Blog Announcements for 11/04/2007
November 5, 2007 by marvin
Filed under Announcements
I’ve decided to start Mondays off with a humor piece and a State of the Monthly Goal piece and a blog/announcement piece. It seems my top ten lists are pretty popular. So, I’m going to start a featurette for every Monday “My Top Ten List For Things I Learned From (fill in the blank).” It’ll be a humorous piece and not necessarily for personal development per se, but to put you in a good humorous mood for the start of the workweek. My Top 10 List for Things I Learned From Horror Movies was popular.
Friday’s feature a “Clip of the week”. If you read last Fridays post you should be aware that I end the workweek on an inspirational note, a little reward for a week of hard work.
I’m still working out particular topics for Tuesday through Wednesdays. I have some ideas in mind but not enough to tell you about it yet. The main point of the blog is to combine a mix of personal development/self improvement with movies, books and tv thrown in. I really didn’t want to post movie reviews because there are already so many sites doing that. I may post an opinion piece here or there regarding things going on in the entertainment industry or personal development.
Let me know what you think, If you like how I’m arraigning the featurettes and/or what topics you’d like to see me blog about let me know.
State of the Blog for the week beginning 11/04/2007
Ok, my stated Monthly Goal is to reach 50 rss subscribers by December 1, 2007. My efforts are paying off. I’m not going to say just how much right now. I will say there is a definite increase in subscribers. Thanks everyone! I still need more if I’m going to make or surpass my goal. So everyone else come on and subscribe!
For any current subscriber and any new subscriber. I will pick a random winner. That winner will be able to choose between ”Awaken the Giant Within”
If you already signed up please let me know so you’re your name will have a chance at a prize I’m giving out. Pass the word to your friends. Come on and help me achieve my goal!
Clip of the Week: Free Hug Campaign
November 2, 2007 by marvin
Filed under Clip of the Week, Inspirational
Well I’m keeping Fridays for inspirational clips. The power of human touch has been said to have healing properties. And sometimes to keep ourselves going a hug is all we need.
For those who haven’t heard or seen anything about Juan Mann the Free Hugs campaign. Here is the awe inspiring video that made one of YouTubes Videos of the year.
For those who have already seen the video, hey why not see it again?! It’s always a pick me up!
The successful people I admire most are the ones who still give something back to those less fortunate. In our quest for personal development sometimes we forget to give to others. So this weekend perform a random act of kindness for someone else and tell me about it.
Spread the love. Give someone a hug! And hey if you want to give me a hug, just sign up for my RSS Feed. My goal is to hit 50 by December, help me get there!
Criss Angel No Phenomenon
“He lives his act.” -Robert Angier, The Prestige
There’s a scene in movie ‘The Prestige’ where an old, bend over, slow-moving Chinaman performs amazing tricks by making these heavy objects appear. One particular object that appears from seemingly nowhere was a big fish bowl complete with water and a few big goldfish. When the performance was over, the movies two magicians watched the old man very slowly and frailly make his way into a carriage. The movies main characters, Alfred Borden and Robert Angier, stood watching. Alfred believed the magician had the fishbowl between his legs. Robert was bewildered, how could this frail old man, carry a big heavy fish bowl between his legs during his hour-long act? Alfred still watching the man says something like, “Being old is part of his act”. Robert understanding sums it up, “He lives his act.”
One of my side hobbies is magic. Specifically mentalism. So it’s no surprise that Phenomenon is my show of choice last night.
Now every performer in this arena has a specific act. And they live that act. Some of them act like they can really read minds, some act like they can see the future and some act like they can channel a spirit to help them accomplish tasks. Magicians have a reason for their “powers”. Maybe they had an accident? Maybe they just had a natural talent since they were young? Maybe the spirit of a friend helps them? That’s their back-story.
If anyone caught Phenomenon last night you would have seen something unexpected and in my opinion uncalled for.
Why single out this one performer and not the others who have made similar claims as part of their back-story? To be fair, Criss Angel, is a Harry Houdini fan. And Harry Houdini, hated mediums, he spent a lot of time and effort exposing them. According to the shows background info on Criss, they went so far as to call him the next Houdini. Could it be Criss was trying to pull a Houdini? Maybe he was temporarily possessed by Houdini himself thereby proving the performer could be the real thing after all?
Seriously folks, I really believe Criss was way out of line here. That was not the forum to attempt to single out and belittle one of the performers just because you don’t like or believe their back-story. It was not the forum to challenge your own co-judge, the hand that feeds you. Especially when Criss, himself, proclaims to use supernatural forces and performs séances in his own show.
That was just Criss’s over inflated ego trying to act like Houdini exposing another medium. You’re no phenomenon in my book Criss…
Field of Goals
November 1, 2007 by marvin
Filed under Books, Inspirational
There’s a whole lot of literature out there regarding following your dreams. Which seems like a really nice concept. I like the idea. But, how does someone know it’s realistic or even attainable?
Seeing shows like “American Idol” you see that for the vast majority of the singers they have no chance of attaining their dream. Yet, they declare they’ll make it big some day.
On the other hand, you get a William Hung, who has got to be in the bottom percentile he makes it somewhat big at least for a small while. What if you’re a father supporting a wife and three kids, is it ok to leave your job and suddenly declare, “Ok going to be a world class painter”?
