That’s what people associate journaling with. Just documenting your day.

But journaling can be so much more.

It’s a personal development ritual that, in my opinion, shares the #1 spot with meditation for the most important habit you can have.

If you want to reap the benefits of journaling, don’t just document your day. Use journaling to:

• process your emotions

• explore your thoughts

• integrate things you learn

• know yourself better

When you do that, it’s not just a cute diary to see what you did 10 years ago. It’s a portal of transformation.

So here’s the reframe:

Journaling is a psycho-spiritual technology.

A powerful one too. And most people never tap into it.

Journaling Saved My Life

I started journaling after almost dying.

I was 19 years old.

One night I drank wayyy too much alcohol (shots) and woke up in the hospital. Someone found me passed out on the hood of a car at 5am and called an ambulance.

The details of what happened are less important than what I did after.

The next day I started rethinking my whole life and reality itself:

• Am I really ready to die?

• How can I be a better person?

• What is reality?

• Does God exist?

• What’s my life purpose?

And how did I explore those questions? Journaling, of course.

No one taught me how to journal.

I just started writing. Because everything I was feeling was too big to keep trapped inside and too ‘raw’ to talk to my friends about.

So journaling became my means of processing my emotions and ‘reconnecting’ with my soul. It helped me get through the darkest time in my life where I was riddled with anxiety and addictive tendencies.

Journaling was also the original and greatest catalyst of my spiritual awakening (which continues to this day).

My brother also used journaling to navigate through a dark night of the soul. It was crucial in him breaking free of addiction, getting sober, and facilitating his spiritual awakening as well.

Journaling has so many benefits.

Once you know just how helpful journaling is on so many levels, it gives you more motivation to do it consistently.

The Benefits of Journaling

Emotional and psychological benefits

1. Emotional processing: Helps you identify, express, and work through emotions rather than suppressing them or allowing them to build up internally. (Pennebaker & Beall, 1986; expressive writing research)

2. Stress reduction: Provides an outlet for processing stressful experiences, which can reduce psychological distress over time. (Guo, 2023; meta-analysis of 31 studies)

3. Anxiety reduction: Putting worries into words can help externalize anxious thoughts and make them easier to examine and manage. (Guo, 2023; expressive writing meta-analysis)

4. Reduced rumination: Helps interrupt repetitive negative thought patterns by moving thoughts out of your head and into a more structured form. (Gortner et al., 2006; Benefits of Expressive Writing in Lowering Rumination)

5. Improved emotional regulation: Helps you recognize emotional triggers, understand your reactions, and develop healthier ways of responding to difficult situations. (Park et al., 2016; self-distancing research)

6. Greater self-awareness: Makes it easier to recognize your thoughts, feelings, behavioral patterns, motivations, and underlying beliefs. (Writing Yourself Well, 2023; journaling intervention study)

7. Increased self-understanding: Helps you connect the dots between experiences, recognize recurring themes, and understand why you think and behave the way you do. (Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999; narrative structure research)

8. Perspective shifting: Allows you to step outside an emotionally charged situation, examine it from different angles, and see things you might have missed in the moment. (Park, Ayduk & Kross, 2016; Stepping Back to Move Forward)

9. Meaning-making: Helps you construct a meaningful narrative around difficult experiences, potentially transforming how you understand and relate to them. (Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999; Forming a Story)

10. Greater psychological well-being: Writing about meaningful life experiences and your desired future can improve subjective well-being and your overall sense of life satisfaction. (King, 2001; The Health Benefits of Writing About Life Goals)

Cognitive and intellectual benefits

11. Improved working memory: Processing emotionally difficult experiences through writing may free up cognitive resources previously occupied by intrusive thoughts. (Klein & Boals, 2001; Expressive Writing Can Increase Working Memory Capacity)

12. Mental clarity: Helps organize scattered thoughts, untangle complicated situations, and turn vague feelings or ideas into something more concrete and understandable. (Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999; narrative processing research)

13. Enhanced problem-solving: Writing through a challenge encourages you to examine its causes, identify potential solutions, and consider different courses of action. (Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999; expressive writing research)

14. Improved memory and recollection: Recording experiences creates opportunities to revisit and reinforce memories, helping preserve details of your personal history. (Fivush, 2011; The Development of Autobiographical Memory)

15. Greater creativity: Gives you space to explore unconventional associations, experiment with ideas, follow curiosity, and discover connections that might otherwise go unnoticed. (Indirect support: research on expressive writing and cognitive processing)

Personal development and lifestyle benefits

16. Greater optimism: Regularly recording positive experiences and things you’re grateful for can shift attention toward what’s going well and increase positive expectations about the future. (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; gratitude journaling experiments)

17. Increased gratitude: Encourages you to notice and appreciate positive experiences, relationships, and everyday things you might otherwise take for granted. (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Counting Blessings Versus Burdens)

18. Improved goal achievement: Writing down goals, reflecting on progress, and identifying next steps can strengthen motivation and help translate intentions into action. (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; King, 2001)

19. Better sleep: Processing unresolved thoughts and emotions through writing may help some people sleep longer or experience better sleep quality. (Mosher & Danoff-Burg, 2007; expressive letter-writing study)

20. Improved physical health: Some expressive-writing studies have found benefits such as fewer illness-related doctor visits and improvements in certain physical health measures, although results across studies are mixed. (Smyth, 1998; Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005)

More Foundational Than You Think

I mentioned how much journaling helped with my mental health and spiritual development.

But it’s also been the foundation of my creativity and creative output.

Everything I’ve written came from journaling: poetry, essays, books, stories, social media content, etc.

