The POWER of Positive!

Sara Blakely is the creator of Spanx. Yeah, she’s the one who created herself into the world’s youngest female billionaire.

Well, I recently listened to an interview of Miss Blakely, and WOW! It was chock-full of positive news that you might want to use.

When asked about the secret to her amazing success, Sara said that when she was 16 years old, her dad gave her a set of Wayne Dyer tapes (audio, not duct — for those of you younger than dirt) called How to Be a No-Limit Person.

Sara reports that she listened to those recordings until she had ALL TEN TAPES memorized. She said that she ALWAYS had the tapes going as she drove. In fact, her friends refused to ride with her because they couldn't 

bear to hear Wayne’s No-Limit yammering over and over and over again.

Hmmm… I wonder if they’d ride with her now.

Anyway, Sara said that all of those positive recordings retrained her brain.

Through them she learned how to deal with any and all of life’s obstacles by asking two questions —

Where is the blessing in this?

Where is the opportunity?

Fast-forward about 10 years, and Miss Blakely found herself cutting the feet off of a pair of pantyhose so that she could make her butt look smaller under her jeans…

POP QUIZ TIME!

At that moment, did Miss Blakely ask —

Will a new ThighMaster help me get rid of this butt?

Or

Will the papaya diet help me get rid of this butt?

Or

Should I break down and just buy bigger jeans made to fit this bigger butt?

No, no, and NO!

She asked —

Where is the blessing?

To which she probably answered —

There is absolutely, positively NOTHING blessed about a big butt.

But then she asked —

Where is the opportunity?

To which she answered —

I bet other women have the very same big butt bind.

You got that right, Sister!

The rest is billionaire history.

Now, if you've been around the sun a few times, you know that every single day of the year comes complete with at least one obstacle. What wonderful things might happen in your life, if you embraced those Sara Blakely questions?

I mean, come on! If those questions can defeat a big butt —

They can do ANYTHING!

PROMPT: Test out those questions with some of the obstacles that get tossed your way today. And while you’re at it, start feeding your brain some positive messages the way Sara did back when she was a wicked-smart teen. Some folks go for the almighty affirmation, some use visualization, and some look to books or recordings for inspiration. Whatever gives you a positive hit – try to fit it into each and every day. And if your first thoughts of “positive” involve the words “evening news” or “reality” TV — WE NEED TO TALK.

The Two-step

Here is a fantabulous two-step method for writing a great novel —

Step 1: Pick an awesome protagonist.

Step 2: Get him or her into and out of a whole heap of trouble.

Step 3: There is no step 3 — it’s a two-step process. The end.

Anyway, the real life and times of Thomas Edison works as a great example of this formula.

First off, Tom is born a really sickly kid.

Bad news, huh?

Not really. His mom, who has already been through the hellish untimely deaths of three of her children, decides to homeschool the little guy. She builds him a science lab in their basement.

All of those infections in the age before antibiotics makes little Tom very hard of hearing.

Terrible, huh?

Not really, according to the man himself. He often credited his deafness for his ability to think and work for long hours without distraction.

As a teen, Tom works for the railroad. He builds a lab in an old boxcar, which works out just fine until he spills some chemicals and torches the place. He is fired.

Yikes!

No, YAY! Because he is fired from his old job, Tom is dumped off at the next train station. There he saves the station master’s 2-year-old son from being squashed by a freight train. The station master is so grateful, that he teaches Tom how to work a telegraph so that he’ll always be gainfully employed.

Tom works as a telegraph operator, but being scientifically minded he just can’t help himself — he decides to perfect the system. Tom develops the quadruplex telegraph and offers it to Western Union. He’s thinking that he would love to get $2000 for it, but when they ask him how much he wants, he can’t seem to form the words.

Uh oh.

Okay, I know you’re on to this little game by now, so it won’t surprise you to learn that Western Union offered him $40,000 on the spot... And those are 1869 dollars.

After Tom puts his eyeballs back into their sockets, he uses the cash to build his dream lab. Now I could say that the rest is history, but that would be horribly cliché, and you’re thinking it anyway, so I’ll just stop.

PROMPT: Try the two-step on your novel today. No dance moves required. And always, always, always remember this while you’re putting those words to the page…

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

~Thomas A. Edison

Today is a Great Day to…

“You can do anything you set your mind to.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Good old Ben “Jammin” Franklin.

Hmmm… What did he know?

Well, he knew how to read French, Spanish, Latin, and Italian — all self-taught, by the way. He invented a bunch of stuff like bifocals, a stove, and the first flexible urinary catheter. Then there was that whole electricity thing. He even had to invent a bunch of words like battery and conductor to describe what he was doing with that. Heck, I’m thinking that if he had lived just a few more years and set his mind to it, the man would have come up with Twitter as well.

