Dumb And Dumber-Anthony Prince and the Year of Broken Pathways

It's a good thing we Australians have a droll sense of humour. Otherwise why would I choose to feature the first post about one of my fellow countrymen, who achieved international notoriety by carrying out (along with one accomplice) what was termed:-"possibly the most inept bank robbery of all time". The stunt earned Anthony Prince and Luke Carroll the names 'Dumb and Dumber'. They were both holidaying in the glamorous ski resort town of Vail, Colarado and came from solid loving middle class families.

The reason I feature the life of Anthony Prince is that he (along with Luke Carroll) were both 19 at the time of the robbery and were thus in their first adult year of 'Broken Pathways'. Anthony chose to speak out about his life in a national TV Show called 'Australian Story' and he left an excellent psychological profile of just what it means to feel somewhat 'out of control' and suddenly have your direction altered and have to slowly accommodate to the changes over the remaining years of the cycle till his next 'Year of Revolution' at age 24.

He couldn't tell it any better than if I had access to an in-depth interview and asked just what I wanted. This material is similar to the 'Wolf of Wall Street' biography because it is detailed, exact and describes 'Life Cycles' as if they knew about it. Remember I do all my work second hand.

Their own defence lawyer described this crime as "absurd". Carroll and Prince robbed the Weststar bank in Vail, a place where they were regular customers and well known to the tellers. Their Australian accents made easy picking even though they wore ski masks. They also wore name tags from the sports store they worked at. Their getaway was to board a chair lift about a quarter mile away and snow-board down the opposite side of the mountain and go home. They took photos with the cash in a McDonald's toilet and tried to buy one-way tickets to Mexico the next day. Told they couldn't, they opted for a round trip. The FBI already had mugshots, because they were arrested in January that year, for shooting out windows with a paintball gun. A police officer recognised them from the FBI flyer and their accents and arrested them as they tried to pass through airport security. More could be said about what they did with the money, including trying to flush $800 down the holding cell toilet, but I think by now you've got the picture.

Hollywood could not do better if they tried. What were they thinking? This was the brain snap to end all brain snaps. Now Anthony Prince was interviewed about all this. Just how did it happen? He tells how he was overawed by Vail:- "everywhere you look, flashy cars, money, houses....this was the Mecca". "We were two Aussie larrikins out for a good time....up early, in bed late, trying to get into clubs with fake ID's etc," They were amazed they could buy paintball guns in Walmart, so that's what they did.

Shooting out window panes with the guns got them arrested, but unfortunately it didn't slow them down. "We felt like we could get away with anything....and we were like how crazy would it be to take these BB guns into that bank and rob it? It was a small bank, two female employees, no security whatsoever. You'd be stupid not to try it".

"So it began as a joke and then just slowly, subconsciously moved into something which was real and we'd talked ourselves into it". This is exactly the sense of not being fully in control of events that marks the 'Year of Broken Pathways'. Not as dramatically for most of us as these two poor kids, but it does in so many different ways for everyone one of us. It did for John Lennon when he thought nothing of donating money to the Black Panther movement, and Robert the Bruce when he thought nothing of telling the Red Comyn he wasn't going to be the first King of Scotland in private. Events seem unreal at the moment they occur.

Now what was the outcome of Anthony Prince's life over the remaining years of that cycle? What uphill struggle did he continue to face? Well the first thing was getting used to the inside of a US maximum security prison. "I've been slashed with blades. I've been beat down, hit with padlocks.....it was a scary environment".

He cried openly at his trial and begged forgiveness of the teller he had pointed a gun at. He only got 4 1/2 years, not the possible 25. He thought that he had to make it up to the his long-suffering parents, so he got correspondence material through his mother to study at an Australian university.

