My 4:30 AM "Calling" at the Biltmore Hotel

It all started at 4:30 AM, about thirty years ago, at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

My contracted 18 months as a Page for NBC had ended, and I began working weekends and periodic weekdays at the Biltmore as a Gold Room Butler for the then-exclusive 9th Floor Executive Suites.   It was the type of work I performed as a Bellman for the Marriott Hotel back in Rochester, New York, years before I moved to L.A. and went to work for NBC.

While at the Biltmore, I was also cast as one of the waiters at Duke's Restaurant on ABC's General Hospital, and served as an extra or "atmosphere player" on other daytime soaps like CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful.

Working as a "real" butler on the weekends at the Biltmore while working as a fake waiter at Duke's on General Hospital was awesome, confusing and comical, all at the same time.  Things really became complicated when I started a third job, this one, working as the front desk reception for Brentwood Publishing Company in Santa Monica.

"Good morning, and thank you for calling Brentwood Publishing.  How may I help you?"

That's how I answered the phone at the Brentwood company (which published various business periodicals).

"Good morning, Gold Room Butler service.  I have the extra towels your requested."

That's what I sometimes said whenever I responded to any number of those hotel guests who stayed on the 9th Floor at the Biltmore.  Or, "Good morning, Gold Room Butler service.  I have your iron," etc.

But one very strange week, I knocked on one of the 9th Floor guest doors at the Biltmore, and said, "Good morning, and thank you for calling Brentwood Publishing.  How can I help you?"

And then - I'd the answer the phones at Brentwood Publishing with, "Good morning.  Gold Room Butler service.  I have your towels."

THAT'S how crazy things were getting.  So, clearly - one job had to go...and I actually opted to leave both Brentwood Publishing and the Biltmore, and remained as one of the fake waiters at Duke's on General Hospital.

But it was the training that I had received at both the Biltmore and Brentwood Publishing (which was actually located in Santa Monica, where I lived at the time) that made an impression on me in more ways than one.

It was at Brentwood Publishing that I first considered life as a writer, and it was getting up at 4:30 AM to be there by 6:30 AM that indeed prepared me for the writer's life.

Because the downtown L.A. Biltmore was a good 25 miles from my apartment in Santa Monica, I had to rise and shine at 4:30 AM to arrive to work for my 6:30 AM butler call.  (On General Hospital, the fake Duke's didn't open until 3:00 PM!)

As a result, to this day, I rise and shine at 4:30 AM every morning, and write my best work.

Bewitched creator Sol Saks once told me that he could never write more than two hours a day; and he suggested that I'd do the same, as not to exhaust the creative flow.

Sometimes I write for three, maybe three-and-half-hours.  But that's it.  My peak time in the morning is short; but my mind is clear and the words flow (as they are this moment while writing this post).

Who would have thought my "time" working at the Biltmore would have prepped me for my writing career?  But it did.  In fact, pretty much everything I do in life preps me for my writing career...which is one of the many wonderful things about being a writer. 

Of course, there's a great many challenging things about being a writer; but the good outweighs the bad (as it always should - in any aspect or facet of life!).

That said (or written!), there was another interesting thing that transpired when I worked at the Biltmore. 

In order for me to reach the hotel by my 6:30 AM starting time, I had to arrive in downtown LA by at least 5:45, because I had a two-mile hike from the parking lot (which offered the cheapest rates) to the Biltmore.

During that two-mile trek you would have thought I was in a science fiction movie, or at least in an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Six Million Dollar Man, the one titled, "Where Have All the People Gone?"

On a Saturday and Sunday morning, at 5:45 AM in L.A., there wasn't a soul in the street.  I was walking all alone, feeling like some alien race had annihilated Earth's entire population.  

Of course that was all a foreshadow (e.g. writer's phrase) of things to come (i.e. classic sci-fi film title reference).

Clearly, writing at 4:30 AM is in my blood, as it was injected there - some thirty years ago (and maybe even a little before).

Thank you, Brentwood Publishing and the Biltmore Hotel for your "callings" - and mine.
     

This Is How You Do It: Your Path To True Success

If you're a success, but you're not sharing that success in some way, then you're doing it wrong.

If you're healthy, and not fully appreciating every moment of you're life, you're doing it wrong.

