Category: Stories to ponder.

A little fiction to refresh the mind.

Categories
Book reviews Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder. The free mind of a human god!

See yourself.

Your own ignorance, your own lack of insight into yourself is keeping you down. You might carry loneliness, resentment, guilt, self-pity, jealousy; but all these are just manifestations of your own ignorance. Your ignorance lies in not knowing who you are and what you can accomplish. Your own dreams and greater possibilities rest in your grasp, but your attention on the tragic, on the sad, on the anxiousness, on the frustration with yourself is what deviates you from the bigger picture. The bigger picture being what’s beyond all this negativity you keep feeding. And negativity is what you have to learn to let go.

When I say ‘you,’ I mean ‘we’; because any of us needs to remind ourselves that all thoughts of despair appear and become strong in us only if we lack self-awareness. Lack of self-awareness is lack of insight into myself, into my strengths, into my better self. For example, if I go through something difficult in life, this doesn’t mean that I should overwhelm myself with self-pity and frustration; and so let my life become worse and even more difficult in the future through my feelings of despair. These feelings of despair that I have allowed into myself, that I have created really, mark who I am to myself; and how I see myself.

One thing to understand is that how I see myself is everything in life. So, ask yourself: Do I see myself patient, committed, able…?? Do I believe that my life will turn around if I believe in myself even through hardship…?? Do I lack real insight and understanding of my own strengths and capacities…?? Why should I feel depressed because things right now are not going as I expect…?? Life is based on asking yourself these questions, with honesty, with desire for true answers. I know that most of us ignore these questions, but in reality the answers to these questions may give us strength and insight into how we really feel. It is all about how we feel. Because your life is you. So, in order for life to be good, then you must feel good about it; and you must make it happen in your mind first, not wait around for some external miracle. Create the miracle yourself.

Thanks for reading.

And just a reminder. Only 5 days left. Enter this GOODREADS GIVEAWAY for your chance to win a copy of “BENJAMIN JONES – The Return of The Gods.”

read a sample here

Goodreads Book Giveaway

"The Return of The Gods" by Asa Rodriguez

“The Return of The Gods”

by Asa Rodriguez

Giveaway ends June 13, 2021.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway
Categories
Anatomy and physiology of life Book reviews Poetry and prose from the heart. Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder. The free mind of a human god!

Full of confidence

 “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

There is no worst enemy than one’s self-pity. There is no greater obstacle you bring to yourself than overthinking and analyzing something to death. Life is to be lived with courage, the successful life that is. But, of course, we all feel lack of confidence, some self-pity, maybe sadness about ourselves and where we’re going in life at times. Or perhaps, when one is lacking self-awareness, we tend to secretly compare ourselves to others. That is human and we all do it. But the truth is that this kind of mental behavior does not help us in any way. We human beings are meant to be ourselves, unique; and it is why each of us has a different experience, each of us feels different, each of us carries our own styles and ways of thinking.

This might sound harsh, but a great life is only for the brave among us. By brave I mean the ones who leave our pasts behind, the ones who are absolutely ourselves, the ones who do put importance to what others think and feel about us. It is my life and I experience and learn from myself, for myself.

This is not selfishness. This is empowering ourselves. This is saying ‘I create what I want, with patience, with courage, with love for myself; and it might go against what society teaches and does, but still it is all about my happiness, growing in character and in confidence.‘

The fact is that we are what we daily think. If we daily think we can’t do something, or be something, or achieve something, than we are that. And we so become what we daily think. Because what we daily think about ourselves becomes great part of our subconscious, which means it becomes who we are in all situations in life. Life is no more than this. Life becomes this. What I do is to be positive in spite of whatever goes on around me. People do not matter because they cannot live your life. Each one of us lives our own. So focus on your life. What do you think about yourself right now?? How is that helping you?? Why do you think that?? Are you comparing yourself to others?? Are you living in past mistakes?? Are you living in past, hurtful memories??

Thanks for reading.

Now, let me remind you that curses do exist. Darkness rules us all. So what do you do with all that anger and hatred you carry…?? Have you visited purgatory with Ben yet…??

The Lord of Darkness has trapped Ben in a dark world, in another dimension, a purgatory if you will. He must discover why he’s been put there. He must save the ancient gods’ planet from total oblivion as well.

Enter below to get your copy of “BENJAMIN JONES – The Return of The Gods” before it’s too late.

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

"The Return of The Gods" by Asa Rodriguez

“The Return of The Gods”

by Asa Rodriguez

Giveaway ends June 13, 2021.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway
Categories
Poetry and prose from the heart. Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder. The free mind of a human god!

