Hi, this is Mitch Mitchell up. I'm just sharing at least I'm saying that today because I realized that I haven't talked about Blogging in a good long time and it's time that I talked about it. But first I want to show you something dig this Keep calm and let Mitchell handle it. That's what it says. Okay. Let me see. I didn't figure these things out There you go. I ordered this shirt off of the site called tea spring comm. That's T e e E s p r i n g dot com I saw an ad on Facebook that actually one of my cousins put up there and it said keep calm and let Mitchell handle it Hey, I figure I'm Mitchell So I went to the site and I ordered this one for myself I ordered a blue t-shirt for my wife and they just came the other day and and my goodness. I love this This was thirty nine dollars hers was I think twenty five dollars and it's not so bad And they have a bunch of different designs and things and you can have your name put in it And I just thought it was so cool. So I'm just throwing that out there. I get no money for that It's just something that I like so, you know If you if you get a chance tell them I gave him some love because I absolutely love this thing So let's talk about traffic Basically what happened is that pretty much around the end of the year or the beginning of this year I started to see a whole lot of posts showing up on Twitter talking about the top 50 Blogs or blogs about blogging top 100 all this other kind of stuff and my name wasn't anywhere around that now Not that I'm necessarily narcissistic, but we all want some accolades. We want people to know who we are You know, we want a little bit of publicity and let's face it My business blog will have been out 10 years come February 10 years I'm just sharing has been out seven years So I'm sitting there thinking my goodness how the devil am I not known now? I have some pretty big folks who know who I am But there's a lot of people who have no real clue and I started to think well, you know what it's your fault It really is because you haven't really been doing any promoting sure you've been writing a lot of stuff I mean, I'm almost at 1600 posts and I'm just sharing and I'm almost at 1200 on the other blog And I've got two other blogs, but I don't really promote those all that often So I sat there and said well, what could I do and I realized that I've always known how to drive traffic to my blogs I just haven't been doing it because I was traveling, you know When you travel for work, you're working and you're not really spending a lot of time on your own thing And I needed to so I'm gonna give you the top three things that will drive more traffic to your block This hands down, but I'm gonna tell you what really doesn't drive traffic to your blog Which is guest posting I have written tons of guest posts. I've written them on blogs that don't get a lot of traffic I've written them on some very high traffic blogs and you know what they get tons of comments But almost nobody has ever come back to my blog from a guest post I don't know why but probably it's because a lot of people go to those posts and they respect the person whose blog It is but not necessarily respecting the person who just wrote this article. I'll tell you the truth There's a lot of blogs where I like to go if the person who owns it writes it because I like their style But I almost never read a lot of the guest posts that they have so maybe that's really what it is Sometimes I will and sometimes I'll comment and every once a while I may follow along But truthfully, I don't really read a lot of those guest posts So if I'm doing that you got to figure a lot of other people are as well So what do we have let's talk about the first one really it's about promoting posts I did this thing I decided that I wanted to get I'm just sharing up there a little bit more I've wanted traffic because it had been falling and like I said, it's my fault I've been traveling and hadn't been promoting you know, I'd still been writing So what I did is I went through my blog and I went back, you know We'll say a year maybe a little longer than a year and I picked out the top 30 Post that I'd written on the actual topic of blogging and I started to put them out there on Twitter and I interspaced it with articles around not articles with Quotations from my business blog because I knew I was getting close to 90,000 comments or tweets as it were And I wanted to have something to give some balance and people like motivational statements and it turns out That I don't necessarily think I'm quotable until I look at things. I've read realize. Oh goodness I said some pretty good stuff. So I balanced out the blogging things with the comments And I also mixed in sharing a lot of stuff that I already see on Twitter. I've always done that so I started putting more of that out there and Traffic started to increase now. I Know some people are gonna say well Alexa means nothing or whatever, but it wasn't just Alexa I noticed it on Google Analytics I've noticed it in the fact that I get a lot more comments on the blog that I was getting there for a while Not as much from some of the return people, but I have some people who are actually Commenting more often on more posts. So, you know, it's working. It's only been about a month And I'm not gonna say that it's you know blown up Anything like that. I couldn't tell you but I can tell you that stuff has increased. So that's number one Number two are doing interviews whether you do an interview With someone or whether someone does an interview with you what ends up happening is that both of you start promoting the thing now Here's the thing that folks who even tell you well, you shouldn't over You know promote something on Twitter or on Google plus whatever if it's you who's been interviewed You're allowed to share that more often because people expect it You're excited and you're happy that someone actually interviewed you and cared what you had to say So that gives you time to pretty much put that out there a lot and you know Give people a better opportunity to see it at the same time people who did an interview if they liked it Well enough they're gonna promote it and they want people to say hey look I do these promotions So that you know if you like this, I hope you'll let me interview you So it's not just you doing it. It's now someone else and number three blog commenting Blog commenting went works all the time It just does and I hadn't done a lot of blog commenting when I was traveling I really didn't I concentrated more on the work that I was doing as well as making sure that I was still getting my Content out at least on two of my four blogs. So I really did that but I really didn't read a lot of other blogs Well, I started doing it now that I'm back home a little bit more even though I'm still out there trying to get my next contract and that's what independent workers do I've been commenting on a lot more blogs and I've been spreading it around and some blogs are pretty new that I'm going to And you know meeting some new fascinating people But some are blogs that are in my blog reader You know I had about 250 blogs and one of the shocking things is how many people actually have left blogging in the 18 months That I was gone That's somewhat weird, but okay, it happens, but a lot of those folks are still there So I started commenting on there.  Hey, you're back. All right, you know Some of those folks didn't know I was gone. So that has helped.  Does Google analytics not only tells you, you know, how much traffic you're getting but where you're getting it from and Twitter has moved into my top three when it wasn't even in the top 10 So that's how I know that's working and you can go and see some of the other Blogs that are out there, you know that somewhat pop in and if replace some of the other stuff that had just shown Maybe one or two or whatever So it just show it's working and then of course sometimes you get a new commenter who says hey I came here from such-and-such and that's always kind of cool because it shows You know if you leave good comments on someone else's blog or if they happen to link to you for whatever reason then that's going to work out in your favor and There you go.  I don't know Do you want to some of you do and you know we can get into that another time matter of fact? I did a really long video I think a little over a year ago where I kind of talked about that niche blogging and you know Setting things up and whatever and maybe I'll do that topic a little later. So anyway, that's those three things I just want to mention this real quick On Wednesday Wednesday, what is Wednesday's date? Goodness. Let's see. What's today's date? Wednesday the 28th January 28th at 430. I'm doing an interview on Google plus with a friend of mine named Chuck Price who it basically is an SEO This is what he does he helps companies to recover and he gives you know advice on that And he had the number one article on search engine watch this year or this past year and I'm interviewing him and I think that should be pretty cool and then hopefully either over the weekend or next week I'll be interviewing a lady named Marcy Hill who's written a book talk that talking about 62 ways to overcome Bloggers block and yours truly has a little portion in there not the portion. I thought I would have but you know what? I'm in a book That's I think that's pretty cool.


