You've undoubtedly heard the well-known idea attributed to Rene Descartes that says "I think, therefore I exist" or "I think, therefore I am." But what if Decartes' famous dictum or equation doesn't provide a complete answer?

The book entitled "Descartes' Error" by Antonio Damasio takes on Descartes' famous pronouncement with the idea that our feelings and emotions are much more important than ever imagined. In other words, Damasio believes that it is wrong to think that only minds think. You may want to read that statement again: It is wrong to think that only minds think. What if our feelings and emotions play a key role in the way we think and what if our feelings and emotions are actually at the core of our thinking making them required for rational decision-making? I find his hypothesis extremely fascinating.

It's always interesting to take something that is considered an undeniable truth and then dig in deeper to see if what we've been told, or if what we've come to accept or believe, might require more analysis. Antonio Damasio's book might change the way you think about the mind as well as how you think about thinking itself. What if our feelings and emotions are actually the most important parts of who we are and how we live? What if they are more important than our thoughts and/or what if they somehow guide our thoughts? What if feelings and emotions are actually at the root of our thinking?

I personally believe that a great deal of what we think about comes from the questions that we ask ourselves on a daily basis. But what if even the questions we ask ourselves are bubbling to the surface based on our feelings and emotions? This is indeed an intriquing area of study.

So if you want to stretch your mind with some interesting concepts and ideas relative to thinking and the mind, I recommend reading "Descartes' Error." It might change the way you view yourself and the world around you.

Just for fun, think about this for the next 30 days and see if anything changes in your life:

"I FEEL, THEREFORE I AM."

It's more than just a philosophical mind bender. Giving your feelings and emotions more significance might lead you to a completely different life. In fact, what if your feelings and emotions are the most intelligent part of who you are? And what if they are trying to tell you how to live a better life but you're just not listening?

I was going to end by saying "it's worth thinking about" but maybe it would be more accurate to say "it's worth feeling."

What are you reading these days? If I had access to your house, would I find a stack of interesting books on your night stand?

Just for fun, I recently grabbed the books off of my wife's nightstand. She always seems to find great books to read so I selected four books from her stack to see what I might learn. What I like to do is try to pull one or two powerful ideas from every book that I read. So here is a glimpse into four books that you might want on your reading list.

* * * * *

DARKNESS VISIBLE
A Memoir of Madness
by William Styron

This is a book I would have never selected myself. Yet sometimes the books that can be most helpful to us are the ones that we might never select ourselves. I tend to like the more positive books that focus on success and achievement rather than the books that delve into the pain that can be experienced in life. But sometimes the most powerful lessons in life come from painful experiences. And luckily, I found that this book does have a happy ending.

If you've ever sufferred from depression or know someone close that has, you know how debilitating it can be. This book is Pulitzer Prize Winning author William Styron's memoir about his descent into depression, and the triumph of recovery.

I knew that this was going to be interesting, when I saw this opening quote:

For the thing which
I greatly feared is come upon me,
and that which I was afraid of
Is come unto me.
I was not in safety, neither
had I rest, neither was I quiet;
yet trouble came.
- Job 3:25-26

I never thought of this quote in relation to depression but I can now see the connection.

Styron also uses some quotes from Dante's THE DIVINE COMEDY:

In the middle of the journey of our life
I found myself in a dark wood,
Where the straight way was lost.

You'll need to read about his experiences yourself, but this book will give you a glimpse into very serious depression. The good news is that Styron finally ends the book with his own translation to the final line of Dante's Inferno section of THE DIVINE COMEDY:

And so we came forth, and once again beheld the stars.

Here's my major idea from the book:

Don't ever think that a problem cannot be overcome even if you don't fully understand it, and especially if no one else understands it. There are always answers and hope. Or to say it another way, it's always too soon to give up.

* * * * *

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
by Todd Burpo

If you wonder about what happens after death, you might find studying near death experiences to be something worthwhile. And if you study near death experiences, definitely don't miss this book. It's about a kid that goes to heaven while undergoing life-threatening surgery.

