LegendaryLife Blog

As a fellow author who is working on his third book (this time, science fiction), I can now relate far better to the success that J.K. Rowling has had with her books. When luck, creativity and a strong ambition come into perfect sync, you get the explosive success that she has enjoyed with her Harry Potter series. I have embed the YouTube.com segments for easier viewing, this is really fascinating stuff so I have also included a summary along with my comments.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 1 of 6

• November 2006 and J.K. Rowling is finishing-up the final book of the Harry Potter series in an undisclosed hotel.
• The entire Harry Potter series took 17 years to write.
• Documentary will focus on how she turned a small book into a global empire that crosses generational, social, geographical and religious boundaries.
• She hates bigotry,is most afraid of losing somebody she loves,likes moral men (she gives a laugh) and women with generosity.
• Her principal defect is a short view on things, favorite occupation is writing (no surprise there) and her favorite virtue is courage.
• She shares the same birthday as Harry Potter, the 31st of July.
• J.K. Rowling hated her childhood haircuts.
• Her parents were hoping for a boy but got a girl, she even knows the name her parents were going to name their son.

My initial impressions is that she is incredibly homely, she seems to understand how lucky she is to be in her position and is trying to get the most out of it while it lasts. She has a good sense of humor and isn’t afraid of making fun of herself, she also shares a lot of her own childhood with the main character in her Harry Potter books.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 2 of 6

• She moved out of the suburbs into the countryside at 9 years old, the woods, which played an important role in her books, are where she enjoyed a lot of her free time.
• J.K. Rowling considers forests spooky but is still drawn to them.
• She use to clean a church for some extra pocket money as a child, remembering how cold the conditions were in the winter.
• She struggles with her belief in God.
• In 1980, her mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was 15 years old, this had a profound effect on her.
• Her relationship with her father wasn’t on the best of terms, hence why Harry Potter idealized the father figures in her books, she hasn’t keep in contact with him for several years.
• In 1990, her mother died without every seeing the success that she was about to enjoy as she was six months into writing the first novel.
• Harry Potter was her way of dealing with the grief found in her own family, the sadness and darkness she felt had a profound effect on the characters and the way the plot developed.
• J.K. Rowling wishes she could go back and see her mother dead, she was convinced by her father not to see her mother in that state.
• “Truth is always easier to live with than a lie”
• She moved to Portugal, got married and was an English teacher but within two years, she got divorced but had a daughter called Jessica
• When she returned to England, she was severely depressed and unhappy with how her life was turning-out
• She was living entirely on benefits, extremely poor and became clinically depressed which inspired her dementor characters in the Harry Potter Series

The loss of her mother and a failed marriage while living in poverty was what motivated her to continue writing her book, she felt it was her one chance out of the hole she lived in. If it wasn’t for these internal struggles, Harry Potter probably wouldn’t have been as deep and dark as it came out to be. Out of extreme grief, she found direction and turned sadness into happiness through her writing.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 3 of 6

• Voldemort represents all that is evil in every imaginable form, he is the ultimate manifestation of the depression she felt writing the book.
• She accepts that some people will love her book and others will hate it.
• J.K. Rowling knows there is a lot of hype behind the final book in the Harry Potter series and that she has no hope in hell of matching everybody’s built-up expectations regarding her work.
• She really likes how the series has ended, regardless of what others may think.
• She brings the final manuscript to her agent, in person, at a coffee shop.
• J.K. Rowling goes through the book with the editor who makes sure everything is tied-up and making sense followed by a review by the publisher.

J.K. Rowling seems to accept the fame she has been given by her fans but also recognizes that no matter what she does, there will always be those who don’t wish the best for her. She isn’t under any illusions that the life she enjoys will last forever and also seems to have a deep longing for acceptance within herself. She is secure in who she is but has learned to look within herself for her own happiness.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 4 of 6

