Scraps

How to scraps work? This is the cutting room flow of your writing. It's organized by the writing from which it came.

From the TOC

And then it hit me...

(Cmd + Ctrl + ↑ or ↓ on MAC)
(Ctrl + ↑ or ↓ on PC)

I discovered that having a scraps file open is a key part of my writing workflow!

The POD

I'd go as far as saying that since we know that successful authors publish on a regular basis, the requirements of being a member of the collective is releasing new titles on a schedule. This is when you begin to take your writing seriously!

While traditional publishers vet authors based one what they've achieved already, this publishing pod will vet you based on your potential. Your future need not be defined by your past.

A monthly fund goes directly towards author development. The more authors we develop, the more titles we publish, and the greater the return on investment.

If at least 6 of you to signup for the pod at $20/month, then I will provide two hours of group coaching each month, along with time to provide feedback via AuthorDock.

Stories

As I write Wireframed, I'm learning more about novel writing. For example, I didn't really know what a protagonist was or a story ARC.

It's about engaging the reader, pulling them into a story they can relate to. In order for the protagonist to be believable, he/she lives through experiences (the plot) that leave us awe struck. The actions the protagonist takes and how they related to the plot (character development) define how the story arc.

It's tension that makes a good arc. Tension created by unresolved. It's also tension that keeps me up a night!

The more insurmountable the obstacle, the better. When the character needs become something they are not. It's witnessing the development of that character that inspires us.

Real life ARCs. Based on a true story books & movies are popular. A few notable titles: Lion, Unbroken, American Made, and American Sniper. War brings out the best and worst in us.

The poster for Unbroken reads 'Survival, Resilience, Redemption.' It explains the arc in that story succinctly.

Your story is still unfolding. It's part of our fabric, and how our brains remember.

The movie Wolf of Wall Street exposes the story of greed and demise of addiction. It's based on a true story, but it's full of exaggeration for the screen.

Images bring a story to life. Images allow you to recall a story.

The more you tell others your story, the more real it becomes, until we are truly living our story. Fake it until you make it reinforces it. Stories can also give us distance from a difficult past. Stories allow us to paint a more hopeful future. A life without a story can't be shared, and if a life can't be shared, does it ever exist?

Reproducing errors

A program produces errors when...

It's not the stories, but rather the experiences that make a lasting impact.

We look for problems to solve

Solving the problem: What do usually we do? We think, we read, we talk, we go deeper in thought. Too much analysis leads to paralysis. And it's so easy to do these days because of the web. Writing a book is more challenging because the moment you go to look something up online, you are screen sucked into a range of related topics. The time you had hoped to spend writing because consumed by acquiring more data.

In order to diagnose the problem while the problem is occurring demands that we STOP. (MINDFULNESS) while in the midst of action requires an ability to distance oneself from on-the-ground events.

We are paid for the results we create, not the effort we put in. Since it's the results that we measure a life by, the effort need not be signficant, but the result is. Is there reward without effort? , the significance of a life by. If those results are based on material wealth or number of people managed? on. we produce are th of which produces a result.

I Cubed

Impersonate → Imitate → Innovate

Can you began to impersonate the model of what you'd most like to become? Ronald Reagan, a talented actor, impersonated a politician until he became one.

Positive impersonation

I envy those who have what I want and might dislike them for having what I don’t. However, I admire those who have what I like them for it.

Look no further than Facebook to see impersonation at play. It’s a showcase of the extent people are willing to go to impress others. If a friend boasts about a trip to Paris, then we better damn well do the same.

Many people work to consume. Many work to impress. But few work to make a difference.

To label someone as an 'imposter' is to judge them. My belief is they lack integrity, when in fact, they may have more integrity than I do. It's simply that they've aligned their integrity to something else.

Not being truthful. Putting up a false front. They are faking it as best I can tell!

Since the word 'imposter' has a negative contagion, I know I'll avoid doing anything that would lead me to be labeled one. I'll continue to resist it. My own integrity holds me back.

Real World Example (RWE) Self-proclaimed self-help gurus. If you look at their business, you’ll find it’s built off the selling of ideas on how to be successful. Their success is rooted in a business they’ve built in telling others how to be successful. If you want to make a living teaching others to be successful, then they are good teachers. But if you want to build a successful life on a different business model, you should use caution.

