Why should you write a review of a book, video, or anything that asks you to write one?

The reason is that many of the books you purchase and I will only speak of books at this point; is because many new authors are self published and generally through Amazon. I have several published through them but Amazon will not put a book in its catalog unless the book has at least fifty reviews. Why? I really don’t know the answer to that.

Many of us self published authors don’t make very much money and speaking for myself it is more of a hobby. I enjoy writing and coming up with ideas for stories and if you have read any of my books it generally pertains to martial arts or alternative health practices.

For us to share we need to get our books out there but if no one writes a review it is hard to do. I have had many people tell me they will write a review of my books but never do. I understand sometimes life gets in the way but I generally try to give gentle reminders but to no avail. I have had one person write a review at least one year after I gave it to them. It might have even been two. But that person is an author and I know how sometimes that can be time consuming.

So, I would kindly ask any one who has read my books to please write a review on Amazon. You can also leave one at Barnes and Noble as well.

I would like to take the time to announce I will be having a new book coming out very soon and it is a futuristic endeavor. I hope that you like it. 

Check out my Amazon authors page and my Instagram page. Until next time.

https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Zimcosky/e/B00DZ0CW58/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1533669867&sr=1-2-ent

https://www.instagram.com/zimco888/

I am so humbled by getting a five star review on two of my books from Reader’s Favorite. My first book “The Old Man From the Hill (Lessons in Qigong and Tai Chi)” and “The Eagle and The Dragon (A Reiki Tale) are the two books.

Why does it matter about the reviews from Reader’s Favorite? Here is why:

Then there are those whose books have won awards from Reader’s Favorite:

Jim Carrey Actor

Eric LaSalle Actor

Jonathan Frakes Actor/Director

I am honored to be in such great company and look forward to someday being an Award Winning Author!

My Thanks to all who have purchased my books I am very grateful to you!

So here we are Christmas 2017 and many of them I have celebrated with family and friends. With the last couple of years seeming to be in such turmoil I think everyone should take some time and just remember our very own reasons for celebrating.

Remember that no one reason is better than another it is our own reason. Whether you celebrate it as a holiday or a holyday it is fine. We must understand that each person has a reason for celebrating and that if we truly are to live in peace we must understand our reason is not the only reason.

We may celebrate the fact that we can be with family and share a wonderful meal or that we can go to service at our local place of worship or that we can spread joy by giving to others.

Peace on earth comes from us, if we have peace in our hearts and we share that peace then it can spread far and wide. Goodwill towards others helps us to find that peace in our hearts. Give from your heart and not for getting a reward or a pat on the back for doing so. Give without any attachment of getting anything in return and you will find that peace in your heart.

So as we get ready to celebrate the holiday/holyday with our family and friends do not let the turmoil around us creep in. Only those who have hate in their heart seek to divide and those with peace in their heart seek to unite.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.

So, several days ago I had a car accident where the woman crossed over the double yellow line and side swiped my car. Also pushing my car into the curb in my lane. I was not hurt but the car that is another story.

What I realized after arriving home was that my Tai Chi training had actually paid off. When I saw her car coming towards me I did not panic but remained calm. What seemed like a twenty minute ordeal took only a few seconds to happen but I was just calm and relaxed. Like I am when I practice my Tai Chi.

The woman of the other car was shaken up as this was her first accident and she was on her way to a doctor appointment. I tried to calm her down and did not realize how calm I actually was until I got home. Even after the police arrived I continued to remain that way and did my best to keep her calm. I reassured her that I was fine and that she was fine and nobody got hurt. I told her that cars can be fixed but we should be thankful we were not hurt.

She could not believe how calm I was and how I was so compassionate to her for her hitting my car. Again I reassured her that things would be fine and that is why they call them accidents. I guess she expected a lunatic to jump out of the car and start yelling at her but was surprised by the calm demeanor I presented.