• Everybody through the publication process is sword to secrecy so everybody knows what happens at the same time depending on how fast they can read.
• On April 23rd, 2007, the audio book is recorded for the Deathly Hallows.
• Photography is taken of J.K. Rowlings and Jason Fry who recorded the audio for her book.
• J.K. Rowling’s goal in life was to be a published author, fame and fortune were never even a thought of hers while writing the Harry Potter series.
• Three weeks before the launch of her new and final book, she goes to the movies to watch the theater adaptation of “Order of the Phoenix”.
• She enjoys some aspects of her fame while other parts are horrible.
• J.K. Rowling likes to talk to people regarding her book but hates the extroverted aspect that is forced upon her when ever a movie or book is launched.
• The Harry Potter series has sold more than 350 million copies and is available in 65 different languages around the world! (as of 2007)
• J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the fastest selling book in history.
• She is in demand around the world, flying around in a private Jet (her publisher’s)
• She has two children with her present husband, who is a doctor
• Under extreme stress, J.K. Rowling’s husband says, she detaches herself from the situation and believes in only herself.
• She is a driven, single-minded person who only truly believes in herself, at the end of the day, to get things done.
• The marketing power behind her book launch and movies is global and astonishing in every respect.
• J.K. Rowling is constantly surprised at the levels of fame, expectation and demands her life now has, considering how many personal struggles she has had to endure earlier in life.
• The fans are very happy to finally have the conclusion of the Harry Potter series in their hands and can’t wait to listen and read the book.

She has experienced an incredible change in fortunes and it has marked her greatly. She is now living a life that, at one time, was the furthest thing from possibly ever happening to her. The Harry Potter series became her emotional anchor, to which, through hard work and dedication, lifted her out of the binds of poverty into a very wealthy and famous woman known around the world. She believes in herself because she is the one who is responsible for her success when probably, others, let her down and wrote her off as a struggling author.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 5 of 6

• She relishes in the success and influence she is having on a generation of young children and adults
• For J.K. Rowling and her alter ego, Harry Potter, love is the strongest power there is
• She has the entire future of the main characters in Harry Potter mapped-out
• When pressed about making one final book in the Harry Potter series, she pretty much closes the idea, she finished it and doesn’t seem to have any motivation to continue.
• She is happy taking care of her family and moving on with her life after 17 years of writing.
• J.K. Rowling says she is the happiest she has ever been in her entire life.
• Hollywood comes to her, not the other way around… showing just how much of a force she is in the entertainment industry.
• She still has difficulty accepting her importance after living in obscurity and being ignored for most of her life.
• “Half of her life is normal while the other is completely mad.”
• J.K. Rowling considers her financial affairs private but she does say that she has loads of money.

For all the fame and success she has endured, she still has, like many other successful people, a hint “when will this all end?” She is living the life of her dreams and seems to have a certain amount of anxiety about the whole affair. When everything becomes possible, the challenges in life seem to go away, which present their own host of problems.

J.K. Rowling: A Year in her Life Part 6 of 6

• J.K. Rowling loves her shoes and she worries little about friends wanting her money or it changing the way they view her now that she does have lots of it.
• She gets about 1 500 letters a week from fans and strangers alike asking for help of various kinds.
• She has a charitable trust that helps people in need.
• She really hates people who have no idea what it’s like living in poverty, social exclusion is a driving theme in her life and in her books.
• J.K. Rowling has never forgotten the feelings and struggles that came along with her life when she lived in extreme poverty with her child.
• She seems to have kept paying rent or bought places that marked her greatly while growing-up such as old apartments and homes, so she never forgets her struggles.
• She is deeply moved visiting the haunts that, at the time, she used to turn her life around and if she lost everything, those are the places she would return to.
• With her fame and fortune, she still seems very at home and at peace among other people, as if nobody knows her or will recognize her.
• She feels she was extremely lucky to enjoy the success she has created for herself and is slowly coming into realizing that everything she now enjoys is real, not a dream.
• She loves to write and needs that act in her life to feel whole.

My thoughts on J.K. Rowling

She came from very humble beginnings, had extreme hardships and depression but never lost hope in herself or abilities as a writer. Her goal was to be published and to live off her writing, never did she ever fathom the success and wealth she would have created for herself nor the happiness she now enjoys thanks to the Harry Potter series. She didn’t write to become rich and famous, it happened because she believed enough in herself to write something that others would enjoy.

The Bottom Line

Success comes out of love and passion for what you do, not greed.

Buzvia: YouTube.com, J.K.Rowling Official Site

Only 12 people have ever been there...

