Steven Barnes's Blog, page 86

"Sleep On It"

Yesterday, I sent off three separate projects:
1) A script for the short zombie movie "DANGER WORD" we're filming in New York in June.
2) The treatment for the "My Soul To Keep" film investors are interested in making (I'd call this highly speculative. Movies are like that)
3) The proposal for a series of novels based on a certain Oscar-winning movie from last year. Let's just say it's a genre I've never written before, and that therefore I'm excited. Important to know how to push your own buttons!

There are about five other projects in varying stages of preparation as well, and I have to be careful not to stress out. The point, as I tell my students continuously, is that the secret to juggling multiple projects is NOT to keep them all in your conscious mind constantly. That way lies killing stress. What I find preferable is:
1) To have each project in its own folder or binder, physical or computer-based.
2) To work on no more than two projects in a given day.
3) To know EXACTLY what project I'm going to work on first thing tomorrow, and ask myself clear questions about it at night before I sleep.
4) To have a simple, ingrained structure correlating character and story. Overlearned. In this way, it is similar to a chess master playing multiple games. He doesn't try to remember the games--he can look at the board and know everything that has happened, and what has to happen to execute his own strategy. Makes his move. Then forgets that board and moves on to the next.

I can look at any given project, and ask myself questions about the character or the plot that IMMEDIATELY yield new insights or information. At the least, it raises questions that open new doors. I never worry about what I "don't know" about a project. Concentrating on what I DO know is quite sufficient, and if I explore the known and define the unknown, invariably if I take an overnight break (sleep on it) when I come back I know a little more: either more information, or questions I hadn't considered.

Proceeding in this fashion, what happens is that if I rotate between projects, just doing what can be done that day, that the shape of the story emerges more clearly without apparent "effort." It is just doing 1000 words a day...every day...wherever a project speaks to me.

That seems to be the key. Do what CAN be done to feed your "machine" and don't worry about the rest. I think this works in any area of your life. Clearly define the issue, do what CAN be done in a given day, rotate between projects, and allow your unconscious to do its role by "sleeping on" questions.

Huge amounts of work, with little stress. I like that combination.


presented for your approval...
Steve

"Morning Ritual" and "Ancient Child"

The new "7.00 or FREE" program is a resounding success, and I can't wait to follow up on it. It allows me to plan and execute lectures rapidly, and make them available to my tribe at a very reasonable cost--or free to anyone with need. I just received the following email (identifying data redacted)"

"--ALSO, thank you so much for the Morning Ritual! We've only been doing it for three days, my daughter and I, and I'm seeing an improvement -- at least in MY attitude. I've been struggling with what exercises to do in the morning with her, and have been sharing some yoga videotapes with her, but today I decided to simplify it and just do a sun salutation with her, since that's something I'm familiar enough with to guide her through it. This morning was just perfect. I've made one small modification too, and at the end, I say a prayer and give thanks with her. Your morning ritual has totally changed the energy of our mornings -- this was the first really peaceful morning we've had in a long time! Thank you!"

My reply:

"Fabulous. Remember it is a long-term program, not a short-term fix. The deeper your calm, the less her storms will define her. Treat it as if she is a clear station, but your radio is picking up static. Focus on the signal, not the noise. And blessings to you both."

Observant folks will notice that the "Morning Ritual" and the "Ancient Child" programs dovetail neatly. That only makes sense--all of these lessons are a matter of teasing out the actual practices that compose the outer structure of my life. I cannot put a price on their value, what they have done for me, and am grateful that you consider them to be of value as well. No gimmicks. No gathering of email addys. I practice the "Ancient Child" on a daily basis, and that enhanced intuition has told me, in no uncertain terms, to empty myself out as rapidly as possible. Thank you for helping me accomplish this...and there is more to come, soon.

www.diamondhour.com

"Olympus Has Fallen" (2013)

The term "perfection of the absurd" would apply this this Gerard Butler vehicle, if only it were perfect. It isn't, but as a "leave your brain at the door" movie, I had to admit I never looked at my watch, burrowed through a giant box of popcorn, and enjoyed it about ten times more than the latest "Die Hard", which franchise it apes so precisely I expected John McClaine to show up in the Lincoln bedroom looking for his shoes.

Basically, Butler plays a disgraced Secret Service agent (you know why if you saw the coming attractions) following an incident where, apparently, an owl breaks a pane of bulletproof glass in the presidential limousine. Don't ask. Eighteen months later the White House is attacked by North Korea, and our boy Butler is the only one in the world who can Save The Day.

