It's been a while, then again I have been busy with other worldly stuff.

Could not resist posting this one on Failure and Passion.

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Enjoy

Everyone "HAS" a genius. Let's talk to yours?

Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a ­premidlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of – running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home.

In this talk she muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

If you have ever entertained the thought of giving up, or at the peak of your performance have had the anxiety that you are never going to be able to top this, then you are not alone. A great paradigm that Elizabeth brings forth is, that it was not you alone, in the first instance, that created that great piece of work. If you show up, consistently, to do your part then in this creative process great work gets done. I am reminded of the famous lyrics "when the music starts will you sit it out or will you dance?" - I hope you'll dance!

Never Quit! because that is easy and guarantees an absence of what you were striving for in the first place.

8 Traits that lead to be great

A self-described average guy who found success doing what he loved, Richard
St. John spent more than a decade researching the lessons of success -- and
distilling them into 8 words, 3 minutes and one successful book.

Why you should listen to him:
Richard St. John knew how he had found success -- through his marketing company, the St. John Group, which boasted clients like Nortel and BlackBerry/Research in Motion. But he couldn't get away from the question: Why him? He thinks of himself as an average guy, not talented at school, not terribly handsome or particularly lucky. So he spent more than a decade interviewing 500 people he defines as successful -- from architect Frank Gehry to non-celebrities successful in their own lives.

The resulting book, Spike's Guide to Success: Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and RICH, has spawned a new avenue of success for St. John as a motivational speaker and talk-show star. His newest book is 8 to Be Great: The 8 Traits that Lead to Great Success.

"It's so great. It's such a boost of confidence. This book really gives you
a lot of self-esteem about who you are, and that you really can be
somebody."Thomas Fischer, Habitat for Humanity

If you have 3 minutes, you will enjoy this presentation at a gathering of the worlds thought leaders (TED).

The Last Lecture - what would you say?

There are limitations in my ability to eloquently introduce Dr. Randy Pausch.

We all have a use by date. Unfortunately, we don't know what it is. Dr. Randy Pausch was given a best medical guess - and it was 3 months. Here he is sharing his unique message with students and faculty of Carnegie Mellon University. The lecture series that he is invited to talk in is ironically called "The Last Lecture."

Imagine you are sitting in this lecture theatre and now see the world as Randy sees it.

This talk has been seen by over 3 million people around the world and counting. Randy has touched millions others with his message on Oprah, Good Morning America and more recently with the release of his book "The Last Lecture".

Suggest you keep a full hour and fifteen minutes free to enjoy the whole piece, then have your children do the same, or your loved one. I promise you, this has the potential to change your life.

Do leave a comment below and tell us what this experience meant to you. Or just click on the e-mail symbol below and send it to someone you love.

Three against Poverty - What about you?

Our dear friend Wolfgang Sonnenburg, joins Nobel Laureate Mohamed Yunus to eradicate poverty from the planet. Having known Wolfgang longer than I have know Mohamed (I have not met him yet), it seems to me that Mohamed has joined Wolfgang's crusade.

In the final analysis, it matters little who joined who. I am delighted to join these two gentlemen and that makes three. The one thing that will make a difference, is if you join the crusade too.

Here is a 15 minute interview to give you a better understanding of what the issues are, and some solutions that they explore together.

We invite you to come join in this endeavor to make a difference.

All that is required is a willingness to explore ideas, your decision to make a difference and commitment to action.

Go on, click the comments below and say "Count me in!" and share your ideas with the global community. We will let you know the next activity we are doing together.

Come join the crusade - because together we can.

What's your signature that shows "I was here" ?

A young boy, Ryan, is moved to do what he believes is necessary to make a difference on this planet.

Inspired by Nobel Laureate Mohamed Yunus, who talks about the concept of micro-credit and the experience of running a social business. As he says, it better to empower women by investing $1/- to start a business that generates a return rather than dis-empower her with $1/- in charity that she will always be dependant on.

I love it when he says "Trust her" and she will live up to that trust. Core values that we seem to have lost along the way in our western society. I am grateful for the inspiration in this video that finds these core values in our midst once again.

What do you think? Click on Comments below and share a thought.

Is Your House Killing You?

