Meet Patrick Long: Author
We hope you enjoy this chance to "meet" Patrick. He is a father and widower living in St. Louis, MO. His wife Melanie passed from breast cancer complications in March of 2019. He believes we are all called to contribute to this world in a positive way, and shares his story candidly as a significant way in which he can contribute and offer insight and inspiration to others. As a writer, he wants all his works to follow this path and provide insight, hope, and inspiration in addition to entertainment.
Read on for more about his moving story and the recently-released book...
~Share something you are passionate about:
~Share something you are passionate about:
I am an active and avid fundraiser for charities and good causes, particularly the American Cancer Society and Camp Kesem, a camp for kids who have a parent with cancer. I look for opportunities to raise awareness for these organizations every chance I get.
~What are some ways you are helping to bring this forward in the world?
I participate in multiple fundraising activities for these organizations each year. Our team for the American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Walk last year was the fourth highest fundraising team out of over 150 teams in St. Louis! In my wife’s memory, I did an online fundraising campaign for her birthday this year and raised thousands of dollars for Camp Kesem in a few days. I am also donating a percentage of all proceeds from the book to these organizations.
~Describe something our readers today can look forward to discovering in your book, Ordinarily Extraordinary:
I share deeply personal experiences that I believe readers will find highly relatable, including some very closely guarded personal secrets, at least they were closely guarded until I decided to publish them! I believe in the power of sharing our stories, and I bare my soul in this book sharing intimate experiences of personal trauma, marital conflicts, failures, and regrets, but also the uplifting results of these in terms of personal growth and the inspiration to overcome.
~What are 1-3 tips you can give our reader today to help them step forward in their life powerfully?
Seek out the good in the world, focus on it, and contribute, even in small ways because those add up. I’ve come to see far more positives in the world than negatives. In the past, I would have 20 good things happen to me in a day but would fret over the one bad thing that happened. Find examples of ongoing positives in life and use these as your anchor to reflect and reset your perspective when going through hard times.
~Will you share a client success story?
One of my early reviewers told me that multiple points in my book have caused her to reevaluate her outlook in a positive way and change the way she does some things. She told me that in the last few weeks she has quoted lines from my book to her daughters as lessons to them on how to deal with some of their own challenges in their lives – and has done the same with her husband too!
~What tip or piece of advice can you share with our reader today to empower them to SHINE?
Give back, or better yet pay it forward, in positive ways even when you are going through tough times – especially then. It is amazing how showing kindness or being helpful to others can raise your own spirits! Accept that things are not perfect, focus on the positives, and contribute in every way you can.