January 13, 2025.

Is it selfish to want to make more money (eat healthier, turn over a new leaf?)

This question comes up often in my work as a seed consultant. Desire causes pain when we chase after something that we think is out there, separate from “me.” The pain of fear that we won’t get what we want, the pain of not getting what we want, fear of losing what we want if we finally do get it and disappointment when we get what we want but it doesn’t give us the happiness we seek.

I think we all know this condition. It plays out in large and small ways everyday.

I made the 20 minute drive to town last week to get some errands done. I WANT to check some to dos of my list. Three out of the five places I go are closed, extended holiday. My mood darkens just from this small disappointment. I did not get what I wanted.

Yes, if I look at my actions on any given day, I am motivated primarily by trying to get what I want and avoid what I don’t want. Totally focused on taking care of myself.

Why start the year with deciding what you want in 2025? I believe we have a purpose, a reason to be alive, and thoughtfully choosing a direction, where I will focus my energy, takes me closer to that calling.

“The enemy of a happy and fulfilling life is slogging along

feeling like you are a victim who has no control over

your life. The Seed System technique allows you to leave

that mindset behind by proving to yourself that you

are not a victim; you are living the very life you created.”

From chapter 1, Seeds of True Success

Stop being a passenger, take a stand-this is what is most important to me right now.

Here is the point about selfishness: help OTHERS get what I WANT. That is the heart of the seed system. Turn self interest on it’s head, use it to be of service to the people (animals and planet) around you. You reap what you sow, you will get what you want when you help others get what they want.

Is the seed system selfish? Not if you expand your idea of “me” to include “other.”

Febuary 3, 2025

The relationship I have with my mistakes is slowly changing. If my perception of “me” and “my mistakes” are coming from what I thought, said, and did in the past then there is no use in beating up my present self when something goes sideways. It’s not really my fault. What I experience is forced on me by my past deeds. I could get angry at my past self but that person doesn’t exist anymore anyway. So I correct what I can, apologize, learn what I can, and move on without shame or guilt.

With that said, here is the link to the ebook again with a few errors corrected and some serious formatting issues fixed.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/kq0n3miw4u

November of 2024, I rushed to finish all the steps needed to launch the book. I had picked a date for online and in person launch parties and was heading into four weeks of silent retreat directly after. Working with my hybrid publisher, I went through six rounds of layout corrections and was happy with the final product. My publisher supplied me with files, based on that layout process, for hardback, paperback and ebook. Then it was up to me to upload those files to the correct platforms.

Uploading is where the mistake happened in the ebook formatting. I was supposed to check the result of the uploads and make sure everything was perfect. I neglected to do it, went into retreat, and the ebook went out with problems on some devices-section titles askew, the superscript numbers associated with the notes in the back of the book the wrong size, as well as other formatting errors.

Lesson learned - check, check and recheck, even when I can’t stand to look at the documents anymore.

I applied the Four Powers (found in chapter 10 of Seeds of TRue Success) for cleaning up a negative seed:

Recall - that the seed planted will ripen as seeing substandard work in the future.

Regret - being careless and rushing the process. I did not consider you, the reader, and how to make your experience the best it could be.

Restrain - don’t skip steps on details in my work for at least 24 hours.

Rebalance the scales. My make up activity is to let you all know what happened and send you the new ebook.

I hope that sharing how I relate to my mistakes will help you when you make an error.

In other news, I had fun picking a voice for the ebook from over 60 submissions from voice actors. I am waiting for a 15 minute test from my final pick to be sure she is a match, then the audio book will be recorded, edited and ready in about 3 months.

Book reviews are important for modern authors because they provide credibility and boost product recommendation on Amazon. My goal was to have 60 reviews by Feb. 3rd. I didn’t reach that goal yet but I am not discouraged. I have been buying, reading and reviewing other author’s books. I enjoy going to a weekly meeting with authors from my hybrid publisher to share ideas on marketing. I am planting the seeds that will ripen as fun and easy book sales in the future.

Write a review here. If you purchase the ebook on Amazon (on sale for $1.99) before you review, your review is marked as a verified purchase which is even more helpful.

https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/?ie=UTF8&channel=glance-detail&asin=B0DMFXQ58F

Thank you for your help in the next stage of the book journey, getting it out into the world.

Sincerely,

Alix