Everyone's a Critic

I've heard that critics are a necessary evil.  I've also heard that those with the least amount of talent criticize the loudest.  I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I have recently written a manuscript in which I've invited others to critique.  The response has been overwhelmingly positive and/or useful to me as a writer.  My ego wants to focus on the positive, however, no one ever became a better writer by being told they are good.  Besides, they were probably lied to anyway if they had been told such a thing.  No writer is perfect.  (Nope, not even the one you're thinking of.  Critics would agree with me.)  The few negative responses I've received have stung and made a deeper impression upon me than the positive.  It's amazing how sweet words conjure in my mind images of publishers' tripping over their feet to sign me and Hollywood producers' fighting for the rights to my story.  Conversely, negative critiques make me want to run into the warm, soothing arms of a guy named Jack Daniels.

I believe the criticisms that sting the most challenge us as writers to get better and smarter at our craft. Someday I hope to be the perfect writer just like...well, you know the one I mean.

Wanna be a critic?  Just sign up to authonomy.com and read  A Wicked Affair.

Be honest.  Go ahead.  I can take it.

Twitter: R_Eason

Walk with Confidence!

I stood in a club surrounded by bored looking businesswomen and nursed my drink.  I made the most out of what I mistakenly thought was going to be a boring night.  In fact, the club eventually filled with partygoers anxious to exorcise the busy week from their memories and danced like their lives depended on it.

The next day, when I was recapping the night to a friend, it wasn't the drinks, the music or the comedy show that stuck out in my memory.  It was one woman in particular.  She burst into the room alone with a smile that was big enough to reach from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.  Her back was straight, her head was high, and her stride was long.  I was struck by something I do not see on a daily basis: a supremely confident woman.

I have always heard that the way we carry ourselves speaks volumes.  Never has this been more evident to me than the night I saw the sole celebrant sashay into the room as though she owned the place. Imagine how many doors could open for each of us if we walked into an interview room with such confidence.  Think of the deals we could close if we walked with the same authority in which we spoke. 

If we carry ourselves with such confidence, even on days when we dread our thighs or drag ourselves into a job we hate, is it possible that we will start to feel confident?  Can physiology alone have a positive (or negative) effect on our attitude and mindset? Scientists' say yes.  How about giving it a try for yourself and see if a walk really can stop traffic?

Twitter:  R_Eason

Networking involves work

I recently attended a wealth building seminar featuring Suze Orman and Donald Trump.  As I sat in the packed ballroom and listened to the guest speakers, I became distracted by a strange phenomenon.  Well intentioned entrepeneurs crouched low in the aisles were handing out stacks of business cards to be passed down the row like a tithing bowl in church.

As I examined the business card of one eager real estate professional, I wondered what he could have been thinking.  I never saw his face nor had I spoken with him about his experience or expertise.  I never stood in his presence and determined with my gut if this is a professional with whom I could trust my money.

Networking involves work.  Blindly throwing a business card in a ballroom full of people is equal to pasting a yellow page on the wall and throwing a dart.  It's random at best, unprofessional at worst.  If you want my business, look me in the eyes and tell me why you deserve it.  And who knows?  By participating in a face to face discourse with someone else, you just may discover not just what you can do for them, but what they can do for you.

Twitter: @R_Eason

We Await Your Greatness!

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past year, you have noticed that we are living in a tough economic climate and the cloud has yet to lift.  Millions of Americans are jobless, homeless and depressed about their current situation.

I believe that Americans are resilient people.  Even in the midst of despair, we carry a seed of hope that urges us to move forward.  It is that seed that will inspire many of you to really analyze your previous situation and chart a new course for your future. 

Was I really happy at the job I lost?

Did I really enjoy working for that company, that boss, or with those co-workers?

Was I living up to my fullest potential?

Did that job make my heart dance?

For many of you, the answer is a resounding, No!  So now what?  Do you continue to mourn for a job you lost or do you start to explore the purpose of your own creation?  Now, more than ever, is a perfect time to start finding a way to make money doing what you love.  Once you have committed to living your life with passion and purpose - you will find that your life cannot be lived any other way.  To taste the sweet fruit of true happiness, your heart must sing a song of joy.  Not just when you are on vacation - but every day.  Others will notice and be impacted by your glowing spirit.

So go ahead.  Write.  Paint.  Build.  Invent.  Discover.

