I was reading the Parade section of the Sunday Paper this morning and found an interview with Christian Slater especially interesting.
As the writer points out, Christian Slater really resembles Jack Nicholson. It’s a wonder they haven’t been cast in father/son roles by now. If a movie is ever made about Jack Nicholson, they won’t have to look far for the lead actor.
As a movie fanatic, it’s only natural that this little tidbit jumped out at me. But the part of the article where Christian Slater talks about the moment he realized he needed to turn his life around…. that’s the part that grabbed me by the shoulder and said, “Wow, this is good stuff!”
You may remember that he was in trouble at one time for drinking and drugs. He was even arrested – as difficult as that is to imagine. He has been sober for years now, but doesn’t expect, or want, to be congratulated for it. In his words, “It’s like expecting a reward for running out of a burning building.”
Now, that’s an attitude worth applauding, loving, and recognizing. I think it’s an attitude that’ll also keep him (and anyone in similar-fitting shoes) on the right track.
As a advocate of Self Help – I also loved the following part of the interview. Christian’s words are in bold, the non-bold words are those of the author of the article, James Kaplan:
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…Cleaning up his act became a long, hard process.
“I sat down and asked myself, ‘What are the things that haunt me or make me feel insecure, and what can I do about them? Instead of spending the rest of my life going, ‘I am just the victim of this stuff,’ what can I do to tackle it and get over it?'”
So he made a to-do list. Or rather a to-change list.
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Now THAT’S a list! Come on, you know me – I’m all about lists. By this point of the article, I was so turned on I couldn’t sit still. Within one article, I had Hollywood, Self Help, AND the voyeuristic-ally charged account of someone making a list.
If the article had included the men drinking coffee (Slater drank water. Eh.), eating chocolate (none mentioned), and plans for saving all the animals in the world, I’d have probably passed out from excitement.
Seriously, this is absolute perfection. You have a young man who knows he needs to change his approach to life. So, where does he start. With himself. As Cicero said, “Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself.” I love how Christian Slater worded it: “‘What are the things that haunt me…”
“Haunting” is exactly what personal demons do and we all have them in our lives – whether they’re insecurities, losses, childhood issues, resentments, mistakes, guilt… Sadly, the list goes on.
They find you, wherever you happen to be and interrupt whatever it is you happen to be doing. Like a ghost in a campy horror film – they seem intent on destroying your happiness and, ultimately, your world.
If you let them.
The best part of the article is when Christian Slater turns and faces the “ghosts” instead of running from them. They don’t like to be faced, you know. Confrontation’s not what they’re about – they just like to haunt. He turned his life around and now has a very happy family life (with two beautiful children) as well as a successful career. I hope he has much continued success – he’s worked hard for it.
To read the interview online, click HERE.
My job is getting better in some ways. People seem to be doing what they are suppose to be doing. Probably only because I was told that my boss watched the cameras and that our night shift goofs around so I told them. Seems like we never hear we are doing anything right. We only hear the things we are doing wrong. How can we not let this affect our attitude?
I look around my home and every corner practically and every area is cluttered and chaos. How can I change this? I have tried and tried but it always goes back to how it has always been. I don’t want to be 47 years old or 80 years old and still feel this way about my life. My surroundings are chaos. My financial areas are chaos. My body is chaos. I need to work on my relationship with God. I am so overwhelmed. I love your blog! Keep doing it.
I also loved the line from this article that said (in regards to being congratulated for escaping drugs and alcohol) “It’s like expecting a reward for running out of a burning building”. Oh that we could all see our addictions, whatever they may be–food, cigarettes, unhealthy relationships, etc–for the ‘burning buildings’ that they are! For smokers everywhere I recommend “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”. The attitude that you learn is one that you don’t ‘give up’ smoking–you escape it.
Tina, great point! After reading that article I’ve been trying to look at some unhealthy food choices as “burning buildings.” But hamburgers, Diet Dr. Pepper and french fries are such tasty burning buildings!!!
I think I can give up burgers – since I love Boca Burgers and fish.
I can cut back on fries and go with baked potatoes and salads instead.
But, as for the Diet Dr. Pepper.. oh, man. I’ve been trying to cut back (not out…just back) for years, but so far – not so good!
– Joi
Keri,
There are two kinds of people – 1. Those who know they need to improve and, thereby, will. 2. Those who see no need for growth and, thereby, probably won’t experience any.
Celebrate the fact that you’re in the right group! I’m actually working on a post that will address these very subjects – it should be up by this evening. I’ll hurry it along.
