Teen suicide is a much bigger problem than you are aware of, I’ll bet.

Why is this?

The media, for one, has a responsibility to keep some of the more frightening and disturbing aspects of suicide very low-key… statistics show that, after a news story about a suicide, the number of suicides goes unnaturally higher for a time.
Same with things like spree killings, or racial attacks…

It seems that by publicizing a deviant or taboo behavior, the media manages to validate the behavior for those who might already be struggling with
the desire to act out.

Result?

Less is made of the shocking truths about teen suicide than perhaps should be. For example:

• The third leading cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds is suicide.
• Every day, more than 80 Americans commit suicide- and 1500 more attempt it.
• America lost more teens to suicide last year than the total number of soldiers lost in the Iraq war.

Don’t you think this problem might be taking more seriously if more people could be made aware of these facts?
While it is not the intent of the Impact Team to shower the media with these chilling statistics, we do feel it is vital to bring more awareness to this quiet killer.

Some of the obstacles we’re facing as a society…

“Not MY Child…”

Sometimes as parents we tend to deny with our mind what our heart is telling us. There are obvious indicators in almost all cases of suicide attempts. (A comprehensive list of warning signs can be found on this website.)
It may be that we feel personally responsible for our child’s happiness and well being, and refuse to accept what we see when our teen seems unhappy, maladjusted, or withdrawn.
It may be that we don’t connect with our teen at a level that is comfortable for them.
It may be that we tried too hard to be the enforcer, or tried too hard to be the friend, and didn’t get the balance right.

Whatever the case- as a parent we have a duty, born of love, to listen and respond to the needs of our children… even when the need is communicated in an unspoken way.

We must be sure to be accepting - of our shortcomings and our childrens’.

The ‘Troubled Teen’ Years

I was there. You were there… Remember that awful confusion as bones stretched, hormones changed, teeth shifted, social pressures grew tenfold while your social skills grew in tiny increments?
Some of the struggles of simply being a teen can mirror the struggles of a teen thinking suicidal thoughts. Feeling left out,  not pretty, not good at sports, not smart enough… these are depressing issues for a teenager.

I know I may have said it out loud a couple of times when the world seemed too hard as a teen: “I wish I were dead.” Now, I never had a real suicidal moment in my life- but I felt a lot of despair in my time.

Because these years are already so emotionally volatile, it can be a real challenge to spot these warning signs for what they really are.

We must strive to be aware - of what our children are facing and feeling.

Who To Turn To

Teens themselves have a hard time understanding their feelings, let alone communicating them to someone else! Often coming from an “everybody hates me, nobody gets me, no one understands” place, a teen considering suicide has already more than likely decided there are few, if any, people that are trustworthy enough to reach out to. In many cases, it might be another teen– who may not be equipped to help- who is the potential lifeline for a suicidal teen.

A teen in trouble may want to reach out, but have no real knowledge of where to turn. This is another one of our jobs. To be available and accessible.

The Impact Action team, and the family it is building, hopes to accomplish many things on this journey. We have a website filled with resources and information at:

http://speakupsavelives.org

Two of our primary goals are:
1.) A greater awareness of the severity of this silent killer, and
2.) To offer to anyone the following simple plan for proactively and positively creating IMPACT in your daily life, using the GIVE method:

Greet-say hello, make eye contact, pass a smile on to the people you encounter.

Include- Include yourself in the world around you, and invite others to be a part of what you are doing.
Reach out, especially if you see someone starting to withdraw.

Validate- This can be as simple as a ‘thank you’ or a genuine complement. Let others know you
appreciate them.

Empathize- Be a listening ear. We can’t always relate to the problems or stories of another,  but often all
you need to do is be fully present as you hear them to truly help the person sharing!

Honestly, use this simple acronym to remember what you can do every day to make a difference and perhaps save a life!

Each of us need all of us… and all of us need each of us.

