The Magic Ticket

I am currently happily involved in a new project with author Ryan Sprague called “The Magic Ticket.” I provide the illustrations for a series of stories about a young boy and the adventures he has with his dad, magically traveling around the country to cities and venues known for their places in college football history. Here is the official “blurb” from the website:

Andrew Camp had no idea his grandfather left him and his father a gift. A magic ticket that takes them on a series of journeys to the meccas of college football. In a race against time, the Camp's must answer questions and solve a riddle to receive the true surprise their grandfather has waiting. Will they accomplish their goals? Will their grandfather accomplish his?

For fifteen weeks, join Andrew and his dad as they jump in the the Red Sea in Lincoln, wake up the echos in South Bend, and see Osceola plant the spear in Tallahassee. 

          Go Blue!, War Eagle!, and Boomer Sooner!
                    Nittany Lions, LSU Tigers, and the Bear... Whoa Nellie. 

It's a college football fan's dream season and a story children will love.

Read The Magic Ticket.

We start this week (Thursday, September 1) so sign up and enjoy the season in a new way. 

Website (with a “bonus” post about me): http://www.magicticketjourneys.com/

The first chapter: http://www.magicticketjourneys.com/pages/read-a-sample

Sign up here: http://www.magicticketjourneys.com/pages/join-the-journeys

Talking, but no Walking

Peace Be With You by David Carlson

David Carlson conducted more than 30 interviews with monks, nuns and other members of monastic communities around the United States, recording their thoughts and prayers in dealing with modern day terrorism. His search for answers in how they responded to 9/11 and its aftermath is the basis for his personal journey and struggle to find true peace in our time.

This book was not an easy read. I wrote more notes and scrawled more questions in the margins (well, the digital equivalent) as I read than any other book I have consumed since college. I found myself arguing on one page and on the next agreeing, which I am sure will make the author happy. I was both inspired and annoyed which makes this a tough review.

First, the inspiration. It was good to be reminded that all of humanity is loved equally by God and that, as Christians, we are commanded to love them as Christ loves them, regardless if they are terrorists or second cousins. I was also touched by the genuine love the monastic community shows in their circle of influence—whether selling jam, selling dogs or engaging visitors on their home turf. If we would all concentrate on our circle, Christ’s love would spread rapidly. Love God, love people on wheels is a grand concept.

My frustrations with the book were many but the main issue I had was the lack of instruction and real world examples of loving our enemies in a practical way. The monasteries and their occupants, much like the professor author, came across as cogs in spiritual think tanks where folks espouse the virtues of grand ideas but don’t quite get to the hard part of actually doing anything about it. I would love to have read about one of the monks who was heartbroken at the United State’s response to 9/11 and, because of this pain, was moved to action. Not dialoguing with a friendly Muslim or protesting the war (regardless of what they say, those are easy responses), but maybe moving to a Middle Eastern country, integrating themselves in the community and sitting down with the terrorists and practically working out the ideas they talked about. What does this love leading to peace look like when it is lived out on a daily basis? Alas, there was not one example of this and it would have given the book a lot more credibility if it had been included.

I, personally, do not know any Christian who hates the Muslim community (and, shockingly, I would be considered an evangelical). I do know people who live with Muslims in the Middle East (Israel, to be exact) and know first hand that Jesus is moving in their midst and changing hearts. I read about Palestinians who are Christians and know that Jesus is alive and gaining ground there as well. I also know Christians, home and abroad, who are concerned about terrorism and how to deal with it and are conflicted on how to love people who hate you and want you dead for no other reason than you don’t believe like they do. A book showing how to do that would be very helpful. A book using a giant brush to paint American Christians as blood thirsty maniacs who don’t spend any time thinking and reflecting about serious things and want all our enemies dead? Not so much.

I am glad I read this book but I am also glad to be finished with it.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Faux Famous Free Fiction Friday!

