I was perusing the books of Neale Donald Walsch recently on eBay, and was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a “Book Four” in the Conversations With God series. I have found the CWG trilogy to be a very significant part of my spiritual evolution, so when I saw that there was a fourth part, I just had to have it. It truly is amazing how “The Absolute” has its unique way of reaching out to us when we need support and guidance, in EXACTLY the way that is most suitable and relevant to us at the time. I have been asking so many questions lately, and like some kind of Divine Christmas present out of the blue, this book has provided me with answers. I have barely started reading the book, but already, like a piece in a Divine jig-saw puzzle it has just slotted into place in my life and, as well as answering some of my questions, it has also given me the inspiration to come up with an analogy that I have called, “Silver Medal Syndrome.”
I think that many people reading this post will be able to relate to what I mean here. Regardless of what the media would have us believe, there is most definitely a shift in consciousness going on, as I type even. People are gradually waking up to their true nature. However, for many, and I include myself here, we “know” from the perspective of knowledge, that we are already awake and have nothing to seek. But, we do not have the “knowing” of our awakenedness. What I’m getting at, is that there is a difference between knowledge and knowing. Knowledge comes with words, but knowing only comes with experience. So, we have the knowledge that our true nature is consciousness, but in our physical form we are not yet evolved enough to know this experientially. This is where the analogy comes in.
At the moment, we have the silver medal. It’s better than bronze, but it’s not quite gold. From my own experience, when we have Bronze Medal Syndrome, we are on the path but we think we know more than we actually do. Then, we ascend to Silver Medal Syndrome (SMS). It’s not bad, in fact it’s a great effort, but we still only have knowledge. One of the draw backs of SMS is that even though we know that we are awake but not quite there, we still sometimes think and act in ways that we know are not conducive to our spiritual evolution. We might even follow this up with feelings of guilt after the event.
It is important however, to try and not beat ourselves up when this happens. Remember, it’s all a part of the training, the experience of life…and we are all ultimately GOING FOR GOLD!
The theme of the film is use your soul to achieve your goal and works on the principle that it is possible to combine spirituality with business as a method of attracting more abundance into our lives. The Last Formula will feature interviews with highly successful entrepreneurs from all walks of life, including my personal favourite, best-selling author of the Conversations With God books, Neale Donald Walsch. Neale was actually broke when he started writing those books but became a best-selling author within a year.
I’ve put The Last Formula at the top of my “to watch” list and can’t wait for it to be released!
Today we are very lucky to have as a special guest on my blog; TV/Film producer, amongst other things, Denny Morales. Before I bring Denny on here is a little bit about him.
Denny (Right) with best selling author Neale Donald Walsch
For 14 years, since the age of 16, Denny Morales was directing, technical directing, and performing camera work for PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox affiliates. He earned an Emmy award for technical directing in 2005. Throughout the years working at the television stations, Denny worked on short films as a sideline, doing producing, cinematography, and many other jobs on the set. Denny finally broke off from his television job in 2008 and set about starting up various businesses, where he gained experience in marketing and business management. In 2011, he started Watery Flame Productions, fully focusing on creating his own films and television shows that geared towards uplifting the world.
So, without further ado, here he is, all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada, it’s Denny Morales. Hi Denny, thanks for coming all the way over from LA. Come and sit yourself down and I’ll put the kettle on and crack open a packet of chocolate digestives!
Hello, Richard, the pleasure is all mine, and by the way the chocolate is how Richard got me into this interview, so that’s the secret ha ha.
I’d like to kick off by asking what drove you at such a young age to achieve so much in the TV industry?
Well, Richard, for some reason I always had this passion to do more with my life. For some reason I always thought I was dropped off on the wrong planet, ‘cause my mind always processed so fast. I always knew what I wanted and just went after it. I wanted to be a TV/film director from the time I was 12. I remember, my high school was a vocational school, and I was taking television production, and in that class we would go to the local PBS station and actually work as crew on a live show. I remember every Monday going to that TV station and asking for a job; every Monday. It was really never enough for me, I can feel the fire inside of me to this day.
That sounds amazing Denny; so how old were you when you received your first Emmy award and how did it make you feel?
I was 26 years old, and I remember looking into my mailbox that morning and seeing the certificate there, I felt numb for a second because I couldn’t believe I just won an Emmy for a national award. I knew then that I always wanted that feeling and to do more meaningful things like that.
After hitting such great heights at such a young age you then came back down to earth with a bump; you lost everything in fact. Are you able to share with us what happened?
Yes, I always tell people that in that moment it was really, really scary but it was the biggest blessing in my life. I remember thinking “how could anyone be fired from their job”, I just didn’t get it because I was such a go-getter; until it happened to me.
