Monthly Archives: November 2008

The Excitement of Change

So there I was, standing just off stage.  I had done this exact same thing a year ago, but I didn’t remember it being so incredibly pulse quickening. Boom. Boom. Boom. Why was my heart beating so fast? I was so calm just a minute ago, when I was safely behind the curtain, watching all the people scurrying around like caffeine infused mice readying for the performance. But now, just off stage left, waiting for my cue, I peak out into the hall. Lower level. Full. Upper level Ful. Boom. Boom. Boom. What is happening? Why is something I didn’t think was a big deal a minute ago now giving me palpatations? There is my cue, as I step out…

Kind of like I step out for my walk every morning. I usually walk a kind of a loop that looks like a figure eight. On the top part of the figure eight I stop at a convenience store and buy a a small shot of yogurt drink. Good for the digestion, you see. The digestive track is something that you don’t really pay attention to until there is something wrong.  Like a couple time’s I’ve had the unfortunate (and uncomfortable) experience of having to pay attention to my digestive track, if you can see what I’m saying. So I make it a point every morning before I actually step out, to grab enough change from my change bowl, next to my front door, so I’ll be able to have the money to pay the girl at the convenience store for my yogurt drink.

Funny thing is that when I was a kid, I hated yogurt. And when I think back to why I did, I conclude that it was only because adults told me it was good for me, and therefore I should drink it. Becuase of course I’m sure you’ve realized many times before that it is good to do what is good for you, right? Of course I later discovered that sometimes it’s not always a good strategy to reject ideas simply because they don’t belong to you. Naturally the opposite is true. I don’t think you should accept new ideas automatically. You probably already know that it’s good idea is to check them to make sure that they are good for you, first. Good for you like yogurt. And delicious too. Which is why I make it a habit to remember to grab my change before I leave, so I can pay for the yogurt when I get to the convenience store. Because no money, no yogurt. (Or honey, if you’re into that as a morning drink).

Which is why, in retrospect, I guess it was good that my heart started pounding before I walked on stage. Because as soon as I walked out there, and realized why I was there, the nervousness was somehow able to magically change into excitement.  Obviously I enjoyed my small part (the introduction), the kids enjoyed their singing (It was for a kindergarden performance) and everbody was able to relax and be happy. And thankfully my body was smart enough to automatically grab the resources  it needed before I stepped out.

It’s amazing what happens when you trust yourself enough to come up with whatever you need whenever you need to perform well, isn’t it?

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How to Write a Famous Blog

How to Write a Famous Blog

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Blogs, or web logs, are one of the fastest-growing means of mass communication. Articles about blogs, a form of online public journal, have appeared in the New York Times, Time, and Newsweek. The “blogosphere” has affected elections and corporate policy, and some blogs have thousands of readers a day. Moreover, they are fun to read, and writing them can be enjoyable too.

Steps

  1. Go to a simple blog creation site. A few common sites for blogging are: [Choseit], MuseCrafters.com, vox.com, wordpress.com, Inthewire.com, Blogger.com, livejournal.com, journalhome.com, freeopendiary.com, or the ever popular Myspace.com. You can also try using a Google search for free blog hosting sites, and you’ll easily find one that fits your needs.
  2. Choose one that appears to be “User Friendly” for you. Many bloggers don’t know how to make a good site, and, let’s face it, HTML is hard to learn, so check it out. If it looks a little too hard to create, and navigate the blog site and you’re confused, then don’t use that site. Some recommend Blogger, some recommend InTheWire, etc. Just try to find one that works for you.
  3. Choose what type of blog you want to create. Carve out a niche and pick a catchy title that captures the essence of your blog. Remember that a blog, like your clothes, is an extension of you. For most people your blog site may be the only thing they identify you with and you want to be sure that who you are on the inside is reflected in your blog.
  4. Some claim that posting at least once every day is best; Some also say that three quick posts a day are far more effective than one long post every three days. Others claim that when they update a blog every other day they get more readers than when updating two or three entries in a single day. Whatever you do remember that for most bloggers, it’s all about reading and many of them would prefer content rather than quantity. Once you get started you’ll find that you attract a certain readership, and you may have to adjust how you work your journal to appease and keep the readers you’ve obtained.
  5. Some recommend putting together about a month’s worth of material before you tell anyone about your blog. It is recommended that you just start writing and fame will come in time. Feel free to go back and rewrite entries to make everything just the way you want before or after you “go public.” You can edit any entry at any time with most blog sites. Writing a popular blog doesn’t happen overnight. The essence of the blog stems from journaling which means the blog is FOR YOU. Work it how you feel most appropriate.
  6. When you’re ready, tell close friends about your blog and ask them to tell their friends. Often if you use it as another way to network with those people around you, you’ll get a better response. If you push it too hard don’t be surprised if they ignore your blog because they feel you’re fishing for compliments and attention…remember, blogging is about you, and the more attention you put into yourself, the more people are going to notice.
  7. Look around the Internet for blogs you love. Read and post to them religiously. Leave a note that actually has something to do with their site so that they know you actually took the time for pay attention to the material posted; do not expect anything back in return. Just commenting will cause others to be more likely to visit your and do the same. Often when you make comments to sites a link to your own personal site will already be included with your comment, unless you are posting from one hosting site to the next. If you’re at ITW and you read a blog on Myspace then it would be appropriate to include such a link.
  8. Build a network with other people in the blogosphere – make friends online. This is the best way to get readers and a great way to meet people you would otherwise never know. If you get one thing from blogging, this will be it.