He spent a lot of time with immigration detainees whose English was bad so he sat down and helped them write letters to their loved ones. "I had a bit of a knack for it so I became known as this.....the love letter writer in there". Then in the final year of the cycle, just before his 24th birthday, he was released and came home to Byron Bay, an idyllic holiday spot on the NSW coast. "Coming home was amazing. I wish everyone could feel what I felt. The first plate of bacon and eggs...."

Yes it took him all of the remaining years of the cycle to finish this modern morality tale, complete with forgiveness from Jessica Cole Gunther the bank teller. It wasn't until the end that she looked him up on Facebook and showed him her letter written years ago. "It really did blow me away" he said.

Keep with me because I'm asking you to tell me who I'll be featuring next. He has been billed as 'the world's greatest footballer'...and that is of the round ball game I don't know much about. OK you couldn't get Robert the Bruce and you've never heard of Anthony Prince, but this guy you know! So leave me a comment and tell me. Oh, and for the big prize I want to know which year I'm featuring and why? Till then, may the cycles always bring you good fortune.

Robert the Bruce's Year of Broken Pathways

Yes we're going to murky, murderous olde Scotland as I adapt this darkest of morality tales from the BBC series 'History of Scotland'. But of course I'm doing this in order to show again how the 'Year of Broken Pathways' works. Same as for Lennon, it will be the Bruce's 31st year from July 11th, 1305 to July 11th, 1306 we will be looking at. We are looking for fateful moments, that would have long term consequences and would take several years to resolve, at least until the next 'Revolution Year' (at age 36 - 1310/1311).

After the resignation of William Wallace in 1299, both Robert the Bruce and John Comyn (the Red Comyn) were made guardians of Scotland. It would be fair to say they really didn't like each other. A fight broke out in the same year at a council in Peebles and Comyn grabbed Bruce by the throat and almost killed him. It would be seven years till they met again.

In 1305 Bishop Lamberton had gone to the Pope to get a ruling that Scotland was independent and should have a King. At a meeting between the Bishop and Robert the Bruce, it was agreed he should take the crown, but the price for his silence was put at 10,000 pounds (a fantastic sum in those days). But the Bruce was not a prudent man. He organised a fateful meeting with the Red Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries, on Feb 10th, 1306. This was to discuss the future of the crown. Both had left their swords outside and met before the high altar. Robert would have told Comyn (in spite of his agreement to keep silent) that he is to be made King and this would not be taken well. Scholars will dispute what happened next. Did the Bruce always plan to murder him or did Comyn draw his dagger first? But for whatever reason a fight broke out and he stabbed Comyn, who was practically dead as a result. After the Bruce had left he received news Comyn was not dead. He sent an aide back to finish him off.

His hot temper had really got him into trouble big time. He had committed murder in a church and faced ex-communication. He fled to Glasgow Cathedral, where his co-conspiritor Bishop Wishart absolved him of blood guilt, because he had no choice. They were all in this up to their necks. He then figured his best bet was to have himself crowned King and he fled to Scone and did this on March 25th, 1306. Could there have been anything more fateful than this sorry tale of hot temper and ambition gone wrong? His sworn enemy Edward 1st of England hunted him down and with little Scottish support, he was forced to retreat to Dunaverty, on the very tip of the Mull of Kintyre. Then he put to sea and disappeared. His wife and child were captured and taken to a convent. It would be eight years before he saw them again.

What happened next became the subject of myth, with Sir Walter Scott basing his character on the hero of the novel Ivanhoe and writing a poem about him being in a cave with a spider, called 'Lord of The Isles'. But what happened after this was that in Feb 1307, he went to South West Scotland with a few hundred Irish/Hebridians, to learn how to fight the English. He didn't want Wallace's early death. In April he surprised 1500 English troops and forced them to flee and in May using trenches and better tactics, he beat 3000 English troops at Louden Hill. Edward 1st then died and the Bruce had no major opposition in Scotland for the next three years.

