The Lyrics From Billy's Forest Chapter 179

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We've all got that one thing in common,  Asking questions that never come with answers.  Does that give us permission to ask another question except this time around we get to make up the answer?  It's almost like living in our past.  We really aren't.  The physical act of hanging out with memories is our natural way of rewriting the story that best fits where we are today.  I'm blessed with the opportunity to share my broadcast experiences with future leaders just getting started.  Most are so terrified of why they made the choice to step into the school.  They're there.  Their voices shine with quivers.  Their hearts are open to learn.  How can they instantly find success in a world of communication completely pummeled by massive amounts of digit space for anyone wanting or willing to share words.  In the middle of my lessons last night a voice came from out of nowhere, "Where are you taking us?"  Like coming up to a rattlesnake my eyes went directly to the source of energy that made it a point to be heard.  Where are you taking us?  Interestingly enough the answer delivered will change each time we meet over the next 7 weeks.  It's who we are!  When we can't locate the answer to the questions we're asking we give our self permission to ask a different question.  I answered her question.  The moment it came into my place of thinking it actually took the wind from my lungs.  I sat down. I looked at her and every student present, "That's a very fair question.  Where am I taking you.  We're going where you allow yourself to grow.  Each of you are on separate journeys.  None of you will get the same lesson.  Just know that when you start asking the questions that someone who has lived the life can help bring light to what's quickly becoming weight.  Let your artist self have a voice.  It deserves it.  Many of you waited years to be in this moment of becoming a broadcaster.  I can't tell you why the time was extremely lengthened.  Just know that you are here.  Don't ruin it.  Art requires time.  Paint doesn't instantly dry.  That's where we are going."

Numbers

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More times than many I keep bumping into people that are totally freaked out about how fast 2019 has put itself on the map.  Within three blinks of a single eye we're going to be face to face with 2025 with absolutely no way of knowing how any of it gained access to the highway of life without being pulled over by well skilled patrolman and their sporty cars.   I thoroughly believe my reasons for doing all I can to stay from numbers is 100% connected to the face of a digital clock.  We endlessly wake up in the middle of the night and count the number of hours or minutes we have left before life picks us up and throws us onto a layer of unexpectedness.  I sit down to write in my daily journals at 4:30 every morning.  I'm deeply bothered if I show up late.  It messes with my numbers!  I need to be producing in the studio by 5:30 am!  The interviews start at 8:30 and sometimes go until 5:20 pm.  I say that because this Tuesday that's when I'm hooking up with Judas Priest.  I can never say no to the numbers.  On this podcast we enter the war with an open heart only to realize the ticks in clock aren't the only numbers that send our life and style into a total tailspin.  When those freaky little figures begin to consume your every thought and decision you've got to have the strength and discipline to pull yourself away the world and locate the blank spot.  A wall without pictures.  A blank sheet of paper or pull off one of my weirdisms... Put your face 100% up against the bathroom mirror and stare into one eye.  It's fuzzy and totally not in tune with normal but the blank spot has a way of hitting the center of your soul before you get back into the numbers race.

Back Off Jesus Boy

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This one's a tough one to write about.  Because I'm a daily writer that uses his journals as future tools, I'm blessed with the opportunity to stay within my present place of "Now."  Did I lose you?  I spent some time yesterday with Dr. Mark Borg whose new book Don't Be A Dick puts a lot a focus on taking note of where you are while knowing where you came from.  He loves the idea of journal writers going back into their paragraphs and turning it into lessons that keep yourself and others away from having to evolve around the same circle.  On this podcast we go back three years to an area of writing where the spirit of the universe is quite present.  It took me a long time to convince myself to make this the subject of today's episode.  There's no quicker way to shove listeners away than to bring up God and politics.  Then I reached the final page of what was put on paper that morning.  The final paragraph moved right in my present place of "Now."  After reading it I physically heard in my heart, "Do you really think I put those words on the tip of that writing nib for you to hold onto it? That's being selfish."

