One Of Life’s Favorite Students

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream had some wise words to share. The bottom of the ice cream lid said “A dream alone is just a dream. A dream together is reality.” I am one motivated and high-hoped soul with dreams above the clouds. One year ago, I read the quote by Ben & Jerry and realized that I was going to need a partner in some of my business-creating endeavors. I could only think of one person that I would want to build a business with: Katie Christianson.

All throughout middle school, I grew up knowing Katie, but never talked to her until high school. Our ambitions aligned when we were both offered a chance to be in a program that allowed us to attend college full-time and skip our junior and senior years of high school. It was in college when we realized we had a similarly ambitious mindset and became close friends. Who better choose to interview than someone with a “make the most out of life” attitude?

Having just turned 20, Katie was born in Chicago and raised in Belvidere, Illinois. Katie is now back in Chicago getting her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Loyola University. While a formal education has taught her a lot, some of her biggest lessons came from the greatest teacher known to women, Life. With a mere 20 years of being Life’s student, Katie has learned more than those who are twice her age.

Katie Christianson

At the age of five, she realized that you don’t need anyone to tell you what you can and can’t do. Her mom took her, her sister, and her aunt to Florida when her dad was being a grouch about spending money. “Fine,” her mom said, “we will go without you.” Katie now affirms that you don’t let people hold you back, especially not when they hold you back from maximizing the quality of your life.

Kids will believe anything. And once they believe it, there is little anyone can say or do to change that belief. Katie was no exception to this rule. She shared her story about how she thought she was being evicted when she was six years old.

I thought my parents were lying to me when I came home from kindergarten one day and saw a “for sale” sign in the front yard of our house because my dad was always commenting about how broke we were. My mom was the opposite and would spend her last dime on making us happy so that we always felt secure, but I knew she was just being protective. So when I came home and saw a “for sale” sign in the front yard of our home, I thought we were being kicked out. My mom told me it was because the landlord passed away, but I didn’t believe her. This experience made me realize how important money was. It made me be creative and very budget-conscious even as a six year old. I felt guilty if I spent my parent’s money at all knowing that those funds were being pulled away from something else, so I would try selling lemonade or my belongings to make money. I later realized that the story my mom told me was actually true once I understood how estates are handled after the owner dies, but by the time I fully understood the concept, being savvy was already a part of who I was.

This story screams “maturity,” but, let’s face it, Katie was six years old – still a kid. That leaves an open question, just when did she grow up? Contrary to any assumption, Katie grew up two years after the house-for-sale controversy. After a work-related accident, Katie’s mom became permanently disabled. At first, this had no real effect on Katie other than her mom was always home and her dad worked more. It wasn’t until the day Katie fell off her bike in the street outside her house that she fully understood the effect of her mother’s permanent disability. “I started crying for her.” It was in that moment, when her mom looked at her from the window, that Katie knew there wasn’t going to be anyone coming outside to help her. “I had to help myself. I had to get up, brush myself off, and get out of the street. That’s the day I grew up.”

Among these lessons, Katie learned countless others. She developed a fear of having regret at her deathbed after living with a family member who found out he had terminal cancer the same day he had to have both legs amputated due to diabetes. Recently, Katie learned life is about finding hope in hopeless situations after losing her best friend on June 4th, 2012. As Katie puts it, “there are so many people who need you to pull through so that they can find the strength to pull through themselves.” Since as far back as Katie can remember, she knew that there was something deep within her, something special. “I know if I don’t make the most of each day, I am hindering this inner power.” She understands that she is in this world for a greater cause, admirably selfless in her way of living.

In addition to the hardships and lessons life has taught her, she has also had to combat the deep stereotypes about women that have been ingrained into society. I have witnessed with my own eyes that Katie has had to work harder to stand out. People automatically look to men to lead situations and they are surprised to see Katie being the one to take charge. Katie also admits that it’s a challenge, being a woman, to control her emotions. However, she says, “Women’s brains are wired to be 7 times more emotional than men, so it makes us better able to empathize. My ability to understand different perspectives has made me a better listener and a better friend.”

Personally, I have to say that all that makes Katie who she is doesn’t turn her into just a better friend, it makes her the best. Her determination is ruthless and her compassion and selflessness is considered, by some, to be reckless. Heck, I’m even a bit frightened of where she’s going in life. The goals Katie has set out to accomplish may come as a shock because she doesn’t just dream big, she dreams of turning the impossible into done it and onto the next one. I have learned so much from Katie and she has brought me to tears with her stories of how she got to where she is today. If there is one thing that I would take away from all Katie has taught me, it is that “it’s about persevering when everyone around you would understand if you didn’t.”

