James Pyles's Blog, page 108

Marta’s World in Twilight

“Why did you want me to try to paint Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ on your back? No one will see it unless your shirt is off, and I told you, I can’t make a perfect duplicate of it anyway.” Nineteen-year-old Danny Cross was waiting for his most recent touches to the painting on Marta’s back […]

Quoting: The Benefit of Building Up Your Zrizus State

When you are in an energized and enthusiastic emotional state, you feel like doing much more than when you are a low energy, down state. Some emotional states are conducive to taking action, and other states aren’t. Your emotional states are the sum total of your breathing rate, brain waves, blood pressure, energy level, heartbeat, […]

Quoting: Your Mind Can Choose to Enjoy What You Do

One of the most self-empowering ideas for a happy, fulfilling life is that it’s up to your own mind to choose to enjoy what you do. You have a tremendous power to develop this attitude. If you need to do something that seems uninteresting and boring at first, ask yourself, “How can I find a […]

Quoting: Plan Your Day

At the beginning of each day, ask yourself: [1] What are my goals for today? [2] What are the five most important things that I need to do today and what is their order of priority? [3] What new Torah knowledge do I plan to gain today? [4] What acts of kindness can I do […]

Quoting: Think and Act Your Wisest and Best

The quality of your choices will depend greatly on your mental state at the decision-making moment. Your choices will be different if you are at your wisest and best. When you are at your wisest, you think more clearly. You weigh your options more skillfully. You give greater thought to the possible outcomes of a […]

Quoting: Think Before Taking Action

Action will enable you to accomplish and achieve. But something must come before taking action: thinking. Think first. Yes, think big and think bigger, but always think first. Taking action without thinking will lead to many avoidable mistakes and errors. Taking action without thinking first will lead to unnecessary quarrels and arguments, hurt feelings, and […]

Quoting: Create a Taking Action Habit

Create the habit of taking action right away. To make anything a habit, you keep doing something many times. The wise person doesn’t wait until a new habit becomes a habit. He acts the way he would act if he already had the habit. And then automatically his actions become a habit. -from Rabbi Zelig […]

Do You Have To Destroy Men To Take Down The “Patriarchy?”

Based on my blog post called More on Social Media and University Radio Show “Echo Chambers” and my conversation in the comments section of that post, I felt it necessary to write this one. Let me explain. I had a twitter “conversation” with someone from the radio show Scene on Radio (possibly producer and co-host […]

Quoting: Believe You Can Become an Action Oriented Person

If you presently find it difficult to believe that you can become an action-oriented person, you will benefit greatly from a teacher, mentor, friend, or coach who believes in you and your abilities. Having someone you respect believe in you is inspiring and motivating. You will gain a stronger and deeper belief in yourself. -from […]

The New Dragon Saga: Descending Darkness

Chapter 9: “The trouble with being legendary is that it is very difficult for me to remain anonymous, at least for very long.” The infamous vampire, King of the Undead, Dracula stood before the seventeen-year-old wizard with a smirk on his face, just faintly revealing his twin, elongated fangs. “So what happens now?” Landon had […]