The trap to avoid when diving into personal development

While on holiday, I could not help myself reflecting. I found myself on the same beach (where I did THIS) I was on my previous holiday there.

You probably can understand why, with this picture. But still, doesn't it show that we are creatures of habit? We go back to what we are familiar with so easily.Is that why we can also easily go round in circles?
I feel this is a trap we can fall into when diving in the ocean of personal development. Yes, knowledge is important, going back for it as often is too...But there is something else that is even more important.

"What else?" I hear you ask. Well, take a stroll with me on that beach and find out.



This is just one thing to really watch out for. Any others spring to mind?
Lemme know!

Peace out!

:P

Beatbox journey to the Caribbean - Part 1

Well, it's been a while but I'm back!

I've been to the Caribbean. That's always a time of introspection. I guess that's what happens when you go back to where you grew up after along while.
I've got a few videos documenting my trip in a very light fashion (beat boxing all throughout pretty much). Just uploaded the first one.
I might upload the deep soul searching monologue ones too....MIGHT!

"I'm gonna make a change"

I’ve been doing Nanowrimo (National November Writing Month)again this year. The aim is to write a novel (50000 words) by the end of the month (for details, go to www.nanowrimo.org). Last year, I was working full time in a stressful job (truth be told, the job wasn’t nearly as stressful as the workplace) so when I gave up at 1000 words or so, I could blame it on the huge boulder in the way. This year I am much freeer and yet I see more hurdles to clear. They are smaller though so they are easily negotiable. It seems to take more from me because it takes little and often. The world is full of distractions. One day I will have planned to do this and that and the other but a minor crisis here and there will throw a spanner in the works.
Right now while I’m writing this at the library, a group of kids is entertaining themselves by repetitively hitting a table leg. So much for trying to get some peace and quiet cause I can’t get it at home !
I heard it said that when you try to change something in your life the universe tries to fight you back before it cooperates. I don’t think that’s exactly what happens but I certainly share the sentiment.
But anyway, I’ll break the 10,000 mark this weekend. Then 40 more to go ! I will have to keep going because I fear that if I take too long to do the first draft I will lose interest soon. That’s what happened with my previous projects. In the words of the late king of pop MJ, in the intro of his song Man in the mirror, « I’m gonna make a change, for once in my life »

The write motive?

Why do I do it ? Well I guess it’s because I have the « urge ». The urge to create.It has taken many different guises. I just can’t fight it. As a toddler, I invented stories to tell the local pharmacist to get free treats. Always had a fertile imagination as a kid. There’s something both comforting and exciting in living in a world that you have made up exactly as you like. Then I started growing up and it all went downhill! I wrote my first love song to an unexpecting – and underwhelmed – crush when I was probably 12. Wrote a few rap songs then started break dancing, performed to a few audiences but mainly copying popular moves (windmills, waves..) Then 4 or 5 years later, I caught the novel writing bug. Most people want to write because they love reading and want to copy their favourite authors but for me it was different.
I was in Guadeloupe. A hurricane was ravaging the island so we were all barricaded inside the house, waiting for it to pass.
Hurricanes bring another world to your doorstep. Power is cut. Water is cut. It’s actually like you’re stuck in a time warp, back a few hundred years, no running water (well running alright but not from the tap), no TV, only light you have is produced by candles…

Somehow this hurricane inspired me to take my fountain pen and my schoolboy book and start penning this dark story about a guy with an odd genetic flaw that provided him superhuman strength but that was accelerating his aging process. Its in French, and unfinished by the way – as are my other 3 subsequent projects.

I have been waiting for another hurricane to inspire me to finish them. I don’t actually need a headline material hurricane. Just a storm will do (a brain storm ?) :P

But writing has taken a different meaning as I have come of age. I used to write songs mainly about imaginary situations. All my songs are now drawn from life experience. And my objective for my novels is to pass on a message. Not sure what message yet but it will come to me….some day….hopefully !
If you want to write but are a bit stuck like me, why not write a piece about how you first got "the urge"?

If you want to take it further, create a video about it free on Animato like I did!
Make your own slide show at
 Animoto.

The first blog!!!

Where shall I start? I guess by the first "W": WHY?

The why is in progress, as almost everything in my fluid self. I'm definitely not solid, I'm changing all the time, constantly on the move internally although you'd hardly notice. I appear relaxed, laid back on the outside. I guess I am. Must be because of my Caribbean background (lived most of live in Guadeloupe, or"Gwada", French West Indies). Many volcanoes there. Just looking at them, you'd never think there's so much activity inside, would you!
But anyway, I seem to have an obsession with creating stuff. It disguises itself all the time so I've only realised this in hindsight. I've had the cartoon drawing phase, the photography phase, the music composing phase and now it looks like I'm in the writing phase. It started in 1995, calmed down then came back with a vengeance when I was in and out of work during Spring 2009. I guess it was my way of taking stock, re-evaluating and energizing myself to survive the battering life was giving me.
It's definitely been therapeutic .It filled a need. So much so that at some point I've compulsively bought more notebooks and pens than I could possibly use, being so excited about writing at any time any place - which hasn't actually happened, shame on me.
However, I feel it may be time to turn this into something that makes me connect with peeps: A novel!
I have 4 writing projects. I'm focusing on one at the moment, called "The Equation of everything".

Si Dieu me prète vie, I will be talking more about the "WHAT" in the next blog.

Stay tuned

Peace out.