Quick Links To The Features On This Page: Acknowledgements – Second Book – Conscious Teaching.

Acknowledgments

There are several people I would like to acknowledge whose influence ultimately led to me writing this book.

To my late father, John V. Saviano, I offer a special tribute of gratitude for always providing your children with lots of tools to sharpen our minds and lots of material to sharpen our wits. Thank you for fostering in us a curiosity for learning along with the confidence to question conventional wisdom. I miss you, Dad.

I’d like to thank my mom, Elizabeth (“Bettie”) Frazier, for staying at home to raise us when we were young and for shouldering a good bit of that responsibility alone because that’s what being a military wife and mother demanded. Although you never framed it as such, your choice to forfeit what may have been your own dreams opened up a world of choices for each of your children. I love you, Mom.

To my very special band of brothers, John, Jimmy, Jerry, and Jeff Saviano: I am so proud of all of you for growing into such fine men. Thank you, Johnny, for being our moral compass and for taking the role of firstborn as a responsibility to lead and look out for the rest of us. You always have done so without hesitation and without expecting anything in return. Thank you, Jimmy, for being my closest ally when we were young, and for letting me tag along (even though you didn’t have to). You always knew just what to say to send me rolling on the floor in laughter. You still do. To my younger brother, Jerry: thank you for being the highly trained critical eye that I have imagined constantly as I wrote this book. Your talent as a writer has driven me to work much harder. I truly admire that you have used your accomplishments as a tenured Ph.D. and gifted literary expert to improve the lives of your students, especially the “forgotten” ones whose gifts are sometimes less apparent. And lastly, to my youngest brother Jeff: I continue to marvel at the immense capacity of your mind as well as your seemingly limitless desire for knowledge. Thank you for always being such a good listener and for sharing your viewpoints and ideas in such kind and unassuming ways.

To my two very dear friends, Jeffrey Brian Worsley (1960-1993) and Martha Jo Nickey (1954-2016) who left the planet far, far too early: know that you each touched my life in such meaningfully memorable ways. I miss the sound of your voices and laughter, as well as your steadfast friendship and wise counsel. I look forward to when we meet again.

A number of years ago as a young adult, I was fortunate to work with two remarkably impressive people whose examples would guide me through much of my career. One of those people was Ms. Nancy Thompson Oakley (I believe she now is known as Nancy Thompson Ham.) Nancy, thank you for teaching me that if something needed to be done, the best time to do it was “now”. I attribute much of my desire to be productive in life to you. Another one of those people was Ms. Rebecca “Becky” Moon, who is still very much a part of my life today. Beck, it never ceases to amaze me how your grace, charm and good humor continually light up any room. You’ve taught me so much through the years. Thank you.

I also have a number of prior bosses and managers who were real stand-outs, so I’d like to include them in my acknowledgments: Mr. Stephen Gehret, Mr. Ronald “Ron” Bell, Mr. Ronald Leach, Mr. James Matarazzo, and Ms. NanEtte Epperson. Thank you all for having the wisdom to see that, in addition to a modest amount of well-placed support, some people simply need the freedom to succeed.

Thank you to my friend and physician, Dr. Corey Cameron, whose integrative approach to healing continually confirms that the body and mind work together to achieve complete wellness. Your insight and encouragement about this book have been very helpful.

Thank you to my long-time friend, Ms. Cindy Botelho. Somehow despite the many demands competing for your attention, you always find the time to let your friends know they matter. Thank you for always letting me know I matter. You are a wonderful friend.

Although it’s been a long time, I’d like to acknowledge my high school English teacher, Ms. Linda Lee, for encouraging my love of writing.

I also extend a special thank you to Ms. Delisa Cobb and Mr. Randy Nance, two people who were once a part of my life, and to whom I will always carry debts of gratitude for their kindness and friendship.

To Ms. Kim O’Neill, I thank you for your vision, insightfulness, and generosity in sharing my work with your community of readers. Thank you to Dr. Elisa Medhus and her son, Erik, for their bravery and for inspiring me to think beyond my own limits.

Thank you to my capable copy editor, Ms. Alison J. McGuire from County Wicklow, Ireland, for identifying my writing tics and repetitions which ultimately led to some very helpful stylistic shifts. Perhaps more importantly though, thanks for letting me know that my book inspired some ah-ha moments within you. I was touched by your remarks.

