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.

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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.

Well, to begin with, time, as we think about it, doesn't even really exist. We think of weeks and hours and minutes and seconds, but these are completely human inventions. Days and years can be scientifically measured, of course, but these concepts as they're familiar to us would mean nothing if we were on the surface of another planet. They're simply subjective.

Now, sure, all of these labels present a convenient way for us to function as a society, but they are really just lies we agree upon. There is no such thing as an hour. Nine o'clock in the morning does not exist. And yet, to give you an example of how powerful a hold this lie of time can have over us, more people have heart attacks at 9:00 on Monday mornings than at any other hour. Think about that. They'd rather die than go to a job they hate. How's that for processing time with an extraordinary psychology?

And examples of this abound. Traffic on the streets of our cities overflows twice a day in the hour before nine and the hour after five. Most of us eat lunch at noon and go to bed before midnight. But these are all arbitrary hours that have meaning only because we've assigned it to them. In the United States, we're used to working from nine to five, but if we all decided that we were going to take a nap in the middle of the day, that's what would become the norm. And in some areas of the world, that's exactly what happens.

Those of us who are concerned about using our time wisely — of balancing our myriad roles effectively and getting the most success from all of them — would do well to break out of these artificial constructs and create a personalized way of interacting with time and the things we would like to accomplish in it. That's what this artilce is about. But to do this, we first need to understand a little more about the nature of time itself and of how it progresses in the natural universe. If a week or an hour doesn't really exist, then what exactly is time? What's it made up of?

Well, as a physicist would tell you, time is the factor that distinguishes sequential events from simultaneous events. Time allows for progression, for cause and effect, but it's also the barrier that separates the present from the past and the future.

Time is not anything you can see. It's not a force that has a demonstrable effect on its own, like gravity. Gravity is actually a property of matter, but time is a property of space. We think of space as having three dimensions — which we popularly call "length," "width," and "height" — but it actually has at least one other dimension. The fourth dimension of space is time, which we could also call "duration." In fact, space and time are so closely linked that scientists often refer to them as parts of the same phenomenon. This is called space-time.

Now, I know this is getting to sound more like Physics 101 than a way of mastering your use of time! But believe me, it's all connected. What I want to make clear is that we're used to thinking of things as happening in space. The same amount of space could hold a house or a forest or an ocean or a landfill, just like the same amount of space could hold a BMW or a rusty old hatchback.

And I want you to start thinking of time in the same way. Space-time is nothing more than an arena for us to fill up as we choose. We can fill our own personal space-time with junk, or we can fill it with riches. The same area can bring us joy or regret, productivity or relaxation, pleasure or pain. Like so many other things, how we fill any amount of space and time comes down to simple decisions that we make every moment of our life. And that's one of the things this article is about — how we choose to fill our time, and whether that choice is made by an extraordinary psychology or by inertia or laziness or by a thousand other impulses that rob us of our precious treasure.

But it's also about the nature of time and how time relates to nature. And especially how people experience time, because we have such a unique relationship with it. Our bodies are "designed" to last a specific amount of time. Now, every day the scientific community is learning things that help extend that functioning by just a little longer, but we'll never be able to alter the fact that there is a beginning and an end to physical. And much of the time in between is determined by natural systems for which time plays an critical role. So many of our biological functions are "timed" … the activation of our pituitary glands that trigger puberty … our heartbeat and respiration … cell division and elimination … menstruation. These are part of timed cycles, like the cycles of the tides, of the seasons, of days and nights, and of the Earth's revolution around the sun. We may or may not be aware of them, but the cycles of our biology exist in balance with these natural cycles and others.

And think about other natural cycles that move without cease around us. All living creatures are affected by cycles … cycles like when wild animals reproduce. Think about insects like the cicada, which emerge from hibernation every seventeen years to mate. Or cycles of migration, like birds that fly south for the winter. In the wild, much of an animal's instincts are centered upon the passage of time.

But humans differ from every other life we know about because, even though we have cycles and instincts of our own, we have a conscious and active sense of passing time that goes beyond "hardwired" responses. Just the fact that we have arbitrarily determined and named intervals of time speaks much for our unique power for comprehending and harnessing it. This is really quite extraordinary, if you think about it! A cat might realize that it's hungry, but it doesn't understand why two hours must pass before its next meal. And because of this, it becomes a servant to the hunger, as it's a servant to all of its instincts.

