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Like millions of people around the world, my wife Michelle and I participated in the online class that Oprah Winfrey did with Eckhart Tolle that took place between March and May of this year (and is currently re-playing on Oprah.com each Monday night at 8:00 PM CDT - check it out).

We loved the class and are still getting so much out of it and Tolle’s book A New Earth. One powerful moment of the whole experience for me was the final moment of the final class. After Oprah and Eckhart said their goodbyes to each other, to all of us who had participated in the class, and as the out-going music was playing - she turned to him and gave him a “high ten.” It was a cute and sweet moment of excitement and connection between the two of them. From the look on her face you could see and feel her joy, enthusiasm, and genuine passion.

I turned to Michelle and said, “That’s why she is one of the most powerful, influential, and admired people on the planet.” Her passion was and is so real. Oprah gets excited about all kinds of things - books, cars, movies, growth, dogs, gratitude, helping people, and so much more. When she does, you can feel it - it is real and it runs deep.

This is not about Oprah, it is about our own ability (or inability) to feel and express our passion. For some of us, based on how we were raised, our personality, and the environments we find ourselves in, the people around us, and more - it might be easier to express our passion; while for others, more difficult.

When we get in touch with our passion and are willing to express it, not only do we come alive, we tap into one of the most powerful forces in the universe which can allow up to manifest what we want (not just things, but feelings and experiences as well) and in the process inspire others.

The key is that for passion to have real power, it has to be genuine…you can’t fake it.

What are you passionate about? What makes you come alive? How can you more fully express your passion today and every day?

I will close this post with one of my favorite quotes:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman

With Passion,

Mike

One area where many of us struggle to appreciate ourselves is with our bodies. Many people, my self included, are super critical of how they look and of the size, shape, and appearance of their bodies. Over the course of my life, some of the deepest pain and self loathing I have felt has had to do with me feeling ugly, flawed, or simply not good enough physically.

We live in a culture that has an obsession with appearance and with “body beautiful.” And while there is nothing wrong with us wanting take care of ourselves and wanting to look good, I think that many of us go overboard with this. We forget that our ability to appreciate our bodies and feel good about our appearance is not based on how much we weigh, how tall we are, the size of certain body parts, how our skin looks, how much hair we have (a big one for me these days), or anything else. It all has to do with how we feel about our body and how we look.

We can appreciate our bodies at any time and for any reason. No body is perfect. All bodies change with time. There are so many things about our bodies and our appearance that are great, work well, and look good. We often forget to “focus on the good stuff” about our bodies, instead choosing to pay attention to the areas where we think we “need work.”

The world of “form” is always evolving and changing. Our physical bodies, like everything else physical, exist in this world of form. While we would not expect to still have the body size and appearance that we did when we were toddlers, we similarly should not expect to look the same at 40 as we did a 20, or at 65 as we did when we were 45. It is almost as if we are trying to apologize for being human, for aging, or for being physical beings.

One of the best things we can do for ourselves physically, as well as mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, is to appreciate ourselves and our bodies.

This issue really hits home for me and is something that I personally find challenging…which is part of the reason I am writing about it today. As they say, “we teach best what we most need to learn.” While this body image and appearance issues are talked about quite a bit in our culture, mostly by women (even though many men, like me, worry about their appearance as well), I don’t think we really go very deep in our inquiry or discussion about it. We mostly focus on the surface - food, weight, skin care, hair care, clothes, plastic surgery, etc. None of that stuff really matters if we don’t ultimately feel good about ourselves and our bodies.

As with most things in life, appreciation, when it is genuine, comes first and can lead to the outcome, result, and feeling we desire. Instead of holding our breath until we lose those 10 or 20 pounds, have the money to buy all the new clothes we want, or get whatever it is we think we need to get to feel better about our bodies and appearance - what if we started right here, right now and appreciated our bodies exactly as they are and loved them unconditionally.

Being able to appreciate ourselves physically, while challenging for many of us, can and will create such a sense of freedom, peace, and love in your life - for yourself and with others. I’m working on it…wanna join me?

With Appreciation and Vulnerability,

Mike

Like many people - I have been engaging in the work of Eckhart Tolle and his book A New Earth recently. As you probably know, Oprah picked this book as her book of the month a few months back, recommended it highly, and has put together an incredible 10-week online class with Eckhart each Monday night (tonight is class #9).

This book (and all of Tolle’s work) is about being conscious and letting go of the destructive nature of our ego. He challenges us to move beyond the world of form and to go deep within ourselves, to connect with our true essence, and to awaken as spiritual beings. He pulls together some of the most important spiritual teachings in a way that is clear, accessible, and powerful. This is one of the most profound books I have ever read.