 

Stay Positive & Keep At It Katie

Garth E. Beyer

Katie has just started up her blog. You can visit it here

Three Lists To Always Have

These lists are very cut and dry. You don’t need me to tell you why you should have them. It matters not even where you have them or how often you read them, as long as you have written completely out.

1. A list of sources of inspiration. It can be in the form of bullet points, a collage, or the real thing. Regardless, still write down everything that you draw inspiration from because if you don’t feel inspired just writing it down, it’s not strong enough. If it’s not strong enough, go find something that is. Write it down.

2. A list of places you want to go. Pull out a map or a globe if you have to, Google odd places to travel, pick locations that a typical tourist would go to, or be weird and write that you want to travel to the lake where they filmed The Notebook or where the tomb of Oscar Wilde is. If you broke up the world into square feet, it leaves you with almost 5-1/2 quadrillion square feet to choose from.

“Nothing beats travel to expand your knowledge, your palette, and your empathy for your fellow men and women.” – Debbie Berne

3. A list of ways you can contribute, volunteer, and give.

 

Stay Positive & Write Then Animate Your Lists

Garth E. Beyer

Unlocking Potential: Interview #4

It’s the weird ones you have to look out for in this world, really and truly. They are the ones that know how to live life, know how to express themselves and know more about success than the most popular person in school.

You are now entering the fourth interview in the Unlocking Potential series. You can view the third here, second here and first here. If you haven’t yet noticed, part of the Unlocking Potential series is to bring out more of the weirdness. John Le, who you will meet in a few seconds, may not seem weird to you, that’s good because you’ve embraced your own weirdness but for the majority, he may seem “different”.

One way I see weirdness is like this. An average American can travel to any other country in the world and they will without a doubt get a large amount of culture shock. The American who understands different cultures and embraces them can travel nearly anywhere without getting hit with a bad case of culture shock. What is comes down to is whether you want to avoid everything outside of America or embrace it. Which one lives life to the fullest? Which one has real experience? Which one has a greater insight into the world?

Embracing culture shock is a lot like embracing weirdness.

After all, we are all a bit weird aren’t we? And that’s a good thing.

Interview: John Le

In high school I had a favorite teacher who knew how to make a class fun, or at least she was okay with my friend (not John) and I making it fun. She was one of those teachers that you go back and visit and that’s exactly what I did, but I didn’t go back and visit after school or during study hall, I went during one of her classes. Of course I made it my goal to make a ruckus while there. But it was during a couple of the classes that I went back and realized someone was already making a ruckus. That is when I met John Le. I was quick to admire him for his openness, wit and downright honesty.

Q: Thank you so much for participating in this interview. Would you like to give the readers a short bio?

I was born and grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and attended the local schools through the RPS205 “Gifted” program for the intellectually advanced students. I grew up in a humble family, my parents had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, so I had plenty of time on my hands to think and grown creatively. I attended high school at Belvidere North High School ’12, graduated with High Honors, and this coming Fall/Winter semester, I will be attending Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a focus in Chemistry. My ultimate goal in life is to become a chemist that formulates cosmetic products.

Q: Let’s jump into some questions. What is your passion?

I have a personal passion for the sciences and arts. I plan on pursuing a job related to the field of chemistry, possibly cosmetic chemistry, in the future as a life-long career. On the art front, I plan on privately pursuing portrait photography as a means of emotional expression. I will not work in the art field for a living because I personally disagree with the thought of creating art on demand. I would rather spend time and let a piece of work develop at its own natural pace, rather than mechanically turning out cookie-cutter corporate art that are not unique in their own respect.

Q: What skills do you need to be successful?

Tenacity, motivation, honesty  & common sense.

I could write for endless ages about the skills necessary for success and achievement, but I think my short list of four words should suffice for the common reader.

Q: Which side of your brain do you use more often?

Neither, I am an individual that lingers on the blurred divide of the two hemispheres of the brain. The left side of the brain is said to be of scientific and mathematic manners, and I am a person that is interested in such and exhibit traits that characterize this side of the brain. Such traits would be an affinity for the familiar, categorization, analytical thought process, use of strategy, and pragmatic.