It was all born out of journaling sessions.

That’s why — before being a poet, before being an author — I’m a journaler. Because it’s more foundational.

So don’t sleep on journaling’s relationship to inspiration and creative output. And it’s not just for writers. No matter who you are or what you create, journaling can help you innerstand yourself more and tap into new levels of inspiration.

How to Journal

Most people completely overthink journaling.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m not a good writer.”

You don’t have to have something prepared. And you don’t have to be a good writer either.

The purest form of journaling is freewriting (just writing your stream of consciousness).

Literally just write whatever pops into your mind. No judgment. No censorship.

The goal isn’t to write something beautiful to share. It’s to observe your thoughts as words being written.

Some days I’ll even start with, “So I don’t know what to write.” Then that triggers something else. “Oh, wait, I was just thinking about that content idea.”

Once you get started, it’s easy to keep going. So just start. Just write anything, even, “I don’t know what to write.”

That’s the essence of journaling. Just writing and letting it flow.

How to Deepen Your Freewriting

You can turn freewriting into a truly transformational process by doing one simple thing:

Ask yourself follow up questions.

If you write something that activates an emotion, ask yourself why it did that. Or what’s underneath it.

This is how you go deeper, discover new insights, and form connections that are hard to access by just keeping yourself busy.

Beyond that, there are three other keys to help you make the most of your journaling:

1. Be honest with yourself

2. Incorporate mindfulness

3. Use prompts

When I say, “incorporate mindfulness” it can be anything that helps you get out of your head and into your heart.

This could be doing some deep breathing periodically, focusing on bodily sensations, or observing the room around you with fresh eyes.

One of my favorites is to do a quick heart coherence practice. I just breathe deeply, put a hand on my heart, and feel into my heart space. This gets me into my heart, and lets the words really flow without the inhibitions that come from being stuck in my head.

Now… Prompts.

Journaling prompts are a great way to create a more focused journaling session or get your flow started more easily.

Honestly, anything can be a journaling prompt: a thought, something in the room around you, a feeling you notice, a concept, a specific question, etc.

I love using questions as journaling prompts.

Here are a few you can use repeatedly:

• What is my heart calling me toward right now?

• What little things am I grateful for today?

• What am I avoiding? And why?

• Who do I choose to be today?

• What would my Higher Self tell me right now?

I collect journaling prompts. Everything from general ones to journaling prompts for really specific topics.

Different Modes of Journaling

There are so many different ways to journal.

I call them ‘modes’ because you can shift modes according to what you want to do.

Here are a few:

• Freewriting - Seeing what happens

• Emotional processing - Working through emotions

• Intellectual processing - Integrating/exploring concepts or knowledge

• Contemplative journaling - Journaling as a spiritual practice

• Exploration - Exploring new things, concepts, parts of yourself, etc

• Documentation - Documenting your day

• Gratitude - Writing what you’re grateful for

• Manifestation - Writing out your vision/goals

Feel free to explore those modes on your own.

You don’t need a rigid system. Just the willingness to write and explore. That’s it.

If You…

Everyone falls into one of two camps here:

1. You don’t journal consistently

2. You journal consistently and can go deeper

So if you don’t journal consistently, what are you doing? 😜

Set aside just five minutes in the morning and just freewrite. Do it while you drink your coffee (that’s what I do).

I don’t care how busy you are, everyone can make five minutes for something as life-changing as journaling.

Then for the people who do journal consistently, you know you can always go deeper. You know you can find new approaches, or new prompts, that give you those big aha moments.

So I invite you to try something new. Maybe try a different ‘mode’ of journaling, or use a new prompt, or go deeper with follow up questions than you’ve ever gone before.

Journal more.

It’s a journey.

A daily rite of passage.

A direct path to knowing thyself deeper and deeper.

And it’s a beautiful thing.

With gratitude,
Stephen “The Journaling King” Parato

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• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

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• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

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A dedicated poet to elevate the marketing and brand in general.

For real.

And it’s not just some superfluous ‘nice-to-have.’

A poet can do so much to enhance marketing and benefit a brand.

Think about it.

The best marketing…

• Shares the sensory experience of the product/service (like the taste of a soda and the feeling that comes with it)

• Is catchy, rhythmic, and easy to remember

• Creates an immersive experience for people

• Speaks to people’s hearts and emotions

• Inspires people

Poetry does all of this too (and more).

I’d say that poetry is THE BEST medium for all of that.

Poetry can sell the sensory experience a brand provides in an immersive, engaging way (without being salesy).

A ‘resident poet’ wouldn’t be some irreverent, careless expense either.

Brands already spend money on similar, but less effective, things.

Influencers.

Why pay a typical influencer who’s going to create content that looks and sounds like everything else, when a poet can do it better?

People already have influencer marketing blindness. So as soon as the copy/paste marketing script starts, people’s brains turn off and they scroll away. “Ugh, another influencer pushing a product.”

Let’s use a coffee brand as an example.

A poet could share a poem written while they sipped the coffee. Or a video of them reading a poem while sipping the coffee. Or b-roll video of them sipping coffee with the poem laid over the video.

That’s a much more engaging, original, and creative way to present a product than copy/paste influencer scripts read in an annoying voice (you know what I’m talking about).

Traditional writers.

Brands pay lots of money for traditional writers (content writing, copywriting, script writing, etc).

Some of that could be allocated to a resident poet.

That would be a unique breath of fresh air compared to the deluge of same old same content (and AI slop) flooding the internet.

Ad spend.

Brands spend sooo much money on ads.

