Life & The Sunday Series

Find your why and find your way. Become more.

  • About Mark Brodinsky
  • Contact
  • The Higher Shelf!
  • Home

Need inspiration to find your why and your way?

Join the Tribe Today!

Why Not?: It’s Just About… Life.

May 15, 2014 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

why not

Great question. Needs a good answer.

We are working in reverse order this week, going from “Why Not You?” to “Why Not?”, down to a single word by next week, (you can probably guess what that is), which serves as the heart of this blog and will be evident when I, (with the talented assistance of the learntoblog crew, (http://learntoblog.com/), launch the complete redesign of this blog next Tuesday, May 20th. I’ve seen the prototype, it is powerful.

But there’s work to do here. Can you answer the question in the title of this post? Are you going for what you want and handling the rollercoaster ride, the ups and downs of life? Because life is not a straight line, or on an even keel, that’s an illusion. When you flatline at the end of your life, that’s a straight line, but when your heart is beating, it’s up and down, up and down on the EKG monitor… that means you are living. Life is much the same and if you don’t ride the waves you can’t reach the shore.

In the last blog post I posed the question, “Why Not You?”, and gave examples of how it has been asked and answered. So now, Why Not? If you are satisfied with life, that’s fine, though I would ask you to stop and make sure that satisfaction means you are doing what you were meant to do, living the life of your dreams and using your talents in service to others, to be not just successful, but significant. If not, then why not? You’ve got it, it’s inside you, you just need to bring it out. The best comes from within, from your hidden treasures and radiates outward. It doesn’t come from you grabbing all you can and pulling it toward you. Greatness begins from within. Light emanates from the center of the bulb. The earth revolves around the light of the sun. A moth is attracted to the light of the flame. Shine brightly, then you attract and you don’t have to pursue.

Ever watch a flower bloom? If you have, then you have seen the miracle of what can grow from just one seed. Start small, dream big. Watch a miracle happen. Why not?

From where this blog originates just outside Baltimore, Maryland, the question, “Why Not?”, is part of history. About a quarter-century ago, the words were the battle cry for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. The O’s played a miracle season, going from the laughing stock of the baseball word in 1988, when they started the season 0-21, to a magical contender during the 1989 season, with dramatic victories all season long… all the way until the final games of September. The slogan was “Why Not?”, there was even a song, still available on YouTube, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcqm3MGQ_hU). The point is, no matter how far down you are, or think you are, you can turn it around and go from worst to first. It’s a change of mindset, it’s a fresh start, it’s you creating your own destiny because it’s what YOU deserve. It’s doing the little things consistently that matter the most. Why not?

You possess the ability, talent, drive and passion to make the impossible, possible, to go from ordinary to extraordinary. Yes, you. But first you have to ask yourself, then believe, “Why Not?”. If you need help, stick around and follow the blog, we are going on the journey together.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The #1 Best-Seller on Amazon: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.spouses-story.com, www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

To have blog posts sent right to your e-mail inbox, click on the follow button at the top or bottom of your screen. (it’s about to get easier than that!)

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

Why Not You?: It’s Just About… Life.

May 13, 2014 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

why not you

The question might speak to you. It should. It might be one of life’s most important questions, if you want to live and not simply survive.

Jack Welch, the legendary business executive who served as CEO of General Electric for twenty-one years and over his tenure helped the company to grow 4000%, (yes that’s three zeros after the 4), knows something about making things happen. I just listened to an interview with Welch and he said it was that question, that one question, posed to him by his mother, that changed his life, “why not you?”

It’s certainly something to think about, if you choose to think that is. If you believe we are all equal and just born with different “stuff”, then ask yourself the question, why not me? After all, you’ve got to stay here until you go, so why not you?

Some people have done the most incredible things with limited beginnings. Why not you doing something to change the world? Why not you affecting the world? Why not you creating the invention that changes life for all of us? Or start even more simply, why not you changing just one life by the way you live yours. Have a mission, create your purpose, use your passion and utilize the unique talent you have to impact the lives of others. It’s there, you just need to tap in.

