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My 5th Book

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Creativity, Health, ThinkingNo Comments

Hello All,

If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I’m an Author of four books:

There’s lots of metaphors about writing a book. They are in the main negative, describing it in ways such as it’s like pulling teeth. But that isn’t my experience. I love the whole process of writing a book, from the initial concept, to developing and fleshing out the idea, to the process of writing and editing it. Then finally sharing it with the world when I publish it internationally on Amazon, in as many formats as possible.

I am proud of each and every book that I’ve published, four in total so far. Each time I feel that it is the best work I have done to date and have no idea how I’m going to top it in the next book. But I always do.

Each of my books is unique and takes me on a wonderful journey of learning and growth. I liken it to being like what I imagine bringing a new born baby into the world is like. This sometimes makes them harder to sell, as they are all so different.

But sales is never the aim of producing these creative works. Maybe it should be? Maybe it shouldn’t? Whose to say? Right now, as long as I’m happy with the finished product, that’s good enough for me.

It will come as no surprise to you that I’m already working on my next book. Hopefully due out later this year (2024). Here’s a very early draft (subject to change in the editing process) of a small section I’ve just finished writing today:

It’s the first time I’ve ever shared some of my work this early in the creative process.

So what can I tell you about this mysterious 5th book I’m working on?

  • Well it has a title and a finalised book cover.
  • As you’ve probably guessed from the sample section above, it’s a book about the human body.
  • It’s going to be aimed at Healthcare Professionals and anyone who wants to know more about the body.
  • In this book I’m experimenting with using humour to bring the topic to life. Humorous writing is much more difficult than it sounds.
  • I’ve also bought some Illustrations and a Commercial Licence for these from a rather brilliant Illustrator.

I don’t want to share any more than that right now. But I hope that’s peaked your interest in learning more about book number 5. More updates and information to follow soon.

Write soon,

Antony

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Wednesday 28 February 2024

The Positive Side to Disappointment

By Life, ThinkingNo Comments
the-positive-side-to-disappointment-2018 Sometimes things in life don’t work out the way we’d like or expect them to. I’ve had one of these experiences recently and it led to me feeling disappointed. I wont go into what happened here, but will discuss what I learned from the experience.

Disappointment is a mix of emotions including sadness, rejection, frustration and anger. Feeling let down. Feeling like you have failed. None of these emotions or feelings are positive.

But if you take some time to think about it, there is a positive side to disappointment. Here are some positives:

  • Learning – You can learn a lot from the experience that caused you to feel disappointed. You can use this learning to help you navigate future similar events.
  • Stepping stone to future success – Anyone who is successful has often failed (and no doubt felt disappointment at the same time). But they have used past failures and disappointments as a stepping stone to future success.
  • Thing happen for a reason – I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason. Even if you don’t understand it at the time. Opportunities that I have failed to get in the past have nearly always turned out with me feeling grateful that I didn’t succeed in the first place.
  • An opportunity to take time out, reflect and re-plan – Feelings of disappointment take you out of your normal logical cognitive functioning. This can be an opportunity to take time out, reflect on choices made and change future plans.
  • Motivation – Feeling disappointed initially demotivates anyone. But once you get past this initial stage you can use it to motivate you and use it as springboard to future success.
  • To get perspective – Disappointment can be used to put things into perspective. Ask yourself: are you going to care about this in a year’s time? Is it life or death? Will it cause the world to end? Compare what’s important in your life and this disappointment to gain a more positive perspective.
  • Look at how well you did – Ask yourself: Could you have done anything more? Would it have changed the outcome? If the answer to both of these questions is no, then recognise that you did your very best. Make peace with yourself and accept this.
  • Other opportunities – Know that other opportunities are open to you. Yes, there is always the risk of failure and/or disappointment, but think of the benefits of these opportunities should you be successful. Now imagine how many of these opportunities would you have missed had you not been disappointed now. You might have an even better opportunity awaiting you around the corner.

Blog soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Wednesday 11 July 2018

Book Review: The Craft – A Witch’s Book Of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison

By Books & Authors, Paganism, ReviewsNo Comments
the-craft-dorothy-morrison-book-cover The Craft – A Witch’s Book Of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison is a brilliant book about The Craft.

I’ve been pagan for a long time, but it’s always good to go back over the basics. This book covers: working with power sources, magical boosters, tools (including Wand, Cup, Athame, Pentacle & other tools), casting a circle and pagan festivals.

Morrison has a warm, engaging and humorous writing style. Reading The Craft is like having an intimate and meaningful conversation with Morrison herself. She writes in a way that informs, ultimately inspires and without a single word wasted.

The Craft is bursting with little gems of knowledge and wisdom such as:

All are direct quotes from The Craft – A Witch’s Book Of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison:

1. “When all elements are used in equal combination, they form static electricity.” (p. 20)
2. “successful magic relies heavily upon emotion rather than logic.” (p. 33)
3. “Magic usually works in twenty-one days, or not at all.” (p. 29)
4. “Part of basic witchery is learning to work with what you have and substitute if need be.” (p. 41)
5. “Not only must we engage our brains when performing magic, we must use them effectively. We have to be able to think, concentrate and focus. We must reply on the creative flow.” (p. 97-98)
6. “When we take our place in the center of the Circle and take our place as Akasha, we provide a perfectly balanced arena from which magic flows…” (p. 112)

I learned some new things and gained an even deeper understanding of somethings by reading The Craft. No matter who you are or what experiences in The Craft you have, undertake all activities and exercises in the book. I undertook all activities and exercises and they all benefited me. Each of the activities are designed to encourage personal growth and learning.