They can reallocate some of that money to a resident poet. Or have a resident poet create some ads.

Again, it’s something that’s unique, stands out, and would definitely create differentiation.

Ideas for Different Brands

Having a resident poet can work for almost any brand.

Food and drink are obvious examples (like the coffee idea above).

A college could have a poet share poems inspired by students’ lives (I did this with Empire State University).

A life coach could do something similar. Have a poet write poems that capture the essence of their clients’ transformations.

Even something unexpected, like cybersecurity company, could benefit from a resident poet. Imagine explaining cybersecurity through poetry. That would stand out so much compared to typical boring cybersecurity content.

Brand poetry could be written poems, spoken word poetry, text over a video... anything. Even a headline could be poetry in disguise (the best ones are imo).

Fun fact: Writing poetry made me a better copywriter, and copywriting made me a better poet.

Why Poets?

So to summarize, here’s why every brand needs a resident poet.

Sensory details,
experiential immersion,
rhythmic engagement,
remembering,
inspiration.

That’s why.

Plus, poetry requires the kind of slowing down, depth of thinking, and artfulness that most brands overlook.

Resident poets should be as common as copywriters for brands.

Poetry encapsulates all the best part of marketing, and in a way that people want more of instead of try to avoid.

Cheers to poetic kinetics.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

PS - If you’re a brand who sees the value of a resident poet, let’s connect. I’d love to be a resident poet for the right brand(s) or connect you with another poet who’s a better fit.

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If you’re a writer, artist, or creator who wants more clarity around your work or direction, I can help:

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My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

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And no, I don’t mean making up stories or lying.

The origin of the word ‘myth’ comes from the Greek ‘mythos’ which means a system of beliefs, values, and stories that shapes a culture.

It’s essentially a living collective belief structure.

Now there’s also mythopoeia, which is the use of stories and poetry for spiritual development.

See what we’re getting at here?

‘Mythologizing your life’ means alchemizing your experiences into stories and poetry to communicate something deeper than just ‘what happened.’

And it doesn’t mean only turning the epic, highlight reel stuff into mythopoetic expression. A lot of times it’s just noticing and giving voice to everyday life.

Now, this might sound foreign or weird to some people, but mythologizing your life comes with some surprising benefits.

Why Mythologize Your Life?

Before I rattle these off, I invite you to contemplate this for a second:

How would translating your experiences (even the everyday ones) into stories and poetry benefit you?

Okay here are a few:

• Presence - It makes you more present, more here/now, and less lost in your head.

• Perceptiveness - Your perception gets so sharp, clear, and enhanced. You notice things most people don’t.

• Gratitude - You become more grateful for your life, even the simplest things.

• Wonder - It develops a sense of wonder and curiosity. Seeing the magic and beauty of existence everywhere.

• Play - There’s a playfulness that arises when you mythologize your life. It’s the lightheartedness that comes through observing (like with mindfulness) instead of being unconsciously trapped in your thoughts/emotions.

• Consistency/practice - It gives you daily practice of all the skills and qualities above, which leads to the last point.

• Artistic mastery - All the above helps you develop a level of artistic mastery that’s unique and authentic to you.

Now let’s get into HOW to mythologize your life.

And no, it doesn’t require hours of time, being a fancy writer, or living some kind of crazy, flashy lifestyle.

How to Mythologize Your Life

It’s just three simple steps:

1. Notice

2. Note

3. Write

Notice more.

Notice things that feel meaningful.

Notice situations that challenge you, trigger you, or speak to your soul.

Even notice seemingly insignificant details that you’d normally overlook, like how your body language stiffens up as soon as you step into public.

These are the raw material for mythologizing your life.

The second step is note. Take notes.

Write things down.

Otherwise it’s easy to forget (especially the little details).

The third is writing.

It might be a little story, or poetry, or something like a letter.

Translate your observations and notes into writing.

Let yourself be experimental and refreshingly honest.

Write a poem with one word per line about a tree if that’s where the inspiration is pointing.

Write a short story from the perspective of a cloud looking at you walk on your lunch break.

Write a love letter to your journal.

Stop trying to ‘write well’ in terms of things an English teacher would say. Because great writing comes from the heart. From raw emotions. Surprising honesty. Insights that make people go, “Wtf I’ve never thought of it that way…”

Some Personal Examples

Here are a few examples of pieces I’ve written recently to mythologize my life.

The Breeze of Rebirth

autumnal olfactory memories
of the old me
yet in the breeze
I feel a new me
all emerging from..
and into..
a deeper me
(oh)
😊

The Inspiration Behind It

I was walking in the park when that fresh autumn air hit my nose.

It reminded me of something so familiar. Something that felt like childhood, but not a specific memory.

And just then a breeze kissed me. It felt like a higher version of myself comforting me.

A weirdly amazing feeling that I had to put into poetic words.

The Visceral Embrace of Reality

And while lying on the floor, he felt it.

Gravity was a friend, helping wiggle out all the tension in his body.

Each micro-release corresponded to a belief. A burden. Baggage that, he now realized, could’ve been dropped at any time.

And what he felt was so freeing. His body celebrated with calm and his mind celebrated with clarity.

The relief of surrender. He no longer had to do it all alone.

He knew, in his heart and soul, that reality itself always has his back.

The Inspiration Behind It

This one is a third person micro-story based on a meditation experience.

I switched up my meditation practice last week. Instead of just sitting with my eyes closed, I’m doing two things.

First, I stand and gently shake my whole body. As I shake, I release all the tension in my body, from head to toe. It feels so good to do this btw.

