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Spiriting Around: A Modern Guide to Finding Yourself

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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.

Mark Tomback uses his own background of self-examination as the basis of what is probably one of the better guides for everyone concerned with why the world makes so little sense right now. While others have reviewed this brief but intensely interesting book well, it seems that one of the major drivers in Tomback's sharing his insights is a kind of humanity, a love for living, a caring that eludes us as individuals so stuck in the quagmire of 'living'.

What makes Tomback's book so refreshing is his straightforward approach to spiritualism: for him God is a part of everything and everything is a part of God. But this is not the 'God' of other writers' evangelical type, the omniscient being who holds the strings of the many variation puppets of 'religion', be those Christian, Muslim, Buddhism, etc. This is the God within. Tomback encourages the reader to start afresh, to observe the way things really are, to approach friendship, love, morality, all forms of sexual/political/philosophical/livelihood being with a connection from within each of us that bonds us to the spiritual, i.e. the truth.

'Thoughts are things. Thoughts have form and structure. Thoughts have power.' 'Traditions are links in the chain of time that join generations together. Traditions can be the wisdom of lessons learned to a maze of ancient fears.' These are only some of the many simple statements Tomback shares so liberally. This book has something for everyone no matter their level of enlightenment or progress toward maturity. And that is why this brief book is readable, is valuable, and is different from those self-help books that make heavy the shelves of bookstores. It stimulates growth by discovering who we are and why we are. Grady Harp, January 07

Martin Tomback presents a book that deals with Spiritual Growth. it deals with learning how to accept it to further understand your surroundings&also how to connect. this Book deals with Persoanl Purpose, Love, Money how you deal with controversey&other challenging pressure issues. this Book is geared toward Teens,but it has the kind of questions that no matter where you are in your life that you often wish a Book like this had come about a whole lot sooner. it makes you reflect on your own life&where you are as well as thinking about other lives that you impact&come into contact with. very detailed&the chapters have Questions&Answers at dealing with various situations. this is a Very Good self-Help Book.

I enjoyed reading this delightful and inspiriational book. I would like my teenage children to read it and suggest it as a great gift for high school graduates starting out in life. The author does a great job exploring the topics of pursuing your passion, searching for God, managing money, and finding true love. Also in the chapter on conflicts and conterversies he explores every major topic that our young people will have to search their souls and form an opinion about like drugs, war, politics, charity, and many more.
You will walk away with some great teachings from this book, here are some examples:
"Things change but happiness is your goal, not any particular situation".
"We sabotage ourselves when we choose the easy way instead of doing what's right".
"Wherever you are you control your happiness".
"While self doubts are only opinions, they are the most important opinions in the world".
"Quality in living isn't about having the most. It's about having enough of what's important to you".
"The seed of every moment holds your future".

No greater wisdom has ever been written. Let this book help you along your path to happiness and spiritual fullfilment.

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.

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 at the heart of Tomback's entire message is spirituality, finding one's inner spirit. As a part of this, he talks a lot about God - trusting God to help you if you only ask, etc. It's not a religious argument at all, except in a New Age sense (Tomback's views have been shaped by many years walking many a spiritual path); in fact, the author says that spirit is your birthright no matter what kind of God you believe in. I don't happen to share his views on the nature of God and spirituality. In the end, though, it doesn't really matter all that much because he's really talking about empowering yourself to live the life you want to live. It's all about you taking responsibility for yourself - and this book is pretty darn effective at showing you how to go about doing that very thing.

"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 has to talk about these issues before it is too late.

~The Rebecca Review

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.

I was pleased to read a book we could give as a gift to growing up teens. On that difficult transition age when some teens usually stubbornly close to most parents positive influences and focus on their own experiences, and peer group influences for guidance to shape their values and make decisions that will have life lasting consequences.

"Spiriting Around", like a light house to mariners, shines a beacon of powerful light to attention-gathering issues, facts of life and provocative ideas, that will help growing up children realize were they are navigating in life and the current standing of their values that will frame their decision making process in this particular time and for the rest of their life.

Whether teens care or not for the whole lot of subjects in the book, it's easy to read and jump back and forth between pages. The neither imposing nor dogmatic style of the author makes it more palatable to the inpatient and restless adolescent mind.

In my view, the greatest achievement from "Spiriting around" is to help teens realize not only they not know it all, but also help them put issues in their "radar", step back and reflect on their morals and were they will stand when life throw them in situations that will demand of them to take decisions. And the character they will be reflecting to society and the men and women they are growing up to be.
Many people grow up to be men and women of character and values just "playing it by ear" as they grow up. "Spiriting Around" can help see, consider and reflect most moral issues just as they are embarking on the adulthood voyage.

Spriting Around: A Modern Guide to Finding Yourself is not the normal run-of-the-mill book about God and spirituality. Martin Tomback wrote the book with teens in mind; he hopes to help them understand various aspects of life and teach them to stand by their choices and be responsible for the choices they make.

The book is broken down into six chapters of easily understood, well-written steps in how to work toward goals, find what's right for you and how to follow through to accomplish those goals.

Tomback speaks about everything from love to money, marriage to divorce, conflicts and controversies to control and commitment. And he doesn't stop there. Spirituality and God are included in all aspects of the book, but not in a preachy sense; he speaks more in a universal manner with nurturing tendencies.

He uses a no-nonsense, common sense approach to speak about growing up and finding solutions to problems and explains how to be patient, persistent and stay focused.

Each chapter ends with a "Spiriting Around Exercise," or "Think About It" section, which summarizes the thoughts brought out in the chapter.

In Spiriting Around: A Modern Guide to Finding Yourself, Mark Tomback has taken his school of hard knocks and summed them up into an easy-to-read instruction book to help others understand their life's situations and how to make the best of them despite the difficulties in this modern world.