Inspiration – Thought Changer

Signals from nature never cease to amaze. One morning I was greeted by the most gorgeous blooms on the rosebush next to my driveway. I couldn’t resist cutting a stalk to take to my office. So for a week, each morning new buds opened and the pink roses expanded. But what I found so remarkable was that on this one thick stalk were 28 separate buds. Truly. Twenty-eight. The strength of the base stalk fed the buds and maturing blooms in a way that a matriarch might feed her family, or in the way people seed and grow their ideas. Oddly enough it got me thinking about legacy. We all have a legacy, whether we know it not. We will all be known and remembered for who we are, what we’ve done or what we leave behind. Legacies sung or unsung, global or insular, significant or mundane. My Legacy Bouquet… Read more →

The morning was alive with questions. I took my coffee and morning reading to a favorite lookout point in Hollywood. It was clear and cloudless with a joy-inducing view of the Hollywood sign. I situated myself so as not to look at the concrete landscape of LA, but rather the mountains, the sign and the scattering of homes tucked into the hills. As a small-town-kid-at-heart, it’s easy sometimes to feel weighed down by the heaviness of the city. I often feel the pull of the land and sky. It brings me back to a sense of home. So, as I allowed my mind and body to still, as I relished my coffee, the veil over my eyes lifted and serenity peeked in. I was alone and it was heaven. In that moment, a lone bird with a huge wingspan soared across my view. It circled and found its landing spot…. Read more →

Negativity cannot reside in a state of Grace. Only love. Peace. Compassion. Forgiveness. Harmony. It’s what is needed, now more than ever. Grace is floating on the wings of the wind, And being in Grace is allowing the Breath of the divine to breeze through you, Levitating you to a place where you drift between dimensions. As a kid, the mention of Grace was usually saved for church, some far away notion that was meant for nuns and saints. Other dimensions? Come on, that was for re-runs of Star Trek or when my girlfriends and I held a séance at a slumber party. But, now? Now, I’ve felt it. I’ve asked for it. And, received it. Sometimes it just shows up. Grace is state of mind. Grace is a way of being. Grace is a divine connection to all that is. Grace is way of life, however I have fleeting… Read more →

By Cindy Yantis “I’ve finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.” ~ Sir Elton John I think a lot about that road. In a “60 Minutes” interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony Award-winning creator of the musical HAMILTON, Lin-Manuel talked about attending a school for gifted children. He said he looked around and everyone was smarter than him, he was “surrounded by genius, genius kids.” Charlie Rose asked him, “So why do you think I’m sitting here talking to you and not one of your classmates?” He said, “I picked a lane and started running faster than anyone else.” “I picked a lane!” That lane led to the intense hard work and dedication that made him a true pioneer, recreating the modern Broadway musical. And, man is he ever in his purpose. One morning, on a recent trip to Costa Rica, I woke up at Rythmia Life Enhancement… Read more →

Up at 3 am. I couldn’t sleep. My heart was aching and I couldn’t stop thinking about the horrific week in America – 2 more black men senselessly killed by cops and more cops killed in hateful retaliation. It has to stop. We have to come together. I heard an NPR interview yesterday with Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, who was killed during a controversial arrest in NYC after police held down in a chokehold. She is a devout spokesperson against police violence. She said, “I was able to get up and turn my mourning into a movement and my sorrow into a strategy.” At 3 am I thought, what I can do? Then my next thought was, I have a blog called Thought Changer. It’s what I can do. It’s my voice and contribution. After all, the very motto of this tome is, “Provoking Change, one thought at a time.” Read more →

How often do we just kind of fudge the truth, or tell a little white lie to make someone feel better or to make things a little easier on ourselves? How about several times a day? Research by social psychologist Robert Feldman, who has studied lying for over a decade, showed 60% of people lie 2-3 times during a 10-minute conversation. He also found that most people lie to be more likable or appear more competent. According to behavioral scientist Dan Ariely – in the documentary “(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies” – it’s all about rationalization. The “fudge factor” leads to people rationalizing that a little lying is okay. He also says that self-deception takes place everywhere. It’s the biggest lie of all. He said, “We convince ourselves the deception is actually truth.” Well, that piece about self-deception gave me the chills. It got me thinking about Truth, not only… Read more →

“Make it simple, but significant.” ~ Don Draper I used this quote as the theme for a recent writer’s retreat for one of my beloved clients. It gave us an effective mantra for the weekend, kept us on point and helped to streamline the writing in the most powerful way. “Make it simple, but significant” also got me thinking about how we often make things too complicated, in general. I know I do, to the point where sometimes I actually feel complicated. But, simple is clean. There’s brilliance behind simplicity. And, many of the most significant things in life, when it gets right down to it, are pretty simple. To simplify means to get back to basics, to start with one simple question, idea or statement and then find the significance in that. Significant is memorable. Significant can be priceless and timeless. Significant is a moment in time. So, that’s… Read more →

“I’m amazed you’re able to get out of bed in the morning.” This is what my doctor said to me recently. “It’s life, Doc. I have a lot to do,” I said. “Do you have body aches?” she asked. “Only when I move,” I said. The truth is I’ve kind of felt like crap for months now. But, most people who know me wouldn’t suspect it because, like many of us, I’ve perfected the game face. Powering through, crossing off my to-do list, meeting deadlines, most of the time with the ready smile and it’s-a-good-day persona. But, behind the scenes? I’m tired. However, I don’t let myself be tired. I jam my evenings and weekends with writing projects and client deadlines and social gatherings, all of which I love to do, but… I’m sluggish and tired. AND, I have insomnia. Which creates brain fog and makes it hard to focus,… Read more →

I recently sat down to meditate and, in order to clear my head before I started, I decided to respond to one Facebook message so it would be off my mind and I could focus on my meditation. Two hours later… I went down the rabbit hole. It’s a common theme for me, rabbit holing. This time, for me, Facebook led to Pinterest which led to links of articles about Shonda Rhimes saying yes and the latest polls in Nevada, to a couple of fashion blogs and then offline to send a few unrelated texts, save some photos which sparked ideas for future stories, blogs, scenes, characters and ghostwriting projects. All of this in one adventure down my rabbit hole. So, not all bad. The problem is I can get so enamored with each of those it can keep me from the designated task at hand. So, what is it,… Read more →

What do you believe in? It’s funny sometimes what gets you thinking about the deep questions. This time, for me, it was Crash Davis. His “I believe in… kisses that last three days…” speech in BULL DURHAM, got me thinking about how I’d answer Annie Savoy’s question,”What do you believe in then?” That led to a stream of consciousness. Then, it got me thinking about what’s underneath my belief statements. Our beliefs are those simple truths that we know, without having to provide evidence. They can be guidelines to live by or simply thoughts that we feel in our gut are right. Underneath those beliefs are deeper values that provide life’s standards. And, our beliefs and values are what create our reality. So, here are a few of my beliefs. It’s quite exhilarating to put them in writing. Do you resonate with any of them? Please add some of your… Read more →