Hello everyone, I haven't done a live video for a while, Thailand for the beach, it's time a different beach, I've been doing a lot of travelling here, I was in Bangkok, now I'm in Thia City, it's been having a really great time, so yeah, just things they've got you all figured out, they think they already know what you're about, they already know what you're trying to accomplish, you value, you believe in, but the truth is they don't really know anything about you at all, if you remember back throughout the relationship they never even took the time to get to know you, they were never really interested in anything you had to say, because they felt like they knew already, when a narcissist meets someone, they project this idealised version of themselves onto them, they create this fantasy in their mind of you, in this idealised moment, in their mind that's who you are, that's who you should be, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you're not allowed to deviate from that, naturally no one is ever 100% the same, sometimes we have good days, sometimes we have bad days, sometimes we're happy, sometimes we're sad, but the narcissist takes this mental snapshot, thinking that they've got you all figured out, they expect you to always stay the same, you're not allowed to have days where you are tired, or times when you're sick, and so the moment they first meet you, they think they've got you all figured out, they think they already know what you're about, you don't even have to say a word to them, and then they think they know everything they need to know, which is why they never take the time to get to know you, be told to you, ask you why, they don't do any of that because they think they already know everything, and all they're actually doing is projecting this idealised version of themselves onto you, and then when they begin to devalue you, they project this, this own parts of themselves onto you, either of which is you, and yet they think they've got you all figured out, and there's really nothing you can tell them, once they start to devalue you, it's all over, there's nothing you can do to make them see you differently, because all they're seeing in you is a projection of themselves, they can't even see you, they can't even talk to you, I've said it before in my other videos and I will say it again, that I may be one of the first people on here to say this, and I believe that it is the truth, a narcissist exists in a population, in a world with a population of one, in a world where it is just them and no one else, no one else exists in that world, it's like the matrix to come into the matrix, to the narcissist world, you have to be just another agent-smith, you can't be yourself in that world, you're either a projection of the idealised self, or you're a projection of everything they hate about themselves, it's one or the other, and the only way that this world matrix is going to come to an end is if the narcissist decides to choose their source of supply, or you, over their false self, if they're willing to drop the act, let go of the ego, honestly that's something that never happens, I've never seen it happen myself, and I haven't cured anyone else say that they've seen it with anyone, through to them, and they often can't get through to you, they think you're stupid, they think you're crazy, and the funny thing is when they say these things to us, many of us just brush it off, either that or we take it personally, when really we should be listening to what they're saying, listen to the narcissist when they say these things to you, when they tell you that you're stupid, they tell you that you're crazy, we are talking about people that are detached from reality, so naturally of course they're going to think you're stupid, of course they're going to think you're crazy, because they're living in a different world, they've created this fantasy in their minds, and if you don't validate that, then yes, you will appear crazy to them, you will come across as being the one who is insane, a few step foot into a world where everything is nuts, and you're the one who is acting logical and reasonable, of course they're going to think you're crazy, they think they've got you all figured out, they think they know you better than you know yourself, and the truth is they don't even know who they are, they never take the time to get to know themselves, and they never took the time to get to know you, so please don't take anything they say personally, observe, don't absorb, respond, don't react, everything they're saying is really has more to do with them than it does to do with you, remember these individuals are self-absorbed and they lack empathy, they cannot share your experience anyway, but yeah I just wanted to put that message out there, I don't know what this message was for, but I hope it was helpful, as I said I'm just out here in the tear city by the beach, lovely quiet part of the beach here, got my palm trees, it's a lovely beach, I'll have to come down here in the day as well, maybe do a video in the day, now we've got the BMW here, it's the same one that I had in Pouquette, only it's a different color, but also got the red seats, any other inquiries, you can email me coaching at Narc Survivor UK, and I'm also available on TikTok and Instagram at Narc Survivor YouTube, okay, that's all for now, I will talk to you in another live video very soon.


Hey everyone, it's me to your community outreach specialist and today. I'm bringing you another five things video about someone very near and dear to my heart Ashley community engagement Assistant Got it right the first time. I did. I'm sick walking out. I kind of hesitated though. I don't know if it'll come on camera Yeah, but I hesitated. Okay One bear with me this wind It's like Pantene commercial. You can just like have like Really nice braids and you won't have that next time. Yeah One one Let's see. Let's start with my I know all of her five things like my that dirt bike incident Let's do it. Yes, cuz I'm not the only clumsy one at this agency. She is not So a couple years ago. I think it was the day after hi major Hey So a couple of days no I'm lying the day after day after Christmas. So I have an eight-year-old brother and he got a dirt bike I was like, oh, this is so cool. I want to go on it from a couple years ago though So he was like six. Okay. Okay Christmas from a couple years ago not because I was like I'm making this so much more complicated. It is all good. Anyways, so I Wanted to try the dirt bike. Mm-hmm. So, you know, I'm in the back going everything's great until this one turn and I might have taken it a little too fast and Seems like it. I was like, ah And then what were you likely? It was like boom and I smashed into a tree. That's cute and I looked down Blood dripping out of my knee.  I'm gonna need stitches.  I'm gonna need stitches So I start walking up to the house. My cousin sees that there's just blood everywhere. So he's coming to get me Yeah, I needed seven stitches in my knee. My mom was like really like this this is what we do Yeah, I just want to point out the dirt bike was for who originally my brother, okay Your six-year-old brother and you being much older than six were the first one to crash I just wanted to clarify that for all I had to make sure it was safe. Oh, okay, and apparently it was not for you Not safe for me, but okay But it was a good time. So I got stitches and I was still living in Miami at this time So I was like, I need to drive back. I'm still trying to go have a good time for New Year's So I drive back after I got my stitches and made it out on New Year's Eve stitches and all and Well, I was at a moment. I was out on New Year's Eve and fresh stitches and I started feeling a little woozy. So I was like, well, I need to sit down. That's about it But I still made it out.  But yeah, that was never mind. All right. I apologize number two So that's one. So crash the dirt bike To fun fact, I was born at McDill Air Force Base. That's really cool for those of you that don't know McDill Air Force Base is in Florida Tampa, like closer to downtown Tampa Bay to Boulevard over in that area. The hospitals. Yeah, it's beautiful Hospital is no longer there, but that's kind of cool. I was born there Three Let's go with I Went paragliding in Germany. So that was pretty cool. That's really cool. So you're like forget it I just don't want to go paragliding in America.  It was cool. Yeah So we're like starting to Yeah, so we're starting to run down Something was wrong and the guy I was with was like, no we need to walk back up and then go again But I made it down safe. No stitches nothing. We're good. I like to live life on the edge Just Okay This is why I know everyone Nothing of what I'm thinking Accident prone That's Yeah, so the guy that would say hey, we're running down this cliff to go paragliding and Something's wrong. I Would tap out and I would go another day. No, I had to make it down. Okay, so Um Right, that was three. What's number four? Four, I know some things about you, but I don't know if we're gonna say the camera. I don't remember that they were for this list Okay, so if anyone knows me I am obsessed with baseball Living in Miami, I got the opportunity to work for the Miami Marlins, which was pretty cool to do a little cheer fan engagement kind of thing And it was cool because that was the year we were hosting the all-star game So I got to work that whole week home run derby lost my voice. It was awesome You do some cool stuff. Also sprained my ankle when I was up on the dugout before that was fun On the dugout on the dugout gives their footage probably somewhere of you like rolling and spraining I really hope not because so it's my new mission I was like I jumped up and came down and my ankle kind of just rolled Oh, and I was like, oh, but it's my new mission to find footage somewhere Yeah, so I'm a random girl that got hurt at a baseball game. It's gonna be Ashley me like that head looks familiar I had blonde hair. Who is this girl? Who is this girl? I know you So that happened I went back in the locker room and my ankle was like All different colors Saw a lot of people Let's see five Bring it home You you are going through this a lot quicker than I thought you were going to so I will give you credit for that Let's see So I like to do outdoorsy things Clearly dirt bike paragliding Also went white water rafting once. That's cool. It was pretty long to go. It's fun. So where'd you go? They let you I think it was called a coey rafting Location yeah, so that is either Tennessee or North Carolina.  Yeah, I love it. I did that and Fell off and so my family was like, oh, no It's like I have a new fact, but at the root of it all it's I'm clumsy. Yes, so I fell off Okay clutch. I was still hanging on floating in the water I just picture like you being That's something guys. She's taller than she looks.  I am Yes, we're just gonna say she's legally not considered a widget which is 411 for those of you who didn't know she just Barely passes it. I'm five foot and three quarters. There's a pen on our wall in the office To mark her height. It's that serious I'm five five and three quarters. I'm just short. I mean if I look taller in these videos and pictures But I'm sure if you ever leave me a false advertising.  You guys are tuning in with us for this video. Hope it was quick sweet Hope you learned something new about Ashley basically at the root of it all it was one thing and that's she's super clumsy Thanks for tuning in with us like if you haven't already Subscribe if you still haven't I'm really confused say I want to plaque and three Comment nice comments. What what should they come in today? Oh, you really just like Blank blank. Um You should comment What's your favorite number? I Don't know that it's first thing I came ahead minus 24. Mine's two. Why is yours too? Um, because I Okay, no because it's like normally like normally and in okay, we're not gonna say normally But okay, whatever two people in a relationship To hands to hold to haves to make a hole I like even numbers odd numbers really freak me out like say really freak me out same So, yeah, I don't know. I just always like the number two. Okay. That makes sense I just like 24 because I like the number 24, but tomorrow's a 24th. Is it yep That's cute. I'm gonna have a good day tomorrow 124. Yeah 24 is an even number so it should make you feel 2019 the whole year is gonna be wonky on that note. See you guys next time