Listen: leave your big boy pants at home. If you can't wrap your mind around the fact that it exists in its own universe, a cross between Die Hard and "24", you don't belong in the theater. Some of the effects are a tad iffy, some of the emotional through-lines aren't played for maximum charge (some business with the President's son could have been juiced much more, and should have been paralleled with a sub-plot about Butler's own family for maximum impact) and some last-act business about nuclear weapons was an eye-roller to say the least.

Angela Bassett and Morgan Freeman show up as highly placed government types hunkering in bunkers, display charisma and total professionalism as they try not to laugh, and collect hefty paychecks. Tough talk is exchanged, martial arts techniques are blisteringly applied in shadowed rooms suitable for concealing expert stuntmen, and there is much gunplay, many exploding objects, and sharp thingies pierce vulnerable sections of human anatomy. A tough female secretary of state sings a patriotic song while being dragged by the hair, and it's one of the least absurd moments of the evening.

But I found it great fun. And oddly heartening, an odd statement about how safe the world has become that, in Hollywood's neverending search for supervillains for the superheroes of the world we've moved from major enemies like nation-states to rogue generals, industrialists and neo-Nazis to terrorist organizations and now a tiny country that can hardly launch a skyrocket without embarrassing themselves. In the larger scale of things, that's one of the most optimistic developments in years.

Oh, what the heck: my inner twelve year old gave it a B+. He LOVES this kind of nonsense. If you can't dial your head down that far...beware.

My Birthday--Your Present: The Ancient Child

My Birthday--Your Present: The Ancient Child Meditationby Steven Barnes on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 8:50am ·(It was actually on the 1st--I celebrate my birthday all month!)

WHEW! I've been sooooo busy, writing the "Danger Word" short film, promoting "Domino Falls," getting Jason ready for his CRCT tests at school, juggling four different novels, working on the breakthrough "Erotic Intelligence" program with Amara Charles, and more...but I've had an obsession for the last year, and today marks a major step in that direction.

The point is this: some of my products are the result of my own thought and experimentation over the course of my life and career. These, I feel perfectly comfortable offering as commercial products. But some are the direct result of spiritual transmission from teachers who trusted me with uncommon knowledge. The blessings I have received have been beyond price. So I am making this course available to ANYONE who needs it. The cost is either 7.00 or totally free to anyone who has a genuine financial emergency.

This technique, which has a minimum time investment of ONE MINUTE A DAY, a basic investment of FIVE MINUTES A DAY, and an optimal investment of TWENTY MINUTES A DAY is a complete basic course connecting you to your internal world:


1) Stress relief
2) Emotional healing
3) Enhanced intuition
4) Energy
5) Goal setting
6) Self love

And much, much more. If you are dealing with serious abuse issues, IN COMBINATION WITH YOUR PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR, you will find this technique something akin to a miracle. Writer's block? A thing of the past.

I've been working on this release for almost a year. It is "generative" in the sense that if you will practice it, and journal your results, you will gain all the self-knowledge you need to move to the next level in your life. This is a treasure trove, what I would call a "living sigil." A "sigil" is a magical tool created by layering one symbol upon another. Well, the ANCIENT CHILD is this idea applied to meditation techniques. Over forty years of practice, research and study with some of the greatest methodologies and teachers in the world led to this moment.

I offer this gift as a thanks to you, to my teachers, and to the universe itself for the bountiful life I enjoy, one filled with love, laughter, adventure, success, health, energy, creativity and contribution. I sincerely wish the same for each and every one of you.

This course, offered FREE to anyone in genuine need, is priceless--to anyone who will actually use it. Please...do yourself a favor and take advantage. The dreams you save may be your own.

Here's your link:   http://tiny.cc/l82ttw



Namaste,
Steve

A Black Belt article I wrote on Bruce Lee...

http://books.google.com/books?id=gNwD...

Newborn Baby cured of AIDS--and the power of doubt

I love science: Newborn baby cured of AIDS

http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/04/a-
newborn-may-be-cured-of-hiv-is-the-end-of-aids-near/?iid=tsmodule


Follow that link, and you'll reach what might be one of the most important stories of our time. When I published this earlier, immediately the mre technically minded tried to tear it apart, asking important questions about initial conditions, verification, correlation and causality. No, they didn't "want there to be no cure" as a few others implied. Rather, these people REALLY want a cure, and refuse to waste their energy supporting wishful thinking. They follow the path of one of the greatest gifts to the world, the Scientific Method.

