Natural Living Expo

Join me Saturday at 5:00 p.m. for a free workshop on "Living A Flourishing Life" at the Natural Living Expo in Sturbridge, MA.

Sturbridge Host Hotel, Cheshire Ballroom.

And while you're at the Expo, please stop by and say hello....I'll be at the Adam Beck Institute booth #607.

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Effective Communication and Conflict

Conflict is a critical event in the course of a relationship. Conflict can cause resentment, hostility, and perhaps the ending of that relationship. However, conflict can be productive and lead to deeper understanding, mutual respect, and closeness.

Do you shy away from conflict? Which of the following statements may reflect your approach to conflict?

• My underlying anger may get out of control.
• To me, conflict is an all-or-nothing situation.
• I find it difficult to face conflict because I feel inadequate.
• I have difficulty positively asserting my views and feelings.

*Excerpt from Live A Flourishing Life

Have a joyful day everyone...
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Book Launch Saturday, Sept. 18

Join me on Saturday, September 18 for the official book launch of Live A Flourishing Life, at Alternatives For Health Herbal Apothecary, 426 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Can't attend? You may order signed copies of the book directly from The Reed Edwards Company!

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Book Launch Event

Join me on Saturday, September 18, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Alternatives For Health Herbal Apothecary located at 426 Main Street in Sturbridge, MA for the official launch of my new book Live A Flourishing Life.

I am thrilled that Sarah and Bill Widmeier have generously offered their fabulous store for this event.

What is this new book about? To live a flourishing life is to live an examined life. To do so, you begin by exploring, recognizing, and understanding the habits and attitudes that serve you, and those that do not serve you. And then, step-by-step, you make a determined effort to change those attitudes and behaviors by developing a doable action plan.

I've melded my three professions — philosophy instructor, resilience coach, and writer — to create Live A Flourishing Life. The workbook includes numerous exercises and quizzes to help you dig deep into your life story to uncover and discover long-standing attitudes and habits that influence your life.

If you cannot attend the event, the book is available at their shop and online exclusively through The Reed Edwards Company.

Have a joyful day everyone.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

September Is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

On September 1, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Proclamation declaring September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. In his proclamation, President Obama stated, “One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a Nation is to safeguard the health and well-being of our children. We now face a national childhood obesity crisis, with nearly one in every three of America's children being overweight or obese.”

That statistic is staggering. Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for decades, afflicting children nationwide with certain racial, ethnic, and regional kids more severely affected. And research has shown that obesity can be influenced by environmental and behavioral factors, such as unhealthy eating and too little physical activity. (To learn more about the effects of nutrition on behavior, see our webinar, Nutrition and Behavior Problems in Children and Adolescents presented by Dr. James M. Greenblatt, M.D.)

Earlier this year, the First Lady Michelle Obama announced the "Let's Move!" initiative to combat childhood obesity. The President, too, created a Task Force on Childhood Obesity to, as he stated, “marshal the combined resources of the Federal Government to develop inter-agency solutions and make recommendations on how to respond to this crisis.” The Task Force produced a report containing a comprehensive set of recommendations that “will put our country on track for solving this pressing health issue and preventing it from threatening future generations.”

During his statement, President Obama added that the “report outlines broad strategies to address childhood obesity, including providing healthier food in schools, ensuring access to healthy affordable food, increasing opportunities for physical activity, empowering parents and caregivers with better information about making healthy choices, and giving children a healthy start in life.”

The web site, LetsMove.gov offers detail information about these recommendations and as well as information and resources on how to help children eat healthy and stay active.

“Our history,” said the President, “shows that when we are united in our convictions, we can safeguard the health and safety of America's children for generations to come…. When we work together, we can overcome any obstacle and protect our Nation's most precious resource -- our children. As we take steps to turn around the epidemic of childhood obesity, I am confident that we will solve this problem together, and that we will solve it in a generation…. I encourage all Americans to take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all of our Nation's children.”

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Written for KidsTerrain, Inc. Reprinted here with permission.

What's New at Reed Edwards

News About The Reed Edwards Company

My publishing company has widened its focus. Along with book publishing, Reed Edwards is
now distributing select authors' books and related products and we are
expanding our editorial and publishing services.

In addition, Reed Edwards is now offering the Live A Flourishing Life lecture, workshop and coaching series. Visit and bookmark the web site to stay up-to-date on the schedule of programs.

Have a joyful day everyone...
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Come Armed With Fire Extinguishers

I believe freedom of speech and freedom of expression are fundamental and sacred rights.

In "On Liberty" John Stuart Mill wrote "...there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine, however immoral it may be considered." However, Mill also introduced a concept that became known as the harm principle: "...the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." In essence, the basis of the harm principle is making good, moral choices.

Perhaps Pastor Terry Jones skipped morality and ethics class that day....

His plan to hold "Burn-A Koran Day on Saturday, September 11 defies clearly moral judgment and the harm principle. Jones and his band of misguided followers actions will be detrimental to the safety of our troops, to our citizens, to people around the globe. Recall the international outrage those Danish comic strips caused a few years back.