What's happening? Hey, we are live here in Austin, Texas. Obviously. This is Nick Sparks If you don't know this, this is Anthony Johnson the founder and CEO of the 21 convention I'm Steve Maeda. I'm the host and probably some other crazy stuff Master of ceremonies, that's right. So today basically we're talking about your book By Nick Sparks the Nick Sparks amazing guy I don't even need to intro you because you guys already probably know of them, but tell us about this Yeah, it's a book. I've been working on for a long time for anyone who's been following the process thus far Yes, should be coming out now sooner than later I'm just putting the finishing touches on it and just very excited to get it out there Yeah, you know one of the reasons too I wanted to get Nick on here to talk about this was he's so huge in the channel people love his videos 21 convention But I thought that only people that follow him on Facebook knew about it and there's so many guys on YouTube I was like, let's tell them about it. Let's get it down. Let's let's figure out and find out exactly What went into the book and what's gone into the creation of it over years at this point, I think right? Yeah, sounds good. How many years do you've actually been writing it too long about around two years now? Okay, I've been going into it and I've got my my reasons looking back now on why it's taken that long But yeah, I'm gearing up for the final stages and I'm pretty excited. Oh One more thing for the YouTube guys, too There is like a live chat and you can ask questions, but I try to make them focus on the book itself I know you guys probably want to ask Nick a whole bunch of different things, but this is actually already popping up Dude I actually I'm wondering about this because we've both coached for a long same amount of time and like you're an amazing guy like I Know everybody you're one of my favorite people to hang out But see you're the founder of the 21 convention you're like the god and we're just the angels, right? Dude The the men's mafia Hosted by anthony johnson But no So what inspired you to write this book because I can tell This from knowing you and what makes you such an amazing coach such an amazing guy is that this isn't about Huge profit quick fixes This is about becoming a man that you've been inspired to develop with other men I mean, that's one of the greatest things about nick guys But uh, so what inspired this and what is the journey of the book first off start with the title too You know, it's funny because we're still working on the title. Oh, really? Okay title still a work in progress The last we got a couple we're whittling it down to so I don't have to get there But what inspired this book I'll answer that question Was the coaching that that we've both done for so long And you can relate to this as well as anyone can you start doing it for so long You start saying more something you start saying less of other certain messages certain things stand out Um, as you see as being more important And over years and years and hundreds of guys you start to see these patterns emerge And and we're getting to the point with a coaching where We're just getting very confident in the work that it did. I mean Getting, you know, the kinds of reviews that typically weren't out there Right and and just seeing the stuff that we were doing had a had a strong effect on people and um, Don't you claim a hundred percent success rate too? Yes. That's awesome. Not a guy I've worked with who I haven't Who hasn't left very happy with the program. I don't know anyone else in the world who claims that Yeah, um it's um The number of reasons we can always talk about that but the book came about because I had these things that were really making a Difference for people and I saw making an impact Um, especially in the programs that we're running And I just want it to be more widely available, right? Because aside from the people that could show up and do a live training weekend You know, I tons of people just writing me asking me for questions Just answering the same kind of questions over and over wanted to be able to help out more people But seeing that, you know limiting myself to whatever quick answer I could type up on facebook or or wherever else wasn't going to be the best way to do that So I thought well, this is a time to write a book now I can put as much as I as much as the advice that I can into that as possible send it out Sell it for you. That's what even your speeches at the convention, which were like amazing Even those are like static, you know, they're like once a year max and then after that It's it's not like nick's best thinking at the moment And I think not the best but not your like most current you always evolving always changing as a man I mean, I wish I could go back and edit some things from my how to hold conversation like a man's speech and Um, you know, there's always little tweaks that you could make You know, absolutely where that's what's nice about a book as I can make sure the wording is perfectly on it I can go over and whereas I'm giving a speech. Yeah, it's great to be able to get some information out there It's just kind of a one time. I'm nervous as can be And then so to be able to just really put out something that's static that Really speaks for the work that I do I'm excited just to have that. Let me actually get into this And we probably have some questions for you guys that are watching this Coming in but before we jump to that I would really like to know because you talked about this the changes that men get while doing You know workshop and it's not just about a workshop. It's about getting coaching with you What did you see them go through that was beyond just like oh, I got a number I got, you know a girlfriend or sex or whatever because I think that's what makes you such a dynamic guy When your students got married, didn't he? Happens. Yeah All over got got some coming up this year and wow. Okay.  Yeah rewarding part of the job. What are those changes? But that's not even the biggest thing not even like, oh, I got married. Yeah. Oh, I got a girlfriend or I got whatever Um I mean, this has always been tough to exactly put a finger on and mark it, you know That's why I usually just let the testimonials guys write their own speak for themselves But the the difference that I saw I saw early on as people just saying Um, you know, it's hard to put like my finger on exactly what's different. I just feel more confident in general I just I've got kind of a new outlook on life Like my friends will ask me what's different But they can't quite put their finger on it It's really difficult to put like this tangible thing. It's just being happy With this part of your life not feeling like there's still something missing not feel like you're still lacking in some way shape or form But to just kind of have it figured out and I was somehow able to Infuse my programs for the most part with that You'd say then it's like an internal change that you're seeing right Not just the external things like getting a girlfriend or getting married. It's like it's deeper than that It's your whole outlook. Yeah, I kind of have a chance to to drag you in for a, you know 72 hour period and I really like to barge you with the new speech. There's a quote from you.  And I think that's kind of what you're speaking to now is what I hear Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That's how you're looking at the messages.   I just want to get I want to get to the guy that's getting success So it's like how do you break down the importance of that because I think you teach it so well You know like I've like man, how can you get that? Ultimate confidence that way of life that carries into every Action emotion and in whatever that you do that you expression that you put yourself out there Yeah, I think that's a good question I guess it's also related to book talk. I knew the conversation always goes here, but it's a little off But no, no, no, but okay, so in the book my book is based on this a lot I think a big difference is that you know, it's really it's not something to do when you're talking to a girl It's something to look at when you're I'm just talking interacting with anyone Yeah, I would say in every interaction you have whether it's the two of us or whether it be your doctor Or the the person at the grocery store I mean, you're either going to revert back to your old just kind of autopilot your old ruts as I call them Or you're gonna have a chance to Interact with people Yeah, and with a little more consciousness and a little more awareness And so are you improving or are you you're getting worse in every single interaction? You and I have talked about the book. I haven't read it Is anyone read it or just a few people have yeah, yeah, yeah, some of my alums have gotten earlier editions of that Same stuff that I'm teaching in the classroom So but the the thing is is that the purpose of the book isn't that's what I'm getting at It's to achieve like A good life as a man You know and that is so freaking important that I think that carries over into Directly into your philosophy about sex women how people communicate and connect because if you make it about just a result You know to that guy that's going I don't know how to talk to women Here's how you approach or here's how you get a number and all sort of stuff and here's how you get the result And that's going to make you a man your book is actually designed to be like no How do you become a man as you live it in every day of your life?  