Thought Changer

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Welcome! If this is your first visit or if you’ve been here before but haven’t had a chance to subscribe, would love to have you as a part of the Thought Changer community which has moved to Substack! Just sign up in the box to the left. You’ll get a welcome email from me at Substack. Don’t forget to click the confirmation link. Thought Changer looks at everyday life metaphors. We explore new ways to think about what we do, improve our mindset and live more consciously. And, if something moves you, please share! Thank you and enjoy this Thought Changer.

George Carlin said, “It’s called the American Dream ’cause you have to be asleep to believe it.” Funny irony, for which Mr. Carlin was the master. But, my mindset has changed around the whole concept of this shared national ideal. Or I should say former shared idealThe term “American Dream” was coined by historian James Truslow Adams in 1931. He also wrote, “It has been a dream of being able to grow to fullest development as man and woman, unhampered by the barriers which had slowly been erected in the older civilizations, unrepressed by social orders which had developed for the benefit of classes rather than for the simple human being of any and every class.” Hmmm. Now, that’s an ideal I can get behind. But, instead government, business and society redefined an American Dream that everyone bought into or was brainwashed to buy into, the belief that more is… Read more →

“I’ve been noticing lots of changes going on in your life and not enough reflection/writing on your Thought Changer blog, so I’m checking in on you!” This is what is known as a loving smack-down on Facebook! My sweet cousin Carol messaged me this week after seeing numerous posts on FB regarding my recent moving sales and upcoming move. It inspired me and got me thinking about how so often when going through a big transition or change in life we can burrow in, nose to the grindstone and eyes planted two steps in front of us, marred down in process. That can be a good thing in terms of focus, but when you write a blog about mindset and thought-provoking change, it would seem to be the most opportune time to lift my head and make note of it all. This is the good stuff! This is where the… Read more →

I was lost in the abyss. At least the abyss also known as the Second Act. I’m in the midst of drafting a screenplay that I was commissioned to write and my deadline is quickly approaching. Before starting the script I wrote a loose outline so that I know the major plot points and how the movie ends, but filling it in with interesting scenes that drive a compelling story is where I was stuck. I had all of these fragments floating around in my head as to what came next but they became so convoluted that it was causing inertia, which is exactly the opposite of what needed to happen with a looming deadline and a very patient producer waiting for a delivered, that being, an exceptionally delivered, finished script. I needed a more detailed guideline than the loose outline, something to help me sort out what comes next,… Read more →

The albatross gets a bad rap. The oft-used reference to the bird is a metaphor for carrying a heavy burden, “This (fill in the blank) is an albatross around my neck.” Before the ancient poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge created this legend in his 1798 poem, the albatross was considered good luck by sailors when it followed their ship. However, in the poem which was inspired by a series of true stories, a mariner shoots the albatross and as punishment his companions make him wear the dead bird around his neck until his death. But, after watching the Discovery Channel’s series “Frozen Planet” I’m thinking differently about the albatross. You’d think it would be a breeze to be able to fly with an eleven-foot wingspan. But, a young albatross has an incredibly difficult time getting off the ground. In fact, it takes literally weeks for him to figure out how to… Read more →

It was a shiny new menu sign. All the yummy drink choices with the prices lined up perfectly next to them. Dollar signs aligned vertically in almost lyrical fashion. And, then… an oops. The third item from the bottom, the Ice Blended Mocha, was missing the dollar sign. The $ was “v”. v3.80? Clearly it was a typo on a freshly printed menu board, one that had likely been proofed by several sets of eyes. And, it wasn’t just a local job. This was a board that had been special ordered and hung by professionals. I’ve ordered lunch in this café numerous times and have never noticed this little flaw. So, what do you think happened as I sat there waiting for my lunch order? I was unable focus on anything except for that measly v3.80. The typo. The one imperfect note amidst the otherwise perfect symphony of $$$$$$$$$$$$. What… Read more →

“We have an inner thermostat that determines the amount of love and success we allow ourselves. When we exceed our setting, we tend to sabotage ourselves so that we can return to the old, familiar zone where we feel secure. The thermostat was set before you could think for yourself, usually in early childhood.” ~ Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap Since Leap Day is an extra day this year, think of it as a gift, the perfect day to take a moment, take a breath and decide where in your life you want to leave the status quo, where you want to take giant leaps! I’ve been thinking about Leap Year for several months now, about how I want to take huge leaps in all areas of my life. Leap Year only comes once every four years, but the beautiful thing is that you can live in your own Leap… Read more →

Gilligan: Hiya, Professor. What are you doing? The Professor: I’m making notes for a book. It’s to be a chronicle of our adventures on the island. I think people will buy it, don’t you? Gilligan: Sure, I’ll buy one. I’m dying to find out what happens to us. ~ Gilligan’s Island 1964 It always seemed to me that the stranded castaways on Gilligan’s Island had it made; and even though their mission was to find a way to get off or to be rescued, every week they found contentment on their uncharted desert isle. They became increasingly laid back and adapted to life on the island. They were livin’ on Island Time. I woke up on Island Time today. I spent this past weekend on Catalina Island and we heard several people use the phrase Island Time. “I’m in no hurry, I’m on Island Time.” “The service is slow; they’re… Read more →

“For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her.” Some people do spend their whole lives together. ~ From the film NOTTING HILL Last week my grandmother’s house was put on the market, the house she’d lived in for most of her 98 years. My mom sent me a photo of the house and it was so odd seeing it as an empty shell when it had always represented such life for me. My grandmother passed last September. It got me thinking, particularly during this week of Love, about how lifelong love surged through that home. I’m blessed to come from a family of lifelong loves. I don’t know the exact numbers, but collectively between my two sets of grandparents, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law, there are well over 200 years of lifelong loves in my immediate family. A few years ago when I… Read more →

During a recent cocktail discussion with a friend we got on the topic of travelling and living abroad; I mentioned that at some point in my life I’d like to live in a small town in France. “It’s definitely in the realm of possibility,” I said. Later I got to thinking about the Realm of Possibility and what a powerful place that is. I picture a place of vibrant color, of swirling thoughts and images, of forward moving energy that is at once knowing and brave as it forges toward the unknown, of leaping without fear and without a net. A place where yes rules and no is not part of the vernacular, where ideas spawn action. A place where a sense of quiet and calm lives amidst the questions and on the precipice of possible becoming probable becoming actual. The Realm of Possibility. To my way of thinking it’s… Read more →