Four years ago, tomorrow, I began my brave new adventure; arriving at 9.30a.m. at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Manila on March 29th 2011. I left behind all the things that were comfortable and familiar to me back in New Zealand, to embark on a journey halfway around the world to a new land and a new life. 

In the four years since, I can honestly say I haven't regretted, for a single second, the decision I made back then.

That's not to suggest that everything has been all "sweetness and light" since I arrived; in fact far from it. It has been a massive learning curve for myself, my new wife and my second family; but we have faced the hurdles and difficulties head on and now are much the stronger for having done so. My motivation for making the break and coming here to the Philippines is perhaps no longer relevant, but at 51 (a little bit late perhaps for a mid-life crisis it's true) I felt a need to experience and try something new - to try to figure out just exactly what was my purpose on this green and blue planet we call Earth.

In many ways I struck it lucky. I met, fell in love and married the most amazing woman in the world. A woman that fills me with joy, happiness and purpose with just a lift of her eyebrow or a shy smile in my direction. Without having her support and love none of this would have been possible, or even more importantly; none of this would have been worthwhile.  

Certainly, I spent a large part of the first two years here just trying to find my place in my new home. Without the benefit of knowing the local language, most conversations would just go right over my head and at times I did find that terribly isolating and lonely - however as time went on, more and more of the important conversations were conducted in English, which gave me the warmth of inclusion. Getting to know and more importantly becoming a part of my two teen-aged step-daughter's lives was also a big part of those first two years.

It was only after those first two years of being a full-time "house husband" that I actually began to question what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I was clearly too young to retire and I felt that I was a bit too old to be my wife's "toy-boy" or a "kept-man"; so the problem was, what to do. I looked at various options that might be available to me, but without the language, getting a "normal" job over here was always going to be a bit tricky. I looked at teaching as an option, but the country had tightened up significantly over the past years on who could teach here; so that didn't leave a lot of other choices. 

It was only when I was "accidentally" exposed to the film "The Secret", that I actually began to realize there might be a different way of approaching my life - a better way.     

From that point forward I threw myself into a frenzy of reading, watching and listening to some of the works of the most inspirational, forward thinking, transformational leaders on the planet today, and throughout history. The one shining lesson that came through all of their works was that in order to achieve my potential in life; in order to reach the heights I was born to reach, I only had to do one thing - "To Follow my Bliss". 

Now "bliss" was a concept that I was not overly familiar with. I decided I could count on the fingers of one hand the times in my life when I could have described myself as being truly blissful. The underlying construct that came through to me was that the most blissful times of my life were when I was involved in a job (or study) that involved writing. Almost like an epiphany I realized that the one thing that truly made me happy was when I was being creative and writing.

With that realization came the sure certainty that my future involved writing of some sort. I set about to write my first novel - something I'd had a half-hearted crack at several times in the past, but never got past the first chapter. Mind you; I always thought that first chapter was something pretty special. In the eighteen months since I've embarked on my new "career", I've completed two full novels; one of which will be published within the month, and I'm now working on my third.  

To edit and paraphrase a certain quotation: "There are three things in this life that are certain; death, taxes, and that as long as my fingers still work, I will write." I now wake every morning excited for the new day and what I will write; the ideas are literally coming to me in my dreams and every day is a new adventure. I can honestly say I have never been happier. 

Of course that is not to say that I don't have the odd bad day, the odd time when I revert to my old self and become grumpy or annoyed over minor, petty issues, but thankfully those occasions are now few and far between. 

What I’d like to share with you today are some techniques that I use to ensure that even when the "bad moment" comes along, I am able to remain as much as possible in the right frame of mind and in the right “vibration” to ensure that good things happen to me.

Now someone said to me the other day, after reading one of my blogs; “It’s all very well for you to bang on about ‘choosing’ to be happy. You know, it’s just not always that simple. Sometime I feel absolutely weighted down with problems with no solutions. Choosing to be happy really doesn't seem to be an option for me.”

I do understand that we are all at different points in our lives and your circumstances might be totally different to mine. A few years ago I might have agreed that sometimes it is simply impossible to be happy, but now I know better. It is always possible; you just need to use some simple techniques to change your mind-set.

So, I’d like to share with you just three simple techniques that I've learnt, to put yourself in a happier state. Now, these might initially seem just too simple, but that’s the point – they are VERY simple and require little or no effort, but have wonderful outcomes. If you try them, I can guarantee you will raise the level of your emotional happiness and you will raise your “vibration”.  Whenever I feel the fingers of doubt clutching at my mind, trying to get me down or I feel the beginning of those all too familiar feeling of frustration or boredom, I use these techniques to lift my spirits and put me back in the positive frame of mind that I want to be.

