All That Seems Random # 10 | Bushels of Random

But I'm only going to talk about two things this week.

1. Straining, even after I talked about not straining. It's a good thing Men With Pens came along and reminded me How to Make Scary Big Shits Stuff Happen. Reminders = good.

2. Wanting to "buy" stuff, because to buy the stuff means to buy the promise the marketing makes and when you're straining, and you know you're straining, a promise of relief is tempting. Tempting indeed.

Seriously, that's it for me until next week.

What random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?
--
LaShae

All That Seems Random # 9 | Mental Contortionist

or sometimes it's dark because we're looking in the wrong place.

A contortionist, much like a magician, an overnight success or a popstar create an illusion by specializing in the skills that show off their most flexible joints (their strengths), with the help of their acting talent (practice) and mime skills (watching, waiting, taking appropriate action).

Not that it's an illusion really, they've just made it look easy because of all the hard work, consistent practice, patience and action that we never actually see happen.

We (that totally means me when I say we) have mentally contorted the things we want or say we want because it's easier be wowed by the illusion and then to pretend our thing is much to hard for us to get. Or pretend it's just too far out of our reach and therefore just plain unattainable for us.

It's not true. A simple example.

One of my dearest friends had to perform a task last week for her employer. It wasn't necessarily a difficult task as it involved dropping something off and picking it up. Very straight forward conceptually. However the implementation was much less so.  The implementation required figuring out a route to the location. Easy enough with mapquest or google maps but then there were the known facts.

Traffic in Atlanta sucks, especially so if it's raining.
The location was in the opposite direction of every thing she ever does (her words).
She and her husband share a vehicle.
She doesn't particularly like to drive.
The drop off location closed at 7:30 PM.
She can always get the vehicle when needed but it requires coordination and her doing lots of driving.
Did I mention traffic in Atlanta is horrible and she doesn't like driving.

So she was envisioning this task as crap, hard, irritatingly out of the way and ugh with lots of driving.

The imagined dread and mental contortion needed to complete this task brought her to a standstill. Then she felt a little pull that said, just wait.

Ooh, easy, she can do that well. So she did.

Turns out two days later, one of the many backgammon gatherings she and her husband enjoy was within 20 yards of where she had to do the drop off / pick up.

The informal backgammon gatherings don't usually happen there. The last one she remembered happening in this far away, hard to get to suburb of Atlanta happened in January or February. She didn't know it was going to happen until a few hours before it did because of the informal nature of the thing.

So this thing she had to do that looked like a raging, river of bad Atlanta traffic and her driving through it, turned out to be some quick walking across a grassy divide and having fun. She dropped the item off, played some backgammon, picked the item up and played some more backgammon.

She avoided all the issues she believed would make this task impossibly hard.

The reality was much nicer and way more fun although getting to the reality required, listening to her little voice and waiting.

That leads us to the random tidbits of which there were only two on the desk this week:

• "Staying the course is NOT the same as clinging to a HOW."
• "You only have to do a little each day, to get a ton done."

Both quotes are from  ~Totally Unique Thoughts from The Universe~

So what random events have shown up in your life, to help you stop making things harder than they really are, that aren't really random at all?

--

LaShae

All That Seems Random Fridays # 8 | Don't "Buy" Stuff

It appears we might be in the midst of a recession, only appearances can be very deceiving. What looks like loss is really gain, only we have our heads turned the wrong way.

I know, I know, people losing jobs, losing homes, taking their life because of it. So it must be bad. Then all those celebrity deaths in the span of 10 days or so. It just seems so random and pointless and...and....and....

Why did all this happen? What is going to happen next?

Those are easily answerable questions, however it's likely that most people (me included) don't want to hear the easy answer because it contradicts what we believe. Living with a contradiction is one of the hardest things to do and we avoid those contradictions through denial.

Sometimes that keeps us safe, insulated from the pain we can't handle in that moment, however sometimes, that same denial keeps us away from everything we know we want.

So as I was practicing my denial a few nights ago, I ran up on this video.



I love how it completely contradicts the very essence of how we are being guided to come out of the apparent recession. Is denial doing us more harm than good?

I had to quit my job in order to stop practicing certain forms of denial.

Nothing wrong with that, expect it goes against and contradicts the mentality of most of the people around me. If I knew then, what I know now right :) (I'd probably do the same thing but who can ever really say because I can't unknow what I know.)