A few weeks ago I heard the following statement which has inspired me: that today it’s possible to do something which can affect the lives of a billion people. That’s one billion, with a “b”. It is possible. We are all that connected. So what might that be? What can I do to positively affect that many lives? I’m thinking, I’m writing, I’m reading, I’m doing the little things every day, I’m tracking my activities and the disciplines to achieve a goal just that big. Start with a dream, make it a reality. This blog, about to undergo a dramatic re-design, centered around an even bigger purpose, is just one step. So I ask myself, Why not me?

Why not you? Your idea, your purpose, big, little, or in-between, to help, to inspire, to affect someone else’s life, whether it be one or many. Your idea might be the same as someone else, but the way you do it will be different, because we are all unique. We are born with the same “stuff”, but able to interpret and use that “stuff” differently.

So why not you? And just as importantly… why not now?

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
#1 Amazon Best-Seller, It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.spouses-story.com, www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
markbrodinsky@gmail.com
To get posts from this blog directly to your e-mail inbox, click on the follow button at the top or bottom of your screen.

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

The (Mother’s Day) Sunday Series (26), with Mark Brodinsky

May 11, 2014 By markbrodinsky 4 Comments

A special video, created for a special lady.

This is always a special day, perhaps Hallmark’s crowning achievement in creating a day, which could easily be a national holiday, to honor the important women in your life. And if this Sunday Series is all about courage, hope and inspiration (and it is), you’d be hard pressed to find someone who exhibits more of all three than the lady who is my wife.

Actually, for the past week I’ve presented several posts about moms, one post centered around what it’s like to take on the role and another blog post with some of the best quotes regarding life’s most important “job”. Today is a great day to recognize your own and the one who is your bride, the mother of your children. Today, among the billions of women out there, it’s time to celebrate my own, my wife Debbie.

A few months back I found this song. And if you don’t want to read, I’m not going to bury the lead, you can skip to the montage I asked my oldest daughter Sophie to create for me and for which we posted a link, (down below), on You Tube. I think this song, more than any other, sums up the way I and my girls feel about Debbie.

The song is called, Close Your Eyes, from Michael Buble’. I’ve done blog posts about songs and music before, even breaking down the meaning of the lyrics. For today’s Sunday Series, it’s worth taking a brief look at the words and why I decided to ask Sophie to create the music video.

Close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
think you’re one of a kind.

It goes without saying Debbie, to know you is to love you, as so many do and to be part of your life every day is to understand truly how special you are, one of a kind.

Here’s to you
The one that always pulls us through
Always do what you’ve gotta do
You’re one of a kind
Thank G-d you’re mine.

There’s no one in my life who does more. It is you who always “pulls us through” no matter what, your conviction, devotion and attention to the details of life for the girls and myself is a wonder to behold.

You’re an angel dressed in armor
You’re the fair in every fight
You’re my life and my safe harbor
Where the sun sets every night
And if my love is blind
I don’t want to see the light.

My safe harbor… there’s never a time during the rollercoaster of any day that I don’t think about how great it will be to go home… and be with you and the girls. It’s the light at the end of every tunnel.

It’s your beauty that betrays you
Your smile gives you away.
Cause you’re made of strength and mercy
And my soul is yours to save
I know this much is true
When my world was dark and blue
I know the only one who rescued me was you.

This weekend, yesterday, May 10th to be exact, marks one more milestone, your comeback from breast cancer, 2-years cancer-free. It was you, all you, who got us through it. When I felt low, I need only look to you, to know in the end it would all be OK. Because of you there’s now a book and a blog and you helped to re-awaken the dormant behemoth of creativity, love and inspiration inside of me I want to share with the world. Because of you I have launched on a journey of personal growth so powerful I am only scratching the surface of what is possible for me, for you, for our family, for so many others. You rescued me.