Do you imagine that he went about a peaceful existence or negotiated with rival families? No, this hot-headed man had unfinished buisness with the Comyn's and the Bailiol's. He simply couldn't rest until he had got rid of every last vestige of opposition. He went on a terrible rampage through Scotland, laying waste to one castle after another, along with the people and then he burnt their fields. In short he was a bloodthirsty tyrant. Then he got ill with a nameless mysterious complaint, which no medicine or doctor could cure, so he went to the highlands. Just when others thought him dead, he recovered and continued the slaughter. Can you see how this period of years of struggle in its own very different way, parallels Lennon's dragged out fight against deportation, including the 18th month 'lost weekend'.

It would not be until 1309, that he had crushed resistence everywhere and then the Pope lifted his ban of ex-communication and King Robert called his first parliament. He was not yet a hero to his people however and it would take more years, until his victory at Bannockburn, for this to happen. Is it any wonder that in his later life he did so many public acts of charity and building works for the church. Just like McBeth, he had blood on his hands and a desperate need to absolve his conscience. In the end they actually called him Good King Robert, but that is another story and I'll have to tell it another day.

So I hear you say:- "All well and good, but that is in the grisly middle ages. It's got nothing to do with me." 'Life Cycles' would say otherwise, but it's way too soon to get you to agree. You see it's all about the fateful moment in the 'Year of Broken Pathways', that then has implications for quite a few years to follow of uphill struggle. I'll be back next month with a tale from my own Australia. A tale of two 19 year olds, who made world headlines in the US in the area of crime. Who were they and why do I tell just one of their stories? Any correct answer will be published and lauded. Till then may the cycles always bring you good fortune.

John Lennon's 'Year Of Broken Pathways'

Hello again! As promised we are going to examine the life of John Lennon in just one 'Year of Broken Pathways'. This was the year when he was 31 years old, which was from 9th October, 1971 to 9th October, 1972. We are going to be looking for major direction change, that included fateful events and being somewhat 'out of control'. Matters would also take several years to resolve. This is the essence of the 'Year of Broken Pathways' and if it's a famous life, then the events can often be well known. In Lennon's case they actually made a documentary about it. Did you happen to see "The US vs. John Lennon"? If you did then you know exactly where I'm going.

In Sept. 1971 Lennon and Yoko arrive in New York. As Yoko says:- "John was in love with New York". It was regarded at the time as the centre of the creative world. John did not care what people thought about him, as long as he could get on the front page with the word 'peace'. However the problems that ensued with the government began when they befriended the anti-war activists Jerry Rubin and Abby Hoffman. He and Yoko saw them as fellow artists, but of course they weren't. They in turn saw Lennon as someone whose public profile would enhance their own cause. He became a pawn in their game. Things heated up when he offered to donate money to Bobby Seale, who was Chairman of the Black Panther Party. As a former FBI agent said:- "if you become his friend like this, you become the enemy of every law enforcement official/cop in the country". The authorities were terrified of him, he had so much sway:- "he had some intellectual force unlike types like Mick Jagger and others".

He then went ahead and demonstrated this power. Lennon sang a newly written song "John Sinclair", at the "Free John Sinclair" concert before 20,000 people and three days later the State of Michigan released him. Sinclair was co-founder of the White Panther Party, a prominent activist and was serving ten years for drug related offences. Do you think any of this government paranoia was known to Lennon at the time? Surely not, because this was all great fun for a natural rebel like him. He liked to be provocative. However his pathway was about to be changed forever. How could he have known that in July of the following year, 18 to 21 year olds were going to get the vote and his influence could imperil the Nixon administration.

His activist buddies hatched a plan to follow the Republican Re-Election rallies around the country and the next day hold a rally to preach against them, with of course Lennon up on stage to help draw a crowd. This would culminate at the Republican Convention in San Diego. When news of this leaked out Lennon became a political target. He realised his phone was being tapped and he was followed in his car. He became worried and frightened. Yoko said they knew it would have been very dangerous to appear in the rallies and they backed out.

