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.
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?
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.
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:
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!
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. The day where we go all out to celebrate our love for one another. Love will fill the air!
But don’t worry, on February 15th, we can all go back to normal!
I wouldn’t call myself jaded, but I’m always perplexed by our society’s need to set aside a special day to honor things that we should be constantly honoring.
Do you only express your love on February 14th?
Do you only cherish your marriage on your anniversary?
Do you only celebrate someone’s life on their birthday?
Do you only honor your mother on Mother’s Day? Your father on Father’s Day?
When we set aside these days, it can lead us to take things for granted the other 364 days of the year. This sort of thinking is exactly why so many people end up a funerals saying: “If only I had told them how much they meant to me.”
Years ago I wrote an article where I suggested that we replace the cliché “Carpe Diem” (Seize the day) with “Celebre Diem” or Celebrate the Day!
So go ahead and buy the chocolates and flowers tomorrow. But if you really want to show them how much they mean to you… do it next week too!
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.
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!
I want you to be really honest with yourself when you answer this question:
How much of your life is dedicated to “being right”?
I’m currently taking a seminar series and one of the things that has come out of that seminar is the idea that we waste an awful lot of time and energy focusing on the idea of being “right”.
If you honestly reflect on this, you’ll see that I’m right! (ha!)
But the real issue isn’t about being right or wrong. The real issue is about how long you hold onto that feeling of righteousness. It’s also about the cost of that sort of mindset.
Let me give you an example: Two friends are driving somewhere new for the first time. They are old friends and haven’t seen each other in a while so they have a lot to discuss. They are having a fantastic conversation when the road comes to an end and they can only turn left or right. There are no signs to indicate which way they should go and the directions they were given didn’t include this information either. One friend, we’ll call him Mr. Left, says “I think we should go left.” The other friend, Mr. Right, says: “No, I’m positive that we should go right.” But Mr. Left is behind the steering wheel and decides to go with his instinct, so they turn left.
Now I want you to consider two scenarios that unfold from this point.
Scenario 1
Mr. Right is very vocal about his opposition to the decision to go left. “You’re wrong. This is the wrong way. Turn around and go back,” he tells his friend. But they continue driving. Mr. Right, convinced that they are going the wrong way, cannot sit still. He keeps fidgeting in his seat and steaming over the fact that his friend didn’t listen to him. For his part, Mr. Left can sense his friend’s displeasure and is now getting worried about whether or not he made the correct decision. Twenty minutes later, it is very clear that they made the wrong choice at the intersection, so they turn around. Mr. Left feels very bad about this. “See, I TOLD YOU SO.” says Mr. Right. Clearly he was correct. The facts have supported his position. But then why doesn’t he feel any better? As they drive back, his mind has escalated beyond being upset that his friend didn’t listen to him and has now started thinking about all the other times his friend didn’t listen to him. And about all of the other people in his life who might have dismissed his ideas or opinions. ANOTHER twenty minutes and they are back at the same intersection, only this time they proceed in the correct direction. “We’re now forty minutes later than we would have been if only you had listened to me!” yells Mr. Right. Ten minutes later they arrive at the destination. They are both very stressed out and neither of them is speaking to one another.
Scenario 2
In this scenario, Mr. Left still decides to go left and Mr. Right still thinks that this is the wrong decision. However in this scenario Mr. Right has let go of the need to be right. The two men continue their conversations and appreciate the new scenery. After twenty minutes, it is very clear that they made the wrong choice at the intersection so they turn around. “Told ya so!” jokes Mr. Right. Twenty minutes later they pass the intersection without comment because they are too busy with their engaging conversation. Ten minutes after that they arrive at their destination, having had an extra forty minutes of fantastic discussion.
So, how important is it to you to be right?
Oftentimes we are given a choice between being right and having peace. Peace of mind and peace in our relationships. I’m certainly not advocating that you let people walk all over you in the name of “keeping the peace”. You should still stand up for what you believe is right. My advice is to let go of the need to be right as soon as the decision is made, because if you cling to it beyond that point, you are living in the past. And living in the past can only lead to suffering. Living in the past breeds regrets and resentments. And you and I are above that. We’re after lives that are FEARLESS, FOCUSED and FREE FROM REGRETS, aren’t we?
