Pursuing Creative and Successful Thinking with Wayne Faulkner

Welcome back to another episode of Pursuing Uncomfortable, where we explore the realms of creativity and success. Today, we have a special guest joining us, Wayne Faulkner, an author, coach, and former educator. In this thought-provoking discussion, Wayne shares his journey as an author and the development of his unique four-step process for thinking and creating success. We delve into the power of meditation and journaling as catalysts for growth, and the importance of understanding that all thoughts are energy, ultimately shaping our reality. Get ready to challenge your mindset and embark on a path of creative and successful thinking with Wayne Faulkner on Pursuing Uncomfortable.

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🎶 Podcast Intro: Welcome to the pursuing uncomfortable podcast, where we give you the encouragement you need to lean into the uncomfortable stuff life puts in front of you, so you can love your life. If you are ready to overcome all the yuck that keeps you up at night, you're in the right place. I am your host, Melissa Ebken let's get going. 🎶

🎶 Episode Intro:  Welcome back to episode 97 of the Pursuing Uncomfortable podcast. Today, I have a special guest joining me, Wayne Faulkner an author, coach, and former educator. In this thought provoking discussion, Wayne shares his journey as an author and the development of his unique four step process for thinking and creating success.

We delve into the power of meditation and journaling as catalyst for growth, and the importance of understanding that all thoughts are energy, ultimately shaping our reality. Get ready to challenge your mindset and embark on a path of creative and successful thinking with Wayne Faulkner. 🎶

Episode:
Melissa Ebken  0:01  
Wayne Faulkner Welcome to the Pursuing Uncomfortable Podcast. How are you today?

Wayne Faulkner  0:06  
I'm wonderful. Yes, I am. Thanks for the invite invitation. 

Melissa Ebken  0:11  
Oh, my pleasure. I love your website. Your books have such compelling titles and engaging content. So I'm really eager to have a good discussion today. Where are you coming in from?

Wayne Faulkner  0:25  
Oh, you're frozen. Oh, my side. I'm sorry. Okay. Now you back. I didn't hear the question. You were frozen.

Melissa Ebken  0:32  
Oh, okay. So where are you joining us from today Wayne?

Wayne Faulkner  0:36  
Oh, from Tennessee.

Melissa Ebken  0:39  
Oh, I love Tennessee. Now you're not wearing orange. I won't tell anyone else.

Wayne Faulkner  0:44  
No. In fact, I'm, I'm a graduate of another university. That's probably a very stiff competitor for Tennessee.

Melissa Ebken  0:53  
Well, I will not ask you any questions and you won't tell me any lies. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about what you do.

Wayne Faulkner  1:08  
Okay, I am an author. I've written three books. And I'm currently writing my fourth book as we speak. And I'm also a coach, and former educator and corporate manager, and all of that good stuff. And I like writing. I like researching and investigating and coming up with my own conclusion about many, many interesting things.

Melissa Ebken  1:32  
Well, I love the writing. But I am not a fan of the researching.

Wayne Faulkner  1:42  
Yeah, most people are not because I don't know. You just have to have a kind of analytical mind to go down that rabbit hole.

Melissa Ebken  1:49  
Oh, yes. And find your way back through it. Yes. So what brought about this journey as an author? You've mentioned you are involved in other pursuits. And now you're an author. So how did you get to this point?

Wayne Faulkner  2:07  
Yeah, originally, some years ago, I started out writing essays, I wrote 10 essays and published all of them on a platform, I think is no longer available now. It's called Ezine articles. And after writing and publishing 10 essays, I said hmm, that's kind of unique. And they designated me as a diamond and pro author. I said, Wow, me. Well, let's do a little bit more of this. And I had some life circumstances that come about, and I didn't write again for a long, long time. And I started writing some other type things. And I knew one day, my whole desire was to to write books, and hadn't gotten around to that part of writing yet. But once I started down that road, wow, it just went full steam after that.

Melissa Ebken  3:06  
The the end your first book, see the title of your first book is How to Think and Create Success. Yeah, you outline a four step process there.

