About
Looking for something specific?
Zero to Stage Hypnotist in 30 Days by John Cressman
I started my new 30 day project - Stage Hypnotist!! Just random enough and it could be fun at parties.
Day 1 - I attempt to hypnotize Art. This ended in fits of laughter. Of course, I blame him because he could not focus. It then occurs to me maybe he should be lying down. It could be easier. Umm, no, still laughter.
Day 2 - (really day 1, because I couldn’t find 3 volunteers) I attempt to hypnotize Frances. She lasts a bit longer than Art (not much) before the giggles kick in. I asked her what broke her concentration. The response was “your creepy calm voice.” This is followed by a 15 minutes discussion between Art and Frances about my creepy calm voice. Really, the voice wasn’t creepy, but the fact that I was calm freaked them both out. I continue to blame their lack of concentration.
Day 3 - (still day 1 because I need one more victim…participant) I put my skills on Arden. He does pretty well. The part where you can’t lift your eyelids seems to be effective. Or it could be the result of his all night gaming with his buddies. Either way I see it as success. Then, the bursts of laughter kick in.
Anyway, Day 1’s assignment is completed and I prepare myself (and my family) for Day 2. BOOM! It hits me. This book isn’t about how to become a hypnotist, but instead it is how to create your own business AFTER you become a hypnotist. I’M SO BUMMED!
So I’m left with a creepy voice that makes my teenage boy want to ignore me. Have I really come that far?!
Back to the bookstore/Kindle Store to find another 30 day book. Maybe I’ll try 30 Days to an Out of Body Experience.
Wrapping It Up
Well, I finished - 30 Days to Learn to Draw. What did I learn? Well, I learned how to look at the dark side…for emphasis not evil. I learned that perspective is important. I learned that the human face is not easy to read.
But I also learned let down. Funny, but I thought bands should play and choirs should sing because I made it to my goal. It didn’t happen. I had an odd sense of emptiness. My mind immediately jumped to the “what’s next” portion of my day. So rather than blogging that moment, I chose to wait. Since patience is not my best virtue, I’m sure most of you know that decision was VERY hard.
Waiting allowed me to savor the moment of something that was just mine. I didn’t need the bands or choirs. I completed my task and I feel good about it. In the end, I guess good things do come to those who wait.
30 minutes…REALLY!?
So it’s been another very busy week: grad school, end of school, work and Art gone. I’ve been following the lessons, but only giving it about 15-30 minutes. The result…less than average. Yes, I can draw a pyramid, a tree and a coffee cup (my wave is really bad). Each of these was just basic. They were fine, but basic.
An artist gives it more than 30 minutes. An artist may ponder an shading or line for more than 30 minutes. And this desire to make the right stroke should apply to all of us. Anything we do with real feeling and effort should take more than 30 mins. Writing, organizing, cooking, excercising, active listening - each of these activities, if done right, takes time. So, if it says “only 30 minutes a day”, it’s not a lie. But your results will only be the basics.
Lesson learned: Leave the 30 minute time limit to sitcoms.
DISTRACTIONS!!
That is the theme of this week. I’ve had so many distractions I forgot to blog. But what are distractions? Work, kids, homework, end of the year ceremonies, making lunch, getting out of bed? Really anything can be used as a distraction. And this week, I lost to distractions. What did I learn from this? Don’t let it get to you. Adjust, make a better plan, learn. Don’t see it as a failure. I know sounds easy, but it isn’t. Maybe I need “30 days to How to Learn From Your Failures and Not Beat Yourself Up From It”.
My drawings are getting better, not great. I need to remember it’s not about the art, but about enjoying the process.
Learning to Draw in 30 Days has been quite the experience. The first lesson (other than the horrid airplane) was learning to carve out 30 minutes a day. 30 minutes!! But, I have done and and I have survived.
The second lesson I have learned is I enjoy the quite time to do something for myself. Drawing has a calming affect on me. And trust me, there are many people who have wondered how to calm me down.
Lastly, I have enjoyed sharing my drawing with my family. The kids are giving me excellent critques on my shading. Art is giving me the time to work on this task. So, I would like to say Thank You to them for the support.
23 days more to go!!
30 Days….
I’m in a state of flux. Those of you who know me know that happens periodically. I’m not sure if it comes from moving every 4 years or if it is just human nature. No matter where it comes from - I’m in a state.
So I turned to for guidance to the best place I can think of….Amazon.com. Did you know that in books alone there are 5,439 books that use the term 30 Days? As of today, there are 55 releases in the past 30 days, 127 in the past 90 days, and 2 soon to be released. 407 of these are available on Kindle. The topics range from weight loss (no big surprise) to being closer to God to learning how to draw. Hmm, I’m feeling inspiration already. Therefore, I have my new challenge for myself…
30 Days…. I will read and review 30 day books and see if I see results in 30 days.
It’s an odd challenge, but one that I feel I can accomplish. How many 30 days will I do this for? I’m not sure. So let’s start with 90 days. Then I can figure out if I’m back in a state of flux or not.
I welcome suggestions on 30 day books, but I think I will start with something on Kindle since it takes forever to get the mail here (about 30 days!)
First Book: You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler… I’m ordering it… NOW!
Life without Connection
We returned from Paris to find our internet connection…well not connected. Along with the internet, the local phone is out. It has been 10+ days! So I began this list…
A short list of things you cannot do without the Internet.
1) Email your mother that you have returned to the Dark Continent
2) Phone your mother that you have returned to the Dark Continent because your Vonage phone is connected to the internet.
3) Check your bank balance.
4) Check your credit card balance.
5) Start your homework for a class you enrolled in prior to the outage.
6) Drop same class.
7) Check on your FB friends.
8) Know what is going on at your children’s school.
9) Kids cannot have online study sessions.
10) Kids cannot check Moodle for homework assignments.
11) Kids cannot complete homework because they cannot research.
12) TiVo and DsTV cannot update their software.
Yes, currently it is a short list. But if you have something to add, please do! Let’s hope the internet is up and running soon….
PS – I’m writing this during my break at work. But due to the cyber security, I can only do a few of the above mentioned items.