That's awesome You know it's badass. So I uh, I actually have a way too. I think we can take this back super focused on the book A few months ago probably like eight nine months ago You and I spoke by phone before the tampon convention And you talked about the creative process that went into your speeches a little bit And how diligent and how much effort you put into them into making them as good as they are So I actually wanted to talk to you about the parallels between the creative process for Uh creating the speeches versus the much longer process of creating the book Can you pull any like similarities or differences from that? Really good question It's like these differences are much easier to point out than similarities. I guess similarities I have a general frame in my head for What I want to say like what I want the point to be what do I want to accomplish of a speech I'm in a speech or of the book. Okay, right and then I'll lay it out a little bit more thoroughly and Um say, okay, so what are some of the bigger points? I want to hit along this journey Wait, I also need an introduction to like how's that going to look and this is book or speech Okay, right Most of this process is still going out in my head. I'm just I sometimes I'll put out bullet points But I'm much more of a kind of in my head lay out the foundation versus really starting to get a Miniscule detail some people are different thinkers So I'm doing this for for both processes Um, and then as it starts getting close to time for a speech I'll start to you know Detail out maybe some of those bullet points a little bit more. What are the things I'd like to hit? What are the things I don't? Um, and then you know the speech time comes Well, then you just remember what you're going to remember forget what you're going to forget And just kind of swing by by where you're at out there with a book. This is where things take a very different turn because Now with a book you've got this format as we talked about where like every single sentence has weight to it Where every single point you're making is you can really Maybe over-analyze it but but the fact that this is a solid inflexible thing You um, I've spent just a lot more time going over it rethinking of exactly what I want to say And then you'll find out You know, you give a speech and then a couple days later after putting this information out there Your brain is really your brain was so focused on holding that information now That's released from that kind of now you can start it starts thinking So a month after I I delivered my 2014 speech There was already ways that I was thinking like oh, this could have been better that could have been better Yeah, I've done this myself And with a book now you actually get to revise it before it goes out to the audience like with the like the video It's out there Yeah, right. I can do my best You know talk about what I'm saying in the comments, but yeah Once you say is what you say right where is in the book? I can go back and take that time to just make sure that all those evolutions are Are gonna be currently here's a follow-up question. So would you say the book is not like a huge speech? Like a 10 hour speech. It's much different. It sounds like you're saying it's more precise Yes, it's much more precise like saying exactly what I want to say. Um, I mean, we have Gosh, how would I even compare it to a 10 hour speech? Maybe a 10 hour speech done by a robot But with some emotion behind it I'm sure it sounds like it's written by a human though. Yeah. Yeah, it has to I'm still a human being So far as we know, I mean, I don't know these features are getting really good. We've we've examined them actually Not a perfect speaker. So like what uh, what are some of the main points of the book? Like if you were to divide up the chapters or themes of it, you know that guys can kind of like build an expectation for sure well, um The general parts of the book general sections. I've got really three Is one starting conversations with strangers and this is just broken down by what you see guys asking the most questions You know broken down into categories one starting conversations with strangers to just holding conversations having good conversations having great conversations um, and then third part is just bringing sexuality into all of that And the final section on just some general tips and lessons, but it actually follows your speeches almost chronologically very well 11 12 and then 14. Yeah, I first started creating the speeches just because once again, these were the questions I was getting asked the most these were what I saw as being the most pivotal Um things to be talked about this just occurred to me Is such a such a simple question. Are you using the speeches as a way to kind of draft the book over time? Yeah, a little bit. It's it's totally happened. I mean those who are familiar with the speeches You're going to see some similar stories in the book Some similar lessons, but once again, it's going to be you know Stuff that I've had a chance to go over again and again and again and make sure it's really presented as Effectively as I can possibly present it But you'll definitely see the the comparisons between the speeches. I had no idea the whole time. Oh, hey, it's a great speeches Yeah, I keep going Nick Man, also, you know what's interesting about that is because you've even said in this we've talked about it on the side But in this little podcast You have said that you're like Man, if I could have changed stuff even from the 2014 speech that you gave six or eight months ago or whatever You know, so that means these are actually updated ideas to how to hold a conversation Updated ideas on how to be sexual and all those different things. That's pretty cool, man. Best of the best Yeah so, uh, man Questions or do you want to break for that or do you want to do you have any other questions? Anthony Johnson has some more questions. Here's a question. Yeah, obviously, you know, the book is mostly for men But like a little bit deeper if you can go into it. Who's the book for? Is it for older men, young men, Asian men, white men, black guys? I mean, is it I actually have a disclaimer right in one of the first pages of the book and I'll probably put this in the amazon Section about whatever Um, this book really well the language that I used is Kind of directed towards men Especially with their issues talking to women because that's what so much my coaching on has been focused on for so long What I have the most experience with Um, the lessons of the book are for anyone who is interested in improving their their social or sexual communication with anyone else Um, it's it's I've really kind of looked for what are the universal aspects of Of people getting along together and people being Present with each other and not present with each other and so that's whether you're 18 or 48 or all the same Okay, it's all the same. You might be in slightly different No social structures in college It's easier to meet people than it is if you're just you know, had a job for 20 years and you just move to a new city But you know these the book is really centered around things that are gonna make the biggest difference no matter where you are Actually, I think that's a great point because not a lot of people talk about that in terms of Especially with men's development We think our problems are so unique, right? And then we can't you know You're this and that and i'm this and that and it it's impossible to change whereas the principles of change And the way you teach customized, you know working with somebody Is really the key thing and so many times like why I don't get women or why i'm unhappy Why i'm out of shape all the stuff that you but basically have brought to the world with the convention It tend to be these same principles, you know We have a conversation with an expert like nick or an expert like You know keith norris mark etobre, whatever we tend to say the same things about what gets you there That's a very cool thing when it comes to dating and having a healthy social sexual That's all I see both of you guys at the convention You guys were super super into the sexual life and dating and relationships and all things entailed with internal change External improvements in like your skills and your talent that But for me it's just bringing you guys into a bigger stage Of course the 21 convention and then integrating it to like a giant widget where it's all like functioned together Yeah, I think you knew that already, but yeah, no, it's awesome to be a part of it It's cool because you know, there's so many speakers. I've learned stuff from that. I really appreciate it Well, you just said two a minute ago is like you mentioned Universals, I think was the word you used and to me that just means fundamentals I think is how I interpret it But yeah, then like steve said to me it's all fundamental connections between what you're talking about what keith is talking about What mark sissons talking about to me?  So like you started in 2009 or 2008 Yeah, right. So it's like, you know You're there. I'm there, you know mark sisson actually spoke in 2009 and he's gonna Oh, it was 2010. Well, anyway, whatever these guys evolve and we've all kind of followed an interesting path And then we can touch base. It's actually so fortunate that you live in austin because it's like, oh man You know, you're taking your ideas to this level and it's just it it's food for all of us. It's very cool Because I think when we first met Um, we were our teachings were like but we were in place Now we've gotten a chance to to reconnect to look at we're doing now and you know The fact stuff that makes us different is really what makes us stand out and yeah Yeah able to to help different people and that's awesome. But then you look and yeah stuff that we're similar on I mean the stuff that let me actually ask you How has your fault you you've always been a good coach? I mean, I think that's it is like I may have been all over the place at one point, but I could still coach Whereas your teachings may have been like a little bit more abstract or whatever at one point But you were always a good coach So how has that evolved and I think that's one of the the big foundations of the book. Yeah Well, it's I was fortunate that I was a good coach because I always say the stuff the actual stuff I was teaching back when I started was terrible um But I still got quality Well, I guess yeah, maybe in comparison with everything else that was out there. It still wasn't great um But people still I got positive reviews But because people could tell I cared and was coming from a good place and it was kind of I had a lot of energy and a lot of focus and I was kind of Going in this direction and then um You know just these core principles to guide me. I'm like, what's the right direction? I was looking for what's universal what uh, what what's the smallest things that make the biggest difference And you know, just as the years have gone by luckily It was that passion that I had for that excitement that kind of propelled me forward and gave me the You said on the way here to where we're filming now that you know passion is what drove you through most of your 20s It's just like this raw very powerful intense passion coaching and for helping people this part of their life Yeah Like it changes because we get older Like we slow down But then so the passion Man, I'll speak for myself, but it had to do with like validation at times like winning kicking ass The thing that moved like success In in coaching was the passion became more for the the client and that's all I hear from you You have to be yeah, you've seen how many coaches who've got into this This industry. Oh, this is so cool. This is exciting. I love like the image I love like it must be the fringe benefits of being this cool like That fades really fast And then you see a lot of people drop out and not having you the only thing that's going to keep you coaching And you're going to have ups and downs. You're going to have guys who are more challenging There's going to be guys who are less challenging and make it seem easy for you And it's like, how do you respond to those like if you love that challenge? Do you always want more despite the fact that it's going to be more taxing and more more emotional physical energy? Or do you like say, oh man, I can't take this anymore I can't deal with it was there a point with a client a student a story that made you go, man This is why I need to put this on paper You know, this is this is The the that turning point of the decision You know, basically I got him. I got to make this book because you've committed to it You know, you've put down hours and hours of time and thought and looked within yourself and others for What made you really want to do this? It's just kind of the reaction that I saw to guys, especially when The testimonials from my coaching was getting better and better Um, just you know, I read those are just you know, see guys and their experiences