I know that it’s Monday.

I know that a lot of people like to complain about Mondays.

But before you complain, either about Mondays or anything else for that matter, take a few minutes to watch this video.

My good friend Gloria just sent me a link to a TED talk (I love TED talks!! Can’t wait to be asked to give one!) by a neuroanatomist who had a massive stroke and lived to talk about it.

I encourage you to watch this fantastic, throught-provoking presentation (it’s only 18 minutes and 44 seconds long). If the embedded video below isn’t behaving properly, then you can find it at this link.

Then I encourage you to read (and listen to the podcast) about my own experience and the lessons I learned from my stroke in 2006.

If all of that leaves you feeling left out (hehe!) you should read my post titled: How to have a STROKE. It gives you all of the insight and none of the hospital food! How’s that for a deal?

I’m sorry to keep everyone in suspense, but the big changes that I promised to tell you about today, are not quite completed.

As soon as everything has been finalized I will make an announcement.

Thanks for your patience!

I know that it’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog entry or added a Podcast episode.

I recently got a message from one of my subscribers.  She was concerned about the silence and asked if I was still OK.  The answer is “Yes, I’m OK - thanks for asking!“.  There have been some big changes underway with me lately.

I’ll share these changes with everyone on April 15th.  Why April 15th?  Because it is a very significant day.  Do you know why? Give me your guesses in the “comments” section.  The first person to give the correct answer will receive a free copy of my 365 Personal Expiry Dates. (Hint: it has nothing to do with taxes)

If you want to find out how/what I’m doing/thinking in-between blog entries, you can follow me on Twitter.  My latest “tweet” (as they’re called) appears on the right side of my blog under the heading The Latest From Patrick…  If you use Twitter, you can follow me here.

So… what is the significance of April 15th?

Seth Godin has a short, poignant blog entry titled “The Long Slide To Gone”. It will take you two minutes to read it but you will probably spend all day (or all week) thinking about it. He writes…

We spend a lot of time talking about the ends and the means, but it’s also worth considering whether the journey is worth the reward. If you have to compromise what you do just to keep doing it, what’s the point?

Seth is talking about running a business, but I would encourage you to read the article and consider how you might apply it to your life.

Subscribe to the Mindful Moment Podcast.

 

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As most of you know, I developed the Power of Mortality™ in 1994. For a number of years it was simply my own personal philosophy. It was how I lived my life and it worked wonderfully!

Then in 2003 I realized that my story and my philosophy can help others with their own personal life challenges. I decided to use my considerable talents as a communicator to help people implement the Power of Mortality™ to live a life that is fearless, focused and free from regrets.

• I began giving keynote speeches.
• I started an e-mail newsletter that now reaches people in 30 countries around the globe.
• I began conducting workshops.
• I wrote a book.
• I began doing television and radio interviews, including Oprah & Friends.
• I was featured in newspapers and magazines.
• I started a podcast.
• I started a blog.
• … and I have many other plans in the works!

It has been a very rewarding five years and I have met many fantastic people who have shared with me how they have applied the Power of Mortality™ in their own lives. Their stories have always touched me deeply.

You will notice though, that all of my efforts so far have been on the level of one-to-many. Countless people over the years have asked me if I can work directly with them. They wanted to supercharge their experience with the Power of Mortality™ by having a one-to-one relationship with me. So far, I have not offered that type of service because I felt that I lacked the proper tools and framework for dealing with someone on a one-on-one basis.

However, I am thrilled to announce that I have just finished my training with the Certified Coaches Federation and I’m now a Certified Coach Practitioner! This training has given me the skills and techniques that I wanted to have in place before I started working with people on a one-on-one basis.

So for those of you who’ve read my book, attended one of my presentations or simply just been following my blog or podcast - I want you to take a moment to consider the following: Possibly something about the Power of Mortality™, or a certain aspect of my personal story, has touched something deep inside of you. You might have noticed that it has awakened long forgotten dreams and goals. Or perhaps you are now experiencing something in your life with which you would like help. If you want to achieve a certain goal or overcome a limitation I would be honored to offer my services. Together we can use the Power of Mortality™ to create a life for you that is fearless, focused and free from regrets!