2.   CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE:

You will be genuinely surprised at how effective this minor adjustment to your day can be to totally uplift you and raise your overall feeling of well-being.

Even if it’s just for one day, take a break from work, cancel your usual plans, do something unexpected and spontaneous.  It is very easy for us to become so totally buried in our daily routine that we end up feeling like we are in a rut. Just making a change as simple as taking a different route to work or changing the way you get to work – taking the bus, or train, instead of your car, can refresh you immensely.

Doing things over and over again that are unpleasant or uninspiring is one of the main reasons why people become depressed. To spice up your life, try something new that you’ve never done before, and make it interesting and challenging! Think of just one thing you’ve always said to yourself; “I wish I could try that” – and TRY it. If you have a “bucket list” then choose one item from that list and get it done. There is a reason that people say “variety is the spice of life” – That’s because it is; so change it up guys.

3.   RELEASE ANY NEGATIVE ENERGY:

One thing that can prevent us from living in our true expression of joy is that we are hanging onto negative energy. There are a number of ways to releasing negative energy from our systems but one of the simplest ways is as follows: To release it, try this simple yet effective exercise and enjoy feeling great almost immediately:

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath. As you inhale focus on breathing in uplifting feelings of peace and happiness and with each exhale, release any tension or stress.

Another excellent method and one that I personally use extensively is the simple practice of laughter. In this case; “laughter really is the best medicine”. Whatever you need to do to get yourself laughing, then do it. For me it is quite easy. All I do is get on YouTube and search up “Top Gear”, “7 Days”, any “Blackadder” episode or perhaps still the best one to have me in stitches; “Open All Hours”. Just a few minutes of watching any of these shows will have the tears rolling down my cheeks and enormous “belly” laughs exploding from me. Now, just try and tell me that you don’t feel better after that much laughter. It is absolutely guaranteed to lift my spirits and set me back on the right road of happiness.

Today I was faced with the blogger's perennial nightmare - what to write about? The last few weeks I've shared some of my philosophy on life, and I thought perhaps this week it was time to look for something different to talk about - but then the question came as to what? 

Since I stopped watching television and reading media news feeds, around five weeks ago, I have had only two real focuses (shouldn't that be focii? lol) in my day; apart of course from my delicious wife and my wonderful family. In the mornings I worked diligently at completing my second novel; "Just a Drop in the Ocean", and for the rest of the day I tried to immerse myself in positive, transformational and life-changing information that comes at me these days from every direction. This being my focus these days; it is therefore no surprise that these are the two things that my recent blog posts have been covering. 

So, if I can't write about either of my twin passions of politics or sport - as I have very little knowledge of the outside world at this time, what else can I write about? Frankly, I don't know!  

Actually I  do have one other secret passion that I haven't yet told you about (no, not that! well, yeah, perhaps that, but I'm certainly not going to write about that). Actually my other passion is and always has been history...and what we can learn from our history. There is a famous quote that goes something along the lines of; "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Indeed we have much to learn about ourselves, and our development; intellectually, socially, culturally and spiritually by studying the actions of our fellow human beings, in the past.

Kids often tell me that their least favorite subject in school is history; and I recoil in horror that they should find history so inaccessible and boring. Essentially this comes down to one thing - the education system. As one of my gurus Andy Shaw says; "we teach children what to think; not how to think. For example, when teaching history, we fill the children with USELESS and MEANINGLESS information, such as dates, names and battles (all of which can be quickly accessed by searching Google anyway), without actually addressing the important lessons that we can learn from history. What excites the imagination is to allow our children to place themselves in the period, to think like the people from that time and then to be able to analyse and critically examine the actions and words of the main characters of history. Taught this way, children actually learn how to think critically and with structure, instead of filling their heads with names and dates that they are required to regurgitate, on demand, at some time in the future.

Just as a "for instance", why does our education system not embrace the technology that our kids are so familiar with? One of the biggest game fads at the moment is seems to me is called "Clash of Clans". Now, throughout history, clan behavior, clan loyalty and clan social structure has been very critical in justifying and instigating warfare against other groups of people. Clans are, in fact, still very much an important part of many people's lives, throughout the world. In Somalia, the American forces made a major error in judgement when they dealt exclusively with one clan leader at the expense of other clan leaders in the region. The results of this miscalculation can been read about or seen in the book and movie; "Blackhawk Down". 

Similarly, if you were to ask a Filipino where his loyalties lie, I suspect the list would be the reverse of what you might have expected; i.e. 1/ Family (Clan) 2/ Bario 3/ Town 4/ Province and finally 5/ Country. My point is we can make history relevant and important to children by embracing what is relevant and important to them today and using it to help them to think.        