from it And and then other guys would see those other guys would would read those and well pain neck Help me out with this. I started seeing just more of a demand Um people just asking more for my thoughts on this and that So and I it was kind of like I just felt like I had a responsibility like I've been given this This life that's given me these experiences that are different than most people You know, my brain works like this for for these things and I've got all these people now like Asking me for this like saying they want my help with this like it sounds almost like a sequence was a turning point of Different little testimonial events that accumulated. Is that sound about right? That's what you're telling me. That's kind of it just became a Point where there's a no-brainer like people are asking like why haven't you written the book yet? Yeah, I really need to do this Other speakers have this too. I think sasha recently put a book out and you have the same thing Years people like hey, where's the book? He's like book book Yeah, it's good motivation Yeah, good stuff. Good stuff. What else you got there, mr. Johnson Here's a pretty basic question, but I think it'll go a long way towards helping people understand it How More specifically can the book help them the guys watching right now or in the future and youtube and stuff How can the book? Not just broadly and fundamentally help their life, but specifically like what's going to change so We get a little more specific and what the book's about You said there's either these more general areas that we can talk on You know talk about focus our coaching on then every single guy is different, right? Every single guy has different mannerisms different personality different And that's why you know really getting in there and identifying Specifically, how is a guy? Maybe sabotaging himself in a different situation You know, it's sometimes you got to be able to see that and you know, we do it for as long as we can We can just look at a guy and very easily see like what's going on um What the book what I tried to do is For each of those areas whether it comes to people trying to start new conversations Or just holding a conversation having to be a great one or becoming more sexual I I basically pulled out what are you know? five six of the most common ways that a guy will sabotage himself In regards to those different areas and then how can he What are the actions he can take once he's identified that he's doing this to to reverse that that behavior And once again practicing it with everyone he comes into contact with and then within those like you know five or six per Um section subsets. I'll have other little details in there to maybe Um allow a guy to catch himself if this is something that he is doing to So so whatever area it is that you're really suffering and you're going to be able to look at well What are some ways that I might be sabotaging myself really try to give examples give as many Details analogies as I can and then the action the specific actions He can take to quote unquote cure that and immediately start having better interactions with people This sounds from my experience as a young person with like the pickup scene and stuff This sounds really useful because for myself and a lot of people I knew in the layers and stuff They had one of their biggest problems was sabotaging themselves Because they're motivated the fact that they're learning about it means they're motivated to learn about it and to do things with it And because of that they're then like they're always doing way too much and they're always screwing themselves up That was me too and it's it's it's almost like um well it's It's it's different at first because it's almost a tough sell because so much of the industry so much of the marketing is We want to give you these tips and we want to give you this action based step by step And it doesn't help anyone The the long run and so I had to make a book and the main point of my book is just about getting out of your own way It's just about getting out of your head because you know When you're you're in your head thinking big premise of mine throughout my 21 convention speeches when you're in your head Overthinking that's when you sabotage yourself. So how do I create a book? Who's essential message is to stop trying? um It's we there's this There's this dichotomy in this industry where people are like well Yeah, you want to not be dependent on the outcome You know, you don't want to you don't want to have an agenda But then here's do all these things to try to get the specific outcome and have this agenda So how do I write a book that stays true to that?  Hey just be present with somebody um You know you're you're most attractive when you're not trying to be attractive Then how can I build content around around that? How can I how can I help to describe that as thoroughly as possible? Yeah, actually One of the things that I wanted to say to that that I think everybody should look at towards what nick is describing is He's talking about actual behavioral change change with who you are The reasons why one doesn't achieve success in any area is not because you haven't just gotten the result I mean the result is one moment one moment But for you to be that man that can achieve excellence and dude, this is the thing and this is what I've seen in your coaching You help a guy with dating On a true principal base. It's not just some advertisement word a true principal base He'll get better in other areas of his life because he lives that man and your book breaks that that's That's pretty awesome. Yeah, I mean I talk about how this stuff affects your professional life quite a bit of the book as well I mean if you're just kind of person your your income is mostly dependent on how the people that are around you How much they like you? I mean, that's just kind of study after study shows this and so yes It's good to be good at your craft and you shouldn't stop developing your talents, of course Um, but if you're working around any other people whatsoever like the better you get along with them That's huge for the quality. You're totally calibrated.  It reminds me of help too A lot of people who are say like really obese or have like, you know weight problems and stuff Changing this part of life and having success and it can definitely drive Uh the motivation and determination to achieve success in like different parts even with your health I've seen tons of guys I've worked with go on to just Lose a ton of weight. Not surprised. Not surprised. Get more motivated in their careers Like everybody's on their own path, but yeah, but yeah, all this stuff definitely fits together cool It's all the questions I have Yeah, man, there's plenty of questions in the feed. Yeah, what do we actually hack into that and I really appreciate you guys Uh watching this, um So let's let's get to some of your guys's questions answer that sort of stuff Um, let's bring up the laptop and I can the exciting I love live questions Just one second here guys Okay, cool. I want to bring this up here a little bit. Yeah, sure. I can read them off. Yeah, I want to Yeah, I just pressed something here. So sorry Okay, so, uh, do you want to do it?  That's that's the truth. If you guys don't know this. I like I'll be like that is funny Let's do this takes your questions Uh, do you include any non-sexual related life advice in your book? Oh, yeah You want to you mentioned the conversation only one third of the the content is sexual I mean the rest of it is just interacting Platonically with any other person you need those elements too if you're going to Interact in a more sexual way. You can't just be kind of socially Lacksadaisical in other areas and just being sexual. I won't work either. Yeah Okay, um, let's move on How do you define improvement in social and sexual communication? Improvement in people's comfort and their social or sexual lives improvement in the results and their happiness So he's asking about a definition of social and sexual communication. Yeah Um, it's it's going to be improvement in the interactions they see with other people and how they feel about those interactions Okay, um, how comfortable they feel how how confident they feel with the way that they're going Um, how much they're enjoying it? How much you're just having fun interacting with other people And then seeing those positive benefits and creating kind of a Uh positive circle for them Actually, I have one thing that I wanted to add to that.  I can how to coach from that Well, yeah, opening up the sexual communication. We focus on that. We take a day of our program just to focus on I'm doing, you know, classroom sessions and everything else and so a section of the book definitely because You know, your sexual communication is just another part of your overall social communication. It's just a smaller section of this bigger piece Um, if somebody is repressing that part of themselves and just, you know, flirting with with whomever just for the fun of it Not because you're trying to get something but just enjoying Someone else's company and all the natural feelings that come up when you do so and and communicate with those feelings That's just saying i'm happy with all of myself.  It's not like some sleazy thing. It's getting my head It's that they're it's displaying Value it's like positive values that people want to be around Yeah, the further you in other areas. So I think helping the guys to unlock that part and communicate just more generally with that part Just fosters and overall confidence and everything cool Okay, uh, is your book about eliminating social weirdness awkwardness I don't know how to put it. Maybe it doesn't speak English. Social anxiety. Social anxiety. Yeah I'm not going to say weirdness or awkwardness even though my behavior could be described as that plenty of times That's what made us good. We're human beings. Appreciate that I was there too, man So, yeah, it's it's all about kind of looking at behaviors that are are hindering you from connecting more fully with people in a moment and Figuring on how to overcome those behaviors Okay There's a whole bunch. Yeah. Yeah, we're just let me look through and find which one is the uh The best I mean, that's kind of a logistical one. That's worth addressing. Yeah, go for it Someone said uh, I am in South Africa. How can I get more stuff by nick? I guess Don't you have an online program? I do have an online program on my website. The book will be coming out soon on amazon if you have a kindle or kindle app um, and then my website has um Um, I do coaching calls via skype. So anywhere in the world. I've done calls Okay, um, we'll fit something in with both of our time zones at work out usually Um, there's no link to your website in the video, but it's sparks of attraction dot com Yeah, pretty easily the sparks of attraction dot com There is a link to your facebook page though in there and they can add you on facebook, right? Absolutely and get all my information through there most most updates for the book or Usually speeches like this that i'm doing i'll post to facebook. Cool. Yeah, I appreciate when you post the speeches and stuff Of course. Yeah, it helps helps a lot Cool. Yeah, there's a there's a couple questions here and let's uh, how much time do we have for Um, we can go another five seven minutes I'm gonna try to get it Yeah, about so definitely keep your questions about the books guys that would that or the book that would be really awesome But um tomorrow we'll be doing one of these where we answer questions about anything But for 21 hundred percent just a hundred percent, um question answering time, right? So