I’ve decided to finally start using video to help spread the message of the Power of Mortality™.  Here is the first video in the series.  It’s a short (41 second) video called “Enough Time?”

And I need your help!

- Please pass this video on to family and friends!

- Post it on your Facebook or MySpace pages!

- Share it via your own blogs!

- Spread the news through Twitter!

- Vote for it on StumbleUpon, Digg, and any other social bookmarking utility!

Let’s see how many people we can get to Take The Pledge!

Thanks!

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I just read a funny blog post written yesterday (Dec 30th at 11:32pm) by an acquaintance of mine named Chip.  It was titled “Eeek!” and the first paragraph says:

How has this happened? I had big plans to implement before the end of the year. I mean, I still have 24.5 hours but I plan on sleeping for at least 5 of those.

Do you find yourself in the same boat? I think that’s one of the reasons that people like to celebrate the new year – it allows us to turn the page on things that may not have worked out as we’d hoped and start fresh with a new set of goals, dreams and resolutions!

But unless you make some different choices in 2009 than you made in 2008, I guarantee that you will find yourself on Dec 30, 2009 saying: “Eeek!”

It really is that simple.  Whether or not we achieve our goals, has less to do with the actual goals, dreams and resolutions and more, much more, to do with the choices we make and the actions we take.

My resolution, my goal, my choice for 2009 is to help as many people as possible to begin to live the lives they really want, rather than the lives they’ve been getting by default.  I am working on three new books (a children’s story about the Power of Mortality™, a book of rituals that I’m working on with a co-author, and a follow-up to What’s Your Expiry Date?) and I’m going to have a powerful weekend seminar/retreat ready for the fall.  All of these exciting projects have the same objective: empower people to choose the life they want!

I want to make sure that from now on, at the end of December we aren’t saying:

“Eeek! How did this happen? Oh well, I’ll try again next year”

Instead, I want everyone to be left with the amazing feeling that you get when the roller-coaster pulls into the station and you say:

“YEAH!! That was a blast, let’s go again!”

So, who’s coming with me?

Happy YOU Year to everyone!!

I recently wrote a guest article about the current economic turmoil for the motivation and self improvement website Pick The Brain.  You can read the article, which I titled “Your Money Or Your Life?“. Since I received such a strong reaction to the piece, I thought I would record an audio version.

If you find that my message offers a useful point of view, please take a moment to share it with anyone who might also benefit from hearing / reading it.

Also, please share your thoughts in the comments section!

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(By the way… if you have only listened to the audio version and are wondering what is so special about April 15, 1994. Wonder no longer!)

You’ve probably heard some variation of the “living the dash” sermon.  You know… the one about how our lives will eventually be reduced to two dates on a tombstone – one listing the date of our birth and one listing the date of our death – separated by a dash.  The idea is that we need to pack as much life as possible into that dash.

Well, I just came across a very simple and visually appealing version of that idea. Bonus: This version doesn’t mention that unfortunate “death” part.

Converse (the shoe company) has a very simple illustration of how powerful the present moment can be.  I’m quite ambivalent about their shoes, but I LOVE this message!  What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

WARNING:  If you see a link at the bottom for something called KISSINGWITHROSS.COM – don’t click it!  You’ve been warned and I cannot be held responsible for any mental anguish that results from ignoring my warning.

…And when I say motivation from “within” – I mean WITHIN!

Last week I had my annual check-up with the cardiology team.  These are not your standard cardiologists – these doctors are specially trained in dealing with adults with congenital heart conditions. (Public Service Announcement: If you, or someone you love, was born with any sort of heart defect [as 1 in 100 babies are], then you need to be sure that you are being followed by a congenital heart specialist – not just a regular cardiologist.  For more information contact the CCHA in Canada or the ACHA in the US)

I have been having annual checkups since I was born (except for the seven or eight years after receiving my ‘expiry date’ – you may have read about those years in my book).  One of the diagnostic tests that they almost always use during these checkups is called an echocardiogram.  It’s the same technology that they use on pregnant women to check the progress of the baby and it gives you a fascinating look inside the human body.

So I have had the privilege of being able to watch my own heart as it does its thing.  I’m guessing that I’ve probably seen this “live and in person” about 31 times. And I have a powerful video clip of my own heart that I keep on my BlackBerry (Ask me to see it the next time you meet me).  For me, watching my heart is like visiting with a wise old friend.

Now my heart bears little resemblance to yours.  (If you haven’t already listened to my heart – you can do that here.) All my life I have had cardiologists tell me that if someone were to intentionally build a heart the way mine is built – it would never function.  But mine does!  I know that I am a walking miracle!

And that humbling fact was brought home to me once again last week as I lay on my side watching my heart beating away – doing things that it’s not supposed to do.

As I reflected on this miracle in action, I felt a renewed sense of purpose and drive sweep over me.  “I’ve been given a tremendous gift here!  Who am I to squander it by living an ‘ordinary’ life?”

Isn’t that a powerful realization?

But you don’t have to have a freakish heart to tap into that same feeling. Your own body, whether young or old, healthy or not, is a miracle of nature!  You have the ability to turn food and drink into muscles and bones.  You pull oxygen out of the air and turn it into thoughts and dreams.  And all without any effort on your part!

You’re a miracle in action too!  So please tell me you’re not planning on living an ordinary life!  No matter what sort of live you’ve been living up to this point – it can all change now!  With the very next beat of your heart, you can decide to live your life on purpose.  And if you ever get discouraged or doubtful… put two fingers on your wrist, feel the driving rhythm of your pulse and tap into that motivation from within!

ENJOY NOW!

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I am friends with Jose’ Micallef from Malta. (You can be my friend on Facebook too, my profile page is here.)

This morning I was looking at some amazing photos that Jose’ has on Facebook.  As soon as I saw them, I realized that I had to write a blog post about them, so I dropped him a note to ask if I could use them. He wrote back and told me that I was welcome to use the photos.  He also told me that there was a story behind them – and what a story it is!  So today, I will bring you Jose’s story.  Then, in my next blog entry,  I will give you the post that I was originally inspired to write when I saw these fantastic photos.

Here are the photos (Jose’ is the one in the white t-shirt) – Click on each one to see the larger photo):

And here’s the story behind them, as told by Jose’:

I was scared of heights. A couple of years ago the German girlfriend I had at the time took me sight seeing on top of Cologne cathedral. Going up the never ending stairs did not make me realize how high we were going as we had no windows around us. When we got to the top and realized the height, I simply froze, got hold of the wall behind me and was shaking with panic. Well it took her and some other tourist around 45 minutes to get me down. I went down the steps facing the wall and my girlfriend talking me about silly stuff to deviate my frightening thoughts.

Last year I started working on myself and getting my life in shape. One of the things I had to work on was the fear of heights. I was going to be in Hawaii for a conference regarding personal development and I decided to take action to defeat this fear of heights. I booked a skydive 5 weeks before the jump and from that day I created a mind movie where I saw myself boarding the plane with a smile and no fear and also watched myself jump off the aircraft with a big smile and screaming with joy having the time of my life. I went through this mind movie at least once a day till the jump and while doing so I said aloud to myself “I am going to skydive and am going to have fun”. Well, I jumped and it was a live performance of my mind movie and did not feel any fear for not even a fraction of a second. Now I know that with the right mind-set I can achieve what I want.

Do I have some powerful friends, or what?

Now I want you to consider doing three simple things:

1. Use the comments section below to tell us how you’ve overcome fears.

2. Forward this to any of your friends who are having difficulty facing their fears.

3. Join Jose’ and I on Facebook!

ENJOY NOW!