I had my right hip replaced on Aug 21. In 108 days from that event, I plan to be healed. If you want to see how I'm organizing body, mind and heart join me as I journal. www.steven-barnes.com/notes/87nzb3t1odg6cyd37fgmfrt1y0ijyg

If you can breathe five times, five times a day, keep at least 5 minutes in the morning sacred to your own spirit, read your goals 2x a day and share your results with a partner...you can transform your life. www.lifewrite.com www.stevenbarneslist.com

Today's Affirmation: “I Am In Control of My Mind, My Energy, and My Choices.” www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: "What’s one past failure I haven’t learned from yet?" For me, its arguing with sleepers and snakes. No. I must care for myself, and nurture my tribe. Those are people willing and able to take the first step, with gratitude and focus. www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: What truths are we softening—for others’ comfort—that our younger selves needed to hear raw?

Observing the dying, the Sufi seem right: we all get that clarity at the end. The rarest, most courageous thing isn’t facing the end… it’s fully showing up for the journey. Memento vivere. (Remember to live.) www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: What's one resource I already have that I'm not using?

"You're one of us." That’s what the mentors say when they recognize you’re on the same path. Are you moving in a direction where those words could be spoken to you? www.stevenbarneslist.com

FREE talk Weds 8/13. THE REFORMATORY has sold more than 100,000 copies - and @kundalinisteve.bsky.social & I have taught hundreds of students. Why "talent" is a myth What's more important than goals The myth of the "solitary genius" Plus an excerpt from my next novel! REGISTER - freehorrortalk.com

Goals aren’t targets—they are MRI scans for your soul.

Are you ready to up your Horror game? If so, you'll want the free THE THREE LIES OF HORROR WRITING webinar, coming this Wednesday. Bring your friends! www.freehorrortalk.com

Losers will focus on the impossibility of seeing the last step before they've taken the first. Winners take small steps every day, learning every time.

QOD: "What’s one thing I could finish today that would shock my past self?"

Real tools aren’t just personal—they’re reparations. Master them, and you rebuild what centuries tried to break. www.stevenbarneslist.com

Metaphors are how we swallow truth without choking.

Until you take full responsibility for what you CAN change, it is unwise to worry about that you CANNOT. www.stevenbarneslist.com

Enlightenment isn’t a transcendent state—it’s the absence of bullshit.

Question of the Day, August 5: "What comfortable lie am I telling myself about why I ‘can’t’?" Applying this to your current story might break a logjam. "What comfortable lie does my lead character tell himself about why he can't?" www.stevenbarneslist.com

"Ethics without discipline is just poetry." www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: "Who’s one person I need to thank for helping me get here?" GRATITUDE creates faith in your future. Faith is the antidote for fear. www.stevenbarneslist.com

"You are the result of your first five morning habits"--Jim Rohn For help crafting your perfect morning, join us at www.lifewrite.com and at www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: "What’s one ‘necessary evil’ (task, conversation) I’ve been delaying?" Write down your answer. Share it with your partner, or on social media.

"you don't create your morning. Your morning creates you. 10 minutes of silence and you hear yourself. 10 minutes with a pen and your day has direction. 10 minutes of movement, and your brain turns on. 3 minutes of gratitude and your heart is aligned."--Jim Rohn www.lifewrite.com

Most horror writing fails. Ours did…until we cracked the code. Tomorrow I'll break down the most important scene in our movie THE KEEPER, the one that "trapped" the viewer. If you aren't on my email list, join now at: www.stevenbarneslist.com

QOD: (Write down your answer. Share it with your accountability partner, on social media, or write it down and burn it) "What’s one truth about myself I’ve been refusing to admit?" Five minutes a day. Five days a week, to change your life. "Steve's Blog" at www.lifewrite.com

Inner peace is not the absence of problems. It is the presence of perspective.

"Power corrupts" is propaganda created by corrupt people to scare the virtuous into surrender. Truth: Power reveals. Absolute power reveals absolutely. www.lifewrite.com

Alien 3 was vile. The most obvious ugliness: they use a fluoroscope to find an Alien queen in Ripley. A question: if they had a fluoroscope, why perform an autopsy on Newt? One reason: to make the audience squirm. That's right, they mutilated a dead child for the entertainment value.

Otis Johnson has revealed he's sold ELEVEN stories since joining Lifewriting, less than a year ago. THAT is amazing. Join us on www.lifewrite.com (free!) and check out the writing section, where he spills the tea.

In 21 Days we shoot our first studio film. "Today, I write with earthquake hands. The ground shakes not with fear—but with the footsteps of stories demanding to be born." www.lifewrite.com

Today, I write with ghost ink. My ancestors' unlived lives are my muse.

Try this 15-minute Three Gates Ritual. 1)Write the truth you’re avoiding. Burn it. 2) Send one message of encouragement. No emojis. Raw. 3) Set a timer for five minutes. Do the thing you’ve been avoiding. (The world needs warriors. Not zombies.) www.lifewrite.com

The people who irritate you the most will always be breaking the Three Gates in one way or another. If you argue that you need to as well…well, that's why they irritate you. They are you, living different lives. And you can't handle that mirror. www.lifewrite.com

If you improve by 1% a day, you will be almost 40 times better in one year. Built SYSTEMS that guarantee progress . You will vastly out-perform the people who are waiting for the world to change. In fact, you will become one of the people who can change the world.

QOD: If your life was a fractal… The first five minutes of the day The first hour of the day The day The week The month The next six months… What changes would you make, if the smallest unit was connected to your next six months? www.lifewrite.com

Don't rely on luck. Weaponize serendipity. Join us tomorrow on LIFEWRITING LIVE, May 9th 2025 at 12 Noon Pacific: www.thefiredance.com

The stoics suggest we focus on one specific virtue every day. How can we apply this to creating a better life? Join us tomorrow on LIFEWRITING LIVE, May 9th 2025 at 12 Noon Pacific: www.thefiredance.com

Be careful of shortcuts that lead to dead ends.

an ounce of action is worth a pound of thought. www.lifewrite.com

Your answer is one of these: 1) Strengthen your body 2) Embrace your heart, friends, and family 3) Make more $$$ 4) Create Art. Save yourself. Save your family. Save the world. Join us! www.lifewrite.com

One of the saddest things in the world is a human being who felt loved only for what they did, not just for being a precious, beautiful child. Accept'tat at every moment of your life you did the best you could. If you cannot extend this grace to others, you haven’t REALLY done it for yourself.

The greatest work of art is your own life, lived with passion and purpose. Join us on Zoom tomorrow on LIFEWRITING LIVE! 12 Noon Pacific, Friday Feb 21, at www.thefiredance.com

Be too busy saving three people to burn out on the news. Focus.

"Success isn't about luck or talent. They are about the systems and habits you have in place"--Jim Rohn This is excellent. And the most important habits and systems should be integrated into the first hour and first half of your day. Get it "done by one"

The moment you decide to stay positive no matter what, you've already won.

There are few things sadder than talking to an abused child who has, to survive, come to agree with the abuser's assessment of their value. Horrifying. Check your internal dialogue.

BREATHE! Spiritual Breathing teaches us that we are all connected in love. – Dan Brule www.steven-barnes.com

A question was asked: “why is desiring mastery important?” Simple. You are either improving or deteriorating. You cannot stand still.

Art is life!