Welcome again to CentreStage! CentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world, often introducing fellow featured authors at loveahappyending.com as well as my fellow authors in the Sapphire Star Publishing family. On CentreStage, these authors might write for you about their lives, or their writing journey, or anything else that matters to them. Every feature will be different in format and flavour, so watch out for a variety of stories and tales.
Today, it is my great pleasure to welcome a loveahappyending.com featured author… Introducing: the amazing Richard Holmes!
Richard says: “You Can’t Beat A Bit Of Inspiration”
First of all I would like to thank the wonderful Nicky Wells for having me as a guest on her blog. I know that she has had a number of amazing authors as guests and it’s an honour for me to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before.
**Nicky blushes** Thank you for your kind words, Richard, it’s lovely to have you visit today. 🙂 Sorry to interrupt, please continue….
I have chosen as a theme for this short post, “inspirational quotes”. I don’t know about you, but I love a bit of inspiration and I do get fired up by the thoughts and musings of the world’s great “quoters” both past and present. Some pieces of inspiration are self-explanatory, such as this masterpiece from Marie Curie:
“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood”
But there are other gems of wisdom that are open to interpretation and may need a bit of pondering before the meaning becomes apparent, such as this piece from Charles Dickens:
“Have a heart that never hardens; a temper that never tires; a touch that never hurts”
On the surface he appears to be contradicting himself with his talk of a temper that never tires, but if you think about it, it seems that he is actually talking about desire and enthusiasm; the fire one gets in the belly when one gets their teeth into a project. The drive to keep going right to the end.
I would like to share with you a couple of my personal favourites, and also my own slant on them. Firstly, this wonderful quote from Sri Sathya Sai Baba; I will never forget the feeling I had when I first came across this because it is so true and apt:“In your heart you will find peace, everywhere else you will find only pieces”
These words are just so true. If you think about it, when we take the time to find a quiet space and sit with our own reflections, we can and do find that inner peace that passes all understanding. But in the helter-skelter of the outer world everything seems so disjointed. We are always running here, there and everywhere; sometimes achieving nothing in the process, and the noise can sometimes be deafening. Life really can seem like a 1000 piece jig-saw at times with the pieces scattered all over the place. But when we find that inner peace nothing else seems to matter and we can experience that blissful feeling of being an impartial and silent observer, unruffled by all the chaos in the world.
Pesky me, interrupting again: so sorry! Just had to say how much I adore that quote. It’s beautiful, and I am happy that you’re sharing it here today. End of interruption, I promise!
Another quote that really inspires me is this one from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Someone gave me a picture as a gift back in 2003, when I was moving to Wales, and this quote was on it:
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
I only recently found out it was one of Ralph’s and it really makes me think whenever I’m having one of my “woe is me” phases.
Lastly, I very recently saw an American female singer being interviewed on TV. Her name is Melody Gardot, and she had been involved in a terrible car crash. She used her time recovering in a hospital bed to learn to play the guitar. Although she recovered she was left very sensitive to light and sound, but when the interviewer asked her about her ordeal she said the most wonderful thing. She described the whole experience as the universe “opening its arms” and giving her the most amazing opportunity which she grasped with both hands. It made me think of that quote and how she was a classic example of someone who dared to tread where most people would not and because of this she became a shining example for others to follow.
That’s just such an amazing story! Anyone interested in finding out more about Melody’s story can visit her website here or take a peek at her potted history on Wikipedia.
Well, all that remains now is for me to say thanks again to Nicky Wells for having me as a guest on her blog……. Thanks Nicky!
The pleasure is all mine, Richard. I am humbled and delighted by the quotes and thoughts you are sharing today. Thank you! Now, I believe there’s a book you’d like to tell us about at this point?
I do indeed! I’d like to introduce the first book in the Fragments Of Divinity series. This is an innovative publication of blog style articles that deal with potentially complicated spiritual subjects in an easy to read and understand way. Based mainly on my own actual experiences, these delightful articles will provide both inspiration and insight to the reader, and will also answer many of those nagging questions that you thought you would never receive answers to. A truly inspirational read.
And here’s Richard’s bio and amazing life story:
Richard was born in London in 1955 and has lived a very topsy turvey life that hit rock bottom as we entered the new millennium. “I always felt like a bit of a misfit, not really belonging anywhere. This is illustrated by the fact that I left school at 15 with no qualifications and would have been asked to leave had I not done so voluntarily. By the time I was 17 I’d had 24 jobs and was just not able to settle anywhere.”
Out of frustration and boredom Richard joined the army in 1976, but this did not work out either and he left at the end of 1979. After a three-month interim period Richard went off to Germany to work and remained abroad for six years. It was during his time in the army and in Germany that he succumbed excessively to the temptations of alcohol.
Richard returned to the UK in 1986 and by the mid 1990’s found himself in a pretty sorry state. Things came to a head during the latter part of 2000 when Richard’s life seemed to sink down to an all-time low. “Finally, out of the darkness there came a light and in 2001 I found my spiritual pathway giving me a purpose in life“.
These days Richard lives in Tetbury, Gloucestershire and has been working as a medium for over ten years. He runs workshops in various spiritual topics, gives private consultations for guidance along life’s pathway and also tutors on a one-to-one basis in meditation and spiritual awareness. He is a Reiki healer, psychic surgeon, spiritually inspired artist and gives profound interpretations of dreams.
