The Top 6 Inspirational Videos Of All Time

The Beauty of Pixar. Leandro Braga took 500 hand-selected scenes and made an amazing tribute to the best animation studio on the planet. I love the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwoPtQevOTE

Free Hugs. Sometimes, a hug is all that we need. Free Hugs is the real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger and put a smile on their face. Over 66 million views!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do. What makes the difference in people’s lives?  What fulfills you? With the right emotion we can create anything.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/tony_robbins_asks_why_we_do_what_we_do.html

Bruce Feiler: The council of dads. Diagnosed with cancer, Bruce Feiler worried first about his young family. So he shares  this funny, rambling and ultimately thoughtful talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_feiler_the_council_of_dads.html

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward. An awe-inspiring piece of artwork, very touching and a strong move for saving the planet through a Resource-Based Economy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w

Christopher McDougall: Are we born to run? McDougall tells the story of the marathoner with a heart of gold, the unlikely ultra-runner, and the hidden tribe in Mexico that runs to live

http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_mcdougall_are_we_born_to_run.html

The Top 5 Inspirational Books Of All Time

Read these true stories and you can’t help but be inspired.  The people and stories in these books are truly amazing and their accomplishments nothing short of extraordinary.

Three Cups Of Tea: Ones Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time.

Greg  Mortenson is a man on a mission to promote peace and education in Pakistan.  His adventures, hardships and friendships while building schools in remote areas are almost unbelievable. He inspired me to believe that when we put our cultural differences aside, we can accomplish anything.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

I loved this book. Every chapter gave me a glimpse into the beauty of running and humans.  I learnt that humans can run further than any animal on the planet.  I learnt that expensive running shoes do more harm than good. I learnt about a super race of human beings living in remote areas of Mexico. I want to run.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story

This book made me want to drastically change my life. We all find ourselves in ruts, each day a repeat of the last. Donald Miller bikes across America, produces a movie about his life, meets a man whose children bring world leaders to their house and he also finds love. In the process he finds out who he really is. A fascinating and heart-warming book.  I laughed, smiled and cried.

The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life

Geashe Michael Roach grows his diamond cutting company into a hundred million dollar a year business.  His teachings are a mixture of the Dalai Lama’s and Stephen Covey’s 7 habits.  This is an uplifting, beautiful and spiritual book that taught me many unforgettable and valuable lessons. Awesome!

The 4-Hour Workweek

Want to live the life of a millionaire and work 4 hours a week? Tim Ferris show you how. He also shows you how to dream big, win world class tango championships and operate your business from anywhere in the world.  I’m ready, are you?

How Beer Makes Me Happier Than Wine

Yes, making life changes also means deciding on beer consumption. I have to say I do take pleasure in a glass of wine, but wine can get dreadfully expensive. Last year a brain fart made me collect wine and create a wine cellar in my basement (leaving the bottles on a dusty work bench). Then I read that people who collect expensive wines are super rich or else it was really, really dumb. So after reading THAT, I uncorked those suckers and cheerfully swigged them down sometimes accompanied with a side of bacon pizza and chicken wings.  So much for my experiment with becoming a wine connoisseur.

Why beer is better than wine (sometimes).

• I can buy 12 beers for the price of one good bottle of wine. My friends appreciate this too.
• With wine you use fancy glasses, use teensy weensy sips that actually hurt your lips, pretend to sniff it and make believe that you taste the hint of black berry and French oak on your tongue. With beer you snap open the bottle, toss it down and get painful bubbles in your nose. Everyone has a good laugh. Burping is welcome and required.
• Bringing a bottle of wine to a friend’s party is awesome, but even MORE awesome is a 12 pack of say, British beer. The guys will thank you for avoiding Coors Lite and introducing them to something that actually has taste. The girls will think of you as a world traveler and look at you like you are James Fucking Bond. Awesome!
• You can bring back your beer empties. Wine bottle empties attract fruit fly babies and look sad.
• Is there anything more awesome then a Corona with a slice of lime by the pool or on the beach? Drinking wine (white) on the beach is stupidly complicated (what do you bring ice cubes?). Your friends would shun you on the next vacation.
• It’s easier to get a buzz on beer AND think nasty thoughts about your boss. Wine tends to make you think about your cousin in Italy or pretty grapes dangling from a vine on a dew filled morning.
• Beer looks pretty in the fridge. Frosty beers lined up in the fridge looking like soldiers at attention, makes my heart flutter and soar. A bottle of wine on its side is …well… a bottle of wine on its side.

So there you have it. My life changes in relationship to beer verses wine.