The only thing The Craft missed out is any reference or explanation of what a Book of Shadows is.

The Craft – A Witch’s Book Of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison is a must have for any Witch. It is an excellent reference book for moon phases, sun phases, days of the week, times of day, pagan festivals, plants, herbs, trees, magical tools, dream symbols, stones, deities and the Book of Law.

The Craft – A Witch’s Book Of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison has made it on to my top shelf where my all-time favourite books are kept. It is one that I will read again and reference regularly.

Review soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Thursday 18 August 2016

A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia

By Education, The Web, Thinking12 Comments

Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia all affect the way people learn. Some people may have one of these conditions diagnosed, whereas others may have two or even all three of these conditions diagnosed.

I have been diagnosed primarily with Dyspraxia, with some Dyslexia and more than a touch of Dyscalculia. But with determination, support and self-belief I have overcome adversity to be relatively successful. I am not alone. Many famous people have Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and/or Dyscalculia and have managed to be successful at what they do.

Below is a definition of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, along with a list of famous people (in alphabetical order) with each condition:

Dyspraxia is:

…a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults…DCD is a lifelong condition, formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation…[DCD] occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present: these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experiences.

(From: Dyspraxia Foundation – About Dyspraxia, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

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A List of Famous People with Dyspraxia

albert-einstein

Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist [Deceased]
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
bill-gates

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
daniel-radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, Actor
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © NBC.
isaac-newton

Isaac Newton, Physicist and Mathematician [Deceased]
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Wiki Media.
pablo-picasso

Pablo Picasso, Artist/Painter [Deceased]
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © The Art Story.
richard-branson

Richard Branson, Business Man and Philanthropist
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © bio.
robin-williams

Robin Williams, Comedian and Actor [Deceased]
According to The Blog With (More Than) One Post….
Image From & Copyright © DAVID LANZILAO/REDUX on Daily Beast.
stephen-fry

Stephen Fry, Comedian, Writer and Presenter
According to Auckland Dyspraxia Support Trust.
Image From & Copyright © Stephen Fry.

 *

* Apologies for the lack of females on this list. No famous females found to have Dyspraxia online. Know a famous female with Dyspraxia? Leave a comment below.

Dyslexia is:

…a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling.

It’s a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected.

(From: NHS Choices – Dyslexia Introduction, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyslexia

agatha-christie

Agatha Christie, Writer [Deceased]
According to Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
cher

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
eddie-izzard

Eddie Izzard, Comedian, Writer and Actor
According to Dyslexia Association of Ireland.
Image From & Copyright © SBS TV.
keira-knightley

Keira Knightley, Actress
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © IndieWire.
leonardo-da-vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, Inventor, Artist and all-round Genius [Deceased]
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © Leonardo da Vinci.net.
orlando-bloom

Orlando Bloom, Actor
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © TimeInc.
steve-jobs

Steve Jobs, Inventor and Apple Co-Founder [Deceased]
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © 9to5Mac.
steven-spielberg

Steven Spielberg, Film Director
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Slate Magazine.
thomas-edison

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]
According to: The Power of Dyslexia.
Image From & Copyright © bio.
tom-cruise

Tom Cruise, Actor
According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © TomCruise.com.
whoopi-goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg, Comedian, Actress and Activist
According to: Understood.
Image From & Copyright © Teacup Puppies Store.
winston-churchill

Winston Churchill, Politician and Former Prime Minister of the UK [Deceased]
According to: Disabled World.
Image From & Copyright © ITV.

Dyscalculia is:

…is usually perceived of as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic.

Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disorder that is characterised by impairments in learning basic arithmetic facts, processing numerical magnitude and performing accurate and fluent calculations. These difficulties must be quantifiably below what is expected for an individual’s chronological age, and must not be caused by poor educational or daily activities or by intellectual impairments.

(From: British Dyslexia Association – DYSCALCULIA, Last accessed: Sunday 31st July 2016.)

A List of Famous People with Dyscalculia

cher2

Cher, Singer and Actress
According to Dyscalculia Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Cher.com.
benjamin-franklin

Benjamin Franklin, A Founding Father of the United States of America [Deceased]
According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © Wikimedia.
bill-gates2

Bill Gates, Philanthropist and Founder of Microsoft
According to Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © The Telegraph.
thomas-edison2

Thomas Edison, Inventor [Deceased]
According to: Dr Linda’s Blog.
Image From & Copyright © bio.

 *

* According to Dyscalculia Blog, Dyscalculia is rarer than Dyslexia. Dyscalculia is not as well known as Dyspraxia or Dyslexia. This means that it’s likely that less people are assessed for Dyscalculia and therefore less people diagnosed with it. This would go someway to explaining the lack of famous people with Dyscalculia on the list above.

Write soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Friday 5 August 2016
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