Here's my major idea from the book:

Near death experiences may be one of the best sources of information about what happens after death and what heaven is like. And since kids often have a closer connection with the spiritual realm, a kid that had a near death experience is really fascinating to study.

However, none of this seems to negate the fact that our current home on planet earth is caught up in the great war between good and evil which seems to put us in various battles where we must constantly choose how we are going to learn, because learning seems to be the name of the game.

The question is whether we will choose to learn through pleasure or pain, and even if the pain comes, will we choose to allow it to overcome us or allow it to transform us into something better?

Of course, not just believing but actually KNOWING that heaven is for real, can change your entire experience of life. Temporary pain is much more bearable if you remember that you are spiritual traveler heading to a place without such pain.

* * * * *

FAILURE TO CONNECT
How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds — and What We Can Do About It
by Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.

I can certainly see why my wife is reading this one. We have a son who is almost a teenager now, and he is obsessed with computer and video games which which means he needs to be monitored.

Here's my major idea from this book as written by the author:

Just because children — particularly young ones — are performing tasks that look technologically sophisticated does not mean they are learning anything important.

* * * * *

SWAY
The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman

This book is over-the-top interesting. If you wonder about human nature and why people do what they do, don't miss this book.

The authors present some fascinating hidden psychological undercurrents that affect us all:

Loss Aversion - our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid possible losses.

Value Attribution - our inclination to imbue a person or thing with certain qualities based on initial perceived value.

Diagnosis Bias - our blindness to all evidence that contradicts our initial assessment of a person or situation.

They talk a lot about the challenges resulting from blind commitment to anything in life.

Here are a few major ideas from this book:

How to Conquer "Loss Aversion" …
"Having a long-term plan — and not casting it aside — is the key to dealing with our fear of loss."

Don't chase losses trying to unlose what you've already lost.

Also, don't get swayed by the hidden forces of commitment to a current course of action. Don't always try to cover your losses. Let some losses stand as what they really are in the overall grand scheme of things. Pretend you are starting from scratch based on where you are now without the memory of the past and then decide! (In business, some people talk about the mental game of pretending that you are going to move your business across the street, and then asking yourself what you would do differently. What's so powerful about this idea is that it can help you see things that you would do differently if you weren't so engrossed in your current challenges.)

How to Conquer "Value Attribution" …
Learn to discern the real or intrinsic value rather than someone else's opinion or the price society puts on something.

How to Conquer "Diagnosis Bias" …
Observe things the way they really are, not the way you initially saw them.

* * * * *

Now that I've read some of my wife's books, I'd better get back to work on my own list. Here's a quote that may help give you some reading motivation:

You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.
- Charles Jones

Of course, I would add audio programs to Charlie's list because it can sometimes be really powerful to hear an author deliver his or her work with all of the emotion that goes along with the ideas being presented. I guess that's why I love listening to authors in addition to reading what they have to say. Sometimes that added emotion can make all of the difference in bringing an idea to life.

Have you ever thought about your life as a story? My quess is that you'll benefit greatly by thinking about the story of your life, and perhaps analyzing your performance thus far. By doing this, you'll probably be able to see for the first time what your life has really been about as well as where your life is heading. The truth of the matter is that all of us are actually writing, directing, and starring in our own story every day. We just don't tend to think of it that way. But here's an interesting question to consider: Would you enjoy going to the movies to see your story being acted out? Is it a good story that others would find interesting or, for that matter, would you find it interesting? Would you like how you are living your life if you were watching yourself on a movie screen?

One of my favorite pastimes is watching movies. I love a good movie. Nothing seems to have the power to carry me away like a great story brought to life on the big screen. But have you ever stopped to think that many of the stories we like the most are actually quite similiar in structure? In fact, you might be surprised to learn that most successful movies are based on stories that have only a few key elements. I've seen academic lists of 5 elements including Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement from movie critics, and I also remember hearing someone use as many as 7 elements to analyze movies which I found more interesting because the elements used could more easily be connected with a person's life. For our purposes, I'm going to use a rough outline of those 7 elements I once heard discussed but I'm going to change the order a bit and relabel them in an effort to help you see how powerful this concept can be when it comes to living your best possible life.

