Good Turn For Goodwill 2014 - Thrift Stores: Fill & Download for Free

This is an article I wrote on my blog following his passing.86. WAYNE DYERI love thrift stores. I rarely hesitate when the chance to discover and rummage through a newly found one pops up. There was a time when my work had me earning a living in a wide range of destinations from Seattle to Des Moines to Omaha and Kansas city including a plethora of towns and destinations in between. Each place meant new opportunities to explore; new treasures to find, especially in the way of books. It also meant a LOT of driving, sometimes hundreds of miles a day. When I grew tired of the content on the radio (and my own thoughts in the lonely silence waned) I eventually turned to audio-books. Second hand shops certainly had no shortage of these. Before I went into recovery my choices were of the fictional nature, but as my life turned around so did my taste in what was not only entertaining, but educational.My sponsor encouraged me to investigate new teachers and subjects beyond what A.A. offers. Naturally I began to seek facts and philosophies that would align with a life of continued self-improvement. I had regular print books in my library he had recommended, but nothing as of yet sought on my own. It was at this time I came across Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “The Secrets to Manifesting Your Destiny” at a local Goodwill. Well, the title had me intrigued and I knew, very superficially, who Dyer was so he wasn’t a complete unknown. After reading the back I thought I’d give it a try. This was about one year into my recovery, perhaps around the summer of nineteen ninety-six.After playing and enjoying it once, I put it away thinking this was going to be the last and only time I would listen to it. I was wrong. About a year later I was bored, and again, it caught my eye. Upon giving it a second audience I was surprised to hear a lot I’d missed the first time. Dyer, as well as all great teachers, can be like this; either that or I’m simply a poor listener. At any rate, the pump had been officially primed for new teachings from the same source. More of his seminars were forthcoming from where I’d originally found the first one, thrift stores. Rather quickly I had attained a large library of his works along with such orators as Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, and titles including “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Other subjects accumulated as well, addressing such diverse topics as language skills, memory skills, math skills, business and leadership skills, and time management skills. Some were dull and quickly forgotten but Dyer remained my favorite.As time went along I began to adopt his suggestions of encouragement. I was intrigued by his presentation of the “self-actuated person” as first put forth by Abraham Maslow. Dyer felt this state of being could be achieved by anyone, as opposed to Maslow’s argument that it was confined to a limited number of gifted people. Years later I was approached by someone with whom I’d had a little contact but nothing close. They handed a complement saying I was the most self-actuated person they ever met. I do my best to remain “independent of the good opinion of others” but this was a special treat and I was moved by their gift. I’ve had “peak spiritual experiences” and actively defend the absent, playing the “devil’s advocate” quite often. At the end of this article I’ll place some links to other earlier stories on this blog that fall in line with how Dyer has influenced and touched my life.When Dyer released “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life” his book tour come through Denver Colorado. As a birthday gift my wife got us tickets to the event and I was quite excited. I wrote him and to my surprise he wrote back saying he was looking forward to meeting me. I couldn’t stop smiling through the entire talk. He signed the books we had brought and I had my first chance to talk to him directly. As the next few years rolled on I took any chance to see him I could, seven in all. Three at “Mile Hi Church” here in town, once at the Budweiser Event Center, once at a two-day Hay House seminar for publishing called “Writing for your Soul” held at the Brown Palace in 2013, and lastly at the 2014 “I Can Do It!” retreat at the Denver convention center. At his last Mile Hi appearance before the writer’s seminar I gave him a portrait of Deepak Chopra I had done as a gift. At the writer’s seminar he told me he had sent it to Chopra. I had done an earlier portrait of his daughter Skye and in return he sent me her CD and a copy of his movie. Here is a link (from this blog) to a photo of my picture of Dr. Chopra. another example of my artwork I suppose my favorite title of his is “There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem.” The