Still the events of the last 19 months have been so strange, yet just right, that this idea of randomness doesn't make much sense anymore.

It feels like I'm babbling about something that is floating just beneath the surface, that slips away just as I wrap my hands around it. I know what it looks like. I know how it feels and I'd like to show it to you only, I haven't yet grasped it.

Anyway, randomness. I'm reading "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. He talks about Three Mile Island and how "five completely unrelated events occurred in sequence" and almost caused a nuclear meltdown, but "each of which, had it happened in isolation, would have caused no more than a hiccup."

I read that passage, re-read it and re-read it again. Our lives work very much the same way. We have all these random events that we don't really pay any attention to because they cause "no more than a hiccup". Coupled with the fact that we are practicing the harmful denial and we miss these little opportunities which could lead us to, well to . . . everything we know we want.

Yeah. Or we don't miss them. It's a choice, a decision.

As is the custom, there are some random tidbits floating around and here they are:

• Does "behavior" disappear automatically once the lesson is learned?
• "If the cannibus industry were to expand greatly, it couldn't do so by increasing the number of casual users. It would have to create and maintain more chronic zonkers." Mother Jones July/Aug 2009 "The Patriots Guide to Legalization", pg. 49 (I don't know. This just struck me as important to something that has nothing to do with cannibus.)
  
• Thoughts are useless if they are not practiced. ~John Delavera~
• My pain pales when compared to anothers, yet when I sit beside myself, I see how bright I am truly. ~Rhonda LaShae~
• Be patient, persistent and excited.

That's my week folks.

What random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?

All That Seems Random Fridays # 7 | The Clear as Mud Edition

Hi again. Yep, it's Friday and that means it's time for the randomosity. Diving right in.

You can find so much information on the internet about 'how to' do just about anything and yet you're still confused about how to do whatever it is you want to do. (That was me talking to myself earlier this week.)

You know the information is out there but you don't know the right questions to ask or you know so very little that it's even hard to ask questions.

I've been listening recently to someone explain some concepts that are clear as day to them and clear as mud to me. They want to help me understand, yet because they're so far beyond me, they can't remember which parts they didn't know first.

And I'm so lost I don't have a clue of what questions to ask. This happens Every. Single. Day. even now, after having done all this stuff that was supposed to stop that from happening. You'd think it wouldn't continue to happen right? I mean in school we learn how to ask the questions we need to ask, yes? And parents eagerly answer all of our childhood questions, yes? And then ask us if we have more questions, right?

That's when I realized, I know exactly what questions to ask, but I'm afraid to ask them because they will make me seem, sound, look, appear to be, label me as dumb and stupid.

Woah, where did those words come from? Who told me asking questions would make me look dumb and stupid? Who?

Yes, exactly, who did tell me that? I don't remember, but I know I learned it somewhere.

Learned it. Which means I can unlearn it. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!



That's the kind of thinking that opens up so many avenues in the brain and gets you buzzed to move.

And move I am, see below. The other thing that can happen is choking on the idea of unlearning what you've learned and that is not what we want to happen.

How can we avoid choking on this. ItyBites. Write it down (that's where all these random tidbits come from during the week.) Then keep doing what you were doing before you had the thought. The thought is doing the work it needs to do and is creating some new neural connections in your brain. It up to you to use those connections though.

You know, use it or lose it.

And that my friends leads me directly to the random tidbits found on my desk after the cleaning/clearing session...

• Real confusion is not knowing when you're holding onto thoughts, beliefs and concepts which are contradicting each other and ultimately cancel one another out. It's acting out both beliefs in sequence and finding the results ultimately canceling each other out.
• The most efficient way to rebuild trust in yourself is to do the things you say you will do, not the things for other people but the ones you tell yourself that no one else ever hears or knows about.*
• Make the reality bigger than the promise.

*The link leads another blog on which I'm challenging myself to do a thing (and ask the questions). I'm just making myself even more accountable to doing the thing by sharing with you. It's specifically about marketing on the internet...which led me into a contest. Go check it out if you're curious. Nothing to buy there.

Well that's it for me. What random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?

-

LaShae

All That Seems Random Fridays #6 | Gardens, Words & Intentions

This is the first time since starting this tradition that a post has not wanted to be written.

I started this post around 8:30am my time. It's is now after 2:30pm and have only just hit the publish button.

First, there were words. There's always words and yet this time...

