Sarah's First Web Show!

Part light show, part contest, and all very Sarah. :D Please leave a comment saying if you think the books are for kids or adults/teenagers.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miu2H90nfbc&hl=en

Leadership Inspiration - Rags to Riches Leadership

"Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise." - Maya Angelou

Where does leadership originate? What makes a good leader? There are a multitude of perspectives and definitions on the subject. What about the followers? Who are the followers of a leader? Are the followers obeying blindly out of fear or laziness when taking the easy road? Or are the followers being self-leaders within the circles in which they participate? 

These questions are normally outside of mainstream conversations. The majority of people don't identify with being a leader or a follower. Regardless of status whether you are a parent, executive, professional, spouse, group member, caregiver, etc. you have unlimited leadership potential. Powerful self-leadership is when you answer your call to what is important to you and makes a difference.   

Leading from within is based on your truth. It is answering the call to your vision, not someone else's future. Following a compelling passion is usually followed by mastery.

Take the rags to riches story of J. K. Rowling. J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, is an excellent example of a self-leadership story. Rather than letting circumstances define her, she took proactive steps to develop the possibility of having a book published. In 1990, while she was waiting for a train from Manchester to London, she came up with an idea for a story about a young boy attending a wizardry school. The train she was waiting for was delayed four hours, but within that span of time the characters and plots came flooding into her head. When she arrived at home she immediately began putting the story to paper.    

Between 1990 and 1995, while she worked on her manuscript for Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone on an old manual typewriter, her mother passed away, she moved to Portugal, got married, gave birth to a daughter, got divorced, moved to Scotland with her daughter, was diagnosed with clinical depression, contemplated suicide, was unemployed and lived on state benefits.  Rather than succumb to life altering transitions, she wrote every chance she could. Her experiences were instrumental in developing the Harry Potter characters. For example, her illness gave her the idea of the soulless creatures, Dementors.

The death of her mother influenced her writing when describing the emotions Harry Potter felt with the death of his parents. J. K. Rowling submitted her manuscript to 12 publishing houses. She received rejections from each of them. It was a small British publishing house in London that finally accepted the book due to the persuasion of the editor's eight-year old daughter. Barry Cunningham gave the first chapter to his daughter. After reading it the little girl insisted on reading the next chapter. The Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997 followed by six more Harry Potter stories. 

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J. K. Rowling

Forbes ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007; the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune in 2008 at $768 million; and she has become a prominent philanthropist. She took charge of her life in following through with an idea she was passionate in fulfilling. She took the high road in spite of what was thrown at her that could have easily swayed her to be a follower. Her self-leadership led her into leadership roles helping others develop self-leadership.  

History and present day events are plentiful with persons who have made a difference in all walks of life and practices. They started out as self-leaders. Self-leaders are purposely stretching their possibility potential effecting their internal and external environments. They are visionaries and see beyond circumstances. They are creative inventors, scientists, cooks, interior designers, truck drivers, entrepreneurs, authors. In other words, they show up in all walks of life. They grow in their personal evolution by waking up their potential, daring to move toward a new possibility through self-leadership.  

Questions to Ponder:

What is it that you are passionate about in becoming and doing? Where are you now professionally/personally? Is this where you want to stay? If you don't take action now, when will you? Why wait?  

Tips to Activate Self-Leadership:

Read biographies on people who followed their vision and not someone else's. In many cases, they failed often in reaching their goals, or experienced major transitions beyond their control. However, what was in their control was what road they chose to follow. If you aren't failing, you are doing the same things over and over again. When taking on something new there are inherent components.

One big one is failure. Make friends with failure and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Stop being invisible and answer your call. At first you may ask, "What is my calling?" That is a great question and that is where you begin. Asking the question activates opportunities to get the answer.

Remember: Anything Is Possible

"Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve." - J. K. Rowling

2009 Top Searched Celebs By Teen Vogue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNNCd51jyOY&hl=en

Charlene Kaye - Vibrate (Rufus Wainwright) and Rollercoaster (M.Ward) cover

www.myspace.com live at the Living Room in NYC 2/9/10



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TZaoN2nAqo&hl=en

Success Comes to Those Who Never Give Up

Do you remember the last time you saw an advert, book or movie for Harry Potter, watched or purchased an item from Disney, or switched your lights on? It's amazing how we enjoy these things, and so many other things on a daily basis, and yet they all started with a dream. A dream a person had for their life, and refused to give up on the dream, until their dream was fully realised. If you have ever felt or feel like giving up, these three real life examples demonstrate the power one has in realising their dreams, when they don't give up on them.