Close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
You’re never gonna have to cry
Because you’re one of a kind.
Yeah, here’s to you
The one that always pulls us through
You always do what you gotta do babe
Because you’re one of a kind.

When your love pours down on me
I know I’m finally free
So I tell you gratefully
Every single beat in my heart is yours to keep.

Grateful is right. Too much gratitude to fit on this blog…

So close your eyes
Let me tell you all the reasons why
You’re never gonna have to cry babe
Because you’re one of a kind
Yeah, here’s to you
You’re the one that always pulls us through
You always do what you got to do babe

You’re the reason why I’m breathing
with a little look my way
You’re the reason why I’m feeling
it’s finally safe to stay.

Breath, heart and soul. That is what you are to me, to Sophie, to Emily. Happy Mother’s Day, today and every day.

Here now is the Mother’s Day gift on this blog from your girls.
Mommy’s Video, by Sophie Brodinsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlYxFu4sGgU

We love you.
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The Amazon #1 Best-Seller: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

For ideas for the Sunday Series, or feedback, send an e-mail to markbrodinsky@gmail.com
To receive posts from this blog to your inbox, click the follow button on the top or bottom of your screen.

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

Motherhood: It’s Just About… Life.

May 8, 2014 By markbrodinsky 1 Comment

???? Vol.18 ???????

The best way to figure out what it’s like to be a Mom, is, well, to be one I suppose. Not all of us are so chosen, or created this way, so as we make our way toward Mother’s Day this week, this second blog in the trilogy is devoted to some of the best quotes I could find about Motherhood and words from the ones who live it, or have lived it, because to appreciate it through their eyes, we can all comprehend.

“Mother is a verb. It’s something you do, not just who you are.”
– Cheryl Lacey Donovan

“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”
-Jill Churchill

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”
-Gail Tsukiyama

“The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.”
– Jessica Lange

“The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.”
– W. R. Wallace

“Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark…to have been loved so deeply will give us some protection forever.”
– J.K. Rowling

“Those helpless bundles of promise and power that come into our world show us our true selves – who we are, who we are not, who we wish we could be.”
– Hillary Rodham Clinton

“More than in any other human relationship, overwhelmingly more, motherhood means being instantly interruptible, responsible and responsive.”
– Tillie Olson

“The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.”
-Honoré de Balzac

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”
-Sophia Loren

“All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs… since the payment is pure love.”
-Mildred B. Vermont

“A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”
-Dorothy Canfield Fisher

“A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.”
– Victor Hugo

“There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child — and an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own.”
– Robert Brault

“My mother is a poem I’ll never be able to write, though everything I write is a poem to my mother.”
– Sharon Doubiago

“What is a mom but the sunshine of our days and the north star of our nights.”
– Robert Brault

“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.”
– Linda Wooten

“A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.”
– Irish Proverb

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, that is his.”
– Oscar Wilde

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
#1 Amazon Best-Seller: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.spouses-story.com, www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

To get blog posts sent directly to your e-mail, please click on the Follow button at the top or bottom of your screen.

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 25
  • Next Page »

Search over 500 posts, including The Sunday Series

Get all My Latest News & Offers
Introduce yourself with your name and email below

#1 Best Seller on Amazon

Click to order your copy today!

The Book Trailer

Mark Brodinsky
Emmy Award Winner, 1996

Ever thought about writing a book? check this out!

Blog Reviews

Love seeing new blogs hit the ground running like this one (by a dad no less), but I also urge anyone vaguely interested in blogging to stay tuned, I am. Good luck on your journey – glad that I am along for the ride.

Rachel Blaufeld

Great blog Mark! I always appreciate reading what you have to say. You are very gifted and talented and hopefully someday you’ll not just blog, but write a book.

 Stephen Koncurat

I’m definitely along for the ride. We’ve all seen how much damage the written word can inflict. More positive writers are needed. And I love how you are using your personal experiences – those with your wife and children – and your gift of writing to open eyes and to inspire others.

