Dishtowel Will Travel

It's hard to write on vacation or maybe that's just an excuse.  Maybe I've been plodding with my word count because all of a sudden writing hasn't been much fun.  Now don't get me wrong, I still want to write - need to write even.  But I expect the words will just miraculously, effortlessly plop out, pouring across the page in a vast first rough draft that only needs some sprucing, tuning and sprucing

again.  But that's not quite how it's working.

All of a sudden there's expectations.

Up until now I wrote, submitted and wrote again.  I was master of my own game.  Now, while I still am master I've heard rumblings that people may expect things, novels done maybe so that there's something to submit, proposals offered, so there's something to write and maybe - eureka - publish.

Expectations - one more step on the ladder, one step closer and I didn't expect to freeze.

Freeze - There's not a snowflake on the ground, nor will there be here in sunny Arizona so there's no reason to freeze.

I gave myself a stern talking to - it was the twentieth or so in the series.  This one finally stuck.  I don't know if it was the dishtowel in my hand or the latest review of my last book.  But it all got me thinking and all of a sudden it was there, it was back.  One thousand words later and a blog post - I've got it back - not my inspiration but my discipline, and the inspiration, well I suspect it's following right along behind.  It's not going to have much choice - it's that or be dragged.

Who knew that a little discipline came in the form of a dish towel?  What keeps you going?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Remembrance Day - Lest we Forget

It's a rather sobering Remembrance Day.  Not that they all aren't a reminder of the sacrifice so many made and continue to make.  But today is the 100th Anniversary of World War I.  Combine that with
the shock of having two soldiers killed on Canadian soil within the last three weeks and it's drawn a large crowd to Parliament Hill and the national memorial service.

(Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

I wasn't able to watch the ceremony this year which I do every year on TV or at the local cenotaph.  But I'm not in the country and it's not on TV, at least not on my cable subscription, but I still get CBC, the national radio station, so I've been listening, had my moment of silence and silently thanked all that fought for our freedom and still do.

I just heard these quotes and while I can't give credit to who spoke them, here they are:
"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."
"War has unified us and it has divided us."

Powerful words to go forward with today and every day as we remember.


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Choices and Illusions - you may have remembered the its release but it was so good -  it's out again - in paperback and about time!  Just in time to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Eldon Taylor's Progressive Awareness Research and just in time for Christmas, or just in time for a life changing read.  It's a fantastic book that will power-stoke your life by giving you the tools you need to succeed.

Choices and Illusions is available at all online and retail bookstores.  To participate in the celebratory event Eldon has put together including a chance to win a $500 InnerTalk Library, visit www.parpromos.com/pp/it/14k/index/R.html

What Eldon Taylor says about "Choices and Illusions":

Within every human being exists a propensity for greatness.  The gifts may vary, and the greatness
may live out in a in a vast array of alternatives - say from carpentry to rocket science - but the gift that gives one true self-respect, lifts the spirit from "same old, same old", resides within each one of us-- but if so, then why is it so often denied?

Every individual has essentially has a self-representation that is rehearsed and eventually actualized.  The process begins by fantasizing at a very early age.  We fantasize a script, perhaps one of those from some Hollywood production.  We begin rehearsing it, and we either abandon it to take up a new one or practice it until we role-play the script as who we are.  Practicing the script sooner or later automates the behaviour.  Our imprinting environment plays a significant role in the alternative scripts available to us.  If the parents are uncaring and abusive, so are the children, and so forth.  If warmth and friendliness lead to embarrassment, then cool and aloof compensate.  If honest gets us into trouble, then deception becomes a defence strategy, and so forth.

It is much more complicated than expressed here, but simply, it is also just this way.  In fact, every one of us divides ourselves among four essential views of ourselves.  These four faces include the following:
Our actual self.
Our ideal self.
Our ought-to-be-self
Our desired self.

My review for Eldon Taylor's Choices and Illusions:

The human mind is extremely complex as Eldon Taylor again demonstrates in his latest book "Choices and Illusions".  Richly written, Eldon takes us on a journey into the power of the mind.  While no book on the mind can be anything but complex, Eldon softens the depth of the information with strategically placed tales and stories that entertain as well as teach.

"Do minds communicate with each other - is the base of creativity more a group activity than an individual one?"   R. D. Laing.  Quotes like this along with Eldon Taylor's thought provoking research and easy prose make "Choices and Illusions" a provocative read.

"Choices and Illusions" provides an excellent base to begin the exploration of self, and of the unseen and compelling forces of society that have the ability to shape the basis of our beliefs and ultimately our personalities.  It provides the tools necessary to begin harnessing the powers of our mind instead of leaving it run unfettered and potentially controlled by the power of hidden beliefs foisted on us by other.  And more importantly, it provides telling evidence that the mind is the one thing that can change your life.

Although I found the last chapters weighted down with mentions of prior books and prose that was not as smooth as earlier chapters, I still found "Choices and Illusions" an intriguing read.  With plenty of references to other books on the subject, "Choices and Illusions" is an excellent jumping off point for anyone interested in enriching their lives by becoming aware of their most powerful tool, their mind. 

Eldon's bio:
Eldon has made a lifelong study of the human mind and has earned doctoral degrees in psychology and metaphysics.  He is president of Progressive Awareness Research, an organization dedicated to researching techniques for accessing the immense powers of the mind.  For more than 20 years, he has approached personal empowerment from the cornerstone perspective of forgiveness, gratitude, service and respect for all life.

Eldon can be reached at:  www.eldontaylor.com