Amy Newmark - Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Best Advice I Ever Heard: 101 Stories of Epiphanies and Wise Words

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Best Advice I Ever Heard

101 Stories of Epiphanies and Wise Words

Amy Newmark

Published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC www.chickensoup.com

Copyright 2018 by Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

CSS, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its Logo and Marks are trademarks of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC.

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the many publishers and individuals who granted Chicken Soup for the Soul permission to reprint the cited material.

Front cover photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/ismagilov (ismagilov)

Back cover and interior photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com/RichVintage (RichVintage) Photo of Amy Newmark courtesy of Susan Morrow at SwickPix

Cover and Interior by Daniel Zaccari

Distributed to the booktrade by Simon & Schuster. SAN: 200-2442

Publishers Cataloging-In-Publication Data

(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)

Names: Newmark, Amy, compiler.

Title: Chicken soup for the soul : the best advice I ever heard : 101 stories of epiphanies and wise words / [compiled by] Amy Newmark.

Other Titles: Best advice I ever heard : 101 stories about epiphanies and wise words

Description: [Cos Cob, Connecticut] : Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, [2018]

Identifiers: ISBN 9781611599848 | ISBN 9781611592849 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Conduct of life--Literary collections. | Conduct of life--Anecdotes. | Wisdom--Literary collections. | Wisdom--Anecdotes. | Epiphanies--Literary collections. | Epiphanies--Anecdotes. | LCGFT: Anecdotes.

Classification: LCC BJ1595 .C45 2018 (print) | LCC BJ1595 (ebook) | DDC 158.1--dc23

Library of Congress Control Number 2018956118

Changing your life one story at a time

www.chickensoup.com

T his new Chicken Soup for the Soul collection started years ago, when we realized that so many of our writers were telling stories about how one piece of advice changed their lives. I was fascinated by the concept that a few words, sometimes even from a stranger could change everything. So, we asked the public to send us stories about the one piece of advice that reoriented them, solved a problem, or changed the trajectory of their lives.

As I was heading off to the Seattle airport today to fly to Burbank I knew that I would be writing this introduction on the plane. But I didnt expect that our Uber driver, Shad, would be such an inspiration and so relevant! When Shad heard that I was part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul team, he was thrilled, as he is a big fan of our books. And then he handed me a journal that he kept in his car. For years, Shad has been asking his riders to share their best advice. Hes collected 3,500 handwritten entries so far.

As of this writing, I am on a publicity tour for our August book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Yes! , I quickly scrawled, The best advice I have for you is to use the power of yes to make a policy of saying yes to new things every day even if they scare you. I read it to Shad, and then he said, What about saying no? So I assured him that we believe in the power of no as well, and I added, And use the power of no to eliminate the things that dont add value to your life.

I do have my own story about a piece of advice that changed my life, and youll read it in this collection. Its story 27, and its about a few words that were such an eye-opener to me that I still think about them every time I feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do. They have been a critical part of my success as a multitasking writer, executive, parent, spouse and grown daughter.

Youll also read great advice in these pages about living life to the fullest, achieving success in your career or vocation, keeping your marriage fresh, and raising happy, healthy children. We also have plenty of stories containing great advice for making yourself happier and healthier, and for pursuing your passions and dreams. And if you take some missteps along the way we also have stories for that, with a chapter on how to turn failure into fabulous.

Weve all been talking about these stories in our office, as all of us have been picking up new tips for our own lives. We are privileged to have jobs that let us sit in the front row for all the great advice that streams in from our writers. We are better for it happier, healthier, more grounded and grateful for what we have, less anxious, and certainly having more fun. Because these stories are not just full of advice, they are great entertainment, too! We loved putting this collection together for you, and we look forward to hearing how the wise words in these pages improve your lives. Let me know what they do for you by sending an e-mail to .

Amy Newmark

September 4, 2018

There is no better way to bring people together than with desserts.

~Gail Simmons

T he sign said Going Out of Business Sale and it drew me into a gravel parking lot streaked with overgrown grass. The dilapidated building and I had a lot in common. I was divorced; some of my children were acting out, one so severely he was in a delinquents home. I felt like I was failing as a mother. The masters degree it took me eight years to earn had priced me out of the freelance market, and the senior housing project Id been working for sold out, so I was jobless.

Something beckoned me inside. I strolled the picked-over aisles of the once-quaint gift shop. The rear wall was lined with plaques. One of them made me laugh out loud: Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

Seven months passed after that. The fifty rsums I sent out yielded two interviews and no job offers. My savings account was dwindling. I couldnt afford to eat out, but occasionally a friend or relative would treat me. I remembered the advice on that plaque and I always ordered dessert before or instead of dinner!

I got my family and friends to join me in eating dessert first. One time, my sister and I ordered an amazing chocolate creation. It was about ten inches tall, and elaborately decorated like a lighthouse, with a white chocolate beacon. It was scrumptious. Chris and I still talk about the buzz in the restaurant when we ate it first.

Another time, a friend and I drove from Milwaukee to a writing conference in Toledo, and then drove up to Detroit to visit Chris. She and her husband Mike took us out for my birthday. On the way into the restaurant, we passed the dessert cart. In its center was a three-inch chocolate rose, festooned with carved petals. Ill have that, I told the hostess who seated us.

Thats not for sale; its just decoration, she said.

Mike excused himself. Shortly after he came back, a waiter arrived with that rose on a fancy dessert plate, garnished with raspberry sauce.

Mike! I exclaimed. That must have cost a fortune!

You dont want to know, he said.