Sydney Douglas Smith

Biography

I was born into a "working class" family and spent my childhood learning to "be happy with what you have" My father was the hard working head of a very poor but very loving family.

I was bullied by my peers and by the education system and I came to believe the many negative things that were told me such as; "You are a stupid boy", "You can never learn", "You will never be anything in your life".
In addition I was brought up in an age where Class and religious distinctions and prejudices decided what sort of a person you were destined to become and more or less how you were to live your life. Any signs of ambition were quickly stifled by a lifestyle and social system driven by the upper class.

An inherited work ethic and the ability to care deeply for others (especially the under-dog) are among the life gifts that carried me through-out my early years even though I didn't have a relationship with God then. I found God later in life (about 45), and this led me to college where I learned that I wasn't stupid after all, and I could learn new skills, using my gifts and be valuable to God and other people. I became a Counsellor with Lifeline, and attained many qualifications I thought I could never get.

Yes I have been knocked down in life, quite a few times. Sometimes because of wrong decisions I have made, sometimes when others have hurt me and sometimes just because of life, but through it all there has been a great God who even in the depths of my hurt, fear and sorrow has just reached down, taken my hand and gently lifted me!

My theme song is a re-written version of the tub-thumping song “ I get knocked down, he lifts me up again”
It helps also that I have had a good wife who has stuck by me in the hard times and helped me celebrate the good times, thank you Ruby for being there to lift and encourage me and also keeping me grounded when I get above myself.

I currently have a small Life Coaching practice where I teach and mentor “Bright Endings” in a one-on-one environment or group workshops where people can and do move past the mistakes and disappointments of the past and even learning to appreciate some of the lessons learned to help create for themselves a “Bright Ending”

After a lifetime of many failures and some great success stories I have learned to lean on God in the tough times and thank Him for everything.

We are not able to go back and change the beginnings, undo the mistakes or redo the regrets in our story! BUT we can start now and write a brand new ending.

I am living in the peace and calm that comes as we are able to find what I call the "sweet spot' in our life that is the purpose for us which I am sure we are pre-destined to be before we were born.

Smashwords Interview

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Being able to share what I feel especially when I am writing about God. It's almost a burning passion to share what is inside of me.
What are you working on next?
I am a Christian Life Coach and work under the name Bright-Endings and this will be the title of my next work. A self help book complete with tools to help the reader get back on track with goals and move into the sweet spot in life.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Sydney Douglas Smith online

Facebook: Facebook profile

Books

The Opposite Of More Is Enough
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 36,570. Language: English. Published: March 23, 2020 . Categories: Nonfiction » Religion & Spirituality » Christian Ministry / Missions
The opposite of more is enough is a wonderful combination of true stories, scriptures, poetry, anecdotes and facts that have left many of the contributors with the knowledge that God has been busy in their lives in a way that has changed outcomes sometimes with complete surprise.
You Can Move That Mountain
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 13,990. Language: English. Published: December 6, 2019 . Categories: Nonfiction » Religion & Spirituality » Christian Life / Prayer
You can move mountains will help you build up your prayer life and mountains will jump into the sea. Including God's word in your prayer you will see that He answers your prayer and if you ask, you will receive.
Remember Your First Love
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 14,440. Language: English. Published: December 3, 2019 . Categories: Nonfiction » Religion & Spirituality » Christian Life / Inspirational
In this book Doug encourages us Christians to remember our first love with Jesus! Every church community and every member of it needs to linger and live in the wonder of God’s gracious love. We need ways to remember and celebrate this love in the songs we sing, the prayers we raise, the stories we share, the sacraments we celebrate, and the care we give to others.
I Get Knocked Down, But God Gets Me Up Again
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 46,150. Language: English. Published: May 2, 2017 . Categories: Nonfiction » Inspiration » Spiritual inspiration, Nonfiction » Biography » Personal memoir
In this book, I will share with you some inspirational stories of my own as well as other people’s experiences of resilience and what I call "bouncebackability", some poems, anecdotes, quotes and practical lessons to apply to your life to help you learn to brush yourself off and get back up again.
Bright-Endings
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 17,310. Language: English. Published: September 4, 2014 . Categories: Nonfiction » Self-improvement » Motivation & inspiration
No one can go back and make a brand new start, however, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.(Carl Bard) Sounds simple doesn't it? But the truth is in order to start from now and make a brand new ending we need to look back, sometimes with the help of a Life Coach and clarify a number of life issues.
God Love and Me
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 8,510. Language: English. Published: February 9, 2014 . Categories: Nonfiction » Religion & Spirituality » Inspirational, Nonfiction » Inspiration » Spiritual inspiration
Inspirational collection of poems which I have written over the last 30 years and tell my story of how I found God and how he has changed my life as well as a few poems and meaningful scriptures which have helped on this journey.