Right minded people are said to be creative, free-spirited, passionate with boundless imagination; I too exhibit these traits alongside those of my “left-brain” personality. Most of my teachers and mentors say that I am a walking oxymoron, a combination of two opposite ideas. I would most likely [think] that this is true.

Q: What or who is your biggest inspiration?

I would say that my biggest inspiration in life is the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, founder of the eponymous house of fashion. McQueen juxtaposed strength and fragility in his designs, and made what was once ugly once again beautiful. He was a lotus, a special individual that  could cultivate beauty from common things.

Q: What is art?

I personally think that art, and the definition of art is subjective. What I might view as beautiful may be deemed hideous by another person, but I think that is the beauty in the world of art, different viewpoints are to be had on the same piece of work. It’s very interesting to unravel people’s minds and figure out what they find beautiful, and the reasons that they find certain ideas or images pleasing to the mind or eye.

To be curt, I think the form of the human body is art in itself. Far too many people are offended by the naked human, and this amazes me, for we are all the same beneath our socially constructed idea of  “clothes”.

Do you have a product you want to create that has never been thought of before?

http://www.vat19.com/  Enough said on that subject. Seriously, just check out the website.

In case you were wondering, NO(!), I am not being compensated to advertise the website, I just think that this website has every weird product that has ever been thought of.

On an entirely unrealistic level, I would like to create tiny devices that would be utilized in a medical setting to repair bodies of patients that ordinary human precision could not do. These microscopic “robots” would mend human flesh and bone. Imagine a bucket of silver robotic spiders being poured over a tragic wound like a shattered face, or a broken leg, and then watching these tiny robots healing your body right before your eyes. Amazing, right? Right.

Q: What makes you standout?

I think the fact that I am very blunt with my thoughts and speech truly makes me stand out in today’s society where all taboo subjects that everyone questions is quietly swept under the rug of propriety for the sake of society’s general comfort. Sometimes I have a bad habit of speaking my mind openly on subjects that make people feel very uncomfortable, and it gets me in a few “hot-water-debates” sometimes, irregardless I never blame myself for the fact that others do not feel at ease when certain subjects are talked about in public. The only people that dislike me for speaking the truth are those that are living a lie, until then, I will continue to speak the truth. No sugar to sweeten the subject, or any frills to make any unappealing subject for palatable for the common mind.

Q: What advice or life lessons would you give to someone with an interest in your field?

For any young man or woman pursuing the fields of science or visual arts, you’re a special person for wanting to help this sick world and helping it to be a better person through scientific work and also filling it with beautiful art.

Addressing those specifically interested in the sciences, there are not many people that care enough to make the world a better place in the long run, rather, they choose to fulfill their own desires for the sake of personal gain, which by all means is fine, but you are remarkably special because you are doing a service for all of mankind by uncovering new knowledge that is necessary for the survival of our species. Do not allow others to mock your choice of the path you plan on taking, because they are most likely too afraid to take the one that you’re going to leave a blazing trail of glory on.

For those interested in the arts, I want you to never lose your inspiration. Personally, I view the best inspiration as intrinsic, coming from within, only you can have the unique power to express the universe that is confined to the cells of your brain. Art takes time to fully ripen and mature, and I want you to always let your art to mature at it’s own rate, though I do not agree with the idea of creating art for money, I want you to be able to share your art with the world. Never let money impede on your artistic process. Never be afraid of any subject matter, or to try something unconventional, it will almost always end up more beautiful in its own manner than you would have possibly ever imagined.

Q: Define your life purpose in 11 words?

Never abandon your dreams due to obstacles, they’re opportunities in disguise.

(this subtext doesn’t count, but the above sentence is my life motto and purpose)

Q: What quality does a person need in order to achieve living their passion?

Personally, the most important quality/trait/what-have-you that a person needs to achieve living their passion is tenacity in the face of adversity. Let me break it down, a person must still want a certain goal in their life to come true even if nobody in their surroundings believes them. (This idea might be redundant in this interview, and I want to stress that every time it is mentioned, it is used in the utmost importance of inspiring the people of the world) Millions upon millions have lost hope in their wildest dreams because some person in this world told them that it was impossible, or that they would never be able to achieve something so great in their lifetime. I always think that these people are seriously wrong, and incorrect with their judgement on the subject. Only the dreamer can shape their own wishes, not another person. Who told these idiots that they had the right of imposing their will over a person? Whoever you are, if you’re still reading this, I don’t want you to give up on your wildest dreams, they might come true one day!