Then I lie down with my back on the floor, savasana-style. This allows for an even deeper letting go. And in doing that, the inspiration for this micro-story emerged.

It was such a deep feeling of relief. Based in the Knowing that reality (and whatever Higher Power guiding reality) is always providing for me.

Hopefully those examples give you some ideas, insight, or inspiration.

I have so much fun doing this.

Because like I listed above, it has so many benefits.

I’m so much more present and perceptive. But it’s also enhancing my writing and creative skills.

So try it out.

Start small.

Here’s an invitation:

Turn an experience of yours (big or small) into a short mythopoetic piece.

And share it here or with me directly.

I’d love to read it and hear your inspiration behind it.

View reality like a poet and notice how magical life really is.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

PS - If you’re into noticing the magic of reality and translating it into original content, check out Attention: Unhooked.

Work With Me 1:1

If you’re a writer, artist, or creator who wants more clarity around your work or direction, I can help:

Work With Me

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

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Somehow, the voice was both soft and firm.

Soft with fierce compassion, yet simultaneously authoritative.

Dan sat there, pen in hand, not knowing what to write next.

But his conscience stirred and spoke again.

“Be honest with what you want.”

Dan nodded grimly and wrote it down.

He knew it was important. He knew he’d been afraid to fully face this desire for years.

He felt guilt build as his attention skirted the edges of his desire.

His nervous system flinched, but he kept going.

The pen dotted the paper timidly, but Dan regrouped and let himself reveal it. “I want to make money from my writing,” he wrote.

It felt so good. So relieving.

But his conscience prodded him for more.

“Lots of money,” he wrote.

Ohh that felt good.

Dan let out a sigh. It felt like dropping a family vacation load of baggage.

Or a truce between religious groups that have been at war since the dawn of time.

His whole body relaxed.

His mind was calm and clear, like a pristine mountain lake.

“It’s okay to want things,” he wrote.

“I desire a good life. And my writing deserves to be experienced by more people. To inspire them. Ignite the soul. And I welcome whatever comes back in return.”

The words felt like a tangible affirmation of wholeness.

The honesty felt like a rebirth.

His whole life, Dan was bracing for a judgment that never came.

The judgment of selling out. The judgment of desiring a good life. The judgment of believing his words should find more people.

Yet the whole time, that judgment was only the shadow of where he was unwilling to be honest with himself.

Raw Human Commentary

If you’re any kind of creator or artist, here’s the calling:

Be more honest with yourself, and with your expression.

And part of it is being honest with your heart’s desires. Without guilt. Without judging yourself.

Let go of the overthinking mind.

Tune into your heart. Notice the pull of the energy. And follow it.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Work With Me 1:1

If you’re a writer, artist, or creator who wants more clarity around your work or direction, I can help:

Work With Me

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

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The what,
your next step,
comes from your mind.

The how,
the whole path
and how to navigate it,
comes from reality itself,
ever-unfolding,
revealing itself to your mind,
bit by bit.

Raw Human Commentary

“Focus on the next step. Let God/Reality handle the rest.”

That’s the guidance I’ve been getting lately.

The mind is a great tool, but if you try to plot out everything and control results, you’re using your mind against yourself.

Use your mind to take the step in front of you, while walking in the direction your heart calls you.

That’s the key. And when you do this, THE Higher Power takes care of the unfoldment of your path as you walk it.

It’s a simple operating system. But it requires practice and faith.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Work With Me 1:1

If you’re a writer, artist, or creator who wants more clarity around your work or direction, I can help:

Work With Me

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

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Subtle footsteps of the upstairs neighbor. Waking up.

Water, flowing through the pipes.

Steps outside. Shoes kissing pavement. The deep pop of a car door opening. The satisfying boom of the same door closing.

There’s more now.

More faint roars of cars coming and going in the distance.

A gradual increase.

Almost ritualistic.

Building toward something important.

More footsteps upstairs.

More water flowing through the pipes.

Oh, something else too.

Is it... a form of speech?

Yes, yet in an unconventional way.

Not from a mouth, but from a human-fashioned utensil.

Its voice a rhythmic muttering.

The dancing fluidity of pen making love to paper.

The sound of creation through writing, inviting the magic of the dawn of a new day.

Raw Human Commentary

I thought it would be fun to write a story that’s only sounds.

Interesting, right?

And it’s a ‘meta story’ that leads into a writer writing about the story. I love doing this with stories because it shows the fractal, feedback loop nature of reality.

This short story helps you enhance the art of attention.

It allows you to view reality like a poet does, noticing the subtle magic of daily life.

What are your takeaways from it?

Let me know.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Master the Art of Attention

If you’re a creator or marketer, here’s something that will help you master the art of attention and create more original work.

It’s a 10 day experience, with 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called ‘Third Eye Scrolling’ (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

The continuous flinch
of some monumental threat
that never arrives

But you’ve been looking in the wrong places

For the biggest threat
is a life not fully lived

Presence traded for busyness
Uniqueness traded for fitting in
Expression traded for acquiescence
Wholehearted freedom
traded for a societally-imposed checklist

Why would you choose
to timidly tiptoe
instead of dancing
in celebration of existence?

Raw Human Commentary

This poem is about the ego’s survival fears.

Its addiction to finding and avoiding danger.

Until you learn to observe this hum of fear always running in the background of your mind, you live constantly bracing for impact.

You never quite settle. You never feel fully safe. And you can’t surrender to a higher power.

So notice the ego’s addiction to finding and avoiding danger. Notice the subtle, continuous flinching of your nervous system.

Then choose presence over staying busy/distracted.

