LIFE in the news!!!

Durham authors on 'a mission to help the world'

Self-help book also a work of fiction

Durham authors on 'a mission to help the world'. BROOKLIN -- Annemarie Greenwood and fellow Durham resident Marissa Campbell have co-authored 'LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day'. March 27, 2012 Jason Liebregts / Metroland

DURHAM -- Another self-help book?
Collaborators Annemarie Greenwood of Oshawa and Marissa Campbell of Brooklin already know what you're thinking: they're often heavy and dry.
But think again: they're LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day is not your typical self-help book. It's a work of fiction, a story about Eve, a mom who's balancing family, work and school. While she has a busy life, Eve feels that something is missing. When she meets Grace, the two begin a dialogue and Eve begins a journey of learning about herself.

And it's easy to see something, maybe a lot, of ourselves in Eve.
"LIFE was really written as guide for you to find your own unique path to fulfillment," Campbell says.
"As Eve goes through this transformation, she goes on a personal journey of growth and the reader goes along," Greenwood says.

The women are yoga instructors and took a course together in Toronto. They would talk about philosophy during the trips, asking 'why are people unhappy'. Campbell ultimately said, 'we really should be writing some of this down' and the book was born. They argue that, like Eve, our lives are so busy that we never take a moment for self-awareness, to ask ourselves what it is that motivates us. Instead, expectations are externally placed on us, obstacles that prevent us from living every day with passion and joy.

Greenwood jumps in to stress that the authors aren't claiming to have the cure for depression. But Campbell says they were on "a mission to help the world."

As for the writing, the two made an excellent team. Greenwood says "writing for me takes a long time," but the retired teacher enjoys brainstorming and editing. As for Campbell, she was a published author before LIFE.

They've already received some great feedback on the book. And the highest praise of all has come from some of their students, who have said, 'I feel like you're writing about me'.

"It really makes you feel good to know you're helping people," Greenwood says.

The authors launch their book on April 21 at Three Steps Up, 605 Brock St. N., Whitby, from 1 to 3 p.m.

On April 28, they'll be signing copies at the Ajax Chapters from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit www.lifelivinginfulfillmenteveryday.com to learn more.
And check out their blog at www.lifelivinginfulfillmenteveryday.blogspot.com

 Source: Durham Region.com by Mike Ruta

Can LIFE really be that simple?

It can be! 

And our book can show you how.

LIFE is now available on KINDLE!!  Only $3.99

Get your copy today: LIFE on Kindle!

Testimonials!

"Fans of Eat, Pray, Love will enjoy this story." Read2Review, UK

"I picked it up and after starting to read it, I could not put it down." Noanie, Ontario

“I tell everyone I can, don’t wait another day, get the book” Kim, Ontario

"This book is an answer to a prayer." Erni, Ontario

“This book truly changed my life.” Tonya, California

“The LIFE book is as spiritually powerful as anything written by Eckhart Tolle, yet literally, as gentle as two women sharing a conversation by the beach.” Alan, Oshawa

“This will forever be my ‘go-to’ book when I need to be reminded as to who I am and what makes me truly happy.” Moya, Ontario

"Each & every page is filled with truth & wisdom. Thank you for sharing these teachings with me and the world." Irena, PA

"It doesn’t matter where you are in your life, your age, or experiences, this book was written for you!" Laura, Ontario

Embody your fullest potential & live the life you've always wanted!

In gratitude,

Marissa

Weekly Wisdom for LIFE: Excerpts from the book.

“Life really is simple,” Grace continued, as if reading her mind. “We think it is complicated because the ego distracts us from what is truly important to our heart and our soul. It leads us away from what really makes us feel good and sends us on wild goose chases in search of material and financial acquisitions and status. It does not want to lose its identity and hold over us! So it will do everything within its power to make us falter on our path. It will throw handfuls of doubt, buckets of guilt, and mountains of fear our way. As we move up the path to fulfillment, we must remember that enlightenment, or waking up, is a rather tumultuous stage of growth. In the game of life, these first couple of steps are similar to a rugby match. This is no gentleman’s sport! It can be downright dirty and hard. We may take two triumphant steps forward, only to fall face down as we struggle to overcome the firm grip of the ego’s negative back talk, doubts, fears and limiting beliefs. However, if we doggedly persevere with our intention of feeling good, then we will find the fortitude to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and plough ahead."

LIFE Featured in Paper!

 

"Another self-help book? Think Again: They're LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day is not your typical self-help book. It's a work of fiction, a story about Eve, a mom who's balancing family, work, and school. While she has a busy life, Eve feels that something is missing. When she meets Grace, the two begin a dialogue and Eve begins a self-learning journey."

"LIFE was really written as a guide for you to find your own unique path to fulfillment."

Beautiful Words

Beautiful words from our Facebook contest winner, Irena 

Dear Marissa & Annemarie,

I rarely win things so I was pleasantly surprised to be the winner in your raffle. I am sure the universe conspired to put your amazing book in my hands for it came to me at a time when I needed it most. Each & every page is filled with truth & wisdom. I am delighted to say that I am now on my way to being happy! I know I will be reading this book over & over again. Thank you for sharing these teachings with me and the world.

Fantastic Review of Life by Reader Laura Togerson!

LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day

By Annemarie Greenwood and Marissa Campbell

ISBN 9781462069538

Review by Laura Togerson

Have you ever wondered what your true purpose in life is, or how to reach a higher state of internal happiness? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself if there is anything more for you in life than what you’ve experienced thus far. In the book LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day, authors Annemarie Greenwood and Marissa Campbell lavish us with the knowledge and guidance we need in order to peel back our layers and discover our truths.

