Blogging Goggles, Or The Lack Thereof
Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 11:28AM Hi Natali. You are in danger of posting something overly personal and transparent. Given that you are prone to emotional diarrhea, please answer the following questions before we allow you to publish:
1. Have you cried in the last 24 hours?
2. Have you been overly needy for your mother lately?
3. Will this post embarrass you in a few days/weeks/months?
4. Are you hoping anyone in particular will see/read this?
5. Are you sitting next to a glass of red wine and a plate of artisan cheeses?
If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes," you may not publish this post. Turn off your computer and your phone, wash off your face mask, and go to sleep. You may reconsider this post tomorrow morning after a large glass of orange juice and some peanut butter toast.
Too bad this feature does not exist because I actually can answer yes to a few of the above questions right now. Additionally, I've been up since 4 a.m. and worked this morning. I can't nap because my sister and her fiancé are sleeping in my bed since they arrived at 6 a.m. on a red-eye flight from San Francisco. I'm lying on my hardwood floor wearing my Dr. Dre headphones and listening to Donna DeLory. I'm about to wax introspective again so I'll just blame it on the lack of goggles.
I was sitting in the makeup chair this morning on the Early Show set and the woman who does my hair started telling me about her spiritual leader/psychic. She told me that the psychic gives her advice and sometimes is able to predict situations in precise detail. I got the sense that the predictions were a bonus and not the crux of that relationship. What she really got from the psychic was advice, support, and something to believe in.
Coincidentally, I recently met up with a good friend from San Francisco who is completing her training to be a life coach. She explained the craft to me in a lot of the same terminology that the hairdresser used to explain her psychic. She said that it is about helping people make the right choices in order to attain those things in life that are the most important to them.
Both the hairdresser and my friend believed that I could benefit from this kind of guidance. To be more precise, they believed that anyone could benefit from this kind of guidance, not just me. I don't think I was wearing an "I'm lost - need help" expression on my face but it is conceivable.
So I put it out there to you, dear reader: Do you believe in spiritual leaders and life coaches or is this all just new age kaka?
I asked a friend of mine about this and he put it this way, "Think about the way modern life is now compared to the simplicity of our hunters and gatherers existence. Our society may have evolved faster than we are emotionally equipped to deal with. Maybe we all need a little help with that." I'll admit, my modern life changes faster than I am usually prepared to deal with. But do I want predictions about what is next? As tempting as that sounds, I don't think I could handle the anticipation. I think all I really want is what most people want: something to believe in.
To be clear, I don't always listen so intently to the hair and makeup artists at work. If I did, I would believe that my eyebrows are an eyesore and that I need Botox. But I read something this week that made me more amenable to this advice. In 2007, Kurt Vonnegut was asked to give a talk in Indiana. Two weeks after he finished writing the speech, he took a nasty fall on his head, which left him mentally unable to deliver it. His son Mark Vonnegut delivered and published the speech. Here is an excerpt:
"I asked Mark a while back what life was all about, since I didn't have a clue. He said, 'Dad, we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.' Whatever it is."
Truth be told, I don't really believe in psychic advisers for myself. But that doesn't mean that they aren't useful for someone else in their own attempt to get through their "whatever it is." I think I'll just keep on getting through my "whatever it is" too. Maybe I don't need the goggles after all.
Reader Comments (40)
This obviously isn't the right place to put this, but I didn't know where to send this. You know have one more loaded watcher, as my son Tim Jr was born on Sat, and wanted to know if you could give him a shout out on Loaded.
Thanks, Tim Sr.
Natali -
I commend you for your transparency and ability to look within yourself. That is not easy, and sometimes hard to accept what we see.
You seem to be in touch with yourself as a person. That is fantastice! Not all people are.
I agree with RevDarth. I find myself in similar circumstances of worth, self introspection, and challenges. I think most people do.
But life is about experiences and what you do with them, how they change and stretch you, and what you learn from them.
I have been stretched through circumstances. Everyone has been. Fortunately, I get my strength from my faith in Christ, my wife, my family, and my core group of friends that share my faith.
Thanks to all of these blessings, especially my faith in Christ and His promises I am able to look past and through difficult times, learn from them, learn things about myself, hold onto his promises, and use my experiences to help others.