One of the reasons that history came to mind today was a discussion I had with a fellow writer the other day. She is planning to write an historical novel, based around the civil war experience in the US in the early 1860's. I jokingly told her that I'd often thought about writing an historical novel, but was put off by the amount of research that was required to place the story in some sort of believable context. When I had written that, the thought occurred to me; Why did I say that? Am I just too lazy to consider the possibility of writing a novel in different time frame? or Am I scared that I might make too many contextual mistakes if I stray too far from "what I know". As an avid student of history it seems illogical that I should be so afraid to expand my writing horizons beyond that which I have actually lived, or am living. 

The discussion with my fellow writer certainly got me thinking, and got the creative juices flowing in my head. There are numerous periods in history that I have always been fascinated with, going right back to the dawn of civilization. One of my absolute favorite fiction authors in my younger days was Jean M Auel, and her sweeping tales of life and love in early mankind; in such classics as "Clan of the Cave Bear" and "Mammoth Hunters". That period of human development when we went from being "hunter-gatherer's" to organizing ourselves into structured societies, settling in one place and working the land, was an incredibly important time for the development of mankind as a whole, but also of invention, creativity and social building.

Equally the great Egyptian, Greek, Roman, civilizations have fascinated me over the years and much of the literature I have devoured has come from these eras. One of the things that comes through from reading these works is that as a race, the human race has changed little over the millennium. A good example of this can be found in the work of the great Greek storyteller, Homer. His fantastic tales of giant sea creatures, one-eyed giants, vindictive & benevolent Gods, and beautifully, seductive Amazonian women are clearly works of great fiction, but it is the core values and beliefs of the Greeks that come shining through these works also. The attributes that Greek society looked for in its heroes; courage, fortitude, strength, foresight, humility and compassion are still the exact same attributes we look for today in our heroes. Not a lot has changed in the human condition in almost 3,000 years.               

I always say to young people who question the point of learning history is that the greatest philosophers, thinkers and spiritual leaders are rooted in the past. What they had to say to the people of their times is just as relevant to us, perhaps even more so, in our troubled times. If we can spend time studying and understanding the true essence of the wisdom people like; Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Confucious, Plato, Socrates, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and so, so many more, then surely we can set our children on a lifetime journey of inquiry and discovery that can only benefit them and ourselves. 

For those of us who are now on our own journeys of self-discovery the most exciting thing to understand is that there is a "tipping point", from which, when it is reached, our world can not help but slide into a better, more humane, more caring place. There is an absolute groundswell of people all over the planet who are adopting this new way of thinking and incorporating it into their lives. People who no longer accept that this is the way it is, that this is the way the world actually has to be - a mad competitive scramble for limited resources; where the strong dominate and the weak get crushed or become subservient to their masters. 

People who genuinely believe that the power to change and the power to create, lies within the individual - not within the collective. This growing voice is beginning to be noticed and heard within the "corridors of power". To anyone who still doubts that change is possible, I can just say this; if enough people live their daily lives motivated and driven by one thing; love, then amazing things can and will start to happen. It is what gives me the most hope for the future.    

So, I started this ramble by questioning why I had not written an historical novel, especially given that history is such a strong passion of mine. Prompted by my friend Diana's planned story set in the American Civil War, I am now contemplating what direction my next project should take. 

With my second book, safely tucked up in its bed now, getting some well-earned rest before editing and rewriting, in a couple of weeks, I have some time to consider my options. My plan initially was to next write a sequel to "The Second Coming". I will probably still do that, but over the next couple of weeks, before I knuckle down to editing and re-writing I am going to ponder on what period of history I wish to set my fourth novel. 

It is just too, too easy to take the comfortable, easy route sometimes, and as writers who wish to develop our skills and stretch our imagination and that of our readers it definitely behooves us to step out of our "comfort zone" and try something different. 

Thank you Diane, for that metaphorical kick up the ass - I needed it! 

Have an awesome day everyone! 

Changing the world - one reader at a time!  

Well, as promised, today I will briefly talk about my 30 day self-imposed media ban, which is now well and truly over. The whole idea of the media ban came out of an idle conversation with my wife. A lot of the reading I had been doing was about positive transformation and focusing on the positive aspects of life, rather than the negative. Someone suggested giving the news a miss for thirty days and seeing what effect it had on my life. Having decided to give it a try, I cut off all media feeds in Facebook and Twitter and stopped visiting any "news" sites on the internet, as well as virtually stopping watching television, except for my beloved volleyball. What was the result? 

The first real effect I noticed immediately was the sheer volume of free time I had on my hands. One of the things I have tried to instill on myself is discipline regarding when and how I write. If you are going to successfully write novels you need discipline or you will still be writing the same novel a year from now. My writing time is in the morning and every week-day I will try and write for three to four hours. Although the actual output varies; anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 words a morning, this discipline has allowed me to almost complete "Just a Drop in the Ocean" in a little over two months. At close to 200,000 words the novel is a massive work, but with discipline it was easy enough to achieve. Admittedly there is now at least another two months of editing and rewriting to do, but my point still stands. Discipline achieves results!     

