Keith Lightfoot Blogosphere

Do you find you have less time to do more?

Maybe you feel like Henry Kissinger, “There can’t be a crisis next week, my schedule is already full”.

Signs that your life is out of control:

1. You drum your fingers on the desk waiting for instant email
2. You sigh as the microwave uses a few seconds to heat a meal
3. You curse the new law prohibiting text whilst driving
4. You can clean quicker, but now there is more to clean
5. You can move faster, but there are more places to go
6. You have more channels on your television, but nothing to watch
7. You saturate yourself with time saving gadgets, methods, diaries, time management seminars and rigid scheduling
8. You feel as though you are skimming the surface of life, rather than experiencing it

Society teaches us that success is “just around the next corner” and social gatherings, complete with the customary “so what do you do?” reinforces the need to at least appear successful.

New cars, overseas holidays, private schools, home renovations, gym membership, credit cards, career advancements and labelled clothing are important symbols of perceived success and happiness.

T-shirts boldly proclaim “he who dies with the most toys wins”, yet nothing could be further from the truth.

Anxiety and fear of failure pushes us harder than our bodies (and partners) can deal with, often resulting in stress related illness, or depression, sometimes alcoholism and in many cases, marriage separation or even death.

It is easy to stand back and say to others “hey, slow down, take it easy” while we slosh about in our own cesspool of exhaustion, emotional misery and interest gathering possessions.

We all remember that special moment on vacation, that moment of peace and tranquillity, the beautiful re connection with our partner, the clear thoughts that flooded into our relaxed spirit, the resolution to “change our lives”, to “follow our purpose”, and then the complete abandonment of everything that was discussed upon returning home.

The promise of “success just around the corner” (measured by money and power) has destroyed millions of lives, and has the potential to destroy yours.

It appears impossible to step off the treadmill, yet in your heart you know it is achievable and more importantly you know it is the right thing to do.

When we walk to our mailbox, we can be assured that someone will be asking us for money, either by way of an invoice, a credit card statement or a glossy mailer offering “never to be repeated” discount goods.

Our motivation to clear the mail is often fueled by our hope that a friend may have sent a postcard, or a family member has remembered a special occasion, or perhaps our spouse has slipped a beautiful note into the mail to remind us that we are loved.

A simple greeting card can change our mood for the day. The moment we see a greeting size envelope, we begin to feel better, we eagerly rip open the tab and smile even before we read the words.

The same effect is true for a postcard. No one ever sends us an invoice via a postcard, so we always anticipate good news when we spot a postcard amongst our mail.

This leads me to suggest that it is often the “receiver” and not the “sender” that determines the mood of the message and this “mood shift” is now happening hourly via our mobile phone instead of daily via the traditional mail service.

Text messages have become part of our everyday life and I have witnessed anger and joy first hand through the simple receipt of a new text.

I have watched couples break up, families celebrate and good friends become enemies all via short seemingly innocent text messages.

The trouble with text messages is that they carry no voice inflexion, no smile and no emotion (other than the emotion of the receiver). There is no chance for immediate clarification or feedback. Plus the messages have to be short and therefore often lose their original meaning as we struggle to fit them into the confined parameters of our mobile phone.

A text message scenario starring Bob and Betty Koenesburg:

Bob has allowed himself to fall behind on his schedule at work and is often a little short tempered during his time at home, especially when Betty insists on constantly asking him to complete some well overdue tasks around the yard.

It seems to Bob, that Betty does not appreciate just how busy and how important his career is to him and to the family. After all, he only stays at work after hours in order to provide a better life for Betty and the children, or so he tells himself.

Bob leaves for work on Tuesday as usual, enjoys another long laughter filled lunch with his work mates and is now sitting alone in the darkened office attempting to concentrate on his work, but when observed closely, is actually spending more time on Facebook and other online activities. He is feeling guilty, frustrated and stressed at his situation, but does not want to go home to another evening of accusations.

Betty has decided to patch up the relationship, to recognise Bob’s efforts and see how she can help him work through some of his urgent tasks. She whisks the children off to grandma for the night, lights some scented candles and makes a special dinner for two.