(After hearing you tell us about the faith that you grew up in as a child, I can only assume that you understand this aspect of faith and life)
I applaud your self reflection, honesty, and character. It is interesting seeing you or hearing you when you are on certain shows or dealing with others that may come across more crass, brash, or abrasive. You still come always reflect on them with your positive attitude, character and class. You are making a difference in many peoples lives, yet probably do not have the opportunity to realize it because of 1 - way communication (videos) or just sheer business. But, know that you area positive influence on many. We need more high character classy people like yourself. Be confident in yourself as a person and what you do. It is evident that you love what you do and do it will class and a smile on your face.
"People do not remember your accomplishes or your achievements. They remember you for how you made them feel."
Keep up the great work, and know that you are making a difference in the lives of others. As it says "Be in the world, not of the world." From the little that we views see of you, you seem to be epitomizing that in your life.
-Harty
Jeremiah 29:11-12
Philippians 4:6-8
Sure enjoyed one of the "questions"....
"have you been overly needy to your mother lately"??????
Your answer to all is: Be spiritual, have balance in life...talk to your mom daily and drink good wine.
Love you Baby Bear!!!
People tend to over simplify the complicated things, and over complicate the simple things. But they tend to be so close, and self-involved that the bigger picture is ignored. And that's when the "new age kaka" comes in.
If I have to analogize, the world is like one giant high school. You have the over achievers, the under achievers, the coasters, the cool kids, etc., etc. But at some point, everyone end up at the guidence counselor's office because someone believes we've gone off path, or to get a pat on the back that we're doing good. Nevermind the validity or the need, it's just the thing to do.
A local radio commercial about psychics contains a testimonial that goes something like this: "the psychic made me feel confident, because she tells me that everything is going to be okay." Like your hair stylist, the guy didn't want predictions, rather he needed reassurance.
Personally, I think whether we realize it or not, life is all about self made destinies. We may, at times, need help to nudge us toward the right path, but ultimately it's up to each of us individually. If we just stop, close our eyes, and think... it all becomes clear. Because everything that we do and say, or don't do and say dictates what's next... whatever it is.
:-)
P.S. Long time reader. First time commenter. :-)
I'm an Atheist, so I'm a bit biased in that I don't believe in Psychics or anything "spiritual".
A Life Coach may be a useful service. I can't say for sure, I've never utilized one.
But as far as "what does it all mean?" and ultimately, "what is our purpose here?" (paraphrasing). I think you've touched on the deepest dilemma known to mankind.
What should we believe in then? Deities seem to do it for some people. But then again, even many who "believe" find themselves miserable souls, in that defining one's self via alignment with religion's rule and structure, you can end up living a life that isn't perhaps true to some of your natural instincts. And this is all done so that ultimately, you'll obtain some supposed passage to an eternal after-life. Kind of crazy, when you think about it; Struggling with a set of rules that you know in your heart are not totally workable (or perhaps even reasonable), all so you'll end up in a place, that is run by a power, whom no one has ever seen, or can even prove exists.
It is a selfish endeavor as well, because when all is said and done, you're trying to live "the life" just so you can supposedly live forever when your mortal life ends. In this sense, it's ultimately unsatisfying to anyone who's not a narcissist.
So here's my idea for how we could ALL find more meaning in our life here on earth; Stop living for some unproven after-life, and focus on living for our community, and our fellow man. Make THEM our source of celebration and worship.
In the end, we'll be living for what's REAL, what is HERE and NOW. Wars over religion would end, and instead of seeing differences in our neighbors (and resulting reasons to kill them), we'd see nothing but a common bond as simple, fellow humans, getting through "whatever it is" by helping each other for a change.
The hard part in this grand scheme is getting the human animal to accept that when he dies, that really is it. A lot of people just can't handle it. It's our base animal instinct at work; fear of death. Only humans could complicate such a natural fear by placating it with the notion of some eternal after-party.
"The Church of Your Fellow Man"...it could happen...but right now, it is up against some old and entrenched competition, in the form of Catholicism and Muslim faiths, to name some of the biggest. So for now, "pray" for common sense to one day, prevail. ;-)
Natali,
All of us know ourselves better than anyone else. The problem with most people is they don't want to acknowledge the reality of their situation; so they shop "advisors" who will give them the answers they want to hear. Our growth as human beings starts when we decide to be honest with ourselves and work on things within us that we know need improving. I think it was Ghandi who said, "Begin with yourself in regards to the changes that you want to see in the world." (Or something to that effect!)