Q: Do you have any art you would want to share?

I have a simple(and small) photography portfolio that can be viewed at; http://johnle815.carbonmade.com/ (user friendly!)

For the art-minded folk; http://johnle815.deviantart.com/   This portfolio will have the bulk of my portfolio added to it, slowly, but surely.

My stream of consciousness using photos; http://johnle815.tumblr.com/ (potentially NSFW, I guess people are afraid of the human form in all of its infinite splendor)

Q: Any last comments?

Yes, I do have a few last comments. If you ever want to bribe me to do anything, legal(!) of course, feel free to dangle a few steak tacos and fruit slushies in front of my face. I’m quite serious…..

(You can contact John Le at Viet611Forever@aol.com or visit his profiles listed above)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Stay Positive & Ever Hear That After Being Shocked Enough Times It Starts To Feel Good?

Garth E. Beyer

Unlocking Potential: Interview #3

I was thinking about motivation (what’s new…). I thought about how much I love to motivate people, I mean, I live for it, I give motivational speeches and obviously I write a lot of motivational content. The question popped in my mind, what motivated me to motivate people?

I came up with two answers. The first is that seeing people like Zig Ziglar, Seth Godin, or my interviewee today Karthik, motivate other people. If there weren’t people motivating other people, nothing would get done in the world, it would be void of accomplishments that matter. The second answer is that I am freaking amazed at us, at people, at human beings. Our abilities are out of this world, literally. I simply want to bring out more of these godlike abilities in people, I want to continue to be amazed at a higher level which means I need to motivate more.

This is an aspect of the Unlocking Potential series. To motivate these artists and to have these artists be motivated to motivate other artists. If you are just jumping in, you can catch Interview #1 here and Interview #2 here.

Without further do,
Interview: Karthik Puvvada

As you know from my “Pick Yourself” post, I attended Seth Godin’s Pick Yourself event in New York a couple of months ago. This interview, the third in my Unlocking Potential series, is with Karthik Puvvada, a friend who I met as a member of Seth’s tribe. Karthik’s blog is one I visit often for, not so much for information on how to fail, be free and break the status-quo (although it’s loaded with it), but for a reminder that there are other people like me that have a truly unbelievable spirit for progress, an unstoppable force for enjoying life and making the most out of it in every way possible. This is only touched on in Karthik’s introduction to the interview and provides great insight to the rest of the Q&A. -Enter Karthik-

My story:

I’m Karthik Puvvada and I hail from India. And like most Indians, I was brought up in a very conservative and struggling middle class family nudging and budging my childhood dreams with whatever little money we had.  Since I was born into the era of  “Great Indian Outsourcing Boom”,  I was compelled to chose the well established path of becoming an engineer and to work at a software company that I disliked.

I was clearly unhappy with what I was doing with my life.  Modifying bits and pieces of computer software written by some other engineers didn’t seem appealing to me. Especially when I loved building things. Especially when I believed I should be able to create things.

As a kid I dreamt about robotics,  and that suddenly appeared to me as my next destination. Despite heavy peer pressure and uncertainty of how I’d manage the finances to afford such a costly technological degree, I gave all the entrance tests with full vigor and hope.

After a dramatic turn of events, and with help of some amazing people, here I am, in the USA,  doing Masters majoring in Robotics with full scholarship.  I started believing in dreams even more from then.

This phenomenal dream-come-true incident in my life changed my perspective totally. It gave me enormous CONFIDENCE to go get what I want in life. I started reviving my half-killed dreams from childhood.

Writing is one.

Q: What would you die without?

Fire in the belly.  If there’s going to be a day when I feel sapless about my dreams, and give up on them, that day, you can proclaim me dead. Officially. I don’t see any reason to be called alive when I’ve killed my dreams. I am what my dreams are. The rest is just a piece of flesh.

Writing, film-making, advertising, technology startups, for now I’m in love with these. So badly that I can exchange going to heaven for a chance to live my dreams.  This feeling, the feeling of otaku, the feeling of going any far to follow your passions in life is what I call “fire in the belly” and that is something I can’t afford to live without.

Q: How much time does following your passion consume each day? What is a typical day in your life’s conquest?

It’s an interesting question because the time it actually consumes to me is irrelevant.  I rather count it based on whether I had done the task I intended to do for that day or not.