Wayne Faulkner  3:17  
Oh, yeah, that's process is very unique. Think, create, meditate and journal. And matter of fact, my my new book that I'm working on now is expanding that whole concept itself. Because my first book started out actually, as an online course, I was designing and writing an online course. And the more I continue to write on, it's just the thought occurred to me one day, could this be turned into a book? Could this be a book? No, I've never written a book before. I hadn't gotten around to that yet. So I said, Okay, let's do it. Now's the time, no better time. Well, let's go for the whole nine yards. Let's write the book out of this concept you have here. And that's what led to that book. It's a small book, because writing books at that time was new to me. And it is what it is, but the content and the concept is very, very, very interesting I would say, so.

Melissa Ebken  4:19  
How did you develop those four steps?

Wayne Faulkner  4:22  
Well see you and when you think about step number, well all of the steps actually lead to that but particularly number three, the meditation. That is my superpower. I have no cape, but I do have a superpower. So does anyone who does it for sure. Meditation. And that's where I get all of my ideas. And the insight when you read my books, you're reading an extension of me through meditation, the ideas that come from the infinite source, and I just write it all down and develop it from there.

Melissa Ebken  5:00  
Wow. And then you journaling is a big part of your process as well.

Wayne Faulkner  5:04  
Yes, yes, it's still very important because you can think on paper, you know, you can write down your solutions, your methods, your ideas, your inventions, your breakthroughs, your setbacks, for sure, your challenges. And once you start doing that, it becomes something that you like to do, because you can always reflect back on things and sort of get clarity or vision on something that you may not have had a great amount of insight on, you can, you know, it's okay, now, I can connect the dots. I understand what this meant, even though it was three months ago, you know, I see where this is important. And I should expand this thought of this, this idea even further now.

Melissa Ebken  5:51  
I have a few different journals. One is titled, Things I Need Out of My Head. And I put that next to my bed at night. And then another one is a Prayer Journal. And what I particularly appreciate about that one is going back, as you mentioned, looking back three months, looking back six months, looking back a year, and seeing how, in the abyss, I was around that particular topic or that particular situation, and to see how, you know, that divine presence had brought a new layer or a new understanding or brought me to a new place in that. Journals are so such a gift, yeah, are useful in the moment, they're a great tool, but then they're also fantastic when you go back and look, and you can see evidence of your growth.

Wayne Faulkner  6:47  
Absolutely. And another thing as well that I came to an understanding of maybe many, many years from now, it'll be real part of your legacy. That someone can inherit your journals and you know, get information that they may not have gotten in any other way and says, Wow, back years ago, you know, my dad or my uncle, my grandmother or sister was discovering and talking about these things and writing about these things. So that can just almost be a catalyst to get them going down the road, developing and learning and appreciating things, you know, otherwise, they will be unknown to them. You know, they could gain so much information from your journals.

Melissa Ebken  7:29  
Yeah, you really lay yourself bare in a journal in a different way than you do in any other way.

Wayne Faulkner  7:36  
Very vulnerable. Yeah, someone said once it's almost like talking to a dear friend, you know, you can share your innermost thoughts and feelings with your dear friend, if you have one and your journal can become that friend. Yeah.

Melissa Ebken  7:51  
So a warning, dear listener, if you do not want your journals to be read later in life, keep that in mind.

Wayne Faulkner  8:00  
Absolutely, yes.

Melissa Ebken  8:03  
Now, the first two steps, think and create, those are two different steps. But how do you differentiate between those two steps?

Wayne Faulkner  8:11  
Well I came to an understanding that when we think we are creating, and 99% of people in this world does not understand that. You think and create thinkers are creators and creators are thinkers, and all thoughts are energy. So when you are thinking of something you actually are creating whatever that is, whatever you focus your attention and mindset on, you're going to create it. Now the thing that throws people off sometimes is well, what about a microwave? Is it is it? Is it quick? How long does it take? I will say you have to understand that you know, for your own protection. It has, you know, it can happen instantly. It can you know it can be an intermediate effect. Or long term, it doesn't matter. You know, it's almost like the old press what you reap what you sow, what does it come in the next 10 minutes? Hey, be sure it's right what you're sowing because you don't want it to come if it's evil. If it's five years from now, you do not want to face what you threw out there, but you planted you know, so be positive, and all that you think and do so you can reap rewards that you would appreciate. And welcome.