Tips

  • There are different types of blogs, but the majority fall into these three categories: personal/journal, collaborative (more than one author), and topical (based on a particular subject or niche). There are also photoblogs and link compilation blogs. Successful blogs find a niche and stick with it. Is there some aspect of your life you’re burning to share? Are you an expert in some field of knowledge? Are you obsessed with current events? Find your passion and your reason for starting the blog, and go for it. Again the key is: it’s for you; others will not be willing to read if they sense you’re trying too hard to be popular.
  • A personal blog is sometimes the hardest style to do. Even if you’re a brilliant writer and profoundly funny, you have to remember that people who know you “IRL” (in real life) may be accessing your journal. Some bloggers have found many quarrels have started because of information that was published in a personal blog. The key to this is: a) Only use first names if permission is given; if not, use the first initial of the person, and never use last names. b) If the information you share may get someone into trouble or hurt some feelings, then make the entry private (so only you can read it) or don’t post it at all. c) Remember that the blog is about you, not about gossip or what your mother’s uncle’s baby’s momma did to the guy across the bar last week…we don’t care, and I’m sure that person doesn’t want everyone on the world wide web to know either.
  • HTML, the language used to design websites, is your friend. Learning basic HTML is far easier than the foreign language you studied in high school. The Help section of Blogger.com can teach you all the HTML you need to learn in order to manipulate your site, add links in text and anything else you need to make your site exactly the way you want it.
  • Remember you can be anonymous to most of your readers. This is one of the best aspects of blogging. No one has to know who you are! If you prefer, you can even invent a blog personality to use. Nonetheless, always consider that you should be nice and polite so everyone has a handy-dandy time online.
  • A good way to make a popular blog is to make other blogs popular. That is, visit, read, and thoughtfully comment on other people’s blogs. On most blogger sites, a link to your own blog will be automatically included in your comment. So the more blogs you post on, the more people will be driven to visit your blog. Of course, don’t just go on and post one-word spam, because that might keep people away.
  • Linking to other established or authority websites is also a good way to network and make yourself known in your niche, and other bloggers to share the “link love” with people who link to their site.
  • For any new or advanced blogger, it would be wise to pay attention to those English classes and look for ways outside of your blog to expand your writing experience and expertise. Part of blogging is kind of like writing for a newspaper. Remember to keep your blogs well spaced, and if you can title them, be vague but attention-getting with the titles.

