N.B. Austin

American Author

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My Directorial Debut: What to do If You Have a Hankering

Two years ago I went through a period of transition. It took about six months to center myself and figure out what I was really made of. What I liked; what I wanted out of life; the things that made me tick at the core. When those months passed I came to a conclusion. I love entertainment, nothing inspires me as much as fantastic stories and I admire the creators of those stories. So I decided then and there I was going to write. Not only was I going to write though. One day I was going to make my directorial debut and see my work translated onto a screen.

Directorial Debut

Well, a year-and-a-half later, here I am. With three written books as inspiration, I have secured everything I need to direct my first live-action trailer today!

I can’t wait to get started and share the result of a ton of effort with you. For now though, I want to talk about what goes into such a project and the most important lesson I’ve learned so far.

How to make a trailer

This section might not come as a surprise or revelation to some. Having never been involved in a visual production though, it was all pretty new to me. Hopefully it might provide insight to any others who are as ignorant as I was. 🙂

  • Script – this was pretty easy with a book already in place. It was even easier to pick a scene since the opening of the book is intense. A screenplay’s format is much different from a novel’s. However, a combination of Masterclass and examples/notes on Google taught me what I needed to know.
  • Storyboard – if you want to simplify the shoot x 1,000, you need a storyboard to plan the shots. Especially if your team is hourly, this saves a ton of money, as well as time. I just found pictures on Google that looked like the scene I wanted, then scouted the locations that fit.
  • Background music – find a song to fit the mood, but be sure you also have the rights. I was fortunate in this regard, since the song I made was one I recorded myself for the series.
  • Actor(s)/Actress(es) – someone’s gotta be in it if it’s live-action and be honest with yourself, you’re no Daniel-Day Lewis. Contacting the local theater is a great place to start.
  • Videographer(s) – I happen to know two who jumped at the opportunity to help, though one’s family and the other is one of my best friends. Still, with technology being what it is now, you don’t need a master to make something high quality.
  • Equipment – cameras and such were borrowed/owned by the film crew. Costumes were the only real expense and were dirt cheap for the scene I was looking to create.
  • Set – finding the right spot takes time. Mine was outdoors so plenty of scouting eventually landed the right locations.

The most important lesson

Let’s be brief. I am a member of a bunch of author/creative/entrepreneur groups. Most of which said the ROI of a book trailer wouldn’t be worth it. I’m only just getting started and I can tell you that’s complete bullshit.

Financially, I have no concept of what the outcome will be. It also doesn’t matter to me in the slightest way. If you want to create something and you have the means to do it, you do it. There is no better feeling than creating something you put your heart into. The return on that alone is immeasurable.

It’s more than that though. If you work on something exciting to you, in any form, you are far more likely to find greater success. There are countless stories of this and I have past examples of my own. For a higher profile example though, look no further than Tommy Wiseau of The Room and The Disaster Artist fame. After investing $6 million in The Room, a movie widely accepted as a “disaster,” Wiseau has by-now re-couped his investment. So if you need “success” to justify everything you do and don’t think you could achieve it in a million years with your creative idea, ask yourself, “what about after a million?”

Now please, go out, watch The Room and the Disaster Artist (highly recommend both), and create. I know I will be and am so excited to continue showing you what comes of it!

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Linchpin, Husband, Big Brother: Who is William Keagan?

Welcome in for another character bio post of the Civilands series. To what lengths would you go for your family? Is the bond you share unshakable? Today I detail the complex leader of the Keagan Gang, William Keagan!

Background

William Keagan grew up wealthy in the city of New Berkeley thanks to his magnate mobster father, Leonard Keagan. Despite the importance of his family’s name in the city though, his childhood was not pleasant. Along with his younger brothers, Clovis and Daniel, William was mostly neglected by his father.

When his brothers and he came of age, William decided to set out on his own. With the additional help of their cousin Walter, they left the city together and went west the Chorisma River into the Murrieta Territory.

A natural leader, William was able to gather a following along the way. Much like other collectives of Easterners in the territory, his growing posse took the form of a gang. However, he was much better equipped for this role than others, given his upbringing. Starting in the central region of the Territory, in the town of Fayette, William and his brothers first took a hold there behind the muscle of his brother, Clovis.

In Pursuit of Pride

The relationship between William Keagan and his father, Leonard, is what drives his actions. Instead of accepting that Leonard considers his brothers and him not good enough, William uses it as fuel to defy the odds. At all costs he will prove his father wrong, with earning love and pride an even greater motive.