It’s Friday so I figured I might as well give away some more fiction. After all, Free Fiction Wednesday suffers from its lack of perfect alliteration. So, today is Free Fiction Friday and it is your lucky day because today is a two-fer. I have bundled two short stories together for the “price” of one. And since it is free, that makes it even cheaper (or should I say “less expensive”?)! And the best part? They are short. For all of you that were hesitant to read “Adam Mahoney...” because it was a novel, this will be perfect for you. Short stories. Short. Not long at all. Go forth and read!

Two Short Stories:
“Two Short Stories” by Jay Colle is … well, two short stories. Truth in advertising is alive and well. The first story, “Save Me, Black Jesus,” is a sober look at the prospect of dying told through the eyes of a patient in a hospital. The second story, “Oh, Tanner Baum,” is a humorous look at selecting a Christmas tree told through the eyes of a young boy. The stories are so far apart in tone and concept that they cannot see each other even if they use binoculars. Which is why it makes perfect sense to bundle them together. Seriously. Stop staring at me…

To make it easy, I am supplying it in three formats: Mobi for your Kindle, ePub for iBook (and most everyone else) and as a PDF for those who may want to print or bypass an ebook reader. Download the version you prefer (or all three, I don’t mind) and enjoy. If you like it, I ask that you consider two things:

1. Let me (and the world) know by leaving a comment on this page and
2. Pass it on to other people who might also enjoy reading it (include this email with the download information).

That’s it. Simple Simon. Free fiction for all. Download and enjoy!

Doggy Dilemma

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4. 

Do Dogs Dream?

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4. 

5. 

Free Fiction, No Strings Attached.

I have recently completed a novel. Yeah, yeah, everyone is a writer. I know, it is cliche and predictable. What isn’t predictable is that I am giving it away. Yes, you read that correctly, it is yours for free if you want it. So, what is it about? This:

Adam Mahoney enjoyed a normal existence in a normal town, minding his normal business, okay with being normal. He wakes one morning to discover his new normal is a life that has never been lived, much less successfully navigated. Everything he has known and is comfortable with is taken away. Faced with unlimited possibilities, what will he choose? How will he respond when he knows that no one else could possibly be affected by any action he takes? Can any choice be labelled selfish when he's the last man standing on the face of the earth?

To make it easy, I am supplying it in three formats: Mobi for your Kindle, ePub for iBook (and most everyone else) and as a PDF for those who may want to print or bypass an ebook reader. Download the version you prefer (or all three, I don’t mind) and enjoy. (Right click the desired link and select Save link as... from your options, then select a place on your computer to download the file.)

If you like it, I ask that you consider two things, okay, maybe three:

1. Let me (and the world) know by leaving a comment on this page or the Facebook page and
2. Pass it on to other people who might also enjoy reading it (include this email with the download information) then
3. Go like the Facebook Fan Page for the book and "Like" it. 

That’s it. Simple Simon. Free fiction for all. Download and enjoy!

Trust 30: Entry Seventeen

Invent the Future by Cindy Gallop
A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

My favorite quote of all time is Alan Kay: ‘In order to predict the future, you have to invent it.’ I am all about inventing the future. Decide what you want the future to be and make it happen. Because you can. Write about your future now.
(Author: Cindy Gallop)

My future? It will only be mildly different from my present.

In the future I will have five dollars more than I need instead of five dollars less.

In the future people that do not know me will read my words and be genuinely interested in what I am working on next.

In the future I will wake up every morning and see Hope.

In the future I will have very comfortable chairs on the Man Porch. And a real ash tray.

In the future I will read this and laugh.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Dork Alert

I am posting this entry from my new iPhone. It's really an experiment to see how complicated it is to complete the task. So far, so good. And when I get better at typing on this phone's virtual keyboard, it will be exponentially better. Till then...

Trust 30: Entry Sixteen

Wholly Strange and New by Bridget Pilloud
When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name;—— the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Can you remember a moment in your life when you had life in yourself and it was wholly strange and new? Can you remember the moment when you stopped walking a path of someone else, and started cutting your own?