You may want to consider booking a free 30-minute initial session with me. After we’ve had an opportunity to complete that call, you will have a solid understanding of the possibilities that are available to once you hire me as your coach. Here is how to reach me:

Phone: +1-519-763-6245
E-mail: patrick@mathieu.com
SkypeID: barcodeguy

This is the next level in the evolution of my mission to use the Power of Mortality™ to help transform the world! I invite you to come and play with me on this delicious journey called life!

ENJOY NOW!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.”
- Zig Ziglar

I’m not a doctor, but I have two prescriptions for those of you who like to remain freshly bathed in motivation.

FIRST

Symptoms: Lack of focus. Early morning lethargy. Feelings of “what difference will today make in the big picture?”.

Prescription: 365 Daily Expiry Dates.

Dosage: One per day for 365 days.

IMPORTANT DIRECTIONS: Once you have read the daily note, you MUST throw it out. No matter how much you like the message, you can’t keep it. This is to remind you that life comes at you one day at a time and you aren’t able to save up the good days and throw out the bad days.

SECOND

Symptoms: A need for audio motivation. Desire for variety of motivational information and material. Wish to help others at the same time as helping oneself.

Prescription: 52 Motivational Interviews.

Dosage: One per week for 52 weeks.

KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS: An overall feeling of self-satisfaction and happiness that comes from the knowledge that a portion of the proceeds of this program are being donated to fight Alzheimer’s Disease.

Now, take both of these and call me in the morning!

ENJOY NOW!

Very often, if I stop long enough to listen, the Universe will tell me what I need to know. Recently, I’ve been going through a mini-crisis. Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to get some guidance.

I was listening to my iPod and I happened to choose the album Welcome To Wherever You Are from the group INXS. As I listened to it, I remembered a very surreal moment in my life. I was in southern Japan, wandering by myself through the city of Miyazaki. It was 1994 and I was 24 years old. I had no idea where I was going, but I was enjoying the fantastic sites and sounds of this new place. (Perhaps it’s different now, but at that time Miyazaki had very few “foreign” tourists, so it was not nearly as “westernized” as Tokyo.)

As I strolled the streets, I came to one of the many bridges that cross the river which cuts through the city. At the side of the bridge, there was a large sign that included a map of the surrounding area. I went to the map, hoping that it would shed some light on my whereabouts. Everything on the sign was in Japanese, except for a red “x” that appeared on a road just beside the river. There was an arrow pointing to the “x” with the English words: “The Place Where You Are Right Now“. (I really wish I had taken a picture of that map!)

I broke out laughing because as I looked down at myself, I realized that I was wearing a t-shirt that I had bought at an INXS concert back home in Montreal. The t-shirt had the album cover for “Welcome To Wherever You Are”. So here I was in the middle of a strange city on the other side of the globe from my home, wondering where I was - and the answer came back loud and clear.

THIS is the place where you are right now and welcome to wherever you are!

As I listened to that album yesterday, the Universe reminded me of that day and of the fact that the best way out of any situation is to be at peace with where you are right now. Once you can make yourself welcome in that place (no matter how unpleasant or stressful) you have some power with which to choose where to go next.

So the solution to my mini-crisis is to simply get very present to where I am now and not worry about the future. Hmmm…. that sounds like very familiar advice… where have I heard that before? Well, I guess we all need reminding from time to time.

ENJOY NOW!

Oh. In case you’re wondering how I got “un-lost”…. after continuing to study the map, I managed to decipher that there was a koban or “police box” a few blocks away. When I was done with my exploring and ready to head back to the place I was staying, I made my way to the koban to ask directions to the correct bus stop.  The officer stationed at the koban didn’t speak English, so he phoned someone else (to this day, I have no idea who he called) and I told the person on the phone which bus I was looking for. That person had no idea where to find it, but they translated my request back to the police officer, who gave the directions to the person on the phone, who then gave them to me! What an amazing trip! It was a lot of fun! (I’d post some photos from my trip, but no one would believe that they are me.  I had a full beard and a big head of hair!)