Consider blogging. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes to write a blogpost, and sometimes 3 full hours. The beauty of imagination is it’s without limits. All kinds of limits, including time.

But, yeah, if I look back and estimate an average number, I think I spend around 2hrs per day on writing. The rest of time I spend on my other passions.  And on sleeping.  And on eating. And wait, on bathing too.

Q: How do you go about searching and finding motivation/inspiration?

Two things. One, I go outwards into the huge sea of knowledge online and offline and try to find stuff that stimulates my thinking. Something that pushes me away from my comfort zone. Something that provokes my mind, into action.

Steve Jobs, Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Mahatma Gandhi, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Neithzche, Swami Vivekananda,  Gautam Buddha, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Randy Pausch ,Jon Goethe, Rabindranath Tagore,  Aristotle,  Michelangelo, David Ogilvy etc.

I read a lot about these incredible people. And their incredible faith in themselves that they can change the world.

Second, I go inwards into myself finding resonance for all that I read. There is a deeper level of consciousness in your own self that you can actually unleash if you poke it long enough.

It unravels an incredible urge that was within you all these years to do something in this world. To make your presence felt. To shake the world gently. Not for the heck of fame or money,  but to leave a legacy in the world, to leave a story of yours, to write your own destiny. This motivates me frantically. Sometimes, the motivation stays for weeks and drives me nuts to do something I thought I couldn’t do earlier.  I will elaborate on this in the further discussion.

Q: What two habits have you developed that produce the best results?

Over the past 2 ½ months, the greatest habit I have developed is the habit to develop a habit.  Like I wrote here, it was extremely painful for me to write everyday initially.

Most amateur writers would know that, after a few days, the challenge of writing something original is by itself a challenge and to do it every single day makes it even more of a nightmare. But still I didn’t give up. There were days where I sat with my laptop for hours and yet couldn’t produce an interesting write-up. But still I didn’t give up.  I tried just once more. That made the difference I think.

I once wrote, “The greatest thing about doing the greatest thing is actually doing it.”

So I knew there is no red button.

Though it didn’t look appealing to me initially, I realize how accurate Steve Pavlina was. He speaks about creating a habit, like a ritual everyday and doing it for 30days. Non stop. If you can pass this phase, most likely you are already enjoying what you are doing and you’ll want to continue. Makes total sense to me.

So, the two habits I’ve developed are a) develop a habit and b) develop a habit. Damn, that is the single most important thing.

Q: Do you plan on shipping a tangible product? Any ideas?

Yes. First, I want to finish up a new screenplay that I started last week. It’s a sci-fi mystery about a delusional scientist on a marooned island.

Second, I want to film an already existing script that I have. It’s going to be about fortune cookies in 3 different countries.

Third, I want to write an ebook, with illustrations, on my most favorite theme, “failing”. I love failing. I think that’s the best thing that happens to me everyday so that I wake up with a better game plan.

Fourth, I want to start up a new project on advertising this September online.

Q: How do you conquer the troubles that come with trying to write every day? (Time, Writers block, etc)

Simple. Have an iron will. I earlier had a plastic one I guess. It would always give up on my dreams. But this time around, I took the pains to form an iron will. The will to do it at any cost. Anyhow. Anywhere.

I remember writing a blog post borrowing a friend’s laptop after having a tiring day of paintball shooting.  I wrote one in a vacation in Chattanooga. I wrote one while I was sick with a stomach bug. When I’m in my regular daily routine, taking time out for writing is easy because I would have planned the day accordingly. It was quite a challenge to do the same when I’m out on the roads travelling or camping etc. Still, the iron will to do what I wanted to do cleared the way for me.

I don’t do it for the count, I don’t do it for the world. I do it ‘coz I challenged the most important person in my life, Myself.

Writing block, well, here’s where the travelling inwards theory I spoke above helps me. Swami Vivekananda spoke volumes about the power of the mind. He says, the question is in the mind, and if you look deeply, and probe keenly, the answer too is in the same mind, just a few blocks away.

It was a fantastic eye-opener for me. All my frustration, disgust and restlessness vanish into thin air whenever I recall this, and I head straight into a peaceful self-questioning mode. And voila, it has worked magic so far.

Q: If you had to give one piece of advice what would it be?

“It’s not the deed; it’s the “doing” that you should attach yourself to.”