Visit Richard on his website or at loveahappyending.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
You can buy Richard’s books on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com and smashwords.
Well, I have to say I am positively reeling from all these insights (in a good way, of course!). Wow! Over to you, dear reader. Which quote speaks to you loudest? Do you have a favourite inspirational saying or quote? We’d love you to share!
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
Love Richard’s quotes. Great interview Nicky and Richard is a great writer, sharing his amazing experiences in such as way that you feel that you are experiencing them yourself. Can’t wait to meet you both at the Summer Audience event. Hugs all round! x x x
Hi Kim, thanks for visiting! I, too, love the way Richard sort of takes the reader under his wing, making his experiences the reader’s experiences. I really look forward to meeting you both at the Summer Audience: not long now! (((hugs))) back!
“…do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” My dad passed me a scrap of paper with this written on it just before he passed away … bless him. I’m not sure I always abide by it, but I carry it with me. 🙂 An inspriring post indeed, Richard. Thank you. 🙂 x
Sheryl, thanks for sharing your Dad’s quote. That’s amazing, and I shall try and take that to heart. I’m a big worrier for tomorrow! Thanks for visiting and I’m so pleased you enjoyed Richard’s fabulous post. X
I really enjoyed Richard’s posts and reading about his life story, it goes to show that we all get to where we are meant to be as long as we keep moving forward, in Richard’s case he just took the slightly scenic route over the direct one. I can empathise with that. I’m glad he lives in such an amazing place now : )
Viz quotes, this is a mantra I’ve kind of tried to live by, as I find it really, really hard to move on when I get hurt or something bad happens, I have to work really hard at it, which is why having Vicky Crump (@free_reiki) in my life is such a blessing.
But I read this in a book on Yoga when I was 14 and where ever I’ve lived, I’ve had this written on my wall:
‘Stay in the present
Let each shot good or bad, stay in the past
The past can only have power over the present –
if you surrender that power to it.’
Good luck with your novel Richard. Thx for hosting this Nicky, I hope I can participate in this one day : ) xx
Yasmin, as always, you make me smile. Thank you for visiting and for getting to know Richard. He has some wonderful stories to tell! Glad you enjoyed the post, and thank you for sharing your mantra. It’s certainly something I would do well to abide, but I do struggle. 😉 And when you are ready to launch Gunshot Glitter, you are cordially invited to come CentreStage and tell all about it! xx
Thank you Nicky, I fully intend to jump on you when Sophie pops her head out to greet the world come September for a wee conflab on Hello You xx
Oooooh yes please, that would be AMAZING! xx
“When the great scorer comes to write against your name, He writes not how you won or lost but how you played the game.” Have no idea where it originates but was my father’s mantra.
Great guest post Richard! Love this feature of Nicky’s x
That’s a wonderful quote, Shaz, thanks for reminding us that it’s not necessarily the destination but the journey (and how we conduct it) that matters. X Thanks for visiting today and sharing.
My children’s nan has lots of sayings not inspirational but always raised a smile – I put it down to her Irish sense of humour. Probably best known for saying:-
It won’t be long now, said the woman who cut off the dog’s tail.
Sue
x
LOL! That’s on a par with “well, now, I wouldn’t be starting from this place if I wanted to go to that place” Brilliant. Raising a smile is also highly inspirational!! Thanks for visiting and sharing, as always.
Thanks again to Nicky for having me on what really is a great blog, and thanks to everyone for all the positive comments, you are all lovely peeps and I will be meeting some of you in less than 10 days 🙂
You are so welcome, Richard. It’s great fun and it’s wonderful to see the excited response you’re getting. Whoooot! See you really soon. Just so sorry that you’re having such a long journey to the LAHE Summer Audience… all the way done the road! **winks**
See what you’ve done, Richard. You’ve brought out inspirational quotes in us all…oops! I haven’t thought of one myself. Just been enjoying yours and everyone else’s.
That’s perfectly fine!! Thanks for visiting, Anneli, it’s wonderful to see so much excitement around this inspiration…..
Beautiful feature Richard and Nicky! Really enjoyed it and can always use inspiring words! One quote I found long ago always worked for me: “If you will it, it is no dream.”–Theodor Herzl
I love that, Bonnie. Totally believe in this saying, although sometimes it’s hard to ‘see it.’ Thanks for visiting and I am so glad you enjoyed the feature. XX
Lovely and inspiring post. Thank you both, Richard and Nicky.
Happy you enjoyed it, and thanks for taking the time to comment! See you really soon…
I loved your quotes, Richard, espcially the ‘in your heart you will find peace’. I will try to remember to quote that to myself this week when I feel like a wee mouse on the treadmill of life! Thanks for being so inspiring.
Hi Janice! I’m so pleased that you found something in this post to support you through this week. I think I know exactly how you feel about being a wee little mouse on the giant treadmill of life: I’m right there with you. Hope all works out for you and thanks for visiting!
Thanks again for all your responses. I will be writing more posts in the same vein in the future. Here’s something….. it’s not really a quote but it cracked me up the first time I heard it….
“You see the two houses up on the hill? Mine’s the one in the middle” 🙂
LOL, he does jokes too!!! Come back soon, please, Richard, it is wonderful having you here. x
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