Search
Archives for Inspirational
Jan
11
How to Believe in Your Dreams – 3 Steps
January 11, 2010 | 21 Comments
How to believe in your dreams in 3 steps.
Belief is a powerful word – the state of knowing and feeling certain that something special is coming your way. Through my own personal experience I’ve found that creating that state of certainty – to believe in your dreams – has 3 steps.
Here are 3 steps to believe in your dreams:
Step #1. Love What You Do
Recently I was watching Steve Jobs present his commencement speech to the Standford College graduates. Steve is one of the co-founders of Apple computers. Although Jobs is not a college graduate himself he had an important message to help anyone create belief in their dreams.
Steve said that many people try to connect the dots looking forward so that they can see what their life will look like in the future. He said that’s the wrong approach because connecting the dots only happens when you’re looking backward. It’s only after something happens in your life that you realize how it got you to where you are.
He gives the example of when he got fired from Apple. He spent 10 years of his life building this multi-billion dollar company. And when he got fired at the age of 30 it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him because a few months later he met his wife.
Jobs says that you can’t connect the dots moving forward. You can only have faith and believe in your dreams. Jobs says that the only thing that kept him going all those years when he faced adversity was the fact that he absolutely loved what he was doing. The lesson?
Do what you love and love what you do. To believe in your dreams, make sure to find what you absolutely love to do and the go out and do it.
Step #2. Always Think On Paper
I was at a seminar in Universal City last year and saw some amazing speakers and presenters. One of them was the rich dad from Robert Kiyosaki’s popular book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He said something that I’ll never forget,
“Always think on paper.” ~ Keith Cunningham
That means taking a pen/pencil and writing out what you want. Then taking that initial draft and rewriting and refining it until it feels right to you. Creating a state of certainty starts when you know what you want.
Have you ever been to a restaurant when the server suddenly came by to take your order? And because you were unsure of what you wanted, you fumbled a bit?
It’s exactly the same with your dreams. If you’re unsure of what you want, you start to fumble and doubt yourself. That doubt is a dream killer. Click here to read more…
Dec
28
Top 10 Video Blogs for 2009
December 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I thought I’d share some of the more popular video blogs I put together in 2009. It’s been just over a year since I introduced video to my blog. Although awkward at first, I started to get more comfortable with the format because I felt like I could be myself.
I thought this list might provide some added inspiration and motivation to help you kick off the new year.
Here are the Top 10 Video Blogs for 2009:
#10 How to Change Your Thoughts, Fast!
Changing your thoughts (especially the nagging ones) is not as difficult as it sounds. You can do it very quickly when you have the right tools. It’s just a matter of having a willingness to learn something new so that you can change your thoughts.
In this video I’ll show you exactly how to change your thoughts fast using the swish pattern.
#9 The No.1 Strategy to Make You Feel Better
This strategy works for me every time and it will work for you too – to make you feel better; and here’s the best part. It’s so simple. You can do it at home, at work, with friends or family – with anyone at all. You could do it with a total stranger!
#8 How to Make Bigger and More Inspiring Pictures
The video is less than two minutes long and it will help you make bigger and more inspiring pictures.
May
23
Best Friends
May 23, 2009 | 5 Comments
I think deep down everyone has a burning desire to be great. They want to be the best plumber, the best carpenter, the best mechanic, the best engineer, the best lawyer. They want to be the best dad, the best mom, the best uncle, the best cousin and the best friend. They simply want to be the best – they want to be great.
It’s human nature to want more for ourselves and to want more for others. It’s natural to want to grow and be more.
The other day a good friend of mine gave me a call. We were talking about a recent promotion that I was passed up for. I work full time as a project manager and had been told that I was going to receive a huge bonus for work well done but the compensation didn’t fall through. I was offered a title change but nothing else.
I wasn’t in the best place and my wife and I hadn’t talked in almost 36 hours because of our conflicting schedules. It was in that 36 hour that I received a call from a good friend of mine – my friend Jason.
I was really upset that I had been passed for promotion because I thought there was something wrong with me. Jason didn’t see it that way. He asked me what had happened and listened to my story.
While we were on the phone, something happened. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I felt a shift – I felt lighter. I shared my story with Jason and he just listened.