Only we humans are different. Consider the story of a group of coal miners who were trapped underground by a cave-in. While they all survived the falling rocks, they were cut off from the surface and, even worse, from their air supply. Knowing that they only had a few hours before their air ran out, they prayed for rescue in that time, but it seemed hopeless.

Only one of the miners had a watch, and he used it to keep them alive beyond the time the air should have been exhausted. How was this possible? It isn't a riddle. Since he was the only one who "knew" how much time was really passing, he was able to convince the others that what felt like a passing hour, because of their isolation and panic, was really only a half hour. He was lying, of course, but it did the trick. The miners, convinced that only three hours had passed, were able to survive the six hours it took for the rescuers to dig to them, just as the air was running out. Only one man died … the man with the watch. Aware of the "impossibility" of survival, he didn't survive.

Now, this is an extreme and possibly apocryphal tale, but it does nicely illustrate two points. The first is one of my favorite philosophies, and I've seen it proven over and over again: that what you believe becomes your reality. The second is that it's possible for people to break the seemingly unassailable hold that time has over them. It's simply a matter of changing the way you think about it. That's all it takes to be the master of time, rather than one of its many, many slaves.

One of my life mentors recently emailed the following story to me. I think you'll find that it contains a lot of wisdom.

* * * * *

A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to filling the jar with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They again agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students agreed with an unanimous yes!

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents in to the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," the professor said, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things — your faith, your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions — things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff! "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your Happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers!"

* * * * *

There's a great deal of wisdom in this little story. It's so important to figure out what's most important in life. Most people major in minors throughout their entire life. Don't let that be you. Remind yourself often what's really worthy of your time and focus.

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

As we travel along the path of life, barriers, challenges, and stumbling blocks are inevitable. And they come in all shapes and sizes. Some come out of nowhere, and some we're prepared for. Some are put in our way by other people. Still others we create or invent ourselves.

As any good personal development program (or wise grandparent) can tell you, it's the challenges in life, the hard times, that present us with our greatest opportunities, as well as our greatest lessons. Looking back over your own experiences, you can probably see evidence of the truth of this. I remember in my own life when I left home for college, having never really been away from home before. At the time, it was a difficult experience for me. Those first few months at college were among the loneliest and most challenging of my life, and I experienced many moments of doubt as I sat alone in my dorm room thinking about my life and my future. But I soon figured out how to get rid of fears and my homesickness and start enjoying the tremendous opportunities all around me. In fact, I finally realized that being away from home for the first time and all of the people I knew, presented me with an amazing opportunity to reinvent myself. And that's exactly what I did. When I look back on the challenge I faced and how I turned it into a tremendous new start for myself, I'm reminded of the power that comes to each of us when we step up to the challenges that come our way.

Of course, emerging on the other side of a life challenge as a stronger, wiser, and hopefully better person is directly dependent on our willingness to step into the unknown with courage and faith. And it's important to remind ourselves that overcoming challenges is a skill that has to be practiced in order to be perfected. Otherwise, the barriers we come across will thwart growth instead of encouraging it. Unfortunately, we can probably all think of someone we know who hasn't been able to get beyond a particular hardship or obstacle, and has suffered for it in one way or another. It takes courage, determination, creativity, optimism and faith to face challenges head on and move beyond them, and it's not always quick or easy. But in the end, the barriers you conquer are your greatest teachers.

I was recently consulting for a company that is facing some very serious challenges. Because of a total lack of communication and execution at all levels, a once profitable company has fallen from a position of generating literally millions of dollars in profit every year to a position of losing so much money that the company is now millions of dollars in debt. In fact, what finally brought the situation into the open was when the bank called one of the owners and told him that the company’s credit line at the bank was completely used up and that the company could not borrow any more money.

There are many factors that caused this once thriving company to begin turning south. The biggest issues as I mentioned are poor communication and lack of execution. People started vying for power and building internal fiefdoms instead of focusing on key result areas. And rather than openly discussing the lack of results and numerous business challenges, people started covering their hind quarters. But, of course, when things get bad enough there is always a day of reckoning.