Thanks so much for the kind words, they mean a lot. Hang in there and keep your chin up. When we get down, we’re easy prey for discouragement, depression, and a host of other overwhelming disasters.
Life is a journey, after all, and sometimes the road is rockier and sometimes the sky is darker. The trick is to keep moving, though, since it’s the only way we’ll ever find the smoother roads and brighter skies!
I’ve found that I do better when I tackle one thing at a time. When our house is a total mess (anyone who works and/or has a family has this problem, I promise you) and we need to get into shape (just about all of us battle this one too!), AND work isn’t going smoothly – it’s easy to get discouraged.
You have to remind yourself to take it one thing at a time, though. Tackling all at once will just drive you nuts.
Another good thing about your situation (in addition to the fact that you’re in the right group!), though, is this: If you want to work on your home AND your body – the two can actually go hand in hand. Lots of calories can be burned simply by doing housework. Prevention.com has tools that will calculate exactly how many calories you burn (it depends upon your weight) – but if you clean house for just 30 minutes, you burn well over 100 calories.
I try to combine my housecleaning in 1 hour chunks – that way I get a workout that burns around 200 calories. Usually, by the end of the hour – I’m feeling so jazzed and ready to go, I take a walk and burn more.
Finances are another area that just about everyone’s feeling. I’ve found that if you cut out any extra spending at all, it really adds up. I’ve stopped taking unneccesary trips to save gas, and get my running around done all at once. I’ve also switched to some “off brands” and can only tell the difference at the register!
We all turn out any lights when no one’s in the room, too. You know, little things. But they do add up. PLUS, they make you FEEL like you’re doing something – and that helps a lot.
As for your relationship with God, I love that you list that amongst your priorities! I’ve always told my girls this: The Bible is the lamp or lantern that lights up the darkness. Prayer is our line of communication – not only is it how we speak to God, it’s how He speaks to us.
After I suddenly lost my mom in 2006, a few months went by and I thought, “I just don’t feel close to God at all.” Then I asked myself, “When’s the last time you prayed or read your Bible?” I couldn’t remember the time for either! I had gotten into such a DARK place that I guess I didn’t want any light.
I started reading the Bible again every morning and started praying more. I felt His presence immediately – He had never moved, I had.
Prayer is very special to me, and I think everyone should allow themself this joyous privilege more often. Most of the time, in the car, I turn off the radio and simply pray. I also like to pray while in the tub/shower and washing the dishes. It helps to have certain times that you associate with talking with and listening to God.
I wish I could give you advice about what’s going on in your workplace – but, alas, I’m zero help there. I work from home, so my only “co-workers” are 3 daughters, 4 cats, and 1 husband (when he’s not at work). Many times, though, when it comes to relationships – people ultimately will treat you the way you treat them. Not always, of course, but very, very often. The fact that you warned the night shift shows that you try to look out for others, that’s a great trait to have!
I’ll try to get the post up asap – I only hope there’ll be something in it to make you feel better! You sound like a wonderful person – I hope you never lose sight of that!
– Joi
Thank you so much Joi! The things you said meant alot to me! You made me think. I am going to read it over again and again. You brought up some very positive things. Sometimes I think God must be thinking what is it going to take for her to talk to me? I love your blog. I am going to add some of your thoughts to a new binder I am going to make containing positive thoughts and encouragement and ideas. And I love the animals you feature. I am so glad that my daughter that’s 20 hooked me up with this blog! Thanks again Keri
HI JOI,
I took some pictures of my cluttered home. I thought I would share not because I want you to say oh my goodness, but because I want you to get the whole picture of me. I guess it’s not my whole picture of me but it does say alot about me, inside and out. I am hoping that by taking these pictures I can see the positive change I am going to make. Thank you for you inspiration.
Keri
Hi Joi,
I think it all boils down to what you believe about yourself. If you realize how powerful your mind is, then you know and can believe that you have within you a powerful way to fix things.
You can utilize it in this way:
1. Mentally see the problem
2. Mentally fix the problem
3. Mentally see the problem fixed
Seeing is believing.
Jan Tincher
Master Neuro Linguistic Programmer
http://www.tameyourbrain.com
Wonderfully put! I’m a firm believer in “Seeing is believing” – that would make one of the most powerful affirmations one could hope for. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom and insight! – Joi
The major demon is the mind. if you have a weak mind then your demons can take your life to a full toss. yoga is very helpful to reduce stress and other negative thoughts.