I’ve been asked to slow down a bit. Thus–on the subject of FEELINGS.
You know, those up and down generators and takers-away of energy—those internal operations that mess us up, slow us down, and waste our lives on a regular basis. Now, I’m not talking about that oozy feeling you get watching a puppy play or the delight at good news. I’m talking about what happens to your energy when your FEELINGS are hurt, muted, when you’re bored, unmotivated, and anxious.
Think of these feelings as nothing but NOISE. 
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!
NOISE. Reactions designed to keep us from getting eaten from tigers. Reactions which have gone out of control and KEEP OUR LIVES LESS than they could be.
When these feelings are in charge we are OVER-FOCUSED on what OTHER PEOPLE are doing and saying or what we think they are doing, saying, and THINKING.
Noise: “I can’t write a short story or novel because real writers will think I’m ridiculous. I can’t wear a bathing suit in public until others think I look okay, which will be never, so swimming is out. I’d like to go back to school, but what if I don’t do well? 
What if I start writing a novel and never finish? What if join a dance club to learn salsa and no one asks me to dance? What if I join a gym and I’m the only one dressed stupidly and who doesn’t know how to use the machines? I’d like to learn the guitar, but what if I never do anything but sing to myself?”
So, let’s assume ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WHOLE WORLD are not doing, saying, or even thinking about you. What do you do now? All those doors just come flipping open. 
Confession: The first time I went to a writers’ conference, I didn’t attend a single session. I was sure I was the only one there without the talent and skills to write a bestseller. The best I could do was walk down the hall past where the meeting was being held. Last year I sold a book .