When I was all done he just said the most beautiful words. He said, Steve, with your skills and experience you can work anywhere you want. You’re going to do great things. I told him how much I appreciated his call and he told me, No Steve. Thank-you. My heart melted. I felt like crying but I didn’t.
Apr
15
3 Fun and Inspirational Videos on Youtube
April 15, 2009 | 1 Comment
You gotta laugh sometime, right?
These are three of the funniest and most inspirational videos I’ve come across on Youtube. They’ll make you laugh, they’ll entertain you and you’ll have fun watching them.
Abraham: Case of Cognitive Dissonance – Esther & Jerry Hicks
Is being spiritual sound like too much work? Check out this video.
The T-Mobile Dance
This one is too much fun to pass up.
Web 2.0 Expo NY: Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library)
Gary is hilarious. You can tell that he loves what he’s doing for a living. Gary shares some tips on how he went from nobody to celebrity in 17 months. He’s got a bit of a potty-mouth, but he’s still funny.
Dec
4
The Part You Play in Your Transformation
December 4, 2008 | 2 Comments
Are you willing to change?
To change is to give a completely different form or appearance to; to transform.
In the past year, I’ve seen some dramatic changes. I’ve started consulting part-time, I’ve started a new blog and I’ve begun life coaching. You see, I’m a big believer that if I want things to change around me, then I have to change first. I’m at the cause of my results. If I change then my world will change too.
In the past 12 months I’ve seen some drastic changes occur in my life. I’ve created new ways to speak, think and act. I’ve created new habits, new skills and made new friends. I’ve even found a new career.
Reflecting back over the past 5 years, I’ve realized some even greater changes. I proposed and married Trisha, started new relationships with my new mom, dad, and brother. I’ve transformed the relationship with my dad and the people in my family.
I’m not the only one unique to change. You are also evolving and changing. And your changing because you are energy. You’re a continuous wave of transforming energy.
The movement of energy throughout the world is dynamic and changing all the time. Energy and change are never static. If there is one constant in the world it is change.
When a young child is growing you can easily see and identify with their physical changes. You can see their feet and hands get larger, their muscles grow and their body structure change.
Physical Change
Oct
13
Life is Short
October 13, 2008 | 2 Comments
Joe Zanatta was my grandfather. He past away on Tuesday, September 30th and was 84 years old. When he was 27 he left Italy to come to Canada and start a new life. The word “Nonno” means grandfather in Italian. My Nonno has left me with some great memories.
Memories of Nonno
You might remember him for his good looks, his charm, his hands-on approach to life and how he carefully tendered his garden to get those tomatoes just right. You might remember him for his bad driving, his little pick-up truck or that 40 proof vino that made your head spin. You might remember him for his spotless driveway or the way his lawn was always trimmed perfectly.
You might remember him for all these things. You might remember him for the way he used to say hi and how he always had a smile on his face. It was as if his face was saying, “It’s so nice to see you.”
You might remember the way he greeted you and the tender way he would hold your hand. My Nonno was always so gentle and loving.
You might remember Nonno for the little things he used to say. Like when we used to ask him if he would like a drink of water and he’d say, “Water? It’s too wet. It gets the pipes rusty.”
I’ve got to be honest with you; it’s rare these days to meet someone like my Nonno. He was someone who had such a spark and enthusiasm for life; someone who always had a smile on his face and the right words to make you laugh. He had such a great attitude. He was one of a kind and I’ll miss him.
I’m going to remember the Nonno who always had the patience to listen; and the wisdom to give great advice.
Life is a Game You Play
Sep
5
Love the Climb
September 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I started cycling at the local GoodLife Fitness gym last year. If you’ve ever done stationary cycling you know how grueling it can be. It’s a deep pain and extremely exhausting. That little bike can dish out quite a punch. It’s a fantastic workout if you can get through the whole class.
It’s been over a year now. I’ve been cycling once per week to get into better shape for hockey and it’s worked
When I first started cycling I used to hate climbing. Climbing is when you crank up your gear shift (resistance) on the bike. You crank it so you literally have to jump out of your seat to hammer down those pedals. If you don’t, you’ll come to a complete stop.
It takes every ounce of energy and effort to keep moving forward. It tests your limits, it tests your will and it tests your mind. Walking down a set of steps after this work out is not an option.
