How To Improve Your Quality of Life by using the Seven Moments - Introduction
"This is a multi-part article submission with excerpts directly from my book Life: The Seven Moments that really matter. Enjoy. - Christian Blake."
Preface
During the summer of 2000, I began an eighteen-month, in-depth study of the highest grossing blockbusters produced during the 90’s. My goal was to comprehend what compels people to spend their money at the box office. Why? Because as a screenwriter, I wanted a piece of that billion dollar industry. And what better way to learn how to write a screenplay than by studying successful movies.
I was certain that every great film had underlying mechanics at play and I was determined to be the first to discover them. I wanted to know to what, specifically, the audience responded. After eighteen months of dedicated movie watching, I found the answers.
My commitment to film study was pretty intense at that time. I worked only two or three days a week which was enough to pay my rent, pay the utilities, and buy a few groceries. The rest of my time, I watched movies. Sometimes five a day. I watched several over a hundred times each. While I watched these films, I would dictate every action and every bit of dialogue from each character. I would later review these notes and try to decipher why was this movie a success? Why was this one a hit and that other one a dud? Eventually I did discover what makes a great movie great, and what I learned also applied to life.
There are seven moments in life that matter the most to us. Once you understand these seven moments and actively appreciate them when they occur, you will instantly elevate your enjoyment of life. These moments have always been right in front of us, yet nobody has ever brought them to our attention.
You don’t need money to live a fulfilling life. In fact, you don’t need a job. You don’t need a wife, a husband, or a family. You don’t even need a car. A fulfilling life has nothing to do with these things.
I imagine some of you are doubting me already...but I’ll prove it. Have you ever experienced a day where you finally came home and slumped into a recliner at the end of a long, busy day and thought to yourself, “Wow….what a great day!”? Then you went to bed entirely content and “maxed out” from the day’s events? Everyone has felt that way at one time or another, yet not everyone has the same possessions. You felt great because of what you experienced over the course of the day, not because of what you own, your status symbol, or how much money you earned. The experiences themselves gave you that sense of contentment.
The seven moments are easy to comprehend. At first you might not believe how easy it is to use them to enhance your daily life. Over time, however, you will prove to yourself that these moments are occurring every single day. You are already experiencing them…everyone is. All I’m going to do is show you how to recognize them. Expose them. Once you realize what they are, you will inevitably realize how powerful they are, all seven of them; and then you can immediately improve the quality of your life.
Sedated
I’ve been sedated for a large portion of my life. If you’re an American, chances are high that you are too. In fact, I’d liken us Americans to zombies. The walking American dead. Our human spirit has been lulled to sleep. We seek external visual nourishment for our human spirit rather than experiencing it firsthand for ourselves.
The vast majority of us go to work every day. We have our morning routines, our lunch time rituals, and our evening relaxation at home before we go to bed, all this so we can get up and do it all over again. Most people will never escape the daytime work environment. As you will read later in this book, work is an excellent source of nourishment for the human spirit. But what do we do with our time after work?
Television
When we get home from work, most of us plop down on the couch and turn on the television to watch actors live a simulated life that is more enriching than our own. We follow these television dramas, comedies, and mysteries because they are feeding our human spirit better than we are feeding ourselves. We live through television. What is inside these television shows that appeals to us? What is missing in our own lives?
Sports
We attach ourselves to great athletes. We admire them. We cheer for them. We follow their careers and debate over who is the better competitor. We watch these superstars compete all season long, and then we get excited over “the big game” when the best players battle against each other for the championship title. What are they doing that compels us to watch? What can we do to satisfy this need of ours by changing the things we do every day?
Video Games
The video game craze is stronger than ever. According to The Entertainment Software Association, the average game player spends 23.4 hours a week playing video games. That's a lot of time spent in front of the computer or television. For the rest of Americans that don’t, it's very hard to understand why kids (and adults) devote so much of their life to video games.
Watching television programs, playing video games, or following an athlete’s career are perfect examples of neglecting our own human spirit. We are no longer actively participating in our own lives and have become spectators of other people living a simulated life. We are satisfying our needs by watching someone else live the moments that human nature requires us to experience. I have not had cable television for over five years. I have no need for it. If I need the news, I get it from the internet; or I buy a newspaper. My life is filled with the seven moments that I generate in real life, rather than watching someone else live the seven moments on a television show.
If indeed we are asleep and neglecting our own personal involvement in life, how can we get back on track? How can we start experiencing life instead of watching someone else live?
By sharing what I have learned, I am positive that you will be able to increase your daily enjoyment of life by making new choices throughout your day. You can immediately start generating these moments within your own life. At the same time, you can decrease the amount of time you spend watching someone else live. Believe me, life is far more interesting when you experience the seven moments firsthand.
Read this book. Put its principles into action. I promise you it will be a painless experience. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you have. You can be broke. You can be homeless. You can be a bored gazillionaire. You can be stuck in a dead-end job working 40 hours a week with debt over your head and no hope for financial freedom for another forty years. Awakening your human spirit and feeling alive again can happen in the next few hours. This book will show you how. Start now, and start living again.
