When you say, “Someday I’ll be a star,” someday is always in the future and so it never arrives. Decide that you ARE a STAR, because you are. Other people just may not know it yet!

Ned Lips – Author

“A man with black hair stood and yelled from the back, ‘How do we know that someone isn’t coming to rescue us?’
. . .
Ms. Watson . . . [said,] ‘We don’t, and I for one am hoping that happens. I think we’re all hoping that happens. But we can’t just wait around for that to happen. We have to begin to prepare for the worst. We have to begin to prepare to survive if civilization, as we knew it a few hours ago, has changed forever. If we’re wrong, wonderful. That’d be so great. But we have to act now as though that won’t happen. Does everyone understand that?’
 
Again, the responses were unenthusiastic. Sarah sensed and knew the Storm was circling the world. There would be no rescue.”

From Reset page 40-41

We so often wish for something to happen in the future, but we don’t do the things that have to be done today to get us there, wherever that may be. If we believe, know in our heart of hearts, that we already are there, we are already a star, then we will do the things now that reflect that reality, that drive us toward it, because we do not contemplate any other present or future.

The man with the dark hair is hoping that they can undo the Storm and go back to a reality that will never be again. Your past is just that, passed. You can’t go back to it. Sarah realizes this and see the new world as though it is now, knowing they cannot go back. As she guides the Family through building the compound and learning how to live in the wilds, she is building what she knows as though it is already there.

I do the same when writing. I can see the entire book in my head. I live with the characters. They’re my friends. I know I’m a famous writer whose books are well read across the globe, and I think that way every day. How can I keep driving toward that, keep it real. I do things professionally, the right way. I take criticism, hire experts to tell me how to do things right, etc. I act as though I am already making enough money to run this empire and books are selling. People like them, even love them. I’m improving as a writer and I love it.

Maharishi Prema touched her on the shoulder. “Sometimes, when we are so deep in the hole we have dug for ourselves, the first steps must be those that get us out of it. That path out may not be easy. In fact, I feel it will be fraught with trauma for you, Sarah, but you know that it is what you must do. When you have reached the edge, you will know the way. It may not be the path you now hope for, but if you have faith in the spirits of the universe, they will guide you along the right journey for you and your loved ones. You will know because your heart will know.” The guru stared knowingly into Sarah’s troubled eyes, smiled in a way that reached into her soul with warmth, a sense of calm and an odd sense of reverence that Sarah couldn’t quite grasp. The teacher then lifted her hand, nodded in a manner that seemed almost deferential, as though Sarah were the superior rather than the student. The guru’s eyes returned to Sarah’s. In a quiet voice, almost imperceptible, she said, “You are a special one, Sarah. You will see.”

First Steps page 227

Sarah is struggling with the path that will free her and her daughters from the wrath of Robert, her abusive husband. She turns to her guru for help. Often we find ourselves in a hole that we’ve dug for ourselves, or that we have allowed others to dig for us. Either way, seeing ourselves in our dream space is frantically difficult because of the chaos inside the hole. So, we wallow in the sadness that is there, helpless, we believe to escape. Balderdash.

When we have dug such a hole, and I’m sure we all have from time to time in our lives, seeing yourself at the edge of that hole, looking out on a new world, is the dream we must see first. We have to feel ourselves as freed from the hole. Begin to know yourself as no longer so burdened, but at the top of the edge of the hole, ready to chase your true dreams. When you do that, the steps out of the hole will come to you and you will find yourself out of it faster than you believe possible.

Hoping for a future that may or may not happen causes you to wallow in anticipation. You do not, and cannot, know your future. No one does, and this process does not help. When you see or envision the world you know will allow you to follow your passions and exploit your superpowers and find joy as though it is the way your life is right now, you can adjust your vision for yourself over time as you learn more about yourself. You are moving from strength, positivity and courage rather than fear and self-doubt, because you are living right now in the world you love.

To get to the perfect future for you, you must live in the moment each day. Listen to your heart of hearts and do what you know is right, every moment of every day. Believe it is guiding you along your perfect path. Know that God, as you understand her, is helping to bring your passions, your joys and your superpowers to you, every moment of every day. Where you end up may be quite different from what you’d first imagined, but it will be precisely where you will joy and happiness in your life.

So, stop conjuring up a future and live each day as you know it is right for you!

My Life

I live like it’s all real right now. I see the finished books, the series and others in my head. I feel the accolades of readers, reviewers and others. I can sense the desire of producers to make movies or series out of my books. I am radiating that into the universe of spirits, which is how I see God.

There are many concepts for this idea of envisioning the desired future as existing now, presented in numerous forms by brilliant minds over the last several decades. I have read a good deal on the subject, but more importantly, as I began to live it, the reality of these concepts grew.

In May of 2016, as my efforts to find a job in St. Louis failed over and over to even secure a response, I decided it was time to follow my passion and become a writer. We were broke. Barbara took temporary jobs. We used what little savings we had. We lived with Barbara’s mother. I tried like crazy to find someone who would pay me to work for them. Nothing. I dabbled in insurance, the family business, but hated it as much as I had in 1983. Eventually I became a commercial realtor. I was as wildly unsuccessful at that as I had been at insurance, and was bringing in little.

I did everything I could to understand and learn the craft of writing. I began in earnest on my own novel, which became backbone of Reset, First Steps and Entwined, coming out on November 14. I pulled out all of my other writings and dusted them off. Wrote flash fiction, short stories and the like and submitted them to contests. I received Honorable Mention for one short story in the Writer’s of the Future contest. Not a huge deal, but that made me feel good. I was getting better. A few stories were published in on-line magazines, and that was cool, though none paid anything.

All the while I knew I was a great novelist. I didn’t wish or believe I was going to be a great novelist. I knew I was one. I saw readers loving my work. People who could help me appeared in my life, even if only briefly. As I’ve needed help with something, the right person has arrived in my world to help me. I suppose in reality, I am getting closer, but in my mind I’m already there, every day, popular, strong and a renowned novelist. It is why the universe is spinning in my direction.

See your life the way you want it. Adjust as time comes, but stay steadfast in the things you know are right for you. Differentiate between desire, lust and what you know is right. They are different, and it is important to understand the difference, though sometimes its very hard. The right decision differentiates itself from all the other options because you will KNOW in your heart of hearts it is right and will never have that moment where you look back and say, “Damn, I knew better.”