We await your greatness!

Carpe Diem!

Today I ate lunch at the New York Public Library.  It is a majestic piece of architecture, flanked on either side by lions made of stone.  The library takes up a full city block on Fifth Avenue between 40th and 41st Avenues.  Tourists and residents alike line the makeshift park directly in front of the library to people-watch while eating a quick lunch or taking a break from a long day of sightseeing.

I got more than I bargained for today in the park.  Instead of just enjoying my lunch and observing those around me, a life lesson snuck up on my consciousness and joined the ranks of the others in my personal value system.

I watched two young women walk up the library steps.  They passed an empty table, recently vacated by a lone tourist.  Empty tables are a rare commodity in the park during the busy lunch hour time.  The women looked at the empty table, walked a few feet passed it and stopped to discuss their options.  The table, albeit small for two occupants, was in a shaded area, with two chairs and would have afforded them a front row seat to the bustling Fifth Avenue traffic. 

I casually observed them as one would observe two elephants mating in the zoo.  I chewed my spinach salad and listened to them discuss whether they wanted to take their chances for a better table further down the park.  I was flabbergasted as I listened to their exchange.  Did they know how long an empty table stayed empty at the library?  Did they not see the opportunity that was before them?

Finally, they decided that the table would suffice.  They turned around in unison only to discover that the empty table was no longer available.  Disappointed, the girls continued through the park and finally made themselves comfortable on the stone steps of the library, smack in the middle of the noonday's broiling sun.  It was the best they could find.  Or was it?

That's when it occurred to me that many of us have the same moments of hesitation and contemplation in our lives when we should be moving forward towards every open door.  When we are given an opportunity, we should take it for what it is instead of complaining that the particulars aren't perfect, as in the case of the small table.  They overlooked the benefit of the shade and the front row seat to Fifth Avenue.  Hell, they overlooked the chairs! 

And so, as they ate their lunch in the sun, on the scorching ground, with their food precariously balanced in their laps, a wiser, more opportunistic pair seized the table.

Don't let someone else claim what could be rightfully yours.  Don't talk about what could be if only you had a few breaks in life.  Get out there and claim your dreams before someone else claims it for you!

A Wicked Affair!

Two successful women, one unscrupulous politician. Will Taylor Cole and Marta McCain risk their lives for the love of the rising political star?

Taylor Cole is a successful, yet unhappy, television anchor who appears to have it all: a beautiful face, a famous actor boyfriend, and a high profile career. When Taylor is seduced by the wrong man, her life begins to unravel at a breakneck speed. Her bad judgment could cause her to lose everything she values: her career, family and the love of her life. Marta McCain is an heiress who prefers working a low-profile job and philanthropy to shopping on Fifth Avenue. She craves a family with her dubious husband, a rising political star, who resists her at every turn. Marta's life is further complicated when an old flame resurfaces. But it isn’t until she discovers her husband’s dark secrets' that she realizes she must choose between the life she has and the life she has always wanted.

I would love for you to read the first three chapters of my new manuscript and leave a critique!

A Wicked Affair

Twitter: R_Eason

My Career, My Way

"You blew a good opportunity here," she said to me with unconcealed anger.  "You didn't know how good you had it and now you want to leave?"

"Yes," I replied.  I was firm in my resolve that this temporary position was just that...temporary.  It was time for me to move on.  My agency had relayed the news to her.  She was bubbling over with hot apathy towards me.  "It doesn't seem to be a good fit for me," I said calmly, trying to keep the bridge aloft.

"I gave you every chance to excel here.  I know there isn't much to do right now but if you had just stuck it out for a few more months it would've gotten better."

She doesn't understand the value of time, I thought.  Each day I sat at a desk and allowed my brain to turn to mush was a day that I was not excelling in the world.  I did not have months to squander.

"There's no health insurance, no benefits," I reasoned with her. 

"I told you from the beginning that's how this company operates! Seventy percent of the people here are employeed on a contract basis. I worked at this company for three years before they hired me as an employee.  Look at Stacey," she continued.  "She's been here for four years with no health insurance and she's  single mother!"

"I'm not Stacey," I replied.  "This is a Fortune 500 company and it's using people's talents without rewarding them adequately.  I won't settle for that."

"I can't believe you would do this to me.  I wanted things to be different with you!"