Betty is excited about the evening and makes one last pass through the house, fussing over the dining table layout, the music and the little things that she knows Bob will enjoy. Meanwhile, Bob is becoming more agitated with his inability to focus and is only staying at his desk to avoid dealing with Betty, although he knows in his heart that she will already be angry because he is late home.

At 7.00pm Betty decides to send a quick text to Bob so she can heat the food and pour the wine. She smiles as she stirs Bob’s favourite Pasta dish and innocently sends a short simple, loving text “What time will you be home?” she is puzzled and slightly angered by his immediate reply of “When I am finished!”, so she sends him another short message, this time not quite as friendly.

I am sure you can complete the rest of this scene by yourself!

Text Tips:

Be very careful with your text messages, especially to people you do not know very well and even more careful with people you do know very well

If in doubt, read them out loud to yourself, with a monotone voice, no voice inflexion and try to see if the message could be misread.

Avoid being funny unless you know the person is guaranteed to see the humour in your text.

Make an effort to pick up the phone and speak to people more often. A few cents a month spent on phone calls rather than free text messages could save your marriage, your friendships, your career and your sanity.

When you receive a new text, try to see the message from the other person’s perspective, work through some alternative meanings before jumping to a negative conclusion, then call for clarification.

Christmas Tips:

As a receiver of gifts, make an effort to recognise the feelings and generosity of the giver, rather than applying your own thoughts and expectations into the package.

Be genuinely grateful for anything that comes your way and be especially grateful for the company of your friends and family during this special time of year.

Happy Holidays!

Murphy’s Law states: “If something can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time.”

Why do people accept and adhere to this principle of life?

Surely it would be more advantageous to adopt Napoleon Hill’s principle of living:

“In every adversity lies the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit”.

Napoleon’s philosophy of life has become my “philosophy of life” ever since I read “Think and grow rich” and I am forever grateful for his advice because it has served me well over the years.

We are all mature enough to realise that things will go wrong from time to time, but why constantly speak their existence into reality, why go through life with an expectancy of impending disaster, why look for trouble when it will find you all by itself.

Surely a more pleasant and enjoyable outlook could be achieved by looking for a positive outcome in every experience.

It is not necessary to develop a Pollyanna perspective of the world (Pollyanna is a best selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children’s literature. The novel’s success brought the “Pollyanna” (along with the adjective “Pollyannaish” and the noun “Pollyannaism”) into the language to describe someone who is cheerfully optimistic and who always maintains a generous attitude toward the motives of other people.), I am merely suggesting making an attempt to see adversity from a different standpoint.

Your life is full of every day miracles, some that happen so often that we forget their majesty, some that will never happen again in your time on this planet; yet we are often so caught up in the ownership of items made by nameless robots in a production line, then discarded in our re cycle bin years later, that we do not allow ourselves the opportunity to witness our own experiences.

Every sunrise and sunset is unique, every rainbow is an example of  perfect circular arc, every snowflake that you curse on your way to work is a one-of-a-kind, that look of innocent wonder you witnessed in your child yesterday may never occur again, the flower that emerged from the bud just outside your window this morning as you watched the infomercials on your TV, the stunning array of stars in the night sky blotted out by your new outdoor barbecue lamps and the spider that weaves a seemingly impossible web in your garden, all escape your notice because you are busy-being-busy trying to conform to the standards subtly imposed by the media, your work colleagues and your closest friends.

Have you ever noticed whenever you travel overseas that everything seems more interesting, the trees seem more beautiful, the houses more curious, the birds more colourful, the shops more inviting and the food more nutritious?

Take a moment to consider the notion that perhaps it is you and not always the environment that is causing all these new sensations of colour and beauty.

Recently I was privileged to attend the wedding of two great friends and as we sat in the sun, sipping cool wine in a secluded corner of the garden, I suggested we all step back for a moment and allow the colours, the laughter, the scent of the flowers and the sensations of the environment to become apparent. It was interesting to witness the reaction of people once they took a little time to really see the world that surrounds them.