Have to love Google and their antics.... while only webmasters would appreciate (let alone find) their entry in the robots.txt file today. http://www.google.com/robots.txt
User-agent: zombies
Disallow: /brains
seemless, your post is seamless, it has all the carbs required for a successful blog post. we need the softer side to keep reading nat, so many blogsters fail this very element. but it's the very human side that helps us appreciate you, not as some pixelated professional personality, but of someone with feelings, anxieties of life. this makes us care. this helps us see beyond a pretty face while we eat breakfast, and think about you, your warmth is what helps us, the audience (or at least me) respect you as a real person.
re your questions on life 'gurus' from what i can gain from american culture (i'm not american) they love their gurus, from seth godin to uncle sam. and that's cool, i guess we have to remeber that we still have to be responsible for our actions, even if we are mislead, and this can be difficult to grasp, as we never can be really sure about so many things, but ins't fun just findong out things, experiencing things, we don't really live long enough, i find it's all about these little inspirations we find along the way, it ultimately keeps us amused i guess! and at the least we get moments of disenchantment, but this is when we grow :) this is my first post of yours i've ever read. thank you
Are you an INFJ? You give me that impression. If you are close, then you probably know what I am asking.
I posted a story recently (of course it was completely fiction!!) that touches on this same idea...Twitter, Facebook, MySpace are all glass houses we move into!
http://thereesefamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/facebook-and-twitter-social-networks-or.html
For a great way to see exactly what is described here, just go to http://www.everytweet.com. Every 7.5 seconds, a Tweet from the public Twitter feed dissolves on and if you watch for more than a minute or two, you will see MANY examples of posts that I'm sure people would love to have been rejected by a Twitter Goggles control!
Great post! My first time here to your blog (I follow you on Twitter) and am glad I found it/read it :) Keep up the good work, and don't worry: when you need someone/something, you'll know. You're a smart gal.
~H
Hi Natali,
I think you are great. You make Tech new much less geekier, almost cool...
Ok, truthfully? You make tech news Really Cool.
I’m a tech geek and I watch CnetTv every day, right after I watch my local news. I love technology and Cnet is the place to be. My friends have no problem admitting that their friend Dave (that’s me) is an absolute Tech Geek. I love helping people solve computer related issues.
By trade though, I am a Certified Occupational Health and Safety Worker Representative. I use to work in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry until I was in a serious car accident 2 years ago.
I ended up with a lot of time on my hands, so I picked up computer studies from home. I opened a web page (basically for my friends and family). I now have a small group of computers that I maintain. I purchased a MagicJack to use for my webpage, allowing me to offer free call backs anywhere in Canada or the U.S.
No one can seem to figure out "What my Angle Is” I don’t charge any fees, and carry no advertising; people assume it’s a scam. All it really is though is a guy with the will to help, an interest in technology and a lot of time to spare... lol.
Congrats on your big move. Keeping on track is tough sometimes. Like you said in one of those videos, something along the lines of "You never know what you can accomplish, until you push yourself to what you feel are your limits, only to find that you've made a good decision and headed in the right direction." Good for you!
PS
ps? Does anyone ps any more? further more, I have no clue what PS stands for...lol
Now that I v read this back, one part sounds a bit advertizy . (I do believe I should call Websters, inform them that I have created a new word ‘Advertiizy’)
The thing is I don’t want any more clients...lol I’m full!
Anyways, I WILL advertize 1 thing:
“The Tragically Hip” Great live band, poets and creative artists
The End
You rock!
Good luck!
Keep up the good work!
Dave
computerhelpforfree.synthasite.com
Natali
Nice posts. Wish I'd gotten to reading this much earlier. Like you, I am Hispanic... so I grew up knowing of "advisors" (Santeros, Espiritistas....etc). As I grew up and moved into the more mainstream anglo world, taking on great responsibilites as a VP in a major US Corporation, I learned of therapists, life coaches, personal trainers...etc. As you've pointed out, we All need help getting through this life. The key seems to be finding truly objective and good advice, making good choices.... and going our best to objectively help others.
I applaud you as a smart young Hispanic woman who appears to be interested in making a difference in other's lives.
Best.
Vin
for piano...
Megacool Blog indeed!... if anyone else has anything it would be much appreciated. Great website Enjoy!...
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