I am grateful and excited that Oprah has gotten behind this book and has introduced it to so many people around the world, myself included. Moving beyond ego and our “pain body” (as Tolle describes in the book - that place within us that reacts, judges, defends, and protects) really can create a whole “new world” for each of us personally and for the planet.

Imagine if we as individuals and as a society could move beyond our obsessions with our bodies, our possessions, our competition and comparison, our judgments and disagreements, and more. While I do understand and accept that much of this is all part of the human experience, I do believe it is possible for us to transcend some of the survival based, unconscious thinking and behavior that causes us and others so much pain. This book and the awareness it is creating is doing just that for me and so many others.

If you have not done so already, I highly recommend you check out the book and the class on Oprah’s website. Even though the 10-week class is almost over, you can download and watch or listen to all of the past classes from Oprah.com or iTunes. It is amazing stuff!!!

With Gratitude,

Mike

Samantha’s dressed and ready to go to the baseball game!

As someone who is very interested in current events, politics, sports, and more - I pay a lot of attention to the news (sometimes more than is probably healthy for me). I read my newspapers (San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, NY Times), check the Internet (CNN.com, HuffingtonPost.com, ESPN.com. MLB.com, and others), watch TV (CNN, MSNBC, ESPN…and the Daily Show on Comedy Central of course), and listen on the radio (KCBS, NPR, ESPN radio, etc.). With all of this news and information, I am often struck by how little of it is “good news.”

While there is probably a certain amount of negative stuff that is important for us to know about, if we spend time checking in with most of the “mainstream” press - it is easy to get the impression that life is really scary, negative, and that there are lots of terrible things are happening all over the place.

What about all the good news? There are literally billions of positive things happening all over the planet at this moment…most of them we will never hear about or know about. Think of how much good stuff goes unnoticed, unacknowledged, and un-communicated even in our own personal lives.

I recently found out about an amazing woman, Daryn Kagan, and her remarkable website, http://www.darynkagan.com/. She is a former CNN anchor and reporter who has started her own media outlet - sharing real life, positive stories of real people like you and me. After 12 years at CNN (and 20 years total in the news business), she left in 2006 and launched this website with a vision of uplifting people and sharing some of the wonderful “good news” that is all over the place.

Her new book, What’s Possible, is all about this. She picked 50 incredible stories that will touch your heart and soul. She also includes some valuable nuggets and “take-aways” from the stories that you can practice in your own life right away.

Way to go Daryn! I applaud you for your work, your vision, and your commitment. To have someone with your skill, awareness, and expertise using the media to share all of this good stuff…is wonderful and what we all need more of on a daily basis.

Check out Daryn’s site and book - you will be glad that you did. And, in your own life - share as much good news with others as you can.

With Appreciation,

Mike

I often find myself running around - going from task to task, meeting to meeting, event to event - just trying to get to the “end,” (which, by the way, never comes). I have recently been listening to the incredible class that Oprah is doing with Eckart Tolle on his book The New Earth (which I highly recommend). Something simple, but powerful that Eckart keeps saying is that “the access point is in the present moment.”

When and if we can actually be present in this very moment, we have access to peace, love, joy, transformation, connection, healing, beauty, and anything else we want to experience in our lives. Instead of working “hard” to get to some destination out in the future, we can experience fulfillment right now if we appreciate THIS moment.

Take a moment right now as you read this to stop, look around, and pay attention to this very moment in time. When we do this, anything and everything is possible.

With Appreciation,

Mike
www.focusonthegoodstuff.com

With Super (Duper) Tuesday tomorrow, I felt compelled to write about Barack Obama. I often get nervous to passionately express my political views too loudly as I don’t want to offend anyone, be too pushy, or to turn off or push away people who may think or feel differently. And, here on my blog which is read by people of all backgrounds, faiths, political persuasions, and more it feels risky to me to put this out here. However, for a myriad of reasons this moment feels too important to let my little insecurities get in the way of speaking my mind and sharing what is in my heart…

I am inspired to my core about the possibility of Barack Obama getting the Democratic nomination and being our next President. I imagine you have already made up your mind about who you will be (or already have) voted for this primary season. And if you haven’t or have been thinking another way, as Oprah said yesterday at the rally for Obama at UCLA, “You are allowed to change your mind.” While I respect and admire Senator Clinton and Senator McCain on so many levels, I truly believe Barack Obama is the person who can help transform and heal our nation. He speaks about and understands love, empathy, change, equality, peace, hope, unity, and possibility (and so much more)…these are the core elements of what is called for and needed at this important time!

