Spiriting Around: A Modern Guide to Finding Yourself

By Martin "Mark" Tomback

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0975524801
• ISBN13: 9780975524800
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Mooring Field Books, Inc.
• Length: 301 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

"Your Success Is Revealed By What Excites You" ~ Honesty, Practicality And Personal Responsibility A

The first thing that immediately struck me while reading `Spiriting Around' was author Martin "Mark" Tomback's ability to access the issues, focus in on the appropriate bullet points and articulate his thesis with such amazing clarity. His approach to living life in the spirit is practical, easy to grasp and holistic, leaving little out in this fascinating blending of the sacred and the mudane as it applies to all facets of our existence on this planet. The author wastes no time in identifying his mission and how we can utilize the provided knowledge. As he says, "95% of life is common sense" so most of the answers already lay dormat within us. A Few of the Provided Ways to Begin Are: -Write a Mission Statement -Take a personal inventory -Identify your goals -Focus, move forward and exude positive energy -Define what is the truth? Tomback moves fluidly from personal concerns; wealth, love, divorce, weight control, on to more global issues; violence, animal rights, environmental concerns, abortion, genetic engineering, mercy killing, etc. Admittedly this vast array of topical issues discussed here are only touched upon briefly, but Tombeck does a masterful job at placing them all within a well-conceived framework that can be easily accessed and explored at a later date. He doesn't claim to have finished the job of finding ourselves, that's your responsibility. What he has done is provide a solid foundation from which to begin. To be completely honest I don't agree with everything the author has to say (do we ever, or should we ever?), but his line of reasoning is always coherent and consistent. It's difficult to find fault with his enthusiasm or thorough presentation. While I believe `Spiriting Around' target audience is primarily mid-teens on the verge of adulthood, the ideas presented within this 304 page paperback are something that would be beneficial for adults of all ages. After all reflection, assessment and honesty with ourselves are an essential to adulthood no matter what stage of life's journey we're on.

helping to uplift others

This book offers thoughtful advice and direction to others in order to help uplift the world, one person at a time. The author's warmth and sincerity are apparent on the pages. Rather than being full of information and how-to advice, Tombeck steers the reader to find truth and meaning from the context of one's own experiences and find ways to live a life guided by positive values.

A most practical guidebook for becoming the person you want to be

Spiriting Around is basically a guidebook for growing up - for men, women, and children of all ages. Teens and young adults make up the book's primary audience, but Martin "Mark" Tomback's insights into life are beneficial to all. After all, how many of us adults are truly happy and at complete peace with themselves? Many an adult gives up on the quest of finding oneself as the burdens of work, family, and responsibility tie us down - but Tomback reminds us that it is never too late to become the person we truly want to be. I'm not a fan of traditional self-help books. Like many a young person, I still stubbornly rebel against anyone telling me what I should do or what I should be or, especially, what I should think. This book is different; it's a guidebook, not a set of instructions from some blowhard or academic. Tomback doesn't write down to the reader at all, nor does he pompously lay down a strict set of instructions for the reader to embrace. He's one of us, a veteran and survivor of the great and confusing conflict of life itself. He's no academic spouting book knowledge; he's in the trenches with us, trying to help us avoid the mistakes he made in his own life. In other words, he knows whereof he speaks, and that, combined with his engaging writing style, makes him an especially effective life mentor to anyone who picks up Spiriting Around. One thing this book will not teach you is how to avoid conflict and problems (life is hard, and that's just the way it is). Quite the contrary, it stresses how important conflict and problems are in the individual's journey to self-awareness, maturity, and self-esteem. Tomback paints problems as opportunities to learn and grow. When it comes to controversies, he explains how important it is to take them head-on, for you can't advance to the point of respecting yourself if you don't even know what you believe in. Don't be afraid to be the odd man out, he stresses, for it's much more important to be yourself to the utmost than to bow to peer pressure or simply shy away from divisive issues. Speaking of divisive issues, Tomback devotes a significant amount of time to giving the reader a run-down on just some of the conflicts and controversies he/she may well face at some point. You have the real biggies such as abortion, capital punishment, education, insurance, immigration, marriage, divorce, politics, race relations, suicide, etc. He also throws in some subjects you might not expect to see here: the question of extraterrestrial life, manners, zoning, and the list goes on. His take on humility, embarrassment, and humiliation is particularly memorable, mainly because he explains how humiliation can actually be good for you. His main point throughout, however, is that we can't truly discover ourselves if we shy away from potentially bad outcomes and decisions, that these are the very things that help us mature into happier veterans of life's exhausting race. The core component

Taking Control of Your Destiny

"You created your world and you can change it." ~ pg. 30 Spiriting Around is an empowering book designed for teens, but also seems to be a comforting read for anyone facing life's complexities. Martin "Mark" Tomback's thoughtful exploration of life presents powerful thought provoking topics. Discussions on patience, freedom, faith, goals, barriers to success and money leads into some especially pertinent chapters on vocation, love and conflict resolution. "Positive energy creates positive results." ~ pg. 56 The idea of finding a mentor is especially helpful at any age and if you are looking for a change in career or want to start your own business, there is information in this book that may be helpful and lead you to a more successful venture. Some of the highlights include: 4 Secrets for a Successful Marriage Knowledge is Money Money is Value Be a Role Model Priorities Aspects of Running a Successful Business Sensible Questions for Developing Friendships Why do people lie - a completely intriguing topic and very enlightening... Real-life issues like drug use, abortion, suicide and violence are handled with sensitivity. The start of the chapter on love and sexuality presents a variety of words and phrases "all in a row" that the author seems to feel are necessary to address a wide range of topics. Parents may want to look through this chapter if they are giving this book as a gift to make sure this is appropriate for their child's age level. This book does not make any real moral judgments or promote any religions, but instead asks the reader to consider action in the light of complications that could arise. Personal responsibility is promoted and choices are given for consideration. Are you ready to have children? How could your choices on how you escape the stress of life affect your future? Political issues and global concerns are briefly discussed. "Spiriting Around Exercises" are included throughout the pages and address a variety of topics, mostly with questions. The "Think About It" sections present a summary of thoughts to ponder. I could see this book being a starting point for discussions on any of the topics included or it could be used by teachers who want ideas for topics teenagers would be interested in discussing. Since children are exposed to so many issues before they are emotionally ready to handle them, this book could be a helpful resource to show the positive and negative sides of lifestyle choices. Personally, I felt this book was a comforting read to remind me of what is important in life and topics like parenting, marriage and career choices still seemed very relevant to me as an adult. As the book progresses it just keeps getting more interesting and I was actually sad it ended. Martin "Mark" Tomback has a sense of what people want to discuss and he covers topics that really need to be addressed with a sense of understanding. Since many of the choices we make as teens can affect our entire life, someone

An intriguing philosophical and spiritual conception of dealing with the modern world

Spiriting Around: A Modern Guide To Finding Yourself by Martin "Mark" Tomback has as its focus an intriguing philosophical and spiritual conception of dealing with the modern world. Engaging readers with a highly informed and extensively studied documentation of his conclusive vision and understanding, Tomback offers Spiriting Around as an interpretive compendium of societal misleads and individual acceptance. Thoroughly "reader friendly" with its well crafted text, Spiriting Around is very highly recommended to all readers struggling with their own self-identity issues, particularly with respect to an expansive and expanded analytical understanding of the world's most often difficult objectives, controls, and constructs -- and what influence they might have on the individual.