I have already determined that peace is the one thing I need, above all else, it's really the only thing I need. If I can sit in peace, I can sit all day and feel content at the end of the day.

So what disrupts my peace? Other people. The need to fulfill basic needs in an increasingly crowded (and competitive) world. The belief that I should be more than I am.

I have 3 brothers. I've felt a competitive pressure to measure up in the eyes of my parents most of my life. What child wouldn't want to be the favorite one?

But I've never been the favorite child because my parents have always worked hard not to play favorites. But I always wanted to be.

Embrace VUCA

We tend to regret the things we didn't try more than those we did — even when we fail.

The theory of everything

Our ability to be where we are (be in the here and now). Our past is written by the actions we take, and our path unfolds as the we travel towards an uncertain future in a system we have little control over.

A program can't change the operating system in which it runs.

Deadlines

Do you see deadlines as a loss of freedom or the ticket to freedom? Do the deadlines you’re working towards reflect the outcome you want? Are you striving to meet deadlines dictated by others? Those of us who earn a living most likely do.

Does the deadline drive you or discourage you? We have to set realistic deadlines, deadlines that stretch us, but not overwhelm us.

Assertiveness

First off; she started racing at age 10. I have to imagine although it was fun for her, there was that initial phase of uncomfortable which accompanies the act of actually stepping outside your comfort zone. After a time, I have no doubt she was faced with some real challenges, obstacles. It simply wasn't the norm for a woman to compete at the highest levels in Nascar racing as she was doing... and the key word is 'normal.' Often times, being normal is what holds us back. Being normal means complying with the 'norm' defined by others. We should never let others define what's normal for us. Tune in to the feelings of discomfort - it means you are breaking beyond your comfort zone!

This is where the act of being unreasonable comes to play. It's reasonable to throttle back and not push it too far. It's reasonable to give up when you face a seemingly unsurmountable obstacle. After all, if the obstacle stopped someone else, why shouldn't it also stop you? The greatest achievers in our lifetimes have overcome the obstacles that others could not. What's not reasonable is to push it further than others would. Be unreasonable in the pursuit of your dreams and never let anyone's definition of normal define who you are (or how far you'll go).

Three of the most impactful insights was left with after Danica's talk (which was really just a Q&A with college students) was this:

  1. Two words that define who she is: Authentic and Aggressive. She admitted she can be a bitch - but by her standards, being a bitch goes hand in hand with being aggressive, and she knows it's her aggressive nature that has gotten her to where she is. After the talk, everyone was talking about how authentic her talk was. She didn't hold back and that's the beauty of a Q&A format when the person being interviewed has no clue what questions are coming next. Her talk with us dramatically improved the moment the CIO stopped asking her the 'canned' questions she had probably been prepped for. The moment the Q&A was handed over to the audience, Danica had no choice but to be authentic in her answers. This is when she truly came alive. I feel that one of the keys to living fully is to simply be authentic. When we aren't being authentic, a large part of us isn't alive, and others can see this. Perhaps this is why we admire authenticity when we see it (btw: it's not the norm to be authentic, is it?)

  2. No role models. This was a surprise to most everyone in the room. In fact, one student really challenged her on it, and eventually succumbed to rephrasing the question to 'Who were your mentors.' Danica was joined by the CIO of GoDaddy (another accomplished woman) who agreed with this concept. When two people agree on once concept, the concept is far more believable, isn't it? I think this it he value of having a panel as opposed to a single speaker. The 'no role model' concept stemmed from the question asked: 'Who were your role models growing up?' She went on to explain that because she desired to be better than anyone else, there was no one else who could be her role model. How could there be? If you want to be better than anyone else at something, by definition, no one else is already doing it, so how could you have a role model for someone who doesn't exist yet? It's a truly empowering idea - a self-confident booster and will give you greater self esteem if you truly live it. When you want to be better than everyone else, the only role model you need is yourself.