Pop-Cycle Sticks

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It was very windy the other day.  While walking the dog I mentioned to my wife that I was hearing things usually not associated with these walks.  Feeling sort of awkward I asked, "Do you think this high wind is carrying sounds to us from very far places?"  Here's what I learned:  Sound waves travel faster in the air when it is with the wind. Generally speaking, wind speed is lower near the ground because of the presence of blockages, and so it increases with height (Fig. 1). Therefore, when traveling with the wind, a sound wave farther from the ground travels faster.  On this podcast we play with the wind a little more.  In October of 2016 I felt wind had its own walk and way of changing the way we see light.  Caused in the structure of the moment are places of shade.  I don't know about you but dark spots on the walk cause disconnection from the moment.  It's like walking into a room lit up in the center but the corners are dark.  Uncomfortable!  Now lets evolve the subject into human light making.  We all carry energy.  Some more than others.  A business meeting has been called and everyone is sitting around the huge table.  There's always two or three places of shade.  Minds that don't want to participate or other thought processes that are convinced they don't belong.  The structure of the meeting is no different than a table with three good legs and one that was shaped wrong.  It's moments like this that bosses roll their eyes and truly never confront Charlie the smart phone addicted junkie or Sally the doodler.  In a room that's supposed to be upbeat and moving forward the rays of light aren't equal, which causes streams of awkwardness.  Mainly because we are the generation that's learned how to accept bad service and behavior.  It's just Charlie being Charlie.  Julia Cameron's book The Artist Way At Work opens your thinking process on learning how to deal with the several different layers of creative people around us.  We aren't supposed to be the same.  The doodler is just as important as the overachiever or the know it all.  Embracing each other's weirdness creates the sound solid foundation.  When it does get out of hand I like to use a tick called Pop-cycle sticks.  Charlie and I have had a conversation.  I will no longer mention to him how bad his service is. I'll only say Pop-cycle sticks which will serve as a reminder of him not living up to his side of the agreement.  Remove the shaded areas in your life by learning how to walk peace filled.

The Lyrics From Billy's Forest Chapter 178

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I've always had a difficult relationship with the word "promise."  I didn't grow up that way.  It was actually one of those situations you're forced to play along with or face bad news.  In the mid-1980's I learned the radio station wanted me to stop using the word "promise" on the air.  They said new research shows that listeners aren't in favor of hearing the word.  The moment someone says "promise" it mentally sends a signal to their human hearts and brains and says, "That's all I need in my life is another broken promise."  So I instantly quit saying "promise."  Ever since that day the goal is to make sure that it's removed even from my daily speaking.  I never wanted to give off a reason to cause tune out.  When I hear someone using it in conversation it instantly grabs my attention because it makes me feel like a radio listener.  That's all I need is another broken promise.  So yesterday I'm having a great conversation with a preacher friend.  They always ask "How are you?"  I'm not shy to say, "I feel like I'm walking across a desert floor.  I just hope God doesn't keep me out here for 40 years."  That comment earned me a quick reply, "Where is your Promise Land?"  No!!!!!! There's that word!!!!  Fire starter conversation.  Calmly I wrote, "I don't believe in promises."  Then it came back to me, "Without a Promise Land I can't help you."  Words have always been completely strange to me.  I love how one word can change the way conversations could've gone.  On this podcast we dive into other areas of disconnection.  One being "interruption."  How often do you feel less of a team player and more of an interruption? Working through the storms begins with letting people in on your privatized ways of thinking.  The friend had no idea that I had issues with "promise."  Having the courage in this run run world to take a few seconds and say, "You're going to think I'm a little weird but..."

I Question Myself

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I'm sure it comes across the number of times that it seems I question God.  Not true.  I question myself about God.  It all stretches back to an incredibly long friendship I had based on one solid argument: My value isn't free.  Figure it out.  That's what he endlessly pushed toward me.  When you take the time to put together the necessary pieces the experience becomes part of your value.  This is why in my daily writing and podcasting I'll bring stuff up that might seem like I'm questioning the higher power.  No true.  I'm questioning myself.  If we're put in situations of what feels like defeat instead of running to someone for instant release... Figure it out.  That's why I've been a daily writer for 25 plus years.  I throw my stuff down on paper and begin doing the math.  Learning how to ski in the giant mountains of Montana didn't mean the instructor was going to hold onto my hand down the entire snow covered peaks.  in all honesty  I think their only job is to make sure we get on and off the chairlifts safely.  The rest of the journey is about crashing.  We've become a smarter bunch of people thanks to YouTube.  The car breaks down, the drier isn't drying, the speaker isn't producing sound... YouTube pretty much says "Figure it out."  You watch those videos over and over until the broken becomes fixed.  Priceless.  Your value just went up.  Question not the situation at hand.  Question yourself about the situation.   Take notes!  Play out the circumstances.  Build by way of truly understanding the requirement.  I blame a lot of our need for instant peace on Walmart.  I have two left socks.  OK we'll take it back without a receipt.  Question your questions.  Answer your questions with more questions.  Build your foundation by figuring it out.