How to love

There is no feeling like the one that gives us acceptance, support, unity, harmony, and that sense of freedom yet embrace from the ones we love. After all, everybody in life seeks to feel accepted and validated by the people around them. But this love must be nurtured within you first, because if it is not then you’ll become needy and you will become a slave to others while you are in search for this love from them. No one wants to feel needy, like we must get validation or assurance from others in order to feel loved, valued, happy. That is why is extremely important to nurture this greater love first in ourselves.


And sometimes people seek to demonstrate love by going to great lengths, by giving opinions, by trying to fix, by showing that they can be nurturers; but really, quite often, just being there is enough. Just to let ourselves and others know that the value of love is in remaining. The ego, the overthinking mind, seeks to show worth, to validate by action, to seek more ways to display how we feel. Sacrifice, strain, effort, gifts, great demonstrations. This is what society says one should do to love, to make someone feel loved, to find value in ourselves; however, this is a mechanical pattern which is born out of our egos to feel better about ourselves.


Because the simplicity of love is experienced fully by just being there, for ourselves and for others; and this does not require the ego to come up with newer ways to “love.” Because this is a more pure, heartfelt, honest and authentic love; and a love which does not make you a slave to others or to their ways to love you or not love you, to their expectations or to their requirements from you. It’s a love which remains in you. It’s a love which heals in relationships. And it’s the only love which can make you whole. And this wholeness is what we all seek. It is in us really. Without anxiety about finding newer ways to show our care. Without copying others. Without feeling less than others and their actions. Just communicating. Just gazing into each other’s eyes. This is all that love is. The rest is a made up scheme from the overactive ego in us.

And here are some good, old promos for your enjoyment:

allure of the paranormal
mythology book fair
twisted tales
better life
Categories
Anatomy and physiology of life Book reviews Business mind. Poetry and prose from the heart. Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder.

Why is life like this…??

So, why are we here…?? Why are we born?? What’s the point of all our suffering, challenges, misunderstandings, and losses in life?? These are the deepest questions we can ask ourselves. Of course, most people really do not question life like this. They just live it. But, in my own experience, the life put under a microscope is the life which brings you the understanding of true love and happiness. Because sometimes one lives life, and one suffers life, without really knowing why things are the way they are; or what we have to do to better our lives. No one does this intentionally, obviously. We are all trying to live the best we can. But, having said this, some of us let our minds rush and become frustrated, angry, impulsive even. Or maybe jealous, greedy, and aggressively competitive. The unaware mind has a way to blind us from clear understanding in life.

But we are what we understand, and we understand when we are truly aware of something. If I truly understand the way you feel, what you are going through, then I won’t judge you and bully you. If I truly understand why life is not going so well for me right now, then I won’t become angry and frustrated; but I will be more patient, work on choosing better, and thus be more mature daily. If I truly understand why I suffered what I suffered in my past, then I will become stronger in my present and more prepared for my future. So, think about it. Don’t rush into things. Don’t be impulsive. Even if things seem really unfair to you, stay calm, look within and in your mind, observe with stillness. If you learn to understand yourself better, then your life improves.

Thanks for reading.

And if you enjoy a good fantasy/mystery read. The ones that help you understand life and yourself, but at the same time bring you new worlds and fantastical adventures. I bring you a Goodreads giveaway of my new fantasy/mystery book. “BENJAMIN JONES. The Return of The Gods.”

Visit purgatory with Ben.

Just a few entries left.

Claim your adventure for free below!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

"The Return of The Gods" by Asa Rodriguez

“The Return of The Gods”

by Asa Rodriguez

Giveaway ends June 13, 2021.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway
Categories
Book reviews Poetry and prose from the heart. Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder. The free mind of a human god!

I ALWAYS LOVED YOU

Love is at the very core of life. No concepts from society. No concepts from our egos. Love is action. And if you feel true love for yourself, for others, for the world, then you become confident, you lose anxiety and drama in your life, you become the lover. A better and kinder lover. A lover of life.

Introducing “I ALWAYS LOVED YOU” now in audiobook. It is a book about becoming a lover in life, in your relationships, in all you go through. It is about becoming an individual, unique, yourself entirely without pretending, and not following or copying how others love in society. It is about learning relaxing your mind and easing you into the very core of the best life: Love.

“I ALWAYS LOVED YOU” is now on audiobook form.

Listen to a sample in the links below 📚🎧💗🎁

Audible u.s.
audible u.k.
Categories
Book reviews Stories to ponder.

Prophecy of the cursed child (video)

“A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway.”

Christopher Reeve

We all carry darkness. We all carry burdens, fears, troubled pasts, something which annoys us in some way. But the spirit of the human being is to see past this, to rise above one’s self-pity. The courage is in us, hidden below the layers of self-inflicted suffering and guilt. We only need to try hard and see beyond our sorrows, keep going in spite of the troubles in life, and remind ourselves that nothing is written in destiny. Destiny is something only we can create as we choose our path in life.