One of my hastily scrawled notes this week (I'll list the others near the end) said, "It is a steady process. Until it is a steady process it's a slow process. What looks like a chasm now is only a step from another perspective."

Consistent. Steady. Process. Three words that as I type them I notice a few things, first they have some very strong unconscious associations including:

plodding
molasses
forever
unending
encumbered
excruciating

Just typing the associated words makes me feel like I'm moving s o m u c h s l o w e r t h a n n o r m a l . G a h !

My reactions seem slower, which might not be such a bad thing. My thoughts are flowing like sticky sap through my fingers and into the keyboard more slowly. I'm also editing as I go instead of letting the slow thought seep out. Plus on top of all that I'm also wondering how long this post is going to take to write.

My internal dialogue is saying things like, this post is going to take forever, haha you've gone and done it, now you have to be consistent with ATSRF, you shouldn't be doing this anyway, no one cares about random, you're wasting your time, you could be doing something productive.

More GAH!. Now the effects of the words and associations make me want to go into overcompensation and move like Speedy Gonzales, just so I can get back to what I consider normal for me.

Words have this affect, in some completely unique way, on all of us. The phenomenon itself isn't unique to just me or you.

To clear my head and get back my normal, I step outside. Immediately I wish the LawnMower man had access to the backyard, so he could cut it. Next I immediately think about gardening. Gardening, me, seriously? The only step I've ever participated in when it comes to gardening, is harvesting.

I know nothing about prepping, watering, weeding, maintaining or growing and waiting, just harvesting and the eating of yummy spring, summer and fall fruits & veggies.

While I don't dismiss the idea, of me gardening, as absurd, a garden does take active planning. It is not a right now endeavor. Which is fine because right now I'm trying to clear my head and write a post for ATSRF. I'm staying with the intent of being consistent. I head inside.

As soon as I sit down, the phone rings and not only is it someone I enjoy talking to, she is offering me fresh grown vegetables, which were left on her doorstep.

Totally random, people I swear.

Don't ask me how, but after 7 hours of writing this post, I have come to the random tidbits found on my desk after the cleaning/clearing session...

• I have 'right now''
• Childhood desires play out in adult life
• Make sure you get what you need
• Focus on the why of what you want because the why guides and encourages you to do the what and learn the how.

That sit for me, what random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?

All That Seems Random Friday #5 | Adventures in Going to The Bathroom

Yep this week it seemed random that I had about 10,000 conversations with people about going to the bathroom*. Well fine it was more like 2 and they both led to this weeks All That Seems Random adventures. I'm only going to talk about one of those conversations.

It's the one that had to do with actually finding your ItyBite. I used this on my mom, of all people, and she laughed and got it, so I'm sharing it here to make sure I get it.

Make your next action step as easy and transparent as going to the bathroom.

If that thing you put on your list to do isn't as easy as going to the bathroom, then that thing is NOT your next action step.
If you are straining to do that thing on your list that someone suggested you do, then doing it is NOT your next action.

Okay, it's here that I need to back up just a little. Que the standard movie flashback music.

We were all tiny little babies and we pooped our diapers. A loving parent, grandparent, sibling, friend, heck someone (hopefully) came along and cleaned us up. Slowly as we grew older one of those adults around us decided it was time we were potty trained. They decided it was time for us to become a big girl or big boy and start learning to clean up our own mess. We learned this lesson, some of us kicking and screaming, some of us eager and willing. Either way we learned it and learned it well (Yes I know there are wives, girlfriends & mothers out there who believe they know someone who didn't learn it well. Yes. I. Know.) After we learned how to use the big people potty, we felt pride at being able to do it for ourselves. Our care givers got a kick out of hearing us say, "I can do it by myself." Because really who wants to wipe someone else's ass if they're able to do it themselves.

Now, when we have to go to the bathroom, we don't even think about the how. We just go. It's automatic. We don't have to have a checklist. And we generally only have a question if we're somewhere unfamiliar.

Ah, that is the random part.

The thing is when we've got to go to the bathroom and don't know where it is, we don't hesitate to find someone who looks like they know. We can only do the I gotta go right now shuffle dance for so long.

So I'll say it again, Make your next action step as easy and transparent as going to bathroom.

Then go to the bathroom because who cares how many times you have to stop and ask where a bathroom is, when you gotta go!

The other conversation was about straining and things that help us stop straining. That's another post for another time.

