Happiness Book - manifesto

Earlier today, a friend and fellow writer (who's work I hope to soon show you all) helped me add another line of perspective on the Happiness Book. My mom always used to say Simple but Significant. and paring the Happiness Practice down to a book that isn't 20 volumes of meandering is quite the practice.

My friend, Laura Naughton, talked to me about creating a manifesto for the book. Basically, a mission statement. So I Googled, found a guide by Sally Wolfe, and went for it. This is the result. This is today's truth. 

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Why am I writing this book? To finally stand up for myself, current and past. To accept all of me. To love myself. To get the idea of happiness out there, so I can create a better world. Because the happier people are, the happier the world will be (because there will be less focus on trying to feel strong off of other people’s weakness; less fear for self.) And the happier and more peaceful the world, the happier I will be. And it is all about me! I am rescuing myself. I am manifesting my world.

The unique perspective of this book, the truth at the core, is that we are all unique and equal. that's there is no universal truth that applies to everyone. There is no right or wrong. I believe the whole purpose of being alive is for us each to be the best we can be, not to fit into molds, not to best each other, but to hold space for ourselves. to try and explore and to do things each our own way. The only person who knows what's right for me, is me. the only person who knows what's right for you, is you.  We are unique, and we are equal. I am not trying to feed you my truth. I am trying to help you find your truth (so that I can have a better world.).  And your truth is as valid as mine.

I want a person who reads the book or listens to the tapes or watches the videos or the classes or whatever, I want zer to come away not only feeling inspired and empowered but connected with self. To have tools for manifesting, and the knowledge that if one tool doesn’t work, another one will appear. That I don’t have the all answers, but the answers are out there. That we each are unique and equal, and there is no right and wrong, just unique, individual truths. And we don’t have to hurt others to be amazing. We are already amazing, just by being alive. And we not only get to be ourselves, we must be ourselves. I want each and every person to stand up and say, “I am doing what is right for me” and, without violence but with strength and personal truth, go forth and create a better world.

Audience: anyone who is young enough, flexible enough, willing to discard all the things that aren’t working (when it is right to discard them) and search for a connection with self. But, if I have to focus down, since it is all about me, the audience would be anyone who was or is like me – teenagers who feel ostracized, disconnected, not even bullied just confused and struggling and like they’re running just to stay still, in a place they’re not even sure they want to be but they don’t know how to get to where they want to go.

Happiness book - Question 1

Hello to you!
I have a favor to ask.
I am writing my happiness book.
Part of happiness - well, a whole great whomping part of happiness - is discovering what I want, and then figuring out what my best means of achieving this are.
I would like to use examples in the book - consistent examples, to carry through each section.
I have one example, as I am currently practicing creating easy and effortless time management habits.
But I would like two more.
One mundane example - "simple," something that feels short term like, I don't know, like cooking something.
And one emotionally impactful example.

So what, dear readers, would you want to read about? What examples - from your lives, from entertainment, from imagination - would you like to see plotted from desire (I want to do/achieve/have - or not have - THIS!) to manifestation (I did it! I am awesome!)

Comment on blogger; comment on FB; or send an email  to lilaallen@unicallen.com. Please let me know your thoughts.

Nothing is too silly or too serious. (Too sacred? Maybe.) But life is. So let's tackle it happily.

Thank you. I hope you have a great day!
-Lila

I believe!

It is late and I am due in bed in about 30 minutes - which is a way of saying, this post will probably not be well edited, and coherency is not guaranteed.

But I just had to write. Have to write. Am writing.

Because I am writing. It's day 6 of my commitment this month to write an hour a day (I am participating in NaNoWriMo as incentive. Or accountability. Or something.) And I have been doing very well. It took a little while to quit pushing myself to "get that word count!" Because that's not what it's about for me. It's actually about dedicating the time and, hopefully, getting the book in some narrative order. But I have been working on it. Yay!

I have also been practicing developing Time Management habits that work for me. (A practice that has been going on for, oh, 30 years. Maybe longer - the idea was probably planted in high school.) And it has been working.

It has been working enough that I am going to bed on time. On time to wake up tomorrow and still get a decent amount of sleep.

and the interesting thing is, I'm not getting through ALL the things I want to accomplish before bed, BUT - because I am accomplishing things, because I am honoring my needs, focusing on my real comforts, making decisions for tomorrow's happiness, because I can FEEL the habits wanting to take hold and expand and I can connect with the future possibilities - well, I feel pretty awesome.

And a little light. Because I'm not going to bed with the overwhelming feeling of "What haven't I done?"