Maybe it’s Jack Canfield or Mark Victor Hansen, the co-creators of the Chicken Soup for the Soul empire.
Maybe it’s Bob Proctor, Joe Vitale or John Assaraf - all of whom were featured in The Secret.
Maybe you’re a fan of Loral Langemeier, T. Harv Eker, Wayne Dyer, or Robin Sharma.
I know that at least one of you (thanks Mom!) will say that Patrick Mathieu is your favorite motivational person!
Well, what if you could have all of these people (including ME) and forty-three others working to help keep you motivated throughout 2008?
Wayne Kelly is a radio host who has has put together an amazing personal development program called 52 Motivational Interviews. Here’s how it works: Join the program for only $47.00 and each week you will be e-mailed a new 10-minute motivational interview that Wayne has done with some of today’s top names in the field of personal and professional development! That means that you will have one full year of powerful motivational messages delivered right to your inbox. You can download the audio files and play them over and over again.
And as an added bonus, Wayne is donating 30% of the money to charity - his goal is to raise $1 Million dollars to fight Alzheimer’s.
And as an added, added bonus, you can become an affiliate of the program and make some money for yourself and a charity of your choice! If you are going to sign up as an affiliate - please enter 4cb2ea5c in the box that says “Referrer ID” - that way, while you are making money, you’ll also be helping:
me
the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance (my charity of choice)
Wayne
the Alzheimers Society
PLUS you’ll be helping the people that you share this program with!
It’s win-win-win-win-win-win!! How motivating is that?
So ask yourself this question: “What would the next 52 weeks look like for me if I were being coached by 52 top motivators?”
For me, 2007 was a year of … lessons. Looking back, it feels as though I spent the year standing at a crossroads. All in all, I’m glad to be moving forward into 2008!
And I have big plans for 2008! I’ve started working with a speaker’s bureau and together we have created an outstanding marketing strategy to increase my speaking exposure and get my message out to the corporate world. (If you know of a company or group that uses motivational speakers… contact Cathleen at Speakers Gold and tell her you want to book me for your next big meeting or event!)
Furthermore, I am launching a seminar program for individuals that will allow participants to really move beyond the typical material of “self help”, beyond the realm of “personal development” and dig deep into the exciting world of personal transformation! Stay tuned for more on the seminar program - there will definitely be an opportunity for you to get involved!
I will also be making some cosmetic changes (no, I’m not getting a hair transplant). I am going to change the name of my newsletter and podcast from “Mindful Moment” to “Fearless Focus”. I’m not planning on making drastic changes to the style or content, I just like the sound of “Fearless Focus”. The name fits much better with my mission of helping people live lives that are fearless, focused and free from regrets.
Those are just some of the big initiatives that I have for 2008. It is going to be a record-breaking year for me and I invite you to come along for the ride!
What about you? What are your plans for 2008? More importantly - what are you going to DO to achieve those plans? (Just a gentle reminder that expecting different results while taking the same actions is the definition of insanity!)
I, Patrick Mathieu, have given up my quest for happiness.
That’s right, I am no longer striving to achieve happiness.
A few weeks ago I wrote about my happiness experiment. I also wrote about how I thought that the key to happiness was in carefully choosing your reactions. But now I’ve come to realize how foolish that is and I’ve given it up.
Why? Because “happiness” is a noun. A thing. A thing that can be lost or found. And I now realize that I don’t want to have happiness, I want to be happy.
The difference isn’t just semantics or word games. It makes a real difference in your life whether you are chasing some elusive state of mind or actually embodying a way of being.
So I am going to BE happy.
Correction - I AM HAPPY.
The Power of Mortality™ is about cherishing your life and recognizing it for the “limited time offer” that it truly is. By forcing ourselves to come face-to-face with our own mortality, we come to realize that underneath it all - we are happy to be alive!
Not convinced?
Imagine that you were drowning and someone pulled your head above the water so that you could breathe fresh air. In that moment you would understand just how happy you are to be alive. So the next time you are having trouble finding happiness, I invite you to hold your breath. And keep holding it. Hold it … … … until you remember that you’re happy to be alive.
Happiness is being.
Everything else is a story that we’ve added on to make things more complicated.
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