For those of you who weren’t aware, I made this announcement a month ago about my new book.

In That Original Post I Explained..

Over the next few months I’ll be rereading all of the post comments, enhancing the posts, and crafting them into the final chapters. When these chapters are complete I’ll have an open call for beta-readers on Hive to read the manuscript and offer feedback.

What Is A Beta-Reader? (from Wikipedia)

Beta Reader: a test reader of an unreleased work of literature or other writing (similar to beta testing in software), who gives feedback from the point of view of an average reader to the author. A beta reader is not a professional and can therefore provide advice and comments in the opinions of an average reader. This feedback is used by the writer to fix remaining issues with plot, pacing, and consistency. The beta reader also serves as a sounding board to see if the book has had the intended emotional impact.

The Process Of Writing Mindful Moments

This book project has been like none other I’ve ever worked on. First, it’s taken way longer to write than a book written in the traditional way. Secondly, it’s been so much more enjoyable to let the ideas for the chapters naturally bubble up into my imagination.

This first chapter is the shortest one in the book. My wish is for it to lay the foundation of the mindset that will be needed for the reader to proceed through the following chapters. The way the text appears in this series of beta-reader posts is exactly how the manuscript looks now, bracketed notes and all. All that is missing at this stage is the final formatting, the original illustrations (which I'm very excited to share), and other "bonus material" that will be included in the final version of the book.

I thank you in advance for your notes and feedback in the comments below. It'll be very valuable to me and help to create a book which, hopefully, helps lots of people improve their lives for many years to come.

Chapter One ~ Two Week Media Detox

Our perception of the world today is clouded and skewed. For the sake of survival, through countless centuries of evolution, our brains have been hardwired to give first priority to negativity, situations that could be a threat to our well-being. Those ancient humans who were constantly on the lookout for that dangerous predator lurking in the shadows were the ones who lived to see another day and propagate our species. Today these kinds of harmful predators are nearly non-existent but the residual propensity to search for and focus on that negativity is still there.

The mainstream media have found very effective ways to exploit this negative bias that’s so stubbornly encoded in our DNA. For decades, the media has become more effective at triggering our negative bias and controlling us through our emotions merely for higher ratings and more clicks. The result of this dangerously toxic business strategy of our mainstream media is the extreme polarization of society and constant and often pointless arguing about nearly everything.

Negativity is our world’s true epidemic. We have forgotten how to agree to disagree. We’ve also, increasingly, lost sight of the wonderful thing called consensus, being able to see valid points in opposing views. I say sadly because the middle of the road, or the point between the two extremes is often where the real truth lies. By not seeing this we’re missing out on countless opportunities to learn and to teach.

“See if you can catch yourself complaining, in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim. When you speak out, you are in your power. So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness.” ― Eckhart Tolle

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If you live in a first world nation today you, statistically, live in the safest and most peaceful era in history. However, it doesn’t seem that way because our perception is skewed by the barrage of negative news. Today there’s a growing undercurrent of fear and hatred, an epidemic of doom and gloom, a cacophony of dysfunctional and toxic voices on social and mainstream media outlets. Worst of all friends and family are turning their backs on one another due to differences in opinion. We’ve lost the ability to agree to disagree and this is dangerously unhealthy on several levels and greatly diminishes the quality of our lives.

Disharmony has become the norm, so much so it’s very difficult to find a way out of that mindset. What is the best antidote to this poison of negative bias? It’s impossible to escape all sources of negativity but how you choose to focus your attention is well within your control. The single best antidote I’ve found is a complete and total media detox. Do your best to not consume any mainstream news for two entire weeks. Also, try to scroll right past social media posts that you know will trigger negative bias and try not to engage in any negative dialogue.

This two week break will give your mind and body a chance to cleanse themselves. If you’re diligent, you’ll begin to notice a shift in mindset after just a few days. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel. The new positive emotional state you’ll gain will become as addictive as the negative bias and will begin a positive feedback loop that will become an incubator that will birth a new state of mindfulness.

As we age we realize how precious time is and our lives are too important to allow ourselves to be controlled by anyone or anything. Remember, every minute wasted on hate and negativity is a portion of our lives lost. When we begin to consciously reclaim our lives, minute-by-minute, we also begin to take back both our freedom and our power.

Use the notes section at the end of this chapter to jot down a few words about your experiences every day of your two week negativity detox. Before putting pen to paper contemplate things like -- Is my mood, mindset, and world view changing? Do I feel differently? Am I communicating with others in a different way? Is my anxiety, and/or anger levels changing? Do I feel more rested when I wake up?

It’s not very often that an author will tell you not to read any more chapters of their book but at this moment I advise you to do just that. For this book to be as effective as possible I will ask you not to read any further until you’ve completed this two week media detox. At the end of these two weeks read through your notes and analyze the progress of your transformation. You will be more conscious of the quality of media you consume and how it influences you.

"Nothing you have today will last forever. Not your job, your house, or your car. Not the people who are closest to you. Not even the people who vowed to never leave your side. Take a moment and accept the fact that life is short and you don’t have a lot of time to be with your loved ones. Someday all those people will no longer be around you, and you can’t possibly know when. Cherish them while you can." ~Mai Pham

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Your life is like a garden and negativity is one of the most invasive of weeds. It will choke out all that’s good in your life if you let it. To prevent this you must simply weed your garden on a regular basis. This awareness and practice will set the stage for a very powerful form of self-directed evolution that will change the course of your life in wonderful ways. Don’t waste one more second of your life immersed in negativity. Start to dwell on the good and the beautiful and, like a magnet, you will begin to attract more of it into your life.

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In Gratitude,

~ Eric Vance Walton ~

I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain