Podcast 188: The Sheep Thief with Al Walker

Al WalkerI was introduced to Al Walker the author of, “The Sheep Thief,” through Tracey Jones the daughter of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones who published Al’s book and is now running the publishing company since her fathers death.

If you are into parables then you are in luck, because Al’s book is a parable with a wonderful story and message.  It is about two young men in Italy who were caught stealing sheep.  They were immediately taken to trial before the town judge, found guilty and in front of their fellow villagers, were given their sentence.  It was a cruel, harsh and painful sentence that would mark them for life. I will not ruin the story for you but the message is in what the men do with their lives after they are sentenced as thief’s.   Much of Al’s book deals with the lessons learned in life, and how we use adversity in life to make us stronger or for many it is a sentence in which we give up.

Al articulates 10 steps that I believe are so important in life, and really determine our character as individuals. The 10 steps are:

  • You become what you value-I constantly seek to clarify my values.  I know what values are important to me.  I know what I stand for, what I believe in and what I will not compromise.
  • You become what you say-I know and believe that the words I repeatedly use have an impact on who I am.  I will use only words that are helpful, positive encouraging and tasteful.
  • Build on Strengths– I will pursue greater knowledge of my strengths for the rest of my life.  I will maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in myself and everyone that I meet.
  • Attempt the Difficult-I will continue to challenge myself to try new things in order to grow.  I will relish living in the arena, not in the grandstand.  I will fail forward.
  • Work Conscientiously and Productively-I am committed to the belief that working diligently pays off.  I will do as Aristotle suggested when he said, “Lose yourself in productive work in a way of excellence.”
  • Laugh Often-I will find something to laugh about every day of my life.  I will share this gift generously and often. I will start each day with a smile in my heart, knowing that the rest of my body will follow.
  • Self Discipline-I am on the right track and am putting forth the time, energy and effort to learn and develop what I need to in order to become the person I am capable of becoming and accomplish life’s most important objectives.
  • Be A Self Starter-I will honor my possibilities by truly being a self-starter.  I will not wait on anyone else to “start” me. I START myself.  My positive self-talk will help me be a self-starter.
  • Obey The Laws of Man-I abide by and live, work and play within the laws of the land.  I realize the traffic, civil and all other laws exist for a reason.  I realize the laws and rules establish boundaries for an orderly way of life.
  • Obey The Laws of Nature-I will not let my need for excitement overrule my good judgment.  I will be careful and take the necessary precautions in any activity, whether it is bungee jumping, sky diving, para-sailing etc.

Al’s book is a very easy read, and is loaded with practical advice.  Much of the lessons taught by Al Walker he has experienced himself and you will be able to listen to part of his personal story in our interview together.  You can visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 185: Motion Before Motivation with Michael "Mike D" Dolpies

Michael "Mike D" DolpiesMike Dolpies the author of “Motion Before Motivation“, says that there are thee kinds of people in the world–those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who stand around and wonder ” What happened?”.  He says that you are in control of what happens to you.  Even if you trust in a higher power to guide you, you know that the higher power will help those who decide to help themselves.

Mike’s book, “Motion Before Motivation“,  references newtons first “Law of Inertia”.  The important point that Mike is making by citing this law is that it is more important for us to take action, and that this is so important to manifesting what you want in life.

We can think all we want about attaining particular goals, but the most important step is the action.  You need to be sure that the actions you are taking are in the direction of clearly defined goals.  If not, “Natural Tendency” will work against you.   In human terms, “Natural Tendency” is the force of habit.  If someone is in the habit of constantly remaining in motion toward their goals, they will continue in that direction and get closer to them every day.   If someone is in the habit of putting things off or waiting for the inspiration or motivation to compel them to get moving then nothing will happen and they will remain “at rest”.

Mike refers to what he calls “pro-active motion”.  Pro-active motion is the motion you take based on solid principles, information and passion.  Pro-active motion will enable you to think two, three or even four moves ahead. Pro-active motion will help you remain calm, control your stress levels and easily deal with the curve balls and setbacks of daily life.

There is a three (3) step success formula outlined in Motion Before Motivation.  1) Motion creates belief in Yourself 2) Belief in Yourself Creates Positive Emotions 3) Positive Emotions Give You the Desire to Fuel the Motivation You Need to Keep Going.