After lunch and for the rest of the day, effectively the time is my own. Whereas before I might spend this time trolling news websites, checking Facebook or Twitter for interesting stories, or just mindlessly sitting and watching the television, I now had to find something different to do with my time, or risk the travails of utter boredom. What I have done is immerse myself in the writings, videos and audios of some of the greatest transformational leaders on the planet and the effect on me personally has been mind-blowing. I can honestly say, in the past month I have learnt more about myself than I did in my previous 55 years. Today, I want to bring you just some of the amazing insights I have discovered that have made such an enormous difference in my daily life, my perspective on life and my visions for the future. Join me on a journey of self-discovery. It is exciting and joyful. It explains everything that life is meant to be.  

Perhaps the greatest insight comes from the first book on this topic that I read; Rhonda Byrne's - The Power. In this book Rhonda explains that we were not meant to struggle through life, that in fact we are meant to have a wonderful life, full of all the things we want and desire. The key to achieving this wonderful life is incredibly simple - we just have to "love". We have to love everything about life and be filled with gratitude for what we have. It really is that simple! 

As someone who had spent most of his life rallying and fighting against the world for what I viewed as its imposed constraints on me, this was a profound revelation. In a; "Saul on the Road to Damascus" moment, I suddenly realized that everything I hated and disliked about my life and about myself, I had actually created. It was my own blaming the world and other people for what was happening to me that was in fact creating that reality that I so despised. The great thing was that it was so easy to change it - all I had to do was give love. So, that was the start of my journey of self-discovery. I began to be grateful for all the things I had; from the little things to the big things - from my morning cup of brewed coffee through to the fresh air we breathe and the simple fact that I was alive for another day. 

It is impossible to understate the difference this simple mind-set change brought about in my daily life. No longer did I spend days feeling bored and miserable. Suddenly the world went from being a miserable mistress who was out to destroy and cripple me, to a wonderful wife who wanted to love, care and nurture me. My days are now filled with the things I love, the things that excite me and the things I am passionate about. I never get bored anymore - there are just too many fun things to do, interesting books to read, inspiring videos to watch and fascinating audios to listen to. One small change is all it took - maybe it will work for you also. Give it a try' what have you got to lose?         

The more of these exciting and inspirational transformational leaders that I became exposed to, the more interesting ideas I began to consider and start to implement into my life. There are way too many concepts to try and explain in one blog, so I will focus on just a few of the revelations that have blown my mind over the past months.

One thing we as human beings regularly do is ignore the most powerful part of our brain - the subconscious. What we don't realize is just how powerful our subconscious really is. Scientists now believe at least 90% of our lives and actions are governed by our subconscious - but who among us is actually aware of what is in their subconscious? Our subconscious is actually filled with everything we have been told and taught by others over the years, and accepted as true - our parents, our teachers, our bosses, our friends, and society in general. It is filled with a whole plethora of self-limiting beliefs that it will throw at us every time we dare to consider doing something new, exciting or innovative. 

If you think about this for a while you will intuitively know it to be true. Just think of the last time you had what you thought was a great idea, or something different and exciting that you wanted to try. Immediately that the thought appeared inside your conscious mind, a small voice started to tell you that you couldn't possibly do that; you are too old; you are not smart enough; that's just too risky. This small voice is your subconscious (ego) trying to dissuade you from trying anything new. Removing these self-limiting beliefs that are rooted deep in your subconscious is one of the biggest areas that many of the self-help gurus are targeting. By using some simple techniques it is easy, with practice, to retrain the subconscious mind and remove these limiting beliefs. Doing this will open you up to so much more opportunity and give you immense power to achieve the life you desire.         

Another incredible revelation for me personally was the idea that we are actually not broken, we really don't need to fixed - we were born perfect and we still are perfect in every way. The only thing that we need to do, to fully experience the joy in life that we were born to experience is to change our mindsets. 

When we were babies and children we had absolutely none of these self-limiting beliefs. Whatever we wanted to do we genuinely believed we could do, and that is the state we need to seek and approach in order to rediscover our incredible power as creators. WE are the ones that have total control of how we feel, how we react and how we choose to live our lives. If we get our mindsets right then our reality ABSOLUTELY will change. 

Probably the best example of how to do this is one given by Andy Shaw, the creator of "The Bug Free Mind", who I talked about in an earlier blog about worry. He puts it this simply. "In order to achieve the things we desire in our lives we must first experience that thing we desire in our minds...we must experience the certainty of actually having it and enjoying it in our minds before it can be brought into reality. When we have enjoyed it in the reality of our minds we must detach ourselves from it and work diligently toward bringing it into everyone else's reality.

