Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Winner of the May 2013 “My Gutsy Story®”

May 15, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 2 Comments

My Gutsy Story 1st place — Carol Bodensteiner WINNER

Congratulations to Carol Bodensteiner, winner of the May 2013, “My Gutsy Story®.” She wrote an inspiring story about giving up her career and following her passion. I love her phrase:

“It’s more important to be satisfied than to be successful.”

In 2nd Place, we have the wonderful “My Gutsy Story®” of Jason Matthews. Another motivating story by Jason who took a major risk, leaving his lucrative career as a paint contractor, and followed his passion to write.

In 3rd place we have the amazing story of Julia Prosser, written by her husband David Prosser. Julia passed away a few days before we posted his story, and she was true inspiration to many.

In 4th place we have the wonderful “Gutsy” Win Charles. Her message is to not focus on her disability, but on what we have in common.

Win’s energy and passion shines through everything she does. She is truly a “go-getter” and an inspiration to everyone.

In 5th place, we have an extremely “gutsy” Linda Kovic-Skow

Linda shares a great story about how she took a major risk as a young woman, and how it paid off.

Thank you so much to all five of you. You are all winners and have some wonderful stories and books to share with us.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

WE ARE NOW COLLECTING

“My Gutsy Story®” SUBMISSIONS

FOR ANTHOLOGY #2

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

A Visit to the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen

May 13, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 8 Comments

I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and whenever I return to this beautiful city, I’m drawn towards The Little Mermaid. She brings back warm, childhood memories spent in Denmark with my best friend, Lilian.

100_1098 — Sonia with her childhood Danish friend, Lilian

Those who see The Little Mermaid for the first time are always surprised by how small she is; only 4.1 feet.

She is to Copenhagen what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, and has been a major tourist attraction since 1913. Since the mid-1960s, this poor statue has been subjected to vandalism for various political reasons, but has each time been restored. Her head was sawn off and stolen in 1964, and was never found. It was replaced, and in 1998, the poor Little Mermaid was decapitated once again. This time her head was returned anonymously to a local TV station. In 2003, explosives knocked her off her base and she was later found in the harbor’s waters.

She was then draped in a burqa in 2004, as a statement against Turkey joining the European Union.

She’s endured several traumatic events, including green paint poured all over her, a dildo placed in her hand, and the words March 8 written on her. It’s believed this vandalism was connected to International Women’s Day, which is on March 8th.

Here are some photos from my one day touring Copenhagen.

100_1084 — Queen Margrethe’s Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen

Close to The Little Mermaid is the Queen’s winter residence, Amalienborg Palace with her guards marching in front. I’ve often wondered what those guards must be thinking of while standing still for hours. Here is a YouTube video of the changing of the Royal Guard.

Illums View — View from Illums Department store at the pedestrian street in Copenhagen.

There are several wonderful pedestrian streets in Copenhagen. Illum is a favorite department store with an open air restaurant on the rooftop.

Most Danes love their bikes. Here is how young people transport their kids. I cannot imagine father’s taking their kids to the grocery store in one of these where I live in California.

Bike with kids — How Danes bike with their small children

I shall be in Paris on May 16th to announce the winner of the May “My Gutsy Story®,” and since we are taking a break from the “My Gutsy Story®” series in May, I hope all of you will submit your own “My Gutsy Story®.”

Scroll Down on Sidebar (right underneath the Freeways to Flip-Flops Book Cover) to Vote. Only ONE vote each.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

My Air New Zealand Flight to London

May 10, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 3 Comments

On my recent Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow, passengers stopped to take photos of the plane before boarding.

At first I thought someone famous was boarding my flight, then I noticed the unusual artwork, on the plane which explained why passengers went wild with their cameras.

Even the restrooms on the Boeing 777 had wallpaper (I’m talking coach) made to look like you were sitting in a library. Books shelves with photos of book spines surrounded you.

The flight lasted 10 and a half hours and I managed to sleep for four.

My friend Maggie, met me at Heathrow for lunch. I met Maggie at Chris Guillebeau’s first conference in Portland, and we have remained friends since then.

Copy of 100_1052 — Maggie and Sonia at Heathrow

My flight landed at Terminal 1, and in order to transfer to Terminal 5, we caught the underground.

After a few hours I caught a British Airways flight to Copenhagen. Imagine a hot dog stand while you wait for your luggage. They have this at Copenhagen airport.

Scroll Down on Sidebar (right underneath the Freeways to Flip-Flops Book Cover) to Vote. Only ONE vote each.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

Why do Americans Work so Hard?

May 6, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 28 Comments

Thanks to Stephanie Yoder’s post, “Is the American Dream Holding You Back?” I discovered an article which explains everything I’ve been meaning to put into words, but haven’t.

