Thin Slices

In the Malcolm Gladwell book Blink; there is a chapter called The Theory of Thin Slices: How a Little Bit Less Knowledge Goes a Long Way. And when we have less knowledge, such as when we only have enough light to illuminate what is in front of us, we must trust that what is just ahead is what is good for us; what we expect and desire, even if logically—it seems as if we may not be headed in the right direction. This is where belief; faith and consciousness come in.

"Faith is the acceptation of expectation."-Douglas Holzmeier

This reminds me of the 1980s video game PAC-MAN. There was a "pattern" to Pac-Man. Once you knew the pattern you could play non-stop. But the interesting thing about the pattern, at a certain point, you are going directly towards those pesky ghosts who were trying to get you. There was just enough room for you to ascend to the next level, just a split second, (a thin slice) before the ghost would catch you and you’d hear that famous spiraling sound of defeat. Most people ran from those ghosts even if they had been taught the pattern and showed the way. Like the game—in life—if you keep running from the ghosts of the past; present or future—they eventually eat you up. Face them—and you transcend them—because they are just shadows and illusions anyway.

"Stand before the resting place of abandoned dreams and call them forth; for they find your faith welcoming."-Douglas Holzmeier

In my book You Are God’s Best Idea! I write: Great Expectations must begin with Great Acceptations. We can only expect what we can accept. I like to think I'm very open-minded. The higher your consciousness, the greater view you have of life. I try to go into situations with the expectation that All is well and good, therefore, whatever I encounter that may seem strange and unusual—could be an amazing and wonderful opportunity for a miracle.

"Joy arrives when the mind is purged of illusion and filled with the thoughts of Heaven."-Douglas Holzmeier

The difference between seeing things clearly or not is: CONSCIOUSNESS! Tom Hanks, for example, just knew he was going to be successful—not because he was the best actor, funniest guy or most handsome man. It was because that is what he wanted to do and be and his contemporaries—many who were technically better actors; better looking and funnier—gave up on their dream a year; a month; a week; a day; an hour; maybe even a minute or second too early.

"What clears the room, crowds the hallways. If you want to stand out, stay in."-Douglas Holzmeier

In 1989 I was expecting a call from a radio station general manager in Wheeling, WV about a job. I spent $15 on the overnight mailer. I was told I was to expect the call from the boss at 10am on Friday morning. By 4:55pm that afternoon there had been no call and I was upset, thinking I was going to have to wait until Monday morning to hear if they were interested. I got mad and thought I would call them and tell them I was no longer interested in the position because of their lack of professionalism. As I reached for the phone at 4:59pm—it rang. It was the GM apologizing for taking so long to get back to me and then setting up the appointment for the interview. I took that job and had a great 10 year run at WKWK—a run I almost ran in the other direction from—because of an emotion rooted in a ghost of resentment from the past that was shadowing my present and attempting to dissolve my future. There is such a thin slice, sometimes, between bliss and the abyss.

"What you volunteer for that makes you angry; you employ as your master. Don't be a slave to emotions."–Douglas Holzmeier

I recently had a garage sale and came across my tapes from when I was in broadcasting school. I was terrible. Laughingly horrible! While we were playing these magnetic relics, my wife and son were doubled-over in hysterics! But you know what—I didn't know I was that bad. My dream was to work at my favorite radio station someday. I knew what I wanted and I wanted what I knew—that I was going to be a radio star on WXGT! In 1988—nine years and nine stations after broadcasting school, I landed the midday slot at Most Music 92X.

"A thought entertained applauds and exits. A thought entrained remains center stage."-Douglas Holzmeier

If someone would have said to me: "Doug—I know you want to do this radio thing but you suck!" They would have been factually correct, based on appearances; but spiritually wrong. I went to the same broadcasting school that Ted Williams went to. Ted Williams was the homeless DJ that made international news in 2010 when he was discovered on a Columbus street corner "announcing for food". Ted has one of the greatest voices and deliveries you have ever heard. Unlike me—he ALWAYS sounded like that and got great jobs right out of school. Unfortunately, he could not hold those jobs for long because of drug and alcohol problems. Even after being re-discovered late last year and being invited on all the national talk shows and getting job offers from professional sports teams and radio and TV stations in New York and Los Angeles—he went back to drinking. Ted needs to raise his consciousness; know that he is worthy of his success and that he is one of God’s Best Ideas! We pray and know that he will.

“When you find the child of God at the center of your being, this descendant will raise you up."-Douglas Holzmeier

I never imagined I would be living in a place called Tri Cities/Washington. I never imagined that I would become a contemporary mystic. I didn't know either existed before four years ago. But what I did imagine was Peace; Love and Understanding and God knew where I could find it.

"Divine Mind doesn't need or want your compliance or obedience; it consummates your imagination."-Douglas Holzmeier

A consciousness of LOVE sees EVERYTHING as LOVE. A consciousness of Despair sees desperately and despairingly. The falling snow means slippery footing—can't go outside. The shining sun means skin cancer—can't go outside. A lower consciousness results in a lack of trust which means you rust where you are. The difference between trust and rust—is one, thin, letter.

"Life is a stream of consciousness that flows where you know it to go."-Douglas Holzmeier

A lower consciousness says that although the cheddar cheese looks like cheddar cheese on one side—there might be Limburger on the other. The person with the higher consciousness—who trusts the process and her intuition KNOWS that on the other side of the cheddar cheese—is more cheddar cheese.

Life is good—Life is God—no matter how you slice it and no matter how many times you blink!

And So It Is!