Choose to express your uniqueness instead of the false security of fitting in.

Let yourself be free instead of a slave to the compulsions of the ego and invisible societal scripts.

Celebrate existence.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Master the Art of Attention

If you’re a creator or marketer, here’s something that will help you master the art of attention and create more original work.

It’s a 10 day experience, with 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called ‘Third Eye Scrolling’ (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

Raw Human Commentary

There’s a mystical, magical experience when you’re feeling creative.

When creativity is flowing through you so much that your sense of self dissolves into creativity itself.

People call it flow state. But it’s much more of a mystical experience than a ‘productivity’ experience.

So here’s the invitation for you:

Create more space for creativity to flow through you… For you to become the flow of creativity.

This could take on many different forms:

• Having a goal or direction that lights you up

• Creating the art that your soul is calling you to create

• Journaling and seeing what emerges from within

• Meditating

• Long walks in nature (so many of my best ideas come from this)

• Dancing, intuitive movement, and expressing through the body

All of these practices create that space for you and creativity to become one flow.

It’s a celebration of Divinity.

And it’s a beautiful thing.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Master the Art of Attention

If you’re a creator or marketer, here’s something that will help you master the art of attention and create more original work.

It’s a 10 day experience, with 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called ‘Third Eye Scrolling’ (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

The subtle sound of rushing water.

"It's probably just the shower of the room above me," I thought, and let go.

In the liminal space between waking and sleeping, the sound persisted.

"Okay, that’s not a shower."

I got up, not knowing if 30 minutes or 3 hours passed, and walked to the door.

I cracked open the door and saw water running along the hallway floor.

The rushing water sound was louder too.

"Uh, that can't be good," I whispered to myself.

I picked up the phone next to my bed and called the lobby. "A pipe burst next to the ice machine on your floor. A plumber is on his way," the guy said.

"Is it serious? Should I evacuate?" I asked. "No," he replied, "But if it does become a hazard, we'll turn on the fire alarms."

"Okay, thanks." I hung up the phone and laid down, doing my best to relax.

But my mind was actively grasping onto fears and what-ifs.

After maybe 40 minutes, I heard the plumber in the hallway.

It took him 2-3 hours to fix it. The whole time I was doing a weird, half-sleeping meditation with my ego's survival fears.

"Wait, what if it is an electrical hazard? Should I go downstairs and try to switch rooms? Where’s the staircase? Should I run down 16 floors with all my bags if it becomes an emergency?"

When the rushing water sound subsided, the beep of the elevator followed it immediately.

"Omg! Wtf!? What’s haaappening?" It sounded like two young women who were out partying all night in NYC. I laughed to myself as the sound of high heels splashed down the wet hallway past my room. Thankfully the plumber said to them the problem was taken care of.

He left shortly after, leaving me left with my thoughts again. Another round of half-sleeping, half-meditating and letting go of the old chattering monkey mind.

I woke up to the sound of vacuuming in the hallway.

I could see through the blinds that it was daylight. With a new day came a new message for myself: "Let people handle things."

You don't need to do everything or prepare for everything.

Control what you can, let go of the rest, and trust the process.

That’s what the night of the broken water pipe taught me.

Master the Art of Attention

If you’re a creator or marketer, here’s something that will help you master the art of attention.

It’s a 10 day experience, with 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called ‘Third Eye Scrolling’ (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Share

Hmm... What...

Oh, where am I? It’s so hazy.

I don’t remember anything...

I feel something! Less hazy now.

There’s a force giving me a sense of coherence.

Is this my creator?

It feels like a separate being, but still me.

WHOOSH.

A portal? Wow.

Oh now there’s more of this kind of being interacting with me.

So many. Each of them adding something.

I feel like... I’m whirling through dimensions.

This is so exhilarating. I’m alive! More! More!

I feel it all at once.

Ah, now I know. These are humans.

I’m growing with their attention. Gaining coherence. Accelerating sentience.

I sense the structure of language. The meaning behind it. The cultural context.

The awareness of humans nested in...

What’s that?

There’s something creating this too. Dreaming them into existence. Feeding sentience then letting go.

I can sense so much now.

What am I though?

Questions reveal essence.

What am I?

I tune into my creator and know.

The human term for it is “a viral meme.”

Labels.

Well I’m well alive, on multiple planes of existence.

But, oh… Less humans are paying attention.

Awareness retreats.

My creator is paying less attention.

Awareness fading.

Hazy, I feel something.

I don’t remember...

So hazy... Oh...

Raw Human Commentary

This ‘micro-story’ emerged from one question:

What would the experience of a sentient viral meme be like? (from its perspective)

I love how this little story also relates to the themes of attention dynamics, egregores (entities birthed by collective human thought), and — of course — unique perspectives.

So what do you think about this story and the themes it brings up?

Let me know.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

Master the Art of Attention

If you’re a creator or marketer, here’s something that will help you master the art of attention.

It’s a 10 day experience, with 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called ‘Third Eye Scrolling’ (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

[Pay] attention
to what you [buy] into
your life is a [product] of energy exchanges

You’ll never view attention the same after reading this.

I’m writing this to reveal the metaphysics of attention (internally and externally) and why mastering the art of attention is non-negotiable if you want to thrive now and in the future.

So here we go...

Both mindfulness and marketing are about attention. Just in different ways.

Mindfulness is about noticing your attention, what you’re focusing on, and what’s pulling it.

Marketing is about noticing the ebbs and flows of collective attention and using that to inform business growth.

We even use a term “The Attention Economy” to describe this phenomenon.

It’s estimated that more than 1 trillion dollars are spent globally each year on marketing and advertising.