If you're particularly good-looking, and making fun of those who may not be so blessed, you're doing it wrong.

If you're rich, and haven't bought a lunch or dinner for a friend or family member, or even went so far as to pay their rent or mortgage during a challenging period in their lives, then you're doing it wrong.

If you've been given the gift to gab, but all you do is talk and think about yourself and your own needs 24-hours-a-day, then you're doing it wrong.

If you do a favor for someone only to receive something in return, then you're doing it wrong.

So, this is how you do it:

You wake up every morning, and thank the Good Lord for your beautiful life, even when you don't think it's so beautiful.  Because even when you don't think it's so beautiful, it is.  You're just probably too caught up inside yourself not to see it.

Then, as you prepare for your day, you ask yourself these questions:  "How can I bring joy into the life of someone else today?"  "Who needs my help?"   "Which of my friends or family members needs groceries?  A loan?  Or just a flat-out dollar amount that they never, ever need to pay me back for?"  "How can I contribute to someone's life today that will change their lives forever in the most positive way?"

Those are the kinds of questions you ask yourself upon beginning your day.

Because when you begin your day like that, and seek first to take care of others, Heaven will always take care of you.

That is Love's great promise.

And Love always keeps its promise.

Also, too, it's good to remember this bit of wisdom from Emerson, who said:

"No man is an island; no man goes his way alone; whatever we send into the lives of others; comes right back into our own."

So, send out only good things, my peeps...because all that good will come back to you...tenfold.

You Are the Star of Your Own Life Because You Write the Script

I grew up in Rochester, New York, and all I ever wanted to do was go to California and become a "star."

Although not raised in financial security, I was surrounded by a beautiful, loving-kind family, immediate and hugely extended.

My Mother and Father, God bless them in Heaven, each had ten brothers and sisters.  As a result, our house was considered "the" house, and every night was a party; not just for the family, but for everyone in the neighborhood - even after they moved out of the neighborhood.

Years after, in the mid-80s, I myself moved out of the neighborhood and onto Los Angeles.  And although "stardom," in the traditional sense, had alluded me, I found a measure of success.

However, I decided to return to Rochester to care for my parents in their elderly years.

But everyone else was gone.

No more aunts, no more uncles; no cousins, no more family gatherings; no more nightly parties.

I continued to make the best of it, attained additional layers of success, but still not the stardom I so desperately desired. 

However, I had a few revelations:

I would have given anything to have my massive family back...certainly, my Mom and Dad who, when they died, left me nothing of what this world calls secure.

Of course, I did not care for them to gain anything. I cared for them because I loved them (and still do!).  And feeling their love in return was enough for me...especially as I grew to appreciate the family that by that time had been long gone.

Today, I am once more back in L.A., and my dreams are in tact; my heart has softened when it most likely should have hardened.  My ambitions are more tempered; and I wait to create a family of my own...even at 53 (my Dad was 50 when I was born!).  The new knowledge and insight that I've gained through loss...and love...conquers daily the big purchases and the big parties.

In the process, too, I have finally reached my stardom...but not in the way that anyone who doesn't really know me might think:

I've realized that I've always been a star...maybe not of a TV show...or of the big-screen...but I've always been the star of my own life....just as each of us have always been the stars of our own lives.

So, Shakespeare was at least partially correct: life IS a stage - but we are more than just players.

We are the stars!

And yet with this sincere kind of stardom, none of the material things in life compare to the quality of loving-kind human relations.

The great friendships we attain, retain and/or reconnect with over the years, if only for a periodic coffee or lunch with good conversation, come to mean so much more than any career accomplishments.

All of it combines to deliver wisdom and understanding that we are here in this world...not so much to reach our goals...but to reach out to each other in the process of seeking our goals...to reach out to each other with nothing less than gracious greatness and, most of all, humility.

If in the process we should write our scripts, or actually become TV or movie stars, well of course that's a wonderful thing - as long as we at the very least keep it all in perspective.

Certainly, it is good to write the scripts of life.  But in order to truly perfect those scripts, and/or to reach any true access to stardom, we must first take the quality time to actually live the scripts of life.

Your Creative Ideas Are Whispers From Heaven

You came into this world for a reason.

You set up a plan to accomplish certain objectives; and you then chose and were as a result granted certain talents.

When you "think" of an idea; you are "remembering" what you came here to do.