The next part of this article series is titled, How To Improve Your Quality of Life by using the Seven Moments - Moment #1.
Christian Blake first discovered the Seven Moments in 2001 and has since written two books on the subject. One is written for the general public: how to be happy when you can't have what you want in life, and the other is geared towards entertainment; specifically teaching screen writers how to write a great movie script. If you prefer to read more of Christian Blake's general writing, please visit Orange County Writer.


How To Improve Your Quality of Life by using the Seven Moments - Moment #1
Moment #1 - Discovery - "Discoveries keep our mind sharp."
Discovery occurs when you learn something new about a person, place, thing, or a situation.
Vampire bats are real. They suck the blood from sleeping animals, such as cattle and pigs; and they are a vector for the spread of rabies. They are found primarily in Central and South America.
Unless you’re a bat enthusiast, you probably just learned something new when you read the above passage. You just experienced what I call discovery.
A few examples of discovery:
You find out your teacher’s name is Lisa.
You find out your son is gay.
The innocent gal in the movie you are watching suddenly produces a bloody hatchet from within her petticoat.
You order something new from a menu. After your first bite, you discover that you don’t like it.
You watch a nature show and learn about Loggerhead sea turtles.
What you discover can be a minor piece of information (your spouse forgot to take the clothes to the dry cleaner) or a life-changing event (you get a phone call that your mother passed away). Each and every discovery we make keeps us thinking and processing information. Discoveries keep our mind sharp. You can either sit back and let life throw discoveries at you or you can get out there and make some discoveries on your own. It doesn’t take much to get in a few discoveries every day.
Discovery in a relationship – Do you know all there is to know about your spouse? Talk with your partner about their past, their desires, or things that distress them. However, a word of caution. Suddenly asking questions about a person’s past may seem strange to someone who is accustomed to your normal manner of communication. In fact, you might find that it’s easier to make discoveries about someone new in your life than it is to learn about someone you’ve known for a long time.
Discovery in books – Endless discoveries lie before you at your local library or even on the internet. You can focus a few minutes a day on the internet and discover all sorts of things regarding current events, history, or even the intricate details of a celebrity’s life.
Discovery in movies – Watching a movie is an entire process of discovery. From the opening credits to the final scene, you are constantly learning about the characters and situations presented to you. A great movie will captivate you from beginning to end and will have cleverly placed discoveries within the storyline to keep you guessing what the outcome will be. Next time you watch a movie, pay close attention to the information that is presented to you. A well crafted movie will have multiple discoveries in every scene.
Discovery while driving – Most of us drive the same path to work everyday. I say change your path. Take a freeway instead of side streets. Take side streets instead of a freeway. Turn left instead of right. Go the long way. Park a few blocks from work, and walk the rest of the way. Break your routine. Let the discovery of new buildings, cars, streets, etc. enter your mind. I guarantee that the first day you drive a new path to work you’ll be more focused on driving; and you will be more in the now than you have been in quite a while.
Discovery in a new relationship – When we become romantically involved with a new partner, it is inevitable that we will experience a multitude of discoveries within the first few months of getting to know this person. We discover our partner’s habits, strengths, and weaknesses. We learn this person’s insecurities and pet peeves. We discover what makes this person laugh and what makes this person angry. We learn which restaurants our partner prefers and what kinds of food our partner enjoys. While you are learning all these things, your partner is also learning about you. Indeed, the first few months of a new relationship are always exciting. Not only do you have countless discoveries about each other, but if you take the time to experience new things together, you will both share in a discovery as a couple However, once the discoveries become fewer and far between (at least in regards to learning about each other), you begin to find out if your compatibility level is high enough to survive without the added benefit of constant discovery.
Discovery in a restaurant – Try a new restaurant. Or, the next time you go to your favorite restaurant, sit somewhere that you would normally never sit. If the thought of sitting at the counter of your favorite coffee shop makes you uncomfortable, make sure you sit there the next time you go. You’ll discover a whole new perspective on the same place you’ve been visiting for years.
If you feel stuck in a rut and find daily life a little monotonous, try mixing your lifestyle and actively seek discoveries.
Take the bus to work.
Visit an art gallery.
Next time you’re in a public place, sit or stand somewhere that would otherwise make you uncomfortable for whatever reason. Soak in the new perspective, even if it upsets you.
Go to the gym at a different time of day, or join a new gym altogether.
Find a 24-hour restaurant and go to eat there at 3 a.m.
Rent a really nice car, one that you can’t afford to buy. Or better yet, rent a wreck that you wouldn’t be caught dead driving.
Visit a place where English isn’t the primary language, and learn what it’s like to be a foreigner.
Listen to a new radio station.
Learn how to make one gourmet dinner.
Discoveries are everywhere, just waiting for us to experience them. However, the more experienced we are in life, the less punch our discoveries will have.
When we’re kids, everything we see is a major discovery. Kid life is one big discovery. When we have children, life’s discoveries get re-visited again as our kids start growing. It’s only as we get older that discoveries become less frequent and less meaningful. At that time of life, it becomes our responsibility to seek them out for ourselves.