Lest I forget, there were a few random tidbits found on my desk after the cleaning/clearing session

• Getting into a funk is a matter of nature, staying in a funk is a matter of choice.
• You're not even sure if your thing is a business & if it is you certainly aren't calling it that yet.
• High speed internet and a quiet hand holding zone
• Millionaires serve others something of value
  

So that's it for me.

What random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?

*I think it's appropriate that we talk about going to the bathroom, I mean after all this is a place where ItyBites are being taken Every. Single. Day.

All That is Random # 4 - Just a little link crazy

It's Friday and a fine one it is. The birds are in rare form this morning I'm sitting here listening to a symphony of bird song with the coo of turtle doves as the base notes.

So I'll swoop right into All That is Random.

"It would seem as we get clear on what we want, the hows, whats and whos show up in our faces, right where they've been all along." Rhonda LaShae

I'll warn you before you get too involved, this is one of those posts that links to a bunch of stuff.

In my google reader yesterday, there was a blog post from sufi healer, heart centered business founder, father of twins Mark Silver. (clicking his name will take you to his about page.)

I'm not certain how or why it showed up. For those who know what google reader does, you're going, that's totally expected, it's supposed to show up, so what? Or you could even be thinking well, she obviously doesn't know how the google reader technology works but that's not what I'm talking about.

I read the blog post. I re-read the blog post. I clicked the link to comment on the blog post. Nothing. 404 Error Page. Huh. Now I'm confuzzled. The post was exactly what I needed, right when I needed it. And I wanted to thank Mark for writing it. So the part that makes no sense is that the blog post is nowhere on his blog or his archives or even his newsletter. Which means I can't link to it to share it with you.

(EDIT: The post didn't show up until June 16, 2009. How do I know that? Because now there is a link http://www.heartofbusiness.com/avoiding-www/ dated June 16, 2009. Weird, but not really weird.)

Completely makes me sad and curious. I love getting curious. So I started digging through his archives and man on man, it's a vein of gold. Gold I tell ya. Okay I already knew this but still something from 2006 or 2007 is relevant today. I mean really it's over two years old how could it be relevant, now. (Uh that was sarcasm.)

This vein of archival gold is deep. Check them out. I would link to everything I found, but you would need a few weeks and plus that's not an ItyBite is it? Just head to his blog http://www.heartofbusiness.com/blog/ . Look for the search box in the upper right hand corner and type in a word or a phrase. You'll find something helpful. Seriously. Even if it has nothing to do with business.

So far I've typed in 'help', 'resonance', 'getting started' and a few other terms and lets just say my weekend will be full of reading, then doing.

I especially liked this post I found for getting started http://www.heartofbusiness.com/visualizing-your-way-to-success-uh-no/

Okay, hmm what else. Oh yes, this video, for this book by author Katherine Center had me crying (literally and metaphorically) in a plurk last night.

Katherine's book and message reminds me of a poem my mom wrote about a question I aksed her when I was young. "Momma am I pretty?"

You can read the plurk and watch the video right there in the plurk. It's one of the many reasons I love plurking. I'll be honest, I have yet to purchase the book but it's going on my wishlist and will most likely end up being a stocking stuffer for the women and young girls in my life.

Let's see random notes found this week

• blogging, paypal, ar, twitter, plurk, article marketing
• 5 people 1 help
• natural limits vs ?
• business vs avocation - both
• 15 to 16 years to pay off all debts and that's only so long as no new debts are introduced (this one has me shaking my head. I don't like it. Not. one. little. bit - that's just too long for debt repayment)

So that's it for me.

What random events have shown up in your life, that aren't really random at all?


--

Are You Getting Good Help From the Beginning?

I heard a shrill whistle and what sounded like hundreds of balls bouncing not quite in unison. The noise died down a little and that's when I heard the laughter.

They couldn't be laughing at me yet, as I hadn't made my way through the door. I felt sorry for whoever it was though. (Turns out Coach was a real comedian.)

My hand was shaking and my heart was racing as I grasped the metal door clasp and slowly, cautiously pulled the door towards me.

The humidity outside pressed me through the door and into a small atrium. I wasn't sure I wanted to do what I was about to do, but just before I turned to flee, I heard a voice from my right say,

"Are you here for try-outs? What grade are you in?"

I stammered, "uh. . . 8th, but I . . ."

My eyes adjusted to the dim light inside and I saw someone loom over me and felt her grab my hand.