Keith deBolt-
Impact Action Team

Keith teaches new marketers and business owners how to think, live and work like The Boss…watch for his upcoming book, “Oh, No! I’m The BOSS!” Keith can be found at: http://marketingstep1.com and http://themarketermindset.com

Okay… so the whole Impact Factor Launch Team thing
has me really excited.

In the span of just a few weeks, I am learning so much
about how a book gets promoted and launched- by promoting and
launching one!

Ken McArthur has been building a launch team for his book
and coaching program that will launch on May 13th– by
simply asking! He sent out an email to his lists,
he sent out an email to his friends (he has some
high-profile friends!), and has been assembling
a diverse team of go-getters and organizing subgroups
and task forces and it’s been a Fabulous education already!

He is also offering, to each of the subgroups,
a bit of training on how to accomplish the different
assignments:
Press releases, article marketing, blogging,
advertising, seo, contacting mavens….
all the stuff you should be working on!

I would strongly recommend getting involved with
Ken and his Impact Factor site-

be a part of the launch team for free
and get some quality
behind-the-scenes education….OR

sign up for his totally free
Perpetual Learning Series…OR

Take a long hard look at the
Impact Coaching Program….

Ken is one of just a handful
of marketers that I trust and respect…
and I would love to run in to you
at one of his events!

To Your Continuing Learning…

Impact: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions
and Make a Difference in a Noisy World

This is BIG.

There is going to be a lot of serious buzz soon about
about a brand new book coming out
from Ken McArthur called:

IMPACT: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions,
And Make a Difference In a Noisy World.

If you haven’t heard of Ken, you will….

Ken runs many powerful sites for marketers like us,
and has a great joint venture program called JVAlert.

He sponsors yearly events, and offers lots and lots of
free and low-cost training on his sites.

He hangs out in that circle we all want to be in…:
Yanik Silver, Million Dollar Mike Morgan, Tom Beal,
Mike Filsaime, Brian Edmondson, John Reese…

And NOW, he is launching a book, a coaching series, and
I want what he is offering!

The coaching program is just what the doctor ordered for
those of us who really want to discover how to make
an impact… not only financially in our own lives,
but in the world around us.

The art of inserting yourself into someone’s mind,
into their routine, into their agenda,
is basically what sales is all about.

Especially on the internet, where you don’t get the chance
to use eye contact, body language, etcetera to
get your point across….

What Ken has put together is an absolutely unique
approach to personal mentoring and will be a
serious kick in the pants for anyone who
participates. I have been speaking to Ken
about this opportunity, and I will be signing on.

Right now, before the Impact Coaching and Mentoring Program
kicks off, you can go to The Impact Factor.com and get a boatload
of free education in his Perpetual Learning Series…

44 different seminars presented by the world’s most successful
internet marketers.

And, as a bonus just for becoming a free member of
TheImpact Factor.com,  you can get access to this
powerful recording Ken did with Brendon Burchard:

What I try to get across on this website
is the importance for you to:

1. Think for yourself.
2. Think like a marketer.
3. Know your ‘why‘ (why you want to be your own boss).
4. Develop a marketing mindset.
5. Ignore the riff-raff and follow the leaders.
6. Seek out mentors and like-minded people.

So much of what Ken’s coaching and mentoring program is about
is exactly this stuff….

You might want to take a hard look at the
personal coaching, one-to-one time,
Mastermind groups, Bootcamps, and
all the other stuff this guy will be throwing out there—

As for me, I truly believe that the learning process never ends.

I have been searching for the right personal mentoring help
for a long time– to get good help means you
have to pay good money… and everybody and their brother
has been putting out some form of
mentoring/coaching product lately…

I have ‘interviewed’ and ‘taken a test drive of‘
many of the recent programs, but–

I feel like the benefits will be the greatest if you
find a mentor you resonate with, sympathize with,
and appreciate their approach to doing what they do.

Well, if you have followed along with me
for any length of time,
you know I respect honesty and integrity,
and certainly give out a lot of points
for humor and reachability!

These are some of Ken’s strongest points.

And why I will be taking part in his
Impact Coaching and Mentoring Program.

I’d love to meet you there!

To your increasing focus-