  3. Fake it until you make it. I've heard this before from different people in different ways, but she explained it in such a way that the idea took on new meaning. Shortly after Danica's talk, I read the same thing shared by Meghan Trainor. I will be expanding on this concept in a future chapter because I feel it's worth revisiting in depth. I believe it's one of the keys to high self confidence and self esteem - which is a common trait in successful people. I'm likely going to refer to it as 'The Danica Effect.' A key concept to grasp is perception is everything. An aspect of who we are may in fact be the perception that others have us. In fact, I believe others can see things in us we miss ourselves. We miss these aspects because we can't see them from our viewpoint. Our view point of who we are isn't accurate because it's not typically aligned to how we show up for others, or is it? And while perception is everything, it's also fatally flawed because we ca have all the artifacts to justify a true view of someone. Do you really know anyone?

Introduction

I grew up playing Infocom text adventures when my parents bought an Apple II+ back in the 80's. I spent time on BBS with an dialup connection through interfaces like CompuServe (note: this was BEFORE the internet) and even hosted a BBS for a time. In fact, I grew up close to the epicenter of it all, Berkeley, CA.

Reverse Engineering

Whatever you've published, bring a copy to show and tell. Be prepared to discuss briefly the process you followed to complete it. If you're still unpublished, then print a few pages and be prepared to explain how those pages came to be.

Writing is not a spectator sport. Participation is not optional! Your future is ready to be written. But words alone can only take you so far. Get ready to rumble.

Thoughts

Nobody is difficult, but our concepts of who they are make it so. Nothing is difficult in practice, it's only the concepts, thoughts, ideas, preconceived notions that make them appear so.

Limits only exist in our mind. When we take ourselves into thought-space, we take ourselves into the past & future. We form concepts of the ability of ourselves our others in relation to an idea. It is in this practice that we leave the here-now, fail to see the limitless 'I Am.'

Come back to the self, come back to the here and now. What you experience is the truth, everything else is just idea (and inherently flawed & limited).

the words you type our put upon your visual thought canvas.>

150

The 150 Manifesto

Imagine a world where all you would EVER have to worry about is serving your 150 closest family & friends.

If everyone did this, then everyone would have every ounce of support they needed.

To positively impact the lives of 1 million people, all I need to do is instill the confidence in 100 people to improve the lives of 100 other people!

Sacrifice

Much of the pursuit of wealth, fame, and personal achievement are driven from a place of selfishness. But it's the extent to which others also benefit that remains as lasting the success of our efforts.

Vices

When I witness what I consider a negative quality or vice in someone else, I feel less as a human being. On the flip side, when I witness a virtue or positive quality, I feel uplifted. Perhaps what I am seeing is simply a reflection of myself.

Momentum

From Momentum

MOMentum.

Notice has the word 'Mom' is in the word momentum? Momentum is the mother of all action.

Men is also part of the word: moMENtum.

The root of momentum is moment.

As we head into a new year, I am setting an intention of motivation.

What are you up to?

What's important to me are the things I get up early to do! Making time to do what's important to me is the source of my enthusiasm!

Enthusiasm is energy, and energy is life. Nothing happens without momentum, just as you never happened without your mom. No surprise MOM is the root of MOMentum.

When does your momentum stop? Does it ever?

POWER AND MOMENTUM

Expand on the post entitled 'Power' by Werner Erhard

Imagine how many offers Taylor Swift gets. John Mayer is did this with the Grateful Dead. While he disappeared from his pop fan base for a time, he gained a new audience by playing at Dead shows. Someone whose a master at this concept is Guy Kawasaki. Nick Larson who heads the band locally called Proxima Prada gains exposure through the weekly yoga & music classes, an untraditional place to hear new music.

Assimilate

I view life as a project (where did I post this?)

Creators create for the creation's sake. They create without expectation for anything beyond the opportunity to create.

Consider life as a co-creation. You were brought into this world as a result of the co-creation of your parents. Your parents were able to provide for you because of their co-creation with society. Even those who lack contribution are beneficiaries of it. To give or receive is a form of creation.

The world will live in is the canvas upon which our life's work is drawn.

8 UP

Take a piece of paper. Fold it in half. Fold it half again. Fold it once more. Now unfold it. You will have 8 boxes. 8 Boxes of unfulfilled potential.