We have so much untapped power that we can use to make our lives so much better.      

Another major source of irritation and suffering that we bring on ourselves is worry. Worry is absolutely not a problem for me anymore. I look at life from this perspective now; No matter what I did in the past, what mistakes I may have made - nothing I do today can change them. In fact I truly believe that I am EXACTLY where I am meant to be today, BECAUSE of what I did in the past - therefore why on earth would I ever worry about the past. 

I no longer agonize over the future either. I absolutely believe, without a shadow of a doubt that the future is MINE to create. The future is nothing more than a reflection or a result of the things I do today. If I am doing what makes me truly happy - "following my bliss" then I am absolutely certain that the future will also be wonderful. So, no need to worry about that either. 

All I have is the NOW - today, this minute and if I spend this minute in a state of gratitude, thankfulness, joy and love, then my world is at peace and all is well. It is such a simple and rewarding way of living and it is one that is available to everybody - you just have to make the decision to live this way.  

Finally today I just want to touch on something I watched last night. I was watching an interview with well-known surgeon, author and transformational leader, Bernie Siegel. Bernie was asked to describe the feeling he experienced when he was "having it all", which is what the series was about - how to have it all. He described the feeling as one of peace - peace with everything in his world. 

He went on, however, to express a thought, which I can only echo. He believes that in this century man will rediscover his humanity. If the twentieth century was the century of nation states, of war, of anger, of racial and religious hatred and of suffering he expressed the opinion that perhaps the twenty-first century could well be the century where man has the opportunity to regroup as a common species and work together toward saving the planet. He likened it to one of his patients; "If my patient has a high temperature, as a doctor I instinctively know he is sick. The earth is currently experiencing a 'high temperature' and I hope that maybe the people of the world will rally around each other and unite in order to save the patient."

This whole movement of self-awareness, self discovery and transformation that was initially given such an immense impetus by the release of the movie "The Secret" in 2006 continues to grow exponentially every year. Eventually the sheer volume of people that deliberately choose to live their lives with joy, with love and with happiness, to care for others as they do themselves and to cherish their environment, will ensure a tipping point is reached and this world of ours will begin to slide into a much better place to live. Now that is an EXCITING thought!          

So, returning to my media ban. Will I go back to the way things were before? The answer to that is a resounding NO! I still watch virtually no television. I haven't reconnected my media feeds and I now only occasionally glance at the headlines on the news websites. The truth is - I don't need or want the negativity that the world wants to continuously bombard me with. I cannot change the world, but I can change people's lives, one life at a time and that is what my focus is now.

Four years ago this month, I embarked on my own personal voyage of self-discovery. At the time it seemed like I was running away from my past, but the reality is clear to me now. I was following a very well defined path that would lead to the changes that have made my life infinitely better than it has ever been before. 

I urge you, if you are not happy with your life, seek the answers - begin your own voyage of self-discovery. Happiness and joy and everything you ever wanted from life are there for the taking - you just have to want to create them. Don't wait 50 years to begin your voyage - start it today. There is only NOW! So use your now to begin your own personal renewal. 

If any of this resonates with you, please don't hesitate to leave a comment, ask a question or contact me directly. I'll be more than happy to point you in the direction of experts with far more knowledge than me that can help you on your personal journey through life. 

'DON'T DIE WITH YOUR MUSIC STILL INSIDE YOU - ENJOY YOUR LIFE!"    

I pondered greatly over what to write about this morning. I absolutely love Saturday mornings because they mean it is blog time! As someone who is engaged five days a week in writing a novel, the chance to break out from my fantasy characters to write a blog, is just the balance I need to keep my life the joyful, fulfilling, and intensely happy one that it is today. 

I had a few topics in mind this morning, but in the end something in my stomach (no not last night's dinner) kept telling me I needed to write this particular blog, which I have entitled: "The Essential You!" I am dedicating this blog to a very special woman who played a much greater part in my personal redemption than she will ever know. This blog is for you Avis! I hope you enjoy it.   

Now my dear friend Avis, if you can tell anything from somebody's Facebook posts, appears to have had an epiphany of her own, in recent times. I am surmising that she is on her own voyage of self-discovery and trying to find the Avis she knows she once was - The Essential Avis. So, as I said, this blog is specifically for you and for anyone else who has lost the essence of who they truly are. 

I'm reasonably confident that most people who know me well, might give me many labels or names, but "new-age" or "wishy-washy" probably wouldn't be among them, so all I'm just asking you to do is to briefly suspend judgement on what I'm saying here and to approach it with a totally open mind.

