INCREMENTS (UNLOCK THE NEXT LEVEL)

I have learned a lot in the last few years. I learned that people you thought would always be in your life tend to fade out. But not in a bad way, they just are there one minute and gone the next. They taught you what you needed to know and served their purpose. I learned that raw emotion is good when you're young, but doesn't fit when you have a toddler. Toddlers don't care that you want to do your art.

The biggest thing I have learned, is that in life, things happen in increments.

in·cre·ment

ˈiNGkrəmənt/

noun

plural noun: increments

1.

an increase or addition, especially one of a series on a fixed scale.

"the inmates' pay can escalate in five-cent increments to a maximum of 90 cents an hour"

synonyms:

increase, addition, supplement, gain, augmentation, accretion,addendum; More

Or very small increments, and this is as it should be. The reason being, if I had the kind of life I had now when I was in my twenties I would not have been able to handle it. I would have screwed up my life and the lives of others. Everything has a balance, a flow you might say. The life you are living now may not be what you think you should be living, but it is! It is the one you are suppose to be living because any other life would not work at this moment in your time. You are not ready yet for what comes next. You have to live a little, experience this life right now, to become ready, and willing, for the things that life has in store for you. Your ideal life is coming, it is a slow process for a reason. If you need an example of people who did not live there life in increments, check out any tabloid the next time you are buying groceries.

There are no successful get rich quick schemes. You have to find a niche that you are passionate about and learn everything about that niche. If you want to be successful in life read about successful people.

It needs to happen in increments to make it right. Take it slow, learn, and make it right.

Ernie Howard was born on January 29,1977 during a Minnesota blizzard. His two story telling parents almost didn't make it to the hospital in their beat up blue Cadillac. 
Ernie is the writer of Write Something!, a book about the illusion of Writers Block.

A World Without, a Science Fiction book about the love between a husband and wife, and the darkness that can come into a marriage. 

Walter, A Science Fiction book about a boy who is an outcast who makes a friend with a man that speaks to him through his television. All of these books are available on Kindle. 
Ernie lives with his wife and 3 boys in Henderson, NV, where he dreams up new stories, and tries to live everyday to the fullest. You can join his newsletter here

Be still, Be calm, And find what you are looking for.

Remember when you were little and your parents would play the game called let's see how silent we can be. Well at least mine did, I was a loud little kid who was always getting into things. Anyway, you would play along for a little while but eventually you would feel like you were going to burst, and the silence would be broken sending you running around the house like your hair was on fire. You had so much curiosity and energy for finding new things that you just couldn't help yourself. This was a good time. Being silent, and calm did not do you much good when you were little, you had nothing to worry about. And if you think about it, you really have nothing to worry about now. Everything you think you should worry about, or "get done" has nothing to do with you. It has to do with everyone else. Being still didn't do anything for you when you were little, but it can do great things for you now.

Have you ever tried to sit still as an adult? And I mean really sit still. Put yourself in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and your mouth and sit for a few minutes, with no distractions, not moving a muscle, all while being fully awake and aware. Most people would say "Oh Ernie you have no idea, that is all I want. Just being able to sit still for a few minutes a day." But what I would say to most people is you can't do it. Go ahead and try. Try to do it for 5 minutes. Empty your mind and sit still. I will wait...

How did it go? Most people can't do it. We can't do it because being still is something you need to practice at.

It's not easy, but it is essential in our daily lives to slow everything down to... a... stand... STILL.

That is a problem that most people have in this age. We are all a bunch of Facebook posting, smart phone using, crazy people twittering ourselves into madness. Never realizing that doing nothing for a few minutes can keep us centered, and more in tune with who and what we really are, and that is humans having this beautiful experience we call life. When is the last time you thought of all that blood running through your veins, or actually thought about... well your thoughts? Why did you think of something? Where did it come from? Why am I even thinking at all? Am I thinking the same thing over, and over again day in, and day out?

Empty your mind, sit still, close your eyes, and breath for just a minute.

Did you feel that? That's you! That's the universe! That is everything that ever was and will ever be! That is the secret of life! That you are a miraculous thing!  You shape your life, and the lives of people around you, just by what you think! Be still... It's amazing what listening to the things around you, and hearing, and feeling your own breath rolling over your lips, and tongue can do for your mental health... You are ALIVE! You are a walking, talking miracle... You have all the tools you need inside of you for happiness and peace, and for the happiness and the peace of others.

Sit still, be calm, and listen to your body.

I would wish you luck, but you don't need it.