Despite all the bad blood between them, William believes he can overcome it by accomplishing what Leonard’s accomplished. Whether or not his brothers share the sentiment is another story, but it doesn’t matter to him. They’re only further motivation as the outcome is as much or more for them as him.

Of the three brothers, Clovis–the youngest–was treated the worst. Both William and Daniel have always cared dearly for their brother and done everything they could for him. The three were bonded in this way more than most siblings. This bond is why William knows he will secure the fatherly love his brothers and he deserve at all costs . . . and if they can build their own empire in a new world along the way, all the better.

“A time will come when you’ll have to make a choice, William, between the relentless pursuit of your burning passions and your dedication to those who you love the most. Only then will you understand how difficult it is, no matter which path you might choose. Only then will you understand my choice.” ~Leonard Keagan, from book 2 Crystal Eyes

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

 

4 Things to Start Considering When Finding Your Why

If you saw my post from last Thursday, you would have noticed I’m currently on a Tony Robbins content binge. Well, as usual, a recent video of his I was watching about, “finding your why,” got me thinking. In the video Tony recommended an exercise of stating/writing-down your reasons for pursuing the things you want to pursue.

So I wrote mine down. I mean, he’s the guru who was in Shallow Hal so… obviously I’m gonna do what he suggests.

All joking aside though, while doing it I realized it wasn’t so easy to put into words at first. Considering it further, I remembered this struggle had been echoed by many of my friends in the past. Especially if we don’t yet know the, “what,” of our pursuits, the why can be a challenge to articulate. So after I finished I decided to make a list of the factors that a why is composed of. Hopefully, these things might help you to find and express yours. If so, please share below and see how good it feels to let out!

Finding your why with Luna.
My pup, Luna, searching for her why.

What to consider when finding your why

1. Emotions

How does it make you feel? And please don’t be the guy/gal who says “happy.” Don’t answer in any tone below a pure, joyous one. Similes and metaphors aren’t just limited to writers. So tell me about the thing you do that ignites in you all the euphoria of floating through the air of the Aurora Borealis. This type of thing(s) exists in you, I know it does, so just let it flow. Even better if you do so in the comments below! 😉

2. Desires

Being outcome oriented can be a constructive thing, as long as you’re using it to push you to work harder today and aren’t depending on those outcomes for happiness. So consider the people you look up to. Where are they? What do they have? Why do you want to be in their position? Once you have answers to those questions, you should also have some pretty compelling reasons to work a step harder to get there.

3. Activities

This is what you enjoy about actually doing the task day-to-day. A writer writes, a gamer games, an analyst analyzes, and an athlete competes. For each there is something about the activity itself that makes them default to it. It could be an escape, a puzzle to solve, a challenge to overcome, or so many other things.  What’s your activity and what is it about the process you love?

4. Avoidances

In choosing to do one thing, you’re also avoiding another. This might be even more important to you internally than the pleasure of the passion you have. Entrepreneurs and artists might say they’d do anything to escape a 9-to-5. People with a 9-to-5 might say they’d do anything to ensure security for their family and/or them. All of the above likely have avoiding poverty as a value. So you can see where the things we don’t want tend to push us toward what we want. What are you running from?

So now that we know what goes into it, here’s my, “why,” as an example for comparison.

Alright (*cracks neck*) someone hold my beer while I go off…

Breaking Bad was the beginning of something powerful for me. I was hooked from the very beginning as the twists and turns had me doling out my aunt and uncle’s Netflix account login to everyone I knew. There was no way I could contain my excitement when I found out (spoiler), and when (spoiler), and (spoiler). So I didn’t, even after the account password changed because I passed it around so many times. ;D

Now, I’m no meth-cooking science teacher, nor am I a father, husband, or resident of New Mexico. But the simultaneous love and hate I felt while watching Walter White evolve was quite simply… familiar. For all the times he built people up only to let them down. All the carnage and pain he left in his wake. Everything this man went through just to figure out one thing: who really is Walter White?

It’s a question we all ask ourselves with our name inserted in place of his. Who am I? What is my why? And am I even prepared to find out? Vince Gilligan became my hero when he presented to us, in the most explosive way possible, a journey to find the answers. He allowed me to hope, to wonder, and to learn more about myself through fantastic characters in a fantastic lens.

This is why I write.

Because I don’t want the next me to miss being inspired and excited enough to share their logins. I do it because I want to create characters so compelling and plot twists so earth shattering, you couldn’t ever forget or recover from them. Spoilers so rich it kills you not to tell your friends, while still giving you tremendous satisfaction for having seen the story unfold first. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been the pioneer who found this treasure you can now share.