The next time you step into your vehicle, make a conscious decision to become a tourist in your home town, even just for a day.

This will sound easy, but requires some effort on your part. Speak to yourself as you drive along and imagine you are in a new country or city for the first time, try and notice everything no matter how small.

You will be stunned at the intensity of the images that pour into your awakened mind that day; you may even feel like stopping and taking a few photos of the trees and gardens just a few hundred metres from your home.

I still remember the first time I tried this.  The experience was so overwhelming that tears welled up in my eyes as my familiar surroundings deliberately became unfamiliar.

We often marvel at people like photographers and painters who are able to capture the simplicity of life and transform it into something truly astonishing.

I am convinced that these ordinary people transform themselves into extraordinary artists by becoming consciously aware of their surroundings and actually taking notice of the experiences of life available to all of us.

You are only alive on this earth for a fraction of a second, in relation to the time this planet has been in existence, so why not make an effort to enjoy every day and in doing so, you can uplift the spirits and hearts of those closest to you.

Napoleon Hill tells the story of riding home with his grandfather on a horse drawn wagon.

As they ambled towards home, they came across a well dressed stranger with a superior attitude who decided without invitation to jump onto the wagon as they passed with a “give us a ride, hayseed!” remark as he climbed aboard.

Napoleon’s grandfather said nothing and soon the silent trio had left many miles of dusty road behind them.

When they reached home and turned in toward the barn, the man leapt off and said “Hey, how far it is to Big Stone Gap from here?”

“We-ell”, said his grandfather, “if you start walking back the way we came, it is about twenty miles. If you keep going the way we were going, I’d say it’s about twenty five thousand miles.”

When my mother (Mary) died, she left me with three things:

1. Her passport showing her physical passage through the world
2. Her well read copy of “Think and grow rich”
3. Her last words; “Don’t die with your dreams inside you Keith!”

Mary touched many people through her life, my friends always felt part of our family, she shared our meagre possessions and food with those she could, and she made sure we knew we were loved and made to feel special.

The early part of my adult life was filled with friends, cars, music, motorbikes, girls, and far too much testosterone. I worked hard in my computer career and played hard in the evenings and in the weekends.

There was no doubt that my life was picking up speed and that my assets were becoming more tangible (I think the current term for this is “bling”) and my attitude more “all knowing”.

It is easy to climb aboard the “most popular wagon” with all of our friends and become part of the majority of people who have absolutely no control over where the wagon will go or at what speed.

Mary’s death and the subsequent reading of Napoleon Hill’s classic book caused me to begin my journey into the study of positive psychology and to re think some of my goals and dreams.

One of my most alarming discoveries was to discover that approximately ten percent of the population own and control the wealth of the world we live in.

Even with my rudimentary grip of mathematics I could see that “my well meaning advisors” were likely to fall into the ninety percent category and that my upbringing had saturated me with this style of average-Joe thinking.

There have been moments where the comfort and familiarity of the old wagon seemed tempting, and I have even sat on the worn wooden seat and rested for a while.  But after a few miles of mindless bouncing along the dusty road of nowhere, surrounded by comments of despair and helplessness, I have gladly slid off again and re focused on my purpose and passion.

You have the freedom to “jump off” whenever you choose, to select your own destination, to walk the road less traveled and to use your time on this world to make a real difference in the lives of others, and in yourself.

It is just a decision away!

At what point do we totally stop believing in outside forces, spiritual guides and the law of attraction?

As children we were open to the idea that people/fairies/angels existed for our enjoyment, our benefit and our protection.

We wrote to Santa Claus and described in intricate detail the gifts we required to survive another year, we ceremoniously placed our lost tooth under the pillow or in a glass beside the bed, we openly prayed for help and we truly believed we could accomplish anything.

Our parents encouraged us to believe, they smiled and applauded when we innocently said Grace at the table, they told us that our dreams and goals were possible and they did their best to make every day special for us.

In 2006 a new book swept through the United States of America and went on to become a best selling publication in many countries.

The book was simply called “The Secret” and apparently contained recently uncovered information relating to a long forgotten secret of success that could transform all areas of our lives.