Write about that moment. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, let the miracle play out in your mind’s eye and write about that moment in your future.
(Author: Bridget Pilloud)

Two months ago, we (wife and myself) walked my youngest child through a trying time, dealing with issues that we all have to deal with as we keep moving forward toward our goal of growing up. (What we eventually realize is, but not at 19 years old, we never stop growing up but we, hopefully, have more ammo from experience to deal with the struggles.) It was a particularly arduous few weeks, requiring my wife and I to invest quite a bit of emotional energy in helping him successfully walk through it. Toward the end, as issues were clearing up and the situation was finding closure, I was talking to him on the phone and realized that I was done. That the most recent circumstance was a marker and it was time to let go. I can’t pinpoint any one reason I sensed this—maybe it was his voice and the confidence he exuded, or maybe it was his overall calm demeanor—but I knew that we had just experienced our final push together. I was surprised, not that it happened, but more at the timing. There was no warning; it arrived unannounced.

This has happened with my other children as well but what made this moment feel so real was that it happened with our youngest child. I couldn’t nod in approval and quickly turn my focus on the next child because there wasn’t a next child, he was it. I understand that I will never be completely done with my kids, there will always be situations they roll into and advice that will be freely given (even now I am encouraging and advising them on major decisions), but there is a moment when you don’t have to pull and cajole (as much) and you actually feel confident that they don’t need you to use your muscle for them to be successful. The hand you’ve been using to grab their shirt and keep them upright (or smack them in the head) can now be used for a pat on the back.

The moment is both liberating and sad but mainly liberating. It is the ultimate moment of no longer walking a path of someone else, although walking their path has had a lot to do with cutting my own; the trails are very intertwined and rightfully so. Currently I am sharpening my machete and loading up on bug spray, prepping and anticipating where my path will veer. Hopefully I will still be able to hear the kids hacking away at theirs...

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Fifteen

One Thing by Colin Wright
Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.
(Author: Colin Wright)

It is strange, but at my age, a lot of the things I wanted to achieve I did and the things I did not don’t really matter all that much. Some of the the unconquered goals are still possible, but I am not sure I have the desire to burn the energy needed to make them happen. I am not necessarily tired, just content. I tend to derive a lot more pleasure from spending time with my wife and having adult conversations with my kids than holing up in a room trying to get 1000 words written before I sleep. I love sitting on the back porch with friends, maybe smoking a cigar and enjoying a drink, but mainly laughing and leisurely swapping wisdom. And I have discovered a healthy version of living vicariously through my kids, anticipating the great things they will accomplish and  thoroughly enjoying their journey as it plays out in front of me. Yes, there were missed targets and disappointments along the way, but I don’t look back with regret. Rather, I have an appreciation that it’s all turned out just fine.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Fourteen

Alternative Paths by Jonathan Fields

When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.

(Author: Jonathan Fields)

I could have written this prompt. I am a journey evangelist. Having the luxury of being able to look back for longer than I have to look forward, I can attest that the life trip is to be enjoyed, not fought against. Just today I was chatting with my youngest son who is in Texas for the summer and facing some big decisions. My final words to him were: “Plan? Absolutely. Be flexible? Oh yeah. Stay prayed up and listen...”

So, today, I want to second the sentiment of the prompt and not add anything to it. Enjoy the journey and don’t get bogged down in the “what ifs” and the “what nows.” Approach the bends and forks in the road with a positive “what can I do with this so I can continue to move forward.” Most importantly, find a way to enjoy...

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Thirteen

Surprise by Ashley Ambirge
I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself.  How will you surprise yourself this week?
(Author: Ashley Ambirge)

I started and finished two novels. I started and completed three short stories. There was a time not that long ago that I would have laughed if someone had suggested that. Maybe I’ll start another manuscript this week.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Twelve

Fear by Lachlan Cotter

These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed? Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:

Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel?

Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?

Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?

Now Do. The Thing. You Fear.

(Author: Lachlan Cotter)

Fear has never held me back.

Having said that, I have been scared, many times, but I have pushed through the fear to at least try. Now, other things have held me back. They always will, regardless of all the cheerleading and self-help books that try to convince you that “all you need to do is believe in yourself” and the world will be yours to conquer. Nothing is that simple. My philosophy has always been “step through every open door” but opportunities don’t always work out like I expect or dream. But I do not look back on any chance missed or completed with regret because every chapter of my story has made me who I am. And, thankfully, I am a book still being written. 