Now write tomorrow's date in box #1. In boxes 2-8, write 7 ways you can realize your unfulfilled potential (your UP) tomorrow. It's a matter of defining your prime objective for the day ahead. Keep the Prime Objective (PO) ever present. It's the side you leave exposed when you fold it back up and put it in your pocket. Throughout the day, keep glancing at it. Move towards it with all the secondary (small yet important) decisions you make throughout the day. Act in alignment that your choice to be the creative force in your life is a fundamental choice!

[I need to stick around because there are still so many people I need to thank, for acts of kindness I can't even imagine, for things I cannot begin to fathom.]

There are many words left to be spoken. Many words left to be written. Leave nothing left unsaid.

Unnecessary tension

From Tension

When you strive to become something you're not, you add tension that is not needed. Self-conflict becomes an obstacle to living at your full potential. Your are battling an unnecessary war that nobody else can see. When you fight a war with yourself, who wins?

Peace Redefined

From Peace

It occurred to me today that I live in the safest place on earth. From the moment I awake, till the moment I fall asleep, there's nothing to be afraid of. The less of it you have, the less have to lose, and there is real freedom in that.

Living in peace means learning to live with the ever present tension that will always exist as long as you do. It means accepting the way things are, the way things have been, and the way life unfolds. To accept who we are, who we've been, and who we'll become. I have learned that those who are truly happy are happy regardless of their circumstances. They live with a level of peace I admire. They rarely gripe about life, even when they have plenty to gripe about.

It comes to acceptance. Acceptance of yourself, right now. If you can't accept yourself for who you are, when will you ever? There's always room for improvement.

No matter how perfect you are, you will find the imperfections if you look close enough.

What if instead of striving to realize your full potential, you accepted yourself and everyone else for who they are right now? Here's why: They have realized their full potential because up to this point, they are living to their full potential.

Up to this point, we have lived to our full potential. Our greatest potential always lies ahead, never behind. To think that anyone, especially yourself has not live up to their full potential is a self-deceit. Our full potential reflects who we are, right now. Society may try to fool you otherwise.

All you are and all you'll ever be is unrealized potential. Potential is what pulls us into the future. Potential is the driving force of life.

Tension = Unrealized Potential (UP)!

UP is the path forward! 8UP can help you recognize the potential outcomes form a single intention.

[Insert 8 UP Video]

Knowledge: The more you get, the more you want.

In this chapter, I will expand on an idea from The Path of Least Resistance, where Robert Fritz explains that assimilation is part of the creative process. It's the second of the 3 phases in the lifecycle of creation and follows germination

One performance is equal to seven rehearsals.

[I cannot emphasize enough the importance of those seven words. If you doubt it's truth, start putting yourself out into the public and watch how quickly you improve. Improvement rarely happens in our comfort zone. Your life was meant to be a performance. It gives new meaning to the phrase 'publish or parish.' Live out loud. Express who you are without hesitation.]

Parents have so much vested in their children that they are only as happy as their least happy child. Parents worry too much. They feel responsible for the happiness, when it's usually out of their control.

Enough

Will there ever be enough?

When will there be enough?

Must we wait until our final moments to realize we've had enough all along?

The definition of enough:

A quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire; sufficiently. As much or as many as required, to suffice. Sufficient, plenty, a sufficient amount, an adequate amount, as much as necessary

I often dive into a definition and the synonyms to gain clarity on an idea.

Where the thesaurus really helps is when I can pull a few words to convey to my reader the path

But here's the direction I want to take you: Fed Up. 'Nuff Said.

It's once we've finally had enough that we realize we've had enough all along.

I am noticing more these days how many people let first world problems cause them to live in a constant state of dissatisfaction. It's the main culprit for why you feel like something's missing.

There's nothing missing

"I have nothing to wear."

Actually, you have plenty to wear, but when you say nothing makes you look good, all you see is nothing. The only thing missing is your ability to see what's there.

In reality, you have a closet full of clothes. More than you can probably wear in a year. There are millions of people who only have the clothes on their back.

I feel enough was passed years ago, we just failed to notice it.

When is it enough?

What's it?

It is anything that fills a specific desire. It's a combination of needs and wants.

More than likely, you have enough already.