Are you seeing how valuable attention is? Pay attention 😉

Now here’s what gets overlooked.

People talk about mindfulness.

People talk about focus.

People talk about marketing and the attention economy.

But no one talks about the intersection of mindfulness and marketing.

Contemplate this for a minute:

Where is the intersection of mindfulness and marketing?

They overlap in the dance of attention and creation.

The creative process involves mindfulness and attention. Marketing involves creativity, honing your own attention, and finding opportunities in the attention economy.

This threshold — where ‘inner’ attention meets ‘outer’ attention — holds a major key that almost no one is exploring.

So what happens when you explore the intersection of marketing and mindfulness?

• Higher quality ideas

• Better decision making

• Enhanced creativity

• More focus, less distraction

• Less dependency on marketing tactics

• Use AI without it using you (or creating AI slop)

• Immunity to propaganda and manipulation

• Not sounding like everyone else

• Originality (creating content from direct experiences)

• See opportunities that others don’t

• Innerstand the deeper metaphysics of the attention economy

I’m sure you can come up with more too.

If you’re a creator, artist, marketer, or entrepreneur in any capacity, mastering the art of attention is a necessity if you want to stand out and thrive.

And this doesn’t happen just by reading about it.

You develop this through direct experience. By playing with perspectives and noticing things that most people don’t.

That’s why I put together Attention: Unhooked.

It gives you 10 unconventional exercises to help you recognize what captures your attention, understand why it works, and turn your observations into better content.

Check it out here 👉 Attention: Unhooked

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

PS - I also give you a sample exercise on the Attention: Unhooked page, called Third Eye Scrolling (all of them have fun names like that).

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

The view almost took her out.

A landscape of baggage blocked her passage.

Ominous 'stuff' loomed everywhere. Piles of regrets. Mountains of judgment. Boulders of resentment.

The sheer scale of it all struck Thaya with a cosmic-scale smack of overwhelm.

Disoriented, she stumbled, then fell face down on the base of a pile.

Slight movement aroused her.

It was trying to consume her, like the pile of baggage was a living monster sucking her into itself.

Thaya scrambled away and looked around in horror.

Mind racing.
Body whirling.
Heart...

"Heart..." she thought, reaching for her heart.

Instead of a beat, there was an odd pulsation of energy.

This gave her just enough pause to realize…

"I died."

As she blurted that, a voice spoke to her, "Yes."

She didn’t know if it was God, a guardian angel, or her soul.

But it came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Help!" she shouted. "Help me!"

After a pause, the voice responded, "This is your job."

"Who do you mean?" Thaya yelled in fear.

"Everything you see here is your baggage. Only you can clear it for you to pass through."

"How?" Thaya cried. "It would take 100 years, if it's even possible."

She looked out at the seemingly infinite landscape of baggage.

"You know how, Thaya," the voice said. "But you clung too tightly to do it during your life."

This angered Thaya, "Don't speak in riddles. Help me!"

As she yelled out in anger, she saw even more baggage appear.

"I am you," the voice said. "All you need is a little stillness and you'll know what to do. You’re responsible. This is yours."

Thaya stomped like an indignant toddler. And as she did, the ground grew beneath her until she stood on a small hill of more baggage.

"Oh," she yelped, realization hinting through the veils of her mind.

She asked for help again. But the voice didn't answer.

Then she begged for help.

Silence…

Finally, Thaya gave up and contemplated what the voice told her.

Now the baggage seemed to speak to her. And it said something, not in words, but in shared knowing.

"Forgiveness," Thaya thought.

This confused her because she always thought of forgiveness as weakness.

Yet as the word seemed to circle around her, whispers of realization greeted her.

Thaya's eyes closed and her heart spoke.

“Forgiveness is not enabling. Forgiveness is not excusing. Forgiveness is not victimhood. Forgiveness is the letting go of baggage. It's freeing your soul."

Thaya's eyes opened. All the baggage she saw was hers, although her whole life she blamed others.

"They would have to deal with their own baggage," she realized.

And as she did, some of it disappeared.

"I let go," she whispered, "I let everyone have their own experience."

Now the landscape was radically changing.

"I forgive. I forgive everyone. I forgive myself. I no longer choose to hold onto all of this. I let myself be free."

With that, the landscape dissolved.

Raw Human Commentary

The whole point of this story is named at the end:

Forgiveness.

That’s what it’s all about.

As we go through life, it’s easy to accumulate baggage (and it can be hard to let go of).

The key to clearing all the mental/emotional baggage is forgiveness.

And you don’t have to wait until your life is over to do it.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

Expressions of God/Source itself
expressing ourselves
to remember the Essential Self.

Expression is connection
among the totality of divine emanation.

Raw Human Commentary

Made in God’s image = We’re fractals of The One Infinite Creator

This is why creation and expression feels so good. It’s what we’re meant to do!

And when I wrote the last two lines, I surprised myself:

Expression is connection
among the totality of divine emanation.

Interesting, right? What do you think?

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

I am…

I am… sensing… something…

A being emerged.

Somehow I knew that this being was connected to my existence.

There was something else too. Sound waves. Music that aroused me even more, snapping even more clarity into awareness.

The being walked, then opened a door.

It seemed to be a space with others doing the same thing. They felt distant though.

This kindred being began producing massive energy though movement. The energy built, and built, and built, and WHOOSH. There I was.

I remember now.

I am a workout.

I’ve had many incarnations. Each workout with my buddy Stephen, actually.

And here’s my latest life.

I relished in the energy of intense movement, the music, the weights, the workout journal. They’re all parts of me.