Roughly speaking, the pattern of this method is:
1) Observe a phenomenon
2) Postulate a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon
3) Design an experiment to test your hypothesis
4) Perform the experiment.
5) If unsuccessful, reformulate the hypothesis and perform another experiment
6) If successful, publish the experiment so that others can attempt to disprove your hypothesis.

This cycle is one of amazing power, and you can use it in any aspect of your life. Let's say that you want to increase your energy (always a good thing!)
1) You observe people who display the kind of energy you covet, and also keep a journal noting your own energy from day to day.
2) You interview these people, and notice that their patterns of exercise, hydration, eating, and resting are different than your own. You further notice that the days you feel best follow certain patterns of behavior: non-smoking, positive thinking, lovemaking, going to bed earlier, whatever.
3) You choose 1-3 of these behaviors, and implement them in your life.
4) You KEEP A RECORD of the results. Every day, write down how you feel on a scale of 1-10
5) Continue the new pattern for 30 days. Note the results. If negative, try different elements of the "difference" you noticed.
6) If positive, blog and tell your friends about the results. Share them with your mastermind group.

The point is to find the critical path, the "difference that makes the difference", the "formula" or "recipe" for increased efficiency in any arena that matters. And importantly, if you can't perform a reasonable experiment to disprove your hypothesis, it may be faith, not science (apply this to people's political positions, and the results are fascinating--the more reluctant they are to tie their beliefs to simple measurements, the more likely they are to be connected to underlying philosophical positions rather than logic. We all do this at times, but the worst gridlocks are created by people who mistake their beliefs for logical proof.)

There you have a way of applying this fantastic tool to your life on an individual level. Consistent application allows you to tap into the magic of science.


Namaste,
Steve

"...but thinking makes it so."

How we feel depends upon what we focus on

Last night, as usual, Jason was beating the hell out of me. Originally I was confused about why this was so important to him, but he informed me that the answer was simple: "that's how boys play." Geeze, I wish I'd known THAT fifty years ago. I thought the other guys didn't like me, and it turns out they were just being boys. Seriously. I didn't know.

Anyway, he dove over me, rolled, and hurt his hand and fingers. They still hurt this morning--he was wincing (although less. There was no swelling or discoloration, and the fingers articulated better now than last night...so I think it was just a little sprain, and startle-induced fear) when he came down to my office. I decided to make it a part of our morning ritual. "Your mood is determined by what you focus on," I said.
I asked him to imagine that he is in a fight, and his opponent damages his right arm. If he wants to survive, he might well have to ignore that pain and take that guy out--THEN go to the hospital. If he lets the pain and fear control him, he might die. So I experimented with having him concentrate on his breathing...then the vibration of "Om". That was too subtle.

So...I turned our breath counting into a "staring game". The first one who blinks, loses. He's a competitive little cuss, and within twenty seconds of wide-eyed unblinking "Om"-ing, he was grinning like a wolf pup, focused on beating his Dad. After a couple of times beating him, I let him win, and his grin got wider. We finished, and then I asked him what his job was ("to be good"), what the Laws are (The first three Musashi's Principles: Do Not Think Dishonestly, The Way Is In Training, and Know the Ways of All Arts), the School Rules (pay attention, keep your hands to yourself, exhale when angry or frustrated, do what you're told), and his main goal (to ace an upcoming exam).

And after we were finished, I asked him how his hand was. He blinked, surprised to realize he'd forgotten all about it.

That's how we are as human beings. People say that it's impossible to "not think of a purple cow." Sure you can. As soon as someone says that, think of eating your favorite ice cream. Because while you can't "not think" of something, you CAN simply put your attention on something else. And as long as you do, you won't even notice that you're "not thinking" of purple cows.

If you want pain in your life, think of all the frustration, injustice, pain, failure, betrayal, injury, age, and loneliness. If you want happiness, focus on a flower growing through the sidewalk, a child's smile, a kitten's purr, a hope for the future, a remembered act of kindness. It is up to us.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. " Hamlet was referring to the interpretation of an event. And our ability to control the perceived meaning of an event depends upon what aspect of its impact on our lives we focus on. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. A certain number of bent wrists and twisted fingers in life is inevitable. But we get to decide whether they make us quit, or simply teach us new things about physics and physiology.

The choice is yours. Jason was smiling when he left my office. I don't know about you, but that sounds like victory to me.

Namaste
Steve

www.diamondhour.com

Ancient Child #14: What resources will you need?

