COMPLIMENTS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

If you just logged in for the first time and want to know the answer to the question: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JERRY GILLIES? just click on the archived posting with that exact title. In the meantime, on with my life as an ex-convict and parolee.

One of the most debilitating, dehumanizing things about prison is that you almost never receive any positive feedback in the form of compliments or acknowledgements. No, "Good job mopping that floor, Gillies," or: "We really appreciate your not stabbing your cellmate." Seriously though, I kept going for twelve years because there were people out there who would write and say nice things about me and the impact my friendship, seminars, books, or tapes had on their lives. And from time to time someone would send me a quote of mine from this strange new thing called The Internet. Not much opportunity or space to have a Compliment Bulletin Board, one of the strategies I created wherein anytime someone pays you a nice
compliment that lifts your spirits, you ask them to put it in writing and put it up on your board. One of my favorite ones
came from Linda Gray, the actress who played J.R.s wife, Sue-Ellen on DALLAS. Afer someone gifted her with my affirmation series of cards, Seminar-In-A-Package, she wrote to me saying: "You have made a positive dent in my life!"
This coming from a beautiful actress reportedly making $60,000 a week and whom everyone said was a delightful, insightful, spiritually evolved person, was a blessing I will never forget. And when someone like Louise Hay or Alan Cohen would mention me or my book, MONEYLOVE, in one of their books, it reminded me of something positive and productive I had accomplished.

So here we come to the point of this rambling exposition. The other day, as I had done on several previous occasions since my release, I went online to Amazon.com and typed in my name. It showed my six books, but this time I did something differentlly. I had noticed before that there were a bunch of self-help books listed after mine and figured it was just a
marketing ploy by Amazon. But this time I looked more closely and found, to my amazement, that every one of the 38 books
listed, published between 1988 and 2008, quoted me or mentioned me in some positive way. Wow! I was stunned and couldn't even react for a few minutes. Then I was incredibly moved. Here, while I had been stuck in prison, people were writing books and acknowledging that I or my writings had somehow impressed them, so much so they felt the need to share this with their readers. And just to give you an idea of the eclectic collection of books and authors involved, here is that list, (which you are free to skip over if you find it completely uninteresting):

ACTS OF FAITH by Iyania Vanzant (1993)
MAKING A LIVING WITHOUT A JOB: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love by Barbara Winter (1993)
A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE: DAILY INSPIRATION FOR HEART-CENTERED LIVING by Alan Cohen (1996)
I HAD IT ALL THE TIME: When Self-Improvement Gives Way to Ectasy by Alan Cohen (1994)
THE HANDS-OFF MANAGER: How to Mentor People & Allow Them to be Successful by Steve Chandler and Duane Black (2007)
MIND MAGIC TECHNIQUES FOR TRANSFORMING YOUR LIFE by Marta Hiatt, Ph.D. (2001)
DARE TO WIN by Jack Canfield (1996)
SUNBEAMS: Sages, Saints and Lovers Celebrate the Human Heart by Sy Safransky (1993)
THE BACKDOOR GUIDE TO SHORT-TERM JOB ADVENTURES: Internships, Summer Jobs, Seasonal Work, Volunteer Vacations,
and Transitions Abroad by Michael Landes (2005)
LIVING THE LAW OF ATTRACTION: Real Stories of People Manifesting Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Rich German and
Robin Hoch (2008)
SECRETS OF SELF-EMPLOYMENT: Working From Home by Paul Edwards and Sarah Edwards (1996)
THE PRACTICAL DREAMSER'S HANDBOOK: FINDING THE TIME, MONEY, AND ENERGY TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE
by Paul Edwards and Sarah Edwards (2001)
HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE: 7 LIFE LESSONS FROM BACKPACKING ACROSS AMERICA (Wanderlearn) by Francis Tapon (2006)
FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY by Susan Jeffers (1988)
CORAZON DE MUJER (HEART OF A WOMAN) Spanish Edition by Sheryl L. Roush (2008)
THE POWER OF RISK: How Intelligent Choices Will Make You Very Successful by Jim McCormick (2008)
INQUIRE WITHIN by Mary Engelbreit (2003)
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SUCCEED AFTER COLLEGE by Gayle Kimball (1993)
THE SUBCONSCIOUS DIET by Hugh B. Sanders (2005)
FROM THE FILES OF A SEX THERAPIST: Bedroom Secrets Teach Keys to Success by Carole Altman (1998)
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS GIFT BOOK: You Can If You Think You Can by Meiji Steward (2000)
DAILY RICHES: A Journal of Gratitude and Awareness by Jane Bluestein, Judy Lawrence and S. J. Sanchez (1998)
THE PROSPERITY AEROBICS by Cary Bayer and Margaret Tanzosh (2006)
THE TRADE-OFF: My Husband/Your Wife by Robert H. Rimmer (2000)
LIVING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE: Staying In Control In A World Gone Bonkers by Cher Holton (1999)
75 PRINCIPLES OF CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP: Inspired Skills For 21st Century Business by Michael Shantz (2008)
BRINGING FORTH THE MAN: A Handbook For Single Moms Raising Teenage Boys by Richard V. Eastman (2006)
IGNITING THE SPIRIT AT WORK: Daily Reflections by Marilyn Mason (2001)
SUCCESS: Quotational Living by Wayne Klausing (2006)
DESIGN THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS: Using The Unique Energy of Each Month To Expand The Twelve Areas of
Your Life by Winnie Shows (2006)
HERE WE ARE AGAIN by Robert H. Rimmer (2001)
THE MONEY ADVENTURE by Egbert Sukop and Egbert Sukop (1998)
365 DAILY DOSES OF COURAGE: Inspiration To Help You Take Leaps In Your Life by Jim McCormick (2003)
AT THE HEART OF YOUR LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: Love Deeply, Live Fully, and Grow Closer Together From
Near Or Far by Catherine Day (2002)
SECRETS OF THE WORLD'S TOP SALES PERFORMERS by Christine Harvey (1990)
A COLLECTION OF WISDOM by Rodney Ohebsion (2004)
MARKETING MASSAGE: How to Build Your Dream Practice by Monica Roseberry (2001)
VIRTUAL REFLECTIONS by Brenda K. Wiederhold (2004)

So many things come up when I look at the above list, like how some of these authors thought to include a quote from me, a mention of me or my work, or a recommendation to read one or more of my books, and yet they probably had no idea
that I was in prison. And they are still doing this now in 2008, when no one other than close friends has even heard from me in twelve years and all of my books are out-of-print. Another thought is that I'd really love to have all these books in a pile in front of me--maybe I'll go to the large main library in San Francisco and pull them all and cart them to a long table--what a mind-boggling trip that would be! And it all makes me realize how world-altering The Internet has become, since this list
couldn't or wouldn't have been compiled without it. I know this is an ego trip on my part, but I hope you'll allow me one once in a while--they've been few and far between in the past twelve years.
Jerry Gillies
If you want join me, and I mean directly join with me, in my next big thing, the healthy dark chocolate adventure,
contact me at jerrygillies@gmail.com