actually this tomorrow there's going to be a 100 question answering thing What you have to do for that is you have to be a part of 21 university Which is like the best freaking deal in town. So how is the definitive streaming service for men in the world? How do they how do they get on that? It's one dollar one dollar one dollar Um, let me take actually a look make it easy for them Uh to get on 21 university So it's like really easy for you guys You just go to the youtube description for this video like the video description and there's a link It says attend the exclusive 21 university live stream featuring nick sparks for one dollar There's a link and you click it. That's it You'll get a 30 day trial which will include the live stream tomorrow, and it's a dollar And I highly recommend it because nick will be taking just non-stop q&a for like an hour I love doing that. It's one of my favorite things. It's pretty fun And um, wouldn't they also get an immediate access to my 2014? This is actually pretty important bonus. Thank you for reminding me because I forgot. Yeah 21 university is basically like netflix for men and it includes pre-release access So you can watch nick's brand new speech before it's on youtube or anywhere else on 21 university And that's included when you pay the dollar for a trial And it includes premium access to all of your old speeches No ads on them. Uh, nothing nothing youtube's like has stuff all over the place 21 university is like really clean and like uh, perfect and it has all those old talks So you can go watch them again and again Which I recommend uh people ask me sometimes how I've improved my life And a lot of it's just through the speeches that these guys give Specifically I watch them again and again and again and I don't have to watch ads like all this like crazy stuff No, I helped dude. It's it's all of you guys There's almost a hundred speakers And having really good clean access to your speeches like I do on my hard drives Just because I'm the guy that runs the company It's really powerful and 21 university is a big part of how we've been able to do that for everyone else They can just watch your speeches whenever they want and there's nothing getting in the way of that nothing to distract them Cool super focused Can we sneak in one more question? Yeah, yeah, so what what would you say is your main contribution to It's written kind of odd, but uh, I believe development self-development What's your main contribution to the I guess development of man being a better man. She is the ideal man I don't know. I'm dropping the bucket in the grand scheme of things man. There's there's so many other things I just I've been fortunate enough to You know work with just a lot of individuals and improve their life And you know, so what what's the overall impact I've made on this or that? I don't know but in terms of just the people I've gotten a chance to work with Um that I know I've talked to who I talk with Um, I know that I've been able to make a positive impact in their life at least and then they've gone and and That's influenced the people that they've known So we've also influenced millions of people on youtube man who talks about 1.5 million views at this point all together Which is pretty powerful So some of the best in the world man at least youtube at least youtube agrees with that statement People just go crazy over them. Well, if anything, I hope that I've Helping people to not overthink things as much as just kind of get in touch with what they want who they are I'd actually say that you brought a very good face In mentality to talking to women because what were the options? I mean, there were always guys out there giving them What were the options that men had to look for it was like this when you talk to a guy that isn't familiar with the dating scene What does he do? He finds like all this spammy crap online through google But the 21 convention what your speeches did man Instant product formula over my dating books, you know, I was talking about how when I didn't know much that I was teaching But I still have these pillars of what am I just keeping me going making sure I'm moving in the right direction Is my coaching evolved one of those has always been like how would Like women feel if they were hearing me teach this How would my mother feel if she was hearing me teach this? Yeah, so I always try to keep my You know message as I think I haven't been perfect I've been learning with that as long as I've gone along But it's always like, you know universal trying to keep it What's going to be at the anybody and not just Turn people off from hearing it because I think that there was a lot of that I think you've tried to keep it before you tell me you try to keep it on what's important And I think you've done a good job of that and that's also just reminding people that You know, this isn't something that needs Um, you know secret language to talk about it doesn't need to be hidden and kept in the in the shadows I mean, this is a natural beautiful thing that people have been discussing For, you know thousands and thousands and thousands of years And so it shouldn't be something that we have to like keep as weird as possible It should be something that's in a layer. Yes Trying to discuss so that's always been a guiding principle as well remains So there's actually another one here and it says I tend to get Attached very quickly to a girl even within the first interaction How do I Away from loss aversion And realize there's plenty of more fish. Basically, how do I not get in my head about that? Yeah, no, that can be a tough one. Um Especially since you said it's not like just one time that happens and you meet somebody that you really just Um either you do have a once-in-a-lifetime type of connection with or twice three four times in lifetime Um, this is happening more often for you. This is happening more randomly.  How can I get them to like me? How can I say the right thing? Women can just sense that almost immediately and it's kind of a it's a major It's incredibly repelling It's natural that you're doing it. It's it's certainly not uh an uncommon thing But you know a couple things to keep in mind one, they're just human beings There they just want somebody that they can interact with normally To I would say practice interacting with people Normally practice how many times are you going out to different groups or clubs that you might want to check out and Meeting people who are also looking to socialize and meet new people and holding conversations with them and getting to know them and then developing muscles of of just um, you know enjoying a conversation without trying to Oh god, how do I get that positive reaction from them reinforcing positive healthy conversation habits with other people?  It sounds like it sounds to me like you're tapping people build like a foundation They can actually have a conversation on that way when they get into that moment They're not like stumbling all over the place Yeah, the only trick with anything I should I teach is simply to not treat the pretty girl any differently Just get over that. Oh buzzing that you're having just It's it's like, you know, you look at a basketball player who's who's entering the playoffs and it's more Cameras more lights. It's more nervous for everybody if he hasn't been practicing just dribbling and passing and shooting Like all his life and getting that muscle memory and when the pressure's on he'd never be able to hit that shot So it's about developing these social muscles so that when you're in that situation with someone Yes, you see you do this thing sometimes. It's perfectly natural.  It's a process. You gotta work on it for a little while now That actually brings up pretty some pretty awesome one more Nick man, Nick says I love doing this and more the merrier one one novelty question we have Is well, this one will be quick How does nick sparks? Have such a great beard. Look at that. Perfect touch and how do women respond to it? Oh, yeah, yeah, let's talk about that Um, and then it's it just kind of grows This is like oh, this is like a week and a half two weeks of me just being not feeling like shaving Although if I do slightly feel like shaving, but I know you're coming to town to film something. I'll let it Just a little bit Well and when you do shave That that was one of the we have an amazing Whatever maria got you a gift on it. Yes when I do have to shave. I've got a very nice birthday present this one is uh Uh one that is actually pretty very nick sparks question Do I have to be the center of attention to get the girls that I want? I'm introverted and I don't prefer to be have the spotlight on me Uh, how do I deal with that? This is totally up your alley. It's like a plant because um, it wasn't us Yeah, no, it's it's a great question I actually cover this in detail in the book and say that that introverts often think they need to be more like extroverts in order to be more popular But it's the opposite of the truth I mean one of the things that extroverts like myself have struggled with our entire lives Is that desire to be the center of attention the desire we develop these witty charming personalities um All right, and oh well, I'm a you know studying example I got the unlimited facial expressions So more and more of coming from the introverted place, but you guys are actually better at at holding Conversations being present without trying to be the entertainer without trying to put all the the emphasis on us I would say other people Like you know don't really like people that try to make themselves a center of attention They like people that make us the center of attention. We like to feel like good when we're talking to someone It's like in your big speech. She talked about it's better to be interested than interesting Yeah, I mean if you look at how to win friends and influence people That's basically the point of the entire book is put the emphasis on the other person instead of on yourself So introverts can be much better at doing that extroverts It's a lot more difficult to get over their desire to be the center One one thing that's really important about that too and that we've talked about separately is that To get emotion or rapport empathy out of somebody You don't need to be an extrovert or person it gets in the way of it to have seduction in that moment It requires intimacy And to be an extrovert it actually gets in the way of it. So that's why it's like such a nick sparks question Um, one quick one and then we got to wrap it up. But how big of a book are we looking at here? Yeah, actually, yeah, that's a good question. Uh, do you have an estimate on the total one? Um, I don't know how this is going to transition out in kindle formatting and paperback formatting But right now we're looking at about, uh, over 30 000 words. Okay, however that Okay, that's pretty meaty. The uh, one thing that I'd like to say guys is that That basically the the deal here is is that nick is going to be here tomorrow at the same time And in order to get onto that if you go to the link, you know, just Within the of what you're watching right now if you go to that link And you sign up it's it's one dollar. You can type in whatever questions Him and anthony are basically going to be here and nick's going to be answering those questions It's like a one-on-one but virtual and it's just one of those great things that the 21 university is bringing to the table of coaching teaching and building a more Godlike intimate Way of learning, you know, we've had the speeches online for years And now we have access directly to the coaches Well, it's like they mentioned earlier the speeches are very like one directional Uh, we were tomorrow and like this right now a little bit, but especially tomorrow It's like the two-way conversation So it's it's a lot more fun. It's uh, it's pretty cool stuff My favorite parts of the speeches are when i'm doing the q and a yeah, yeah The preparing and this litany, you know, it's important, but I enjoy just answering questions spur of the moment Cool for my most Well, uh, we're gonna wrap up But please come tomorrow on the 20 university live stream sign up for a dollar And add nick on facebook you can follow him there for book updates coming this year That's something that will come out sooner than later. Okay Well, we'll leave the boat be launched at that because a lot of people buggy about that, right? Yes It's the most commonly asked question. I get it Only get it. Yep. Okay. See you later guys. See you guys appreciate your time