Essentially, your creative ideas are whispers from Heaven.

If that idea if filled with greatness and grace, and somehow makes a contribution to your life, your business, your career; your family; your community; the world...you are obligated (by the demands you placed on yourself) to fulfill that idea.

In effect, you are directed to make your dreams come true.

If you ignore those ethereal whispers, and do not fulfill your "destiny," as it's been called, than you not only deny yourself, but those who would benefit from it - and you break your agreement with Heaven.

For example, I awakened this morning with the idea to write this post.

I was compelled to write it.

For you.  For me.  And for Heaven.

If I do nothing else today, I accomplished this one special task...that was whispered to me from Heaven.

So, today - I'm shining my Light....BRIGHT!

For all the world to see.

So, now you shine YOUR Light - even BRIGHTER!

Go live the A-Life that you came here to live....today!

Become everything you set out to become - and don't allow the slight of insecurities; petty jealousies from others; bullying - or any of that nonsense stop you.

That never stopped me - and I've heard it all.

Trust me.

So you just go do what you have to do - and do it with Love.

From there, it will be impossible for you not to succeed.

That's Heaven's promise.

Peace, Please

In my estimation, there are no chemical weapons used in Syria; just like there were no weapons of mass destruction used in Iraq.  It's all a bunch of malarkey created to justify America's unjust intervention in places we do not belong simply to further what is perceived as an economic boost.  

Translation:  war=profit at the senseless cost of innocent lives.  For some reason, America always has to create some one figure or some one nation to hate.  And we're doing it again.  Sadly.

Ultimately, our political leaders do not care about the world.  They are only using the world's issues to again, justify a war which they envision will create cash.  There is no sincere interest to help.  Instead, it is selfish-geared.

And if Syria is indeed utilizing some form of chemical weapons, it is none of our business.  It isn't our problem...just like it wasn't our problem in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan.  We are not the police of the world.  

Today, we have those who are ill and dying in OUR country who need support.    We cannot help others unless we take care of ourselves (just like during any potential crisis on an airplane; we must place the oxygen mask over ourselves first, then our fellow passenger).

Into this mix, millions of Americans and world citizens are wising up to the endless line of baloney about the "necessities of war" that have littered for centuries thousands of history books, newspaper and magazine articles; online reports, press conferences, etc .  We're not buying it anymore.  We're tired of the senseless loss of life; the misery; the emotional and psychological destitution of war.  The price is too high, and we're no longer willing or stupid enough to sit idly by and pay it.   

That all said, the bottom line is this:

True leadership is ignited, displayed and conducted with dignity, intelligence of the mind and the heart, in a calm, level-headed, objective, peaceful manner.

So, please pray for peace and discernment instead of going and starting a war that will ultimately destroy this planet.

Suffering as a Path to Enligtenment is the Big Trick of this World

During my daily walk this morning I picked up a copy of L.A. Weekly, one of the county's many popular "alternative" newspapers.

The cover referenced an article, titled, "Pain is Beauty," which is a profile of vocalist Chelsea Wolfe, who's lead a challenged life, that has ultimately influenced her music.  "Life is always bringing sh_t our way," she relays in the article.  "When we deal with it, we come out wiser and stronger and have a more beautiful outlook.  Pain becomes beauty."

I suppose that's one way to look at it and, certainly, we have to look at things at however they work for us.  But seeing that article made me think about how much "pain" we are willing to put ourselves through in this world, in general, sometimes for something as superficial and surficial as selective plastic surgery (as opposed to more pertinent surgery to restore one's appearance resulting from birth defects or accidents, etc.); other times for something more compelling as spiritual development.

For centuries we have been led to believe by the ways and teachings of Buddha and Jesus, that suffering is the ultimate way to life.

I disagree with this belief and propose another way:

Love is the best way to life true fulfillment and enlightenment.

But that is a difficult concept for many to grasp in this world, especially those who seem so h.e.-double-hockey-sticks bent on feeling the need to embrace suffering to find or experience any kind of true Love, be it spiritual, romantic, sexual, familial; or finding it through the brother and sister hood of humanity.

The truth of the matter is this:

The real Love of Heaven knows no suffering, and we have been tricked into believing that we must suffer to discover and experience Love on Earth.