The next part of this article series is titled How To Improve Your Quality of Life by using the Seven Moments - Moment #2
"This is a multi-part article submission with excerpts directly from my book Life: The Seven Moments that really matter. Enjoy. - Christian Blake."
Christian Blake first discovered the Seven Moments in 2001 and has since written two books on the subject. One is written for the general public: how to be happy when you can't have what you want in life, and the other is geared towards entertainment; specifically teaching screen writers how to write a great movie script. If you prefer to read more of Christian Blake's general writing, please visit Orange County Writer.


How To Improve Your Quality Of Life By Using The Seven Moments - Moment #2
Moment #2 - Conflict - "Keep life interesting: find conflict."
Conflict is necessary for us as human beings. We need it as much as we need air and water. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we lose. Sometimes there is no defined resolution, and conflict is its own experience.
Conflict can make us break down and cry. It can also make us happy, especially when we win a situation and are victorious. Conflict makes us think. It keeps us alert. It makes us react, and it forces us to learn. It can make our blood boil. Indeed, without conflict–without the possibility of failure or the potential for triumph–life would be utterly boring.
Some examples of conflict:
Conflict in a relationship: Conflict is inevitable when you are dating or when you are married. It can be a minor conflict. (You and your girlfriend argue over what you’re going to watch on TV.) Or, it can be a major form of conflict. (Your husband is an alcoholic and has become physically abusive towards your children.)
Conflict in movies and books: Any fictional book or blockbuster movie is packed with conflict. Sometimes movies are so full of conflict that they make us physically tired and mentally drained by the time they are over. Have you ever felt that way about a movie? If you have, chances are strong that you just watched a great movie.
Conflict at work: We might get into an argument with a colleague over the whereabouts of our favorite pen. We have conflict when we fail to meet our customers’ needs, and they confront us.
Conflict in sports: Competing against someone (or watching someone compete) is one of the stronger forms of conflict. The more civilized the society, the higher the demand for sports. Professional athletes get paid vast sums of money because the average American has become sedated. Our culture conditions us for a safe and monotonous lifestyle that allows for a cohesive existence within our society. We go to work, come home, and watch television. We pay our taxes. We live our lives in a manner to maintain a peaceful nation. Although it works, I believe we have put our human spirit to sleep to such an extent that we need to stare at a television and get our “conflict fix” by watching other people compete. I don’t see this changing anytime soon because where else are we going to get physical conflict without the risk of breaking some law, going to jail, or getting hurt? Whether you sit in a recliner and watch sporting events on television or you’re actually a participant in a sporting event, sports go a long way in satisfying our human need for conflict. Most people have very little conflict in their lives, and their easiest solution to finding conflict is to watch sports. They get home from work, flip on the television, and wait for “the big game” to start.
Other examples of conflict:
You confront someone about a lie.
Your car won’t start.
You struggle daily to wake up and get to work on time.
Aside from moral beliefs and laws, conflict is conflict. From that perspective, robbing a bank is a pretty strong form of conflict that will enhance your human experience to a degree that most people might never feel. However, the repercussions of being a bank robber might not be so much fun. Sky diving is another great form of conflict (potential terminal conflict with the ground). Will you survive the fall, or will you squash yourself?
There are four categories of conflict:
Direct, physical conflict: a fistfight or boxing match, a football game, rugby, a karate match, fencing, bullfighting, wrestling
Indirect, physical conflict: a baseball game, soccer, horseracing, a marathon
Indirect, mental conflict: a game of chess or checkers, an argument, the game show “Jeopardy”, a video game
Conflict with yourself: disciplining yourself not to buy that donut every morning on the way to work, telling yourself not to call your ex-boyfriend, telling yourself not to drink, disciplining yourself to study for that upcoming math test, biting your tongue when someone you love says something hurtful
I think most people define retirement as conflict free: no more boss, no more driving to work, no more deadlines, no more alarm clock. I have a different perspective. By eliminating work and the opportunity for the conflict work brings with it, I think we are potentially cultivating a sedated lifestyle. If anything, retirement should mean that it’s time to experience the type of conflict that is most appealing and most challenging to ourselves. It’s the time of our life where we get to choose the situations that will rattle us the most.
Conflict is a necessary part of the human experience. Eliminate it and life becomes about as exciting as a piece of toast. If you want to keep your life interesting, here is the answer: find conflict. Hopefully you can find conflict that is not life threatening yet still has an element of loss/triumph attached to it. Then again, maybe life-threatening conflict is the best way to go.
The next part of this article series is titled How To Improve Your Quality of Life by using the Seven Moments - Moment #3
"This is a multi-part article submission with excerpts directly from my book Life: The Seven Moments that really matter. Enjoy. - Christian Blake."
Christian Blake first discovered the Seven Moments in 2001 and has since written two books on the subject. One is written for the general public: how to be happy when you can't have what you want in life, and the other is geared towards entertainment; specifically teaching screen writers how to write a great movie script. If you prefer to read more of Christian Blake's general writing, please visit Orange County Writer.