I am most pleased by the sequels to my story, my children. I made a conscious decision when they were young that my new “career goal” was to raise three children and send them out into the world with a strong sense of self, ready to succeed. It was a lot of work and sacrifice but there is not another path I could have taken that would have been more wise. They are all adults now, making their own way and they are dreams realized, ventures of love and joy. They have allowed me to live the last 25 years full and with zero remorse. And yet, I am still relatively young. What’s next? I have no idea but I am ready to find out, ready to blunder, without fear.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Eleven

Divine Idea by Fabian Kruse

Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?

(Author: Fabian Kruse)

There will never be another me. That is not arrogant, it is just truth. I am unique. You are unique. Every person that currently takes up space on the planet is unique. Every person that has ever or will ever take up space on this planet was and will be unique. And that uniqueness allows each of us to offer something extraordinary to the world. Does this always happen? Absolutely not. There are a lot of forces working against us, keeping our uniqueness buried or stifled. Economics, where we are born, who we are born to, what form of government we are born under and societal expectations are just a few of the many parameters that can choke back our potential. Is it harder for some more than others? Yes, much harder, but not impossible.*

What is “suicidal” is to not discover who I really am and be content trying to live out the expectations of others, choosing to not fight through the detritus that hinders that discovery. To go along to get along, go with the flow and live out all the other cliches that are used to describe mediocrity. To figure out how I am wired, what my default response mechanisms are, what my strengths are and move forward in that knowledge, expecting to succeed. 

There are potential pitfalls to this. I can take this charge to an extreme and get wrapped up in me to the detriment of others. That is my right but it portends a lonely, solitary existence. The key to not ending up a jerk (which is always a possibility when focused on me) is to take the knowledge of myself and still swim the waters of humanity and culture and life, cultivating the ability to not only get along with others, but to find the balance of giving and getting that allows everyone to thrive. To be me and not alienate everyone else in the process is the ultimate success story.

*I realize how arrogant that sounds when a middle class white dude pretends to be speaking for everyone, including the poor and afflicted all over the globe, but, any time someone starts discussing “discovering yourself” and is semi-serious... well, I realize I am canoeing dangerously close to Deepak Chopra waters so I request some giving of slack. Thanks in advance.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Ten

Your Personal Message by Eric Handler

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

(Author: Eric Handler)

The Personal Manifesto of William J. Colle III (in bullet point format for easy skimming)

• The world is a lot bigger than your circle. Look up every now and then and expand your circle.
• Do not assume it is always about you because everyone else is assuming it is about them and if everyone else is assuming it is about them then it cannot possibly be about you. See how this sick cycle of life spins?
• Think about others FIRST and break the previously referenced sick cycle of life.
• Do not get married until you are ready to GIVE to another person and think about them first.
• Do not have children until you are ready to GIVE EVEN MORE to yet another person (or two or three) and think about them first. Don’t panic, you have it in you. Trust me.
• Unless you are married, keep your pants on.
• People are more important than things.
• Face-to-face conversation will always trump a digital conversation, even if the news is not good. Especially if the news is not good.
• God does not care if your team wins.
• Servant Leadership ascends any other style of leadership.
• Singing and dancing are good for you, regardless of skill level. So is laughing (but not at people who are not very skilled at singing or dancing unless they are genuinely laughing at themselves).
• If all else fails and everything is confusing and discombobulated and you can’t figure out your next move, remember this: Love God and Love People. Start over from there and it will start making sense again.

   

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Nine

Afraid to Do by Mary Jaksch

The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson says: “Always do what you are afraid to do.” What is ‘too scary’ to write about? Try doing it now.

(Author: Mary Jaksch)

I wrote it but I’m not sharing it. There is a big difference between burping and throwing up.  