Aching To Smack The Minimalists Around

I do support the minimalist blogs out there and their nomad and environmentally friendly lifestyles, don’t get me wrong.  I appreciate reading about how they avoid those yucky cars, sit in cafes blogging about hip memories, and stick their well traveled tongues out at whoever isn’t “master” of their lives. Ya well it isn’t all leprechauns and rainbows boys and girls.

You see…we can’t all chuck everything and go globetrotting at a moment’s notice.  Some of us have serious family commitments, a fascinating career (that may actually help make the world a better place)…and pets…and …oh ya… children.

And some of us really do like ascetically pleasing material goods. Is it bad to treat ourselves? Hey, if I’m going to sit in traffic for part of the day I WANT to be surrounded by soft leather and a Bose sound system.

Yeppers,  I have a 40 foot in ground pool with funky rock gardens surrounding it. After work, I plunge into that cool revitalizing water and skim under the surface in total silence.  Love it. Jagged beams of sunlight greet me to create a golden mirror effect throughout the baby blue water. It’s a fucking alternate universe. Love it.

Am I being authentic about my life? Hell ya. Do I always believe in it? Hell no. But I’m providing a beautiful haven for my family, my pets and myself (for now).

I’ll get to climbing Mount Pica Chu perhaps in a few years. And thank you for teaching me about the horrors of bottled water.  But for now I’m going to take my time to cook a delicious meal, crack open a fine red Syrah and be grateful for all that life has bestowed me.  You are all welcome to join me.

Cheers!

Now WTF am I going to do during winter?

Related posts:

Stop Complaining, Whining Or Making lame Excuses And Start Living

Powerful Blog Links To Give You That AH HA! Moment

A terrific article on how to find your natural writing style.  How to Find Your Writing Voice

Great advice based on facts  How To Get Hundreds Of Tweets And Comments On Your Blog Post

This one will really make you think about what is truly important. Why Friends Matter At Work And Life

What is your ideal day? 24 Hours In The Life Of Everett Bogue

Saying HELL YA will REALLY clear your mind   No More yes. It’s either HELL YEA or no.

Some heartfelt inspiration about my own personal journey Lessons From Mom And A Life Well Lived

Have a fabulous day!

How To Save The World – Part IV

I’m regularly grateful to have experienced being a part of this beautiful blue and white planet which slowly twirls amongst a trillion stars. It is an amazing thought if you really take the time to think about it. Picture one of those photos of our planet taken from space and remember that you are actually walking upon that beautiful orb.

Doesn’t everything else seem trivial compared to that thought? We live our lives with hundreds of useless thoughts cursing through our heads everyday and tend to easily forget how truly amazing life on this planet is. Sometimes our thoughts can turn into conditioning or beliefs that lead us to acts of selflessness, cruelty or even war. By now we are all aware that we are slowly ruining our home – this planet. As an animal we have forgotten how to share this planet with not only ourselves but with all other living creatures.

I have written extensively about awareness, consciousness and living in the moment. I’ve written about meditation, conditioning and beliefs. Many times I’ve thought that people don’t give a shit about using “consciousness” to make this planet a better home. People are more concerned about what celebrity had no underwear, how to lose 20 pounds in a week, how to make a million dollars over night, or are just trying to survive. And yes I’ve been guilty of those thoughts as well.

Fortunately, over the centuries humans have overcome some astonishing challenges. The formation of civilizations, revolutionary and religious wars, plagues, great depressions …the list goes on. But now we are faced with the threat of dwindling resources, constant MacDonald’s commercials, and an ever expanding population.

Is it an iPad that will save the world? Or is it a deeper consciousness? Do we resist buying bottled water (the plastic is made from oil, the transportation of the bottles creates pollution, and they stay in landfills forever if not recycled. Birds ingest floating caps out in sea thinking it’s food and even feed it to their young with both dying a painful slow death).

I am certain that the next big evolution for mankind is consciousness and awareness. We are done with the industrial age and the informational age is only choking us. There is no time like now to think before we buy, feel empathy for all living creatures, rejoice in our planet, reduce our carbon footprint and connect with fellow human beings all around the world (hey, maybe the iPad will help after all).

Over the centuries humans have overcome some astonishing challenges. The fight to save this planet has only just begun. I haven’t placed much hope lately in our governments to make any difference. It’s been only one big slobbering orgy at the mutual feeding troughs of government, corporations and banking for years now. Each and every one of us needs to try to clean this mess up.

I hope it isn’t too late.

Are we living just to survive or are we ready to fight? Are we leaving our children a beautiful planet or an orb dying a slow and agonizing death? Are we living in nature or looking at it through the screen of an iPad?