And then I realized that her reaction to my abandonment of the position was not about me.  It was about her.  She had hired four different employees in the past twelve months.  Her reputation in the company was marred.  No one could work for her.  Her cold demeanor, curt remarks, constant aloofness, confrontational attitude and intimidating managerial style had resulted in several employees before me bolting from the job. 

"You have made a big mistake," she looked me squarely in the eyes.  "You will learn how good you had it here and you'll regret leaving."

I was too stunned to respond to her bold assertion.  I left that firm for a better position that challenged my intellect and gave me the benefits I rightfully deserved.  But I did not gloat that my life was better and that she was wrong.  Instead, I worked harder to move from that place to the next. 

My level of success in life is determined by myself and not those around me.  And even if I do take a misstep in life, at least I can say I did it my way.

Our Focus Becomes Reality

Last winter, a friend recommended I purchase a brown leather bomber jacket with fleece interior to protect my perpetually freezing bones.  I declined and informed him that I hadn't seen anyone wear that jacket since the 80s.  After I said that, I saw no less than three people per week wearing that jacket.

Recently, I lamented to my boyfriend that there were no beauty supply stores in our neighborhood.  No sooner had I spoken the words, I spotted such a store on a road that we had driven down countless times before.

Today I packed up some old clothes for donation.  My intent was to keep them in the trunk until I had time to drive to the other side of town to stuff them inside of a collection bin set up outside of a store.  I had never seen one of those bins in my neighborhood..until today.

What we focus on becomes our reality.  It is not coincidence.  It is not a fluke.  I once had a friend who complained about all the drama she had in her life.  If she had changed her focus, she could have changed her life.  Our mind is a powerful tool, as is our words and our intent.  Focus breeds reality, good or bad, truth or fiction.

Be mindful of your focus and the words you speak into the Universe.  She is ready and willing to deliver.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Twitter:  R_Eason

The Life You Have Earned

You are living the life you have earned.  However, you may not be living the life you truly deserve.  Do you go to work begrudingly?  Do you look around your home and wish in vain for better accomodations?  Do you leave the presence of an acquaintance with less joy than before you arrived?

Unless you are a child incapable of charting your own course, then the life you are living is the life you have created for yourself.  If you don't like your work or believe you deserve a better home, better clothes, better acquaintances, then you should take responsibility for bringing those things into fruition.

We should all smile as though carrying a delicious secret and think, I can't believe I get paid to do this!  Can you imagine postponing a vacation because your home is such a beautiful, loving haven that you loathe parting from it?  Each of us should have friends who challenge us to learn and encourage us to laugh; friends who appreciate who we are without judgment.

May the life you've earned, the life you deserve and the life you live always be one.

Twitter:  R_Eason

Happiness on Layaway

Anyone who moves to New York City with the hope of finding happiness is a fool.  I should know, I was one.

Unlike any other city in the world, New York offers the promise of unlimited success, constant excitement, thrilling romances and any other dream that lies unfulfilled in your heart.  Nothing is impossible or unattainable in the City of Bright Lights and Big Dreams.  With this notion pumping through my veins and carrying a restless anticpation to my heart, I packed my bags in Tampa, loaded my Chihuahua into my Nissan Sentra and headed North.  It was a bold and fateful decision.

A few months after my arrival, my predominant belief was that my life began to flourish when I came to New York.  I had opportunities to act on stage and, at the very least, audition for well known casting directors that I did not have in Tampa.  I met a wonderful man within months of my arrival in the city, whereas I lived for years in Tampa without so much as a casual relationship.  My social life had improved tenfold and there was never a dull moment to be spent in the city.

So why do I believe that anyone who moves to New York in search of happiness is a fool?  Because I realized that I had the same opportunity for happiness in Tampa, England, Paris, Venice and every other city that I had the chance to rest my head.  Happiness was not dependent upon location, it was dependent upon choice.  I placed my happiness on a  lay-a-way plan.  I decided that I could not be happy, could not write, could not act, could not date effectively anywhere in the world except New York.  How wrong I was.

The choice to move to New York was a good one.  Undoubtedly, there are avenues available for me to travel down here moreso than anywhere else in the world.  But if I had a chance to relive the past few years of my life, I would live it fully in the moment, now, here, today, where ever that place might be, instead of placing my happiness on hold.  Because for many, the future is a destination that never arrives.

Make a conscious choice to be happy today.  Tomorrow is promised to no one.