This I Believe

We Can All Help to Make the World a Better Place

We are all here for a purpose. This is not a new concept to most of us — even if we haven’t yet quite figured out what that purpose is. We hope it is something worthwhile — something that will make a positive difference to the world we live in. Sometimes it takes a significant event in your life to make you realize that time is passing quickly, and you’d better hurry up if you want to accomplish something meaningful.

My wake-up call came at the age of 46 when I was suddenly diagnosed with congestive heart failure and given a 30% chance to live. I had a wonderful husband and two very special children, but had I done enough to make the world a better place? I knew the answer was no; I could do more — much more.

I have always loved to write, and had finished my first novel — “Soul Survivor” — when my children were little. This story was meant to inspire others with the knowledge that there is, indeed, life after death and that what we do while on Earth is vitally important to the growth of our soul. Nonetheless, the manuscript sat on a shelf gathering dust along with the few rejection letters from publishers until I finally decided to take action. I took an Adult Education class on becoming a publisher, and found that I had the background and capabilities to make it happen. Soon after, Journey Publications was born and “Soul Survivor” became a published work.

But this was only the beginning. A girlfriend who heard about my endeavor said that she had a book she would love to have published: “Alphabetize Your Life.” This down-to-earth guide to successful and satisfying living could transform a joyless juggling act into a life propelled by passion and authenticity. I happily agreed to help her bring her dream to fruition.

Soon, the local Santa Barbara NewsPress wrote an article on our little company, and we were contacted by many other aspiring authors with similar wonderful books. Before we knew it, we had books written by psychologists, teachers and others from a variety of fields. We even helped an author from the east coast publish his book on the art of fiddling — how great to be able to preserve this type of information and heritage!

In just four years, we have released 24 books on a assortment of subjects. The entire profit from one of our most recent books, “Soul Wishes,” will be donated to a charity for a young boy with cancer. Now I feel like I am making a difference, and truly helping to make the world a better place. So, never give up, always believe in yourself, aspire to inspire others, and try to make the world a better place for our generation and those to follow.