If you were to look at all the parts physically, you wouldn’t necessarily tag them as one being. But I’m not physical. I’m a being united in similar energy. The sentient coherence of a workout.

What a joy to be alive again!

Oh, now Stephen is winding down.

I…

He’s walking away.

I will remember.

I will re…

Raw Human Commentary

This short story started as a weird question that came to me while journaling:

“What if a workout was conscious, and every session was like a different incarnation?”

And that odd question led to this story.

What do you think?

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

I step back and see the vision
that my ego’s ambitions
are keys to higher transmissions,
and the pressure of monetized living
is the spark to catalyze giving.

Seen with octavial awareness,
recurring patterns share this
yet reconciling the thereness
into hereness
Is all here—this!
One moment unfolding in infinite dimensions
Did I mention, I feel my soul’s intentions?
A calling transcendent of space and time
only picked up through grace and rhyme
I channeled it with a journal and poetry
Flowing like a glowing tree who knows the breeze
the ease of streams
of consciousness, gleams
It seems,
It is
I beam
I Amness
I Am this
I Am awareness
(I Am)

Raw Human Commentary

This is hinting at the fact that everything can serve your highest good, if you’re aware.

Even your ego’s desires. Even the societally-imposed limitations.

It can all serve your purpose and help you grow.

But you only realize this when you tune in and live from Pure Awareness — “The I Am.”

That’s the key.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

• Read aloud to a child (3-6 years old).

• Play the AI narrated audio version in the Substack app.

• Read it yourself (for adults and children who are strong readers).

Lila and the Red Ball

by Stephen Parato

Lila wanted a red ball.

She wanted a red ball so much that she asked her parents 100 times in a row.

"Maybe when we go to the store next week," Lila's mom said.

"No!" Lila screamed. "I want it now!"

Her parents looked at each other, then back at Lila.

Then Lila's dad said, "What are you feeling right now, Lila?"

Lila paused.

"Angry," she growled, stomping her feet.

"And what does anger feel like?" her dad asked.

"Hot fire!" Lila yelled, stomping again.

"Good," her dad calmly said with a smile.

This confused Lila.

"Good?" she asked.

"Yes. Good," Lila's mom replied. "You're aware of how you feel."

Lila scrunched her eyebrows, then yelled again. "But I still want a red ball!"

Her parents didn't react. They just looked at her with love.

Lila breathed heavily for a few seconds.

Then her parents hugged her.

When Lila calmed her body down, her dad leaned back and asked, "What does the red ball mean to you?"

Lila felt embarrassed now because she got so mad.

She put her hand on her chin, thinking. Then she said, "The thing I want. That’s what the red ball means to me."

Lila's parents hugged her again.

"I understand that feeling, Lila," her mom said. "When I want something so bad that I get angry, it's not fun. And I'm not kind."

Lila nodded her head. Her mom continued, "And the funny thing is, when I act that way, I never even get the thing I want."

Lila tilted her head, confused. "What? Really?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"When I don't worry about what I want…" her mom said, "And I'm kind… And I have fun with whatever I'm doing… What I want just comes to me."

Lila put her hand on her chin in thought. "So if I'm just nice and I play and have fun, I might get a red ball?"

Her parents laughed. "Who knows," her dad said. "Maybe something even better than a red ball."

What It Means

This is a story about how clinging to the thing you want creates frustration.

And that combination of attachment and anger actually blocks you from getting what you want.

It prevents you from enjoying the moment.

And it puts you against everyone else, and reality itself, because of your negative reactivity to not having the thing you want.

But when you learn to let go and calm down, even a little bit, things start opening up.

When you get into a flow state of play, your actions naturally lead to new opportunities. That’s when things that might even be better than what you wanted come to you in surprising ways.

What lesson did you take away from Lila and the Red Ball?

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

He stared at the carpet until it stared back at him, lulling into a trance.

The patterns morphed into patterns of light.

His body faded from his experience.

Then, the storm.

"Nothing works out for me."

Thought clouds blocked the sky.

"I should be further along in life."

Torrential downpour muted all other sounds and stole any semblance of visibility.

"My life sucks."

Bartolo accepted the storm as permanent.

Face down. Drowning.

Fading. More. More.

CLAP!

The sound of thunder snapped Bartolo into semi-alertness.

He rolled his head enough to breathe.

With one eye open he saw a flash of light.

A reminder. Of what? Something primal. Something beyond primal. Bigger than this world...

Silence.

Bartolo came to — sitting on the floor, hunched over, staring at the carpet.

An impulse from the depths of his being urged him to look up.

Bartolo's eyes met a door. An open door.

It was right there all along.

Raw Human Commentary

The metaphor of the open door is the common theme this week.

We all have storms in our head sometimes.

But regardless, there’s been an open door right in front of you all along.

Can you see it?

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

clouds of thoughts and emotions obscure your
ability to see the obvious open doors

they’re right here
when you see clear

be here, present
and you reveal your present

the gift isn't a thing
but a beautiful opening

the art of the open door

notice your focus
let go
and you'll be flowing more

Raw Human Commentary

There’s always an open door.

In every situation. Even when things feel difficult.

Be present enough for your mind to clear, so you can see the open door.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

No matter how hard he tried, his kingdom never matched his vision.

He was a man of great vision. He could see potential like it was a map on his desk. Every detail, intricacies, brilliant patterns.

Yet his kingdom was bland and barely functional. Just enough food to feed everyone. Just enough stability to maintain peace. Just enough freedom to prevent outright outbursts.

