Representing the corporate memory of the reputation field in our country by establishing ORSA, one of the first well-established companies in the field of strategic communication and public relations, as well as RepMan, Turkey’s first reputation research center, Salim Kadıbeşegil brought together his latest book titled ‘You either leave a mark or smudge” in life” in cooperation with Cinius Publishing.
In his 45-year career, Kadıbeşegil, who has been carrying out studies that are a reference for the sector in many different fields from strategic communication to public relations, from crisis management to corporate social responsibility, is the effort of people who create social change by dealing with social, environmental or political problems in different geographies of the world and change the lives of other people positively by working passionately for a purpose, in his 12th book, ‘You Either Leave a Mark in Life or IS’. and conveys his work in a gripping language.
Lives woven with values are included with the most striking examples
In his book, Kadıbeşegil gives examples of the impressive works of many names who have left their mark on life, from people who make a difference around them to leaders who drag society after them with the values they produce, from Paul Newman to Robert Redford, from Çetin Altan to İlhan İrem, from Mervyn E. King, former President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa, to social entrepreneur Jeff Skoll, and also refers to the films that inspired his characters exists. ‘You Either Leave a Mark in Life or IS’ brings together the invisible heroes of the Maraş earthquake on February 6 among dozens of stories ranging from the touching journey of Eşref Armağan, a visually impaired Turkish painter, to the establishment of a foundation that provides solutions to the water problem in Africa by a primary school student named Ryan Hreljac.
Resist the dark clouds or get lost in the darkness of history?
Defining those who leave their mark as ‘people who resist dark clouds and show us the blue sky behind them’, Kadıbeşegil explains in detail in the book the common points of these people who can give up everything with determination for the vision they have created, and witnesses the historical milestones of how globalization affects our values. In this respect, the book also sheds light on how money and power have changed individuals and institutions in the perspective of the last 30 years.
Kadıbeşegil also conveys how the negative examples that emerged in the critical periods the world is going through leave ‘soot’ in the book; Contrary to those who ‘leave a mark’ who take the troubles of life as their concern with their sense of conscience, conviction and justice; He also mentions with examples how those who do not question, who are not part of the solution, who only consume with the greed of money and power, are lost in the darkness of history.
So for whom did your life make a difference?
Opening a new window on personal and corporate reputation for individuals and professionals of all ages in the book, Kadıbeşegil quoted from the movie ‘About Schmidt’ starring actor Jack Nicholson, “For whom did my life make a difference? What has changed the world for the better because of me?” Prepared in a question-and-answer format under the editorship of communicator writer Fatma Çelenk, the book directs readers to think about what the traces of their own lives could be with an interactive dialogue. In this respect, the last part of the book, which encourages everyone in their quest to find their life purpose and takes them on a journey of inspiration that guides them, mentions who are the people who left a mark on the people around the author.
“With a small contribution, we can pave the way for very important changes”
Explaining his reason for writing the book for the readers , Kadıbeşegil said, “We are in a world where negativity surrounds us in every field. Someone is fighting for a world to live in right next to us, and sometimes we ignore it. When we come under the umbrella of that struggle, we can understand that those who leave their mark are stronger than the states and how meaningful that struggle can actually become for our own life journey. We may not be able to change the world with our own efforts, but as we will see when we look at the examples in the book, we can pave the way for very important changes in another corner of the world with a small contribution.”
“Everyone has the potential to make a mark. As long as they can carry their passion for self-realization to an area that will create social benefit,” Kadıbeşegil said, and continued: “I want my young friends, especially at the age of 20-25, to be the players on the field of the world they will live in. What kind of life will they give themselves? How will they define the parameters of success? Most importantly, how will they be happy? The answers to these questions are in their pockets. They need to see that economic, social and environmental destruction is not helpless in the face of tsunami waves. Let them examine those who have left their mark. How did they do it? They will surely find enough material for themselves.”
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