The Death Growl is one of the most iconic sounds in all of Metal. For some, these vocals are the very reason they can't listen to heavier subgenres like Death Metal, but for others, nothing beats the raspy growls of Chuck Shuldiner, Chris Barnes' deep guttural voice, or Mikael Ockerfeld's demonic shouts. So how did these growls come about in the first place? It turns out that the Death Growl has a long disputed history dating back way further than you might expect. Let's take a closer look. The Death Growl, as we know it, came to fruition in the late 1980s thanks to bands like Death, Sepultura, and Cannibal Corpse, but the vocal technique may date back hundreds of years. In fact, it seems altogether too fitting that some of the earliest writings of something resembling a Death Growl come from the Vikings. Obviously, we don't have recordings from these times, so it's hard to confirm, but we do have the writings of a 10th century Arabic trader who traveled to Scandinavia, and this is what he had to say about Norse music. Never before have I heard uglier songs than those of the Vikings in Slesvig. The growling sound coming from their throats reminds me of dogs howling, untamed.  This sounds an awful lot like Death Growls as we know it, though it could also be referring to throat singing, which is a completely different technique. The Vikings aren't the only historical example of something that could be Death Growling. In 1151, Hildegard von Bingen wrote a play called Order of Virtutum. That play has a role for the Devil, and stage direction says the Devil's lines are meant to be delivered strepitus dia bolly. Again, with no recording, we can't tell exactly what this means, but many have compared Death Growling to the voice of the Devil in the past, so it's not that big of a stretch to think that maybe some performances of Order of Virtutum featured early Death Growls. But to get to concrete origins, we need to jump all the way forward to the 1960s. That's when John Entwistle growls on Boris the Spider by the Some people have called this the first documented use of the Death Growl, though it's done in a different way than we're used to now. The 60s and 70s saw a lot of experimentation with vocals. Check out Pink Floyd's Careful with that Axe UG. Or how about King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man? Some of these songs play with distorted screams, but they use effects to get the distortion. This is different from Death Growling, which is done completely naturally. You can hear some natural, guttural vocals in Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells in 1973. While we're getting closer here, this still isn't quite right, and it's not really metal. In some of the earliest metal, we can see the groundwork laid with artificial vocals distortions. A great example of this is Black Sabbath's Iconic Iron Man. This soon gave way to screaming and shouting vocals, a tradition that started in the 1970s with bands like Motorhead. Just listen to Lemmy's raspy voice. This whiskey and cigarette torn voice laid a blueprint for harsher vocals to come in metal. Over the next decade, the genre would push itself into more and more brutal territory. One of the seminal acts at this time was Venom, who would become one of the biggest influences on Death Metal Pioneer's Death. With bands pushing into darker, more aggressive territory, the shrill highs that had dominated metal with the likes of Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson just didn't sound right anymore. That's where bands like Mantis, who would later become Death, came in. Cam Lee and Chuck Shuldiner really started to push these growled vocals to the point that they became a staple in the genre. It's worth noting that you can't give Mantis or Death all the credit here. Around this time, all kinds of bands across metal were experimenting with this sound. Groups like Necrophagia, Possessed, and Master were all pushing into the Death Growl territory too. Thrash band Holy Moses even featured a female vocalist Sabina Klassen, who helped set the pace for future female growlers like Alyssa White Gloss. In the years and decades to come, more musicians would continue to push the Growl and use it in new and exciting ways. And while it may put some off, the Growl has become an intrinsic part of some metal movements. The deep, dark vocals go well with the heavy music and satanic tones, and they really help elevate the music into its own category. Whether you love it or hate it, the Death Growl is an important piece of music history, and it's sure to continue to develop in the years to come. It's really a great lead.


Mae'r blwysig yw'r cynhyrchu o'r blwysig i'r 1, 2, 5, 6, 5, yn y cyfnod George Adam o ddigonio yng Nghymru i'r Eisteddfodau Ardeigau. Yn ddigonio'r ysgolfyddiadau ar gyfer blwysig, yn hynny i chi'n gweithio'r ysgolfyddiadau, ac mae'n gofyn i George Adam i'r blwysig i'r blwysig. Yn cymrydgynwys cyddiant, mae ni'n i gweithio'i bwysig y Estlffordd Wybodaeth Cymru o'i gondol fod oedgar cael ei bobl yn moddol yn gondol i'r bobl yn gweithio ar yr oedgar companies yn gweithio i'r troedd pwynt y oedgar companies yn cymryddiant ystod am dddangos i'r by Ineos that their ethanol plant at Grangemouth is going to close at the end of quarter one next year. This is an additional announcement on top of the previous announcements that have been made about the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery, which would be scheduled to close by the end of quarter 2, 2025. This announcement, just this morning, probably wasn't on anyone's radar when the bureau met, but I'm rising to ask for a ministerial statement, an opportunity for the Government to come to the chamber, because obviously people in Grangemouth and in the Falkirk area will be worried that this news comes on top of the previous announcement, and people will want to know obviously about jobs. They'll also want to know what the implication is for the wider industrial complex at Grangemouth, which is integral to Scotland's economy, but also to our plans for net zero. The other dimension, of course, is the flood prevention scheme, which is going to depend on resources coming not just from the public sector, but from the private sector. This is one less business operating on that estate. I think that there are questions to be asked about the future role of Grangemouth in the context of this further closure, and so I'm asking really the Minister for Parliamentary Business, indirectly, whether or not there's an opportunity for this matter to be raised on the floor of this chamber at some point in the next few days. I understand the seriousness of the situation and how it would be something that people would want to discuss. However, as Mr Kerr will be aware, there is a process within the Parliament, within the bureau to work through, and I would advise Mr Kerr, as any member who would make a very similar request to speak to his business manager and feed into Parliamentary Bureau through that way. As Mr Kerr knows from his past involvement as the former chief whip, I'm only too happy to deal with any requests made by other members and see what we can do in the future. The question is that motion 12565 be agreed. Are we all agreed? The motion is therefore agreed. The next item of business is topical questions, and at question number one I call Colin Smith. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported cyber attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway. Cabinet Secretary, Neil Gray. I thank Colin Smith for raising the question. Colleagues, I wish to outline the outset. We'll appreciate that this incident is the subject of a live police investigation as a result. I'm limited in the detail that I can share. However, I want to assure Colin Smith and other colleagues that the Scottish Government continues to fully support NHS Dumfries and Galloway as they respond to the cyber attack. While I understand that this news will have been both alarming for patients and staff, I can assure Parliament that the board responded swiftly and in line with established protocol. I have personally spoken to the chief executive of NHS Dumfries and Galloway and I'm assured that my officials are fully supporting them as part of a multi-agency approach. In addition to that, I can advise that other NHS boards at the Government's request have been mobilised to provide technical support to Dumfries and Galloway. Colin Smith. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. While so far it has disappeared to have been no major disruption to patient services caused by these attacks, which is welcome, it is deeply worrying that there is a risk that hackers were able to acquire a significant amount of information and that this could include patient and staff-identifiable data. We know from past attacks on the NHS that the motive can often be related to extortion attempts on organisations or individuals. Can the cabinet secretary tell us what actions are being taken to protect staff and patients from any extortion attempts? Will he give a clear assurance that there will be clear, open and transparent communication with staff and patients over the possibility that they could find themselves approached by someone claiming to be in possession of data relating to them so that they know what to do in such circumstances? People are worried, cabinet secretary, yet communication so far has been very limited. Cabinet secretary. The NHS Dumfries and Galloway made public the situation last week and advised people that should they have a concern around anyone approaching them with information regarding their data, whether that be a patient or indeed a member of staff, to contact the police immediately using 101. In terms of Colin Smyth's earlier point about patient services, I am pleased to say that at the moment there has been a minimal impact to patient services. However, it is important to note that we know at this stage that the incident has resulted in the need for some staff to change working practices in the short term. I am very grateful to everyone who is working to ensure that people still receive the best possible care while we work at pace to ensure our return to normal working practices. The difficulty, and again I am limited in what I can say because of the live police investigation, is around how we can directly contact patients given that we do not know exactly what data has been taken other than the scale of the data and what it is going to be used for, but the likelihood is, as Dumfries and Galloway have suggested, that it might include patient and staff information. Cyberattacks on the NHS are obviously not new, but it is clear from this attack that they are becoming more common and more sophisticated. Of course, they are not unique to NHS Dumfries and Galloway. Given that the security used by