point in the audio book at which he speaks of the little boy being befriended by his teacher tears me up every time. If you’ve heard it I’m sure you empathize. While I don’t have every book he put out, both in print and audio, it’s dang close. I even own a textbook he co-wrote before “Erroneous Zones.” I haven’t read THAT one; yet.While I will miss him, just like the rest of us, I know he finished his work and has moved on to a greater purpose.Here are the older links from this blog that mention his influence on my life.This address kindness over being right. the strength of compassionThis talks about becoming independent of the good opinion of others. coming full circleHere I share Dyer’s influence on how I now see others. a change of perspectiveExercising one of Dyer’s lessons. in search of beautyAbout leaving the past in the past. change your life, lose your luggageHow we become what we think. fire and waterRepeating an experiment I heard Dr. Dyer perform. You should like this one. spiritual or religiousJust like the rest of us I feel an urge to share following Dyer’s passing. I hope this entry does not come across as self-serving in any way.Please follow my blog. Comment and share as you wish.With Love and Compassion, Daniel Andrew Lockwood

If you can drive, you can probably become a taxi driver.What skill did you learn in high school?Realize that every choice you have made in your life has led you to this moment.Make better choices from here on out.Decide your life, and have a vision. Take action, three things toward your goal, every single day.My dad was a felony criminal. In jail a lot.When he got out, he was drunk and abusive, of my mom, of me.I did not let that stop me.I grew up in welfare in the projects in Pittsburgh for many years.I did not let that stop me, I would walk a mile to the library. We also had a bookmobile and I used that as a great resource.I read 7 books a week from the library as a kid. Science fiction. Fantasy, Space Opera. Physics, Mathematics, Sociology, Chemistry, Biology.I wanted to be smarter than I was. Kids in school picked on me, put signs on my back secretly. Beat me up.I did not let that stop me.Eventually, kids stole my books, threw them in the trash. Someone broke into my hall locker, and left shit all over my locker.I realized, I was not making headway there.I did not let that stop me.I left High School at 17. Dropped out. To be an adult.Got the GED diploma the next day from a test.Enrolled in a computer business school that was a complete ripoff. $2500.00 waste of money.Their “Guaranteed Job Placement”, was a phone and a copy of the yellow pages.I did not let that stop me.I was 18, and 1 month old. Few jobs in Pittsburgh in 1984. Rustbelt, former steel city.I joined the military, a month later.I have flat feet, I have 20/200 vision, and need very strong glasses.I did not let that stop me.I talked to the intake processing station unit commander. I convinced him I was smart, wanted to be in the Navy, and I was not gonna quit. I wanted to work with Torpedoes.He said, “Suppose I am not gonna let you in. Now what are you gonna do?”I told him the Marine Recruiter saw my Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test, I could fix tanks, or something. The Air Force would accept me as an Aircraft Mechanic.I stood up, and said, “Sir, thank you for even seeing me.”He said, “Relax. You are in. Do not dissapoint me.”I had a very rough, rocky first marriage. She cheated on me, while deployed.I did not let that stop me. It took a while, I got over it.I have, at age 54, marked cognitive function, and Memory decline.I did not let that stop me. I took the test to join Mensa, in 2014, at the Pittsburgh September Regional Meeting.I missed ONE Question. I finished in a matter of like a half hour ahead of time.10 days later, my father died of a heart attack, in an elevator in Oakland, California.He had he had badly abused me as a child, but I did not let that stop me.I had become a Buddhist, and I forgave him and in the last few years of our time together as father and son we were friends.Turns out, some doctors recently told me that I have Asperger’s syndrome.I did not let that stop me.Instead I used my knowledge of narrow-focus special interests to create a science fiction setting of 600+ worlds. These are places with maps, solar system diagrams, trade, and economics. Maps of spaceports.I'm not that good at drawing manga, or characters.I did not let that stop me.I now hire manga and character artists from Fiverr and deviantART.I have had injuries during service and I have been in multiple motorcycle crashes in Thailand so that both of my hands are broken and typing is difficult. Holy shit! I am a writer, now I cannot type well?Pfft. I did not let that stop me .I did research. Now I use voice recognition on my phone and Dragon Naturally Speaking on my laptop