You, dear reader, deserve the thrills and sorrow and satisfaction I’ve felt. You deserve them over and over, delivered to you on a silver fucking platter. My why is so you can have stories to grow alongside the way I’ve grown with the ones I’ve loved.

Now you tell me about your why below and pass me back my goddamn beer.

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Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

What I’ve Learned About Screenwriting… and Learning Itself

To learn the ins-and-outs of authoring, I paid maybe $10 for a variety of e-books from talented author, Joanna Penn. After authoring, I wanted to also learn about screenwriting, so I purchased a $90 Masterclass hosted by TV titan, Shonda Rhimes. How great is it that we have access to these kinds of learning resources, literally at our fingertips? And for so cheap?

Now, while I highly recommend both to anyone with interest in either pursuit, the second part of any education came next: execution. This leaves us with two phases.

  1. Strategize (Masterclass, books, college)
  2. Execute (Do)

With two books now published and a third on the way, I can say execution is a far more important way to learn. With so many educational resources out there though, it’s easy to bury yourself in them and stall on taking action. This is something I’ve done to myself plenty of times, so I’m with you if you’re in this boat. If I had to estimate though, I’d recommend focusing 20% on learning to strategize and 80% on learning through action.

With this in mind, here’s what I’ve discovered so far through my screenwriting execution!

What I’ve learned so far about screenwriting

  1. Formatting matters – a screenplay follows a specific format. For anyone starting out, I highly recommend using Scrivener. This software provides hints and drop-downs for how a certain section should look so you don’t need to adjust margins or fonts at all.
  2. No narrator – one of the most interesting things for me in this process has been the challenge of telling the same story in two different ways. Where a novel’s narrator can get inside a character’s (or characters’) head, a screenplay is much more focused on what is seen. The latter relies more on actors/actresses to bring the characters’ interiority to life. In this way, the script almost feels to me like a picture painted with words.
  3. Story-boarding – my current task. Along with the script, story-boarding is also necessary to set up the scenes frame-by-frame. I’ll just be drawing with crappy stick figures, before going to the set and scoping out the frames which will be used.
  4. More of an outline – a novel is the final product for an author, but a script isn’t really the final product for a screenwriter. As such, I think of the script as more of an outline for what’s going to be said/seen on film. Maybe every other screenwriter agrees with this too and maybe none do. I’m still figuring things out obviously. But there somehow feels like a bit less final-product pressure in writing the script than there is for a book. This might also be because I am using a book as an outline though, so we’ll see if I still feel this way on the next project!

For all who are interested, below I’ve shared the script itself. Beyond excited to be shooting it next week and I expect to have it released by mid-February!

To those skilled screenwriters out there, I’m still learning the composition. It is also too much work to do perfect margins here in html. As such, if you could forgive me for any screenplay formatting sins, I would appreciate it. 🙂

Civilands Live Action Trailer

TEASER

EXT. FOREST – DAY

A forest blanketed in a thin layer of snow. Puffy, gray clouds fill the sky overhead. Birds are chirping, likely celebrating a day off from the snowfall.

JEANNIE (V.O.)

(Panting and crying hysterically) Momma!

JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)

(Men roaring, the sound of a fire) Jeannie–Jeannie put on your coat, baby.

JEANNIE (V.O.)

No! Momma no!

JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)

There’s no time to waste, Jeannie, do it now. For me, okay?

Put on your coat, run out back into the forest and don’t you stop running.

One of the wider tree trunks has CLAW SCRATCH MARKS torn through it. Five symmetrical, jagged lines stretch along its aged exterior. They go deep enough that the tan inner sapwood is revealed.

JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)

(Jeannie crying) Your daddy and I need to fetch your brothers upstairs now.

JEANNIE (V.O.)

(Sobbing and panting) I can’t go.

JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)

I know, baby, but you need to. Go and find Chieftain Arkouda.

Don’t stop until you do. Okay? He’ll keep you safe.

JEANNIE (V.O.)

I can’t leave you. No.

JEANNIE’S MOTHER (V.O.)

(Embrace) I love you, baby. Momma loves you and will

always be with you. (Both crying) Now go. Please. And quickly.

Aside from the scratch marks, there is stillness and tranquility in the forest.