Thomas Edison, Inventor
Invented the phonograph, motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb. Edison was quoted as saying it would take a matter of a few weeks to invent the light bulb. In reality, it would take him almost two years of 6,000 failed attempts, in his experiments of the different carbonized plant fibers, looking for a carbon filament for his light bulb. During one of his experiments, Edison's laboratory was destroyed by an explosion. It was at this time we would think it would be all over for Edison, as he did not have the capital to build a new laboratory. It was his dear friend Henry Ford who heard about the explosion, who believed if anyone was going to find the answer it would be Edison. It was this faith, Ford had in Edison, he would loan Edison the money to build a new laboratory. Shortly, thereafter Edison would invent an entire lighting system rather than just a single light bulb.

Edison succeeded where others had failed. Edison chose to look at the big picture and created a lighting system including wiring, plugs, and connectors, to operate more than one light bulb at once. Thomas Edison's achievements include holding a world record of 1093 patents for inventions.

His most famous quote: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Walt Disney, Disneyland
Walt Disney was raised on a farm near Marceline, Missouri; he became interested in drawing at only six years of age, selling his first sketches to neighbors when he was only seven years old. At 16 Disney was sent to France to drive an ambulance for Red Cross, the ambulance was covered stem to stern in Disney cartoons. It was at the age of 21, Walt had started to create "The Alice Comedies", half way through the production, he ran out of money, and went bankrupt. Walt had discussed his financial problems with his brother Roy, who suggested they pool all their resources together; in the process of pooling all their resources together, they obtained a loan for $500 to set up shop in their uncle's garage. Shortly after they received an order from New York and expanded. Walt's life long dream was to create the "Happiest Place on Earth" which we now know as Disneyland. He had drawn up plans for his huge Disneyland fun park, and was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream: Disneyland. Today, due to his persistence, millions of people have shared in 'the joy of Disney'.

J.K Rowling, Harry Potter
Joanne Rowling was born and raised in England, Rowling started writing fantasy stories when she was 6 years old. Her first story, Rabbit, was filled with interesting characters such as a large bee called Miss Bee. Eventually, she graduated from school to become a bilingual secretary due her parents persisting she would make a great secretary. However, Rowling while working as a secretary found it difficult to remain attentive, and often would write ideas for stories, rather than taking company notes.

A few years later Rowling would marry and have a daughter. Unfortunately, her marriage ended in a sad divorce, where Rowling found herself unemployed and collecting welfare to survive. This caused Rowling to feel a great sense of failure and unworthiness, as a result she admits to suffering from major depression, to the point she even contemplated suicide. The only reason she did not commit suicide was due to her daughter, as she asked herself, "who will take care of her and how will this impact the rest of her life." What's amazing is Rowling in suffering such an array of difficult circumstances was able to somehow find the strength within, to go back to her childhood dream, and that was to write the Harry Potter story. In writing her first manuscript she would often go to the cafes to write, as the cafes kept her and her daughter warm during England's cold winter months. Rowling in completing her first manuscript had submitted her manuscript to a number of publishers. Her manuscript was turned down by many, who told her it would never sell due to a lack of demand for such a book. Despite, these rejections, Rowling refused to give up, she kept sending out her manuscript, and it was a smaller publishing house based in London that agreed to publish the first Harry Potter book.

Her writings in the summer of 2000, had reportedly earned over $400 million for her first three Harry Potter books, which have been printed in 35 languages and sold over 30 million copies. She is now known as the most successful writer in the world with the most sales, in the shortest amount of time.

Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. ~Charles F. Kettering

How Movies Can Inspire You to Stay True to Your Dream

There is no accomplishment that has not been tested by life. Success is never a pain-free process. If you have a dream and want to see it come through, you must be ready to show faith in it, during the darkest, most difficult moments. How many of you reached a point when you said “Enough! I give up!” I bet, many. Even I am one among you. But, the truth is that, if you persevere, if you go past the “I give up” phase, if you affirm your faith in your dream, then the Invisible Examiner will see that you are serious about your purpose and will grant you success. Remember, the only way to pass the Examiner’s test is to show faith in action. Here’s how you do it:

Faith Is Like Love: We Must Prove It with Actions

When you love someone with all your heart, you accept that person as who he or she is, including their imperfections and shortcomings. You don’t say “I love you for this, but I hate you for that”, right? And, when the person you love needs your help you do give it, unconditionally. The same happens with faith. When you have faith in your dream, you do so despite the challenges your dream will bring in your path. It’s your dream and it depends only on your actions to fulfill it. So, when the path to fulfillment gets rough, you don’t give up. You show faith, much as you show love for someone when they are going through a hard time that makes that person difficult to deal with.

An example of unshakable faith is J. K. Rowling, the author of “Harry Potter”. She wrote most of her first “Harry Potter” book in coffee shops, because they were heated and she could not afford to pay for heat in her apartment. A single mother without childcare, she carried her baby daughter in a stroller that she kept by her side while writing away Harry Potter’s story, moved by an inner need to continue on until her book was finished. When she submitted her book, it was at first rejected by a number of publishers. She never gave up. Showing faith in her dream through actions, she persevered. She knew all along that writing Harry Potter was her only option, even though she had no way of proving that it would ever become such a tremendous, tremendous success. Her faith in her dream was so strong that lit her path even when it seemed completely dark and hopeless to others. She passed all the tests of her Invisible Examiner with flying colors, until she proved that her faith was stronger than her challenges.

How to Pass the Test of Faith in Your Dream

You too can you show unshakable faith in your dream! Here are some tips to follow when the Examiner tests you and wants to see that you mean business:

1. Meditate. Use silence to connect with your inner core, your creative source, and draw strength and inspiration to pursue your dream.

2. Stay connected with your dream. Write it as a statement and read it again and again. Or create a collage or a drawing of your dream, and keep it in a visible place, so you can see it frequently. It’s amazing how much this simple activity can re-energize your faith.

3. Talk with your inner mentor, or reach out to your physical mentor. In Reel Fulfillment: A 12-Step Plan for Transforming Your Life through Movies,, I walk you through the steps of doing this.

4. Talk to an ally. This can be a friend, a coach, your minister, someone you trust and who cares about you.

5. Keep checking your results. Keep a log of your progress, to remind yourself how far you have come since you began pursuing your dream.

6. Ask yourself: “Would I want to go back to where I was before I started pursuing my heart’s desire?” Answer honestly, running through your mind all the aspects of your former life. As long as your answer is, “No way!” you’re on the right track

7. Watch a film with your favorite character who also inspires you. Afterwards, have an imaginary dialogue with him or her. In Reel Fulfillment I show you how to do that.

8. Do one thing that brings your closer to your dream when your faith is challenged. This is how you show your Invisible Examiner that you are not shunned by tests. For example, if you want to be a famous author but your manuscript just got rejected, write a short article and publish it in a local newspaper, or on the internet. You will feel better and continue to look for a publisher who will accept your manuscript.

How Movies Can Help You Stay True to Your Dreams

As your faith in your dreams is challenged, tested or questioned, movies can be great allies to keep you on track. This is what you can do: from the following list, pick one or more movies and watch them alone or with friends.

• Field of Dreams

• October Sky

• Billy Elliot

• Working Girl

• Real Women Have Curves

Questions to answer:

1. What is the main character’s dream and what challenges he/she face?.

2. Through what concrete actions does the main character show faith in his/her dream?

3. How does the universe help the main character after he/she passes the test of Faith?

4. How does the character inspire you to strengthen faith in your dream?

5. Now that you watched this movie, what will you do differently to stay true to your dream?

Harry Potter, Tolkien, and the Roots of Fantasy

The media circus around the release of the last Harry Potter novel is finally beginning to die down, but that does little to disguise the fact that the fantasy genre is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Hundreds of millions were spent to bring Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Rowling's Harry Potter series, C.S. Lewis's Narnia and others to the big screen, and the gamble has paid off.

