Promoting Positive

Several months ago I made an impromptu stop while running errands and ended up meeting someone that would become a huge help to me in my writing career as well as a wonderful friend Ashley Ciliberti. She is not only a great friend and supporter, she is a devoted mother and one of the most positive people I know.

When I met her I had just finished the book launch for Survivor held at The Venetian Las Vegas. I had worked hard on that event for months and all of the things that had been pushed to the back burner in my head all came flooding forward at one time. I was driving with my mom to take care of a few things before the Vegas Valley Book Festival being held the next day. While driving I completely spaced as to where I was going and ended up clear on the other side of town.

I decided that since I was in the area I was going to stop and get a cupcake at one of my favorite bakeries. It was an impulse stop in every sense but I didn't care, I earned the treat and was craving the sugar. When I went inside there was a woman at the counter and another girl waiting. I took my place in line trying to pick out which delicious dessert I wanted. As usually happens I started talking with the other girl while we waited for the woman at the counter to finish her order.

She told me her boyfriend had called in an order for her to go pick up because she had been working so hard on a website she was going to be launching. I told her I was treating myself after the book launch event I had planned and completed. We got into detail and when she learned that I had written about being a domestic abuse survivor and her website was dedicated to helping people going through issues such as bullying, depression and domestic violence she handed me her card. We began emailing back and forth and I became a contributor for her site.

She launched just over a month ago and while I am probably biased being a contributor, I am beyond proud to call her my friend. Right now the website is limited but its growth and reach capabilities are uncharted. We met today to discuss an upcoming campaign her the site and while talking about finding sponsors she said something that stuck with me, anyone can advertise by promoting a dry cleaners at a Jimmy Johns but to sponsor an event for a site like hers is to be helping to promote something positive. Coming from my marketing background I saw immediately what she meant, it is corporate goodwill in the purest sense.

I will be helping to grow the site and its reach as well as her message because I believe that finding the good in a situation and helping to foster a society of kindness is a fair superior way to handle things then to simply punish those we feel are being antagonistic. Instead of bullying the bullies and banishing the labeled problem children of our culture we should instead do our best to understand the core causes of the negativity and turn it around to promote the positive.