This is 2 minute trailer of an entertaining scientific makeover TV show that had a very successful 2007 season. It is about toxins in the home. It once and for all separates the facts from the filth as it is evidence based. It certainly provides valuable insights for the viewer, so much in life we just take for granted. Eye opening. Is our house really the safe sanctuary we think it is?

Sometimes there are simple solutions that can make all the difference. See the next clip. Another TV coverage, that we came across showing a simple solution in a "wellness home".

We decided to give it a try and like the family in the clip are delighted with the results in our home. The children are eating healthy, we are exercising more, we all feel blessed with the quality air and water that is both invigorating and gives us all vitality. Last but not the least we are all having the most rejuvenating sleep. The best part is that now, neither of us is on pharmaceuticals that we have to take for the rest of our lives

Leave a comment to share a solution you might have discovered, or want to enquire about we found.



A simple solution in a "Wellness Home"

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

"We do not need magic to transform the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have power to imagine better."
- J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter fame)

After the expiry of 42 years, what if you were asked to give a commencement address at Harvard University! What would you say?

If that is difficult for you to imagine, imagine you were graduating from Harvard University in June 2008, and you were at the commencement, listening to the keynote address. You would be inspired by J.K. Rowling's grace, poise and sense of humor. As you imagine, sit back and enjoy this once in a life time address.

Business - How to have FUN with it!

Here is an interesting question I was asked.

"If you were looking for a new job (or a new investment) and you had a choice between a conservative business setting and a playful, upbeat, and high-energy one..... which would you choose?"

John, sitting on the same conversation says it is the same with selecting restaurants.

"If the quality were comparable, would you prefer to eat in a restaurant where the staff is playful, respectful, upbeat, and engaging... or in a quiet and reserved restaurant?"

The discussion took on an air of excitement and someone mentioned Brad Sugars, an entrepreneur from Brisbane, Australia, who moves to the US and is teaching the Americans to have some good Aussie Fun. Click here for a fantastic one hour of Brad which takes a while to load initially, but the patience is richly rewarded. As are a pen and some paper, to recollect some real dandy tips given to a live audience and everyone has Fun.

Here is a shorter 3 minute clip of Richard St. John sharing his findings on "What is Success?" Hundreds of interviews with some of the greatest leaders in their field. Distilled down to a 3 minute capsule that you would want to see again and again.

Take the lessons - learn, practice and Enjoy.

Sleep.... a solution for a healthy breakthrough.

Scientists are discovering that sleep is far more critical to human health than previously believed. Sleep deprivation has been linked to problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Lesley Stahl reports in two 13 minute segments on "60 Minutes".

Some amazing studies that are challenging our conventional beliefs and understanding about the human body and the importance of sleep. Sometimes its the simple things like a good night's sleep that make all the difference to the quality of our life.

If you are someone who does not sleep well or is affected with a health condition that you suspect might be related to your quality of sleep, leave a comment below. Let this be a record that you are not alone. I suspect that 1 in 3 people have poor sleep, are you one of them?

Climate Change - Another reason to go vegetarian

You might not see that connection straight away. I certainly didn't.

If Mark Bittman is to be believed, and I have no reason to doubt him, then the cumulative methane let out by cattle would put the car industry to shame!

In the video clip below he makes some other compelling points that would have you seriously consider turning a vegetarian. Come to think of it why not?

A point that he so poignantly makes is, that it is not the ingredients of the vegetables that are important but the vegetables themselves. Yup, Go Green! You've got my interest.

What do you think? As a people are we eating too much meat? Leave me a comment, would love to know what's on your mind?

The world now eats like us and dies like us.

Dr. Dean Ornish is a leading medical practitioner who has done some pioneering work in prevention of some of the most common health conditions of the day. Here he presents a 3 minutes tour de force to a gathering of the worlds thought leaders.




Is it possible to prevent the most common degenerative health conditions that we see around us? What can we do to keep the body, which has its own natural repair mechanism, in its peak condition? My wife came across the concept of a Nikken Wellness Home. It intrigued me. We chose to explore it further and the experience has been truly humbling. Take a look at what the Wellness Home is and leave a comment if you would like to explore further to see what possibilities this might hold for you and your family.