I heard her yell, "Coach we've got one more for 8th grade."

She dragged me across the gym and to the bleachers where a crowd of girls I recognized but didn't know very well, were sitting.

I sat down on the end of the bleacher and looked around me. It looked like they all knew what they were doing. They all looked the part. They had on the school colors and high top sneakers and sports bras under their tank top jerseys.

I suddenly felt the need to disappear, quickly.

Coach had to teach me everything because I knew absolutely nothing about basketball.

http://theory-and-practice.com

He told us how hard it was going to be. Everything he expected from us. He gave us a list of items we would need to buy and he gave us the practice schedule.

The Coach stood in front of us and smiled as he said, "I don't decide on the cuts to make for the team. I've told you everything you'll need to do. Those of you who do it, make the team. You'll make the cut for yourself or you won't. It's up to you. I'm here to help you learn basketball, teamwork and dedication. I've brought the Varsity Team in to help me. If you show up, watch and practice, I promise you'll improve. That's all I promise. The rest is up to you."

Everyone who made the team grew to appreciate what Coach taught us.

I've carried it with me and it's the same attitude I bring to using the interwebs to help people share the things they love and make money doing it.

Show up, watch, do it (practice) and improve.

The first step is showing up.

http://theory-and-practice.com

David Perdew happens to be the coach and founder for the Niche Affiliate Marketing System workshop. I met David in 2006 and his attitude reminds me of my middle school basketball coach.

David said at the beginning of 2007, "If you (or anyone else) are serious, willing to do the work and can stash any of the "Yes, but..." attitude that kills all our ambitions -- you'll learn how..."

He's doing it.  And he wants to help  others do it. He's even starting from where ever you happen to be starting in your online journey.

Show up, watch, do it and you'll succeed. Plus, you'll have a Varsity team of Internet Marketing Veterans to take you by the hand, lead you through the drills and work with you on your shots.

It's happening, in Atlanta, GA from August 14-17, 2009 and you can find out more details when you click the link below:

When you show up, you'll find a workshop unlike any other you've seen or been involved in.

http://theory-and-practice.com

For three days in the Niche Affiliate Marketing System workshop, Veteran marketers Willie Crawford, Mark Hendricks, Chris Lockwood, Kathleeen Gage, Lynn Terry, Alan R. Bechtold, David Preston, Jeff Herring, Cathy Perkins, Cindi Dawson, Rob Anderson, Joe Marsh and coach David Perdew will teach nuts and bolts results - not theory! This is a workshop with drills on the spot.

Each presentation is followed by 2 to 2 1/2 hours of real small group hands-on implementation. (I'll be there along with 9 others to help you do what needs to be done and answer those questions you think might be dumb questions because everyone else already seems to know the answer.)

No matter what your experience level is, this workshop is created specifically to help build your business.

Coach Perdew's goal is to have 100 percent of the students make money during the weekend event in their chosen niche.

Bring your computer and be ready to take your shot.
 
Hope to see you there:
http://theory-and-practice.com

All That Seems Random #3

This week has been full of downs, then ups and news, lots and lots of news, good news only I can't share it yet. And I'm busting to share it, really seriously busting.

I can tell you the first ItyBites journey is picking up speed and there will be a case study ready to be shared with you in just a few weeks. It's such a wonderful story too.

This week has been a confirmation that congruent thoughts and inspired actions, even when they look small, create some amazingly deep and wide ripples.

Plus, because this is the "All That Seems Random" post, it feels apropo that Totally Unique Thoughts from The Universe put this in my email inbox this morning.

The baby steps in the beginning of a journey, LaShae, always seem inadequate compared to the brilliance of the dream that inspired them. This is natural. If the dream wasn't so far "out there" and dazzling, it wouldn't be worth dreaming! Just don't be led to think that the physical ground you cover with your baby steps is all that they accomplish. Because for every mortal step you take, another cog in a giant wheel behind the curtains of time and space advances, and with it, 10,000 new possibilities.

Better than Star Trek,
    The Universe

So very true and this week has been a complete confirmation that there is a cog behind a curtain and I'm boy do I believe in the nonrandomness that is.

Also the other random tidbits found after clearing my desk this week

• Refrigerated pudding = Kozy Shack (Yeah because even though I'm training for a 1/2 marathon, I gotta get my sweet on.)
  
• Behave your way back into it
• Develop, Plan, Coordinate, Implement
• Admit you made a mistake. Go on admit it. It's only hard if you don't admit it.
  