Trust The Arrival

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My Dad used to look at his eight children and endlessly ask, "Why can't you be happy with where you are?  Why do you spend so much time and energy on things you have no control of or over?'  As a spoiled kid that wanted everything I had no clue why he kept planting that seed.  It wasn't until I began growing with martial arts and meditation that his determination began to take shape.  Why can't we be happy with where we are?  In October of 2016 I put into the pages of the giving tree two words that best explained to my wandering heart how to begin a path of looking at situations that didn't feel right or weren't going my way.  Trust in the arrival.  You are here.  Where?  Only you can answer that.  It required a lot of elements to make it happen.  Grow into the moment that became the arrival.  A tough way to live because someone's always asking about your five year plan or what are we having for dinner tonight?  At 7:56 am on a Friday my present place in the arrival is to put focus on here not there.  That's why so many people go to work in bad moods or spend the day complaining because the thought of being happy right here is beyond their goals and resolutions.  When I walk with Jazzie the disaster artist dog midway through the day it's a pain to feel how bitterly cold it is already.  Then I grip onto the strings of the arrival.  Being present with everything from the birds, the colors of the leaves on the trees, the shapeless clouds, the hammering in the distance, cars on other roads.  It's Jazz.  None of it belongs together and yet it does.  Where are you at in your arrival?

Step Free Of The Shadow

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Two thoughts fell from my daily writing in October of 2016.  That's over three years ago.  1. All that is now can be nothing tomorrow.  2. Yesterday has already become shaded by doubt and re-existence.  Your memory is already reconstructing it.  Choosing to be mindful in the present isn't a light switch.  It requires personal growth.  Learning how to be present in what is now doesn't scream at you to be perfect with a great haircut, torn tight jeans and you speak a word that is whole and life changing.  All that is now can be nothing tomorrow. It was 21 degrees this morning.  I didn't have to listen to early risers complaining about how much the atmosphere was biting into their waking moments.  You could feel it.  Why let it destroy your day?  I looked at tomorrows weather.  It's gonna warm up!  All that is now is nothing tomorrow.  Being present doesn't mean beat yourself up.  It allows all that "is"  to move through you.  On the other side of that coin will be tomorrow's memories of how cold it is this early in the season.  Yesterday has already become shaded by doubt and re-existence.  Your memory is already reconstructing it.  The conversations you'll share will make it worse then what it really was.  The bad drive that made the car swerve because there was ice on the road.  Not just a little patch but it would've sunk the Titanic big!  The weather isn't the only thing that does this to us.  Relationships with coworkers or friends totally rip your legs from underneath you.  The cost of groceries.  My wife is very guilty of worry.  I ask her peacefully to stop writing a story that doesn't exist.  I grasp the idea of always wanting to be prepared but how many times will the sky fall before the physical event moves into place?  It's very tough to put yourself in the now because we want to judge it.  We want to change it.  We want to be bigger than what we are.  We want. We want.  And if you got what you wanted would you really be happier?

Forced Versus Organic

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Many of us don't like to be forced into making decisions or leading a life and style chosen by others.  Organically we make choices but step free of so many decisions because it leads to so many questions.  I have two examples and neither of them are to be taken as negatives.  I daily write by way of being organic.  I don't set out to create a subject.  Free form thinking and writing is an incredible tool used when I'm invited to interview authors, actors, musicians, politicians and whomever else says yes to a few minutes of talk.  I do believe my forty years in radio didn't happen organically.  I played by the decisions made by others.  It became extremely difficult to sit inside a radio station studio reading liner cards and playing music I'd never listen to in the car or at home trying to relax.  It's just what radio does.  It became my daily choice to participate with what is or isn't radio.  I had fun but I didn't get to be me.  This brings me to the next example.  Religion and or spirituality.  Forced or organic?  On this podcast I read from my daily writing from October of 2016.  The writer knows where his heart is but digs deeper into why it is.  Are his beliefs strong because the church forces the word into being held accountable or has the relationship grown organically?  Each of us face the mirror and wonder what life must be like on the other side.  Do you attempt to step through the great mystery of reflection or stay in the spirit of the moment knowing how much you can handle is already at its highest peak? Breaking through your forced moments versus organic helps you understand your heart.  Living peace filled means facing the questions.  Breaking down the thoughts.  Listening to your wonder and worry.  Being available to look at those that have been forcing you and softly saying, "I'm grateful."  The challenge isn't to create a self made battle.  The idea is to clear your path by making sure the soil isn't poisoned by Miracle Grow.

