Welcome to Day 8 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour! We’d like to introduce you to an amazing RWISA member, Author, Nonnie Jules. Take a peek at her writing below…
"A LIFE ISN’T WORTH LIVING IF NOT IN SERVICE TO OTHERS "
I'd like to begin by
thanking two of my fellow RWISA
Authors who were also on this tour, Joy
Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko and Linnea
Tanner, who both had the
courage to write about, or reference the ills of our world, that many would
like to keep deeply hidden. I speak of hatred and systemic racism.
Again, thank you both for your courage to write with such substance and I hope
that it is still resonating with all who read both of your pieces. I am
honored that your words are a continual ring in my ears.
The theme of this year's
REVOLUTION tour is A NEW
YEAR - A FRESH START, and with that theme
in mind, I'd like to share my thoughts on what a fresh start in this new year
looks like for, and, to me.
My quote above, "A
life isn't worth living if not in service to others," is what gives my
life meaning and purpose. RRBC and
RWISA came
to be because I didn't see enough service being spread around the web
when I came aboard. I noticed a ton of selfish behavior, "me, me,
and more me" attitudes, and a strong indifference to lending a hand to
help the next person climbing after you, also reach the top. I felt
myself drowning in an ocean of "gimme," and surrounded by a nation of
takers. In my mind, I had to do something.
With the inception of RRBC,
the rules of the land were (and still are) that members support members.
Some came aboard and quickly embraced the concept, either because it was
inherently part of their makeup, or because they realized it was the fastest
route to gaining support for their own agendas.
And then, there were the
others - the takers and the ones from the land of "gimme." They
came aboard in droves - taking all that they could, and once they realized we
were on to them, they quickly abandoned their squatter positions. By the
way, we do so appreciate their exits as they made room for the uber-supportive
members I'll reference below.
The members on our roster
who are constantly being profiled, promoted, pushed, and honored, are the
members who show, by their actions, that they are living in service to
others. They
don't make excuses, they make a way.
They don't see a tweet and merely re-tweet it, they click the link first to
see how they can support their fellow members even more and even better.
They don't re-tweet only tweets with their Twitter handle included. And
their social media feeds? Well, they are clogged with promotion of others!
Their support doesn't
stop there. These members consistently show up to support in
a myriad of ways, including the following...
- following along member blog tours, leaving
comments and sharing the posts on social media
- hosting fellow members on their blog tours,
such as our "SPOTLIGHT" Authors
- sitting in the audience of member
interviews on our RAVE WAVES shows,
- showing up to our book club discussions to
support BOOK OF THE MONTH Authors
- purchasing, reading and reviewing fellow
member books from the RRBC &
RWISA catalogs
- sharing members' RRBC AUTHOR PAGES
and RWISA
PROFILE PAGES
to social media
- sharing members' books directly from
Amazon, along with the purchase links and book covers
- visiting members' book trailers on YouTube,
leaving comments, and sharing to social media
- following members' blogs and websites and
ensuring that they are active in these blogging communities
- and even showing up to participate in club
activities, to ensure that our organizations remain fluid and not stagnant
and boring.
These are but a few ways
that the supportive and active members of RRBC/RWISA
ensure that they are exhibiting a life of service to
others, especially on social media. We are not an organization interested
in supporting those who don't support others. If you show me that I'm not
that important to you, then why would I go out of my way to place you on my
special pedestal of support? If you're not purchasing, reading and
reviewing member books here, then guess what, you will never find yourself in
the BOOK OF THE MONTH hot seat. Why would we tell others to run
out and support you, when you don't bother to show up to support
them? And by the way, showing up is more than just sending out
tweets and re-tweets. It takes so much more than that to create success.
2020 was a hard year for
all of us, but 2021 rolled right in, giving us a clean slate to write new, more
positive chapters in our life stories. Lucky for us all, this new year
opened the door wide for us to make positive changes.
So, today, I ask you,
what kind of life are you living? When we drop by to support you and we
peruse your Twitter feed, will we see that you are in love with you, OR, will
we smile when we see how hard you're pushing someone else? When we
look out into the gallery of our
RAVE WAVES shows and our monthly book club
discussions, will we see your pretty smiley face, OR, will we see only the
beautiful faces of those who typically show up with their amazing
support? Will you be counted among the many (who do nothing to support
others) OR, will you be proudly counted among the few (who do more than their
share to push others to the top?) Where will you stand when the roll is
counted? With the givers or the takers?
Yes, it's a new year,
and also the most perfect opportunity for a fresh start! If you have been
straddling the fence, finding it hard to get down, take that leap of faith and
jump right in ... somewhere ... anywhere you can make a positive difference in
the life of someone else. When you support others, you are supported
ten-fold within RRBC/RWISA.
Did you make a New
Year's Resolution on December 31, 2020? I didn't. I made an
Intention, and that is, I intend to continue sharing and educating as many as I
can on the importance of living a life of service. Less selfishness and
more selflessness will continue to be my mission's slogan.
I'll ask once more,
which road will you take?
###
Nonnie's RWISA Profile
What Nonnie has to say about RWISA...
Now, we'd like to give you a chance at some of this awesome promotion for yourself!
Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work! If this sounds like you, we invite you to come on over to RAVEWRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.
At RWISA, we invite to membership only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.
If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.
We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!
NOTE: If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, while you’re at the site, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!
Hi Nonnie, Hi Yvette,
ReplyDeleteNonnie, each time I read this piece of writing by you, I get inspired. So I'm walking through my Friday inspired.
Yvette. thank you for hosting Nonnie.
Shalom aleichem,
I agree, Pat! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me today. :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette! Thank you for sharing Nonnie's inspiring words today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Jan! :-)
DeleteCongratulations Nonnie J. Thank you for sharing your inspirational words of wisdom. You've taken service to a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteThanks Yvette for sharing Nonnie's post.
She truly has. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Shirley! :-)
DeleteSo true, Nonnie. Far more blessed to give than receive. Nice share, Yvette. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, Mark. Thanks for stopping by. :-)
Delete