In Feb. 1972 Senator Storm Thurmond suggested to Nixon that:-" deportation would be a strategic counter-measure" against Lennon and soon after notice was served to him. Because they were afraid of a big show trial, they used a former drug conviction in UK as the reason. Lennon knew why they wanted him gone, but he wanted to embarrass them over the reason:- "other pop stars have the same conviction, but come and go as they please.....because they don't speak out". Of course he simply could have left but he said :- "I like the place, this is where I want to be".

He hired an immigration lawyer, who kept on getting his stay extended, in what became a very complex case. With Nixon's re-election Lennon was marginalised and the FBI closed their file on him. However Immigration kept the case going for another two years. Lennon said:-" It keeps the conservatives happy something is being done and it keeps the liberals happy that I haven't been thrown out". His life became 'on-hold' and this coincided with the well-known 18 month 'lost weekend' with May Pang, Harry Nilsson and others in Los Angeles.....but that is another story and I'll tell it to you another time.

Nixon resigned over Watergate and was replaced by Gerald Ford in August 1974. Ford had little interest in continuing the battle against Lennon and his deportation order was overturned in 1975,  at the same time as his 35th birthday and the birth of his son Sean. He called this the happiest day of his life.

This example meets every criteria of  the 'Year of Broken Pathways' and its consequences, which take almost all of the rest of his 12 year cycle to resolve. It's fateful, it's important and it's life changing. It's happened to me and it's happened to you. But heck, John Lennon was just one guy I hear you say. And you know what, you're right! One swallow does not a summer make. I'll be back next month with another great story from murky, murderous old Scotland. Until then :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

Introducing "The Year Of Broken Pathways"

                                               
                                                    
                               THAT'S  LIFE


            "That's life, that's what all the people say,
             You're riding high in April, shot down in May....."


If you read too many motivation gurus and attend their high-priced seminars you'd believe perfection was easily within your grasp. You know:- "all your dreams can be realised, it's just up to you....(once you follow my system that is)" etc,etc. But we all know that isn't how life goes. It's not all a bed of roses. Honestly you should save your money and just buy a Frank Sinatra CD.

No, a good analogy for how life goes is a game of poker. Now I reckon I'm a pretty good local venue player and I've got a track record to prove it. Eight times end of season winner in 3 different poker leagues. I read the books, I watch it on TV. You'd think all I had to do was turn up and win. But that's not how it goes at all! I get long periods of no good cards. I get frustrated and then I explode internally when some lesser player outdraws my better hand. Oh the bad beats! They all hurt. Sometimes I swear I'm never going to play this stupid game again. Poker players can't remember their wins, but they can tell you all their bad luck stories.

Well I'm afraid that's life in general. Some wonderful highs and long periods of average and then a few moments we'd rather forget. A few meltdowns, a few run-ins, a few set-backs. We've all been there and it doesn't matter how stellar your overall performance may look. Now I want to take you back in time to when I sat across the desk and talked to people about their careers and lives. Thousands of people for almost 20 years when I ran my own management consulting practice. That's where 'Life Cycles' comes from. It's from real-life case history evidence. I didn't go to India to become enlightened or receive a special spiritual message. I can't tell you why 'Life Cycles' is so accurate. I can only tell you that it is. And my terminology isn't that mystical either. You know the 'Year of Revolution'  is so-called because that's exactly what I observed happens to people. It's a revolution in their lives once every 12 years. That's the first lesson.

OK, so now I'm ready to introduce the second major term used in 'Life Cycles' analysis. You see when I thought about all the observations I made on the 12 year upheaval, I also began to look closely at whether there was any other year that correlated with important change. What I observed was that one year stood out in many people's lives and that was the year seven years after the 'Year of Revolution'. This time I observed a major change in direction that represented a challenge in people's lives. No, this was not merely 'having a bad day or a bad run' or a one-out drama. This was more fundamental and usually required a lengthy response over the next several years to accomodate. Once again the feeling was that:- "we are not fully in control".