But where did the genre originate? Many have the mistaken idea that the fantasy genre began with Tolkien. Though Tolkien brought fantasy into the literary spotlight, fantasy itself has been around for far longer and indeed in some respects dates back to the very beginnings of literature.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer's The Illiad and The Odyssey, while set in familiar realms, contain many of the aspects - heroes, warring gods, monsters, quest-related adventure - that has become part and parcel of modern fantasy. Much of the fodder for modern fantasy is taken from early literature, especially myths, legends, and religion.

Elements of fantasy have appeared throughout the history of literature, whether as religious facets (ala Dante's Divine Comedy), allegory (Spenser's The Faerie Queen), or in mythology and the various medieval legends of King Arthur and Roland. The popular Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, full of fantastic elements, became an important text for many later fantasy writers. Other literary precursors to the fantasy genre include such notable works as Shakespeare's Macbeth & The Tempest; Milton's Paradise Lost; and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.

Modern fantasy literature, as we know it, began with the Victorians, who had a long-abiding love for fairy tales and the fantastic. There was a great resurgence of interest in mythology and folklore. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm traveled throughout their native Germany, gathering old folktales. Hans Christian Anderson wove bits and pieces of Scandinavian folklore into his tales. Elias Lönnrot published the Kalevala, an epic poem compiled from Finnish folktales. Andrew Lang wrote and published a series of color-coded "Fairy Stories" during the latter part of the nineteenth century.

William Morris - one member of a group of Victorian writers, poets, and artists known as the "Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood" - was among the first to write pure "fantasy" tales, that is, tales set in an entirely invented realm. Morris's novels, heavily influenced by his love of northern (particularly Norse) mythology, set the stage for the fantasy masters of the twentieth century.

J.R.R. Tolkien, arguably the single most influential writer of modern fantasy, took this idea to the next level. His fictional world of Middle-earth contained all the depth of our own - a complex history, lovable and detestable characters, gods and heroes, mountains and rivers, joy and despair. Tolkien never foresaw the mass popularity that his works gained. He wrote primarily for pleasure and diversion, weaving bits and pieces of mythology and philology (the study of language) with his own imagination.

Much as his friend and fellow scholar C.S. Lewis did with his Narnia series, Tolkien drew on his immense knowledge of mythology, language, and literature to build a fully-developed and internally consistent world. Tolkien's well-known essay, "On Fairy Stories", lays out some ground rules for successful fantasy.

Tolkien discounted the idea of "willing suspension of disbelief", noting that

"What really happens is that the story-maker proves a successful 'sub-creator.' He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is 'true': it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside. The moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken; the magic, or rather art, has failed." (JRR Tolkien, The Tolkien Reader, pg. 60).

In the years since Tolkien, the genre of fantasy has exploded upon popular culture. Some very gifted writers - among them Ursula LeGuin, Stephen R. Donaldson, Tad Williams, Phillip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, and George R.R. Martin - have left (or continue to make) their mark upon the field of fantasy fiction.

J.K. Rowling, with her immensely successful Harry Potter books, has helped to keep the genre in the limelight, introducing a whole new generation of readers to the fantasy genre. Rowling has scoured the depths of mythology and folklore in the pursuit of material for her created world.

Each individual writer uses these fantastic elements differently. Tolkien captures the mood and stark beauty of northern mythology. George R.R. Martin, with his enormously popular Song of Ice and Fire books, uses bits of mythology (dragons, sorcery) and mixes them with a heady dose of historical details. Rowling uses her phantasmagoria of mythological creatures and legends almost whimsically.

Varying styles aside, the modern fantasy genre has roots deep in the history of literature. There is an innate human need for the magical, to rise above the mundane. It is what drives each culture to create mythology, to look for a meaning higher than the everyday. It is that curse word of modern literary criticism - "escapism" - but it is also something more. Mythology (and fantasy) fulfills needs that the everyday world does not.

This drive, going back to the very beginning of literature, is what still drives millions of readers to pick up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or The Fellowship of the Ring.

Revered scholar Joseph Campbell once said: "Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths."

Fantasy novels are often those dreams given expression.