One of the benefits of Tai Chi is stress relief and the ability to remain in a calm state. Bingo benefit received! I only wish that she could have felt the same calmness that I did.

The car is still in the shop, have not heard from the insurance company but I still have my calm demeanor. For Now!!!!

Until next time, stay calm and do Tai Chi!!

Well, the final book in the Old Man From the Hill series is done and available at Amazon. I tried my best to convey the information I have learned about Qigong and Tai Chi in an easy to understand way. For me putting the information in a story format seemed to be the most logical way for me.

Finished does not mean done. My goal is to continue to write about the things that I enjoy doing and find beneficial for my health and well being and that I thing everyone should know about. I will find new stories to tell and new characters to tell them with.

As I get closer to my retirement I will have more time to write and spend on developing those characters and plot lines. I do not expect my books to be best sellers or to even generate vast amounts of wealth. I write for myself  and to share the benefits of Qigong, Tai Chi, Hypnosis etc. and because it is fun.

Do not hesitate to share any insights you may have for me and criticisms as well. If I cannot take the criticism I have no business writing. Plus it helps me to become a better writer.

Do not hesitate to write a review at amazon as well. It is how I know how my books are perceived by the public. Also Amazon will not put it on their book list unless there are at least 50 reviews for each book.

Do not hesitate to share the books as well. I and others have found the information and exercises to be very beneficial for their health and well being. Simple exercises with great health potential. What more could you ask for.

As a martial artist I have learned that you are never finished learning. As with everything else in life we never finish learning. There is always another belt to test for, another career to train for, another degree to strive for and so on and so on.

Until next time please enjoy the book and stay healthy my friends!

How do you define success? Is it the big house at the end of the cul-de-sac? The corner office on the top floor? The large savings account?

I have always liked the one by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

So based on the many of my students who have approached me and told me that their health has improved, they can move better and some can even breathe easier; I have been a success!

How can you be successful today?

When new people start learning Qigong they often ask what is Qi?

Qi is the universal life force that permeates all living things. In Japan they call it Ki and in India it is called Prana. If a person has no Qi, he is dead. A sick person will have less Qi than one who is healthy. Doing Qigong is to make sure that we have enough Qi to keep us healthy and to live a long life. It helps us to maintain a quality of life within the quantity of life. Chinese Qigong is a practice of movements with visualization, imagery and breathing. It trains the mind to help control the life processes, which results in longevity and wisdom.

The benefits of Qigong include: improved health, clear mind, better sleep, increased energy, a comfortable warmth, clear skin, a happy disposition, a more efficient metabolism, better physiological control, bright eyes, better creativity and may be accompanied by a spiritual experience.

But as Ken Cohen says in his book “The Way of Qigong” to understand Qigong, we should be familiar with seven major kinds of Qi:

Breath Qi-from respiration

Food Qi-from diet

Original Qi-from parents or the universe

Internal Qi-all qi inside the body

External Qi-qi emanating from the body

Nutritive Qi-flows inside the acupuncture meridians

Protective Qi-energetic barrier against external pathogens

These help us to stay healthy and protect us from becoming ill. In Qigong we learn to move the qi inside and through the meridians and we can also learn to project Qi to help heal others. It is called External Qi Healing and in the west in can be compared to Therapeutic Touch.

So how is your Qi today?

What are the five elements or, Wu Xing (pronounced Wu-Shing) in Chinese. They are  also called the five phases of change or transformation as it represents a constant movement or change in each of the phases. The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Ancient Chinese observed the changes in nature and were able to transfer this philosophy over into their daily lives.

The creation cycle expresses how one element creates the next one in the circle. Wood creates fire, fire creates earth, earth creates metal and metal creates water. For example, water creates wood by giving life to the tree. If you take a tree and use it for a fire you now have created fire. From the fire you get ash, which represents the earth and from the earth you have all the metals that are sitting within it. If you take the metal and you heat it, it becomes molten like water or if you leave metal outside condensation appears and you have water resting on the metal. It made sense to me.