#14 What resources can you align NOW to meet you along the road?

Remember--these questions take on their true significance not when you ask them of your ordinary, conscious mind, but when you ask them of different aspects of your "internal community." Unless you effortlessly achieve your goals almost "zenning" your way through life, there are competing intentions, values, beliefs, and/or goals, and you are going to need to get internally aligned. The symbolic images of (say) child, adult, elder, chakras, light, etc. just give you "complex equivalents" of different ways of experiencing the infinitely varied reality of the restless ocean of consciousness.

And when you tap more deeply into your intuition, you will tend not to set goals that you cannot reach. When you are aligned with your deepest goals, every action is suffused with energy and meaning throughout the day.

The greatest gift of the Hero's Journey is the implication of a syntax for future action.   It is the combined wisdom of the world's  storytelling elders, teaching the younger generation what they can expect in life.  And one critical lesson is that, if you seek any transformative goal, you must take responsibility for your situation, deal with the fear, take constant action, seek out role models to educe new skills and behaviors...and prepare for the inevitability of failure.   INEVITABILITY.   Not "maybe".   Not "sometimes".   But inevitable.  In the process of learning to walk, we fall down.  Period.  The unfortunate thing is that we forget this, and every time we try something new, the same sneaky voices pop into our heads, trying to convince us that failure means that we cannot do it.



Optimists tend to remember their pasts as being better than they really were.  Pessimists tend to remember their pasts as being worse.   I had a teacher challenge me on this: "not everyone can build on success.  Some people have no successes to build on."


I said to her that if she could understand what I was saying, converse with me...or if you, my friend, can read these words, then you do indeed have success to build on.  You've learned to speak, to understand language, to read.


Ah!   (You say) that's no success!   Everyone does that...
So then, you've defined a "success" as doing something others cannot do, or that is unusual to do.   


Let me know how that works for you, because mastery is a matter of doing small, simple things more often, more regularly, and with more attention than others do.  In other words, there is nothing "special" about the building blocks of mastery in any field.  It is the mundane opening the door to the extraordinary.  And it is in the most basic lessons of life: walking, talking, dressing ourselves, feeding ourselves, reading and writing--that we first encounter the "basics" of the advancing life.


So...as we progress, we will meet every shadow-self we contain along the road. Every pain and disappointment, every negative belief and self doubt.  Every limit and bad habit.  And hey!  Just to make things more interesting, the environment will also respond to us in entertaining ways.  Unless you have accidentally chosen a perfect goal, at the perfect moment, with the perfect allies just waiting to help you...you're gonna fall on your snoot.  That's just the way it is.  And if you've ever seen this recipe for success: "fall down 99.  Get up 100" then you know that the most consistent quality of "masters" in any field is that they simply do what they do every darned day. Day in, day out.  That's the recipe.


So...what stands between you and your dreams is whatever stands between you and a daily ritual of success.   There are no accidents here.  And you KNOW before you begin that both internal sabotage and external resistance will push against you.   You know this by watching any kid learn to walk or read or ride a bicycle: the frustration and doubt and anger and fear, prior to breakthrough.  You may not remember your own process: one trick of the ego is to deny us the internal resources we need to thrive. So we don't remember the fact that we go through this cycle again and again and again...


But watch children.  They are an enormous gift.  They remind us of what we were, and how we became who we are.  


So, once again...if you KNOW that you are going to hit a wall, then you can, before you ever begin your process, put in place the resources you need when you fall into the pit of depression.  What has worked in the past?  Hugs? A letter from your past self?   A trip to the zoo?  Getting up and dancing?   Ginger snaps?   A yoga class?  A talk with your best friend?


Part of the price of adulthood is learning to push your own buttons, figuring out how you're wired up and taking the controls away from your parents and teachers.  Putting your own hands on your steering wheel.


You know what's coming: doubt, fear, fatigue, discouragement.   You've been this way before.  What resources can you place in advance, what allies will you need, what can you do NOW to prepare yourself for the moment in which those who never achieve their dreams turn back?


THAT is the question to ask your conscious mind.  Your "inner child".  And your "inner Elder" or death-bed self.   The differences, and similarities, in their perspectives are enlightening.


Namaste,
Steve

Twenty Questions #10: "How many times?"

(and yes, I'm skipping around a bit...it amuses me.)


"How Many Times Are You Willing To Hear "No"?"