When we were children we had absolutely no cares or concerns about the future, about what people thought about us, or indeed about what the purpose of our life was. We lived totally, 100% in the present, absorbed in whatever task or hobby, or toy that gave us pleasure and happiness. Somewhere along the way we lost that ability to enjoy the moment, to revel in the things that gave us pleasure. Why did we lose that sheer joy in living, that ability to find fun and enjoyment in the simplest of things. When did we stop having fun and start taking this thing called life, so seriously? 

For most of us the subtle brainwashing began when we were very young. Our parents would tell us what their dreams and plans were for our future. When we went to school we were told to "stop day-dreaming", to "concentrate on the lessons" and what was the most important thing that was drilled into us at school; "life isn't fair kids". Our youthful enthusiasm and idealism generally managed to keep these voices at bay and we continued to enjoy our passions and our hobbies right up until it was time to graduate high-school. So, then what happened?   

We were told in no uncertain terms that it was "time to put away the toys, time to grow up and time to concentrate on getting ahead, in this world". So, like dutiful, little robots we pushed our hobbies, our passions and the things that gave us real pleasure into the back-ground, so we could concentrate on learning the things that would get us a "real job", would give us security and ensure that we had a happy life. 

The question I want to pose here is a simple one; Did the pursuit of society's model life for us, make us happy? Everyone's answer no doubt will be different, but I suggest you look around and just ask yourself truthfully; am I happy? Do I jump out of bed with enthusiasm and joy every morning to greet the new day? Do I approach each day with an intense desire to discover new experiences, to make a difference in people's lives and to live that day with all the passion I have inside of me? If the answer to any of those questions is no, then there is something inherently wrong - and you know it! 

You won't find a solution, to any lack of meaning, in the outside world. The world, and other people are - just what they are. You can't change them and you shouldn't expend your valuable energy trying to. The solution to finding meaning is inside of you! The only way to truly live as we were all meant to live - happily and joyfully, is inside of you. You need to rediscover the essential you - you need to stop acting and conforming to other's expectations and act and conform to who you really are. 

You are incredibly special - you are a unique individual who has creative talents and abilities that nobody else that has ever lived or will ever live, has. When we realize that we are limitless in our potential then we actually can change the world. If we live to our own potential - if we become who we really are, instead of a facade or a mask that we put on every morning we will live a life that is infinitely happier and more joyous than we do now. Imagine the effect of that on your loved ones, your work colleagues, your friends. They will marvel at this free, happy, contented you and as the famous line from; "When Harry Met Sally" went, they also will say: "I'll have some of what she's having". Find the essential you and be an inspiration to the world!    

People are always telling me that they have to do this...or they have to do that, just to ensure they can put food on the table for their families and pay for a roof over their heads. I'm not for a second suggesting that everyone should quit their jobs and head off on a journey of self-discovery to a Tibetan temple to live with the monks for a year - although that would be cool! All I'm suggesting is that if they reconnect with that carefree, loving, happy, joyful and unworried person they were when they were a child, their life will change immeasurably. Start small - instead of flopping on the couch this evening, exhausted after a hard day at the office, and vegetating in front of the television; try instead to look at the things that excited you when you were young - plan how to get involved in those thing again. Perhaps you loved drawing - consider getting into painting or computer graphics. For everyone it is a different experience, but for the sake of you and your loved ones, give it a try.  

When you make this change inside of you, don't be at all surprised when outside circumstance, situations, and opportunities suddenly magically start to conform to the new essential you. While I realize that some people are hesitant to believe that they can change their outside environment just by changing themselves, the reality is that is exactly what happens. If you are skeptical, what do you have to lose by giving it a try? - Oh that's right you have all that angst, worry, irritation, anger, annoyance, sadness, grief, and disappointment to lose. Well, we wouldn't want that to happen - now would we?      

I was watching a video the other day and the presenter made a statement that absolutely resonated with me. He said; "of all the creatures on this planet, we are the only ones blessed with the ability to dream, to desire, and to seek our own happiness and fulfillment. Do you really think we would have been blessed with these abilities, if there was no way to make those dreams, desires and happiness occur? Whether we believe in a Creator or whether we believe in a perfect Universe, the answer is the same - we are created perfect (in God's image in fact), therefore every ability we have is both useful and operable. We do have the ability to alter our reality through our thoughts, our dreams and our desires. If we accept that, then the possibilities are endless. We really are truly creators. 

This journey all starts with rediscovering the essential you. The key to the process is to develop a deep love for yourself - who you are! You are not defined by the past, by your actions or the circumstances of your past. You are not defined by what happened to you or was done to you before. You, the essential you, is perfect in every way. How often do you hear people say; "Oh, I'll be happy when we have that new house; or I'll be happy when we finally get the kids through College; or I'll be happy when we retire? What a crock! We were not born to suffer, we were not born to struggle - we were born to be the very best us, we can possibly be. There is no need for self-improvement - there's nothing broken, you are already perfect. What you have to do is accept it and love yourself for the perfect being you are.  