The control cycle or as some schools of Chinese Medicine call it the destruction cycle. Wood controls earth, earth controls water, water controls fire and fire controls metal. He explained a little deeper, more than likely because of the confused look on my face.

If you think of a large tree – its roots go deep into the ground, controlling the earth around it. By using the earth you can control the flow of water in the form of a dam. Water can control fire since water can put out a fire. Fire controls metal because if you use a hot enough fire you can melt the metal. And finally metal controls wood since an ax is able to cut the wood.

Now what each element represents in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Wood is associated with the color green, spring time, birth, morning the direction east, the emotion of anger and the sour flavor. The organs associated with wood are the liver and gallbladder.

Fire is associated with the color red, summertime, expansion, the emotions of joy and laughter, the direction of south, and the bitter flavor. The organs associated with Fire are the heart and small intestine as well as the triple warmer and pericardium.

Earth is associated with the color yellow, the time of late summer or Indian summer, introspection, the direction of center, the emotion of sympathy, and the flavor of sweet. The organs associated with earth are the stomach and spleen.

Metal is associated with the color white, the time of fall, the time of harvesting, the afternoon, the direction of west, the emotion of grief. The organs associated with the metal element are the lungs and large intestine.

Water is associated with the color blue, wintertime, the direction north, the emotion of fear, and conserving resources. The organs associated with water are the kidneys and urinary bladder.

The cycles of creation and control must be balanced. If they are balanced the body is in harmony, which leads to health, vitality and longevity. He said it is best to work all of the organs to help maintain this balance. If one part becomes ill then the entire body can become ill.

There is much more to the five element theory as it relates to life, our bodies, our emotions, sounds, climates, and many other types of interactions.

Yin and yang

In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang describes how opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

Yin and Yang need to be balanced. Balanced people respond better to stress.

Yin is cool, internal, soft, and flexible like stored energy.

Yang is external, hard and brittle, and is like moving energy.

One of my teachers explained it to me in this way: think of a candle as stored yin energy, the flame then becomes the moving or yang energy. If you had no candle you could not have a flame and if you had no flame you could not light the candle. They become interdependent on each other.

I would like to give my Thanks on this day for the many things I have in my life. I give Thanks for my siblings and their families, although my parents have passed as well as two brothers there is still the love that many siblings share. We have not always seen things in the same light but we respect each others opinions and always find joy when we are together.

I give Thanks for my daughters who have taught me a great many things about life and about raising girls in this sometimes chaotic world. You both mean the world to me and I know I have made mistakes in the past but that is what helps us to learn. I Love you both from the bottom of my heart.

I am Thankful for my extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. Though we many not see each other for many years there is a bond that is reignited every time we do. I am glad that I have the opportunity to have been part of such a large family, I believe well over sixty cousins.

I am Thankful for my stepson and his wife. They have the knack for finding great eateries and for demonstrating the ideal laid back personalities. Always a pleasure to be in their company.

I am Thankful for the many co-workers I have and have had. Some of whom I miss very much and some not so much. In either case I have learned a great many things from them.

I am Thankful for the many teachers I have and have had. I have learned a great deal from them. I wonder where would I be if not for them. Elementary school, high school, college, the martial arts and many other areas. I have learned that there is much more to learn and that it is a never ending process.

I am very Thankful for my wife who has given me so much. Not a day goes by where we are not laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Life is too short to not have fun. I have learned a great many things from her and have experienced things I may never have had I not met her.

I am Thankful for my many students who have helped me to become a better teacher. They inspire me to continue to teach.

I am Thankful for my readers who have purchased my books and have written wonderful comments about them. I am glad that they are able to enjoy them and learn from them.

I am Thankful that we live in a world where there is Hope that all mankind can come together and find peace. Where we help one another rather than tear each other down. Where governments do what is right for all the people and not just the special interest groups. Where we can look at each other and smile and honestly say Thank You!