Warnings

  • Don’t be rude when blogging because that will make you unpopular or popular with rude people. You don’t want rude bloggers or readers participating in your site.
  • Don’t post your blog link everywhere because it can actually seem rude if you appear extremely desperate to have visitors.
  • Be careful with your identity. It’s so easy for someone to find you through the net or to find those you talk about. Protect the people you know and, unless they give you permission, don’t use their names or other personal information in your blog.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Famous Blog. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Magic in a Bag

So there I was, sitting there in the coffee shop, in a nice corner spot. The kind where you can periodically stop what you are doing so you can look up and really pay attention, watch all the people walking around, shopping, eating, enjoying their Sunday off.  I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, and for reasons I’m probably not aware of, that particular movement seemed to stand out of all the flurry of movements, so I naturally turned my head so I could take notice. There was a young female employee of the shop standing facing a middle aged guy that was sitting down.  She seemed to have a look of professionalism on her face, and he a look of boredom. Perhaps his wife had dragged him shopping with her, perhaps he was a little light on sleep. We’ll never know. But as she leaned over to get closer to him, as there were plenty of people around chattering about, I saw an interesting phenomenon take place.  I noticed her eyes, and as she was talking to him in what appeared to be a polite professional tone (judging only by her facial expressions and her body langauge), they shifted back and forth between his face, and the bag that she was holding out for him to take. And as she did so, his face turned from passive disinterest, to mild curiosity, to a look of honest appreciation.  Now I’m not sure what was in the bag, perhaps some exotic coffee beans, or maybe a personalized mug, who knows.

Kind of like the shops around my town, they organize some special new years specials, where all the shops that participate put together bags of secret goodies for ten or twenty dollars. The fun part is that you don’t know what’s going to be in the bag. Of course it will be related to the kind of store of course, but you never know what will be in the bag until you open it up. And they all look the same, so you really can’t tell from the outside.

Like when I was a kid, we used to have lots of presents under the tree at christmas time, but you never know if you were going to get something cool  until you decided to choose a gift  to open.  And of course, most of the time we could expect to be really happy  with the present we got.

Which was what was wierd at the coffee shop, because the guy didn’t really know what was in the bag, only that the girl had decided for him that it was something of value.  Now I don’t if you are able to understand this, but this guy, who could be a doctor or a lawyer for all I know,  was able to transform his own emotions from boredom to appreciation over a mysterious brown bag, simply by choosing to pay attention to the words of a most likely minimum wage earning young lady.

Can you see the magic in this? Simply by assuming that there was value in the bag, she was able to, using only her words and expressions, move the middle aged man from boredom to curiosity to appreciation.

How soon will you be able to find something of value , and with only words, move somebody else to appreciation?

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Secrets of the Egyptian Pyramids

Wait, what? The Egyptian Pyramids? What on earth does that have to do with you? I’m sure you’ve heard of the Pyramids before, probably watched a documentary or two on television at one time or another.  Maybe you’ve even given some though to exactly how they were built. And you probably have known one person or heard of somebody that believes the pyramids have some kind of mystical structure to them. Maybe it is their geometrical shape, maybe because they are pointing to certain celestial bodies, although I’ve heard that the celestial bodies they were pointing towards have since moved, or the Earth has moved, or the orbit of the Earth has moved, or something like that.

Kind of like when I was in sixth grade, and we had to do a science project. I remember reading about some kind of pyramid power, how if you get the right pyramid shape, and put it around a plant, then the plant would grow a lot faster than normal. I’ve don’t know if you ever taken the time to consider just how cool it would be to realize that as you can sometimes choose to use metaphysical technology to grow faster you can also use those ideas to grow other things faster. But anyways, some other kid had taken that idea for the science project, so I had to do something different. I had to go back to the drawing board, and think of something else. I think I stuck with the plant idea, but changed it. Kind of like when we have ideas, and you think you are really changing your mind, you’re really not, its just the same idea in a different format.

Which is what I did. I used different colored sheets to cover my plants and tried to find out which ones would grow faster depending on which color light was let through the plastic.  I guess it’s kind of like the idea of separating out the different wavelengths of light, and seeing which particular wavelength, by itself, is best for the plant, or makes the plant grow the most. Kind of how sunglasses filter out different kinds of light so refracted light off of reflective surfaces doesn’t blind you.

Makes me think of that crazy blublocker guy that sold those sunglasses all over tv and other places.  Which is a great example that when you think of something new, even if other people think you’re crazy, if you present your ideas with incredible amounts of enthusiasm, it’s pretty easy to be successful, because that  blublocker guy apparantly made a lot of money, just for selling sunglasses.