I wrote a post titled “Do you love the doing?”. I’d say it is by far the hardest advice anyone can ever follow. But ironically, it is the surest way to excellence according to me.

Q: I believe mottos are vitally important for motivation. Would you create a new motto right now for the readers, a motto they have likely never heard before?

Speaking about how important risk-taking in life, atleast once in a while is, I wrote, “Trust your guts, and remember it’s all about the journey, not the destination. No one jumps of a cliff to experience landing, but to experience flying.”  

The favorite ones I wrote are:

“When your ideas, energy and focus are united by one, you become divided by zero, Mathematically they call it, THE INFINITE!  Be that!”

“Be the king. But first, fight the war.”

Q: As you know, I am on a constant verge to learn new life lessons and share them with people. Do you have any crucially important life lessons you would like to share?

I only have one lesson in my life. The lesson of hope. The lesson of dreams.

Einstein once famously said, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” For me, everything has begun to appear miraculous once I started following my dreams. Once I opened my eyes and shunned my doubts. We want the perfect world. The perfect skills. The perfect people.

And hence we are eternally pissed off at what’s at hand. If you think about it, an email from a teenage artist in Europe telling you how much he loved your writing is a miracle. A subscriber asking you if you majored in English literature is a miracle. A counselor of anti-bullying campaign loving your blog you wrote from miles away is a miracle. What more you want?

Life opens up to the fullest when you are ready to see it positively.

I once wrote, the moon is the moon always, it depends on who you are to perceive it beautifully or full of scars.

Look at life differently. Be the most energetic person you have ever met. Surround yourself with tons of positivity. Make new friendships. With extremely positive people. Have the brightest glimmer of hope in your eye. Feel thrilled about little things. May be you’ll look delusional to your naysayers. But try new things. Fail at them. Fail often. Fail publicly. Have an extra coating to your chest called courage. Coz it takes just one time to get it right, and remember, you will never be the same person again.

Q: Where can people find you and your art?

I write my heart out at www.bethepurplecow.tumblr.com.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Stay Positive & Purple

Garth E. Beyer                                                                                       “moo”

 

 

 

Unlocking Potential: Interview #1

I get a lot of people telling me that I inspire them, that they like the way I think and the status-quo-breaking ideas I come up with and test. I admire that. It’s important to note that the motivation I get to inspire other people comes from being inspired myself, from seeing extraordinary potential in people who lose themselves in creativity and from the challenge I give myself to help these artists as much as possible.

With this now in mind, I will be showcasing a small handful of interviews over the next few weeks. These people are artists that I have kept very little touch with, in fact, I may not have talked to them in years until I messaged them recently inquiring if they would participate in an interview. These are noteworthy people, people whom I noticed there to be potential that I would hope to be cracked open all the way. So with that, I am handing you the hammer, the ability to connect, learn from, enjoy, and inspire these people.

Interview: Rose Kendall

The first person who’s interview I will be sharing is Rose Kendall. I met Rose in a Poetry 101 class over two years ago, never really talked in class other than when there were class discussions, and I still remember the passion she poured into her poetry. It’s easy to standout in class by dressing uniquely, being pretty and always participating. It’s not however, easy to standout in poetry. Rose does this and I hope you enjoy the following interview. Feel free to leave a note in the comments section or add Rose on Facebook.

Q: Now, I know your passion is writing. What type of writing do you love most and why?

My favorite type of writing is poetry. I love all types of writing, but poetry speaks the most to me because on one level it is trying to compact so many different emotions and thoughts into one small space, but on another level it can bring so many different ideas and concepts to the table in the subtle meanings of line breaks and punctuation. While I do believe that fiction also has a tendency to be descriptive, poetry is tantalizing because to me personally it propels the imagination like a movie, with the possibility of going in so many different directions.

Q: What gets you through the hard times of writing (depleted inspiration, writers block, time, emotion, etc)?

Listening to good music (I usually pick Sia, Damien Rice, Stateless, Florence + the Machine, and David Gray), closing my eyes, and thinking about what exactly the message is that I want to give off. Then I can usually come up with images that accompany that message. Most times it’s a good start.

Q: If you had to make your own writing prompt, what would it be?

It would be to take a piece of paper, fold it in half, and write on one side a list of nouns that are very common (like clouds, or sun) and on the other side list five adjectives you would never think to use to describe the noun. You will be challenged in so many ways you never thought were possible

Q: What do you want your legacy to be?

