TAG! You're It! - Tuesday

Welcome to  

TAG! You're It! - Tuesday, 

where I ask the questions and my guests answer them.  

But that's not all, my guest also gets to tag my next victim. 

This week, Carolina Valdez Miller has been tagged . . .  

by last week's Christine Fonseca.

My Question
Of all the wonderful things I found to read, watch and admire on your blog, the one that impressed me the most was your video, "Tips For a Kickass Life." So, what I want to know is, what sparked the making of this video?  I'd also like to know how people have responded to your rules and how long you've had this passion.

Carolina's Answer

I’m so flattered that you took time to browse my posts. Thank you! 2010 had been a tough year for me, particularly in my writing life, and I’ve always had a policy that when things are really tough for me, I make an effort to reach out to others in some way, whether it’s through service or just a measure of kindness. I know it might sound kind of hokey, but it’s something that always helps, because when you reach out to others, you discover either that you’re not alone or there’s someone worse off than you, and you can’t help but reevaluate your circumstances. So this year, I made a commitment to engage in radical kindness, a kindness that goes above and beyond expectations of “being nice.” I knew that no matter what happened with 2011, you can’t not have a successful year when you lead that kind of life.

Then shortly after the New Year, I received an email from my sister: "20 Tips for a Positive New Year" by author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon. These tips really resonated with me. Though I don’t necessarily follow all his steps, they were (in spirit) the way I’ve always tried to live my life. So I felt inspired to come up with my own tips—for living a good life, not just a good year. And I wanted to be able to condense it into something easy to remember: Feed the mind, heart, and soul. But really, it all boils down to the golden rule (Do unto others…etc), which can actually be really hard to commit to, especially when you see that sometimes people do succeed by being total jerks. But I’m convinced that if you commit to living a good life, then you’ll have something irreplaceable (that jerks likely don’t), whether you succeed or not—true friends, unfiltered love, and your dignity. And in the end, what else matters? Don’t get me wrong; I sometimes fail at my own rules, but I do have those rules in place for myself so I can always find my way back. I think that’s the important thing—that you decide the kind of person you want to be, and always strive to be that person. I don’t really believe in karma, but I do know that kindness and “goodness” have a way of paying for themselves exponentially.

As for the rest of your question, I've actually had a (surprising) really great response to the video. A number of people have sent me kind emails in response, and early on a few suggested I have an easy to access link on my blog. It was flattering but kind of overwhelming. It makes me squirm a bit just to talk about it, because it’s nothing special (I was actually really ill when I filmed it, and I’m such a video amateur). And like any other advice I post on my blog, it’s just what works for me (and sometimes, I fail my own rules!) But if even one person can derive inspiration/motivation out of it, or even just a smile, I consider the video a success.

Thank you for having me on your blog, Christine. What a fun game!

More about Carolina

Carolina Valdez Miller writes YA Paranormal. Usually in the middle of the night. She also reviews kid lit for the Bookanistas. She's represented by Vickie Motter of Andrea Hurst Literary Management.

Two more places to hang out:  Carol's Twitter and Carol's Facebook.

And now it's time for Carolina to TAG a friend.  

Sara B. Larson

TAG!  You're It!

Come back next Tuesday to see if Sara accepts the challenge and to see if you've been tagged.