Here's a big one if you choose to create a life of satisfaction and evolution.   "No" is a word , a look, a closed door, a rejection slip.  It is a failed diet, a training injury or loss.  It is a broken contract, a writer's block, a weakness of the body or mind, a lost relationship.


On the way to love, to success, to stability, to increase or healing of any kind, we meet failure.    And it is important that you ask yourself (and the different "aspects" of yourself, if clarity eludes...)
1) How many times are you willing to hear no?
2) What exactly does failure mean in this particular arena?
3) How many times did your role models fail before they achieved success?
4) What is the observed difference in what failure means to successful people in this arena, and UNSUCCESSFUL people in this arena.  I promise--there is a huge one.
5) What have you succeeded in in the past, after multiple failures?
6) How did you convince yourself to keep trying?
7) What does your "inner child" say about the meaning of failure?
8) What does the deepest, wisest being within you, your "inner elder" think of failure?
9)Is there any difference between what the male and female aspects of your personality think about failure?
10)  What would be the most empowering belief you could have, or action you could take, in relationship to a "no"?


Salesmen know that it is simply a numbers game: if you knock on enough doors, you'll eventually find someone who wants your product.  If you ask enough girls to dance, one will say "yes."  If you paper your walls with rejection slips, you are on your way to being a real writer.


In my own life, my mother tore up or burned my early stories.   My teachers and career counselors told me my dreams of being a writer were fantasies that would destroy my life.   I was told that people of my ethnicity "did not write".    Told I wasn't smart enough, lucky enough, talented enough.  Had story after story after story rejected, until I asked myself the critical question: how many more times am I willing to hear "no" before I quit?   And what I decided was that I would write, polish, and submit 100 stories and have them ALL circulating, before I even began to judge whether I was on the right track.   And you know what happened?  I got to about story twenty-two before I started selling, and have never looked back.


That was my commitment to myself.  It wasn't that I didn't cry, feel cheated, hear the negative voices, doubt myself, or anything else.   It was that I loved my dream of being a writer so much that I was willing to walk through the emotional fire, willing to push myself through pain, doubt, and fear...drawn by my dream of being an artist.  The little boy inside me adores my "adult" self for demanding that of myself.  And he rewards me with the energy and creativity I need to get up every day and hit is HARD and just love the entire process, even when it's hard.


And my "elder"?   He tells me life is both terribly short and achingly long.  Too short to live without getting that daily "juice" of becoming your truest self.  Too long to live with the regret of abandoning your dream. 


The choices are yours.  How many times are YOU willing to hear "no"?




Be the Hero in the adventure of your lifetime!
Steve

Ancient Child Question #2

2)  What small steps can you see toward your goal?  What action can you take today?

The second of the Twenty Questions is deceptively simple.   Basically, once you have determined your four basic goals (body, career, relationships, finances) you have a foundation to build anything you desire in life.   And there are two things you need to to to create optimal benefits in each:
a) Take some action toward your intended goals every day.
b) Never leave the site of a new decision without taking an action.

What you want is to create dynamism, momentum.  Enough momentum to keep you going when you are tired and discouraged, or apparently walled in.  These questions are used during your meditation time: you can simply imagine speaking  to your "child" self or "ancient" self.  You can write the question with your dominant hand, and write the answer with your non-dominant hand.   You can simply listen to the "child" and "elder" selves conversing.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. 

Yesterday, for instance, the following steps made a difference in my four major arenas:
1) Planned the next major chunk of the fantasy novel I'm working on with Larry Niven.
2) Forty minutes of yoga.
3) Forty minutes of reading with Jason (he loves the "Diary of a wimpy kid" series!).  Have  my little Oscar party with Tananarive, snuggling on the couch and cheering our favorites.
4) Organize the bank deposit I need to make today.

Now, most of yesterday was laziness, but even in the midst of my day off, I like to know I've taken some small step toward any goal that is important to me.   Forty minutes of yoga could have been five minutes of joint recovery.    The writing might have been just writing down a single idea for tomorrow's writing.

I asked my "child" self what the single most important thing I could do...and not surprisingly, it was "spend time with Jason."  So we ended up putting on the gloves and whacking each other around in the gym until he was exhausted with hilarity.  He just eats it up, and is developing a hell of a reverse punch, let me tell you.  My elder told me to take time to congratulate my friend on his Oscar nomination, just let him know win lose or draw how proud I am, and how happy for him.

It was a good day--because I listened, and took action.  What can YOU do today to deepen your understanding of your quiet voices, and move toward your goals?

Get to know yourself, and you'll never be alone.

Steve