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Eight

Five Years by Corbett Barr

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

(Author: Corbett Barr)

Dear Jay (five years ago): Things are going well, aren’t they? You just started a new and promising job as a Creative Director. Your first born just finished his first year at college and your daughter just graduated high school with plans to attend the same college as your oldest. Your youngest child completed his freshman year of high school that included a successful season on the baseball diamond and is now looking forward to the Babe Ruth summer season. Your wife is nearing completion of her first year at her first job outside of the classroom and it has been a success. Congratulations. Life is good.

Now, in regards to William’s new girlfriend, yes, they are going to get married. And your daughter? She’ll be in California for a year and then spend a semester in Israel and another in Italy before she comes home again. And when Jordan blows out his elbow next month? You should know that he won’t ever play baseball again, regardless of all the rehab and two more surgeries. And all that money you and Hope are pouring into school and vacations and whatever else comes up? You’re still paying it off in 2011. In fact, you have another solid year before any of that goes away. (I probably should have written this to Jay “ten years ago” and maybe you’d have planned better.) Your wife has held on to the same job for five years, but you? Dude, you are currently on your third job since now. Sure, the reasons are varied and, mostly, out of your control, but you should know that you have been consistent in adding to your work history.

So, what’s the takeaway? William and Jul are happy and thriving. Laura is still restless but that time away was the best thing for her and she is a dynamo. Jordan left behind athletics, concentrated on music and is also thriving. Your marriage has survived 29 years and the two of you are still best friends, regardless of debt, trials and the day to day battering of life. Bottom line? You have no idea what is coming and it can all change in a minute (a cliché is a cliché because it is true). So, enjoy the ride. All the planning and speculating is good and necessary but you have to be flexible enough to bob and weave when it doesn’t quite work out like you thought. And, more often than not, it does not work out like you planned. But, blessedly, it still works out.

Dear Jay (five years from now): So, you couldn’t stay under 200 pounds. Really?

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Seven

Dare to be bold by Matt Cheuvront

Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneurs worst enemy. Bad things happen when we employ rational thought, because rational thought comes from the ego. Instead, we want to work from the Self, that is, from instinct and intuition, from the unconscious.

A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. Its only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.” - Steven Pressfield, Do the Work

The idea of “being realistic” holds all of us back. From starting a business or quitting a job to dating someone who may not be our type or moving to a new place – getting “real” often means putting your dreams on hold.

Today, let’s take a step away from rational thought and dare to be bold. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue? Write it down. Also write down the obstacles in your way of reaching your goal. Finally, write down a tangible plan to overcome each obstacle.

The only thing left is to, you know, actually go make it happen. What are you waiting for?

(Author: Matt Cheuvront)

I have spent 30 years striving, looking for the creative edge, working nights on special projects, pouring myself into the next thing that will get me noticed. Whether it was market forces, bad timing or the simple reason that my work wasn’t very good, “success” has been a vapor. Whatever the reasons, I can attest that it has not been for lack of effort, dreaming or desire. 

And now I am tired.

When I am asked the one thing I have always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue, I have a new answer. I want to be content with where I am. To still write and create projects and not have the motivation be getting published or recognized, but to be satisfied with the ability to put down on paper what I see in my head. To get through my day fulfilled because of solid effort, not relying on the blessings of others for a sense of achievement. To enjoy my family and friends, taking great pleasure in a cigar and a quality bourbon shared on the porch with a side of conversation. To slow down and let things happen organically, not shaped and forced in a rush. To be present right now, not burning energy on what could have been or manipulating what happens next. To not be panicked when it is quiet. To develop fewer, but deeper, relationships. These are the things I want to accomplish. 

Before it’s too late.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Six

Come Alive by Jonathan Mead

Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.

Bonus: How can your goals improve the present and not keep you in a perpetual “always something better” spiral?

(Author: Jonathan Mead)

Responsibility. It is something that can create an annoying drag on dreams and goals. It is very easy to discuss and plan all the things I want to do and deserve to do and ruminate on what I was intended to do. But sometimes, paying bills and feeding kids and mowing the lawn gets in the way. And sometimes, lack of talent can crimp those plans as well. But there is something that I can do regardless of my responsibilities or aptitude and that is to love people. All it takes is effort and a certain degree of want-to and to follow through is to achieve the highest level of existence.

