James Pyles's Blog, page 106
December 13, 2018
Summer Reflection
Twenty-nine year old Melanie Snyder stood sobbing at the shore of the lake where her Grandpa’s ashes had been scattered two years ago. She purposely had one hand inside her coat touching something precious she was wearing around her neck. The first rays of the April sun were just now creeping over the eastern horizon […]
Quoting: Learn From Your Role Models
When your first reaction is not to take the action that you really want to do, ask yourself, “Who do I know has a positive attitude about taking action? Now let me borrow his mind, as it were. Let me borrow his brain in my own unique way.” Make yourself feel the way you imagine […]
December 12, 2018
Quoting: Recall Your Own Moments of Zrizus
We all have experienced zrizus and moments of joyful willpower. That is, we did things swiftly and right away. There are many instances when we felt motivated to do something positive that we strongly wanted to do and felt good about actually doing them. When you recall a moment of zrizus and joyful willpower, you […]
December 11, 2018
Escaping Paradise
“Are you sure this is the right move?” Sixteen-year-old Erin leaned forward against her seatbelt so her Dad, who was driving, could hear her. “It’s too late to ask now. All our stuff’s moved to the new place in Glenbrook, the house in San Francisco finally sold, so Nevada is our new home.” He chuckled […]
Quoting: Ambition Takes You Far
Ambition can be powerful. Ambition helps a person mobilize his resources. Ambition enables someone to face challenges and persist. Ambition prevents a person from giving up. A person with a high degree of ambition will be able to accomplish much more than someone with similar intelligence and skills but without ambition. Ambition enables a person […]
December 10, 2018
Book Review: Chill (Jacob’s Ladder Book 2)
Today, I finished the science fiction novel Chill by Hugo and Sturgeon award-winning author Elizabeth Bear. Unfortunately, when I checked it out of my local public library, I didn’t notice that it was the second installment in the three-part Jacob’s Ladder series. The series tells the tale of a generation ship, a proposed means of […]
The Chiromancer
For the first time in her career, petite, forty-five year old Sheryl Valdez regretted being a chiromancer. Like the Prophet Joseph from the Bible, she had correctly interpreted a person’s future, but instead of being made a dominant ruler, she was on the run, at the moment, trying to blend in with the other evening […]
Quoting: Positive Thoughts Increase Energy
Positive thoughts add to your vitality and energy. Worry and other negative thoughts take away your energy. Be aware of what thoughts you would be wise to increase and what thoughts you should decrease or even eliminate. -from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book: “Taking Action” – page 84 Advertisements
December 9, 2018
Quoting: Allow Yourself to Experience Happiness Now
You have a right to experience happiness right now, in the present. This is a very important concept to keep in mind. You don’t need to wait until you accomplish your goals before you are happy. Many people think, “Only after I accomplish my goals will I be able to be happy.” These individuals mistakenly […]
December 8, 2018
Book Review: “The Man in the High Castle
My son Michael and I were talking about the television series The Man in the High Castle, which is based on the 1962 novel of the same name authored by the late Philip K. Dick. I’ve never seen the television show (and probably never will), but I did recall reading the novel sometime back in […]
