Tuesday, 9:10 a.m. December 17, 2013 New York City Dear John, It has been already 10 days of daily writing 750-1,000 words and it has been going well. But: I realized that just writing top-of-head-stream-of-consciousness is fun but pretty much unpublishable. If my goal is to publish a book of some sort, then clearly, my writing needs to be written that way. Simple. Or is it? Well, it’s so much nicer to not have to think and just let it go on paper. In fact, in “Elements of Style” the author even mentions the deceptive joy of seeing words appear on-screen which leads to many useless words. Ha, it’s true! Just typing away doesn’t really amount to anything. (Monkeys. Typewriters.) So, what is publishable? Initially I wanted to start writing daily so I could create a log of content (oh my, a blog) to share with my friends and family. Write about interesting stuff, skills that I know well, ideas of mine, observations and stories. Okay, so, make it publishable, have an audience (you) in mind and create value by sharing something personal and interesting. Now, enough with the back-and-forth. Let’s grab the bull by the horns and do an experiment. If today was the last day of my life and I had exactly 1,000 words to share one thing, what would it be? Let me think… Ah, yes. How To Fall In Love With Yourself The ability, the skill, to love yourself is at the heart of success in life and death. Don’t wait for someone else to fill you with their love, don’t wait for your parents, your lover, your mentor or anyone else. It’s so simple! And, as you of course know, unless you love yourself, it is impossible to give and receive love from others. So, get to it today because it will change your life. A QUICK TUTORIAL Falling in love with yourself is actually not that hard (as it shouldn’t). This quick exercise will give you a very simple method to remind yourself of your own beauty and perfection. Step 1. See your best friend before your inner eye. Let me demonstrate. My best friend is Marc and we’ve known each other since high school. Marc is a brilliant person, a musician and master of kung-fu. In my mind, when I see him in front of me, he is a perfect human being. He radiates (cheesy as it sounds) light, he does the right things, he is perfect even though I know that he has flaws big and small. Actually, when I see him in my inner eye with his red curly hair, his big smile, his slightly receding hairline (Hey, we’re both 35!), his way of moving, his deep voice and his hilarious jokes, it fills me with a warm and true feeling of brotherly love. I know, looking at him, that everything is going to be alright for him. That it always was. That there is nothing for him to worry about. That he is perfect and that the only thing I wish for him is to be his awesome self and live a happy life. Now, in the same manner, imagine your best friend or someone you admire and hold high in your belief. Whoever that person is (best friend, mother, mentor, …), imagine them completely and as detailed as possible before your inner eye. Include their strengths and weaknesses, in your mental picture. In your mind, make this image as clear and as radiant as possible. Make yourself feel the love and acceptance for this person because of who they are and what they mean to you. Imagine this person in different scenarios, at home, at work, at they gym. Wherever you can see them, continue to see them through your eyes as a close friend. I’m sure that with a bit of sweet effort you can “feel it” right now. A warm, fuzzy radiating in your chest and a smile on your face. Step 2. In the same way, see yourself through your best friends’ eyes. Now, let’s reverse this. Your best friend (or other person that knows you and admires you) chose you, too, because they see you the same way you see them. Imagine yourself being your best friend and thinking of you the same way you did in step 1 above. Your best friend will have no trouble recognizing your strengths, your beauty, your capabilities, skills and wonderfulness. Also, this person knows about all the things that make you imperfect. Your weaknesses, your vices. But the same way you just saw them as a whole, radiating being, so you can see yourself through their eyes. Your best friend doesn’t judge you, but instead, supports you on your quest for happiness. They see your perfect self in a way that is hard for ourselves to see. Take a moment here to see yourself. See yourself the way your best friend sees you. Recognize how much love there is flowing to you from your friend. How much good-will and well-meaning. Feel this sweet flow of positive emotions. How they can see you perfectly, flawless. How even your errors and mistakes in life are loved and not judged. How you as you couldn’t be any better already. What you are experiencing now is self-love. Remember the feeling because it will help you in every aspect of your life. You are using your friend as a proxy because it is helpful to remove your own mind from this equation. It works beautifully and it is simple. When you are down, you can always use this technique to reconnect with that feeling of love for yourself. It doesn’t require adopting any type of religion or belief-system. You don’t even need Yoga or Meditation to make this work for you. Just take a moment, think about someone you love and who loves you back and imagine how they see you through their eyes. It’s simple. Effective. And fun! Alright, so this is certainly one of the most important lessons I have learned and want to share with you. Again, it’s not hard, but it creates a sweetness in your life that will uplift and guide you. Thank you for your patience and your time today. I’m just getting started but at least for today I feel like I am actually sharing something of value. More to come! Stay warm.