I recently listened to an episode of my favourite podcasts: Radiolab.  The topic-du-jour was death – specifically, what are the end-of-life preferences of medical doctors.

“We turn to doctors to save our lives — to heal us, repair us, and keep us healthy. But when it comes to the critical question of what to do when death is at hand, there seems to be a gap between what we want doctors to do for us, and what doctors want done for themselves.”

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Researchers have published findings in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Review indicating that “an awareness of mortality can improve physical health and help us re-prioritize our goals and values.”

I have to admit, when I read that I felt a great sense of vindication.  Since I started speaking about The Power of Mortality™ in 2003, I’ve had numerous people tell me that it’s a “morbid” topic and that I was freaking people out with all this focus on mortality and the inevitability of our eventual deaths.  This study refutes that claim, instead illustrating that focusing on mortality can have exactly the opposite effects – both for the individual and for society as a whole.

From the article’s abstract:

The awareness of mortality can motivate people to:

• enhance their physical health and prioritize growth-oriented goals;
• live up to positive standards and beliefs;
• build supportive relationships and encourage the development of peaceful, charitable communities; and
• foster open-minded and growth-oriented behaviours.

So if you haven’t already taken the Mortality Manifesto Pledge… what are you waiting for? Just think of the power that’s waiting for you!

Recently, I read an article from Ellen Britt titled The Ebook Tipping Point. Ellen mentioned that on January 27, 2011 Amazon announced that sales of Kindle ebooks overtook sales of paperback books.  This shocked me.  I was further shocked to read that Kindle ebooks had already overtaken hardcover books six months before that.

In 2005, when I was writing my first book, I looked into the ebook market.  I interviewed a number of people who had released ebooks and NONE them were making any money at it or having any real success giving them away either.  And so I decided to release my book as a hardcover.

Well… that was part of the reason.  The real reason I decided it needed to be a hardcover book was because of my ego.  I was wrapped up in my ego. I wanted my book to be a “real” book – not an ebook.  Because of the intensely personal nature of my story and my message, I had decided to self-publish my book rather than going through a traditional publisher.  I wanted to retain control over every aspect of the message.  But in 2005 there was a much finer line between self-publishing and “vanity press” publishing.  The last thing I wanted was for my book to be dismissed as a vanity-press project. Mine was going to be a “real” book and nothing says “real” like hardcover. So that’s what I did in 2005.

By the time 2008 rolled around, more books were self-published than published through traditional publishers.  The self-publishing tipping point had been reached. And now a similar tipping point has occurred with ebooks. The world has changed a lot since 2005.

I released the ebook version of What’s Your Expiry Date? back in January 2010. And now I’m considering what’s next.

I was planning to write a follow-up book.  But now my thinking has changed somewhat.  Now, I’m thinking that I will write multiple follow-up books and that each will be aimed at a specific audience (like this) and deal with a specific aspect of the follow-up conversation.  And I think they will be ebooks!

Stay tuned!!

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In 1994 I discovered the Power of Mortality™.

In 2003 I realized that this message needed to be shared with others, so I started my career as a professional motivational keynote speaker, and have had the privilege of sharing the Power of Mortality™ with thousands of people.

In 2005 I wrote my first book What’s Your Expiry Date? Embrace Mortality – Live With Vitality.

Then in 2009 I moved into what I thought of as “phase II” of my message – Choose The Life You Want.

My thought was that I’d spent long enough talking and writing about mortality and wanted to help people focus on what to do next – how to turn off the “autopilot” and start actively choosing the life they want.  I left this website alone and haven’t really done much with it at all.

But lately, I came to realize that the Power of Mortality™ will always be a critical component to what I do.  I also realized that there will always be people who need to hear the message the the Power of Mortality has to offer and that they need to hear it from me.

But most importantly, I realized that there is more work for me to do in the area of mortality.  I have more to say.

Happy New Year everyone!

(Hey, did we ever decide what we we’re calling that last decade? We had the 80′s, then the 90′s but what is the name for the decade we just finished? And what are we in now? The “teens”?)

Well, it’s a new year and the beginning of a new decade!  Why not take this opportunity to create a new life for yourself?

As I mentioned on December 1st, there are some big changes coming for me in 2010.

I have been writing and speaking about the Power of Mortality™ for six years now. As you are probably aware, my message is closely tied to my life story, and since life continues to grow and evolve, my message has evolved as well.

If the Power of Mortality™ was about waking people up to the importance of their lives, then my next step involves helping people get into action when it comes to creating their dream lives.

I am thrilled to invite you to join me at ChooseTheLifeYouWant.com as I discuss a three-step process to help people live the lives of their dreams. Lives of significance. Lives that are fearless, focused and free from regret.

Choose The Life You Want (CTLYW) simply builds on the discussion that was started with The Power of Mortality. Naturally, the concept of embracing your own mortality is one of the cornerstones of the CTLYW approach. If you haven’t already read and signed the Mortality Manifesto Pledge – do it now!

I am replacing my Mindful Moment newsletter and podcast with a weekly email newsletter called “Fearless, Focused Fridays“. The idea is to give yourself a few moments on Friday to reflect on your dreams and head into the weekend and following week with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity.

You can subscribe to receive Fearless, Focused Fridays, as well as CTLYW blog updates via email or RSS feed. And you can subscribe to get updates on other news such as the upcoming book, public workshops and weekend retreats.

As I begin this new chapter, I want to sincerely thank you for being part of my journey so far. I would be honored in you would continue with me as we both begin to choose (and live) the lives we want!

ENJOY NOW!