The theme for this was challenge (and that can be equally for good or ill) and a change of direction. I termed this year  the 'Year of Broken Pathways'. Once again it's not such a mystical notion, it says exactly what it is. OK, so the same applies to this year as to the 'Year of Revolution' :- "show us the evidence!" That is exactly what I aim to do in a series of articles, beginning with the life of John Lennon.

Lastly, I know you're all wondering what this year equates to in age (unless you're good at maths). It equates to the ages of 7 and 19 and 31 and 43 and 55 etc. It represents the second major plank of 'Life Cycles' theory. Don't worry you're going to get familiar with it. Until we meet again :- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".

Life Cycles-The First Lesson

This is a different post. I'm not featuring any famous or well-publicised people as teaching devices. No, this is a time for reflection on my previous eleven posts. Oh and of course it is a time to tell an unknown story.....my own! You know the vast majority of Revolution Year events happen in seemingly less significant ways. But that's only because our lives aren't written about much. It doesn't mean that my life isn't interesting as is yours. All lives are interesting! All Revolutions touch the person concerned in a fundamental way.

OK, so what happened to me when I was 36? Was I a bit like Napoleon? You don't think so? Read on. Leading up to this birthday I had been a management consultant employed by an international firm with a well-known pedigree. I had started to take a real interest in the largely unknown field of outplacement. Unknown at the time in Australia that is. Back then there were only two providers one in each of our two biggest cities. I put forward a business plan for our firm to get into it, including pinching a dissatisfied member of the rival firm's team. But I had a major problem in organisation life. I was too much of a 'one-outer', not a good 'brown noser' and my director told me "no" and said:- "that's like retreading old tyres". Then to my horror I saw a newly arrived older consultant, lunching this same director and announcing:- "I'm going to set up outplacement complete with an overseas study tour and a budget".

Well I was furious and discussed it at home. My wife said:- "Why don't you just go into business yourself". And very soon after with little preparation I did. I felt pretty let down by the whole thing. It was my "Trafalgar" moment. There I was doing bits and pieces of work when a colleague from another firm, who had gone into business at the same time told me of a colleague of his, in executive search, who was a friend of the principal of the leading UK outplacement company. Talk about six degrees of separation! I was put in contact with this person, who it turned out wanted to establish an Australian franchise. Well I had to dig deep and put my house on the line, but guess what I did and the rest as they say is history.

It was to be the start of my major career as I built the business from nothing to be a major player in this emerging market. And yes bigger than my old employer's operation. Such a moment has not happened before or since in my life. I answered the call and I won my own personal "Battle of Austerlitz". When I was in the middle of it, it didn't feel comfortable and it was definitely fateful. I wasn't in control. Now don't tell me any other theory can adequately explain this. It simply can't.

So what is the first lesson? Think about it carefully. It's in twelve parts (one for each post). Not a wasted word. In fact the whole blog symbolises the theory. Don't worry I'll teach you how later.

OK. The Year of Revolution is something you get every twelve years. It starts with birth (the greatest revolution of all) and happens again at 12,24,36,48.60 etc. Often the important mid-life age of 36 features strongly and sometimes 24 and 48, but and listen closely:- " all Revolutions are equal". They all involve important change ushered in through upheaval. At this time fateful events occur and we are not fully in control. They are symbolically equivalent to re-birth. You do not have to die to come to the next incarnation. You get a version of it when you're alive.

I know this is new and different and that people generally like the stories but are not sure of the whole theory. Well I didn't come across this to hide it under a bushel. No I came to share it with you all. This is not "the wisdom of the ancients". You are receiving it right now in your lifetime, from one of your peers.

My next post commences the next cycle, which will be full of interesting stories and lives of celebrities in meltdown and of course your next icon. Stay tuned and until then:- "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".