  I am just sharing some of the more positive meanderings of my experiences.

If you get time to look around my site you will get to know me more – check out my book and film reviews, my family pics – and stay with me on this personal journey to fame, fortune and fun.  Then, when I am a household name, you will be able to say “I knew him when he was had a weird blog, with a range of fur balls, and was talking a load of....”

For now, you will have to put up with my alternative views and opinions, with the odd touch of humor, and fur!  As usual here are the cuddly cat pics.  Please register (on the right) to keep updated – and follow me on twitter :  https://twitter.com/arthurcrandon and like my facebook page -  https://www.facebook.com/ArthurCrandonAuthor Thank you for your time.  Happy writing.

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burmese kitten by mikael tigerstrom

Adam from Manchester courtesy of Peter Cloutman