Remember, your life really is a story, or series of stories. And maybe by detaching to see your life as a moviegoer would see it, you'll be able to see things you've never seen before. By viewing your life as a story, is it possible that you might discover how to make it better? How to get unstuck? How to solve your current problems? How to overcome whatever is that's standing between you and what it is you really want in life?

Most stories start with a person that has a desire or a wish or a goal that he or she wants to make real. We could simply label this element "The Desire."

Let's use the movie Mr. Holland's Opus to bring this whole concept to life. Richard Dreyfuss plays the leading role of Mr. Holland who is a man on a mission. He is a man who wants to write great music. He wants to be a world-class composer. But a story only begins with "The Desire". What makes a story start to take life and get us involved and engaged very quickly is the next element which we'll call "The Problem."

In the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, we quickly see that Mr. Holland has a major problem which can simply be labeled the cares of life. He needs money so he can have the free time he wants to write his opus. He needs to figure out a way to make some money. We can probably all identify with that problem on many levels. So often we have a desire to do something but it costs money. If we don't have the money, we have a problem that needs to be solved.

But the movie also doesn't stop there. Part of what makes any story interesting is seeing how problems are going to be overcome and Mr. Holland doesn't disappoint us. He jumps right in to the next element of a story which we'll call "The Plan." Mr. Holland's plan is simple. He is going to teach music until he can finish his great opus or symphony and, in the process, become a world-renowned composer. It's an interesting desire with a plan to overcome his immediate problem. "The Desire" followed by "The Problem" with the introduction of "The Plan" that appears to have some merit. Isn't it also interesting that we could probably identify these same elements in our own life? What's your desire? What do you want to accomplish? What is your problem? What's holding you back or standing between you and your desire? And what is your plan? Do you have a strategy to work your way through the problem or problems facing you in life?

Of course, we know that there's always more to a great story than a desire, a problem, and a plan. If fact, if that's all there was to Mr. Holland's Opus, or any other movie we were watching, we'd probably be on the verge of being quite bored and getting ready to ask for our money back before we even finish our popcorn. But it's the next element of a great story that makes things really get interesting. Let's call this next part "The Opponents."

Great stories have many levels of opponents and this is certainly true in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. And the job of the opponents is to do everything they can do to block "The Plan" and that's exactly what happens to Mr. Holland. While Mr. Holland is content to do the minimum requirements as a music teacher so he has plenty of free time to compose his opus, the principal of the school has another idea. She doesn't want Mr. Holland sneaking out early when there are students that need additional help. And we quickly see that Mr. Holland is confronted by a whole host of students that don't appear to have a lick of musical talent yet he is expected to teach them. Let's label all of these opponents, external opponents.

Getting back to your story, do you have any opponents? People that are holding you back? You might right now be making a list in your mind. What makes Mr. Holland's Opus so interesting is the fact that he doesn't just have one opponent but a number of opponents. I've heard people categorize opponents into three areas including external, internal, and intimate. The external opponents are easy to see. For Mr. Holland, we already discussed the principal and students but there were also others if you watch the movie and think about this a bit.

For example, what about the internal opponent that we all face? In the movie, we can see Mr. Holland conflicted about what to do just as we so often are with the choices we face in life. Mr. Holland wants to get his opus written and become a world-class composer, but he also wants to do right thing for the students that have been entrusted to him. And if that's not enough, the movie quickly shows us that there are two key intimate opponents. Mr. Holland and his wife are blessed with the birth of a son but it is quickly discovered that the son is deaf. Imagine being a musician where hearing is everything to you and now you are presented with a child that cannot hear. Mr. Holland and his wife now have a son that is going to require a great deal of additional time to raise. I suppose you could say that this is how the plot thickens as Mr. Holland has to deal with some pretty challenging intimate family relationships which can be seen as opponents to Mr. Holland's desire or goal.