So I wasn’t able to see any discernable difference with my project. The blue film, and the yellow film, and the red film, all seemed to produce the same size plants over a four week period. And I’m pretty sure the kid that tried the pyramid scheme didn’t notice any particularly outstanding results in her experiment either.

The the real difference in both of our science projects, was that we were just kids who wanted try someting new. We didn’t really know what to expect, you know? Now those Egyptians, they were different. They didn’t just slap stuff together and hoped it would come out ok, like we did when we were kids. They had a plan. They had a goal. They knew. They picked something far far away, like a distant star, far enough away so that when they kept with the project, the distant star was still there. And each pyramid was huge goal in undertaking, requiring thousands and thousands of workers and planners all working together to get the job done. And one of the great side effects of building the pyramids was that it kept pretty much everybody employed and able to feel really confident, because they all knew that what they were doing was going to somehow contribute to society.

Imagine how much you could accomplish if you did the same thing. Pick a goal, something to point your efforts at, something that is far enough away that you can keep striving for it over the years. Something that will have fantastic side effects as you strive incessantly because you know deep in your heart that with the right attitude and belief systems, you will naturally and powerfully achieve your dreams, and just the Egyptians, leave your legacy.

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Mind Benders for Fun

An interesting thing happens when you start to become aware of your natural ability to unpack reality.  When a person first begins to notice that reality is more of an internal game than anything else, a common tendency is to become a bit frightened. After all, most people like things just the way they are. Take a look around you, have a look at the items to the left and right of your computer screen. Feel the material on the chair you are sitting in, hear the sounds around your head. As you notice those things, you might be able to sense a feeling of familiarity.  And as you might be wondering exactly where I’m going with this, you might be able to open your mind to the interesting concept that people see only what is familiar to them, only what they think is safe. 

It’s like when I was sitting a coffee shop earlier today, and I was reading a fascinating book about how different people interpret various events. How you interpret different things like conversations, other people’s ideas and behaviors.  And this person was saying that when people communicate,  they are really communicating more of what they think is going on around them than what might be really happening. And I certainly didn’t want to get something fearful to happen like a brain spasm or something, so I tried not to let my thoughts be swirled into that particular reality too much.  And as I was reading, I noticed a girl studying next to me, so I asked what she was studying.  And she said it was history of some sort.  I think I remember it was someting about the construction of the Great Wall of China.

Which is kind of interesting, because I know that it is a common myth that the Great Wall of China is the only man made thing that can be seen from space, but I’ve read several places that that just isn’t true.  I even got into an argument about it with somebody back when I used to believe the myth. It’s wierd how that happens, you would swear you believe this thing, even argue about it, but something simple like a well written report can allow you to convince yourself  that you were wrong all along.  Like Santa Clause.

So anyways, I was talking to this girl, and after we finished talking about old Chinese Military Projects she started  telling me about her sister, who is a real supporter of President Elect Barack Obama, but this girl wasn’t (I never did get her name). And she even said that they sometimes fought over politics (I didn’t ask her who she supported, it was too interesting listening to her tell me about her sister). It’s funny how two people who grew up in the same house with the same parents could believe two totally different things. I think one of their main sticking points was the issue of his birth certificate. Personally I really don’t care where Barack Obama was born, I am just concerned that he’ll do a good job. Birth certificate or no birth certificate. I know I’d be hard pressed to find mine. 

I guess the two sisters held on to their beliefs so much because they are so familiar to them.  And one thing that few people have been able to realize is how you can easily change the reality around you simply when you question your beliefs. And the fantastic thing about changing beliefs is that it gives you a whole new perspective on things, and familiarity starts to look completely different.  One key ingredient among people who have really been able to achieve success is the ability to look at what they represent as true, and then ask themselves “Just in how many ways can you improve this?”

It’s amazing what you can find when you send your mind in new and wonderful directions.

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Economic Meltdown?

Or reality meltdown? What exactly is the “Economy” anyways? I suspect that definition number two(c) from dictionary.com is most appropriate: “The system or range of economic activity in a country, region, or community.” Of course that doesn’t help much, since it is using a variant of one word to define another. The “Economy” is the range of “Economic Activity.”  But since it is the best one presented, lets go with that. What is economic activity? I suggest that anytime money is spent, we can call that “economic activity.” So “The Economy” with respect to any community, region, or country, would seem to be all the money spent for all purposes by all people in that particular group. Who spends money? Who doesn’t, right?  People that have money spend money.  People that don’t have money spend money. Money is an interesting concept when you really take time to think about it. 