I couldn’t take the job anymore, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t getting me to my goals, I had realized I wanted to do my own thing and wanted more out of my life, so that’s when my drive and performance went down, and that was it. I lost my job, house, wife, cars and dogs. Around the same time I found out my brother had gone to prison for murder, and I lost my grandmother; which would make anyone really think about going insane.
How did you go about building yourself up again?
So after I lost it all, I remember the night I was homeless. I called my mom, and told her I needed a place to stay. Fortunately my mom is awesome and of course is always there. But that night as I slept, I broke out into shaking and cold sweats, and just bawled my eyes out. As I awoke the next day, it felt like God grabbing me and taking me under his wing and leading me to the bookstore. I went every day from opening to closing. And read every business, spiritual, and self help book I could get my hands on. That lasted for about seven months. Wow, what an amazing experience. That was just the start. From there I began building myself back up again. The way I wanted to.
Denny, we have spoken on the radio before and you know that I am a huge fan of Neale Donald Walsch. Can you share with us how you came to have such a high profile author as a client?
While I was pretty much living at the bookstore during that seven months (Editors note: I bet they “loved” you Denny, seven months in their store from opening to closing, reading all their books and not buying!!!), I ran across three books that would change my life forever. Conversations with God, books 1, 2, & 3 by Neale Donald Walsch. Those books touched me so deep, that I did what it took to raise funds to go to one of his retreats. And I finally made it. By the time I made it, I had read CWG probably over 20 times. I think it was ingrained that Neale must have felt it. Or I just put it out; the intention of wanting to work with him. ‘Cause at that retreat, after he found out what I did, he asked me to bring my cameras and shoot his next retreat. From there, we also came up with the idea of pitching a TV show starring him that would be perfect for the Oprah Winfrey Network. It’s still hard to believe that my mentor, the guy that I look up to, wanted to work with me. It proved to me that creation really does work.
Tell us about your company, Watery Flame Productions?
Watery Flame Productions is dedicated to producing creative content such as films, television shows, and events that impresses upon audiences on a deeper level, reminding them of who they really are and inspiring them to let out their hearts desires in life. Our films, documentaries, television shows, and events consist of story driven themes and uplifting experiences that relate to higher consciousness philosophies, providing viewers with inspirational, introspective, and positive content to take away with them.
OK, I’m going to diversify now, who is your favourite band of all time and why?
Ha ha, I love it Richard. Actually I’m a fan of Joan Osborne. She sings that popular song “(What if God was) One of Us”. We think it’s just a song, but it’s a very profound question that can lead to a truth to what might just be going on. (Editors note: I totally agree with Denny on this one. It really is a fantastic song, and very profound in that God is One of us. Just as us(we) is(are) One God. See below.)
And what is your favourite album of all time, and why?
Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Favorite song on that is “Beat It”. I love MJ’s stuff ‘cause of his passion.
Now here’s one I bet you didn’t expect Denny. Would you share with us your most embarrassing moment ever?
Ha ha, I remember one time on a date, we went to a movie. I had to use the restroom, and when I was walking out my date points down to my shoes, and I had a piece of toilet paper stuck on my shoes. HA HA and she’s still dating me. (Editors note: Nice one Denny; a man after my own heart)!
Thanks for that Denny. You will be relieved to know that there are no more questions like that coming your way! Would you like to tell us about any projects you are currently working on?
Denny (Centre) with his coach JT Foxx and “Arnie”
Yes, we are currently working on a passion of mine. I found a really cool tool, on how to create what you desire, and it started working for me. So, I decided to make a film out of it and interview successful people that were using it, and called it The Last Formula. We asked Neale if he could be our first interviewee, and he loved the idea, so after that we got some good momentum going. We have interviewed greats like Tony Hsieh, Larry Winget, Dina Proctor, G. Brian Benson, and so many more to come. Very excited about it. Please drop us your email so you can get the launch of it at http://www.thelastformula.com. (Editors note: You’ve got my email address Denny so keep me informed, it sounds great and something I’d be interested in)
Well, it looks as though time has beaten us, so all that remains is for me to say thanks once again to Denny Morales for nipping across the pond to speak to us. Now I don’t want you to miss your bus Denny, but before you go could you leave us with a few words of inspiration?
Richard it was a pleasure, and thank you so much for allowing me to be me. I would like to leave with anyone tuning in; if you’re being challenged right now, just know that, that’s the universe’s way of giving you the experience to know how great it feels to be happy. We wouldn’t know what happy felt like if we never had sadness. True living is right in the middle, so you can appreciate the energy when it vibrates.
Wonderful! Thanks again Denny and I hope it’s not too long before we chat again.
Editors note: Not only did Denny agree to this interview, but he also agreed to make a short video especially for YOU, the readers of my blog. He is a very busy man and I am eternally grateful to him for finding the time to do this for us.