Victoria Endicott

Absolutely beautifully written! The girls in your life must be very proud of you. Thanks for sharing Mark, I look forward to reading more!

Gina Glick Jolson

Very shortly this site will be famous amid all blogging and site-building users, due to it’s pleasant posts.

Leila Galloway

Absolutely beautiful! Are you at all thinking of penning a book? You’ve got a fan base out there that really thinks you should Mark. You write so eloquently. Glad that I got onto this site.

Marilyn Lefkowitz

Mark, You are truly a gifted writer and obviously, a special father and husband . Always a delight to read your words.

I’m speechless…beautiful words flow from your heart just like a gentle waterfall into a tranquil stream… thank you so much for the friend request I was blessed the day I clicked confirm.

Lynne Turner Dorsey

From your first writing in 4th grade entitled “People” which was published in the school newspaper, you have always been able to write. Never more so than when you started “Caringbridge” and now your blog, everyone who reads says what a wonderful writer you are. Our DREAM for you is to become an author and encourage people every day. You are by the far the best and we hope and pray you reach your dream.

Bonnie Brodinsky

I know you always thank us for reading but I would like to say thanks for writing.

Stuart Abell

Great piece. You are an inspiration!

Rob Commodari

Mark I just wanted to let you know that you are succeeding in your “ultimate goal”. I have gained so much from your blogs. I look forward to reading them for the special lift that they give me. Thank you.

Amy F.

I love waking up and starting my day with my coffee and your blog! It a great way to start my day with positive uplifting thoughts!! It puts me in a positive frame of mind throughout the day and allows me to reflect on my personal life, make changes, and grow !!!

Gayle Blank

You are quite talented Mark. Thanks for sharing!

Cynthia

I always look forward to your Blog Mark. Thanks for sharing and as you always do, make it a great / remarkable Day!

Chuck Connolly

Thanks for your Blog Mark. It is fun, encouraging and a nice break from a day full of ups and downs.

Jackie Hetrick

With my busy schedule, there is (sadly) little time for reading. But I have two must-reads every time I come across them, the sports section and your blogs. Keep inspiring and following your dream!

Ed Nemec

Mark, you are a truly remarkable individual. You do speak from your heart, I can’t wait to read your book. You are an incredible writer.

Debbie Press

Mark, I am glad I clicked on your post this morning, which lead me to your writing, your goal.
Would like to connect. This speaks to me.

Aileen Braverman

I can’t wait to read the book. I have followed all the blogs and feel so good that I know u guys. You make me cry but you make me laugh too. All the very best to you!

Beverlee Rendelman

Connect with Mark!

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

WOW!!! It Takes 2 is a must read for anyone who has known someone diagnosed with cancer or other life threatening disease. This is the real story of a family lead by an incredible woman, Debbie Brodinsky, who took radical steps to beat the breast cancer beast. The story is told by her husband, Mark Brodinsky, through journal entries he kept starting with diagnosis through one year cancer free. This author's unique ability to pour his heart out onto the page draws you in from the beginning and holds you until the very end.

Thanks to Mark and Debbie Brodinsky for this gift...I have a new perspective on what it means to be a breast cancer survivor. You are a hero, Debbie Brodinsky!

TeeBThree
September 25, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book gives a heartfelt, in depth description of what it is like to go through breast cancer with the one you love. It is beautifully written and I felt as though I was living it with them! I highly recommend this book!

Jgs17
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

In It Takes 2, Mark Brodinsky windows us into his world where his wife, the cancer patient, is not the only victim. Part journal, part roadmap, It Takes 2 goes to the real humanity of facing the mortality of one's better half. Mark's candid perspective, love, and fierce intention resonate with hope in a story which is about much more than cancer. Mark himself is perhaps the most heroic character for the way he appreciates this life and so many of us in it...as he says, "thanks for caring."