The story was featured on nationwide television and the authors appeared on major talk back shows, testimonials of individuals who had applied the techniques began to flood the internet and the air waves.

Even the first paragraph of the dust cover literally obligated us to clutch our copy of the book to our bosom and head to the check out counter:

“Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and in philosophies throughout the centuries.

For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life transforming for all who experience it.”

The book contained powerful words of wisdom from some of the world’s most well known authors, speakers, personal trainers, philosophers, money making experts, visionaries, life coaches and psychologists.

Examples of people who used the Law of Attraction included William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Ludwig van Beethoven, Socrates, Plato, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Sir Isaac Newton. 

Parallels of teaching the Law of Attraction were drawn with various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Surely then, this was a new and remarkable discovery!

Given that you have read this far, it is likely that you think that I am being somewhat flippant and potentially negative about this amazing book called The Secret.

And yet the absolute opposite is true!  The authors of the book are not the first to write about The Law of Attraction and they are likely not to be the last.

There is an old saying: “There is nothing new under the sun” and the older I get, the more I begin to understand the truth in that statement.

You can find books of all shapes and sizes, some new, some very old, all doing their very best to teach you The Law of Attraction.

Napoleon Hill wrote about it in his famous book Think and Grow Rich: Published in 1937.

“At last here is the one, sure way to overcome all obstacles, achieve any ambition, bring success as though provided from an every-flowing river.

Our brains become magnetized with the dominating thoughts which we hold in our minds and, by means with which no man is familiar, these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonizes with the nature of our dominating thoughts.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

The internet is overflowing with PDF files, documents, videos, songs and poems showing you how you can succeed by using the combined forces of the universe, God, your tongue, invisible angels, interconnection, spirituality, Saints and your attitude.

If this is true then why do so few succeed. Why do millions of people go through life searching for happiness and success? Why are people still rushing to buy a book with information that has been in print for hundreds of years?

People who have believed and adopted the secret of success have been successful, those who have not, remain frustrated and unhappy.

Everybody is looking for the instant fix, the lotto cure, the microwave motivation, the perfect partner, the no-exercise weight loss program and the magic guaranteed pathway to mega fame, fortune, good looks and friends.

Everybody can see what is wrong with everybody else and everybody wants everybody else to change.

The story is told of a Middle Eastern mystic who wanted to make a difference and like many of us, thought that everybody else needed to change their ways except him.

His prayers when he was young, bulletproof and always-right were “Lord, give me the energy to change the world!”

At middle age when he began to realise that perhaps change takes place one-house-at-a-time, then one-street-at-a-time, then one city, his prayers were “Lord, give me the strength to change all those who come into contact with me!”

As an old man when he was blessed with wisdom instead of pure knowledge, he prayed “Lord, please just give me the grace to change myself!”

People are so terrified of speaking in public, that they say they would choose death, rather than have to make a speech.

Whether or not the person would actually go through with the stated selection is irrelevant, because what it highlights is the extreme pressure felt by up to seventy five percent of the world’s population, when asked to make a public address.

Hopefully this article will bolster your confidence a little and offer some practical tips on the art of public speaking.

The information presented here is based on my own personal experiences with speaking in public, feedback from attendees, discussions with other presenters, intense study of the great speakers, conducting public speaking training courses and mentoring people in the art of delivering a powerful and memorable speech.

Firstly it is important to decide “who you are”.

The more I train people, listen to speakers, attend social functions and observe audience reactions, then more I realise the huge importance of “being yourself”.

If you are the kind of person that people consider to be quick witted and generally funny; then you should include some humour in your talk, otherwise be very careful!

The internet, speech writing books and well meaning friends will often advise you to tell jokes to win the audience over. On many occasions I have cringed in my seat as joke after joke falls flat on a very embarrassed group of people.

Let’s face it, some people are really good at impromptu humour and joke telling, and some are not!

My worst nightmare is when a very nervous public speaker, typically at weddings, uses low level sarcasm and dredges up past (seemingly funny) events about the happy couple, to deflect the focus away from him/herself in a dismal attempt to seem funny and relaxed.

