MARCH 09

March madness is here and moving a long nicely I might add... I hope that everyone had a wonderful February.

I am sorry that I am a little behind in getting out this months issue. We have been rather busy in the office trying to find new business just as most people are doing. The good news is I finally have some time to work on this issue. The bad news is I have made a very hard decision and need to pass it on to all concern.

Effective immediately I will not be accepting any more speaking dates for 2009. This has been very hard for me to decide and a decision that has not come easy to me. In my normal upfront and honest way I feel that I should explain why I made the decision.

#1- As many or all of you know I own a marketing/consulting company. While I can do my "Job" from the road and have over the years, the one thing I cannot do is sell new business while I am not in the office. Because of the economy I, just as many business owners have taken a little hit. I am in need of searching out new business and cannot do so from the road.

#2- Unfortunately colleges are getting hit as well as the rest of us. Budgets are tight and the last thing the Administrations of many of them seem to want to spend money on is "Mental Health Speakers". Competing for what money is out there seems a little selfish for me to do. I personally would rather see the schools spend the money on keeping a counselor employed to help the students. The people in these counseling centers are saving lives every single day. I just cannot see myself trying to suck up budget money.

#3- My goal has been for years to find a sponsor so we do not have to charge to reach people. This seems to just not be in the cards. I can be very honest now and tell you this. I have been turned down several times and told more or less (with your mental illness we are not sure it is a good idea to put our brand to your name). No kidding....I have been told this. Personally I find it amusing that people would say this, BUT we have Morons like Nancy Grace to thank for that one. I guess I have to at some time just accept it and move on.

BUT my main reasons are #1- and #2 - Honestly #3 is just funny to me....

Anyway - There you have it. I will maintain the website, I will continue to write my new book, publish my news letter, and I will be here if anyone needs me. My new book is geared toward High School Students and College Freshman and their parent... and I am writing it with my son Alex. We are very excited about it and hope that it will be finished and ready for print by the end of this year.

I want to thank everyone for everything they have done for me. I cannot thank the campuses that have had me enough. Hopefully we can turn it around and hit the road for the 10/11 year God willing!

God Bless

Paul

ARTICLES of Interest

Did you know that you can purchase Paul's CD "My Five Keys to living with Bipolar Disorder" online and get it instantly as a download. You can! CLICK HERE

NEED FINANCIAL HELP?

Lets face it...there are a lot of people in need of help now a days... The big question is where can you get legitimate help if you need it? There seems to be a great deal of companies spouting they can help but are they really there to help, or just there to get a profit?

Don't get me wrong....there is nothing bad about profit, unless of course you are the government, in which case they seem to think you can run a business without any.....any way..... There is nothing wrong with profit BUT I think before you allow someone to help you, you need to research the right companies.

Here are a few hints....

1- If you have to pay a fee for them to look at your "Situation" chances are they are a scam

2- If you someone asks you to send them personal fiancial information...Like bank account numbers, passwords and so forth via the e-mail, or the phone or regular mail DO NOT DO IT.

I am not going to list any web sites or links here because I do not want to be responsible or endorse any single company. However I will say this... Check with the BBB as well as ask for references from people you can actually contact before getting involved. Many credit counselors are non-profit companies and are there just for the purpose of helping those in need.

I will make a suggestion here if a can.... Before you take any massive steps such as bankruptcy you may consider looking in to consulting with a second or third counselor. There may be options out there that few people know about...

God Bless and heres to hoping our leaders figure out soon that you cannot spend your way out of this mess.... that by the way THEY created!

Paul

Economy and Children's

Mental Health!

This study evaluated the applicability of the family economic stress model (FESM) in understanding the influences of economic hardship on child mental health during a nationwide economic recession in Finland. The information was gathered from 527 triads of 12-year-olds and their mothers and fathers from a population sample. The structural equation models showed that the FESM fit the data well, indicating its generalizability in Finnish society. The results confirmed that a reduction...Read More

Active Minds has a wonderful new website. Make sure you go and check it out.

Learn more about this organization by visiting www.activemids.org now. I urge you to consider starting a chapter. For all those High School people on my list I also urge you to take a look...after all your kids probably could benefit even more. Face it, if we can get to them before they hit college maybe we can address some of their mental instability early enough to prevent major problems after high school!

Just a note: Any school contacting us that has an Active Minds Chapter will get a special rate discount for any booking. It is our way of saying thanks for allowing this fine organization on your campus.