Today I have Steve O'Brian, author of Elijah's Coin, writing about the four life changing keys that "form the core" of his new release.
Observe, Think, Believe, Act
These four words form the core of Elijah’s Coin. The wise mentor of the story, Elijah King, describes what Tom Wagner must do to lead a successful life. These are the four keys. Alone, each is important, but when aligned as a process, they can be life changing.
So what do they mean? 
Observation involves understanding a situation and taking in all the facts to develop a construct around a series of events. You are a sponge and you take in as much information as you can on a given situation. Then one must think.
Thinking is a process of adaptation and elimination. What are the options? What happens if I do this or that? Who would know the answer? The process of thinking makes the issue personal. Thinking is the way one puts a situation in context and that context may be different for each person.
Believing is the next step. Belief is one of the most misunderstood concepts because people think it is something beyond them or outside of them. Belief is, again, very personal. There are many shared beliefs, but to be successful your belief must come from within. Love, faith, and confidence are all exercises in belief and they are also deeply personal and unique.
Finally one must act. The individual must process by observing, thinking and believing. Without action, the first three are meaningless. Alone, the first three are merely daydreaming.
If one does not observe, then the thinking is likely to be flawed and despite the correct beliefs and action, the target will be missed. One will have thought, believed and done the wrong thing. Observation without thinking will similarly miss the target. Each person has unique skills and abilities. Thinking is highly personalized such that original thought is the key to creating a successful outcome.
Similarly, a person attempting to take action without belief is like landing a plane that is suddenly without power. Belief is our world view, our construct through which we process information. Beliefs must become a part of who we are and how we function. Many ask, “What should I believe in?” The answer is start with believing in yourself. Believe you can make a difference. Belief is a muscle that must be used or atrophy will set in. Observation, thought and action without belief will be weak and ineffective.
Finally, one must act. This is the part that is all too often forgotten. One can observe, think and believe, but then fail to act. Sometimes the failure is due to expecting someone else to act, so the person waits and waits and waits. They miss their life and miss the change they can make because they expect someone else to do it.
Following the first three but failing to act, makes one a victim. It is someone else’s problem; “it is not for me to fix,” “what can I do?” These are responses of victims. These people are buffeted by the vagaries of life. They don’t “do things.” Rather, “things happen to them.” They are not in control of their lives or their surroundings because they fail to take action.
The cliché is all too true; it is far better to try and fail than to fail to try.
Taken together and appropriately applied, they are four words that can change your life.
Steve O’Brien is a lawyer and fiction writer. His first book, Elijah’s Coin, received nine literary awards. Bullet Work, his second novel, will be released in Spring 2011.
About Elijah's Coin:
In every heart there exists the potential for good and for evil. The question is which we'll choose. Without the right principles and guidance, a traumatic experience can lead one down a barren path. If our view of the world is dark, then further experience will tend to reinforce that view, leading to more pessimism and fruitless or even destructive behavior. How does one break out of this cycle of negativity?
That question is at the heart of Elijah's Coin, a thoughtful fable about one young man's descent into a life of crime... until he discovers an unlikely mentor, who begins to teach him a new philosophy of life. It's a philosophy not so much of words as of deeds. The lessons, therefore, prove to be indirect and not fully understood until they are lived. The point is not to state what you believe but to become what you believe. In doing so, you will come to lead a fulfilling and prosperous life. You'll find that life is not about you but about others and that generosity is repaid in kind.
Elijah's Coin asks readers to reflect even as they are entertained by a fast-moving, suspenseful story. Ultimately, the book confronts the reader with the possibility — and the opportunity — of inner change. Learn the message, then pay it forward.
book. 
as much as reboot my yoga practice. I felt the itch to write something new before I left, though I wasn't certain what that would be. But I figured if I fed my muse with Carnatic lessons, the somewhat random confluence of other musician-yogis here, a regular writing practice group, as well as coconuts, papaya and thali, and all-important kick-ass Ashtanga yoga, something would happen. On my last trip, I formed a little band with a couple of others and had an idea to do the same this go. Two and half months in, no real band has come together and I've missed my musical compatriots in the states dearly..... That said, musical events and inspiration are and have happened that simply wouldn't have occurred anywhere else.
