Inspirational e-mails become basis of book
Holmdel man's writings motivated co-workers in tough times after 9/11
BY TOM CAIAZZA
Staff Writer

Holmdel resident Frank Somma conveys his life lessons in his first publication, "Weekly Thought: Fifty-two Lessons for Exceptional Living."

HOLMDEL - There are some things Frank Somma thinks you should know.

He calls them "immutable laws and universal truths," the life lessons and self-help principles that have served as the basis for his first venture into publication.

"Weekly Thought: Fifty-two Lessons for Exceptional Living 2006" is the first in a series of weekly planner books that incorporate the motivational lessons and inspirational stories Somma has accumulated throughout his years in business, family and life.

The Holmdel resident and vice president of Candle Business Systems, an office automation company in New York City, began compiling motivational anecdotes, distributing them to his sales people in the weeks following 9/11

Somma, who lost a friend in the World Trade Center, said that it was unsavory to do business in the city after 9/11.

"There were so many bigger, more weighty things on the minds of New Yorkers," Somma said.

However, there was still work to be done, mouths to feed and money to be made, so he began to write messages to his sales people to motivate them to work Monday mornings.

They began to catch on.

What began as a way to get his people excited about working again grew to a list of hundreds of people waiting each week to read this man's inspirational messages and life lessons.

People began to save the weekly offerings and new people would request back-issued copies. It was in this post-9/11 climate of necessity and intervention that Somma saw the opportunity for his book.

"Weekly Thought" is just that. It is a

planner and calendar that offers inspirational stories and lessons, one for each week of the year. They are not geared toward anything in particular, but focus on self-esteem and selling yourself - keys to success in sales that translate to life.

Charitable work puts

life in perspective

Somma began years earlier giving speeches to high school students about goal-setting and mission statements. His is a voice of common sense and clarity that comes from more than just years of selling; his personal life, he said, has added to his validity.

Somma is the national president of the Cooley's Anemia Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to find a cure to this blood disease, also known as thalassemia. His daughter, Alicia, was born with the inability to create healthy red blood cells. Somma said that has colored his outlook on life.

"When you're the parent of a chronically ill child, some of that comes through," Somma said. "It is a more understanding outlook on life."

Somma said that his perspective comes from dealing with patients across the country. Like in his books, he offered a story as an explanation saying that when you sit with Nick, a Cooley's anemia patient and weeks later you're at Nick's wake, it has a way of providing clarity on life. The book is a vivid reflection of that perspective.

He said that the lessons he has learned from all the aspects of his life "transcend who I am." He called them "a personal glimpse on age-old wisdom ... the age-old immutable law of the world."

Somma is applying his positive outlook to his book as well. The 2006 edition was self-published through iUniverse, a company that allows the average person to become a published author. He is, however, not satisfied. He is shopping around the 2006 edition to publishers so the 2007 edition is even better.

This anecdote echoes one of his core philosophies and what he hopes the public will take from the book.

"Be grateful for what you have and strive for more," Somma said.

It is all right to constantly be looking to improve what you have and who you are, he said, as long as you are grateful for what you have and who you have become.

At the bottom of each week's calendar Somma has written a note to his readers. Every week it is the same sentence, and it is the foundation of his book, his success, his life and his message.

"Remember, it's not what is going on around you, or to you," Somma writes, "but rather, what is going on inside you that makes the difference."