The Lyrics From Billy's Forest Chapter 177

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We've all walked beside slow moving streams and almost never moving ponds and have been greeted by murky stale water. Now that the picture has been painted how does your murky flow look in your everyday life? I hear it everyday from every shape of profession or just hanging out in the hood, "I don't have time for this or that. I don't want to try new things because I keep failing. Don't ask me for help because that's not what this is all about." We are masters at making sure we don't wade through the murky waters of those around us. Over the past few years the shades of the murkiness have changed due to the climate of the subjects we bring. Brilliant relationships have been swallowed up due to someone's openness about politics, religion or how to cook the better burger. The murky waters of life that seem to be flooding every step you take have led your path into what's called Ghosting. Nobody writes to you. Hardly anybody returns your calls. What did you do wrong? What's in your murky water? Julia Cameron from the Artist Way goes even deeper. How your closet looks is the perfect picture of who you are in real life. How consumed is your refrigerator? The backseat of your car? In an age of constant connection there's a lot of separate journey's materializing with the opposite party denying it. Your murky waters and cluttered closets are endlessly being fed by the actions and reactions of how people are treating you and or kicking you out of the cool kids club. Of coarse I'm gonna talk about meditation and Yoga Nidra. Both are brilliant tools in bringing peace back into your chapters and not weighing you down with invisible guilt, doubt and fear. If life was meant to have friendships lasting longer than a few years then you'd still be hanging out with your elementary buddies. There are some that are. They're lucky! As we inch closer to the holidays it gets tough for the mind body and soul to realize that it's ok to stand in murky water. You don't have to battle the loneliness game by creating fake conversations or searching for love interests on the web. Take in the moment by cleaning out your closet. Don't open your heart. You've got enough in there. Clear it. Get used to the scent of your murky water. Once things begin to clear you'll be amazed at how beautiful your pond is.

I Make No Predictions

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Maybe it's because creative people have larger than life dreams and wishes but during the mid-90's I made a huge choice to stop making predictions and resolutions.  There's no worse feeling then letting yourself down.  You predicted to be a point B by this date.  One year out and you're nowhere close.  Same is true about resolutions.  Look at how many business are making millions of dollars because we made that agreement with ourselves to accomplish this and it never happened.  My entire journey through martial arts was doing all I could to reach Master by September 2012.  I studied hard.  I lived the life.  I held myself accountable.  What I didn't predict was a heart attack in July of 2009.  It ripped me clearly off the path of becoming a Master by that mark on the map.  My radio career had me heading back to the west coast by 1988.  I wanted to come to the Carolina's to learn Adult Contemporary radio then set my sails for Los Angeles.  The closest I  got was being a finalist to replace Casey Kasum on American Top 40.  I make no predictions.  I make no resolutions.  Being present with your current place opens your path for new things to not only be discovered but to help build it.  In 1988 I had no clue that this talk about an internet would lead to radio streaming and that physical conversation would be become a huge attraction to on the go listeners.  I fell into podcasting.  I didn't set out to follow anyone.  I sat there looking at the machine wondering how far I could go if I took my time and learned to build it.  Then I got into the analytic numbers race.  I returned to a life of making predictions and it destroyed me.  Creative peace begins when you disconnect from where you think you should be.  Living in the now clears the imagination to make great the little things.  Build on it.

Interpreting The Paintings On The Wall

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Digest that headline for a moment.  No matter what's placed on yours or anybody else's wall there's always going to be several different interpretations.  Which is the reason why I'd wander through a Wentworth Gallery for huge amounts of time.  To listen to others as they were introduced to modern day art filled expressions.  In all that you do daily the reality of your presence can be easily compared to one of those paintings.  You know how you live but what are you projecting?  How often do you change or fight off those moments of evolution?  In order for there to be progress in anything you set out to accomplish there's always a process that cannot be weighed down by judgement.  Otherwise you aren't growing.  Being a perfectionist isn't a happy spot.  You'll never be satisfied.  I remember writing my first novel.  I never got off page one because it was about getting it right.  This had to lead to that and there needed to be enough conflict to create a cliffhanger of sorts to get you to page two.  Forty years in radio and I still find myself trying to be greater than what I am.  It's OK to keep reaching for a quality driven purpose but to put so much pressure on ambition actually breaks the legs that brought you to the dance.  We judge our personal paintings on the wall far worse then coworkers and family members.  To lighten up might actually come across to them as you being a quitter.  You know what creates a quitter? When a perfectionist refuses to find joy in making mistakes.  I laugh.  I whistle or hum.  Learning to be in control of your present helps you achieve an abstract painting.  Sometimes you've just gotta let your dog eat the grass in the front yard knowing full well they're going to puke and you're gonna have to pick it up.  Oh well...

