In Time for Mother's Day ... Matthew Cossolotto - Former Aide to Congressman Leon Panetta and House Speaker Jim Wright - Launches First Annual 'Make A Promise Day' on May 4th, 2010

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y., April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Cossolotto made a promise to his dying mother (Virginia Hope Butler) that he would finish writing a book he had been discussing with her, get it published, and dedicate it to her memory.

The resulting book is The Real F Word: The 7 FAILURE Traps of Highly Disempowered People (and what to do about them), published by Morgan James Publishing and available via http://www.Amazon.com, http://www.BarnesandNoble.com or local bookstores.

Launching "Make A Promise Day" on May 4th - May The Fourth Be With You!

"Making a heartfelt promise, especially to your mother, unleashes an irresistible force for personal transformation and goal achievement," Cossolotto explains. "It's a powerful way to get unstuck, to break free from old FAILURE traps and jump start your personal change journey. This is critical for success and happiness anytime, but it's especially important in today's tough economy. 'Make A Promise Day' is all about personal empowerment - the first 'holiday' so dedicated."

Cossolotto offers five keys to help people make and keep their promises:

• Be Specific! Turn concrete goals into heartfelt promises.
• Commit Emotionally! Make a promise to someone you really care about.
• Be Selective! Pick just one or two important goals.
• Start Small! Get started by identifying and reaching a couple of small, quickly accomplished goals. This builds your "achievement" muscles and boosts your goal-reaching confidence.
• Follow Through! Remember, when you make a promise your integrity is on the line. To reinforce your promise, consider making it public and putting it in writing. Tiger Woods take note!

Cossolotto also urges people to extend the spirit of "Make A Promise Day" to other days that have special meaning - birthdays, Valentine's Day, wedding anniversaries, graduation day, Father's Day, and, of course, Mother's Day. "The promise I made to my mother motivated me to finish my book. This Mother's Day, why not give your mom flowers and a promise?"

Cossolotto plans to spread his personal empowerment message with a new keynote presentation - "The Power of Making a Promise" - to a variety of audiences, including schools and colleges, corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits. "And that's a promise," he adds.

See http://www.MakeAPromiseDay.com on May 4th for details, including written promise forms and gift items.

About Matthew Cossolotto

A former congressional aide and CEO-level speechwriter and communications executive at MCI, Pepsi-Cola International, and GTE, Matthew offers a range of executive communication services and guest speaking programs. Please visit http://www.Ovations.com, http://www.PEPTalksUSA.com, and http://www.TheEmpowermentPro.com.

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SOURCE Ovations International, Inc.