Put your ideas in context; it changes everything

Put your ideas in context; it changes everything

The Buddhist meditation teacher and podcaster, Tara Brach, tells the story of a man who sees a dog near a tree in the woods. The dog is snarling and snapping viciously, and the man feels angry and afraid. But as he comes a little closer, he notices the dog’s leg is caught in a trap, and the animal is in terrible pain. Now the man feels compassion and sorrow for the suffering dog and understands why he is snarling.

How to prepare a book chapter before you write it

How to prepare a book chapter before you write it

Great ideas are more common than you think. I have several of them every day. Book titles, catchy phrases, new business innovations. I am a genius in my own mind. But (and yes, there is a but), the sheer brilliance of my thinking can evaporate when I start to write it down. What seemed deep and substantial before I wrote it, seems thin and wispy on the page. It can be a shocking moment. Authors are the ones that keep going past the shock and work out ways of substantiating their ideas.

Could you plan out your next book this Easter?

Could you plan out your next book this Easter?

You know how you always get your best ideas in the bath or the shower? I believe the scientists know all the neurochemical reasons, but as far as I am concerned, it’s because you are relaxed. Whenever I relax, great ideas pop into my mind. When I am tense or anxious, my ideas are sh*t (which makes me feel more tense and anxious. Sigh.)

This Easter, put your book outline up on the wall. One page per chapter, one topic per chapter with three to five topics under each chapter message. Once you have stuck them up on the wall, you can look at all your chapters together