Indeed, over time, many millions have been born into this world with birth defects, disease, and so forth.  And many more millions have been blessed with beauty, pure health and wealth.

Such are the results of karma, which is party to the decisions we all make with and in Heaven, or at least a lower form of Heaven, before we come into this world.

But if it is true that Jesus suffered and died for our “sins” and, as a New Age Catholic Christian, I believe that to be real, then, that suffering is over and we have already been “saved.”  In fact, we have been “saved” ever since, and even through the time we previously spent in Heaven before we were born into this world.

That all said, if you have been blessed with purity of body, mind, spirit, health and riches, you are not one of the “lucky” ones, but rather, one of the “lovely” ones – for there is no such thing as “luck” and there is only Love and the absence of Love; and into the conversation of the Absence of Love unrests suffering.

However, do not allow any one individual, group of individuals or religious or spiritual organization lead you to believe that suffering is the path to enlightenment.

It may be “a” path – but it would serve you more productively to take the “higher path” – through Love; to understand that Love conquers all suffering; and that through Love, suffering does not even exist.

So, call and take Love upon yourself, and toss away the false belief that suffering is a path to enlightenment.

Confirm suffering instead as the big trick of this broken world; and instead fully embrace Love; and never be tricked again.

In your troubled times, and certainly these times are troubling for us all, in one way or the other, try not to give more power to your pain; try not even to acknowledge your pain or your struggles, as numerous as they may be.  Certainly, one core law of the Universe states, whatever we concentrate on, expands.  If you focus on the bad, things get worse; but if you focus on the good, things get better.

So focus on the good; don’t allow this broken world to which we have all fallen from Heaven trick you into thinking that suffering is your only choice for enlightenment.

To that I say, "baloney" and "phooey"; ‘tis all a jest of the lower god of this world; and has nothing to do with the True God of Love in Heaven; nothing; nothing at all to do with Heaven.

However, this does not mean that we are not to have compassion and understanding for suffering or for those who are suffering.  But what I am saying is this:

In your darkest hour, pray one prayer and one prayer only:

“Dear Light of Heaven, shine your Love upon me.  Amen.”

From there, your suffering will subside and, one by one, over time, we will, singularly and collectively, bring Heaven on Earth, minus any false belief in and credence given to pain of any kind, shape, size, form or lowly sort.

For you are not a lowly sort – you are a Child of the Light of Heaven.

Start acting like it, and don’t allow the false god of this world to make you believe otherwise.

Leave Your Competitive Spirit Behind

You are "up against" no one.

What you do has absolutely no "relationship" to what others do.

At least as how we have come to define "relationship" in the past.

Your journey is your journey. Their journey is their journey.

The prosperity of the Universe is vast, and there is an overflowing amount of Success and Love and Joy for everyone.

The "pie" is huge, and there are countless pieces of it for each of us.

And yet there is no division between any of us.

Live your life and work your work with this formula:

FOCUSED INTENT + POSITIVE "FEELINGS" = SUCCESS (in ALL Areas of Existence).

We may have lived competitive lives in the past - and competition may have been part of the game of life. And that once worked. But now there is a new consciousness on the rise in the world.

Today, you are on a NEW journey. A journey of sharing...a journey of assistance...in making the world a better place for everyone. You are now helping to make individuals and the Earth's combined soul stronger and healthier in every way.

You are now a major CONTRIBUTOR to the world. Not a competitor.

Those who you view as your competitors - are actually your co-contributitors. And you must be happy for them. You must even be happy for those who may be MORE successful than you. Your joyful feelings for others will increase YOUR good feelings for YOURSELF...and YOUR prosperity will increase.

Anyone is able to offer sympathy for those less fortunate. But true kindness is expressed when you can be happy for the person ABOVE you - when you are at the top. And you are indeed at the top of YOUR game. Because you only have YOUR game. Everyone else has THEIR game.

Let them win theirs and you win yours.

There is no competition.

In the realm of TRUE Joy, Success and Love - competition does not exist.

Embrace who you are...embrace what you do...share your heart and your wisdom...care for and - about - others...with a JOYFUL spirit - and send Light and Blessings to everyone along the way, each step of the way.

What's more - do not merely help people to succeed - but BE THE REASON they succeed.

In turn, your own success will be multiplied, tenfold - and you will "win" every time.

Guaranteed.