For Writers and Artists - Your Demons

I'm reading a book called Writing Down the Bones, which was a gift from a friend who supports my writing endeavors.  Author Natalie Goldberg says, "If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.  Besides, those voices are merely guardians and demons protecting the real treasure, the first thoughts of the mind."

I'm going to keep this short.

We all have demons, but if you remember the ancient cathedrals of the middle ages, you'll know that the ugly, demented gargoyles were meant to protect the sacred from evil spirits.

Our ugly, demented thoughts may be willing to serve a similar purpose, guarding what's sacred inside us.  Rather than allowing those thoughts to defeat us, perhaps we can face them and befriend them.  Since they're inside our heads, maybe their real purpose is to protect us from darker, evil forces outside us. 

We can think of them as guardians, gatekeepers of our tender emotions.

DEMON (inner voice): I'm worthless.  I don't deserve to live.

MASTER (you): This is not true.  You're supposed to protect me, not scare me.

To put it another way, think of Fluffy, the 3-headed dog in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Fluffy was huge and scary!  But Fluffy's job was to protect the treasure from Voldemort. 

Our Fight or Flight system is one part Fluffy.  Taking ownership and responsibility over our inner Fluffy means Fluffy can guard us in our most vulnerable moments.  Inner Fluffy is wild and untamed and doesn't recognize who's boss.  So we have to learn how to train her so she attacks enemies, and not us.  And all will be well in our heads.

Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie

RANDOM THOUGHT - Visual imagery to overcome fear

Get some place quiet, close your eyes and imagine yourself as a little kid, the littler the better.  You're in your pajamas with your favorite bedtime toy and standing in a valley.

There is nowhere to hide.

Think of a fear that's holding you back.

Now, imagine how big that fear is.  Estimate each unit of energy of that fear as a man.  How many men equals the power of your fear?

Now, put every man on a horse.  Is it a 100 men, or a million men on horseback?

(c) Getty Images

Hear those men on horse thundering towards you in your pajamas.  They stop at the crest of a hill and you're trembling.

One man gets off his horse and approaches you. 

You say, "Why are you always chasing me?  You're scaring me!"

He says, "You don't have to be scared of us.  We're your cavalry.  We've been trying to tell you that you're our Queen/King.  We'll take you anywhere you want to go.  Where would you like us to take you?"

This is owning your power.  

That energy you've been scared of is inside you.  It's YOUR energy.

All this time, you've been devoting your own energy into scaring the living shit out of yourself, when all you need to do is take full possession of it and direct it outwards.  Lead that energy, YOUR energy, outwards to conquer and have what you want in life.

The Anti-Politics Post

I'm so sick and disgusted by American politics, it's hard to even put it into words, which is a problem for a blogger.  Today, God bless today, I was turned on to a possible solution that mitigates political mudslinging during campaigns and has little regard for a 2-party system.

Do I have anyone's attention?  If you consider yourself a decent, upstanding citizen, then I have a feeling that you're just as disgusted by the Red State vs. Blue State sham!

There are 7 political parties besides Republican and Democrat in the State of Florida.  SEVEN!!!  And they are shut out of the primaries.  When the general election rolls around, nobody has any idea who these candidates are and they're ignored by mainstream media.  This is wrong!  They could be real game changers because people might get behind them if our elections were fair.

What if I told you there was a voting system in existence that:

• Reduces political mudslinging
• Encourages candidates to focus on the issues of the majority of the whole body of voters
• Already accounts for run-offs without demanding voters to go to the polls again
• Decentivizes candidates from attacking their opponents' character
• Fosters moderation and civility
• Leads to winners who are not repulsive to half the voters

Do you think I'm making this up?  

This system has been in place in #Australia for over a century.  #NewZealand and #Ireland use it too.  #SanFrancisco and #Minneapolis have it in place and the voters find the system easy to use and that it produces better elections with better qualified candidates.

I am not making this up.

It's called RCV, short for Ranked Choice Voting.  When there are only two candidates, it works the same as voting does now.  Its magic really shines when there are more than two candidates for a position in office.  Voters get three columns and rank their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice.  If there is no clear majority winner, the system filters out the candidate who got the least votes, and then filters for 2nd choice candidates until a clear majority winner is chosen.

NO RUN-OFF ELECTION NEEDED.  
This saves voters time and effort and gas and lost work.

Here's more info on the fairvote.org site.  Be sure to check out the video clips of Minneapolis voters who used the RCV system.  So easy!  So positive!

Clearly, #Sarasota, I'd LOVE to hear from you.  If South Florida gets on board, the local governments can function for the people again and we'll keep growing upwards from there!

I'm so excited about the prospects of this system!!!

Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie

Be sure to hit the BLUE FOLLOW BUTTON near the upper right corner of the desktop version.

#RCV
#RankedChoiceVoting
#Australia
#NewZealand
#Ireland
#SanFrancisco
#Minneapolis
#Sarasota
#FairElections
#Advocacy

MEDICAL MARIJUANA - A Lobbyist for the PEOPLE

Florida voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, but somehow Tallahassee has been dragging their feet on making it happen.

If you're one of the 72% who voted in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, you definitely need to vote FOR NICOLE FRIED for Florida's Agriculture Commissioner.

During the 2016 Legislative Session, Nicole Fried played an integral role in the passage of HB 307, relating to the usage of medical marijuana for those who are terminally ill.

Listen to an interview from a business perspective on the medical marijuana industry in Florida.
http://friedonbusiness.com/nicole-fried-medical-marijuana-in-florida-2/


Palm Beach asked Ms. Fried some questions and compared her answers to her opponents'.
https://apps.mypalmbeachpost.com/kycp2018/candidate/nikki-fried.html


Nicole speaking in Orlando about her advocacy for individuals, explaining the scope of power of the Department of Agriculture, and discussing the burdens that the state government has imposed on medical marijuana consumers and medical doctors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2hAeUP75U4