Réné Pallace
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

It Takes Two: A Spouse's Story by Mark Brodinsky should be read by every person who is experiencing serious illness or injury or by a loved one of someone who is experiencing either of those situations. The book is an eloquent testament to the power of love and the healing energy derived from the belief that things will get better. There is not one word of "poor me" from the author or his wife who suffered breast cancer and the radical surgery she elected to have to beat the cancer. Rather, the book is a celebration of the courage displayed by them both in seeing it through.

The book also encourages readers to speak and write down their true feelings and be validated in them. John Mackovic writing in the Palm Springs, CA Desert Sun on November 2, 2013 quoted author and artist Doe Zantamata who said, " To be happy, you don't have to do anything new. You just have to remember how to believe again...Believe everything good is possible. Believe in your dreams. Believe in people. Believe in love. But most of all...believe in yourself." The author, his wife, their family and extended family and friends never stopped believing in his wife's recovery, and I think, in themselves. Read this book and believe.

Paul A. Riecks
November 4, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book is a must read for anyone with a family member with breast cancer. It takes you through the spouse's perspective from diagnosis to recovery. Mark journaled his wife's journey and put all of his emotions out there. It is beautifully written and inspiring to anyone going through breast cancer. Thank you, Mark for sharing Debbie's story.

Jmu1109
October 23, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

A friend recommended this book. This was a great perspective of a man standing beside his partner and passing along to the reader fear, hope, useful information and a broader story than his own. I loved Vinnie the tattoo artist. This is a great book. Thanks for sharing, Mark and "thanks for caring"

Blahsan

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book is a must read. What sets this book apart from other books about surviving breast cancer is that it is told by the husband and his point of view, not from the survivor. At times sad, at times poignant but even through the worst of it you can always feel the love he has for his wife, her strength and the strength of their extended family and friends. The posts that are included from their friends and family lets you really into the heart and strength of the family. I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently going through this, whether you are the person or the caregiver. I also recommend this book to anyone who has a friend that has been or is currently going through their fight now. It was an eye opener for me.

L. Bogash
Seven Valleys, PA

ittakes2_reviews_2

There isn't a shortage of books about breast cancer, but most are written from the perspective of the person who has battled cancer or a physician or other expert. What an enlightening experience to read about breast cancer from a husband and caregiver's perspective! Not only does the author give us insight into his wife's experience and emotions, but he openly shares and reveals his love, compassion, support, and, yes, sometimes anger at the disease as he stands by his wife's side during their journey to beat the beast. Your story may not be the same, but I guarantee if you have a loved one battling cancer, you won't go wrong reading It Takes 2.

 PattiM
September 25, 2013

 

ittakes2_reviews_2

From the moment I opened this book I never stopped reading. Mark invites the reader to come along on this journey that his family went through. I cried, laughed and learned so much. This book will give comfort and knowledge to those going through similar situations. Most importantly, Mark and his family never give up. They get knocked down and get right back up. They fought cancer together and with their strength, determination and will to prevail... They do!

 Jenny Schloss 

Recent Comments

  • Patricia Storey on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • markbrodinsky on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • markbrodinsky on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • Abby Scherr on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • Sheila Hyman on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky

The Sunday Series (118), with Mark Brodinsky

It’s not always what you expect out of life, it’s about what you get, or more importantly what you are given. What do you with the circumstances of your life defines who you are. The more love you love, the more you give and the more you buy into the belief that you will bend […]

The Sunday Series (80), with Mark Brodinsky

Sometimes it’s personal. Courage, hope, or inspiration. The inspiration which a child can bring to your life and the magic and wonder of watching them grow. Everyone has a story and this is The Sunday Series. The Sunday Series (80): Emily “Love doesn’t make the world go ’round, but it does make the ride worthwhile.” […]

Categories

  • Life
  • Sunday Series
  • Uncategorized

Pages

  • About Mark Brodinsky
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Storytelling
  • The Higher Shelf!

Connect With Mark!

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Categories

© 2023 Life and The Sunday Series. All Rights Reserved.

Built Masterfully on WordPress and Maintained by the Blogging Experts