I believe that these steps to success are great advice, and if you want to learn more about Mike and his book Motion Before Motivation you can visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 182: The Power of Adversity with Al Weatherhead

Al Weatherhead We have all been effected by adversity during the course of our lives, but  Al Weatherhead, the author of “The Power of Adversity“, has certainly had more than his fair share of adversity.  Al has struggled through the death of an infant son, two failed marriages and a life long battle with alcoholism not to mention the heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

The key point to Al’s message is that we gain strength from adversity when we change how we view the challenges we are faced with. He says instead of asking “Why me? he advises asking “Why not me.”  Embrace positive thinking and recognize that adversity is the impetus to look for creative solutions.  Al has four techniques for mastering adversity:

  • Attitude and the Mind-The Power of Positive Imagery–Developing a positive attitude about adversity is essential to tapping its power to enhance and improve your life. If you think positively, with the right imagery, your battle is all but won.
  • Meditation: The Art of Letting Go–How doing Nothing Can Be Everything–Practicing meditation creates and sustains your positive mindset. Without this mindset, you place an unhealthy emphasis on your goals and adversity that prevents you from reaching them. Daily meditation helps you rejuvenate and rebuild yourself, and to come to realize firsthand that adversity is just another name for a series of choices called life.
  • Communication-Articulating the Speech of the Heart–A great gift of adversity is coming to understand that you can resolve your problems when you share your life with others. You simply must reach out to others, or you will never overcome adversity.
  • Sharing, Not Managing–Don’t Confuse the Need to Control with Love–As you truly connect with other–revealing, extending, and expressing your innermost self–the layers of adversity will peel away like an onion, revealing choices an solutions that would never be apparent to your on your own.

I invite you to set down, relax and enjoy this wonderful interview with an author who not only knows how powerful adversity can be he is the living embodiment of a wise soul who has lived with adversity and survived and created a very meaningful and fulfilling life. If you would like to know more about Al Weatherhead I encourage to you visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 179: Mindbloom with Chris Hewett

Chris Hewett I fell in love with Mindbloom the moment I started playing around with Internet based software.   I became so hooked on this immersive, and engaging software that I took the time to go up to Seattle, WA and visit Chris Hewett the founder of Mindbloom and his incredible team of developers and business associates.

In my interview with Chris Hewett, the founder, we explore what drove Chris to develop Mindbloom and the passion he has for helping people transmit patterns in their life that don’t serve them, and utilize a very cool and engaging product to help them stay focused while sharing and being supported by people they trust to help them along their own personal pathway of personal growth and mastery.

This new Internet based software is has been built like a game, designed to keep the user engaged in the process of setting and achieving their goals.

The objective of Mindbloom’s Life Game is to grow the life you want by creating and maintaining a Life Tree where the branches represent areas of life that matter to you (e.g. health, spirituality, relationships, leisure, lifestyle, finances, creativity, and career) and the leaves represent specific goals, passions, or dreams.

By taking small steps towards those goals, passions, or dreams on a regular basis (e.g. drink 8 glasses of water) you will not only grow and maintain a healthy tree (and life!), but you will earn seeds (i.e. points) that you can spend on additional branches, leaves, and actions.

Also, as you earn more seeds your tree will be automatically “upgraded” to new environments.  With each “upgrade” (i.e. “level up”) you are learning one of the most important life lessons – we all have the ability to grow the life we want if we take at least one small step every day.

The higher the level you achieve, the more “experienced” you are becoming in Mindbloom.  This “experience” will come in handy if and when you decide to encourage family and friends to play their own Life Game in Mindbloom.

It’s important to remember that like life itself, the game is not about the end result, but it’s about the journey.  Know that your goals, passions, and dreams will continually change and as long as you are taking small steps everyday and having fun, then you’ve already won!

I highly encourage any of my listeners to check out the Mindbloom experience.  This is truly transformative software if only you will use it.

Please take a listen to a true visionary, and someone that I believe will change the whole process of goal setting through the Mindbloom experience.

Podcast 178: When Turtles Fly with Nikki Stone

Nikki StoneWhat a great interview with a fascinating Olympian!  Nikki Stone shows us all that you can accomplish anything if you stick your neck out! Nikki’s latest book entitled,  “When Turtles Fly”,  is a compilation of others who, like Nikki, accomplished remarkable goals against all odds.  Named for a story Nikki’s mother told her as a child, you will be inspired by Nikki’s incredible journey and how she became the first American to win the Olympic gold in the sport of inverted aerial skiing at the 1998 Winter games in Nagano, Japan.  What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that less than two years earlier, a chronic injury prevented her from standing much less skiing down a slope at almost 40 miles per hour.

The title of her book, “When Turles Fly”, was based on a philosophy taught to Nikki by her mother called, The Turtle Effect. She taught Nikki that to be successful you need to act like a turtle.  Be soft on the inside  – which is your passion for what you love; Have a hard shell –  to help you over come adversity and Be willing to stick your neck out to accomplish your goals and find success in your life…..plus inspire others.

Nikki has used this outlook to overcome a spinal injury, win an Olympic gold medal and to graduate magna cum laude with her Bachelors degree and summa cum laude with her Masters degree in Sports Psychology.