Thank you to Ms. Tara Mayberry of TeaberryCreative.com for your beautiful book cover designs, expert formatting, and seasoned guidance with authors. Thank you to Mr. Jarrett Holmes of Social Media Titans for your technical advice and artful contributions to my website, and thank you to “WengtheMeng” for your skillful video editing of my book promos.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a heartfelt thank you to my in-laws, Mr. Vincent, and Mrs. Catherine Givens. You both are absolutely the loveliest people. It has been my great fortune to have been part of your family and to have been married to your son for so many years.

And finally, I offer my deepest gratitude to my husband, confidante and truest friend, Jim Givens. You are the genuine article, a self-made man, and the most well-rounded individual I have ever known. Your hard work always inspires me to work harder. Thank you for allowing me the space and freedom to write this book and for the many hours you spared listening to me narrate chapters. Your unconditional love, unwavering support, and boundless generosity are the foundation of my happiness.

Yes, there have been many people who, in one way or another, made it possible for me to write this book, far too many to mention for these purposes. The ones I’ve mentioned affected me in such favorable ways, but I also feel gratitude toward the ones whose effects were less favorable. Sometimes figuring out who we don’t want to emulate in life is just as valuable as figuring out who we do. Good, bad or indifferent, everyone can teach us something.

In summary, I have pictured all of you in my thoughts as I wrote. Thinking back on our times together has brought to mind some very heartwarming memories. In one way or another, you all have inspired me to share my message with the world. For that and so much more, I thank you.

Book Two Sneak Peeks:
“The Do-It-Yourself Sequel to Conscious Living –
“Repeating the Same Grade in the School of Hard Knocks”
By Lorie Givens

A Chapter on Patience

Most of us can relate to the feeling that even if we’re in a “rush to go nowhere”, we don’t like being held up.  And we don’t like waiting, either.  But have you ever wondered if we continually structure our lives around never having to wait, won’t the absence of never waiting lead to us forgetting the value of patience?  In other words, if we constantly are reducing the amount of time we spend being patient… and the essential component to patience is always time, won’t we always end up… with impatience?

A Chapter on Humility

Have you ever noticed the more you start feeling like a hotshot, the more you start looking like a hot dog?  We go from winner to wiener pretty quickly, often without noticing when this rather tricky transition takes place.

If you join my distribution list, I’ll gladly keep you posted on the release of the sequel, upcoming events, speaking engagements and book signings.  It would be my great pleasure to thank you in person for welcoming my creations into your life.

Updates will be posted on my website:  www.loriegivens.com

Conscious Living Begins with Conscious Thinking…

And Conscious Teaching

I recently learned that my sister-in-law, Kathleen Howard, a career educator and founder of Science Works Academy is spreading a similar version of conscious living and conscious thinking through her own style of conscious teaching.  She starts every class lesson encouraging her students to problem-solve by using the two phrases, “I think…” and “I wonder”.  And she has been amazed at the results.  By nudging young minds to take ownership of their own thoughts and curiosities, she is helping them discover how to unleash the power of their imaginations.

See… that’s what conscious living is all about.  It’s about becoming aware of the role your imagination plays in your life. Naturally, most of us grew up using our imaginations, but we never paid much attention to how much they affected us.  But with my new book, “The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Conscious Living – Unraveling Your Mindsets in 21 Days”, we will.  And I promise you will be amazed at the results.  Each of the 21 days in my book will show you that not only do you still use your imagination to manage through every single moment of your life but how you use it is often why your life seems unmanageable.  My book will help you figure out that the way you manage your life has been and always will be the result of how you manage your thoughts and your mindsets.  But I assure you my book will NOT tell you how to manage your life.  It simply will wake you up to your role as the manager.

That’s why I’m so excited to get, “The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Conscious Living –Unraveling Your Mindsets in 21 Days” into publication and into your hands.  And thank you, Kathleen, for sharing in my excitement and for helping spread the word about my upcoming book.  I congratulate you for your refreshingly innovative teaching techniques which help young minds live and learn more consciously.

Who knows?  Maybe at some point, I’ll write a conscious living Do-It-Yourself guide for kids.

For more information about Kathleen’s work, visit:  http://www.scienceworks.academy/home.html