Melissa Ebken  9:28  
I was a biologist years ago. And one of the things I learned about the brain during that time was it has a self cleaning function to it. And it's a lot like a little Roomba that we have zipping around our living rooms now, when we go to sleep at night, these cells they're called glial cells, but they're like a little room but they're going around picking up all the trash and throwing it out from our brains. And how it is distinguished that something is important versus something that needs to go away is the amount of neural connections made. And neural connections are made by the time we spend thinking on things. So that's a, an inspiring and terrifying thought at the same time, because what do you spend time thinking on? That is what your brain hard wires in, and it will get rid of the rest. So 

Wayne Faulkner  10:20  
Absolutely, yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, by design is almost, it's universal law. You know, it's immutable. It can't be changed. It can't be usurped. It is. So the fact that an individual doesn't know that it's almost like in a court of law. If you aren't, you know, you have no knowledge of law, but you still are subject to the law. Well, your honor, I had no idea that was, well, that didn't matter, you know, the law is the law, just because you didn't have knowledge or your interpretation was incorrect. The law still stands, you know, so whether or not you understand that you're thinking and creating, you know, the fact that you do not understand rather, you don't get a pass. Right. So that's why another reason why I write books, and I write, to try to help people learn your mind, this is where it all starts and stops. It's your thinking. It's not outside of you. It's internal. The external factors are minor.

Melissa Ebken  11:28  
And I think this is the perfect time then to turn our attention to your second book, Setback or Stepping Stone, because this is really what we're getting into. Right? What are you thinking about? Yes. What is the big takeaway in that book? And I'm not asking you to reveal something that you want people to discover in reading it. But what inspired that book?

Wayne Faulkner  11:53  
Well, that book is a culmination of several things. But number one is when you think about the title. Yeah, you do? Okay, great, wonderful. 

Melissa Ebken  12:09  
To me that speaks mindset, because two people can experience the same events and respond to it so differently. And it's all in how we frame our thinking. Sure. I mean, there are a lot of forces that go into how we interpret and experience our backgrounds and all of these things, but significantly, in forming all of our decisions and reactions is our mindset.

Wayne Faulkner  12:36  
Yeah, we all are gonna have challenges. As the great Jim Rohn once said, he says life is opportunity mixed with challenges, and there's no other way. It's going to rain, and it's going to have some sunshine mixed in at some point. However, the thing is, once we face a setback, or a challenge, it's the mind shift that we need to go through to get ourselves back on track. Because metaphorically, we're standing in front of a brick wall, we just was staring at the wall. We're frozen with, you know, what do I do next? What happens next? Where should I go? Where should it turn? Well, you turn to yourself. And you say, hey, it was a setback. Yes, that's a given, it has already happened. So the next thing now is to think about it as a catalyst that's going to spring you forward now, and get you going again, use that setback as a catalyst to move forward. Yeah, its your choice to make if you sit and cry a bucket full of tears, that's not gonna change anything. But this book here is to encourage you and I always say my books, almost a common thread, for all of my books is hope, awareness, inspiration, and motivation. That's what I'm trying to deliver through to all of my readers. So I want to, I want you to have hope. I want you to be aware. And I want you to be inspired and be motivated to get going toward your goals. And with all your might, you know, it's a single minded idea to say, hey, I need more determination and commitment now than ever. Because I've just faced something that was, you know, very, very challenging and maybe traumatic to you. You got to get beyond it, you know, so this book is designed to give you ideas, and like I say, to to provide hope, awareness, and inspiration, motivation to make that happen. 

Melissa Ebken  14:38  
I was reading an article recently about a man that works with refugees, and I believe he might be in Greece, he's somewhere in the Mediterranean. And there are many refugees that come in on boats, and especially with the children, he will gather them and scoop them up and turn them to look out over the ocean and say look what you've done. You've crossed that. You are a superhero. Look what you've done. And he says, just helping them to frame that traumatic experience in a different way. And the time that it has just happened can have powerful results.

