If you hear a song enough times, you learn to like it.

"If you hear a song enough times, you learn to like it."


I first noticed this in high school.  I would hear a song I did not like on first listen, and then a month later would find myself enjoying the music.


It seems that as one ages, this phenomenon becomes more common.

"If you hear a song enough times, you learn to like it."

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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Expect the best. Plan for the worst.

"Expect the best.  Plan for the worst." - Mr. Atwater

Be optimistic, and well prepared for success, but always have a contingency plan in case the unthinkable happens.

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

The best way to wake up early

"The best way to wake up early -- is to go to sleep early." - Mr. Atwater

You need a certain amount of sleep every night so that you feel rested and healthy.If you haven't yet gotten that number of hours of sleep, you will continue sleeping unless awakened by an alarm clock or other disturbance of your natural sleeping process.

If you allow yourself adequate time for sleep and do not cheat yourself, then you won't need an alarm clock to wake up on time and you won't feel tired.

It also helps to plan your sleep for 1 1/2 hour intervals so you can maximize sleep efficiency and always get a complete cycle of REM sleep.  Then you will wake up naturally without interruption.

People want to get extra hours in the day.  Because they are not consciously aware of the benefits of sleep they think that they can live with less sleep; staying up late and waking up early.  This cannot be done for any long period of time without penalty of health, mental alertness, or general well being.

The only way to regularly and reliably wake up early in the morning is to go to sleep early the night before.

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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"Don't think about what you can't have."

"Don't think about what you can't have. 
  Think about what you can do." 
   - Mr. Atwater

Think of what you do have, what you can do, and what you need to do.

Concentrate on the task at hand and let the future take care of itself.

Don't waste time in idle day dreams about what is not real.

Concentrate on how you can make it real right now.

"Don't think about what you can't have. 
  Think about what you can do." 
   - Mr. Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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It's a man eat dog world

"It's a man eat dog world." - Mr. Atwater

Many people feel they are forced to participate in unsavory activities that may compromise their own sense of dignity and moral correctness just so they can survive another day.

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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We tend to see connections where they do not exist

We tend to see connections where they do not exist.

When I was in 8th grade, I built a "light box" with materials purchased from a science company.  The box was blinking Christmas tree lights behind a lenticular screen that fragmented the light into patterns based on the geometry of the surface.  I had three different screens that produced three different patterns.

I noticed that when I would watch the screen, I would see animated connections between the blinking lights.  As one light would turn off, another would turn on, and the light would seem to move from one position to another.  This was purely a psychological phenomena because there was no relationship between the rates at which the different bulbs blinked.  My mind had perceived a relationship between the two events even though a relationship did not exist.

Anyone who has driven through a construction zone, where sawhorses with blinking safety lights are used to divert traffic, has noticed this.  Frequently when looking down the line of sawhorses, we see animated patterns of blinking lights.  We see the lights "move" from one sawhorse to another, even though nothing moves and the blinking is totally random.

In a similar way, we see patterns and connections in the random noise of real life.  Our brain is designed to see patterns and frequently "recognizes" patterns of connection that do not actually exist.  Some optical illusions are based on this idea.  This also create confusion in office and family politics, when we ascribe motives that do not exist.  This tendency can also be the cause of paranoia, fears, and anxiety.

This perceptual bias also leads to much superstitious belief and activity.  The "truth" and "accuracy" of such practices as Tarot Cards, Astrology, Palm Reading, and Numerology is frequently just a manifestation of this same principle that "we tend to see connections where they do not exist."  And once the mind makes such a connection, it is difficult to believe there is not a corresponding relationship in real life, but there is not.

There is nothing we can "do" about this phenomenon.  It is one of the features of having a human mind.  It is a small demonstration that perception is not passive, but intentional.  It is characteristic of what I call the "fatal flaw" of the human mind.  It is an inevitable result that "optimization of information processing schemes occasionally corrupts information itself."

But mostly, it is an amusing phenomenon that allows us to enjoy watching movies and TV and Saturday morning cartoons.

We hardly notice that

"We tend to see connections where they do not exist."

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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Rules exist for a reason

"Rules exist for a reason.  Everyone should follow them; 
except me -- because I have a good excuse." - Mr. Atwater

Most everybody seems to think this way, not considering the consequences of everyone else having the same thought.

"Rules exist for a reason.  Everyone should follow them; 

except me -- because I have a good excuse." - Mr. Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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There are five more sides to the dice

"There are five more sides to the dice." - Mr. Atwater

Doing Background Acting requires a fair tolerance of rejection.  When I see a job posted and apply for the role, I am only successful in about 1/4, or 1/3, of the times.  The rest of the time, I am rejected because I did not meet certain physical requirements; or I was 'too late" and the job was already filled.

This happens to everyone.

~

Some people take the rejection personally, thinking the casting director has a vendetta, or there is some negative rating associated with their name.  When this happens to me I am tempted to think the same thing.  However, I remind myself , "It is a numbers game."   The more times I play the game, the more times I am likely to win.  The more times I "roll the dice," the more times I will get a winning number.