But setting your mind to something isn't just for old dead guys who lived back in the dinosaur days. Plenty of people today set their minds to things and find a way to do them.

In the children’s writing world, R.L. Stine, the author of the Goosebumps series is one of those mind-setting dudes. 

Stine started writing stories and jokes when he was only 9 years old. And being a typical 9-year-old of his day, he could not type for beans!

Did that stop him?

NO!

Because R.L. had set his mind to becoming a published author.

However, he never really set his mind to that typing bit.

And that is why R.L. Stine has the gnarliest, BAD-A index finger on the planet.

Yes, the man has written 300 books…

WITH ONE FINGER!

PROMPT: You only need one mind — set it! And one finger — use it!

Look out stars, here we come!

By the way, if you wish to see the famous finger (it is worth it, trust me), check out Library of the Early Mind — a fantastic documentary about children’s literature that’s chock-full of interviews with many famous children’s authors.

Simply Wonderful

Are you waiting for computer technology to help you finish that novel of yours?

For instance, do you pine for speech recognition software?

Or —

Are you holding out for some fabulous thought recognition software?

Well, it’s time to rethink those thoughts of yours.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote each of her Little House books using a number 2 pencil and nickel tablets. Forever the frugal pioneer girl, she used both sides of each page and filled in all of the margins.

Novelist Truman Capote used a similar process — although his also involved chain smoking, which I don’t recommend.

Joyce Carol Oates writes in longhand for up to eight hours a day.

Amy Tan does the same for all of her early drafts.

Quentin Tarantino pens his screenplays with actual pens.

And the infamous Jack-of-all-genres Neil Gaiman balances the old and the new beautifully. He writes his screenplays on a computer, but prefers to draft his novels by hand.

So, forget the latest and greatest —

Infuse some new life into your writing by going old-school this week.

And for inspiration —

Check out this clip of Jimmy Fallon, Idina Menzel, and The Roots performing “Let It Go” with some simply fabulous, truly “old-school” musical instruments.

Play on!

PROMPT: Get off the technology train — Let It Go by embracing the power of the pencil for just one week. See what a little old-school can do for you.

Kick-Start

Need a Monday Motivator?

Well, according to my calendar, today is officially the International Day of Awesomeness!

It’s the perfect time to reflect on all of the awesomeness in your life —

Your awesome friends

Your awesome family

Your awesome job

Your awesome gifts and talents.

This totally awesome day grew out of running joke at Kevin Lawver’s workplace. It became officially recognized in 2007, and March 10^th was chosen as the day to celebrate. 

Why?

It just so happens to be the birthday of the King of Awesome…

Chuck Norris

Ho Yeah!

And hey, if you could use a Chuckle, check out the official Chuck Norris web site here and enjoy a few of his “facts.”

PROMPT: First, start the day off right by writing a list of all the awesomeness in your life. Doesn't that feel… well… awesome?! Next, get down to business by developing a character who’s afflicted with a very peculiar type of awesomeness. Then roundhouse kick some serious tale and…

Write on!

Who Gets the Last Word?

Dear Author:

“It’s too different from other juveniles on the market 

to warrant selling.”

And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

“It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA.”

Animal Farm by George Orwell

“You’d have a decent book if you’d get rid of that Gatsby character.”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s

“It’s too nicey-nice.”

“Nobody wants to read a book of short little stories.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

“A dreary record of typical family bickering, 

petty annoyances and adolescent emotions.”

The Diary of Anne Frank

“An absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.”

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

“An irresponsible holiday story.”

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

“We don’t think we could distribute enough copies 

to satisfy you or ourselves.”

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

“Not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. 

They do not sell.”

Carrie by Stephen King

 “There is no market for this kind of tiring writing.”

Kathryn Stockett’s 40^th rejection for The Help

PROMPT:

Never, never, never give up.
Winston Churchill

Guard Your Bliss

Do you want to be more productive in your 2014 creative endeavors?

I know I do.

But if you think that our ambition will mean more late nights getting nose burns at the old grindstone —

Think again.

According to some awesome and (without a doubt) merry researchers, all we need, my friends, is a little bit of happiness!

For example, a 2010 study by James Harter and friends found that folks have a greater number of creative ideas on days when they feel happier. 

Another investigation by Amibile and Kramer confirmed that happiness fuels both greater creativity and productivity.

I know, I know…

Right about now some of you may be thinking, “Well, carp. This isn't helpful at all. I’m too…

Poor

Stressed

Unlucky

Rich

Feline

(Insert any other adjective here)

to be happy."

Well, I hate to burst your misery bubble, but research also shows that only 10% of your happiness is directly related to your circumstances.

Yeah.

