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So You Wanna be a Writer, eh? - by Paul Johnson - This article came after swapping emails with a guy on the message board at geoffthompson.com. He felt that I should tweak what was written in the email, and submit it as a short article on this site. My Experiences with Fear-Control- The “Keeping a Lid on it” syndrome - My name is Dan White, I am 30 years old and I am psychiatric pharmacist (essentially a drug-dealer, dealing particularly with the mind-altering kind!). I do not pretend to know Geoff Thompson, but it is through reading his books that I find myself tapping away on the keyboard attempting to produce an article worthy of The Bohemian Café website, and your (the reader’s) attention. Anthony Somers - has written a number of inspirational articles about himself, his journey, and his life. Utilizing Fear By Arjun Dhillon - Over the years many people have asked me how to get over fear and that ‘fight or flight’ behavior that accompanies every combat situation. Most learned people would answer these questions by saying that there is no way to do such a thing. They are not wrong. However, when I am asked this question, I respond by asking ‘why?’ “The Discipline of Steel and it’s Parallel to Your Life” - Physics was once called ‘natural philosophy’ and became the foundation for many other sciences including engineering. Sometimes it is helpful to look at life in parallel to our surroundings as we all see things every day and often take them for granted. Winston Churchill made a similar observation when he said, ‘Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.’ - By: Tony Terranova Success Through Adversity - Colin Stainton - Everyone has to face adversity, it’s just part of life. We have to accept that at some point during our existence, we will have turmoil hitting us smack-bang in the face and on more than one occasion. Getting Published. - My first book was written whilst sitting on the toilet in a factory that employed me to sweep floors, so you can imagine the fun I have when people comment - on finding out that I am a writer - 'off course I'd love to write a book but I haven't got the time'. Invariably their faces scrunch into question marks when I ask 'is there a toilet where you work?' ..... Goals. - People often talk about success, of 'making it,' and 'getting to the top.' And whilst goals are good, and dreams are the stuff of life, neither is likely to transcend reverie without a little more detail and conviction. People want success but they don't know what in. They want to 'make it' but struggle to define the vital 'it' part of the equation. And whilst I admire those that aim for the top I always find myself asking 'to the top of what?' Ill-defined or vague goals need to be crystallised and put in print if they stand any chance at all of making it from fiction to fact..... Lowry. - Excitedly I phoned a friend to tell him my news. I'd just won an international development award for my film script Watch My Back (based on my book by the same name); I had to tell some one, it's what you do when providence lights your day. 'Oh yea,' he said half-scoffing, half laughing 'I suppose it'll be the Oscars next then?' His attitude landed like a heavy right. There was bitterness in his tone that made me regret the call. The Blame Trap - As a species we have the poer to change the world - certainly our own world -of this I have no doubt, in fact I am a living embodiment of my live-it-now do-it-all philosophy. I live my life in the creation business (I create my world) and I love every minute of it; thus far I have managed to make manifest every desire I have set my intention on. This is not meant to sound smug. I see my self as a very ordinary person who has managed to liberate himself from a life of unnecessary toil. If I can do it, believe me, anyone can... The Seeds of Opportunity (or doubt?). - The New Year is a great time for new beginnings, a fabulous period for casting aside the old to make room for the new; the air is high with the excitement and expectation; a multitude of fresh ideas and business ventures flourish with the new calendar. But be careful who you talk to as you plant those seedlings because inspiration can quickly turn to desperation if you choose the wrong confident. It could all end (in tears) before it has even begun.... Have your cake and eat it. - Go into any bookshop worth its salt and you'll find a pile of books and magazines Time. - My first book was written whilst sitting on the toilet in a factory that employed me to sweep floors, so you can imagine the fun I have when people comment - on finding out that I am a writer - 'off course I'd love to write a book but I haven't got the time'. Invariably their faces scrunch into question marks when I ask 'is there a toilet where you work?' Catching crabs. - I watched a documentary when I was younger about how fishermen catch crabs (no! not them kind). I viewed with awe as these leather-faced, salty men of the sea lowered a mesh basket onto the ocean bed and, in no time at all, a couple of unlikely crabs crawled in via a small hole in the lid and made their first (inadvertent) step from basket to crabstick. What fascinated me most was not that they had crawled into what seemed an obvious trap; rather I was disturbed by the fact that they did not crawl back out again- even when the fishermen removed the lid.... Road Rage. - Being vacuum-packed into miles of coned roadwork’s – with never a worker in sight - forced to crawl along until even the speedo needle dozes off and having to endure the farty-catalytic -fumes that have you eying your passengers for offending bottoms - it’s a small wonder that that we’re swapping driving gloves for boxing gloves and the soft leather of the BM for the hard shoulder of the M1.... Hypocondria - It's Killing me. - I have to confess –and I’m embarrassed to share this with you but I feel I aught - I have died many painful deaths in my life, and from just about every ailment you can think of from testicular cancer to lock-jaw, I even had a dose of prostate cancer once that put me out for almost a week. And these phantom illnesses always seemed to strike when I was at my lowest point, when I was tired and stressed.... Lightly Grilled. - Martial arts guru Geoff Thompson used to get kicked around the playground until he wised up and got into karate. But when the shit came down he still felt that he wasn't ready to deal with fear. His answer was to front it out as a doorman in the toughest nightspots in the Midlands. In nine years he had 300 street fights and never lost one. Naturally frOnt visited the man at his gym, got him in an armlock and held a tape recorder under his nose.... Forgiveness. The Healthy Option. - Have you ever noticed that when you mention things of a spiritual nature eyes start to roll and conversational exits are surreptitiously sought? Is it, do you think, because the pietistic nature of the unseen does not align with our peer-pressured effigy of the 'bronzed Adonis'? I've always had a deep interest myself, though I admit, through my woolly mammoth period it was buried beneath a tangible fear of looking like a twat in front of my mates should I ever be 'outed'. Thus if spirituality came into the conversation I followed the norm and patronisingly 'eye-rolled' with the rest of the sheep. Now that I am a little more self assured I don't need the kind of conditional security that the 'norm' offers, rather I look to developing a deep rooted internal security that is as steadfast as it is empowering.... Not the Trowel I thought it was! - The phone rang just as I lifted fork-to-mouth. The timing was impeccable. A second earlier and my fork would have been empty, a second later and my mouth would have been full. Brilliant! As it was my pasta-laden eating utensil hovered just above - and dripped bologna’s all over - my clean white YSL. Another lovely shirt soiled another culinary delight left to court cold. I picked up the phone.... Miltons Hell. - I sat across a bar table in deepest Coventry listening to Dan, a colossus with a penchant for violence. A relic from my 'door' days, 'Desperate Dan' talked through the bottom of his tenth bottle of 'bud'. His trunk-like fingers wrapped tightly around the frosted glass, the bulbous knuckles sitting to attention, pronounced and ever-ready for action. His small blue eyes, hidden beneath furrows of frown, were on constant sentry; they raked the shadows looking for enemies, never settling for long enough to meet mine.... |
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