1. I like my PC; I love my Mac.
2. I do all my bill paying on a PC; I do all my creative work on a Mac.
3. I saved the box my iPhone came in.
4. I bought a Mac in the 80’s; I strayed in the 90’s and came back in the new millennium.
5. The iPad is the most used and fun gadget I own.
6. Apple customer service is unmatched by any PC maker I’ve ever encountered.
7. Apple TV commercials are works of art.
8. Steve Jobs either knew what you wanted or made you want what he created. Either way, he was a genius. The Genius Bar should be renamed the JOBS bar.
9. Walt Disney would have loved Steve Jobs.
10. I wish I would have held onto my Mac stock when the market crashed in 2008.

All the best,

John

ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
I LOVE MY BODY
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
FEEL FOREVER YOUNG
VIRTUAL MASSAGE

I read a quote from a photojournalist recently that went something like this: “I set out to change the world but the world changed me.”

On the surface, most of us would agree with that observation. When you dig a bit deeper, the facts just don’t support the claim.

The world doesn’t change you, a situation doesn’t change you; your response to the situation changes you.

We leave out the fact that we have a choice when we make the claim that someone or something made us do something.

Reminds me of a story I’ve told before . . .

I was conducting a workshop and asked a participant a hypothetical question. I asked, “If I put a gun to your head and tell you to move to another location and you comply, did I make you move?” She answered “Yes.”

She neglected to notice that she had a choice. She also had the unenviable choice to not move and risk having her head blown off.

There are dire situations in the world that people encounter every day. Many change as a result and others do not. Take the serious issue of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as an example. Many soldiers come home from war and have flashbacks that traumatize them. Others, who have experienced the exact set of circumstances, have no after effects. Is one soldier “tougher” than the other? No, they are just responding differently.

The stimulus/response happens so quickly in the affected party that it seems they have no choice in the matter. In order for them to put this traumatic response behind them, they eventually have to come face to face with the fact that they have a choice. It’s the only way to heal. If they conclude that war does this to some people and leave it at that, they likely will be traumatized for life.

A helpful therapist will guide a client to choice. They will help the person appreciate that there is a wedge that we can put between stimulus and response, and each time we do, we offer ourselves a choice. The eventual outcome of repeatedly interrupting a stimulus/response connection is that a different, more productive response will automatically emerge.

The closest we get to control in this life is our response. We just have to recognize that we have a choice in order to make a choice.

The world WILL change you with your unspoken consent. To have some say, it’s necessary to notice that there is a choice point between stimulus and response.

All the best,

John

ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
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RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
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VIRTUAL MASSAGE

I’ve heard it said that self absorption and selfishness is a distinction without a difference. I totally disagree.

In my experience, I have come across many unselfish people who are self absorbed. Their main attention is on themselves but many of their unselfish acts deliberately benefit others.

What is the difference?

Selfishness is about the lion’s share of the benefits coming to you; self absorption is about having most of the attention coming your way.

Self absorbed people don’t let their attention come out to play too often; they believe their unselfish acts are all the attention that others need. It’s a fairy tale that many of us have lived or continue to live.

The commodity that everyone is looking for is attention and there is no physical substitute. No artificial sweeteners need apply.

How many times have you heard it said by someone that they do so much for other people and don’t get any recognition for it? My suspicion is the complaining party is unselfish and self-absorbed.

They may reach into their pocket but they keep their attention locked up. It reminds me of an expression my mother, a lifelong waitress, used to use about people who were “cheap.” She would say, “He still has his recess money.”

Hoarding your attention is as harmful as hoarding your money. The underlying fear seems to be that there isn’t enough to go around, so I’ll hang onto all I can get.

My experience is that when you give attention it begins a process of flow where what you give away comes back to you, oftentimes in greater measure. There are many who make the same claim about money.

There is only one way to prove the theories. Test them out.

If you are lacking attention, give some away. The same experiment can be done with money. If you’re short on cash, give some away and see what happens. You may have to do it more than once to get the flow going, but I believe you’ll discover the harvest is worth the effort.

Unlock your attention today and spread it around. It’s totally unselfish and it will replenish itself like in the parable of the loaves and fishes.

All the best,

John

ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
I LOVE MY BODY
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
FEEL FOREVER YOUNG
VIRTUAL MASSAGE