Those who wish to protest Pastor Terry Jones' horrific Burn-A-Koran Day should come to the event armed, not with guns or hatred in their hearts, but with fire extinguishers.

Heck, let's go one step further and hold "Put Out The Fire" rallies across the nation.... Organize a rally in your community...organize a march of folks armed only with fire extinguishers and peace in their hearts.

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Why Is It That...

Why is it that...

• Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?
• if man evolved from monkeys, we still have monkeys?
• buttered bread always lands on the butter-side down, and a cat always lands on its fee?
• it is necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?

I'm just wondering, that's all...

What are you wondering about?

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

About Friends...

Friendship is an art, and very few persons are born with a natural gift for it.
~ Kathleen Norris

My grandmother used to tell me that if I had one true friend in life, that was the ultimate blessing. My life, then, is truly blessed for I have several wonderful friends.

Aristotle wrote there are three kinds of friendship....

1. Friendship based on utility. This type of friendship changes according to circumstances. With the disappearance of the "usefulness" of this friendship, the friendship breaks up.

2. Friendship based on pleasure. These friendship are regulated by feelings, and the chief interest is in momentary pleasure. As affection changes, so does the friendship.

3. Perfect friendship is based on goodness and mutual knowledge and respect. These friends spend time with each other, contribute to the other's happiness and vice versa. Friendship of this kind is permanent.

The Roman philosopher Cicero believed that in order to have a true friendship with someone one must have complete honesty, virtue, and trust...and friends do things for each other without expectation of repayment.

Ask yourself, who is that one friend in your life who meets Cicero's standards? How much love do you carry in your heart for that person?

Now ask yourself, when was the last time you spent quality time with this friend? When is the last time yo spoke, rather than texted, IM, or communicated through social media?

If the answer is less than 3 days, pick up the phone. Call your friend. Hear his or her voice...and make a solid date to see one another within the next 10 days.

"There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time." ~ Rebecca West

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Live A Flourishing Life Workshops

Do you want to live a better life − a life where stress is reduced and managed; a life replete with loving friendships; a life guided by optimism and courage? In other words, a life that flourishes?

To live a flourishing life is to live an examined life. To do so, you begin by exploring, recognizing, and understanding the habits and attitudes that serve you, and those that do not serve you. And then, step-by-step, you make a determined effort to change those attitudes and behaviors by developing a doable action plan.

My workshops and private coaching sessions offer insight and assistance, enabling you to work through the obstacles that stand in your way, and guide you towards actionable, positive changes that will affect all areas of your life.

To learn more about Live A Flourishing Life workshops and private coaching, contact me directly via e-mail at rita@ritaschiano.com or visit www.reededwards.com and click on Workshops/Coaching.

The Multi-tasking Miasma

It is not surprising that modern day life is often referred to as the “culture of distraction.” We are bombarded with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And yet, most of us cannot get enough. We channel surf, search the Web, talk and text, drive and text, drive and talk, drive and talk and text. It is no wonder we are driven to distraction!

Not only are we less focused, we are not present-moment oriented. And in our efforts to skim through volumes of information, we truly miss out on quite a bit by paying only partial attention.

*Excerpt from Live A Flourishing Life

Have a joyful day everyone...
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

The Key to Stress Management

The key to stress management is being able to recognize your body’s response to emotional conditions and then to take steps to minimize or alleviate the stress triggers.

A good tool is to keep a stress-awareness journal. This will help you recognize where your body stores tension. The more aware you become of your body’s reaction to stress, the better you will be able to take steps to reduce the stress and metabolize the harmful buildup of stress hormones in your body.

Have a joyful day everyone...
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

*From Live A Flourishing Life

Live a Flourishing Life

I've a new book coming out next month... Live A Flourishing Life is the result of melding my three professions -- adjunct Philosophy professor, stress management and resilience-building trainer, and writer.

In June, Bay Path College (where I teach Philosophy) tapped me to teach a Stress Management course in their One-Day-A-Week Saturday Program. Since this was the first offering of the course, I was literally writing the workbook as we went along.

However... I did not want the book to be solely a classroom text. And so I created Live A Flourishing Life for anyone to use on one's own, or together with private coaching sessions, or workshop/lecture. The book includes a progressive relaxation and mindful breathing techniques CD Relax and Flourish. (Pre-publication offer....order now and save 25%!)

What qualified me to write this book and offer these programs?

Since 2008, I have been working as a stress management trainer for WorkTerrain, presenting programs throughout the Commonwealth to organizations and municipalities via Dept. of Industrial Accidents grants. (To learn more about WorkTerrain's Safety Programs go to
http://www.workterrain.com/at_work/programs/safety_training/.)

And for the past six years, I have been working with Dr. Ron Breazeale as he developed the "Duct Tape Isn't Enough" resilience training and coaching program, initially developed for First Responders, and now being offered nationwide. (To learn more about Resilience Coaching programs go to http://www.reachinghome.com/course.html.)

Details on the Live A Flourishing Life workshop/lecture series and coaching sessions in future blogs postings.

Have a joyful day everyone...
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com