Most of public sales, retail sales, commercial distribution, subscription sales, insurance sales, investment products sales, and other forms of street hustling are similar. There is a certain percentage of rejection that is inherent in the business.  A predictable amount of the time even the best salesmen get rejected.  But they keep going. They "roll the dice" one more time, because they know there is always another opportunity.

~

"There are five more sides to the dice.
Next time ~ it might be a winner." - Mr. Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

How to be beautiful, or handsome

For many of us, we did not learn to think well of ourselves and we do not try to present ourselves in the best manner possible. We have learned bad habits and have a negative self impression.

Appearance is mostly a manifestation of mindset and habit. Almost anyone can project attractiveness if they work at it. Change your diet and lose weight. Buy some properly fitting clothes. Get a good haircut. Learn to be interested in other people. Become a good conversationalist. Develop a skill or talent. Learn to conduct a humorous yet considerate dialog. Read a book. Be patient. Get rid of your negative and critical friends who just put you down. Be compassionate and considerate. Strive to be your best. Brush your teeth and bathe regularly. Many of the most attractive movie stars are not all that "good looking" if you analyze them in detail. What makes them attractive is their presentation and personality. For example, look closely at photographs of Marilyn Monroe (photos, not movie clips). She is not that attractive in the face OR the body. She is very average looking. What made her an irrepressible beauty was the character she portrayed and the manner in which she conducted herself on film and in life.

Stop ruminating on your inherited "physical flaws" and start trying to be the best person you can be. It is difficult and it takes constant vigilance, but the rewards are worth it. You will discover the real "YOU," and the best person, that you can really be. And you will discover that people find you are attractive and good looking.

Stay vigilant. Stay positive. Always work to look your best and you will succeed.

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Eight of Clubs

Eight of Clubs

Found just after midnight

Sunset blvd. at Kenmore

on the corner

November 7, 2015

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Smile

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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Just keep moving...

"Just keep moving... It is harder to hit a moving target." - Mr. Atwater


Frequently we are tempted by indecision and complacency to just sit and do nothing, assuming that if we don't know what to do -- it doesn't matter what we do, even if it is to just sit and do nothing.

This is the wrong attitude for several reasons.

~

First, wilderness survival courses teach us that the easiest way to "be found" when we are lost in the wilderness is to stop moving and stay in one place.

Search teams are more likely to locate a party that is stationary.  In the same way, "bad luck" is more likely to find you and cause you harm if you just sit there and do nothing.  Your enemies (both animate and impersonal) can more easily locate you if you are stationary, and they can more easily inflict their revenge when you are not moving. And then you will pay double for your inaction; paying both in lost opportunities and lost time, in addition to the loss that has been inflicted on you.

~

Second, the world is always aging and things are constantly falling apart on their own. If we do nothing, then the whole word will slowly fall apart around us.

There is always something to do that is important, no matter how insignificant.  Clean the car, clean the kitchen, wash the dishes, do the laundry, sweep the floor, organize the papers, or throw out the unnecessary possessions, are just a few examples.  In the process of working on these trivial tasks you might find something small to fix, that one day will cause big problems if not attended to.  An example would be, worn tires, low oil, dirty windows, burned out headlamp, dirty sink, dirty floor, dirty clothes, that could lead to auto accident, injury, infection, illness, debt, lawsuits, and worse.  Fixing these things helps to protect us and improve our statistical odds of survival and prosperity.

~

Thirdly, although bad luck is always looking for us, good luck rarely is.

We have to go find good luck or make our own good luck occur.  This can only happen if we are moving, animated, and involved, if only in some absent minded and mundane manner.  At least we are moving forward and interacting with the world.  Even day dreaming and fantasizing can lead to engineering breakthroughs, business invention, music composition, artistic creation, written books, and amazing discovery; if the the idea is compelling enough to realize through hard work.

~

Lastly, it really is more difficult to hit a moving target. If your neighbor has gone psycho and is playing sniper with live rounds on the roof of his garage, he is more likely to miss if you are washing your car than if you are sunbathing by the pool.  Remember this, if you ever ARE tempted to relax; choose a location that is out of the sight line of your neighbors and stay vigilant.

~

So no matter how confused, uncertain, or lost you might be in life; just find something constructive to do -- and do it right now.  Clean something, fix something, organize something, do something nice for someone else and see what happens?  At the very least, you will have forgotten your own worries for a while; being concerned with the work at hand.

And who knows?  You just might stumble across Dame Fortune taking a little nap just where you least expected?  And THEN, you certainly will be the lucky one being blessed once again by Providence and Fortune and Luck.

And the whole time, you just thought you were taking out the garbage...

~

"Just keep moving... It is harder to hit a moving target." - Mr Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Life belongs to the living

"Life belongs to the living.  
  Let the dead bury the dead." - Mr Atwater

Life is recreated every new day.  Life is the interface, or interaction, of potential metabolism with the process of time.  This is the mystery of life.

~

As some wise person once said.

"The past is a lie.
 The future is an illusion.
  Only this present moment is real." - Anon

~

Matthew 8:22 King James Version (KJV)

But Jesus said unto him, "Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."

~

"Life belongs to the living.    
  Let the dead bury the dead." - Mr Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

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