I want to be able to share with the world the sadness and anger I feel at the horrifying things that are occurring on a daily basis all over the world. As a society, I feel there are so many topics we are afraid to talk about for various reasons, so we sweep them under the rug (whether conscientiously or not) and choose to avoid them. Yes, they are hard topics, but if we are not made aware of them we will not be able to appropriate the change needed to stop these crimes from happening.

Therefore, I hope to shock my audience enough that they can’t decide if they want to get out of their chair and leave when I’m reading to them, or if they want to stay and consider what is really happening in the world. I would love to be able to travel around the globe and present to large audience my heart and my passion. I also want to continue to become published, and maybe one day be able to publish a whole book of poems.

Q: What determines a successful writing day?

A successful writing day usually is accompanied by a thought or an idea taking form into a poem, but very successful if a whole poem (or more than one) is written.

Q: Take me through a though process of a poem. Do you plan it out? Relate it to your life? Free write?

When I’m writing a poem I generally pick a topic I feel strongly about and concentrate on how I feel as well as why I feel that way. Once I come up with that, generally I will “see” what I want to write in my head. It’s like a movie, and at the risk of sounding like a schizophrenic, I have seen several of my characters chatting with me at the edge of the bed. Maybe less chatting and more just standing there and telepathically telling me their story. Either way once their story is being told it kind of just flows out. Some stories are harder than others, but most times I listen to a lot of calming or inspiring music to try to urge them to tell me. Sometimes when that doesn’t work, lines of poems come to me when I’m trying my hardest to sleep.

Q: What is the most helpful advice you have been given?

Keep a journal of all of the compliments and accomplishments I have made in writing. When I feel like I’m not a good enough writer, or I’m having a dry spell, I read them to remind myself how much I have accomplished. Also, keeping old poetry no matter how bad it is shows to me how far I have come.

Q: What advice would you give to other writers?

Do not worry about what one person thinks about your poetry. There will always be that one person (or a group of people) who are offended by what you write or think it’s no good. Keep working on your goals, and you can accomplish anything. Do not be afraid to have other people give you constructive criticism, it can make you grow in ways you never imagined.

Q: Would you care to share a poem?

After tonight
she’ll never ever again
have to wonder
what it feels like
to try to jump over a barbed wire fence,
catch her foot,
and slam her throat
into the wire
–it’s like climbing to the top
tippy top
of a tree,
* snap *
that first breath
you suck in after collapsing
back first, lungs turning black—
only his weapons are his words
and last night he decided
to see how many it took
before they wrapped around her neck
like his thumbs
squeezing
tightening
thrusting
until she’s one breath away
from dying.

and then he lets go.

She sees herself in the reflection
of the spit he sprays across
her face
the growl that echoes deep in the caves
of his lungs
and she remembers
how beautiful she once was
before the cancer
of the vacuum of his world
started eating away at her face
formed valleys and canyons
that were never there in her youth
even though she’s only 29.

when i first met her
she was perched on
the windowsill of my breaking heart
trying to kick her way
into the bullet-proof glass
surrounding my hope
and complicated things
like how I felt seeing
her teeth sprawled
across the living room floor
after last night’s fight
came too close
to leaving too much proof
so she lies
tells her friends that the dog
pulled her up the stairs and she tripped
(which dog she does not clarify).

but i can feel her,
see her floating nightgown
near the ocean on the edge of my bed
tangerine sunrises
screaming “helpme”
because even though
he’s a vacuum
trying to rid her of herself
of the filth she carries around
in the form of personality
she’s stronger than the marble
statue he wants to turn her into
and her beauty
is a cool breeze in the desert

he does not know how
to appreciate her love.

they always taught him
“be stronger than your fist”
but his fists are like concrete
and his words are like
espestice
eating away
at her lungs
liquid drowning her
under the tide he confuses
with affection.

so i pull her into my bed
twist her hair around my fingers
and show her
what a field of roses
feels like when it’s growing
just beneath your breastbone
and she’s blooming

i know i imagine
what her love would look like
as a photo on my mantle
–my prized wife
because she’s too beautiful
to be a trophy
she deserves to shine
like the sun.

so after tonight
i’m going to take her hand
twist out the fear
gently
and carry her
to the palace
she deserves.

and if he shows up
at my door
looking for her
i’ll blow his fucking head off.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Stay Positive & Poetic In Your Own Way

Garth E. Beyer

28 Lessons To Living The Successful Life Through Personal-Achievement Principles

Yes it’s a mouthful but it is the best description that I can give to the following 28 lessons. Enjoy.