computer.Three times in my life, I have been homeless.As a kid. After military Service, trying to find a job.And 3 months before 9–11.The last two times it happened, I pursued and pursued and eventually found jobs, One time working with Temp Agencies.But they needed me to use Word and Microsoft Office Suite- and I had no idea what those even were.On Friday, after coming in, they said, “Come back and you'll take a test for for Proficiency on Monday. Iyou complete it, we will give you a job. If not, you can't work here.”Again, I had no experience with Word or Microsoft products.I immediately went to the library and studied piles of books about it. Got online and read everything I could, until they closed that night and then the next day, studied again, as if my life depended on it, and then Sunday they were closed.But I did not quit. I did not let that stop me.On Sunday I went to a thrift store and bought a suit jacket and a tie, and some pants and a belt, after doing some panhandling, as if my life depended on it with a sign that said “seeking temp job. Need $$ - used suit jacket.”On Monday I took that test and I passed with an 85% and they hired me to work as an executive secretary for $15 an hour working for a senior Vice President of General Motors, in Kettering, Ohio.That guy's name was Charles Ondrick and he was the best boss I ever had.This is a man who used to report to a person named Guy Hachey. (I probably spelled that name wrong…it was a really weird name for me.)This is a guy who in his spare time used to go deep sea diving off the coast of Madagascar and come back with a Megalodon dinosaur shark tooth that was about one foot big as a single tooth.I told this guy that “he was such a great leader he had missed his calling, he should have been a naval officer.”He said, “No I shouldn't have. You work too hard and you don't get paid enough.”That taught me a lesson. This guy had planned his life and made very few mistakes.Working for him, I used to call up hot girls in China and Germany and France who were secretaries to schedule his overseas travel Arrangements.I learned a lot from him about how a millionaire lives.He said that I was perhaps the best, most trustworthy, most reliable employee he ever had- that exactly followed his orders to the letter, and never bitched about how hard life was, never moaned, never complained.He'd call me at my apartment. After working all day.He'd call me, and say, “Hey, James, I just landed at Orly and I need to get a shower and some sleep.Real quick, what I need you to do tonight is to go into work, be there at 1:30 AM.I already advised the security guards about the situation.I gave them your name and let them know not to mess this up.I need you there at 2 in the morning to fax one document to China. It is on my desk. Fax it so that it is sending at 2 AM Ohio time. And then I'll call you back in 10 minutes and tell you to fax me document A, or document B.All of these documents are on my desk, set up the fax machine and make it happen. Can you do this? Do you have a problem?“No sir, I completely understand.”And I'd repeat it back to him what he had explained.He told me, “Good man. The Navy really lost out when you left them.”He ended up paying me a day and a half for that full hour that I was at the office.And I thanked him when he came back.And he said, “You know those documents were so key to the presentation that I was doing- but it went off flawlessly, like magic… and they commented, ‘How is it that you have somebody working at your office at 2 in the morning?’ “ Mr. Ondrick said, “ I told all those people in France at that meeting, I respect my people, and I take care of them. And they take care of me.”That's why he kept me working for him for the last year of his work for General Motors until he retired.I could go on for a few more pages about not really knowing how to write science fiction, but I got a book written by Orson Scott Card from my writer ex-wife, that taught me the basics:I owe this man. He gave me magic and power:Or how buying cheap books “how to be a better writer” and dictionaries and a thesaurus from Goodwill led me, along with other experiences, to Thailand.Those are on my shelf years later.I'm 54 years old and I'm writing science-fiction, living my dream in Thailand.Not many people here can speak English very well- but I didn't let that stop me.I learned to speak Thai over 2 years.Maybe you got Bored with this and maybe you quit reading.Here's the question I have:What situation are you going to let stop you?Adapt, overcome, improvise.Drive on.Aim High.Though I be the last man alive, I will fight on to achieve the Ranger objective.Fight as you train, train as you fight.I am not an Army Ranger.I was not a United States Marine.I was not a SeAL.I was a US Navy Torpedo mechanic.I will always be a US Navy veteran.Decide your life. Take charge.