Mind Over Matter

I have always had very detailed and sometimes bizarre dreams, and even those often make sense... while I am asleep anyway. One of my favorite recurring dreams is the "flying" dream, where I spread my arms and fly. The other night, I had one of these and I was trying to figure out how it worked and there was a formula or comprehension about how we could manipulate matter by understanding how materials work and using our minds to be a master over things. In other words, we are more than the things we desire to have control over. The formula left me before I awoke though, so I couldn't put it to the test in real life. I was reminded of a movie that came out in the 80s called, "The Boy Who Could Fly." It was about an autistic kid (mostly nonverbal) who believed he could fly or perhaps never had the mental restraints or filters that keep neurotypical people from doing extraordinary things. That is what empowered him to actually fly.

One of my sons - "flying"

I don't know if anybody has ever flown simply out of believing they could do so. Maybe it's just too much of a stretch to have that amount of confidence (or faith - however you want to label it). That doesn't mean that we can't do extraordinary things by exercising our belief that whatever we put our minds to, we can accomplish, because we can! I have personally witnessed it in others and I have put this experiment to test in my own endeavors with a high degree of success.

As far as flying goes, I have seen what some of my children have done in their extreme sports of acrobatics, trampolines, climbing, controlled falls and springboard diving. One of my sons even thanked me for "teaching him how to fly." I used to throw them high in the air when they were little and catch them. Somehow, this inspired (at least one of them) to learn how to defy gravity and be fearless in their flights (or as described in "Toy Story" - "Falling... with style!"). Personally, I have never developed those skills. My extreme fears of heights and falling have impeded my aerobatic skills in real life. I can only do these while I am dreaming.

I have, however, been able to conquer some of my fears and insecurities and to stretch far beyond what may seem practical in many of my pursuits. Where I really get into trouble and start to falter is when I overthink what I am doing to the point of losing confidence. When I start to think, "hey this is too difficult" or "this is not possible" even though I've done the same thing hundreds or thousands of times before, then I inadvertently put stumbling blocks in my own path of progress. We are our own enemies of success by imagining limitations. A quote that is attributed to Henry Ford (someone who should need no introduction) goes: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” The more I have witnessed or personally put this to the test, the more I believe it to be true.

Another way to look at this or to get toward accomplishing your goals (and this is one of the most successful techniques I have learned from various coaches in my life) is to identify all of the obstructions that are keeping you from reaching your objective and eliminate them. This goes along with something else I learned a long time ago, the "Pareto Principle." Though it's an 80/20 formula, it's not necessarily hard and fast and depending on what you're doing, may even be 90/10 or 70/30. It applies in many circumstances and variables. It's helpful to understand though, that the majority of issues are caused by the 20% of the obstructions, that when eliminated, help us to progress forward. Even still, once you have eliminated those 20%, the principle still applies to what you are doing. You're never going to be perfect in whatever you are pursuing. You're still always going to be dealing with that 20%, but in comparison to when you first started your journey, those limitations that you still have to deal with are relatively insignificant. A champion performance athlete isn't dealing with minutes or seconds anymore, but shaving off tenths or hundredths of seconds.

As I mentioned before, it's vitally important to understand the principles and mechanics of your craft so you know what it is that you have to master. You have to have a firm grasp of the rules before you can even think about breaking them. Arrogant overconfidence with little or know knowledge of what you are attempting can get you into a lot of trouble. This should never be confused with overthinking and subsequently doubting yourself in an area you are expert in (imposter syndrome). Hesitation leads to failure because doubts cause us to perseverate, rather than just going ahead and just doing what you are good at doing.

So, go ahead and fly! If not literally, do so metaphorically. Put your mind to work to be a master over the matter at hand.

Mind over matter.

Lunatics Ruling the Asylum

 We certainly live in some crazy times. Who would have known that your livelihood and reputation would hinge solely on your opinions and associations? In my world of what I aspire to be (as an entertainer, artist, innovator, writer and producer), this is a big deal. And it's not just being opinionated or even HAVING opinions (whether shared publicly, rumored or even words taken out of context), it's a matter of having the "wrong" opinions that may offend or trigger certain demographics or adherents to belief systems you never intended to (or in some cases, you never even knew existed). You have to tiptoe around precariously and watch every single word that you say so that it isn't taken the wrong way. Even then, there are those who aren't satisfied with you taking a "neutral" or "indifferent" stance on social or political issues either. Even if you don't have an opinion, you have to feign advocacy for things you may not agree with or even care about. 

No matter who you are, if you're in the public eye, you'll eventually be forced to concede - to apologize for "wrongs" you never committed, to publicly side with opinions you internally disagree with, disassociate with friends and relations that are "problematic" in accordance with those who, with great irony, claim to hold the higher ground in "tolerance" and "inclusion." You'll even have to have to alter your vernacular to conform to a prevailing, continuously-changing alternate reality. You'll have to keep up with trends of whitewashing historical references, erasing names and faces that within the cult of "wokeism" are considered either "offensive" or are "culturally appropriative" to the point where they need to be blotted out and swapped with a modern replacement or simply vanish from existence as if they never existed. You will be forced to enthusiastically advocate and praise lifestyles that are unhealthy, unsafe and ungodly while silently clinging to your ideals and beliefs, fearing that you will be "outed" and subsequently canceled by the ferociously bloodthirsty vocal minority. 

So, here I am, posting this publicly so that the future public knows where I stand. Here I am, planting and watering the seeds to what will most likely be the source of shutting me down in in the future (with certain audiences). You'll know that if I am ever forced to retract anything I have said or implied, make a public apology or become an advocate for any group or lifestyle that goes against my beliefs and core internal principles, that any future statements are disingenuous - but only done as a means of self-preservation, to capitulate to the gatekeepers who decide who are worth surviving. 

Also keep in mind, and I make this a matter of record, that I bear no malice to nor do I hate any person because of their identity or opinions and in the true and proper intended term of phobias (and not the contrived term that has been hijacked and forced into our current vernacular), I have no such fears or aversions to those people whom I may have a disagreement with on certain matters. 

I also want to say that I stand in solidarity to the many millions of public figures and hard-working individuals who are held hostage, kept silent - or worse yet, to speak and act in ways that belie internal their beliefs - displaying a public image contrary to their true selves, at the hands of those who are intent on destroying their lives if their true opinions and identities are made known and as thus, their livelihoods and reputations hinge precariously in the balance. 

Perhaps, someday, sanity will once again prevail as the fierce, vocal, deranged minority fades into obscurity where they belong, but for now we have to endure what is presently the lunatics ruling the asylum. 

There you have it. I said it. Cancel me if you have to.