There is a scene in “The Wedding Crashers” where John Beckwith gives good speech advice to Claire Cleary just before she speaks at the wedding.

He says “I know, but the funny because it’s true bit, only works if the truth is a very small thing like, “everyone knows Jennifer likes to shop, ha ha ha”. Honestly, I think you’re better off going for something from the heart “

Like all great inexperienced Public Speakers she ignores his advice and says “I think people are going to love this.”

Eventually, after all of her words have fallen flat and people are shifting nervously in their seats, she moves to her natural state of tenderness and compassion, delivers the remainder of her talk from her heart and ends with “True love is the soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another” (a suggested quote given to her by John Beckwith).  Naturally the audience and the happy couple are moved by her address.

Be genuine … be you … let people see you … it is great to step it up a little and press the boundaries of your comfort level, but at least try to stay within your spirit.

There are numerous web sites offering “canned” talks for every occasion and if you are very new to Public Speaking you may benefit from at least some form of outline to get you started.

Some of the basic elements of Speech Writing include:

1. Have a basic plan.
Are you intending to educate, inform, inspire or motivate.

2. Decide on a beginning, a middle and an end.
Hot Tip: It is often a good idea to write your own name and your first few words at the top of your page. Your nerves will be at their highest just as you start, once you have said your own name and the basic introduction your heart rate may have begun to slow down a little.

3. Make sure you do not have too much content.
It is useful to remember that even the best audience will reach information saturation after about twenty minutes.

4. Use different methods of communication to reach people.
Visual (overhead slides), audio (your talk) and audience participation (exercises).

5. Do your research first.
Find out exactly what the conference organiser or coach is looking to achieve through your presentation. Make sure your information is accurate and not based on rumour, opinion and heresay.

6. Get yourself involved with good personal stories and relevant examples.
Story tellers will be remembered long after all the factual presentations are forgotten.

7. Focus on a powerful opening and memorable close.
Promoters of live bands know that people will react well to a great opening (well known song) and a powerful final number.

This is Willie’s second book (the first was “It only takes a minute to change your life”) and he uses this new book to reflect on his personal experiences, setbacks and comebacks.

Willie also describes the temporary failures of many successful people and how they rose above their obstacles to try and try again, until they finally broke through.

There are many motivational books on the market and I have heard some say that there is no room for any more, and that the message is very similar across every book.

I believe the message has to be the same and in “being the same” reinforces the very thing we should do to succeed.

Every author brings a new flavour to the message, coupled with their personal heartaches and stories, and he or she adds a unique element to what we already know.

It is this “unique viewpoint” that often jells with us and finally causes us to get our “but” out of the way and allows us to move towards our goal.

I found the book refreshing, full of great uplifting stories and overflowing with awesome quotes, some of which I have listed below for your enjoyment and inspiration.

One of personal favourites:

“Most of us are standing in a river and dying of thirst.”  
Cathy Mateo

Willie Jolley: Quotes and Reflections

“In every life there comes a time
A minute when you must decide
To stand up and live your dreams
Or fall back and live your fears
In that minute of decision
You must grasp the vision
And seize the power
That lies deep inside of you!
Then you will see
That dreams really can and do come true
And that all things truly are possible
If you can just believe!
It only takes a minute to change your life!
It only tales a minute to learn that
A setback is nothing but a setup
For a someback!”   
Willie Jolley

“I have only just a minute
Only sixty seconds in it
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it
But it’s up to me to use it
I must suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it
Just a tiny little minute
But an eternity is in it!”   
Dr Benjamin Mays

“The minute you make a decision to take action … is the minute you change your life!”  
Willie Jolley

“None of us can change of yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows!”  
Colin Powell

“While prosperity discovers vice, adversity best discovers virtue, and the virtue that comes from adversity is fortitude. The good things, which belong to prosperity, are to be wished, but the good things, which belong to adversity, are to be admired. Therefore he knows not of his own strength that has not met adversity.”
Sir Francis Bacon

“Adversity can either break you or make you.  The same hammer that breaks the glass also sharpens the steel.” 
Bob Johnson