If you find the essential you, and live every day in the sure and certain knowledge that you are a wonderful, special human being that has all the abilities and talents unique to you, then you can be happy now! 

In summary I just want to say that you don't have to believe in what I believe in. You can believe in anything you like - you have free choice. That is the one of the beauties of being the essential you. Nobody else's opinion actually matters, but yours. What I am telling you though is that if you find who you really are, and live the life you really want to live - the outside circumstances of your life will change with you. This is not "new age" hocus-pocus - this is a simple reality; an immutable truth. If you don't believe me, that's absolutely fine, but if you try it, I guarantee the results will astound you. 

Just for a moment, I would ask you to dream as John Lennon once did when he wrote the song Imagine. Just imagine if everyone in your circle of life lived their lives to the fullest of their abilities; if everyone you knew was being who they really were and not some conditioned robot conforming to partner's, their peers, or society's expectations - imagine how much happier and joyous everyone's daily life would be.



So, give it a go! Make the change! You can only change one person - YOU! 

Rediscover the essential you and "change the world - one life at time".  

Today's blog is to be shamelessly about ME! Grant Leishman - Author 

Now, surprisingly enough, this is a topic about which I am very familiar. Someone said to me the other day, why write a blog if you don't use it to promote yourself and your work? I gave that some thought and came up with what I considered to be a well thought out and logical answer. 

I write my blog for two main reasons. Firstly there are some things that I am passionate about that I want to share with others. These things are usually the "biggies", such as the meaning of life, purpose and the pursuit of happiness. Now, I have discovered some wonderful recipes for success and happiness that have changed my life a million-fold for the better. My idea is to do my little bit to share those things with as many people as I can 

I therefore regularly use my blog to try to disseminate some of that information. I don't pretend to be an expert on happiness - God knows I'm still a novice at this game, but what I can do is point readers in the direction of experts or "gurus" who genuinely can help them to make their lives better and to give them the opportunity to experience some of the satisfaction and joy I experience now on a daily basis. 

Unlike some, I do not choose to make the dissemination of this information a career, or an internet marketing opportunity. For them, that is their calling and their passion in life. Not so much for me - I have discovered my passion, my calling - my bliss in life - and that is writing; in all its many and varied forms. For now I choose to write novels, because I seem to have some stories in my head that need to be told - but I certainly don't limit myself to this in the long-term. For me, writing and the use of words to convey thoughts, ideas and ideals is my joy and my inspiration in life. Whether I'm any good at it, is for others to judge, but one of the greatest things I have gotten from all the inspirational material I have read recently is this: I NO LONGER LIVE OR DIE BY WHAT OTHERS THINK OF ME! I am who I am and I love myself now - I love who I have become. Everything I am today is a result of the mistakes I made yesterday, but who I am today is a wonderful person who only needs validation from one source - MYSELF.

So, that in a nutshell is the second reason I write my blog. It is a different creature to writing a novel. It requires a different mind-set and a different way of expressing myself. Put simply, writing a blog makes me think outside of the fantasy world inside my head. It makes me focus on the realities of life and what is important to me, my family and hopefully the world in general. It stretches me professionally, mentally and spiritually. I find it is a necessary means to stay grounded and focused, on actual reality, for a change.

If you have read any of my blogs in the past you will realize that outside of writing; politics and sport are my twin passions. With my current media ban experiment still in place (3 weeks down and one to go), I haven't had the opportunity to experience or comment on politics for the past three weeks. Secretly I do wonder how the Blue Ribbon Committee probe is going, but from a day to day perspective, the media ban has had zero negative and many positive benefits in my daily life - more on that next time, when it is finally over.       

Back to my original purpose of today's blog - to let you know what projects I am currently working on and where things are at with regard to those projects - as I said before - shameless SELF-PROMOTION!

Let's start with my precious baby - my first novel; "The Second Coming". I am currently patiently awaiting the publication of my debut novel. By all plans, intents and desires this should have been published by now. Why it hasn't yet reached the marketplace is down to a number of reasons. The Publishing House I am with (Pentian/Lantia) is a relatively small Spanish based operation that I suspect is experiencing an enormous growth rush at present. They have just signed up one of the true superstars of the literary world; Paulo Cuelho, author of perhaps one of the most influential books of its time; "The Alchemist". I imagine my humble little publication, and no doubt others, are playing "second fiddle" to the great author. What can I say? The man is a literary genius and who am I to consider myself usurped by such a man?

There was a time, not so long ago, when such a thing would have frustrated me incredibly and sent me into a spiraling descent of annoyance, anger and ultimately depression, but thankfully those days are long behind me. I just concentrate now on my second novel, which is around 75% complete, knowing full well that "The Second Coming" will indeed come in its due time. 