My passionate support of Barack Obama began when my wife Michelle and I attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. We were at the Fleet Center that July night when he gave his historic speech and introduced himself to the country and the world in a BIG way. About 5 minutes into his speech that night, I looked over to Michelle and she was crying. I looked around at a dozen or more strangers sitting near us and many of them were crying too. Within moments I was in tears myself. Many of us looked at one another as he was speaking and mouthed, “Who is this guy?” in sheer amazement. It was a truly spiritual experience and the highlight of an experience (being at that convention) that was a pinnacle moment in both mine and Michelle’s life.

We have since met him in person (see the photo below from our trip to DC in Feb. 2007) and seen him speak live in San Francisco and Oakland. I have been moved to tears dozens of times listening to him. I have never felt this way about a politian in my life and have never seen or felt what is happening in this country and with his campaign. We have the chance to make history, not just in electing the first African American president, but in empowering a spirit of hope, passion, and love that is needed and necessary at this time in our country’s and our world’s evolution.

In reading both of his books and watching literally thousands of his speeches, interviews, and more (yippee CNN and youtube.com) I am thoroughly convinced that Barack Obama is the right person at this time in our history to lead us in a much needed, loving and healthy direction. Just think what an incredible message we will send to our children, our country, and our world when we have Barack and Michelle Obama in the White House. By the way, if you have not seen her interviewed or heard her speak, check her out…she will knock your socks off too!

I love being alive at this time and am grateful to be able to share my passion, my love, and my commitment not just for Barack Obama, but for this incredible nation and world we live in right here in this email to you. Whatever you do, vote! And, if you are still not sure or thinking about changing your mind…vote for Barack Obama! Thanks for reading this, for participating in this process, and for being who you are.

As Barack says, “YES WE CAN!” I so agree with him. http://origin.barackobama.com/tv/ (click here to watch his “yes we can” speech from a few weeks ago in New Hampshire).

And, once he is elected, the real work will begin. It is time for all of us to step up, play big, and participate in the political process with love, hope, and faith in what is great about ourselves, each other, and this country. He is calling on all of us to become conscious citizens and to create the country and world we truly want. Yes, we can do this!

With Inspiration and Passion,

Mike

P.S. Here is a link beautifully written piece by my friend and best-selling author Marianne Williamson called “My Journey to Obama” that she posted on the Huffington Post a few weeks ago: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-williamson/my-journey-to-obama_b_81372.html

2/1/07 - we were in Washington DC for the Peace Alliance conference and we visited the Senate…we ran into Barack in the elevator and got this photo with him. Amazing!

Hey there…happy new year. Can I still say that, even though we are about two weeks into the new year already? I guess it still works for another few days. I have been meaning to post to my blog for weeks now - all about the holidays, year-end appreciation and completion, goal setting for the new year, and more. And, 2008 is off and running for me in such a way, this is my first opportunity (or the first time I have forced myself) to sit down and write here on my blog. I hope you are doing well and that the year is off to a good start for you.

So, what kind of a year will it be for you? Are you waiting to see, as most of us do. Or, are you setting your course and making it happen? I recently heard Joel Osteen on Larry King, it was a re-play of his interview from a few months ago when his book came out. He made a comment about the difference between being a thermometer (which just tells the temperature) and the thermostat (which sets the temperature). I like that analogy and it is a good thing for us to consider about ourselves, especially as the year gets going.

Make a commitment to yourself about what kind of a year and what kind of a life you are going to have. Instead of waiting around to see how it turns out, get out there and turn it out the way you want it to.

I wish you all the best for a great 2008. I am excited to be able to connect with you this way.

Cheers,

Mike

At this time of year we have so much to be grateful for and so many people to appreciate. Because my new book, FOCUS ON THE GOOD STUFF: The Power of Appreciation, is all about this amazing power of gratitude and appreciation, it is a perfect book to give to others for the holidays.

So many people have told me that they love giving the book away because they know it both inspires and empowers the people they give it to, and it is also a wonderful way to say “thank you.”

We put together a very exciting holiday promotion campaign that starts today, 12/17/07. When you purchase Focus on the Good Stuff online today, you’ll receive free bonus products from great authors like Marianne Williamson, Jack Canfield, Jeffrey Gitomer, and about 30 others. You’ll also receive additional bonuses when you buy multiple copies!

For specific details about this promotion, more details about my book, and to receive your free bonuses now, visit www.focusonthegoodstuff.com/holiday

Have a great day. Look for the good stuff and enjoy this magical time of year!

With Appreciation,

Mike