“Good timber does not grow with ease, the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” 
J. Willard Marriott

“If thou faint in the time of adversity, thou strength is small.”  
Proverbs 24.10

“Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank wit poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat. The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.” 
Theodore Roosevelt

“Mediocrity is a place and is bordered on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by lack of vision.”  
John Mason

“Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it demands on your perspective.”
Mary Roberts Rinehart

“Do you get upset because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 
Author Unknown

“All men dream, but not equally. Those men that dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds, awaken to find that it was just vanity. But those that dream by day are the dangerous ones, for they dream with their eyes open, to make sure that their dreams will come true.”
T.E. Lawrence

“You can be the designer of your life, or the victim of your circumstances; it’s up to you!” 
Redenback

“The only ‘good luck’ most great people ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome ‘back luck!’“
Channing Pollock

“If the dream is big enough the facts don’t count.” 
Dexter Yager

“Gravity is a fact, but airplanes circumvent that fact on an hourly basis.” 
Neil Armstrong

“Keep my words positive, because my words become behaviors
Keep my behaviors positive, because my behaviors become habits
Keep my habits positive, because my habits become my values
Keep my values positive, because they become my destiny.’ 
Mahatma Gandhi

“Because I’m special, I have my sense of self
And it’s not for sale, I know who I am
And I refuse to fail, I know who I am
I’ve got the power to succeed, and in the spirit of faith
I’ve got all that I need
A blessing in disguise, as evidence of things not seen
Is the secret of success, in the seed of self esteem,
Because I am, that I am, there’s no way I can let myself down,
Hang-ups and setbacks are only stepping stones to higher ground,
Because I am special, I am who I am.”    
Danny Queen

“There are only two things to worry about;
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you are sick, there are two things to worry about;
Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you die, there are only two things to worry about;
Either you will go to Heaven or you will go to Hell.
If you go to Heaven, there is nothing to worry about.
If you go to Hell, well why worry now! It’s too late!” 
Author Unknown

“You may not be responsible for being knocked down, but you are responsible for getting back up.” 
Jesse Jackson

“If you can just believe, all things are possible to them that believe.” 
Mark 9.23

“We go through life with a series of God ordained opportunities, brilliantly disguised a challenges.”
Charles Udall

“In life you are either just interested in a relationship or committed to a relationship.  You are either just interested in completing your studies or committed to completing your studies.  You are either just interested in starting your own business, following your dream or committed to it.  You are either just interested in improving your health, income, or lifestyle or you are committed to it.  You are either just interested in reducing the stress and mess in your life or you are committed to it.  Once you make up your mind, the main thing is to keep “The Main Thing” … “The Main Thing!”  Stay focused and committed and you will see results and not regrets.” 
Jewell Diamond Taylor

“He who Knows Not, and Knows Not that he Knows Not, but thinks he Knows, is a fool … shun him!
He who Knows Not, and Knows that he Knows Not, is a child … teach him
He who Knows, but uses not what he Knows, is asleep … wake him!
Oh, but he who Knows, and Knows that he Knows, and uses what he Knows, is a Leader … Follow him!” 
Author Unknown

“All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes!” Roman 8:28

Napoleon Hill spoke of the need for Accurate Information.

When my parents were alive they received relatively small parcels of news, theories, cures, money making ideas and celebrity stories from the newspaper, books, radio, work colleagues, friends and family.

Today we are literally bombarded with “so called” facts from the internet, radio, television, cell phones, newspaper, magazines, books, CD recordings, MP3 players, work colleagues, friends and family.

The list of information sources does not seem vastly different, but it is worth noting that each of our physical contacts now has access to huge pockets of data scattered across the various media platforms, most of which are completely non verified, often have a marketing or political agenda and are accessible twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

All of us carry inaccurate data in our head from time to time; we spread the stories and the urban legends like wildfire via emails, blogs, text messages and word of mouth. We forward emotionally charged, loaded-gun messages to our friends, (“send this message to seven other people and become wealthy” etc) without first checking the accuracy of the story or the opportunity.