Several years ago, I met an aspiring actress. She told me about her dream to be an A-List actress. I asked her if she had an agent, she said “No”, I asked her if she’d been in anything, she replied “No”, I asked if she had any training or schooling in acting, she replied “No”, Then somehow the conversation turned to where she’d start, I said something like, “Harrison Ford’s first gig was an extra in some movie as a waiter”. to which she proclaimed, “Oh No! I’m not going to start as an extra, I’m going to start as the lead role”. I sat there thinking “This girl is delusional. But, good luck with that.”
It almost seems that ‘follow your dreams’ is really setting a goal for yourself. But, when is attaining that goal unrealistic?
When is it delusional or a lost cause? Comment please!
November 2007 Goal
One of the most fundamental aspects to success is Goal Setting. In order for this blog to succeed we need to set goals. As of last night my Feedburner Number of subscribers were listed at 12. Not too bad when you consider the blog is just 17 days old.
So, I am going to set a primary goal for this blog for the month of November.
My goal for this month is to reach 50 subscribers by December 1, 2007. I have no idea if I’ll make it. There are some blogs out there that have been around for more than a year and they have only 150 or so subscribers. I don’t want to be plugging away at this for more than a year only to land 150! Help me achieve this people!
Can we make it? I can sure use your help. Tell your friends, tell people interested in books, movies or tv. Tell people interested in personal development. Help me make this a success. Sign up below.
Top Ten Things I’ve Learned From Horror Movies 2007
© Photographer: Thinkomatic | Agency: Dreamstime.com
In the spirit of humor and Halloween, today I’d like to post my top ten list of what I have learned from watching Horror movies.
1. All folklore is true. Bloody Mary, the Boogie Man…Jason they are all real. Don’t test their existence.
2. Don’t be alone; around anything mechanical that can possibly kill you. Like a garage door opener, a mechanical vise, chainsaw, pulleys
3. Make sure to keep your car in good condition for a quick getaway.
4. Anyone covering their face with a mask or their hair is bad. Run as fast as possible.
5. If trapped in a boarded up house or bus stay away from the windows.
6. Travel in groups of at least three. I used to travel in twos, but I ended up leaving my friend alone with the killer. You can guess what happened next.
7. Don’t invite anyone into your house.
8. Don’t go out on a full moon.
9. If someone says “I want to play a game”, respond immediately with “I don’t want to play a game”.
10. If someone in your group runs back into an area teaming with werewolves, zombies, vampires and/or ghosts to get their dog, let them go, they deserve to die.
Any to add?
The Pursuit of Motivation
October 30, 2007 by marvin
Filed under Books, Inspirational, Movies
Lately I’ve noticed numerous postings regarding ways to motivate oneself. There’s apathy among many people. And I see many people answer these posts by advising to write down how they want to see their lives. I’ve always felt, that’s not good enough.
A movie/book that really displays intense desire and motivation is ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’. Here is, Chris Gardner, a man with a child who became homeless on the San Francisco streets. Because of his situation he was highly motivated. So much so that his determination and resourcefulness
Chris’s actions in the movie/book demonstrate intense motivation. Sometimes you really have to feel something is at stake. Maybe it’s the lives of your family or the thought of being homeless. If you don’t have that, it’s easy to be complacent.
How do you guys motivate yourselves? Can you think of good examples of someone who had to dig deep to motivate himself or herself in order to accomplish a specific task? Please share.
What we can learn from Writers
Think I’m crazy for creating a blog that talks about things to learn from books, movies and tv? Think again. When we are at a loss of what to do in a situation we can go to our friends, historical figures, and I believe characters in books, movies and tv.
© Photographer: Kamaga | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Great Writers either know their material or they research it thoroughly. Like Author Golden who wrote ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ after hitting a roadblock he started actually researching everything he could about the culture and the time period. And he interviewed actual living geishas. He threw away his five hundred-page manuscript and started over. He ended up writing such a realistic account that others believe he was writing about an actual living and breathing person.
Writers come up with an enormous variety of situations from normal to far extreme situations that hopefully none of us will ever have to worry about. But a key to how these characters react or pro act is the fact that writers have time to really consider and explore the outcomes these characters go through. Like Santiago, a character from ‘The Alchemist’, who has to decide between continuing down the path he is currently on and traveling down the path his heart wants to follow.
Because these actions are well thought out, oftentimes these actions are valid for the situation and makes for a valid source of guidance. This applies doubly so if a writer were to do a story based on actual events. How does President Dedmon, from ‘We Are Marshall’ convince the commission to continue the football program? How did Rudy Ruettiger, from Rudy make it into Norte Dame? Whether or not you agree with how the characters deal with a particular situation you’d still have to admit they could teach us something. But, it’s up to us as observers to learn.
So when you think you are at an impasse and looking to family and friends isn’t fruitful. Try looking to what other people in actual events did. Barring that look at what characters in similar situations did.
What do you guys think?
Featurette : Clip of the Week
October 26, 2007 by marvin
Filed under Clip of the Week, Inspirational, Movies
If you compare this clip with the one in the theater you will that the camera was shaky to say the least, the video is grainier and the sound quality isn’t the greatest. But, I think you will also find that this clip has a hundred times more impact. It was played on the Marshall Football field for people and fans of the Thundering Herd where the events in the movie actually happened.