Where does money come from? Think of the last ten or twenty dollars you spent.  Where did you get it? Before your wallet, or the ATM. From your job? Where did they get it? From the person that bought whatever it is that your job makes? And where did it come from before that, from THAT person’s job.  And on and on.

From the smallest trinket you buy without the slightest thought to the billion dollar contracts won by huge defense companies, all the money comes from the same place.

YOU.

Your friends, your neighbors, people just like you, make up the economy. It is not something “out there” a danger that you must hide from like a rampaging elephant at a circus gone wrong.  You are part of it. Your spending habits, for better or for worse, contribute to it. If everyone gives in to fear, and doesn’t go out and spend money, guess what will happen? I’m sure that you can understand.  People don’t buy new cars, and car companies don’t make as much money as they planned, so they have to lay people off. And those people don’t spend their money. And with less people working, the government gets less taxes, which means it will be more difficult for them to help people out.

So what’s the answer? Run out spending money like a madman when everybody is wisely being more frugal? No. While that might feel good for a short time, it wouldn’t likely be an effective long term strategy to make things better. Of course we need to be sensible. We need to make sure we protect ourselvesfirst and foremost.  But just as it would be foolish to spend money like there is no tomorrow, many experts believe that it would be equally as foolish to expect some external organization (like the government) to fix something that we erroneously perceive as “out there.”  Because you can easily understand this, you can realize that as we are part of the economy, we are part of the problem, but more importantly, we are all part of the solution.  And the simplest step you can take is to take responsibility.  We got into this mess by buying things that we couldn’t afford. All of us. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid to spend money. If you can afford something, and you want it or need it, by all means. Buy it. Enjoy it. Share it with others.  Don’t let some imaginary evil monster “out there” scare you. You are smarter than that. You are more experienced than that. 

The biggest danger in thinking there is something “out there” that can be fixed by people “out there” is that you give all your power away.   Don’t let them take it. Keep it for yourself. Because when you realize that you have everything you need, and that money is just a reflection of your skills and ability to contribute, you can’t help but to succeed.

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It All Begins Here

What all begins where? Another blog, on another site from somebody you’ve never heard of before?  As you sit there, reading these words, wondering exactly what it is that this page can offer you, among all the billions of pages on the ever expanding internet, you might begin to really wonder about whether or not you might gain something from this site.  And as you think about, perhaps you are starting to get a little curious about the title of this blog.

Reality.

That which you see, hear, feel, taste, smell.  All that exists around you. The light which has traveled billions of miles to reach your eyes, the sound which travels hundreds of miles an hour to reach your ears. The smells slowly wafting along the breeze to reach your nostrils.  The rough feeling of the bark on the tree, or the smooth silky glide as you slip into the freshly washed sheets of your bed. Right here. Right now.

Or is it?

The light, the sound, the smells. All pure non living, non thinking hard data. Bound by the laws of chemistry and physics. Unreadable by devices not equiped specifically for their detection. The wavelengths of light must be refracted and split in order for the brain to make sense of them. The sound must vibrate the eardrum and the resulting frequencies must be transformed from the energy of physical vibration to electrical impulse to the powerfully undefinable energy of thought.  Do we experience reality?  Or only interpretation?

Deconstruction.

This is where the fun begins. I propose to take seemingly obvious aspects of everyday life, and by assuming they are intrepretation rather than reality,  to deconstruct reality.  To see what aspects seem truer than others. To see what “truths” seem useful and helpful, and which one’s seem less supportive of the things that we want to accomplish.  And by doing so, by examining the less than friendly truths that we somehow got tricked into believing, we can rebuild them. Just like Steve Austin, we can make them better, stronger faster. The point is not so much to get angry at those who sold us “truths” that were not completely accurate, because when you really examine your beliefs most people will readily agree that the culprit is not the seller of false truths, but the buyer. And that is us. And by taking apart some interpretations of reality that can be powerfully upgraded to better serve us, we naturally gain more choice. And you do want to have more choice in life, don’t you?

 

Stay tuned.