I have thought about this for long, and on the character I have created, named BENJAMIN JONES.

This is another book trailer introduction to “The Return of The Gods.” The fantasy/mystery book #2 in the series “BENJAMIN JONES.” Coming soon.

This trailer is about what has been written by Enki, Sumerian God. It’s about the one to rise as a hero, the one to sit by the gods, the one to be loved and venerated by the people; and about the darkness swallowing the land. I hope you enjoy it.

THIS IS “PROPHECY OF THE CURSED CHILD”:

click here for “prophecy of the cursed child”

And while you wait for “BENJAMIN JONES – The Return of The Gods” to come out, #1 in the series, “BENJAMIN JONES – The Call of The shaman,” is free to download on my website when you subscribe to my bookish newsletter. Thanks.

Categories
Anatomy and physiology of life Book reviews Stories to ponder.

The Return of The Gods

It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright. 

~Stephen King~

A little teaser of my upcoming fantasy/mystery book…

“…He took his time to respond, “Yes.” He then walked to the lip of the abyss and pointed to the misery below. “Ben, can’t you see it?? This is purity. There is nothing hidden here. I don’t hide my nature from you. Humans have war, and greed, and lies, and chaos everywhere. But they hide it behind a smile, don’t they??”

For a while, there was silence. The wails of the wind and the faint voices of sorrow were the only sounds echoing in the gloominess of it all. Ben was brooding over what The Lord of Darkness had said. It was true. All of it. But questions lingered.

“Why did you make me want to kill Jake…??” Ben finally asked. “Why did you send those voices to torture me like that??”

Lord Furvusmortem took a moment, then sighed, and then said, “Ah, but I didn’t make you feel rage and want to kill him. You did it all on your own. You cannot blame me for that, boy. That would be like blaming the water of a lake for following the natural process of vaporization and coming down as rain on you.”

“But the voices. They were not me. He was my friend. I would never kill him,” he protested while lost in thought. “We all have darkness in us. Darkness is a good thing. It keeps us honest, strong, loyal to our true nature. But the human mind gets bored, it seeks to disrupt this harmony; so it creates fear, rage, differences, and the burning desire in us to create conflict with others.” He then took a moment, then followed, “But, in you, the curse makes the voices more powerful, until they dominate your actions completely.”

There was a sudden wind picking up from the east, one which hadn’t been felt before. Then there was a flash of lightning bullying the dormant skies, and this one burned the whole firmament for a moment. Right after that, The Dark Lord stepped into the great chasm and used the wind as ground….”

This has been a little section of my upcoming book. This one is #2 in the series “BENJAMIN JONES.”

This has been “BENJAMIN JONES. The Return of The Gods.” Coming soon…

And, while you wait for my book’s release, here are some good, old promos for your enjoyment:

click here for “Vengeful gods”
Click here for “enter another dimension”
click here for “Only ya books! – April
click here for “clean fantasy audiobooks”
Categories
Anatomy and physiology of life Book reviews Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder.

The best mind

So, what is mindset…?? What is mind?? Isn’t it everything?? I mean, we think, say, feel, do whatever our minds are. To do anything in this life, first we must create a thought; and in time that thought becomes many thoughts, and so this mental stream becomes our habitual mind. The content of our minds. So, when you feel worship to God is because your mind is full of beliefs and religious things, even if you don’t assist to a religion. And when you become angry and paranoid is because your mind is full of thoughts which you despise. And when you feel arrogant and superior to others is because your mind is full of images of yourself that you have created egoistically. The same with progress in your life. Your mind dictates your progress or lack of it.

The only obstacle is self-imposed. The only obstacles are your beliefs, your attachment to your arrogance and to the ways things should be, the self-pity and jealousy you carry. You are the content of your mind, not more than this. You are not what you feel or you say you are. So, what is your mind’s content..?? Is it beliefs, culture and traditions, self-pity, doubt, arrogance, and endless nonsense about the supernatural?? Become aware of it, because whatever happens in your life, and whatever you experience, is what you attract due to your mind’s content. You become your mind’s content. This is for any of us, because any of us have the responsibility to remain aware of our minds at all times.

And now I want to present you with the latest video promo I made about the main character of this YA fantasy/mystery story I am writing. The BENJAMIN JONES series.

“BENJAMIN JONES. The Call of The Shaman,” #1 in the series, is already out and in Amazon. You can visit my website for more info: https://asarodriguez.com

So this is a little about Ben. As the main character of epic adventures, I thought he deserved a little introduction, since his story will make for several books to come.

And I have just gotten word that “BENJAMIN JONES. The Call of The Shaman,” is approved by Audible in its audiobook form, to be on sale in Audible, Amazon and iTunes in a few days. So maybe my narration of Ben’s story can reach the ears of people too.

