As we move officially into autumn, my Canadian mind is still focused on colder weather (even though where I live, it gets cool but not really downright cold).

So this quote really caught my attention:

“One kind word can warm three winter months.”
- Japanese Proverb

It’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to be kind to others. But spreading around warm fuzzies actually brings good feelings to you, the giver, as well.

So how can you make a difference to others?

>>> CONTINUE READING How to Breed Warm Fuzzies…

How often have you taken the people in your life for granted, while you focused on business, or  your own goals, or keeping the house clean, or any other number of things that can get in the way of what truly matters?

As I just wrote in an article on the LWL Worldwide blog:

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re into personal development — working on yourself from the inside out, and becoming the best “YOU” that you can be while living in this world.

But all the personal work doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if you don’t have rich relationships with other people. It’s like trying to live in a void, a vacuum, or a hermit cave, without accessing the things that form the core value of human experience: a full range of heart-based emotions and feelings, as well as the clearest mirrors possible for your own behavior.

To find out how to turn around your limiting patterns and bad habits, read my full article and download the accompanying free report: Reverse Your Relationship Problems.

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

We all find ourselves in situations where we say the wrong thing.

It could be to your co-worker, your friend, or somebody in your family…

But the worst thing is when it’s with your spouse or partner.

Did you know that most couples don’t know the mistakes they’re making when they communicate?

And of those who do know, most don’t know how to say the right thing… they just know when they’re saying the wrong thing?

I just posted an article on the LWL Worldwide blog that talks about exactly that, with a quality resource that has been really valuable to me — and can hopefully help you out, too.

Read the rest of my article here: Change Your Life With Magic Words

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

When you go “all in”, you’re giving everything — whether we’re talking about poker or life.

And as we get older, it’s natural to think about what lies ahead, and wonder if we’re giving enough appreciative energy to being alive.

They say “you only live once.”

And while that may or may not be technically true (I believe in an afterlife and reincarnation, but that’s a discussion for another day), the point is that in this life — this time around, as the people we are today — we only have one chance to make a difference, inspire and serve others, and leave our marks…

>>> CONTINUE READING Going All In For Life…

Today, October 10th, 2010, is our wedding anniversary: 10-10-10.

Until now, we haven’t seemed to share the date with many couples.

After all, traditionally people get married in the summer, and according to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hallmark says August is now the number one month for weddings, followed by June, July, September… and October in 5th place.

But when Barry and I got married two years ago, we liked the 10-10 date. It had the symbolism of making the wedding and the marriage a perfect 10.

Now, it seems, thousands of couples agree with us, as they rush to the altar today (and aim for the 10:10 a.m. time — which happens to be exactly when I’m writing this — to get a full 10-10-10-10-10).

>>> CONTINUE READING 10-10-10: The Perfect Anniversary…

Breakthroughs come in all kinds of unexpected ways.

This past weekend, for example, Barry and I experienced a breakthrough in our relationship that came just when we were taking a plunge down the roller coaster ride of life. We felt like we were going to keep racing further down… and instead we took a sharp turn upwards.

It’s inevitable that we experience ups and downs in life — after all, as we’re always saying, the Universe exists in complete balance.

Unfortunately, knowing that doesn’t really make the downs much easier to deal with, does it? But tapping in to your superhuman drive, which takes charge when you’re determined to get out of a dark ditch and shed some light on a situation, can.

Funny thing is, you can’t usually get out of that ditch by scrambling. It’s more effective to quiet those panicky emotions, take a step back, and look at the big picture — even as far as seeing your life’s purpose.

That’s essentially what Barry and I ended up doing, which led to the first amazingly inspiring breakthrough…

>>> CONTINUE READING Purpose-Driven Breakthroughs…

Last year I wrote a post about British singing sensation Susan Boyle called Why Does the World Love an Underdog?

It wasn’t picking on Susan — it was pointing out limiting patterns many people have, and why we need to provide value in order to receive it — but it caused quite an uproar from Susan fans who took it personally, and don’t understand the personal-development lessons that Barry and I offer by dissecting trends and actions.

(This blog is written by me, whereas our LWL blog has been written by both of us, but make no mistake… I discuss a lot of thoughts and feelings with Barry before writing posts like this, so parts of him are here too.)

Don’t go to that post looking for the flames, though, because most of them weren’t approved. I always welcome intelligent commentary, but not things without substance, like, “You’re evil! Susan rules!”

Again, I think Susan has a great singing voice — not my taste, but she’s certainly talented.

As for the winner of this season’s Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, I can’t say the same thing. What it proves is that some people still love underdogs, and can’t stand villains…

>>> CONTINUE READING Why People Love Underdogs… and Hate Villains…

As I wrote to  my Twitter followers today:

Happy Valentine’s Day friends – may you be with those you LOVE today, focusing on that powerful feeling that lets you achieve and overcome

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Today was the big 4-0 for Barry… and since I think the milestone birthdays that end in a “0″ are a big deal, I took him on a special surprise journey.

Our neighbors sat with Konan (the longest time he’s ever been away from us, and he was a perfect little angel the whole time!) and our adventure began.

Barry had no clue until we got there what was going to happen… I let him guess, but he kept thinking it was something else.

The truth? We went to Ashland to the Waterstone Spa, and had a nice lunch (the best salad and sandwich EVER!) followed by a two-person Japanese bath, side-by-side deep tissue massages, and a sauna together.

If you’ve never had the experience of side-by-side massages, or a private sauna, I highly recommend it!

And if you happen to be in Southern Oregon, you can’t go wrong with the Waterstone. Very friendly staff, good massage therapists, privacy, and no extra fee for the “Duet Room”.

What better way to turn 40?

Keep Unwrapping the Mysteries of Life!

Barry had his first Father’s Day today… an amazing milestone in the journey of parenthood.

And I got a milestone too.

I got to appreciate how my favorite man has given the best of what he’s got (time, energy, love, and of course, genes!) to my favorite boy.

Konan is the most amazing thing to have happened to us, and more incredible than we ever could have imagined.

The fact that two people can come together and create a third that’s so special, so perfect, and so ready to learn, grow, develop, and experience everything they can from life is just mind-boggling.

Of course, millions of people have experienced this very thing before… but it doesn’t make it any less awe-inspiring for those of us who are going through it for the first time.

Konan turned 8 months old yesterday (this favorite picture of mine was taken a couple of months ago) so he’s already 2/3 of his way to becoming a year old.

A year full of firsts… and today was one of the most special.

Happy Father’s Day, Big Bear!

And to Konan (and the rest of us, too)…

Keep Unwrapping The Mysteries of Life!