There are two aspects of ultimate achievement I find fascinating, the first, is the unlikely climb, coincidences and shier luck that lead to it and then, “what happened after wards?” There are firsts for everything, many of which have been forgotten by time, but let’s explore what happened to twelve individuals who landed on the Moon, the most rare of feats.

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong was the first to land and walk on the Moon, he made that famous speech that is at the tip of everybody’s tongue. How did he react? Well, he shied away from the spotlight and went into teaching and running a business. He later came out of his shell for a biographical book about his achievement but is rumored to be skipping-out on the anniversary party with NASA. His admiration for all the hard work and sacrifices by others along with his patriotic duty have forced him into a corner of thinking of the entire experience as a fringe benefit to his job with NASA… though, I am sure deep-down, he had a hell of a time! He was described as a reserved.

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

Yes, that is where Toy Story got the name from, now that we have that out of the way, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin took the opposite route of his co-worker Neil Armstrong. He went on lecture and book writing binge and continues to play an active role in space exploration with a plan to reach Mars and three patent applications relating to space station devices. He shows all the enthusiasm you would expect for a guy lucky enough to walk on the Moon, and he isn’t afraid of showing it! He was described as an avid explorer.

Charles “Pete” Comrad

As the first man to ever dance on the Moon and I prefer his reaction to walking ont he Moon to Neils which was:

“Whoopie! That may have been one small step for Neil, but it’s a long one for me!”

After retiring from NASA, Charles “Pete” Comrad went into business but died from a motorcycle accident in 1999 at the age of 69 years old which happens to be the same digits as his Moon landing, in 1969. He was described as anything but reserved, a cowboy at heart.

Alan Bean

Alan got into painting soon after his return from the Moon. He has tried to recreate the excitement and emotions he felt while he was there on canvas, including parts of lunar dust and memorabilia with each of them. He was described as an artist.

Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard was doubly lucky, the first man in space and the fifth to ever set foot on the Moon! He is probably most recognized for playing golf on the Moon. Although he died of leukemia in 1998, he left around a legacy illustrating how fragile our Earth really is. He is described as mix between a jock and a philosopher.

Edgar Michell

The entire experience of landing on the Moon profoundly affected Edgar Michell, he came back convinced that aliens are a real phenomena (which they are) but that they are visiting us (which I doubt, the smart ones at least). The shier number of galaxies out there in the universe  points to the fact that there is intelligent life out there, the argument is now whether one civilization would be able to visit another in their given lifetimes as the distances involved are massive, even if light-speed travel were possible. He is described as a maverick.

James Irwin

James Irwin walked on the Moon and came back a very religious man after seeing such a fragile and small Earth from outerspace. He was forever changed by the experience and dedicated his life to his beliefs soon after returning. He died of a heart attack in 1991 at 61 years of age. He was described as the spiritual anchor.

David Scott

After dedicated his life towards becoming an astronaut, once he returned from the Moon, he got hit by the “what do I do next with my life?” disease. What did he do? He started a company specializing in space project management. He was described as the youngster of the class of 12, being only 39 when he walked on the Moon!

John Young

John Young has pushed heavily on the development of colonies on other planets because, as he describes it, all of humanity can be wiped-out in one shot by any host of cosmic or Earth born afflictions. He is described as the futurist.

Charles Duke

At the age of 36, Charles Duke spent more than 71 hours on the Moon! After leaving NASA, he started his own company and ministry. He is described as the wide-eyed.

Eugene Cernan

Eugene Cernan was forever changed from the entire 73 hours he spent on the Moon, he found a spiritual calling and is quoted as saying:

“I felt that the world was just too beautiful to have happened by accident. There has to be something bigger than you and bigger than me,” Cernan said “In the Shadow of the Moon.” “And I mean this in a spiritual sense, not a religious sense. There has to be a creator of the universe who stands above the religions that we ourselves create to govern our lives.”

Which I find interesting, as, he is essentially saying that all religions on Earth are created by Man. Now, I just hope this would sink into people and would stop the silly “my religion is better than yours” crap that plagues far too many minds on this planet. He is described as a philosopher.

Harrison “Jack” Schmitt

Harrison “Jack” Schmitt was the last man to ever walk on the Moon. He joined politics after returning then a freelance consultant and writer.

“But sometimes people just want a description of what it was like,” he continued, “The black sky, the brilliantly illuminated slopes of the mountains, the bright sun, and then our Earth as a big blue marble hanging over one of the mountains. The physical feeling of walking on the moon is like walking on a giant trampoline, to some degree.”

So what can we learn?

Astronauts are no different than other high achievers, they are changed after going through their experience, trying to find a new goal to work towards. I do find it interesting that most of the astronauts decided to leave NASA and were never given an opportunity to return to the Moon. I also wonder why the program was ever stopped, they had momentum on their side and, it seems, the experience gained from having a colony on the Moon would have been incredibly valuable towards discovering what would be possible on Mars.

The Bottom Line

Turning a lifelong goal into reality is only getting half way, it’s what you do afterwards that turns a life into something truely distinguished.

Buzvia: The 12 Moonwalkers: Where Are They Now?, NASA

Brains are as quick as they are beautiful.

When I grew-up, we were taught a few things about the brain, some of which have since been proven wrong.

1. We will only be born with a certain number of neurons which are not replaced as they die. FALSE!
2. Old people can’t learn new things (lead to the expression that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks). FALSE!
3. Our brains cannot change from their genetic potential. FALSE!

Why these past truths are now false ones

It was once believed that all the neurons that developed within our brains when we were infants was all we would have for the rest of our lives, then, a little over a year ago, I read a report that scientists discovered that our brains continue to make new neurons, albeit at a slower pace as we get older, but new ones never the less. That being said, it doesn’t mean you can go get hammered every weekend and have new ones to replace the ones you killed by Monday. Our body produces new skin, bone, cartilage, muscle cells on an almost continual basis, our brains are no different but like these cells, their require stimuli of one type or another to maintain their youthful vigor.

Yes, old people can learn new things, it just takes a little longer as the brain isn’t as quick as it once was due to being increasingly hard wired but just because it takes longer to learn something, doesn’t mean it’s impossible! Our brains actually learn differently as we age. I saw a report once that compared the brains of people who learned two languages when they were young with those who learned their second tongue after reaching adulthood. What they showed was that the brain actually “seeked” the words for their second language in a totally different area for those who learned as an adult vs intertwined when both languages were learned at a young age.

Genetically, we are born with a set of limits, although not impossible, it’s highly improbable that a person born with down syndrome will develop a mental capacity rivaling Einstein but recent discoveries in gene and epigenes suggests that lifestyle has a direct impact on gene expression. In other words, if you change your environment, genes that favor your survival in it will increase in dominance while the ones you were born with will go the other way. I saw a study that showed two twins, born with the same genetic profile, at a later age, one had cancer while the other didn’t… why? Well, after genetic testing, they found-out that although these twins were born as genetic duplicates in every way, their genes, through time, changed to that of two completely different individuals with different gene expressions. AMAZING!

What is true about our brains

As we age, our brains go from acting like sponges to something more closely acting like that of a soggy chunk of wood… it just takes longer for the neuron connections to occur and more stimuli to make their bonds stronger and more permanent. Our brains do change dramatically throughout the different states of life, so they do change, but not as quickly and spontaneously as that of a teenager or infant when you are a senior citizen.

What can you do to keep your brain in tip-top shape?

You want strong muscles, you exercise… our brains are no different. If you want to stay sharp till you are a senior citizen, you need to adopt a lifestyle that will keep not only your brain but entire body as youthful as possible. Don’t drink alcohol, exercise regularly as it improves overall blood flow, challenge yourself constantly both physically and mentally… and don’t forget to eat extremely well all the time.

… but how fast can your brain really rewire itself?

A few seconds! According to a study released by the Journal of Neuroscience, it takes our brain just a few seconds to adapt to new stimulus. The study was pretty straight forward, once the person’s blind spot was figured-out and a patch was put over one eye, they put the picture of a square right next to it, within seconds, the square would morph into that of a rectangle.

The team concludes that the neurons which would normally fill the blind spot using data from the patched eye compensated by stealing data from neighbouring neurons that were “seeing” the square, making it appear like a rectangle.

The Bottom Line

Lifestyle dictates to a large extent what your brain will act like as you age.