Can you identify with the idea of external, internal, and intimate opponents in your life? It's not unusual that the biggest part of a movie, or the story of your life, to get caught up in the drama of dealing with opponents. In fact, as the opponents become more and more clear, we could say that the next phase of the story is rather obvious and is often simply called "The Battle." Rarely do opponents just cave in without a conflict. And it's often this struggle with opponents that glues us to a story. There might now be a chase scene or a toe-to-toe fight between the good guy and the bad guy that is almost cliche in movies, but there has to be some form of what might be called conflict resolution. In other words, how is this story going to turn out? What's going to happen? Is Mr. Holland going to write his opus? How is he going to deal with the challenges with his wife and the fact that he now has a deaf son that needs special care? And how might Mr. Holland's story of overcoming challenges relate to you? How are you going to overcome your problems and deal with your opponents?

I find that most people get stuck in the battle phase of their own personal stories. Isn't that true? Talk with someone about their life and see what they talk about? More often than not, it's the challenges. Of course, there's nothing in and of itself that is bad about that unless you get stuck in your battle. But at some point, you have to do what all great movies do, move beyond the battle. Although let's face it, battle scenes can make a movie! But what's next? Don't things need to get resolved?

So how are things going to get resolved? It wasn't easy for Mr. Holland. He had to learn to deal with his external opponents by making decisions about what was most important and setting new priorities. But, of course, this required battling himself from the standpoint of what to do about writing that opus that he thought was so important. And his wife wasn't going to allow him to avoid his son or not develop the kind of relationship that he was capable of having even though his son was deaf. None of this was easy but watching him deal with all of this makes the story really come alive.

My apologies in advance for giving away the ending to the movie but I just can't help myself. At the end of Mr. Holland's career as a music teacher, he finds himself looking back on what he's accomplished, or as he sees it, not accomplished with a sense of failure. The one thing that he set out to do — i.e., becoming a world-class composer — hasn't happened. And what's worse, the music program is now in jeapardy of being cancelled because of a lack of funding. As Mr. Holland clears out his desk with his wife and son accompanying him, he hears something going on in the auditorium of the school. Of course, his wife and son know exactly what is going on. As Mr. Holland gets to the auditorium and opens the door, he sees it's filled with previous and present students. Hundreds of people that have been touched by him and his gifts as a music teacher, and they are there to thank him for his life's work.

Interestingly, an early clarinet student who was just one of the many students touched by Mr. Holland's unique gifts as a teacher, had become Governor of the State, and she was now serving as the master of ceremonies for this special surprise event. During her speech, she says something that brings what we'll call "The Resolution" clearly into focus. She says these words:

"Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure. But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life."

Mr. Holland breaks down in tears as this point and finally understands what his life has been about up to that point. He has clarity. He understands something he didn't udnerstand before. He has resolution which opens things up for the final part of any great story or movie, "The Celebration." In this case, Mr. Holland gets to hear what he has composed being performed by his students. There is much more to the movie than I've outlined here, but you probably get the idea. Mr. Holland is not a failure, he has discovered a greater success than he would have ever imagined for himself through the lives he has touched. He never realized until this moment that he had such an amazing teaching gift, and he certainly never realized the extent to which that gift had reached out into the world and really touched me people so deeply and profoundly.

And this brings us back to you. What about your life and your story? Where are you in the process of your story? Are you stuck dealing with an opponent? Have you been spending too many years in a battle? Are you learning that maybe the desire you started out with isn't the best one for you and there is something much better?

More importantly, how do you want your story to end?

Or how about this? Nowhere is it written that you can have only one story. Maybe the present story you are living needs "The Resolution" and "The Celebration" so you can create a new story. As the credits rolled for Mr. Holland's Opus, I found myself thinking that instead of retiring, Mr. Holland had plenty of time to become a composer if he still wanted to pursue that dream. But I also found myself thinking that sometimes what we get is better for us than what we might have wanted in the first place. Life is interesting that way. Sometimes we don't get what we want but we get what we need.

Maybe a fresh look at your life and the story you are living could give you a new perspective. How about viewing your life as a story and seeing where that leads you. Just take the 7 elements we've discussed and apply them to your life thus far.

THE DESIRE
Is what you have been chasing really want you want? Is "The Desire" the right one for you?

THE PROBLEM
Are the problems you are facing really that bad or are they serving you in some way? Is "The Problem" holding you back or getting you to grow?