Who They Think You Are

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The conversation parents need to have with their kids.  The moments when those huge protective arms and wings won't be there to protect the child's dreams and vision.  To have the courage to share with someone assumed close, "Who you think I am.  I am not."  Say that five times.  Who you think I am.  I am not.  We are shaped by what others think we are.  Nobody saw you struggling to wake up this morning.  Nobody saw you quickly try to hide the jelly stain on your shirt.  Nobody sees what you put into your career, the hours, the battles with always hearing no and the constantly leaning on invisible walls that somehow still motivate you to show up on time.  Nobody sees it.  Yet you're judged by what they think you are.  The power of the social media plays into this.  So many people stop to view your thoughts and pictures.  The image of what they think has been developed.  When they treat you as such then you have to live up to it.  Changing your walk because in this moment of now you're inside a circle of acceptance.  Who you think I am.  I am not.  People look at what I do in radio as being that really fun job, "Man you get to see free movies, eat at restaurants free, talk with famous people and you have a really cool dog!"  Where are they at 3:45 am when my eyes pop open to take on the new set of hours demanding attention?  It's no different than a movie theater GM.  Yeah, free movies, popcorn and whatever else might be available.  Sadly it's only half price for the food.  Sadly you have to worry about the self declared blockbusters that actually fizzled out and is still playing in a house of 272 seats.  Maybe three people might come in.  What about the employees that chose to stay home putting more stress on a very limited staff?  What you think I am.  I am not.  Have the conversation.  Be open with the experience.  Does anyone ever say thank you to the police officer standing in the bitter cold directing cars as they come out of a huge mega church?  Offer more than a wave and smile.  I was at the public library yesterday.  It looked like the employees were sitting around goofing.  What I didn't see was the enormous amount of books that were probably put back on the shelves and this was a tiny break from the action.  Who you think I am.  I am not.

Through You

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Was listening to an interview with famed comedian Artie Lang.  Dude's been on a journey.  Sometimes so dark that life itself wanted to run from him.  But through whatever energy was left in his drug torn chapters he's reappeared in society as a brilliant new step.  Say what you will.  Point whatever finger you need to.  Weigh out the odds of what normally happens during times like this.  I mean history has this way of biting each of us,  We all have storms.  Some much larger than others.  Some days those jagged little lightning bolts hit the things around us.  We change or vow to.  We build to rip apart.  We find new friends and careers.  Then one day you take a look back at the walk and no matter how hard you try you can't remember how it was you survived.  You must have!  You're presently in your now. I write everyday not to right anything.  It's not to live in the past.  I write to keep record of everything we agreed to,  what I'm accountable for.  During those days of doubt what spun you around?  Most can't answer that.  They just knew the sun suddenly became visible during a gentle walk through a very raining page.  I've never understood why walkers and talkers, wanderers and discoverers never pick up a writing instrument.  To keep records.  To make actual measurements of personal growth.  To not guilt trip your present self but to remind that mind body and soul you carry that you've got the experience to clear the debris and not throw it onto your back.  Yeah I know.  You don't write because of a fear of others locating your paragraphs and sentences.  And if they did?  Are those who would read already asking questions?  Point to the book.  Whatever you need to know.  It's in the daily writing.  It totally takes the pressure off your path.  It's on the pages.  You were brought to this moment of now to be a leader.  That requires learning, going through methods of question and broken hearted Country love songs.  How did you get here?  This day.  Right now.  Will your answer be that of assumption?