Finally, there is one more thing and it deserves it's own post, it's that important. It has to do with some serious hand holding and I've never been involved in anything like it, until now. I'll share on Monday. Promise!

So how about you, what random events are happening in your life, that aren't really random at all?

All That Seems Random Friday #2

Uhm, wow it's Friday, again. And it seems way to fast to be here, again.

So let's just dive right in.

Random notes found on my desk this week include:

• Aim to get good first. Then aim to get results. (I no longer agree with this statement. I think results are more important because they offer the necessary feedback and help create the momentum necessary to get good.) Still it is written as I found it on my desk.)
  
• It's inevitable when small shifts begin happening within us regarding money, emotions, health and spirit, these shifts eventually come to affect our relationships.
• Feet of clay. Does anyone have a clue about this and it's mention in the bible?
• You don't want to change what you're doing or how you're doing it, yet you want different results. Crazy!

I'm learning and practicing The Art of Taking ItyBites and I over ate on Thursday. In fact it was the perfect, 'don't do this at home if you want to take ItyBites' moment and it all seemed so random. As if that is possible.

I'm running again, well more like a slow jog that the dogs think is great because now they don't run out of leash as quickly as when I was just walking.

What does that have to do All That Seems Random, you ask?

Weeellll - it's a little weird, even for me. A little back story. I knew of Louise Hay but I avoided her books. I ended up with one a few weeks ago and started reading it, "You Can Heal Your Life" and I was drawn to her List near the end of the book. I read the List. I nodded my head a few times. Okay a whole lot and thought hmm this makes sense. I wonder how true it is?

Now I know.

The idea that ankles and feet have to do with movement and direction. So the fact that I immediately found the breathing process I need to use to run longer and further distances, had me doing what my body wasn't yet trained or prepared to do. Coupled with the fact that I wasn't listening to my body tell me this and also wasn't paying attention to where I was placing my foot because I was so in awe of the fact that I had almost run a half mile non-stop, a rock from the left side of the road crept onto the pavement from it's gravel bed along the edge of the road and slipped itself under my right foot in exactly the right way to cause a level 1 sprain of my right ankle and cause me to limp the remainder of the way home.

Now it seems as though some part of me doesn't want to easily move forward. That could be with the running or 'the thing I've yet to share with you'. It also seems I'm questioning all my movement and my current direction. Plus, I feel as though I'm moving way too fast and I'm not moving fast enough.

How's that for All That Is Random?

What about you? What random events are happening in your life, that aren't really random at all?

All That Seems Random Friday #1

I'm thinking this is the start of a new series for Fridays. Things are slowly looking up as far as finding the right sized bite to take AND last nights unofficial success team Idea Party gave my mom some really great ideas for her poem books and she wants to move on them.

So, lots happening, things changing, plus a suggestion about affirmations from Steve Pavlina looks to be a promising addition to the tools.

I encourage you to watch the whole video. The specific part I'm referring to starts around 5:10 into the video. What he says about the process reaching into the subconscious seems to be working for me, as it's slowly bringing about consciously congruent actions. Mine haven't been up a full week yet, but I like the progress thus far.

The other thing I'm finding is all the little random snippets of things written on random pieces of paper that wind up cluttering my desk by the end of the week. Things like:

• don't let your lizard brain know you want to start a business
• when feeling vulnerable the brain stops working
  
• the clearest, strongest energy always prevails
• respect doesn't mean I do what you say, it means I listen and hear where you're coming from
• so when the time comes you are fully nourished before you ever set foot in the place
• I have not yet provided the value I wish to receive

I'm sure I'll be talking more about some of these as time goes on.

Finally, Simple*ology is still helping me break my goals down into manageable ItyBites and get the work done and it's helping me get exactingly clear on my goals.

I'll be honest, I do the experiment in Lesson 2 pretty regularly. It makes me laugh out loud every time. If you want to find out what I'm talking about, sign up for your own Simple*ology account and see. Or if you're like me and signed up a long, long, long, long, long time ago, but haven't actually done it yet, sign in again and DO IT.

Let's see is there anything else?

Yes!, yes there is. If you like discovering and rating music, I just got turned onto The Sixty One today by Steven Mitchell, whom I met through Plurk, where I haven't been since . . . I'm not even going to embarass myself by telling you.

Okay, that's it for the quiet primere of All That Seems Random Friday #1.