Stephanie is a young woman who travels all over the world and blogs about her travels and one question she gets asked all the time is, “Why American’s don’t travel?” Stephanie says she has a whole host of theories, but it’s easiest for her to point out that,

“Well, most of us (Americans) don’t really have time (to vacation.)”

According to a CNN article entitled: Why is America the “No-Vacation” nation?

“America is the only advanced nation in the world that doesn’t mandate employers give their workers vacation time.”

John de Graaf, the national coordinator for Take Back Your Time, a group that researches the effects of overwork said,

“There is simply no evidence that working people to death gives you a competitive advantage.”

As with many companies in the U.S,

“The running joke at Brock’s company is that a vacation just means you work from somewhere else.”

A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, shows that:

Working more, makes Americans happier than Europeans.

But isn’t that because Americans have been taught from a young age to believe in the American Dream? Are we working to accumulate more stuff? As Stephanie Yoder says,

“It’s a trick: an endless void of things we can throw money at: there’s always a new phone, a nicer car, a bigger house to be aspiring to. The problem with the American Dream is it’s always slightly out of reach.”

Do Americans believe more than Europeans that hard work is associated with success?

Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, the study’s author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, states:

“Americans maximize their… [happiness] by working, and Europeans maximize their [happiness] through leisure,” he found.”

Having spent half my life in Europe and then marrying an American and raising kids in the U.S. I find this topic fascinating.

I agree that Europeans take more vacations and travel more than the majority of Americans. I also agree with Stephanie’s post, there seems to be the “herd mentality” in the U.S.

“This idea that you need to do what everyone else is doing. This extreme pressure to go to school, get a job, work really, really hard for 45 years, and then maybe when you’re retired you can do the stuff you really want to do. It’s a powerful cycle and it’s extremely hard to opt out of it. I think, more so then the lack of vacation time, that is why Americans don’t travel: so few realize that the only American Dream you should be pursuing is your own personal one.”

The above quote fits in with so many of our My Gutsy Story® authors, and their stories like Lois Joy Hofmann, Carol Bodensteiner, and Larry Jacobson.

I also believe that the U.S. media plays the “fear factor” game with our minds, making us scared to travel, scared to try new foods, scared to let our kids play outside, scared they will get cancer if eat the wrong foods. I thought the U.S. was full of innovators and explorers, etc. What happened?

During MAY, I shall be in Copenhagen, Paris, London on vacation, while working of course (I’ve got the American work-work-work ethic going. )

Any thoughts? Please comment below.

Meanwhile, please submit your “My Gutsy Story®” which will continue in June.

Do you have a “My Gutsy Story®” you’d like to share?

NOW is the time to submit your “My Gutsy Story®.” Please see guidelines below and contact Sonia Marsh at: sonia@soniamarsh.com for details.

Please read and share our April 2013 stories by David Prosser, Win Charles, Carol Bodensteiner, Linda Kovic-Skow and Jason Matthews.

Voting starts on May 2nd-May 15th for your favorite April

“My Gutsy Story®” .

You can find all the information, and our new sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story®” contest page. (VIDEO) Submission guidelines here

Vote for Your Favorite April 2013 “My Gutsy Story®”

May 2, 2013 by Sonia Marsh 5 Comments

The voting starts right now for your favorite April “My Gutsy Story®.”

I shall be in Paris on May 16th to announce the winner and since we are taking a break from the “My Gutsy Story®” series in May, I hope all of you will submit your own “My Gutsy Story®.”

Scroll Down on Sidebar (right underneath the Freeways to Flip-Flops Book Cover) to Vote. Only ONE vote each.

Our first moving story of the month was from David Prosser.

David and Julia Prosser — Julia Prosser, an inspiration to all.

Julia, passed away on March 30th, and David shared his wife’s positive outlook on life while fighting her battle with cancer.

Our second “My Gutsy Story®” is the amazing Win Charles, and she too is an inspiration with her message: “Don’t focus on my disability, focus on what we have in common.”

Our third “My Gutsy Story®” is by the inspiring Carol Bodensteiner who gave up her corporate job in order to find out what matters. She has a wonderful saying: “It’s more important to be satisfied than to be successful.”

Our fourth “My Gutsy Story®” was from Linda Kovic-Skow, a gutsy woman, who lied about her ability to speak French in order to get a job as an au pair in a Lyons, France.

Our fifth “My Gutsy Story®” is about taking a major risk in your life. Jason Matthews quit his lucrative painting contractor job and followed his passion to become a full-time indie author. He has a truly inspiring story of perseverance and determination to succeed.