I almost fell off the bike once when climbing. It was my fourth week cycling and we were running a climbing circuit. The circuit went like this: Stand up and climb for 5 seconds, down and sit for 10 seconds, up for 5 and down for 10, and so on and so forth. As I was going up and down on one of those cycles I almost spun out of control. I lost my footing and I almost lost the bike too!
Yesterday I was climbing again. When the music started and we were about to start, I got excited!
- All I could see was this massive mountain in front of me.
As I was pedaling all I could think about was every challenge that has ever come my way. I was thinking about every obstacle that has ever been in my path. I was thinking about every time I’ve ever gotten knocked down and how I got back up.
Jun
25
Personal Growth Isn’t Easy
June 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Last week I received a link from a friend of mine, Stephan Lieder. Stephan is consistently working on his own personal growth and as a result he came across a very interesting link which he gratefully passed to me. The link leads to a movie called, ’212°’ and it has a great message. For all of you canucks and metric people 212 is in degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
I found this movie very inspirational and wanted to pass it along for others to enjoy. The movie starts off by explaining that if you raise hot water from 211°F by one degree to 212°F it causes hot water to turn into steam. This is pretty much second nature to us engineers. It’s the same as raising water from 99°C to 100°C, you get boiling water. Anyways, it’s not rocket science.
The movie goes on to say that by heating the water this extra degree, it adds a lot of energy to the water with the potential of producing a lot more power. Just the same it takes one degree of extra effort to produce additional energy and phenomenal results for your life. The people who are able to consistently produce this extra degree of effort separate the good from the great.
This movie was inspired by the book, ’212 The Extra Degree’, written by Sam Parker and Mac Anderson.
To your inspiration,
Steve
May
24
Just Start and Achieve Your Goals
May 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
For my entire life I’ve always wondered how people were able to figure out what it is they love to do and how they just knew to do it. For a very long time I wasn’t sure what I wanted and it drove me nuts.
A coworker of mine ran into a similar problem. He was struggling to advance his career and was caught between two options. One option was to become a Professional Engineer and the other was to complete his classification as a First Class Engineer. Both positions had lucrative earning potential. And both positions would provide the lifestyle he wanted, but he still wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t clear on which way to go.
Decide on Something
When he spoke with me he said, “Steve, I think I want to become licensed as a Professional Engineer but I’m not sure. What do you think I should do?” I said, “Well, maybe I can help you by sharing this story.”
In November I enrolled myself in a program called the Self Expression and Leadership Program at Landmark Education. As part of the program I made a commitment to participate in a community project for the course. I wasn’t sure what project to pick, I was stuck.
Motivational speaking always intrigued me, but I hadn’t spoken in front of a group before. Seeing that I already had experience working with high school kids as a math tutor, I decided to speak at a local high school.
Something Opens Up
The program came to an end and I wasn’t able to complete my project. Along the way I did meet some amazing people and one of them was Lori-Ann Jakel. Lori-Ann asked me to create and submit an article to Confidence Bound Magazine. I did write that article and it was published in January of 2007.
Mar
28
Are Questions the Answer?
March 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
I remember one evening I was talking with a friend of mine. We were talking about a client that I was tutoring in math. My friend had mentioned that Jake, my client, didn’t like tutoring and that he had lost his interest in math. Although this wasn’t uncommon for kids his age, it bothered me. I became motivated to think of different ways that I could empower Jake; to help him achieve his goals.
After some time I became frustrated. I wasn’t able to come up with any great solutions, but my intuition was telling me a different story. I needed to have a different type of conversation with Jake.
Ask Good Questions
At the beginning of our session, I asked Jake some questions. Firstly I said, “What are you passionate about and what do you want for you life?” I could tell by the look on his face that he took this question a little off guard by the way he was squinting back at me. It’s not every day that a teenager comes home from school and his parents ask him, “What do you want with your life?”
As Jake was processing the question, he kept looking back at me. He has this blank stare on his face. It was as if his face was saying “What are you talking about weirdo?”
I just went with it. My gut was telling me this was the right thing to do. I waited, patiently. After an eternity of silence, he finally said, “My band.” I said, “Ok. What is one of the things you would like to achieve with your band?” To which he replied, “I’d like to create a song that my band could play”. I said, “Great! What other things would you like to do?” This seemed to trigger his thinking process and we put down a list of goals:
Jake’s Goals Click here to read more…