As a first time novelist I naturally had grave doubts about my ability, my work and its suitability for publication - Even being confident in who you are doesn't always allay the fears totally. My publisher said in his last email this: "This book is very special to me...I enjoyed it very much when I read it and I believe it will be a commercial and professional success." That's enough validation for me to get on with the second novel and forget about worrying about the first. It will be published soon - that's all that counts.

So, what is "The Second Coming", all about? I've been asked this by a number of people and I think I now have a reply that is right and correct. At its core, the book is a simple love story between JC (Jose Christian Castillo), who just coincidentally happens to be the son of God (Jesus Christ) and Maria Manyanan, a simple country girl, currently living in the metropolis of Manila, The Philippines.
 
God looks down on Earth and is disgusted with what he sees his creation has become. He decides that humanity is a failed experiment and he orders Earth and humanity destroyed. He will start again from scratch. JC, however, intervenes and requests one more opportunity to turn humanity around. He is given one year to see if he can make a significant difference. 

"The Second Coming" begins with Jesus (JC to his friends) in an induced coma in a Manila hospital after having been hit by a bus, losing his memory in the process. The book follows the exploits of Jesus and his "disciples" as they seek to firstly recover his memory and then embarking on a mission of saving humanity from the brink. The action takes us from Manila, to Davao, back to Manila and then off to Pangutaran Island in the Sulu Sea, as JC and his "disciples" seek to make a difference. There is interwoven into the story the burgeoning romance between Jesus (Jose Christian Castillo or JC for short) and his number one "Disciple" Maria Lyn Manyanan (Ma for short). 

So that is "The Second Coming". It really is a good, insightful read and hopefully will stimulate some thought as well as give pleasure to the readers. I can't tell you when it will be published - just SOON! 

When it is available, please BUY THE BOOK / LEAVE A REVIEW / and HELP TO FEED A STARVING AUTHOR! 

So, what am I currently working on? 

My second novel is entitled "Just a Drop in the Ocean". It is, again, a love story, but one that spans an entire generation. When I started writing this I had no real sense of just how big it would end up being. I could probably have written two novels based on this particular story, however, I have decided to forge on and finish it as a single work. I am currently at 150,000 words and consider that there are still probably four or five more chapters to write. The book should top out at around 200,000 words, which I guess is entering the "War and Peace" or "The Thorn Birds" territory.

To do the time-frame of the romance justice, I have decided it is necessary for the book to be this large. As I tweeted this morning; "I hope this is a tome and not a tomb for my literary career." Never mind, only two things matter to me: 1/ Telling the story fully and completely and 2/ Satisfying my own need to write it. As I said earlier, I don't need outside validation for my work anymore. Yes, I do write for other's enjoyment, but I succeed for and am happy in my own enjoyment and satisfaction. Don't get me wrong here - I want very much to be a best-selling author; it is my dream - but it's not why I write.

"Just a Drop in the Ocean" follows the very disparate lives of two people; Nick Stevenson from New Zealand and Theresa Mercado from the Philippines from their early friendship forged in the 1970's as pen-pals through to their rediscovery of each other in the twenty-first century through the power of the Internet. Sound familiar? Hmmm, no, it is not auto-biographical although I won't pretend I didn't use some of my own life experiences to color and enhance the flavor of the story. 

The first draft of this book will be finished this month (March), with editing planned for April and then begins the fun task of trying to get it published. Looking forward to that - NOT!  

So, what is next on the horizon? I have a sequel planned next for "The Second Coming", which will revolve around the children of JC and Maria. The book is tentatively titled "The Rise of the Antichrist", but at present is little more than a synopsis in my head. I will start work on that in May this year, with a planned completion date of late July or early August. 

And that, my friends is what this Author will be doing for the next few months. I hope this has given you some small insight into my life and my works. 

One of the things I have learnt over this entire journey of self-discovery is that we never know how our dreams will be fulfilled. The point is we should never focus on the end result - it will happen, if we do the work - how it will happen is out of our hands; we just have to put ourselves in a position where it can happen.

What this all means for me, on a practical level, is that I truly don't know where this journey will lead, or how my dreams will come true. I just know, with an absolute certainty, that they will. Because of this it is vitally important that I and indeed anyone else who is pursuing their dreams are completely open to any new opportunities that present themselves while on the journey of pursuing your dreams.

Because of this I am always looking for and actively seeking new ans innovative ways of pursuing my happiness. I know what is my happiness - it is writing, so as long as I am actively engaging in that activity I know my dreams for the future will be fulfilled. For now, the fantasy of the novel is what is pushing my buttons and demanding to be written - but for the future; God only knows! Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say; "The Universe only knows!"