What’s interesting in situations such as these is to see how the leaders in the company handle this kind of challenge. I’ve often found that one of two approaches is typically used. Let’s call those approaches Revolution or Evolution.

Revolution can be defined as a process designed to overthrow, repudiate, and replace an established system.

Evolution can be defined as a process designed to continue the growth and development of an established system.

I typically see people choosing to implement a Revolution and here’s an easy way to do it:

1. Communicate different messages of change to everyone.
2. Tell some people that other people are not performing the job and give names of specific people that need to be reprimanded or fired.
3. Ignore the company’s current hierarchy or chain of command and start giving new and sometimes conflicting directives at all levels of the company.
4. Introduce outsiders or consultants into the current business model without defining their role or purpose and give them free reign to create upsets and confusion.

I’ve always found it much more beneficial to choose an Evolution which looks like this:

1. Communicate the same message of change to everyone.
2. Tell everyone that the company is being reorganized for improved productivity. Solicit feedback and ideas from everyone.
3. Work within the company’s current hierarchy or chain of command and start setting new objectives to improve performance.
4. Introduce outsiders or consultants into the organization only after clearly defining their roles and require that they work within the established company framework.

There can certainly be great power in either a Revolution or an Evolution but I’ve never liked all of the causalities that come with a Revolution. It’s always seemed to me as if all of the blood in the streets is completely unnecessary. At the end of the day, my goal is to gather up everything that has been learned in the past and invest it in a better future for everyone. Besides, so often the biggest problem at any company starts right at the very top. It takes “clarity of intent” to run a company and it’s so easy to forget about that fact.

Have you ever thought about what it is that makes a company great? Certainly the most obvious answer is the people in the company. In order to have a great company, you need great people. That almost goes without saying.

So maybe the question should be: "Why do great people end up working at great companies?"

I think I know the answer. It's explained by what is often called "The Law of Attraction."

Over the years, I have read a lot about "The Law of Attraction." One book I recently read defines it by saying "you get what you think about, or your thoughts determine your destiny." Both are excellent definitions.

Another definition says that "like attracts like." That's pretty simple and straightforward.

Perhaps this is why many great writers have said that success is not something you should try to pursue. Rather, success is something you must attract by the person you become. What this means is that success is not something you can catch by chasing it. Instead, you must develop the skills, abilities, and character traits that will just naturally bring success your way. If you develop the qualities of success, then success will most surely come your way.

I think this same line of thinking works in the realm of having a company filled with great people. The companies with the most to offer will end up with the best people because people are just naturally attracted to the best opportunities.

I believe if we stay focused on the things that attract the best people, we will be rewarded by finding and working with the best people. A company’s growth is directly linked to to the quality of the people that work there. And the key to attracting great people is to work on making the company as exciting and rewarding as possible.

"The Law of Attraction" is one of those universal laws that you can count on. All we have to do is to figure out what will attract that which we want.

Do you really want to be wealthy?

Now most people will quickly respond "Yes!" to this question without giving it much consideration, but it does merit some careful thought. As you know, there is a cost to everything we do. And achieving any significant goal always requires that we invest something of ourselves in the form of hard work and commitment. So you say you want to be wealthy, but what are you willing to sacrifice to reach your destination? And how will you know when you are there?

I'll tell you right now that you can become as wealthy as you want. I know that's a pretty bold statement, but I'll say it again. You can become as wealthy as you want. It won't happen overnight or without effort, but it can happen! Just like every other aspect of your life, wealth is a choice, not a twist of fate. You have the same resources available to you that every other wealthy person has used to build his or her fortune. Remember, it doesn't take a lot of money to make a lot of money, but it does take wealth to create wealth. This is a secret worth remembering: It takes wealth, not necessarily money, to create wealth.

What does this mean? Allow me to digress for a moment and discuss the meanings of wealth.

Wealth simply means an abundance of something. Usually, when people use that word — and usually when I use the word — it refers to an abundance of money. But it can also mean an abundance of anything else we hold dear. Love, time, health . . . these are all forms of wealth that are just as important as the financial kind. In fact, without these other kinds of wealth, getting rich is a cold and empty process, usually spurred by greed.