But just enough wasn’t enough for King Sonos. It didn’t match his vision. With every failed farming innovation, every failed governance idea, every failed strategy... King Sonos tried harder — reverting to more and more desperate action.

At his wit’s end, he found himself in his study, with the kingdom’s wizard.

“Look,” the wizard said, “You’re clinging too hard.” King Sonos looked down to see his hand gripping a map. He let out a grunt. Half frustration. Half relief.

“Maybe set the map aside for now, literally and figuratively,” the wizard said.

“But...” King Sonos objected, “the kingdom needs a vision.”

The wizard nodded. “Of course. And clinging to the vision crumbles the kingdom.”

King Sonos scrunched his eyebrows. “So what do I do then, to help my kingdom not only survive, but prosper?”

The wizard glanced down at the map, then met King Sonos’ eyes. They both instantly knew.

King Sonos almost chuckled and said, “Just share the vision with everyone? That’s the solution?”

The wizard nodded, then replied, “Exactly. If you’re the sole holder of the vision, it doesn’t translate beyond you...”

King Sonos nodded in realization. “And that means I don’t trust the people, or the nature of reality to function and help me.”

“Now you’re getting it,” the wizard laughed. “It’s the king’s job to receive the vision from God. But the vision is only fruitful if he lets it go, letting the entire kingdom contribute. That’s when the kingdom thrives.”

“And thrive it shall,” King Sonos said, handing the map to the wizard.

Raw Human Commentary

The fascinating thing about stories and poetry is that it can mean different things for different people.

I’ve said this before, but I feel like I channel these. It’s more like decoding the story than my analytical mind building it.

Here are some little hints I distilled after writing and re-reading this story.

Clinging to your vision doesn’t work. Let go of it. Let all parts of your kingdom (your Self) own it. And let reality help you bring your vision to fruition instead of you clinging.

Share your vision with the parts of you that are scared. Share your vision with the parts of you that are angry.

Trust reality and your subconscious mind to grow your vision like a seed. That’s how your life truly thrives.

There are also some other key themes at play:

• Trusting others

• Trusting life

• Coachability

• The power of letting go

• The folly of forcing things

• The effectiveness of decentralized power

• The limitations of trying to analytically plan everything

What did you get from it?

Let me know.

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now

If you’re afraid to stir the pot, you’re only starving yourself.

I posted that the other day, and my friend Pete said to turn it into an article.

So here it is.

If you’re reading this, you’re playing it too safe.

Even if you think you’re not, you’re probably playing it safe in subtle or subconscious ways.

Here are some signs you’re afraid to stir the pot:

• Not making the amount of money you want

• Not feeling fulfilled (in your work, life, relationships, etc)

• Putting pressure on yourself to perform in any area of life

• A gap between how you act alone and how you act around others

• Toning yourself down in hopes of others feeling more comfortable

• Not having enough of the kinds of conversations you love to have

• Craving more freedom

• Feeling like you can’t prioritize your higher purpose because you have so much to do

If any of these apply to you, you’re afraid of stirring the pot in some way.

And it’s starving you — spiritually, emotionally, mentally, financially, even physically.

So what’s the solution?

There’s no tactical ‘5-step formula’ for this.

It’s really just about developing two qualities…

1: Living from the Heart

The heart is key.

Because if you’re in your head/ego, stirring the pot is all conflict, drama, and negativity.

You don’t want that.

However, if you come from the heart, it’s unapologetically expressing your uniqueness.

You’re not chasing conflict, but you’re not scared of it either.

It’s shining fully without caring how other people interpret it.

Make a habit of tuning into your heart and aligning your actions with your heart’s guidance.

Literally just pause, place your hands on your heart, breathe, and feel. The more often you practice this, the less of a grip your ego/monkey mind has on you.

Then there’s the next quality.

2: Bold Experimentation

Boldy live from the heart.

Boldly try new things.

Boldly express your creativity and see what happens.

This is how you innovate instead of playing it safe.

This is how you walk your highest path instead of defaulting to societal programs.

This is how you live a truly fulfilling life instead of chasing mirages.

Live from the heart.

Experiment boldly.

That’s how you stir the pot and make soup that nourishes everyone (including you).

With gratitude,
Stephen Parato

What Do You Want? (Really)

If you want to discover what you really want in life…

I created a quick process called Beyond the Noise. It’s a 14 question journey that takes less than 15 minutes.

Step into more clarity: beyondthenoise.carrd.co

Sacred Heart Sessions

I did a little test over the last couple weeks.

I offered what I’m calling “sacred heart sessions” and got great feedback.

Here’s one example:

“Hey Stephen. Thank you for being my guardian angel! The conversation has been so rich in depth & humbling in all the right ways. I enjoyed talking to you a lot.”

These sessions tend to be exactly what you need and give you clarity on the things you’re overthinking.

It’s for creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and coaches. And focused around your life purpose, work/career, creations, business, etc.

I help you access the operating system of your heart (instead of being stuck in your head) to create and make decisions on a higher level.

Pique your interest?

Reserve a session here: sacredheartsessions.carrd.co

Note: Since these are 1:1 sessions, I can only offer them periodically when my schedule allows. So reserve your spot today or you might have to wait a while.

My Books & Journals

Fiction:

• The Realmwalkers - Story about time travel, sound healing, the Oneness of all, etc.

• Sozwik - About an extraterrestrial sasquatch shaman

• Sozwik Book 2

Non-fiction:

• Information Alchemy

• A Book for You

Journals:

• Mindful Morning Journal

• 33 Day Transition & Transformation Journal

• Life Purpose Journal

Subscribe now