We react to “so called” virus threats by creating a hailstorm of emails to everyone on our list, whereas in fact, most of the threats are completely false, and it is our emailing contribution that becomes another part of success in the perpetrators desired chain of events.

The internet is a wonderful medium to communicate, carry information, conduct online business and provide user selected entertainment.

Finding the “accurate information” inside the millions of pages is the challenge.

I believe it is my responsibility to at least attempt to verify a piece of data, before passing it on to others who may not be as wary. The key is to know where to look for that verification.

My personal choices are:

1. www.truthorfiction.com for hoaxes, world catastrophes, pleas for help, scams, emotional stories, virus warnings, special offers, rumours, inspirational tales, forwarded emails
2. www.wikipedia.com for celebrity status, historical events, corporate data, scientific facts and general knowledge
3. http://www.symantec.com/security_response/threatexplorer/azlisting.jsp?azid=F for verification of any new virus threats, emails, warning

Let’s “look before we leap” and start to filter out the truth from the fiction.

This book came into my hands because I was staying with my friends Mike and Mel in Dunedin. They were gracious enough to allow me to stay in their family home and they had recently acquired the book, almost as I arrived at their house.

It was early morning, my hosts had left for work, I was alone in the house, and I was casually looking for something to read.

I reluctantly picked up “The why are you here café” and have to confess to a fleeting moment of scepticism even before opening the cover. Having read some extremely good “story telling” style books by Og Mandino and Dr. Spencer Johnson, I was also aware that many not so great “story telling” books were now filling the bookshelves of retail outlets.

I don’t mind a well written, heart felt story teaching me stuff about life and the universe, but I dislike it when the story is so badly written that it feels like learning to swim in the shallows of a child’s paddling pool.

Initially I skimmed the book, without reading the ending, felt a little better about the word structure and dialogue and then moved back to the beginning to enter the café.

Being a speed reader allowed me to complete the book in a single sitting and as I stepped into the hot shower my thoughts and my spirit were both whirling and tumbling with new thoughts, realisations of the past and new ideas for my future.

I “literally changed my life” that cold winter’s morning in Dunedin!

That is not to say “it will change your life”, I guess my time had come and the book was the missing piece of the jigsaw for me.

My next move surprised me even more, after getting dressed I sat down at the laptop and wrote to the author (John Strelecky) and a couple of days later he had the grace to reply (see emails copied below).

This is not a “book review”; it is more a “book recommendation”.

Grab a copy, enjoy the story and see if you can find your PFE!

GOD Bless

KEITH

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Copy of Emails:

Hi John

Your book surprised me!

 When I picked it up, almost reluctantly, I heard myself think “not another Og Mandino or Spencer Johnson look alike”; i.e. a well meaning motivational message, thinly disguised by an emotional story of near tragedy or rags to riches methodology.

Your book touched my heart because it is obvious, at every level that it has been written from the very core of your being.

You have not written this book purely to make money, although clearly you deserve to, you have written this book because “you actually believe it”.

Thank you for having the courage and discipline to produce this book; you have opened yet another door in my quest to fulfil my purpose.

God Bless

KEITH LIGHTFOOT

New Zealand

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Hi Keith,

Thanks for your email, I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience at the café with me.

It may sound strange, but the book and the story seem to have an energy all their own.  I wrote it, or perhaps more importantly, it seemed to write itself and I just typed it, in 21 days.  I had never written a book before, or ever had plans to write one.

My wife and I had just returned from a nine month backpacking excursion around the world which was the closest I’d ever felt to feeling perfectly in synch with my own purpose.  For whatever reason, the book just “came out” at that point.  It’s been a pretty amazing journey since then, and when I receive letters like yours, it really makes it all worthwhile.

All the best as you continue fulfilling your PFE, and thanks again for your email.

Cheers,

John

John P. Strelecky

International Best-Selling Author- The Why Cafe
407-342-4181
jstrelecky@whycafe.com
http://www.whycafe.com
What are your “Big Five for Life” and how can I help you achieve them? www.mybigfive.com/jstrelecky