Consciousness and awareness. The next big evolution

Now You Can Find Peace Of Mind And Meaning

There is my inside me and my outside me. Sometimes they seem to conflict horribly. It’s such a pain. My inside me is striving for a life of meaning and purpose, contentment and existential challenges. My outside me is paying bills, buying a new car and renovating the house. It seems lately that my outside me is controlling my inside me. I’m talking about being on a stress and consumer treadmill.

Sometimes I would love to give this all up and live simply in some country, pondering life, meditating, setting up a small foundation, walking the beach and discovering more wisdom and raison d’être.

What is stopping me? There will be no perfect time. I will just have to walk off the cliff one day and take a leap of faith.

An excellent start would be to start meditating again. Meditating helped me clear my mind, find my breath and increase a wonderful sense of inner peace. I was becoming good at living in the moment and appreciating the little things in life.

It’s a small step that has huge benefits. So the inside me is hopping off the stress and consumer treadmill I’ve found lately.

The other day I went for a mid afternoon stroll with one of the dogs in the small forest nearby. It was absolutely beautiful. The smell of earth and trees assailed my senses and it reminded me of those wonderful carefree summers as a kid. The sunlight splashed against vibrant and luminous green leaves. Small forest creatures darted amongst the plants and trees. I was perfectly in the moment throughout the entire walk. My inside me and outside me were in unspoiled harmony.

It’s too easy to fall out of good habits.

I want more of peace of mind and Mother Nature. Screw the treadmill.

Don’t you?

How To Be Happy And Create A Lifetime Of Joy With Your Memories

Just came back from Ogunquit, Maine. I love it there. I love the quiet beach, eating fresh seafood, breathing in the crisp ocean air and talking amazing walks. Why though? The reason is that I have such warm memories of this place. And my memories tell me a story even before I walk on the beach. My future and the joy I find are largely due to my anticipation based on my memories.

I saw a whale come out of the water a few days ago and that tied in to my memory of seeing dolphin’s many years ago in Wildwood.

These memories and the anticipation that comes with them will last me a lifetime.

I’ve written about living in the now and experiencing the present moment many times. During these times I feel contentment but not necessarily joy.

Joy I find comes from remembering the incredible beauty in the stories of my life. I may have experienced stunning beauty on multiple cliffs or felt the peace and quiet of a hot summer day. I have heard the sound of waves lapping on a shore in many places. These extraordinary memories never get old.

When I think about any of these memories of my life I am truly happy and even joyful at times.

Forget about buying stuff, go out and create a lifetime of wonderful memories. That is what true joy and happiness is all about.

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Quite Simply, The 5 Best Self Development Blogs

Sid Savara – Achieve Your Goals More Effectively With Analysis Driven Personal Development

Sid backs up a lot of his posts with facts, which is why I like his blog so much.

Get Rich Slowly – Personal Finance That Makes Cents

J.D Roth shares some excellent personal success stories and gives the best advice out there on how to get rich.

Erica.biz – Teaching You How To Build An Inspired, Successful Business

Erica claims she sold her online business for over a million dollars at age 26. She provides excellent advice to anyone starting up a business.

The Blog Of Tim Ferriss – Experiments In Lifestyle Design

Tim has a bestselling book out on how to work 4 hours a week and gives all kinds of great advice on how to be successful with almost anything!

My Life Changes

A blog with solid articles on how to make life changes and also provides terrific tools to begin making life changes right now. Align your goals, personal values and mission statement all in one tracker and see your success grow in leaps and bounds.

Do you have any to add?

If you enjoyed this post today, please do me a big favor and use the “Twitter” button down below (click on the + sign) to share it with your Twitter friends and followers (You can also share it on Facebook, Digg, or any of the other sites you see below as well).

People! – Make One Freaking Life Change At A Time Please

Stop trying to change everything!

The problem is that most people get freaked out about ALL the life changes they wish to make AT ONE TIME. Lose weight, save money, find love, find balance, less stress and of course all the issue surroundings the environment.

Change one thing and make it stick!

I cut out bread at lunch. We have a fabulous deal at lunch and the bread is included. I decided to not have the empty calories of bread on my plate. Hey, I’m in good shape, quite healthy, but I have made a conscience decision to not include bread in my lunch. I eat enough carbohydrates at lunch, bread is unnecessary. Wow, what an exciting blog post – how I cut out freaking bread!

What is the point?

Most successful life changes are done one baby step at a time. When we try too much we can easily get overwhelmed, frustrated or discouraged. Decide what is most important to you and attack that with a passion. Take action! Love yourself! I know you can do it. You CAN make a serious life change. You ARE in the driver’s seat! Life IS too short. Let’s get going right now! Decide what change you can make right now. For me it’s less bread, less empty calories and a healthy weight loss. I’m happy with that.

You CAN do it! Let’s start…right now.

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