So If I had one week left to live, I’d quit work and shirk some of the responsibilities that tie me up but my main focus would be to shore up relationships and try to love as many people as I could. To spend all the time I had left investing in other people one last time. Frankly, that is something I can do now—whether I am over-, under- or unemployed, striving or cruising, rich or poor or trying to decide. I can’t think of a better way to improve my present (or anyone else's). Fortunately, there are a lot of people out there to love so it is a noble to-do list that I can, and will, tend to from now until then.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Five

Travel by Chris Guillebeau

If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

(Author: Chris Guillebeau)

Since I was young I have always been fascinated with Australia. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the accent of the natives or that the people are blonde, attractive, laid back and seem to enjoy themselves. Like California on steroids. I have visited many places around the globe but Australia has always been there, biding its time, waiting for me to figure out a way to visit. I currently have no plans to travel there and see no way that it will happen in the near future. But maybe after the kid's college debt is paid and a few too-long-ignored things are fixed around the house I can plan a trip. Practical so often rules the day. Maybe one day impractical will decide to take a trek and invite me along. 

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Four

Post-it Question by Jenny Blake

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.

Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.

(Author: Jenny Blake)

How can I stay curious and continue to create—to continue “the habit of art” (Flannery O’Connor)—with no guarantee anyone will notice? 

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Three

One Strong Belief by Buster Benson

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

(Author: Buster Benson)

I am surrounded by people that share my strongest beliefs and I cannot think of one single thing I passionately believe that does not also line up with the passionate beliefs of my inner circle of relationships. I am referring to essential, core beliefs—of which there are less than a handful—ignoring nonessential, surface dogma of which there are many. And I am okay with that. Frankly, why would a person want anything less? There are enough negative people out there to mash your passions; I need to come home to the true believers. 

When referring to strong beliefs, what are we talking about? Belief in self? Belief in a Higher Being? Belief in a governmental philosophy? Belief that I can accomplish more than I have been given the opportunity to accomplish? Belief that I am smarter than you think I am? Belief that I can fly? Belief that those blinking lights at night aren’t really stars but satellites that are monitoring my every move? If I can’t share what I am passionate about for fear of mocking or squelching, then I need to trade in my friends and family for a better set. I need to surround myself with folks that can laugh at crazy ideas and get enthusiastic about great ones. That can slow me down when caution is called for and can kick my butt when I just think caution is in play. That won’t get scared when I share my soul and can expect the same from me. If I have to hide anything, I need to find better friends. Life is too short (and humid) to wear a mask.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry Two

Liz Danzico – Today

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.

(Author: Liz Danzico)

Today I plan to get better and I have an idea of how but I understand that my plans can change and that is okay as long as I get better.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Trust 30: Entry One

Gwen Bell – 15 Minutes to Live
We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.
1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

2. Write the story that has to be written.
(Author: Gwen Bell)

To whom it may concern:
Now that is a lame way to start the last thing I will ever write but I honestly don’t know who will read this so I am sending it out to whomever. I realized when I passed 50 that I was over halfway through my life. Little did I know that it was actually my 26th birthday that marked the mid point. Funny what we don’t know when we think we know it all. At 26 I was still convinced that life was run on a track in front of adoring crowds and well wishers. I was sure of what I was going to accomplish and had five and ten year goals written down and committed to memory. I was limber, lean and my energy levels were high, allowing me to stay focused and keep my expectations high.

Now I know that the race resembles an extreme trail run, most of my time spent looking down, dodging rocks and snakes, praying I don’t turn an ankle because I can’t afford the day off to recover. And the great throng of supporters stayed in the bleachers and didn’t follow me on the journey. Yes, I was blessed to have family and a few solid friends that yelled encouragement when I passed them or we crossed paths, and that cannot be measured. The five and ten year goals are a little fuzzy in my memory but that’s because they changed. A wife and kids altered those theoretical milestones, all replaced with real life situations where the payment was a smile or a hug or an “I love you” out of nowhere. Grace replaced accounting ledgers and I am finishing this race with zero disappointment.