Dear Universe - please please please help me continue on this path. Let this be the time I keep going. I know I can do it. I have made so many strides this year already. I allow there to be more. I accept more. I receive more. Thank you.

All right. Sleep well, my friends!

-Lila

Happiness book update

Hello to you!

I am pleased to say that things are going. Well,

I am fluctuating on the consistency of working on the book every day. BUT, the West Littleton Writer's  Group had its first electronic writing party and I was there (here,) clicking away.

I didn't actually win the word contest; in fact, I didn't write that many words.
Though, now that I think about it, I DID write words, they just weren't words that furthered the book - well, that's not entirely accurate either. But they were synopsis instead of formal content.

I was working on getting the tidbits and starts and random thoughts all in one place; and then having a coherent idea of what all those outpourings were about. (I'm currently using Scrivner, which has some great outline and note-making applications. But I had to figure out how to use it.)

I've been having a lot of cross eyed moments trying to figure out which way I want the book to go.

It's not about writing, that's for sure. I could probably write about Happiness all day and night. Just push the soap box button and I will serenade you with my point of view. But putting it into a book is so very different from putting it into a class. Trying to figure out how to move from A to B in a narrative yet logical fashion is putting me beyond words.

Happily, today's exercise has given me some ideas. And I may decide to get some outside opinions (such as yours.)

Meanwhile, all this setting up will help me produce words. It's not a novel, but I'm going to grace the NaNoWriMo scene with my Happiness book.

And I plan to have the first draft complete by the New Year.

But first, to bed.

I hope you have an excellent day!
-Lila

Is this really going to be a book?

Hello, Dear Reader. Just thought I'd continue my accountability and post an update about the book.

Partly because it's been awhile since I've posted something, partly so I'll keep talking about it, and partly because I've been doing an excellent job writing 30 minutes a day and it's all definitely truth of the moment, expressing my ideas about specific subjects. And while the first two chapters are narrative in style, the rest are just meanderings about my philosophy.

And I just finished babbling on about being unique, and I am staring at the multiple subjects and thinking - this can never be a GOOD book.

Yeah, I probably need to start a chapter on judgment, to remind myself that I don't believe in that either. And that GOOD & BAD are perspectives, opinions, based on comparisons.

So, what would I tell anyone else? This is just the rough draft. Not even that, this is the gathering of ideas. The stream of consciousness. This is the beginning. Keep going. If you want to make a book, you need all of your materials. And this is not about anyone else. This is about me, and my thoughts, and my work, and my commitments. Of the Lila, for the Lila, by the Lila.

And I know how I work. I get it out of my head, onto the paper/screen, THEN i form it into a work of art.

This time (today) I am not going to let my fear or my judgments or my presentiments of other people's possible opinions stop me from working on this book. Today, I am going to be proud of what I have done, and look forward to what else I will do.

Beauty.

Thank you so much for being part of my process. I hope you're having an excellent Day!

-Lila

The Book - Aaaargh! Where do I start?

Okay, I have blithely promised myself and the Universe that I will work on the happiness book.

I have even made a commitment to work on it for 30 minutes most nights.

Great. Now what?

"Just start writing!"

Yes, yes. I understand. I totally know that part. Writing for 30 minutes is the goal, and I can edit later, it doesn't matter what I put down right now, it doesn't even have to make sense yet, not even to me.

It is not a dearth of ideas that blocks my writing... it is the abundance of them!

Do I write about perspective or equality first? Value or uniqueness? Spiritual growth, mental growth, physical growth? Family (mwahahahaha) or plans for the future? Friends or past travel? Education or choices?

Do I write the exercises? The meditations? The formulas? The possibilities?

Or do I write the seminars and the classes and the thought process?

Or do I write the stories?

Do I start with my inspirations or my aspirations?

Aaaaaaaagh!

To mess with an old favorite song:
"Too many options
Too little time!"

Which, yes, is not true. I have as much time as I need. And obviously a plethora of material. And the beauty of the computer and the variety of writing programs I have is, I can start one idea today (if I'm feeling really strongly about equality) and work on another tomorrow (because I'll be pondering past travel.)

And, ha ha, because of this post, I will probably start with an exercise - perhaps on figuring out where to start? Because it is just another form of "What do I want?" which is a part of "What is my truth today?"

Well, actually, the exercise will be more generic, because other than this quandary about the book, my brain and my truth are really exploring fixing things today - a post I'm still working on.

But they actually do kind of dovetail anyway, don't they? Hmm.

(vague hand wave in general direction of reader as she wanders off to another word program...)

I hope you have a great day!
-Lila