Wayne Faulkner  15:19  
Yeah. And that's so true. Because usually what happens is, when we look at anyone, particularly someone that we admire, we see all the greatness in them. Oh, they're just fantastic, they're dynamite, they're so you know, wonderful. But when we go stand in front of a mirror, we don't see anything. We don't see anything, we just have a blank stare, okay. Give yourself some credit, like you said about the refugee kids, you have accomplished great things. But if you don't see something about yourself that you can admire, and give appreciation for, you're gonna you're gonna be self defeated. Usually, you're gonna think very negative about yourself. 

Melissa Ebken  16:03  
Yeah. And this can work in, in less significant ways, too. Here's a conversation that my husband and I have, every single November, when the forecast of snow first comes into our weather apps, my husband's shoulders will just drop, his head will drop, and he just knows he's gonna be scooping so much snow all winter. He's dreading it already. And I'll say, you know, it's gonna be the same amount of snow, regardless of how you view about it. Yeah, why not be happy. And then I usually run fast.

Wayne Faulkner  16:46  
Yeah, yes. It has a lot to do with perception. How we perceive things. So how are we perceiving ourselves? Again, when we look in the mirror? How do you perceive yourself? You know, surely there should be something about yourself, excuse me, in your life that you can celebrate? And this should happen every day, have a personal celebration, about you and your success and anything you've achieved.

Melissa Ebken  17:13  
Yeah, I have come around to affirmations. And I love them. Oh, yes. You know, we could write one on the bathroom mirror that we would see first thing every morning when we wake up. What a beautiful way to start the day. Just that gentle reminder.

Wayne Faulkner  17:31  
Yeah, absolutely. In fact, in my first book, How to Think and Create Success, I stated it in this manner. Every day, I say, what, what kind of world are you creating for yourself today? Because, you know, our world, our individual world is based on inner projection, we project to the outside, what's going on on the inside. So I asked the question of readers, what kind of world are you creating for yourself today. You can create the world. And by that, I mean simply this are you creating a world is filled with love, hope, peace, harmony, joy, strength, health, wellness, abundance, wonder, awareness, the inspiration, motivation, creativity, generosity, and so forth? So, if you affirmed it every day you say, I wouldn't to accept it any other way, this is my world that I'm creating today. You know, I'm sitting on the side of my bed. This is how I'm starting. So it doesn't matter what happens around my environment. My world is contingent upon my creation. So I'm setting the tone for my world. Nobody can argue with that.

Melissa Ebken  18:58  
And love that. Now, when you mentioned your superpower is meditation, have you ever had challenges meditating? Do you go through times or seasons where it's more difficult than then other times?