TEN

PERCENT.

PROMPT: So how will you guard your bliss for a fabulous 2014 of super-charged creativity?

Onward and Upward!

Well, we have survived a YESvember to remember chock-full of NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo.

We've also blissed out in a fabulous week of recovery.

Now it’s time to look ahead, set new goals, and make new challenges — 

essentially, get to work creating lives worth relishing…

and perhaps a story or two that our decedents will have a hoot retelling well into the next century.

And while I do indeed have a delightful time talking about my great-great grandfather’s penchant for making hooch in his bathtub…

I’m looking for something, well, a little more to pass down myself.

I’m guessing you are, too.

So, here’s a timely tip from the man who knew how to walk his talk…

There is no passion to be found playing small — 

in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
— Nelson Mandela

  

PROMPT: Now is NOT the time for thinking small or settling. Now IS the time for thinking of the super-sized, bad-A goals you intend to pursue in 2014.

What are your BIGGEST dreams?

Do you think they’re impossible?

Good.

The MANdela had an answer for that as well…

It always seems impossible until it’s done.
—Nelson Mandela

 

Planetary Party

“Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good.”

~The 10^th Doctor

Over the weekend, I participated in a Guinness World Record event.

The 50^th anniversary of the television show Doctor Who was simulcast in 94 countries (and 15 languages) across the globe on Saturday.

That meant that those of us in the Pacific Northwest were glued to the telly at 11:50 in the morning.

A bit early for a party, but we partied nonetheless.

And so “The Day of the Doctor” earned the distinction of being "the world's largest ever simulcast of a TV drama."

Not bad for a show that began on November 23^rd, 1963 as something to fill the gap between the day’s football results and evening entertainment programs.

By the way, it also holds the record for the longest running and most successful science-fiction series.

You may be wondering why I’m telling you all this…

Well, in his five-star review of Saturday’s episode, the Mirror's Jon Cooper singled out writer Steven Moffat as the real star.

He wrote that Moffat put something together that “not only gives hardcore fans a beautiful reinvention of their favourite show, but also gives casual viewers a stonking story.”

Yep, it’s a great day to celebrate those humanoids behind the celluloid…

Writers.

Giving the world great stuff to read (and watch!) since 3200 BC!

PROMPT: Write your own “stonking” story today! Take a favorite show and create an episode you’d love to see.

Write on!

Merry Monday!

Congratulations! You've made it to the first Monday of YESvember!

And what’s the best recipe for a marvelous and merry Monday?

A mantra, of course!

A great mantra or quote can help us push through when the going gets tough. And trust me, it is bound to get tough. That’s what makes life so interesting, after all.

Anyway, here are a few that I've found helpful whenever I’ve need a swift mind-kick —

If you can DREAM it, you can do it.

~Walt Disney

To begin, BEGIN.

~William Wordsworth

The most effective way to do it, is to DO IT.

~Amelia Earhart

Things do not happen. Things are MADE to happen.

~ John F. Kennedy

You are far too SMART to be the only thing standing in your way.

~Jennifer Freeman

Fall down seven times, GET UP eight.

- Japanese Proverb

SUCCESS consists of going from failure to failure without loss of ENTHUSIASM.

~Winston Churchill

It’s ALWAYS too early to quit.

~Norman Vincent Peale

Pick the one that sings to you or add your own in the Comments below.

Let’s make this week fabulous!

PROMPT:

If it is to be, it is up to ME.

It’s the START that stops most people.

The best way to predict the future is to CREATE it.

Strive for PROGRESS, not perfection.

In other words, the super-success formula for your best

ME = START + CREATE + PROGRESS

Write on!

Scary Things

With Halloween just a few days away, it’s a good time to talk about scary things…

In particular — scary words.

And let me warn you right now that if you have a heart condition, you might want to read this with a friend who is CPR-certified.

Just sayin’…

Because the following are some of the most frightening phrases ever uttered by human beings.

Are you ready?

Okay, brace yourselves. Here goes —

“I can’t.” (Shudder)

“That’s impossible.” (Gulp)

“I’m not good enough.” (Gasp!)

“I’ll never succeed.” (Ack!)

“I give up.” (NOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!)

Okay, okay, I’ll stop. I'm too creeped out to go any further anyway, and I want us all to be able to sleep tonight.

So, I’ll leave you with this —

“When you are going through hell, keep on going.

Never never never give up.”

~Winston Churchill

PROMPT: Set your writing/art goals this week. And for goodness sake, they do not need to be HUGE, LIFE-CHANGING GOALS in ALL CAPS and an extra-BIG G! Even just 5 minutes of work, one sentence of writing, or one dab of color is progress in the right direction. And trust me, any direction is the right direction for getting out of “The Hot Place.”