Certainly it's important to learn how to expand your monetary wealth along with the other kinds of wealth that are important to you. But what's interesting is that by drawing on other forms of wealth, we can get rich that much faster, and it will be a far more responsible and rewarding process.

You see, each of us holds an immense fortune inside of us that can be channeled to create monetary wealth in our lives. I call this our "secret wealth," because most people don't understand the vast potential they have to become as wealthy as they want to be.

What is our "secret wealth"? It's our time, talents, dreams, desires, and beliefs. Our secret wealth is our love and passion and vision for the world. Our secret wealth is the things that make us truly happy. And our secret wealth is our individual mindset about becoming wealthy. We can unlock this wealth merely by first identifying it, then focusing it. That is, first figure out what it is about you that makes you unique and special, then decide how these things can lead to your becoming wealthy.

Someone once determined that if we divided all of the money in the world equally between every man, woman, and child, we'd each have more than a million dollars. And I can tell you that most people would like to claim their share of that! Well, I'll tell you a secret. The way to true riches has always been through focusing our secret wealth. Using their secret wealth, paupers have become presidents, and people who started life in the worst and most squalid of conditions have become some of the richest and most famous people in the world.

Using your secret wealth effectively is a sure signal that financial wealth will follow. And the best thing is, you don't need any special intelligence or education. I once had a talk with my friend Sarah, who actually does have a very good education: two Master's degrees from prestigious universities. At one point in the conversation, she lamented that her car was dying and her current financial situation wouldn't allow her to buy another one. "The worst part is," she said, "I keep seeing all those people driving around in BMWs and Lexuses. I know I'm smarter than they are, so why am I not driving a luxury car?"

The answer I had for her was simple: They had tapped into their secret wealth, while she had not. And that's the ultimate advantage. They may not be as educated, and they probably even work much less than my friend, who put in over 60 hours per week, and yet they have far more money.

Well, this revelation intrigued Sarah, who had never been very interested in my financial advice before. Immediately, we began brainstorming what her secret wealth might be. While she worked as a liaison between nonprofit organizations, it was a job she fell into in a roundabout way. She was fairly happy with her job and actually made a decent salary, but she wasn't very interested in the specifics of her day-to-day activities.

Interestingly enough, her true interest lay in the entertainment field. She had long toyed with the idea of becoming a comedian in her spare time, and she had a long-standing passion for European cabaret. By the time we said goodbye, she was already focusing her mind on how she might put her secret wealth to work for her. And the next time we talked, she was happy to report her success!

Keeping her interests in mind, she approached her boss with an idea for a fundraiser with a cabaret theme, and in her enthusiasm, she was actually able to get a big-name comedian to commit to the project as the emcee. When she was given the go-ahead to proceed, the evening was a smashing success, and the emcee even gave her some tips for breaking into show business. The next week, her boss offered to create a higher-paying position for her in which she could plan further such events. The week after that, she started participating in open microphone nights at comedy clubs. Now, two years later, she is actually being paid to entertain audiences in her spare time. The money is rolling in, and she's even driving one of those luxury cars she wanted so much! And it's funny how people's perceptions change. The last time we talked, Sarah told me that she's realized that a luxury car is just a car after all! Her real happiness comes from using her secret wealth to really prosper.

So what is your secret wealth? Do you know? Do you want to know? Tapping into your secret wealth is not a minor matter. Expressing those parts of you in the world may involve a number of big changes in your life. But financial wealth, if you don't have it, will never come without change. If that weren't true, if we didn't have to change our habits to become wealthy, then we'd all be wealthy!

Certainly, it's very possible to accumulate a great deal of money by making only minor changes in your lifestyle. But what if you got really serious about creating a fortune for yourself and your family? What if you become totally focused on building a legacy of contribution in world? What if you focused on money enough to become financially independent? And most importantly, what if you created this new financial wealth by simply utilizing the secret wealth you already possess?

Imagine, then, the power of making bigger changes, of using your secret wealth to create even more money. You'll get richer faster, and the best part of all is that, when you're getting wealthy by expressing your inner passions in the world, you will be happy by default! In fact, the money you gain will be secondary to the joy living your life has become and the satisfaction that you are doing something that is personally fulfilling.