Nikki’s earliest role model was Nadia Comaneci, the 14 year old Romanian gymnast who scored a perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal.  At age 5, Nikki was inspired by Nadia to be the best and at that early age, she set her sights on Olympic gold.  We discuss the inspirational stories in her book from many well known and some not so well known heroes such as:   Lindsey Vonn, Dr. Stephan Covey, Shaun White and Corporal Jason Dunham.  Her book is broken down into chapters entitled: Passion, Focus, Commitment, Overcoming Adversities, Confidence, Risk and Teamwork/Support…all key ingredients and strengths needed to succeed.

Nikki’s bright outlook and motivation to overcome all obstacles shines through in her interview as well as her book, “When Turtles Fly” .  These stories will move you and show you the tests that the strength of the human spirit will endure to become the best.  She has not only put together this book filled with powerful life changing stories, she is also generously donating 25% of the net proceeds to the American Cancer Society.  Nikki comes from a long line of strong women.  Not only her mother who passed along the turtle effect philosophy, but also her grandmother who shared this wise quote with Nikki: “ Brave don’t live forever but cautious don’t live at all.”

Be sure to pick up this book and be ready to be inspired by not only Nikki’s personal story, but all of the 40 great people she carefully interview and included in her book. It will make you think about who you are and will ignite your drive to chase your dreams and fulfill your goals. All the profiles showcased outline the core principles of success and that anybody can make it no matter the background, conditions, or timing.

Enjoy this interview and to find out more about Nikki and her availability for motivational speaking engagements, go to her site at: www.nikkistone.com or to find out more about her book, go to: www.whenturtlesfly.com

Podcast 163: Life Is Tremendous with Tracey Jones

Tracey Jones

I was recently introduced to Tracey Jones the daughter of Charlie “Tremendous” Jones.  Charlie recently passed away, and Tracey has taken over the publishing business which is now called Tremendous Life Books.  It was a pleasure doing this podcast with Tracey and learning what it was like to be the daughter of such an icon in the speaking and motivation business.

If you have never read a Charlie “Tremendous” Jones book, I can highly recommend one of his greats, ” Life is Tremendous”.   In my interview with Tracey we speak about the simple yet valuable lessons that Charlie was always teaching as he would speak and meet with his audiences.  His passion for life was contagious, and he always had a way of helping one see life from a positive and different perspective.  As Charlie says in the front of his book ” Life is Tremendous! It really is.  You can be happy, involved, relevant, productive, healthy and secure in the midst of this high pressure, commercialized, automated, pill-prone society.  It’s not easy nor automatic, but it’s possible through the development of certain personal qualities which make up the traits of leadership.  And you can be a leader, because leaders are made, not born.

Tracy and I speak about the Seven Laws of Leadership that Charlie so passionately spoke about for so many years. The Seven Saws of Leadership are: 1) Learning to get Excited About Your Work 2) Use or Lose 3) Production or Perfection 4) Give or Get 5) Exposure or Experience 6) Flexible Planning 7) Motivated to Motivating.

Please enjoy my interview with Tracey as we explore her father’s work, and how the passion for what he started has transferred a generation to Tracey as she carries on the Jones legacy through Tremendous Life Books.

If you would like to learn more about the book titles that Tremendous Life Books has published please click here to access the Tremendous Life Book website.  I know you will enjoy this interview with Tracey Jones.

Podcast 157: Think Or Sink with Gina Mollicone-Long

Gina Mollicone-LongIf you don’t think you are in control of the choices you make in life, then you best listen to my interview with Gina Mollicone-Long.  Gina’s new book entitled, “Think or Sink“, focuses on the choices we make in life, and how you can turn these choices into our advantage.

As Gina states, the paradox of any challenge or crisis is that it is also an opportunity.  It might seem crazy at first, but in Gina’s new book she will show you how to turn your adversity into your advantage. During challenging times many people look for the focus on what is wrong.  Not only is this perspective harmful because it doesn’t bring about any solutions or relief, but it is also the very thing that ensures the continuation of the crisis itself.

Gina states that her entire book is based on an important premise: everything in our life that happens to us is just feedback.  At the most basic level, this means that you get out of your life what you are willing to put into it.  Your circumstances will always reflect exactly where you are at in your life and what you are putting into it. The real power is learning how to interpret the feedback so you can use it to your advantage. Instead of judging your circumstances, you can learn to assess your circumstances so you can learn from them and leverage them to create a life that you love.

Life is a series of feedback loops.  We want something (input), we do some behaviors (process) and we get an outcome (output).  Gina reminds us in her new book that we are all energy, and that all energy is fluid.  Always moving into form, through form or out of form.  The universe holds the potential energy for an infinite number of expressions to matter.  True power derives from the ability to harness the unformed potential energy so that we can have what we want in our physical experience.

Please listen to my podcast with Gina, and visit her website by clicking here for a wealth of content on how to “Think or Sink“.  Enjoy this podcast.