It’s interesting that this is happening just as my youngest is taking off. All three kids will be fine, more than fine, great, and my wife is a lot tougher than she thinks. I’ll miss them if that is even possible in the next phase, and I know they’ll miss me, but I also know they are prepared to go on. Their story is my story. All they need to do is write some more chapters.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

Read on

Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing

By Larry Brooks

When I started this book, my expectations were low. I have read a number of “how to write” books and they start to take on a sameness, with the amount of quality, new information either buried or non-existent. I am very glad I worked past my prejudices and made the effort to give this book a chance. It did not disappoint. 

As the title suggests, the book is based on six core competencies the author shows are a requirement in every successful story. Whether you are a writer who works from an outline or a writer who is more organic and lets the story come to you, he is convincing in his logic. I especially enjoyed the use of movies and screenplays, along with best selling fiction, as examples, making it clear that a story that “works” is not under the sole jurisdiction of the published novel. The detail for each competency is clear and easy to follow and the author’s enthusiasm for my unpublished manuscript—even though he hasn’t ever read it—was infectious. His cheerleading for the reader stopped just short of corny, but it made me want to write.

One thing he stressed time again was this was not a set of rules to squelch your creativity and beautiful words. The core competencies are used because they work. Skip one of the six and your story may still be readable, but it will not be publishable. He makes his case and I was convinced. This paragraph from the author helps sum up his concept:

That’s all this book really is. It’s a set of principles that help you get bad ideas, unprofessional habits, incomplete notions, and outdated techniques out of the way, allowing the best story you have in you to surface, while creating a benchmark for the best sentences you can bring to it.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

A Book Review

The Hole in Our Gospel

Richard Stearn

The Hole in Our Gospel is a two-fer. The first part is about Mr. Stearn’s transition from a successful corporate CEO of Lenox to leading World Vision, a Christian aid organization that battles worldwide poverty and injustice. Frankly, the first part was more interesting to me than the second. Something about the rhetoric bothered me when it moved into the latter pages, what I felt was the “Scolding and Tut-Tutting” section of the book. Initially, I assumed my annoyance was Spirit-led and that I should take my conviction like a man. But I then realized that, no, I was just annoyed that someone else was trying to guilt me into doing things their way and if I didn’t, well, shame on me. I have no reason to doubt that Mr. Stearn (and World Vision) are doing wonderful things across the globe. What I doubt is that Mr. Stearn has any idea what my church is doing to combat poverty in my home town and in the areas globally that we support through our missionaries. The broad brush of “shame on you, American church” was unfair and offensive. The book has merit and I would recommend it for the fascinating personal story of Mr. Stearn’s journey. Just know that the second part has the ability to inspire or disappoint.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Meh.

I am sick and tired (and more than a little bit pained) of all the bickering in the world. Everyone is so assured of his or her truth that all there is left to do is yell, cast aspersions and be snarky. No one listens; everyone screams. And they are screaming even when they are calmly "stating the facts." It is so dispiriting. I would love a Pill of Ignorance® that could sweep through my brain and adjust my emotional state to "meh." Which could quickly lead to, "Look! A pony!” And I would run after it giggling like a schoolgirl…

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, the band Vera performed their first public show at the Crowbar in Tampa, Florida. I was in attendance (drummer groupie) and videotaped their short set (they were the opener and were allowed to play a whopping 15 minutes—three songs). At the time, the management company overseeing Vera’s progress asked that I not post the videos because they had a marketing plan in place for the band so I was content to keep the videos private and just share them with friends and family.

That was then. This is now.

Although the band is no longer together (R.I.P.), I wanted to commemorate the short but promising career of the band by finally sharing the videos with the world (or at least the few people that this text will cross their path). Rewatching them today I am still impressed with how well they played considering it was their first live show as a band (and that it sounds pretty good even though I was videotaping on a small digital camcorder). I hope you enjoy this little bit of music history and remember what was, no matter how briefly their star got to shine...

Song One: Sound

Song Two: Second Song (It was never given a name and the fact that it was played second during this set meant that it was always referred to as “Second Song.”)

Song Three: Blue, Forever (Still my favorite song of theirs...)