We work to earn money. Where do we spend the money we earn? On things we want or things we need?

Envy is incited from what you want. Appreciation comes from getting what you need.

Appreciation and admiration

Envy and Jealousy

You get what you deserve For the most part, you appreciate what you deserve. But it's easy to take for granted the things we are given.

Too little, too much, or just enough?

It's usually subjective for the most part, isn't it?

Many who voted for our current president justified doing so because they believe they don't have enough. That others are getting more the enough, while others don't have enough.

But how much is enough?

The truth is, we have enough.

You may not have everything you want, but you have everything you need.

How much money is enough? Depends on how you define enough. If you desire to travel is a something you MUST do, then you will ...

Debt comes from not having enough.

Debt

Our government is not a bad example. In fact, it's an example of exactly what not do - that is to

You only spend what you have enough to spend. When you spend more than enough, you go into debt. When you go into debt, you become a slave to enough.

If you stopped at enough

What if enough was what you could afford. I have enough to live well.

There never be enough time.

If there's a sense of anxiety from the moment you awake, it might be time to redefine time. If there's a sense that you are not enough, then it's time to redefine enough.

You already are enough!

I was struck by the majority of quotes that came back when I search by the word enough. Most of them stemmed around messages proclaiming we lack enough of ____ (determination, persistence, intelligence, drive, etc..).

And then it hit me that from a very young age, we've been led to believe we aren't enough. In fact, isn't the entire self-help industry built on the basis that we aren't enough? Why would we need self-help if we were?

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” ― Elon Musk

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. - Melody Beattie

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein

But I think this is my favorite quote of all:

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six. - Yogi Berra

What this reveals is how we tend to reframe things to our favor. If we want more, we'll just redefine the lines.

Do you practice enough?

Are you kind enough?

Are you working hard enough?

Are you well enough prepared? Will you ever be?

Is it fast enough?

Is it good enough?
This literally has cost me thousands of dollars.
Back in the early days of Kindle, I knew if I wrote a book on how to publish a book on Kindle, it would have sold. I never did because I never wrote anything good enough. Back in the early days of Udemy, I knew if I created a course on publishing it would have been successful. I never created anything good enough. That one misstep cost me thousands as the one who did publish, didn't publish anything I would deem good enough myself, but made thousands by doing so.

AM I GOOD ENOUGH?

WHEN IS IT ENOUGH? When you say it is. If you let the opinions of others define your actions, then you are going to be at the mercy of when the deem it's enough.

'Nuff said: When you've had enough of aspiring to be enough, you realized you are enough. Enough of the bullshit.

Define the outcome

This is the key. The moment of enough is reached when we achieve the objectives we set. My objective is to make a positive impact on 1 million people in a significant way. When will my efforts be enough? Not until I've reached a million people with my message. When will 'significant' be reached? Never. Because significant is a highly loaded keyword. What's determined to be significant will greatly vary from one person to the next.

And I'm ok with that... Because I know that from now till the day I die - knowing that I'll never reach my goal, but knowing I always have something I'm striving for gives me a sense of peace. I know that I will always have a purpose, and that purpose will keep me alive longer than anything else.

From Wireframed

An index of recent Wireframed writings

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http://read.pubwriter.com/wireframed.md

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Healthcare side bar (from enough)

Today, there is a real barrier for many of us to get adequate healthcare. In an effort to give health care to everyone, the majority middle-class face ever increasing premiums and hefty deductibles. Should we really have to think twice before going to the doctor?

An example of entitlement thinking: 'All Americans are entitled to health care.'

While we all may be entitled to it, the level of care questionable. Yes, we are all entitled to healthcare, but what about adequate healthcare? The quality of healthcare in the USA, for many of us who once had it much better, is seriously flawed. When we need it the most (as we age), will we be able to depend on it?

Health over wealth

I contend it’s far less likely than before. What this has forced many of us to do is take self-care far more seriously. To choose health over wealth. We can't depend on the system to take care of us as it once did.

The good news is that when something we take for granted (like adequate health care) is taken away, we are forced to take personal responsibility. When we take responsibility, we gain self- confidence and become more resilient. We become less dependent on the others, and as a result, the system is less taxed by our needs.

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