But then, from in the distance above the trees, we see the beginnings of a SMOKE CLOUD rising. The wispy, black body thickens quickly but still, we have tranquility. Until…

…from behind the trees, a YOUNG GIRL suddenly appears, running in our direction opposite the smoke. She looks disheveled in her long dress and what must be her father’s coat, thrown on in improvisation. The movements she makes aren’t blissful over the crunching forest floor.

As she comes further into view we begin to hear the ferocious barking of HOUNDS and the cheering of MEN. The group as a whole sounds so vile that it’s difficult to distinguish which noises are the men and which are the dogs. The only indication is a drawl that overtakes the others.

UNKNOWN PURSUER

Oh, Jeannie! We ain’t gonna hurt you, Jeannie!

Jeannie maneuvers forward, close enough to see that she’s crying and screaming and panicked, but then…

…WHOOSH! She runs right past us in our view of the forest setting. The smoke behind her now fills the sky.

EXT. RIVERBANK – DAY

The sound of her pursuers remain, but now we see Jeannie from her back, panting before a river. From behind she looks defeated and exhausted for at first, until she stands up straight and her hand balls into a fist. It’s clear she’s prepared to cross in order to escape them. It’s clear she’ll have her revenge.

*

Thanks for reading and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Short Story: Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Part 1.2

Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Part 1.2

A Civilands Series Short Story Prequel by N.B. Austin

Start With Part 1.1 Here

 

15 Years Before – The Other Side

The muzzle flashed from Anne’s hand toward Rousseau. His head and body jolted back away from the onlookers, yet he remained standing with his hands on his knees. All in attendance gasped, while Dominic’s eyes widened in excited anticipation.

A few moments of worried whispers passed by. Bringing a hand to his chin, Rousseau turned his neck aside in dramatic fashion to crack it before letting out a lengthy sigh. A laugh from Dominic at his flippancy was echoed by more restrained, uncertain chuckles from the others. As his body rotated back toward the crowd, Dominic could see his mouth was open with a smile on his face. Clenched in his front teeth for all to see was a bullet.

The audience was quiet at first, but built into a cheer. Not one of them were as enthusiastic in their applause as Dominic though.

“Thank you, thank you!” Rousseau gave an elegant bow before sliding over to hold Anne’s hand as she took a bow of her own. “And let’s hear it for my ever-so-wonderful assistant, Ms. Anne Greeley!”

A cat-call from someone behind him made Dominic blush as Anne and he exchanged a glance. How he wished it was him in the place of, “The Great Rousseau.” The glory of being an illusionist would be fantastic. Doing it with Anne beside him though, would be a dream. It was a dream he would work without end to ensure came true.

When the commotion from the final act of the show died down, he went backstage to find her. The theater itself was small and one he never considered worthy of someone as talented as Rousseau. However, the backstage area was nothing short of a maze. It was lined with rooms filled with wardrobes, props, and set-pieces for a variety of acts.

“Nicky!” Before he could turn all-the-way-around, Anne came barreling into him for a hug. Somehow he managed to get hold of her, lifting her into the air and giving her a kiss. Still in the air, she pulled back. “So? How did I do?”

Dominic shrugged with a grin. “Well, I mean . . . you totally jumped like a little chicken when you pulled the trigger. But otherwise, you were great.”

“Did not,” she said, giving him a soft, playful pat on the chest before kissing him again. After reveling in her for the second time, he let her down. She backed away with a dark grin once she came to her feet.

“Oh damn it. I don’t like that look.”

“I know how to get you back for being smart.”

“Not now, please. Let’s go to dinner. You must be hungry.”

“You’re gonna meet him today.”

“No-no-no. I’m not ready yet.” It was too late as she’d already scampered off like a little bandit through the hall. Chasing behind he called to her, dodging passersby as he went. “Annie, stop. Seriously. I told you I still have practicing to do.”

Around a corner she went. “Who’s the little chicken now, sweetie?”

“It’s not that, I just–.”

As he made it around the same turn Anne had disappeared behind, there she stood with The Great Rousseau beside her. A shiny cane Dominic never noticed before served as his third leg, though he didn’t seem to place too much weight on it. “Here he is,” she said.

“Mr. Rousseau, sir, it’s such an honor.” Dominic couldn’t help but bow, though he felt awkward doing it.

“The pleasure is all mine, Dominic. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from your lady friend here,” Rousseau said, extending a wrinkled hand with a surprisingly firm grip. Up close Dominic could see there was still some pepper left in his salt-dominated goatee and mane. “But please, call me Abel.”

“Of course. If you could excuse me for running around as well. Your performance was fantastic and your theater deserves proper manners, I’m sure.”