Buzvia: Blindspot shows brain rewiring in an instant, Journal of Neuroscience

A sick mouth makes for a very sick body.

It’s a proven fact that a dirty mouth affects not just your love life but your overall health as well.

ABC News Interviews Dr. Nancy Rosen

ABC News had an interesting video with a dentist’s top 5 industry secrets based on a Readers Digest article that was rather tame in my opinion, they were:

1. You cannot mask smoker’s breath, no amount of mints can hide the smell or its oral effects such as stains and white precancerous marks.
2. A mother can pass cavity producing bacteria to their child (and by extension, others) by sharing cutlery or kissing.
3. You need to brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes and floss for 1-2 minutes – electric toothbrushes are the best
4. Whiten your teeth only once every six months, MAX! It can damage your enamel and burn your gums
5. Don’t skip cleanings as they are necessary to maintain proper oral health, you can do a great job.

What they left out

I have written this several times, but the biggest dental industry secret is

• YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY TOOTHPASTE NOR MOUTHWASH!

I believe we already ingest way too many chemicals, why add some new ones first thing in the morning? Want to kill ALL the bacteria in your mouth? Put a tablespoon of salt in a warm class with 50ml of water and sprinkle some baking soda in it. Use this to rinse your mouth, then brush it with a good electric toothbrush and repeat till you have no more water. The salt will kill everything, the baking soda, acting as a base, will neutralize all the acid build-up which causes cavities. Cost? Next to nothing.

Why a clean mouth is so vitally important!

Imagine living your life with an open wound on your arm, it would be bleeding, get infected and essentially make your life miserable. This is exactly what you are doing to your body when you don’t take proper care of your oral hygiene! Your gums are a wonderful access point straight into your bloodstream, you don’t have thick skin there, just a nice warm place, loaded with bacteria, that is hard to keep clean… constantly being invaded by germs of all stripes and motives!

Why oral health is especially important when you get older

When we are young, the tissues throughout our body “refresh” themselves at a very fast rate, many children don’t have a chance to get many cavities and their gums are nice and pink because the gums are replenishing new cells continually. The bad news is that as we age, this process slows down, so the older you get, the longer it takes for the body to rejuvenate itself, as such, you become more susceptible to injuries, degradation (bones, muscles, cartilage) and guess what, the same holds true for your teeth and gums. Oral health is important when you are young but increasing so as the years pass you by.

The Bottom Line

You are never too old to recover from neglected oral hygiene.

See also: Gateway to health begins with your mouth!

Buzvia: Things your dentist isn’t telling you

I am happy to report that I have completed the first draft of 2847AD. I am now entering the world of heavy editing and cleaning-up the story lines and plots while leaving a huge gaping window that could easily lead to a sequel down the line should the book become successful. I started work on this on March 4th of this year, so it has been a rather tasking project through the months, but fun never the less.

LegendaryLife.com has now reach beta stage, testing out the features, doing some preliminary design work and getting everything to full working order. This project has taken far longer than I would have liked but I guess everything happens for a reason, as it now ties in wonderfully with my self-help book that I am reviewing the final draft of, after a heavy dose of editing and refining. I am very proud at how this book came along, it’s looking fantastic and I really think it can make some big changes in a person’s life if they so decide. I started working on this book back on the 8th of Feb, 2009.

I have decided to set myself a time line of September 1st as the publishing date for 2847AD, I now have things steam lined here enough so that enormous delays will be a thing of the past. I figure I should be editing the first paperback copy of my book sometime at the end of the month and a month later, it should be available for purchase.

Regarding my fourth book (third for this year), I have decided to make another WoodMarvels.com blueprint guide but make it geared more towards laser cutters than pure wood crafters. The same principals apply, it’s just exceptionally hard for a person to cut some of my designs using only a jig saw but idea wise, I think it would make a fantastic addition and a major update to my first book on the subject. Here is one of the models that is, for sure, making it into this book.

So, over the next 3 months, I should have 3 new books published and available for purchase, LegendaryLife.com launched and a host of other achievements coming to fruition… cool!

I hope to start writing daily blog articles again sometime in August, just got to get all this editing and publishing business done first. Exciting times, as always!!!