Dumfries and Galloway Health Board has been very similar to that used by the NHS across Scotland in light of the attacks that have led to a breach of confidential data, will there now be a review of cyber security protections used by the NHS across Scotland? Obviously, a breach of confidential data is an extremely serious matter, which is why there is a multi-agency response to this. I am confident in what I have been advised from Dumfries and Galloway in terms of their preparedness for this, and I am happy to share in a more private way some of that confidence with Colin Smyth or any other colleagues. The attack also demonstrates the clear need for continued investment in the cyber capability of our public sector. Not just here in Scotland but across the UK, we have seen most recently the attack that happened in very similar circumstances on the University of Manchester and NHS England. Colin Smyth is right to point to this being a pattern that we need to be alive to. The Scottish Government and the NHS boards have continued to make investment in the development of the Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in recent years. That centre has been delivered organically, is already the focal point of cyber defence, and this incident response allows for that to be done on a national scale. Of course, to return to Colin Smyth's question, we will continue to monitor and keep under review the implications of that upon ensuring that our cyber resilience continues to be as strong as possible. I know that the NHS board is working with the National Crime Agency, the UK National Cyber Security Centre, the Scottish Government and the Information Commissioner to mitigate and investigate the recent cyber attack. It was clear at yesterday's NHS briefing that the board was not able to provide full information as advised by the professional agencies. However, one thing is clear is that cyber attacks are going to become more commonplace. Can the cabinet secretary provide further information on how lessons learned from NHS D&G event, including business continuity plan, for example? How will that be shared with other public bodies in Scotland to ensure that they are prepared to prevent, as far as possible, a similar attack in the future? I thank Emma Harper for that question. I'm glad that she and other colleagues both here, the Scottish Parliament and also at Westminster, I hope found the briefing from Dumfries and Galloway yesterday helpful, although caveated, as I've had to be by the fact that this is a live police investigation. I want to assure Emma Harper that my officials have already started a lessons identified exercise, the learning from which will be shared at a suitable time. I also want to be clear that, as detail about the incident becomes available, I will continue to share as much information as we can with other public bodies. This will be through the multi-agency arrangements that she mentions in her question in order for public bodies that they are able to take preventative steps to defend against similar attacks in future. Finlay Carson. The real concerns being raised by my constituents about how the leaked personal and sensitive data may be used. Therefore, information, guidance and support from Dumfries and Galloway health board will be absolutely crucial in the coming days and weeks. Can the cabinet secretary give details on what assistance the Scottish Government is giving to NHS Dumfries and Galloway to make sure that patients and staff are aware of the potential risks and the actions that they may need to take to protect themselves and confirm if he believes that NHS Dumfries and Galloway have abided by data protection legislation in a manner and the timing in which they have informed patients and staff of these risks? Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank again Finlay Carson for his question the way he has approached it. Similar to the offer that I have made to Colin Smyth, I am happy to write to Finlay Carson around some of the steps that were taken in a preventative way by Dumfries and Galloway to try to avoid this happening in the first place and indeed the steps that they have taken since. He is absolutely right and I reiterate that the breach of confidential data is an extremely important and serious matter. I will be happy to set out to Finlay Carson the steps that were taken in order to provide public information at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure that people were able to protect themselves against any misuse of the data that has been gathered. I want to reiterate NHS Dumfries and Galloway's call for the staff and public to be on their guard for any attempt to access their systems or approaches from anyone claiming to be in position of data relating to them. If anyone finds themselves in this situation they should contact Police Scotland immediately by calling 101. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the cost and impact of the transfer of HMP Kilmarnock into public ownership. Cabinet Secretary, Angela Constance. HMP Kilmarnock successfully transferred to Scottish Prison Service ownership and management on Sunday, 17 March. SPS and the private operator delivered a smooth transition that supported staff and those in custody whilst maintaining the high standards already set within the prison. SPS will continue to deliver quality services at the prison while benefiting from the skills and experience of the existing staff group there. It has been Scottish Government policy since 2007 that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector and public safety, rehabilitation and wellbeing should not be driven by private profit. Final overall costs of operations at HMP Kilmarnock will depend on a variety of factors but are currently estimated at £11.6 million for 2024-25. Sharon Dowie. Thank you for that answer. Recently His Majesty's chief inspector of prisons raised serious concerns about some of the prisons already in the state. She said that HMP Greenock needs bulldoes, HMP Berlinnie is close to catastrophic failure. Meanwhile HMP Berlinnie's replacement is already overdue and over budget as is the project for HMP Highland. It's evident that the service is already struggling with significant financial constraints whilst under private control HMP Kilmarnock was praised for its successful performance. A recently released report also raised a number of concerns about the transition. Can the cabinet secretary assure us that plans have been put in place to ensure that this prison will not fall into the same level of disrepute as the others? I would be the last person to demurr from the challenges that exist across the current prison estate, not helped by a very high prison population. Of course I would not necessarily accept the member's characterisation of the current estate. There are of course well-established plans in place to replace HMP Berlinnie with HMP Glasgow, similarly with HMP Highland. I have answered a number of questions both orally and written in terms of Greenock Highland and Glasgow and most recently made a statement in and around the pressures on the entire estate. The member should be aware of the good performance of public sector prisons in Scotland in comparison to private sector prisons, particularly in and around violence and drug incidents. I have quoted in the chamber and she will also be aware that there are two stages. Stage 1 is the successful transition that we have seen and the actions that will take place over the next year. I should point out that it was not my characterisation of the prison service. It was actually His Majesty's chief inspector of prisons. The chief executive of the Scottish prison service has said that their committee to ensuring the transition of HMP Cymru into public ownership will maintain the high standards that the prison displays. However, through the transfer staff have lost the security of 56 body-worn cameras. They have to recruit a further 70 staff and there is also a question of whether four drug detection dogs which have proved to be an important asset intersecting drugs worth around £1.2 million from entering HMP Cymru will be maintained. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that the existing level of safety and security will be maintained at HMP Cymru despite the loss of these cameras? Can she provide us with an update on the drug detection dogs? Can she also confirm that there will be no further overcrowding until all staff are recruited? It is important to acknowledge that even with the transition arrangements, the transitional operating model that staff in HMP Cymru will increase. That is so that staff who are working long shifts or back shifts on a weekend can actually have a break. I think that that is a good example of why having prisons operate for the public interest as opposed to the private profiteering that exists across those islands in terms of private prisons. In terms of body-worn cameras, it is important for Parliament to be aware that the current body-worn cameras in HMP Cymru were not part of the contract. There is no agreement for those pieces of equipment to transfer, but it is also worth recognising that there will be a pilot operation that will commence in April. It will take place in three prisons in the estate and thereafter body-worn cameras will be rolled out across the prison estate. The two detection dogs and handlers have now transferred into SPS following transition. They play a critical role in tackling the drug crisis. Willie Coffey. The proposal to bring Kilmaroc to the public sector has been there for 17 years now. I wonder where the Tories have been hiding this issue until now. Does the cabinet secretary agree that this Government has a great record and commitment to delivering more and better public services, unlike the Tories, who would sell off everything and anything to bail themselves out of the financial mess that they have created themselves? In relation to the substantive question, cabinet secretary. Yes. The member is right to point to the historical position of this Government. We need our manifesto in 2007 said that we are committed to a publicly owned and run service. That is because our assessment is that public services, whether it be hospitals or prisons, should be run for public good and not private profit. Private prisons is a legacy of previous administrations, whether it is the Liberal Labour Coalition or the Conservative Government's pre-evolution, Katie Clark. Can the cabinet secretary explain why the trade union community has been dereognised at Kilmaroc prison? Is she concerned that community advised that the Scottish prison service is refusing to meet with them? As a result, they are now issuing an indicative ballot for industrial action. Will the cabinet secretary intervene to ensure that this dispute is resolved? Cabinet secretary. I am indeed about to reply to correspondence that I have received from Ms Clark and Ms McNeill on these issues. In terms of the union recognition, the Scottish prison service, throughout the consultation process, which was intensive, indicated its intention to maintaining its existing trade union arrangements that currently exist for all public sector prisons in Scotland and the transferring staff group will be covered by those existing arrangements. Again, it is important to point out to Parliament that the arrangement that exists between Serco and community union was a voluntary agreement, not a legally binding one. Therefore, it is my view that it does not place an obligation on SPS who have worked hard to maintain their current relationships that they have with trade unions, namely, but not exclusively, the POA. That concludes topical questions.