 

1. Better results does not make a better plan. A better plan makes better results.

2. Happiness is meant to be designed. You create it, you sculpt it, you make it.

3. Discipline: without it there is no bridge from your goal to your accomplishments.

4. Success is sending yourself an invitation to grow, develop, move up, build more, create more, invest more, innovate more and raise above mediocrity.

5. Life works like a magnet, the more you put forth to your goals, the closer you get to the results you want, the harder you work at your dreams, the more force in which they pull you toward them, it gets easier. It always gets easier.

6. Learning is the beginning. Everything else will fall into place itself.

7. Things only change when you do.

8. There really are no destinations, only points in which you change direction again.

9. Be influenced by the successful. Peer pressure is necessary as long as it pushes us further toward our real potential.

10. Be influential. Peer pressure is necessary as long as it pushes someone further toward their real potential.

11. Remove “easy”, “simple”, and “effortless from your vocabulary. Also never make something a piece of cake, have it all or take nothing.

12. Try. Only when you don’t try, do you fail.

13. Answer this question, very clearly. What is the purpose of life?

14. Lead a tribe of as much inspired if not more willing people than yourself. Create an unbeatable alliance with others.

15. Create a new faith, a new religion, a new belief and call it “The YourName Faith/Religion”. This is the only way to destroy any limitations.

16. A good person runs a mile. A great person runs an extra mile. Only a legend keeps running long after the first, second, third, ninth mile. Always do more, always.

17. Make every part of your character visible.

18. Be Human.

19. Self-initiative, Self-resilience, Self-motivation, Self-assurance, Self-inspiration, Self-control, Self-discipline, Self-growth, everything begins with yourself. Want to be successful? Work on you harder than you work on your job.

20. Pursue an interest that makes you feel alive. Nothing radiates more positively to others than a personal keen interest in something, something you pour your passion into, something that if upon waking up at 2 am and asked what your muse is, you answer with it.

22. Combine accurate and imaginative thinking to create your art.

23. You won’t last without good health.

24. Not to mention exercise is the absolute greatest habit you can create to stimulate the positive senses.

25. Living in the moment is derived from the collection of experience you have had controlling, focusing and centering your attention on the positive, on the material that will help you produce results you care about and on the search for what you can learn from every moment.

26. Everything remarkable was the result of overcoming adversity. If you come face-to-face with adversity or even sometimes get defeated, you are on the right path. Nothing worthy comes easy.

27. Visualization doesn’t need to be done all at once. Visualization is something that is meant to be anointed to all the various positive thoughts that float through your mind every day.

28. Care

 

Stay Positive & Live The Successful Life

Garth E. Beyer

25 Life Lessons You Need To Know To Succeed

  • Begin taking responsiblity for everything in your life, even if you had nothing to do with it.
  • Implement an everyday attitude check: Are you believing in yourself?
  • Just do it… yourself. Don’t waste time telling others to do it. Do it yourself, take responsiblity. The more adapt you get to taking responsibilities, the more successfully you can handle your dream job.
  • Mistakes teach you what you should have prepared for. Learn them and appreciate them.
  • Invest in yourself.
  • Write a plan even if you never look at it again.
  • Stick with it until you win.
  • ^ Quit quitting. Finish. Ship. Just freaking complete it!
  • Do as much self teaching as you would learn from others.
  • The world doesn’t just give luck to anyone. Only to those with a positive attitude and who work hard.
  • You are the best, take people’s time, you deserve it.
  • Until we change what school is for, no one is going to stop and make sure you get your daily dose of inspiration.
  • Don’t wait for someone to come to you.
  • ^ People die standing still.
  • Procrastination is more expensive than the resources it would cost to achieve your goal.
  • Everyone believes they deserve better. At some point in your life, the only way to receive better is to quite complaining and do better.
  • The things you give for nothing can never be replaced.
  • The goal is new ideas and approaches, not consensus.
  • It will always be “the best time in all of history”.
  • Everything is dynamic.
  • If someone isn’t willing to buy, it’s not a loss, it’s a chance to improve.
  • Success is relative to the quality of the process.
  • Always seek to be surprised.
  • Trying gives you the right to try again.

 

Stay Positive & Share Your 25 Life Lessons In The Comments Section

Garth E. Beyer