THE PLAN
Is your plan producing good results or do you need a different approach? Does "The Plan" appear to be working or is it time to consider another strategy?

THE OPPONENTS
What about those people that you view as opponents? Are "The Opponents" maybe your greatest gift because they are forcing you to grow?

THE BATTLE
Are you stuck in a battle that maybe it's time to resolve? Is it time to realize that you can end "The Battle" at any time that you wish?

THE RESOLUTION
And finally, what lesson is life trying to teach you? Often all you need to resolve a situation is a new level of understanding which can come at any time. "The Resolution" just needs you to recognize the lesson so you can move on to that last element.

THE CELEBRATION
Whatever you do, don't forget "The Celebration." It's like the icing on the cake. But do me a favor. No matter where you are in your current story, remember that you don't have to wait until the end of it to have a party. Make your whole life a celebration. I think you'll find it's more fun that way.

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, I learned early about the now legendary investor, Warren Buffett. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the wisdom he has shared over the years. In fact, each year I look forward with great anticipation to reading his annual report which always contains some of the best personal advice and business philosophy you will find anywhere. Warren Buffett is a remarkable human being who has made the most of his unique talents.

I just discovered a new series of videos on YouTube.com that you may enjoy. It’s a collection of interviews with Warren Buffett and CNBC’s Liz Clayman.

Enjoy!

Part One:
Watch the clip at YouTube

Part Two:
Watch the clip at YouTube

Part Three:
Watch the clip at YouTube

Part Four:
Watch the clip at YouTube

Part Five:
Watch the clip at YouTube

Charles Darwin wrote that reason is the greatest of all human faculties, but he also said, "The Imagination is one of the highest prerogatives of man." And of course, he was right, because we all are free to exercise our imaginations at any time and in any way we want.

Certainly, one of our greatest gifts as human beings is this ability to visualize or make pictures and images in our minds. And like all of our other abilities, the more we exercise our imagination the better it gets. The ability to increase the power of imagination and creativity is well within everyone's reach.

In his book, "Writer's Mind," Richard Cohen describes imagination and creative thinking as forms of daydreaming. He adds, " When writers are doing their most intense, creative work, they look like they're doing nothing."

Maybe this is why so many people don't try to improve their imaginations. Why give serious attention to something as frivolous as "daydreaming?" Well, the answer of course is, because the world's greatest achievements have resulted from individuals using their powers of imagination. Every achievement is the result of someone daydreaming about things that didn't yet exist but that could be brought to reality by the right combination of ideas, inspiration, and action.

I think it's important to emphasize that the kind of daydreaming we are talking about is not an idle reverie, a distracted absent-mindedness. Rather, it's a condition of mind Richard Cohen describes as "receptive, aware, and highly concentrated." It can be controlled at will. Cohen says, "You can train yourself to get inspired. You can get inspired as a habit."

But each of us will find inspiration in different ways. The conditions , settings or times of day that inspire you and get your creative juices flowing will be different than those that work for me. Perhaps you find early morning best. While most of the world is sleeping and quiet, you stare out the window, watching the sun rise and think about something you want to create, to change or improve. For others, late at night is the time when imagination soars to new horizons.

Actually, our imagination is at work for us all of the time, even when we sleep. But it's the time that we set aside for focused, highly concentrated daydreaming that is most important-time when you work on solving a specific problem by actively visualizing possible solutions. And be sure to have pencil and paper handy to jot down those ideas that come to mind.

The answers may not come to you during the actual "daydreaming" session, but could surprise you by popping into your head while you're driving the car, or taking the dog for a walk, or listening to some music. You might even have a dream that gives you just the information you're after.

While there's much about the human mind we've yet to discover, we do know that its power is unlimited when it comes to solving problems and reaching goals. Of course, we have to do our part by supplying our minds with problems to solve and goals to reach!

So find some time each day when you can work on improving your imagination. All you need to do is a little active daydreaming.

I know it's hard to accept the idea that anything is possible, but in the realm of the mind that's literally true. You can visualize anything. And it really is possible that with a little added inspiration and action, those things you've been daydreaming about will become reality.