Rousseau turned to his assistant. “Goodness, what kind of dreadful, dull monster have you told this boy I am, Annie-girl? Worry not of things like manners around me, son. This place isn’t my theater either. Doesn’t seem the good people of New Berkeley have the same appetite for the extraordinary they once did. As industry sprouts, seats empty. So entertainers like us have to share these spaces now.”

“Oh, I’m no entertainer, Mr. Abel. Not yet anyway.”

“But you do aspire to be, do you not?”

“Yes, I do. I want to be an illusionist more than anything. I practice every day and night.”

Rousseau tapped his cane on the ground three times, with a turned up lip. “Well then I will train you as Annie has asked me to under one condition.”

Looking his way with a guilty smile and a shrug was Anne, who never told him she’d already asked this of her boss. “Anything, sir.”

“You may aspire to achievements, but not titles. You do not become something, you either are the thing today or you are not. If you do not understand this, training you will be a waste of time. Do you follow?”

“I think so.”

“Okay. So now I ask the question. What are we, Dominic?”

“We are illusionists. I am an illusionist.”

*

Part 1.3 of Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny coming soon!

Thanks for reading and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

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Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Table of Contents:

Part 1.1: Curtain Call

Part 1.2: The Other Side

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Copyright (c) 2017 by N.B. Austin

Published in the U.S. by Moore Bell Productions, Austin.

All Rights Reserved.

Short Story: Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Part 1.1

Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Part 1.1

A Civilands Series Short Story Prequel by N.B. Austin

 

15 Years Before – Curtain Call

An old, gray man by the name of Rousseau stood with his hands raised straight up into the air. About ten feet apart from him was the young, beautiful Anne Greeley. Only one of Anne’s hands were lifted, and it was aimed toward Rousseau. In it, angled right at him, was a cold, loaded pistol.

Dominic Turner could do nothing but watch from the side with a group of nineteen others. Each of the onlookers gasped, but not Dominic. As a poor 22-year-old in the difficult, growing city of New Berkeley, he was too busy learning the ways of the world to feel surprised or offended. Instead, he studied every part of the 50-something-year-old man’s countenance and posture. How much was he cowering versus confident? Where were his eyes and was their target the thing he was really focused on? The answers to these questions would determine Rousseau’s readiness for what was to come.

“Okay, honey I think we’ve seen enough,” a gentle female voice in the crowd said from behind Dominic. Her hands were covering the eyes of a boy standing before her, who was trying his best to peak through them as he was led away from the scene.

How could they leave now? Oh well, down to seventeen.

A heavy-set fellow stepped forward. “Shoot the old bastard down!”

Though Dominic had seen death here before and it crushed him, for some reason he appreciated this kind of reaction. There was something about the excitement of a crowd and always had been. The reactionary emotion which poured out of others in such a place filled him tenfold, even if they were calling for murder.

A smile crossed his face. “Yea, doll. And make it snappy!” he said.

Anne looked back at him and perked up, with the gun still fixed on Rousseau. Her beauty was a simple one, with curly brown locks pinned up and a dainty, innocent little walk. But she was radiant nonetheless and he couldn’t wait for the time they’d get together this evening.

Murmurs started to pass back and forth she wouldn’t do it. Doubt–I love doubt.

As they began though, Rousseau turned his head to the crowd. “It seems you think yourselves to be ready, my friends.”

“Yea, we’ve been ready,” the same obnoxious fellow from before said.

“Oh, but you could not be further from it, sir.” Rousseau wagged a finger on his raised right hand. “And that is okay. You all have fears, you live with struggles, and you feel pain. Yet, again, I say, it is okay. Because from your fears, you will make great leaps. From your struggles, you will learn to overcome. And from your pain, your fortunes will be awoken. Because what you are about to behold here isn’t beyond your own reach or ability. This ‘magic’ as you will see it, it’s drawn only from the magic you provide back to the world.”

Bravo, sir.

Turning back to Anne, Rousseau lifted an expectant brow. “Well, Annie girl . . . do your worst. I suppose I’ve earned it with all I’ve put you through.”

As Dominic chuckled, Anne took a quick look his way. He nodded his confidence in her. With a breath, she took a step forward, clicked back the hammer, and fired straight for Rousseau’s face.

 

*

Continue to part 1.2 of Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny here!

Thanks for reading and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

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Smoke, Mirrors, Destiny Table of Contents:

Part 1.1: Curtain Call

Part 1.2: The Other Side

*

Copyright (c) 2017 by N.B. Austin

Published in the U.S. by Moore Bell Productions, Austin.

