10 Books That Changed My Life
I’m going to tell you about 10 books that changed my life, which is tricky for me, right now. Most of the books that changed my life are not currently in my possession. My library is in storage in the United States, the last 1000 books I could not bear to part with when we moved to New Zealand, so the interesting part of this exercise is — I have to see what really sticks. In selecting my top 10, I want to scan my eyes lovingly over my bookshelves, [...]
Natural Healing Remedies
As it turns out, working 60 hours a week for 9 months is not good for the body. I developed some startling symptoms recently, right about the same time I resigned from my day job, and decided to go back to running my business full time. To cure my symptoms, I used the natural healing remedies that have worked best for me: Qi GongNutritionBaths and SweatPositive ThinkingLaughter TherapyGratitude PracticesThe Naturopathic Principles The Healing Art of Qi Gong Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese moving meditation, and it has been used [...]
One year in New Zealand
I've been extraordinarily busy over the past year. Today is the one-year anniversary of putting in our 30-day notice on the house we were renting in Portland. Within the past year, the Huntress Clan has: Packed all of our worldly possessions into a storage unit Moved temporarily into my father-in-law's house Planted the Fairy Godmother, a dogwood tree that has the placentas of all three of my children in its roots Separated for 2 months while I came to New Zealand to search for a job Attained a full-time job [...]
10 Daily Tools For Positive Thinking
By nature, I am not a positive thinker. I have to work at it. Positive thinking will not do anything by itself, but as Zig Ziglar said, “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” The success or failure of many things you do in life depends on how well you do those things - and if a few simple tricks can put you in a positive frame of mind, it can increase your effectiveness, as well as amplify your enjoyment of life. “We do not [...]
My favourite quote of all time is a misattribution.
When I was a young scholar, my life changed when I read this quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” I thought that Aristotle said this. For years, I ended my newsletters with this marvellous line, attributing it to the Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist. For a time, I even titled my newsletter ‘Habits of Excellence.’ I’ve been championing this quote because I admire both the content, and the poetic cadence, of the words. It was this very cadence should have [...]
My First Trip to New Zealand
It all started with LookSee Wellington. This program offered all-expense-paid trips for 100 people working in the Tech industry to come and visit Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. 48,000 people applied. Only 0.2% of those who applied were invited, and I was not one of them. Still, applying for a trip to New Zealand got us thinking about that place. And right now, the country I am in is a mess. We had some family members interested in leaving the US, and since the Huntress Clan has expatriated before, we [...]
Ten Things I Really Miss About Living In Costa Rica
It’s been more than a year since I left tropical paradise, and wrote about the Ten Things I Will Not Miss About Living In Costa Rica. As absence makes the heart grow fonder, now I’m homesick for that wonderful place. Here are the ten things that I miss the most. 1. Wearing Tank Tops All The Time It’s sunny and bright in Costa Rica before 2pm nearly every day of the year. If it happens to be the rainy season, you might get a downpour for a couple of hours [...]
The Breath of the Neutral Mask
Who are we before we become the character? That is the question that the Neutral Mask seeks to answer. "There are three masks: the one we think we are, the one we really are, and the one we have in common." - Jacques Lecoq It has been years since I have studied the deep and subtle foundations of the theatrical art, and returning to its arcane depths has given me a creative revitalization that I desperately needed. Last week I went to a Neutral Mask workshop, taught by Sarah Liane [...]
10 Lessons From 10 Years of Marriage
My wife and I formalized our fairy tale romance and married each other ten years ago, on a Tuesday morning. There was no one else present; we rented a penthouse suite in downtown Portland, dressed in our sacred garb, and at the appointed hour, friends and family around the globe lit the candles we had sent to them, and wished us well as we said our vows to each other in solitude. From that day to this, over the past ten years, I have enjoyed a deep and meaningful connection with [...]
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5 Business Models Behind Books [Zoom Workshop]
How do authors build a thriving business around their published work? Spoiler alert: it's not by selling more books. In my work over the past decade with authors, coaches, and speakers, I have been behind-the-scenes of multiple 6- and 7-figure businesses. I've seen how their businesses are structured, developed the commercial offers they make to their audience, and learned firsthand what's working, and what's a waste of time. This week, I'm teaching a free workshop for the Authorverse community, called [...]
Who is the villain opposing your customer?
In every story, there are three characters: the hero, the villain, and the victim. A century ago, American film was born out of the vaudeville scene. The main storytelling medium at the time was melodrama, when the characters were almost comically basic. Think of the mustachio-twirling villain, tying a damsel in distress to the train tracks, being thwarted by a gun-toting hero, and you have all the basics you need to tell a compelling story: setting, conflict, and characters. Melodrama [...]
Never put off until tomorrow what you can delegate to someone else today.
What's the secret to getting more done? Is it: Working harder, or Working smarter? If you've ever hit burnout before, I'm sure you know the right answer. Sometimes the answer isn't in doing more, but in having less to do. One of the best ways you can do less, but still get everything done, is delegation. Delegation magnifies your effort exponentially. There is a limitation how much work you can personally do. By delegating to others, you gain their abilities, [...]
Shining attracts haters. ✨😡✨
Do you have haters? People who despise what you do, what you say, or who you are? This could be a good sign that you are saying something meaningful. People who dare to take a stand on a topic will be divisive. Some people will hate your message, while others will adore it. If you don't have any haters, chances are, you don't have any true fans, either. We all want to be liked, and not hated. The natural human [...]
The Show Must Go On! Even when your tech fails….
Picture this: Your 3-hour Zoom workshop just started, and your computer freezes! 😬 What do you do? The show must go on! In last week's Magnetic Messages Masterclass, my computer froze precisely at 10:01 am. (My suspicion, for other event hosts, is: I was sharing a Zoom whiteboard in a browser window, and annotating with a couple of people, when a dozen people arrived all at once. Adding them to the meeting, and having to handle screensharing AND adding people [...]
From Known to Unknown: the Art of Innovation
New ideas are only found in surprise. Before Thomas Edison demonstrated the electric lamp on 31 December 1879, he was a laughingstock in the press. "I have not failed," he famously said, "I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." To innovate something new, Edison had to leave behind what he already knew. New ideas are only found in surprise. What you already know will not help you discover anything new, unless you take your knowledge into the unknown. There [...]
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