Wayne Faulkner  19:12  
Well, before I answer your direct question, let me briefly splain explain how I started meditating what it was like for me. Now the person who introduced me to meditation, there was a book. And they suggested that I started my meditation duration of time, at 24 minutes. And at that point, he may as well have said was 24 hours. Because 24 minutes starting out for me was was equivalent to 24 hours. The hardest thing that I had to learn to do was to get my mind and attention to focus. Because my mind started to race over all of the things. I gotta go to the dentist. I got to stop at the grocery store. I have to pay the utility bill. I had to get to work, I have this project I'm working on, you know, all the things that we concern ourselves with in basic, everyday life. Those were the things that were on my mind. So I said, well, wait a minute, I'm thinking about things that I probably should be thinking about, you know, because those are things that have to get done, for sure. But this can't be what meditation is about. So how I solved that, I found out that my real problem was, I didn't know how to relax. So once I was able to, to create a process and a framework of getting myself to totally relax, because I sit in a chair and meditate. Some people sit, you know, on the floor, or what have you, you know, legs crossed, you know, so in the yoga position, and that's fine if you'd like that. But I prefer sitting in a chair upright in the chair, like I'm sitting, matter of fact, this is the same chair in my office, that I meditate in every morning. So once I learned how to get my body to relax, my mind started to settle down. And then I was able to focus on what I needed to focus on during my meditation session. So that became even more interesting, because here's something very unique, which is going to be in my new book. I'm giving away trade secrets. This is how I do it. Say for instance, I'm writing a chapter as I'm doing now. So you know, say I'm on chapter eight. So it's all brand new content is almost like a blank page, I've got seven chapters completed before that, so what's going to be on chapter eight? I have a title and sometimes I may not have a title. And this is what I do. Ok, this is what I recommend people to do as well, if they're going to follow this concept. Before I go to bed at night, I'm sitting on the side of my bed, this is what I say. I say, I am joyfully anticipating receiving creative ideas while I am asleep. Then I go to bed. Now, during the night, the magic happens. When I wake up the next morning. And I'm usually awakened at about 440 because I start making preparation for my meditation session, which is at 5am. I meditate from five to six. Every morning, you know. And so when I start, that's gonna be the topic of my meditation, that unknown undiscovered chapter title. And then that meditation has got to get going with at least a first paragraph, to give me insight as to what this chapter is going to be about. Believe it or not, this is amazing. It works. It works. This is sure as I'm sitting here in his chair talking to you on his podcast, the information starts flowing. And I cannot explain other than one source where that could come from, because it's not coming from me. But it comes through me, it is expressed through me, its imprinted on my mind that is expressed through me when I get to my computer and I started typing out. It just flows. And sometimes its so amazing that I just smile to myself, I say this is, this is this is the most incredible thing. That's why I call it my super power. I have discovered something here this is hard to explain to a person who doesn't really understand until they do understand from you know, me teaching about it. If you can gain the you know, the mastery of this, it will serve you so well its unbelievable because any situation or challenge or problem if you're a creative person and you're creating you got to infinite source its unlimited. It has never ever failed me. Now, let me say this in all transparency and honesty, there have been some times and in my book a cautious this, never tried to cause a you know something to happen. You don't strain and push you know say well, it's not flowing like it did two days ago. Why? No, don't question the process. Just relax and stay calm. Never tried to force an outcome. If you just stay relaxed and calm and calm, the you know, the source of created creative information may not come that day. But two days later, the spigot opens up and it just starts flowing. You just have to be ready. Yeah, so delay is not denial. Just trust the process. Yes.

Melissa Ebken  25:06  
I love that. And it comes through that gratitude is such a central expression of yours.

Wayne Faulkner  25:14  
Yes, yes. Yes, I it is. This is a wonderful. It's just a wonderful experience, you know? Yeah. And like, I'm working on chapter now. And this particular chapter is about meditation, which you'd like them explain it to you, um, explain it through a person who is a character who is, you know, has a particular profession, and he needs the ability to do what I just explained. You know, so he's gonna take you through his process and how he's learned this, and the benefit of it, you know, and how he or she is so amazed. You know, so, this is now my superpower. I read this other book, the author, he said, its his superpower. Now I claim it as my own. It is my superpower, I use the same concept and process, you know, for my creativity, my ideas. Yes.

Melissa Ebken  26:12  
Wayne do you record your books to be disseminated through audible?

Wayne Faulkner  26:19  
No, I haven't gotten around to that yet. But that's probably forthcoming in the future, I'm sure.

Melissa Ebken  26:26  
Well, I look forward to that. Because I couldn't say with a lot of confidence, I would sit and listen to you read the dictionary. I love the sound of your voice. I love the joy that comes with it. The gratitude that is expressed through it. And I would love to hear you read your books.

Wayne Faulkner  26:49  
Oh, hey, you're giving me an idea. I may have to speed up that, you know that process to have it done.

Melissa Ebken  26:58  
Wayne, are there any last thoughts you would like to leave with folks today?

Wayne Faulkner  27:02  
I would just like to say my books will challenge you to think. They will encourage you, they will provide you with hope, awareness, inspiration and motivation. And let me say this while I'm on your podcast, any of your listeners and followers, if they were eat if they were to email me at info@thinkcreatesuccess.com and put in a subject line of the email ebook, I will send them a return link where they can order the book, the ebook for $5.

Melissa Ebken  27:41  
Fantastic and I believe I'm gonna put that link in the show notes to make it easier. 

Wayne Faulkner  27:47  
Okay. Wonderful. 

Melissa Ebken  27:50  
Thank you so much Wayne.

Wayne Faulkner  27:52  
Thank you.

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