The Lyrics From Billy's Forest Chapter 176

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If you've been to church in the past three to five years the running theme of so many leading is that God is testing your faith and trust.  Your bad moment or season is because God is trying to strengthen your heart and way of thinking.  This isn't to bring up bad points or reasons to argue but on this side of the pulpit the receiver is getting the word that we should be grateful for all things ugly and wrong in our walk.  Where's the relationship in that?  I'm getting pummeled by a leader because it's part of the daily test?  Could that be the reason why church going is dropping?  The message being sent isn't as positive as the old way of God is punish you for breaking a rule.  In today's space you can lead a clean healthy life and style and expect the great creator to hit you in the heart.  That doesn't seem fair.  We get motivated to grow on Sundays but by Monday when the preachers not around you're left alone with the big book or talking to other travelers.  Which means your heart is now listening to a three party conversation like the old days of the telephone.  Interpreting the word is a very crowded garden.  On this podcast I do ask the questions and try to leave nothing out.  Learning how to deal with the everyday that is going to be slammed with thunder because the higher energy is testing your faith.  I've learned to let it move through me.  I trip, flip, stumble and fumble and then say, "Teach me."  Sometimes we're trying to outpace the calendar.  Time is moving so quickly that our moments of emotions out of control are because we've been trying to lead a life with an open heart.  Close it.  You'd never have a computer without virus protection.  Learn to live with a clear heart.  Defrag that system.  Clearing your path does amazing things to your drive, ambition and success.  Stop being open.  Clear the path.  The next time your body comes under attack by bad news, a boss that doesn't care, family and friends that steal...  Take a seat.  Then peacefully say, "Teach me."  If God's truly pushing out the pain to get your attention.  Sit your butt down and say, "Teach me."

Facing The Mask

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Multiple times during this four decade old journey through broadcasting I've been talked to about having a fake laugh. It doesn't come across as authentic. Listeners are smart enough to know the difference between a golf clap and full applause. Through out the chapters I learned how and why the laughing takes place and how to take better control. The fake laugh is no different than telling someone, "You rock! You da man!" There's nothing better to say and or react to. The fake laugh usually comes into play when a person either feels uncomfortable in the moment due to a bad joke or behavior or they lost track of the subject in the conversation and belching up a fake laugh gives off the view of you still playing along. Radio truly taught me how to fake laugh because when you're doing a morning show or you're teamed up during a different day part, there's got to be energy and laughter is part of that process of building. For me to understand the presence of a fake laugh I had to learn to take off the mask. To stop seeing myself a disc jockey or radio talent and start allowing myself to be more real as plain ole boring me. Removing the mask from your presentation puts you in the conversation and not the always up beat always on the move really far out cool person that seems to always be in the moment of expressions. I'm not saying faking your laugh is wrong. I'm not asking anyone to change it. Being aware of it can either make you look like a leader or come across as a follower. The person you're sharing a conversation with knows exactly where to change their inflection because they know its coming... That laugh. Does it make you a buzz kill to remove the fake laugh? Actually I think it will make you a better listener. You're getting the opportunity to hear the entire conversation. If you need to get out of it. Say so! Well gotta go! Fake laughs appear in more exchanges that should've ended a long long time before you realized how much your fake laugh sounds out of tune.

Take It To God

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I'm interviewed a lot. Maybe it's because I'm not afraid to talk. It could be because I believe sharing your story will always help others achieve their personal days of victory. In October of 2016 I faced an interviewer that put their focus on how I go back eighteen years and create podcasts from the daily writing. I didn't want to come across as I was defending myself. I do believe that each of us are students in the present. Some people take notes while others walk through life living in the moment. There's nothing wrong with that. I happen to document a lot of stuff and keep it protected for future use. The interviewer wanted to know what I might have been thinking about in 1998 that would have some sort of impact on someone in 2016. First... For me to know off the top of my head what I was thinking about in 1998 is insanity. Second... It's 2019! Pushing the clock back to this interview to remember this conversation took place is a date with disaster. I write so that one day we can all right. Do you know what I mean? We've got a lot of wrong turns on this journey. A huge pile of wrongs. I'm inspired by writers and leaders that sift through their personal experiences to help someone locate what's right. Being open with creativity is a very dark place for people. Most comics, songwriters, authors and actors don't like to reenter that storm. Creative success has this identity of always being connected to troubled times. I happen to go back into my trash and pull from it to help others growing like weeds within the realms of modern broadcasting. I step back to listen to what the writer was trying to say and then see how the path actually grew. There are days I don't want to air my dumps and stumbles. That's when I will walk into the bathroom and stare at myself in the mirror and say, "You made a promise to a higher power in 2012 to be real and transparent. It might be a tough subject for you to deal with right now but the message always has the ability to reach someone that needs to know a better way." What do you do on a daily basis that has the strength to reach people long after you've forgotten it? Document it sometime. The map becomes much clearer.