Keep taking those ItyBites.

On Switch or Off Switch

I've been a member of Simple*ology 101 for too many years and counting. This year is the first year I've actually gone through and been doing the lessons. I've made it up to Day 30 as of today.

One of the things you begin doing around day 18 is the Daily Target Praxis which incorporates your three sources of power - Time, Energy & Money into the actions you take on a daily basis. They rotate through each one and today the Energy Praxis showed up.

One of the questions that comes up with the Energy Praxis is what is something you did recently that increased your energy? I thought 'writing' and as soon as I did, the light bulb in the hall blew out.

Now mind you I don't want to connect those two things and even if I did want to connect them, how would I? When I say how I mean in what ways might I connect them if I were going to connect them?

1. No that didn't actually create energy for you, it in fact made you lose energy. Writing is hard for you. (ooo is that a belief surfacing.)
2. Yes, it did create energy for you and this light bulb blowing out right at the moment of the thought means writing helped you create enough energy to impact your environment. (scoff if you will)
   
3. The light bulb blowing out is really just the fact that the fixture is rated for 75watt bulbs and you keep putting 100watt bulbs in it because that seems to be all you ever have available.
4. Hmmp, from the light fixtures point of view. Dammit I hate the fact that my twin light on the other end of the hallway has a freakin' energy saving florescent bulb and I keep getting these crappy too high a wattage incandescent light bulbs. Yeah I'm blowing this sucker riiigt aboout NOW.
5. From the light bulbs point of view, ouch hot too hot ouch too hot ouch too hot hot hot hot hot hot. Aretheyevergoingtoturnmeoff? Hot hot hot hot hot hot. They could turn me off in the daytime. Hot hot hot hot hot awe man I gunnna POP!

Yeah all that if I were actually going to make a connection between my thought about 'writing' and the light bulb blowing out.

Yet what I've realized is that in some ways writing is like a light going out for me. Each and every time I want to write, I find any excuse not to do it.

Ooo, really great thought, "I'll write about..." happens and as soon as it does, my body craves a nap, or some Häagen-Dazs® or any other distraction as far away from writing as possible becomes appealing. Because writing, getting the writing done and sharing the writing somewhere is going to make it hot hot hot ouch, that's too much wattage.

We most certainly don't want to shine a light on these thoughts and we don't want to think about the elephant in the room.

I told you not to think about the elephant.

So the blog is changing. There will still be Ity Bites but they will be my ItyBites, as I tackle this for me, which "light bulb moment", will help my mom and maybe help you too.

You can go to Simple*ology 101 and start your own Daily Target Praxis for free.

Perspective of An Elephant

It's not easy to admit when we have a dream.

It's downright frightening and scary and big and audacious, like an elephant that you've been told you have to eat, no matter what.

The dream never really goes away, although it may morph and bend becoming almost unrecognizable.

The dream might often nag Tap, tap, tap, hey remember me, I'm still here and waiting. Or it might sneak up on you boo and scare the heebie jeebies out of you.

I keep getting these little sparks of insight about my mom and her dream.

I'm feeling ambivalence, uncertainty and frustration. There is some fear mixed in and a whole heap of salty.

The salty is mine for sure. I keep asking myself what the heck I think I'm doing and who gave me the right to do it?

Boy that answer is a mixed bag.

I'm certain, I love a challenge. Big Hairy Audacious Elephant, bring it on.

I keep wondering though, what power do I have to help her make her dream come true?

How much work should I be doing for her dream? Am I in this for real, for the long haul? What is my why?

What is this resistance?

The first thing that comes up is money, definitely. That's my response to her resistance.

The budget is $0.

I keep thinking she doesn't want this badly enough to make it happen.

I keep thinking it's just too big and hairy and audacious.

I keep thinking.

Wait, what is she thinking?

Why not just ask her?

So I'll ask her:

• What does 'being a published poem book author' look like to you mom?
• What feelings do you have when you think about it?
• What things do you see yourself doing as 'a published poem book author' that you don't see yourself doing right now?

This will give me a much better perception of what this looks like to her, because right now, I'm only seeing this from my perspective and our two perspectives are different. I'm not sure what she's looking at but I'm looking at a Publishing Empire, (muwhahaha)

Um wait did I say that out loud?

So this resistance from her is what?

I'm going to ask her, right now and see what she has to say.

Stay tuned. Stay Hungry.

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