His story commences here:

US: https://amazon.com/dp/B08MBFXSR9

UK: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B08MBFXSR9

And this is the video titled: “WHO IS BENJAMIN JONES..??”…

click here for “who is Benjamin jones..??” (video promo)
Categories
Book reviews Business mind. Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder.

Creative Dawn

What is the one thing that differentiates humans from other animals…??

What makes us unique…??

What allows for individuality and introspection??

When I think about these questions I can see how important the answer is.

And what is the answer…??

I choose to create because…


What makes possible everything in our lives…??

-In relationships, two persons planning unity and compromise.

-In envisioning a future outcome, a new possibility.

-In the ideas and insight to create, to innovate.

-In the intelligence to persevere and create a new path in life.

What is it that makes this possible…?? It is ‘imagination’: This wonderful phenomena is what betters our lives. Because this phenomena is what brings you the light of psychological expansion and freedom. Imagination goes hand in hand with great creativity, or it should; because all of us have great imagination, but not many of us great creativity. So, what’s the difference?? Why do some people have great creativity and others do not?? It is all starting with imagination. And like everything in life, imagination must be used, practiced, worked. Here’s a simple, but very direct example. What happens if you stay in bed or sitting and you don’t use your legs for a long time??

What happens is that your leg muscles lose strength, stamina; and so, it becomes truly difficult, and painful, whenever you get up to walk after such a long time. The same is with imagination. For it to be powerful, insightful, to bring intelligence and vision in your day-to-day life, it must be crafted and practiced to become great creativity. You must focus on something truly important and interesting to you, and craft, create, build your creativity. And this is not only reserved for artists, but it is reserved for anyone who seeks a better life, a better career, a better relationship, great lovemaking, great personality development, better mood and attitude, superb ideas and solutions for any stressful or serious problem you get in your life.

Everything becomes better, easier, more enjoyable with great creativity. This is because great creativity means an expansion of mind. Great creativity makes you more intuitive, more in touch with your fun side. Great creativity helps you become more easygoing, relaxed, able to see beyond the flaws and weaknesses of others, even of yourself so you gain more confidence. Imagine yourself laughing at your problems, in your relationship, in your job, in your life in general. This laughing means that your mind is not stressed, anxious, frustrated; therefore, you can now be more relaxed, and find better solutions, and be more flexible to see beyond this problem.

Imagine you let go of focusing on the flaws and things you do not like about your significant other. This means you let go of judging the other person, and now you are more centered in the best qualities of the other person. This also makes you more enjoyable, more attractive in all aspects–being mentally, emotionally, physically. And what about your moods and personality. Great creativity also allows you to access easily a more positive persona and attitude. And now you see life with different eyes, love and happiness are more attainable, and you easily choose how to feel in certain situations which might otherwise stress you and make you upset.

And now…

-We all keep great darkness inside…

-We all battle great darkness daily…

-We all have demons with which we struggle…

-But what really matters in life is what we do with these. It is about how we use and transform that darkness, those demons…

I am an author. And I create my own book trailers as well. Please check out my latest…

Here’s the 1st book trailer for “The Return of The Gods.” #2 in the series BENJAMIN JONES. I am about finish writing this one:

Click here for “the return of the gods”

And if you enjoyed it, then begin the journey. Get “The Call of The Shaman,” #1 in the series, here:

Amazon u.s.
amazon u.k.

Categories
Anatomy and physiology of life Self-help life truths. Stories to ponder. The free mind of a human god!

Truth (video)

Originality is individuality.

And what is to be an individual…??

It is to be yourself fully, without copying, without trying to fit in with the crowd, and without following what others say and do blindly.

Originality, individuality, to stand on your own, to be real, authentic. What is it…?? It has to do with freedom to be truly yourself, truly unique. And this, of course, leads us to truth. What is truth…?? Let’s carefully think about it:

Truth is something which is based on 3 things. 1- Individuality, 2- Understanding, 3- Moral values.

1- Individuality: To actually know truth is to think for yourself, by yourself, and not follow the beliefs, lifestyles and habits established by the very ignorant society.

2- Understanding: To actually know truth you must ponder things, see your own fault in every aspect, and let go of your psychological attachments to pride and self-pity.

3- Moral values: Truth itself can only be applied, not thought and felt. (The illusive process of thinking and feeling does not make you truthful.) And to apply it, you leave excuses, you stop blaming others, you see beyond your ego, and you work on your character by doing what is healthier and better in your life without making excuses.

And while you wait for “BENJAMIN JONES – The Return of The Gods,” fantasy/mystery book trailer, check out this video I just made about truth vs. justice, which goes in deeper following the above post…

Click here for video

And while you’re at it, enjoy these book promos as well:

click here for “diverse fantasy reads giveaway”
click here for “middle grade & young adult fantasy”
click here for “children’s book giveaway”