I want to tell you an story that illustrates how important it is to find our place in the scheme of things. It seems that a young girl who lived by the ocean found a baby seal. It was a newborn pup that had apparently lost its mother. The child took the seal home and began feeding and caring for it much like you might a new puppy dog or a kitten. Although the seal was somewhat out of place and a bit awkward on dry land, it seemed to thrive in the young girl's care. The two became best of friends and enjoyed playing and getting into all sorts of mischief together.

Seals are extremely intelligent animals and this particular seal adapted beautifully to its life on land much like any other pet. In fact, it would follow the little girl around the house and yard and even slept at the foot of her bed at night. One of the more delightful scenes was watching and listening to the seal sing while the little girl played the piano. It was a rare accompaniment indeed.

As the seal got larger, though, the little girl was told by her parents that she should allow the seal to swim in its natural environment. And although the girl didn't want to lose her unique pet who had become her best friend, she agreed to take the seal out into the water for a swim.

As the girl rowed the boat farther and farther from the shore, the seal became more and more terrified. It had never been in a strange place like this and it was frightened by what might happen. As the girl helped the seal into the water, it was as if the seal was not only sad but was actually crying because of what was taking place.

But then something very predictable happened. As the seal disappeared under the water for the first time, it instantly knew that this was the element for which it had been born. It was pure joy. Suddenly, the seal was transformed from an awkward, lumbering creature on land to a thing of power, beauty, and elegance in the water. Yes, this was the environment for which it had been born and it felt at completely at home for the very first time.

I've always loved this story because it gets me thinking about how important it is to find our own place in the scheme of things. To keep looking and searching until we find what it is that will give us that sense of rightness about the world and our place in it. So many people are in jobs they hate, doing activities they don't like simply because they haven't found that place in life where they really fit in. Or they haven't discovered the things that they really enjoy doing in life. And certainly there are always those who know what they love to do but they are simply too scared about what might happen if something goes wrong that they're unwilling to "move confidently in the direction of their dreams" as Emerson once wrote. But, of course, we can discover who we really are and find our place if we'll only put forth the effort.

All of my reading and research continues to convince me that there's a place for each of us in life where we can do what it is we love to do in the service of others. While it's not always an easy thing to do, I don't know of anything more important in life than discovering what will bring you happiness and joy while intelligently serving others.

Do you ever think much about the opportunities that exist in your life?

Although we are all surrounded with more opportunities for advancement in life than we could ever act on, we typically don't live life from the perspective that we've got unlimited options.

While it's easy to get people to agree that there's an abundance of opportunities for success of all kinds in the world today, their actions often tell a completely different story. Most people live life much too timidly or defensively. They somehow think that the purpose of life is to make it safely to death. But, of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

Think about how boring a sporting event such as football or basketball would be if there were no offense, only defense. Surely the game of life requires a strong defense to protect us from the challenges that come our way, but we can never hope to win big in life without an extraordinary commitment to the offensive part of the game.

I often think of the opposing forces of offense and defense as they relate to sports when I think about the topic of opportunity. Surely there are opportunities to take advantage of when playing defense, but again the big wins in life are more often than not offensive in nature. Seizing an opportunity whether it be in sports or in life, usually requires taking bold new steps into the unknown.

I'm sure that the primary reason why many people don't pursue their dreams in life is fear. Fear of what might happen if they take advantage of an opportunity and it doesn't work out. If the truth were known, we're probably all a little bit scared of the unknown but I find it interesting the most successful, happy, and fulfilled people I meet in life have transformed this fear into excitement for what they can build for themselves in the future.

We need to remind ourselves that stepping into the unknown is a part of life. And that's good. Imagine how boring life would be if you knew exactly what was going to happen. It would be like Christmas with no surprises.

Achieving all of our goals and dreams for the future requires us to step into the unknown and take advantage of the opportunities that come our way. I think it's best to be bold rather than timid as we make these steps. Of course, this doesn't mean being careless or acting without intelligent thinking and planning. But don't over-analyze your life either or try to protect yourself from everything little thing. The truth is that you are bigger than anything that could ever happen to you so don't pass up a great opportunity out of just plain fear. Sometimes in life you've got to feel the fear and do it anyway when the opportunity is right for you.