Zombies are Goal Driven! Featuring art by Brian Atkins

Zombie Reading by Brian Atkins

It has been longer than a fortnight and I have no excuse for the time - except that I have conquered much in the world of comic books, action heroes, and movies.  In short - I have been sitting on my behind being extremely happy! 

Christmas has now come and gone. I prevailed through yet another birthday! I have discovered some long lost loves: "Big Trouble in Little China", Sean Connery as James Bond, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and stickers - yes - real meaty STICKERS! 

For me it is the little fantastic things in life that keep me smiling!

So now, it is that time again where much of the world is preparing to make goals for the next year, 2013.  Goals that will never be accomplished.  Goals that will sound great once said, but will never make it past the first week of January. 
Not necessarily because the intent was never there, but because - we are a progress forced culture. 
Sometimes our own needs get lost in the mix. 

Now Zombies, on the other hand, THEY ARE GOAL DRIVEN! 
And I mean 24-7! They have a singular want in site and boom they are determined. Zombies don't care about cultural norms and pressures to: first conform to society before putting their own wants and needs on the table. 
NO! They know exactly what they need. They know what they are lacking in their, ahem, dead existence. 

Zombies are the eternal optimists. The "glass half full" guys! Keeping it simple.

A glass this cool can be purchased!

Unlike, our goal driven, optimistic, simple life foes - as a society we tend to put our needs and wants on the back shelf. Then, when we are brainless and exhausted from keeping our own needs met - we simply fall apart. 
Basically turning into villains and monsters worthy of any comic book plot. 

"Murder Lane" by Brian Atkins

So, how do we become like the Walking Dead without, you know, dying?

To get the scoop, I spoke with my good friend, Chris O'Hearn - Life Coach for  Strong Within (his personally owned coaching business has been featured on the likes of MTV and can be found through the above link...this guy is great!)  

According to Chris, we need to break it down. (stop dancing) Break it into two steps:

1. Action

2. Maintenance

Ask yourself what is going to be your actions to make a change for 2013. For me, I need to have visual recognition - and a lot of it. BAM in my face! Using wipe board markers on my bathroom mirror to remind me of my goals, for example, will get the job done. 
Actions are the energetic liveliness of the goal or the need that keeps you invigorated.  Think zombies...they never quite moving.

Then, it is important to actually recognize how the maintenance will be played out for those actions. What are you personally going to do to remember why you want to change? How are you going to keep moving towards your goal? Do you need to write your accomplishments down?  I do.  That is the ego in me coming out.

If you want to be more creative - look beyond what is creative and look at creativity in yourself. Remind yourself of past goals or habits you have had that has worked in the past.  Reinvent them if you need to.

Chris stated, "Allow yourself to become in a state of mind where you want to be action driven." I felt like I could take over the world at this point.

Finally, a fantastic suggestion by Chris, "Brainstorm 20 things where you want to put yourself first.  Think of different ways you can do this during 2013. Whether it is habitual, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.  It is not being selfish. It is recharging, refueling, and organizing. Sometimes, when we only list a couple of ideas we do not fully analyze what we truly need to be happy, and when we are taking care of everyone else's needs and problems, there is not enough energy or time to take care of ourself."

For 2013, make it a goal... be a zombie! Go after what you truly want! 

Whether you want to be:

Silas the Serpent King

or

Carl -The Worlds Best Janitor

Art by Brian Atkins

Favorite Superhero - or Do You Like To Breathe?

When I am asked the question, (innocently), "Who is your favorite Superhero?" 
I panic. I freeze with the fear of a 1000 blazing suns!
My eyes start to twitch and I feel a full system shutdown heading my way.  
I am not one to brag, but I have knowledge.
I know DC characters from Marvel characters.
I can name all the Thundercats, Voltron, Masters of the Universe, Transformers,TMNT and a good portion of GI Joe characters plus villains, not to mention a smattering of other swashbucklers.  So, the task of actually knowing a character and having the data to back it up should be easy. 
Alas, my brain goes to jelly. 

I have come to a couple of conclusions of why this physical comic meltdown seems to occur. Let me make it clear that all my conclusions could fit in a fanny pack and have not aided my dilemma. However, the train wreck in me says keep going...

My first conclusion is this, simply: When the word superhero is typed into google a plethora of hits come up. One exciting tidbit is: The Ultimate List of Superheroes and Villains by Comic Vine. There are literally thousands of superheroes and wonders of the universe listed on this fantastic page. 
Donald Duck is #5.
I do not know if I really need to expand on this much more, expect to say I do admire sassy attitude.

Another conclusion: picking favorites is so overrated.
If I was asked which do you like more, breathing or the use of your brain?  And then told to hurry and pick one! AAAAA...seriously?!?  There is just too much involved. 
There are times I would love to flip the off button for the ole' noggin, but I was never good at holding my breath for very long. 
And if I picked just one does that mean I am judged for still liking the other. 
"Nope sorry - You like breathing so today you have a LOBOTOMY scheduled!"
I guess in comparison, when I finally do come out with an answer and say, "ummm my favorite is well, oh gee, OK - I enjoy Daredevil"
Then I trot off to the comic book store and see said asker, and they see me buying a heaven forbid - Spiderman, Thor, Superman, Wolverine...it is pure confusion, head scratching, stammering - you get the drift. Can't a girl just love the universe? 

Now, getting to the nitty gritty of it all for me, why is it "Who is your favorite Superhero?", not "Who is your favorite Super Villain?" 
Dark Helmet in "Spaceballs" said it best, 

"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." 

The way I look at it - villains are cool. 
Without our neighborhood villains there would be no need for Superheroes. 
As Vic the Publicist so eloquently states from "Mystery Men":

"VIC THE PUBLICIST:  I think right now we should focus on the positive. Tonight was good.

CAPTAIN AMAZING:  Yeah - you think so? 'Cause I was worried it was, um, I don't know... PATHETIC! "Amazing triumphs at a nursing home"? That's great copy, Vic.

VIC THE PUBLICIST:  Look, I'm a publicist, not a magician. You want big news, you have to have big fights. A superhero needs a super villain. And thanks to you, we've got none left." To sum it up, I have my favorites on certain days. I have the characters that make me laugh - ALWAYS. Then there is the good ole' fashion dose of nostalgia and I will never be able to shake those tried and true characters from my bones. (Note to self - have it written in my will to have He-Man and Lion-O buried with me.) I have my femme-fatal side that rages true and strong and I consider that a class or category of its own! Then I have my all time favorite villains. So I guess the question for ME is not, "Who is your favorite Superhero?" but rather "Who is your favorite comic character TODAY?!?"