LIFE is brilliantly written using fictional characters. Grace, an enlightened spiritual teacher, meets Eve, who is deeply unfulfilled—a woman stuck, living a mundane day-to-day existence. They meet on a beautiful day at a lakeside resort and when they do, LIFE as Eve knows it changes in ways she could never have imagined. In just one day, Eve begins a transformation that will change her life forever. Through Eve’s journey we are compelled to examine our own life, reflecting internally as we follow along—page by page.

It doesn’t matter where you are in your life, your age, or experiences, this book was written for you. The uniqueness of LIFE is unparalleled. With its direct and easy to understand nature along with its many teachings and visualizations, LIFE effortlessly leads the reader on a personal discovery of truths as it answers many of the questions we often ask. LIFE: Living in Fulfillment Every Day will be my new go-to book and guide throughout my own journey in life!

The Gerbil Wheel of Inertia

I recently watched Oprah’s Life Class and she held a pole on twitter asking her audience if they were in emotional or spiritual pain. 77% of respondents said yes they were. That is a lot of suffering!

In our book LIFE we talk about learning to let the past go, overcoming our limiting beliefs, and paying attention to our excuses. Holding onto negative experiences and emotions from the past, dwelling on negative thoughts, and clinging to our persistent, repetitive stories keep us locked in a cycle of suffering—they keep us trapped on the gerbil wheel of inertia.

Pain and suffering are often caused by inaction. We call these episodes of inertia ‘ruts.’ Situations and circumstances that make us feel trapped can cause a cavalcade of negative emotions: misery, depression, anger, frustration, guilt, and or shame. We feel stuck and we can’t seem to find our way out. It seems like all we are doing is spinning our wheels. We will tell people how unhappy we are, or how frustrated we are, or how angry we are, but we seem unable to do anything about it.

Part of the problem is our story—what we tell ourselves and everyone around us. If we talk about negativity we stay involved in that negativity. We have to stop the story. Talking about our problems can be cathartic, but when the story becomes repetitive, essentially we are just talking to hear ourselves speak; we are not actually doing anything at all to change the situation. We have gotten caught up in our story, in our need for validation, in our need to prove our side, our mistreatment. The story keeps us spinning our squeaky little metal wheels and we dig in even deeper, entrenching ourselves in our ruts.

We need to change our story! We need to stop dwelling on negativity and focus instead on gratitude for what is already positive in our life and we need to move toward that which will make us happy. We need to take action!

There are two ways to get out of our ruts, but they both start with the most crucial action we can take—we need to make a decision! Wishing things were different accomplishes nothing. Deciding to do something about it... ah, now we are getting somewhere!

We need to decide ‘enough is enough!’ Either ‘we don’t want to do this anymore,’ or ‘we won’t do this anymore!’ Let me explain the difference.  Whether we are saying ‘I don’t’ or ‘I won’t,’ we are finally accepting the situation for what it is—a negative situation and we are admitting that we don’t want to be stuck in it any longer and now we are ready to do something about it!

When we say ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’ we take the energy we would have used running on our gerbil wheels of inertia and make small, but instrumental, baby steps that move us toward a happier life, a safer situation, and or a more peaceful outcome. If we are in a job we dislike, for example, we might not be able to just up and quit, but we can stop complaining about it, we can accept it for what it is—a job that makes us unhappy—and we start moving toward our goal: a job that we will enjoy coming into work for every day. Perhaps we start upgrading our skills, perhaps we source out the help wanted ads, perhaps we take yoga or meditation classes to help us deal with stress. Each action moves you closer toward a happier experience.

The alternative to working our way slowly, yet methodically out of our ruts is to decide ‘enough is enough!’ and yell to the world, ‘I won’t do this anymore.’ We dig in our heels, stop the crazy ride once and for all, and immediately change our situation—cold turkey. No excuses, no remorse, no looking back. If we are unhappy with our job, we get a new one; if we are unhappy in a relationship, we find a new partner; if a friendship is toxic, we find a new friend.

You are here on this magical adventure called life, and your purpose is to be happy: to life a live of happiness and fulfillment and to experience peace of mind and well-being every day. If you are stuck, ask yourself if inertia is holding you back. If you are in pain, ask yourself if you are perpetuating your suffering because you continue to talk about your negative situation–remember like attracts like. The more we talk about how bad things are, the more we will continue to draw negative experiences into our lives. We need to change our stories. State the facts, “I don’t like my job,” but don’t dwell on it. Make the decision to change it—either by taking small baby steps as you immerse yourself in the things that make you happy and consistently make choices that move you closer to your goal; or go cold turkey with a broad sweeping, life altering, immediate move to change your circumstances.

Don’t let the world to pass you by; don’t let inertia mire you deep in the muck of your ruts. Decide ‘enough is enough’ and reclaim your power, reclaim your life, and always, follow what feels good.

In gratitude,

Marissa

Inspiring Creativity and Passion - The Podcast

 

 I am so excited to share with you my first podcast interview!

Jamie from Jamie Ridler Studios interviewed me for her Creative Living Show. I talk about my book LIFE, yoga, my creative life and more. 

Listen to the podcast and enjoy...
Inspiring Creativity and Passion The Podcast

 The Podcast is also available on iTunes - look for it under Creative Living with Jamie