All Rights Reserved.

Health, Wealth, and Happiness – Vaynerchuk and Robbins

For the past week, I wore my headphones while I worked. Oddly enough though, I didn’t listen to a single song in that time. Instead, those hours were filled with a ton of Tony Robbins and Gary Vaynerchuk videos. These two are each a titan of health, wealth, and happiness, who’s mission is to help others achieve all three. Here are some of the tidbits that most reached me over the past week…

Health, wealth, and happiness.

Productivity

The first thing I realized is how much motivational speakers can help you stay productive. Even when listening somewhat passively, I got way more done in a given time-frame than I do on average.

Having a coach in your ear to enhance your mental state can do wonders in pushing your limits. However, with these two guys you’re not just getting an ineffective “rah-rah-rah” cheer guru either. What both understand is the importance of honesty with oneself. Sometimes that requires acknowledgment of harsh truths, in order to change for the better.

One great example, was a highlight Robbins discussed about the ladies of the View. When they came to him about doing his program, he said he’d be happy to have them. His one condition though, was they not do it together. Remaining politely straight-forward with them, he suggested their lack of maintenance of a healthy weight could result in one holding the other back at different points.

Now his bluntly calling them out did make me chuckle at first. What I started to realize though, was I probably have as many or more internal things holding me back than those ladies. It’s been great to recognize those areas and find ways to actively improve upon them.

Social Media the Right Way

A great lesson from Gary Vaynerchuk is a social media strategy costing only $1.80 per day. The ironic part? It also doesn’t cost anything…

How? Well, the strategy is actually to use the top social media hashtags to find the top users and most-interacted content. Once you find the top 90 or so, all you need to do is give your 2 cents on each. So yea, 90 x .02 = 1.80 = FREE… You know, math. 😉

The key to this concept is building and fostering community around the things you love. This is how you craft a lifestyle and yourself as a player within that lifestyle, rather than simply self-promoting all the time. Be proud of your voice and speak your mind!

Personally, I haven’t added this extent of commenting to my social media regimen yet because end-of-the-year stuff has been crazy. However, I have been commenting and sharing my thoughts more when they pop up, rather than just clicking the like button. Once I get through my current mountain of tasks, implementing a $1.80 system of my own is going to be a top priority!

Happiness

There is no one better suited to help you find meaning in life than Tony MF’n Robbins. Two of the biggest things he stresses are maintaining a peak state of energy through motion, and the importance of gratitude. There are so many lessons he gives stemming off these, but here are two big examples I took away.

  1. Stand up. Reach your right pointer finger out in front of you. Turn your body as far as you can to the right, rotating your body around but keeping your feet in place. Note how far you turned based on where you ended up pointing. Now, return to the original position, but this time, close your eyes. In your mind, envision yourself going even further. Actually, envision yourself going further than you even think you physically could. Really push the limits as you get the picture in your head. Once you do, try the exercise again and see how much further you go. You went much further this time, didn’t you? This is a demonstration in the power of our belief. How much could we achieve if we always set our goals further than we thought possible?
  2. A study was done where a sample of people were asked to hold a cup of coffee for someone. Half the people were handed a hot cup of coffee, the other half were given a cold cup. After holding the cup, the good samaritan would be asked to read a short story. Upon reading the story, they would then be asked if they considered the main character’s actions to be kind and warm, or cold and mean. Turns out, 80% of the people given the warm cup answered the former, while 81% given the cold cup answered the latter. Another amazing example of how the mind can be influenced!

Exercises

So knowing there are stimuli which can influence the mind, here are a few things I’ve been putting into practice, which have been effective for mental state:

  • Affirmations – there is no long-term joy in reaching a destination, so enjoying the ride too is ideal. One way to aid this is to affirm every day that you have already reached the destination. See Jim Carrey’s $10 million check.
  • Morning motion – whether this is working out or literally jumping out of bed, get the day started right with activity. It will get you ready to kick ass and is good for you health-wise.
  • Breathing – another thing I found from Robbins is fourth breaths in, four breaths out. If you try it a few times, you should really feel an automatic relaxation. Especially for a dog owner, this one is great to do on a walk!

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Obviously, if you couldn’t tell from this long post, I highly recommend following these guys. I’ve hardly scratched the surface with all the valuable lessons you can take from them so know there is much more which could provide you with the spark you need. Both are true inspirations and have positively impacted my life in a big way.

Thanks for reading and hope you’re enjoying the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!