Adversity as Motivator

"It's not who you are that holds you back, 

it's who you think you're not"

                                 - author unknown

Many of us here in Park City have the good fortune of receiving the services and friendship of Dr. EJ Raven.  EJ is a skilled chiropractor and wellness advocate who, through both his professional and personal life, continually demonstrates the power of right-action in all he does.  While juggling the responsibilities of a flourishing practice and growing young family (he and his wife Rosie have 5 beautiful children), he somehow manages to make a place in his life for the greater good of humankind.  Whether through his monthly Lunch and Learn program and book club discussion groups that enable this community to expand their understanding of a multitude of important topics like: nutrition, parenting, goal setting, etc., or volunteering his services to the Elders of the Navajo Nation, he is always looking for ways to connect people to opportunities for personal and professional growth.  EJ is a true MENCH - a German word which, in Yiddish, means a particularly good person with the qualities one would hope for in a dear friend or trusted colleague; a gentleman.

EJ is one of those “glass is half full” people.  He sees life through a positive lens and radiates his joy and hope to everyone around him. So, we wanted to gift you with a little EJ this week.  As our second guest blogger, EJ has offered a motivational video for your consideration.  It is moving and funny, heart wrenching and hopeful, it is a story that helps us all to work a little harder to eliminate “I CAN’T” from our vocabulary.

We know you will be inspired by the story of Nick Vujicic.  Please share it, especially with the children in your life. 

“Last month I had the opportunity to listen to Nick as he presented at a conference in Las Vegas.  Nick teaches us that obstacles = opportunities.  Without the obstacles Nick has had and continues to face, he would not have the incredible opportunities he has today. His presentation made me ask myself, “What obstacles do I face today that will become the springboard to tomorrow’s successes?”  Nick teaches us that we have a choice.  When we fall short, do we give up or get up?  Nick teaches us that we each have a purpose in this life. He encourages us to consider whether we are in a relentless, albeit sometimes very slow momentum forward, or have we let our foot off the accelerator of life?

We are all destined for great things in our sphere of influence.  I believe a Someone even greater, even kinder, happier, and more authentic to our purpose, lies within each of us.  And, this greatness within gently, unceasingly, beckons us to try a little harder, be a little kinder, and live a little more in harmony with our peaceful authentic self.  Nick Vujicic shows us that success may just be the reconciliation of who we are on the outside with the greatness we are on the inside.”

Dr. EJ Raven, Park City, UT

For more inspiration we encourage you to check out EJ’s website: www.incredibleDrYou.com and Facebook page at:  Freedom Chiropractic

(Please know it is the intent of this blog to promote people and ideas, not products. The mention of Mr. Vujicic’s DVD in this clip is due to technical difficulties – ours!!  We couldn’t get this video to you without it-sorry)

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Dorothy and Susan:

We know we can, We Know We Can, WE KNOW WE CAN!!!!

email us at:

dmsa51@51percent.us

Choosing Your Destiny

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice.
William Jennings Bryan

During the past week I’ve been reminded repeatedly that there is wonderful inspiration around us all of the time. For instance, the financial adviser going door to door in my neighborhood introducing himself to potential clients so he can build his business. After telling me about his company and about his financial expertise, he asked about my work. I took the opportunity to tell him a little bit about The 51% Project and what we hope to accomplish with the blog. Smiling and happy he told me that he understands, first hand, the power of positivity and looking on the bright side of life. Earlier in his life he lost one of his legs, but in spite of all the grim possibilities that could have befallen him, he chose to stay positive and not give up on his passions. Today he’s a champion Paralympic skier! This handsome, vibrant, and happy young man has the world by the tail because he took control of his destiny and intends to live a successful, joyful, and fulfilling life including pursuing his passionate love of ski racing.

The people we encounter who have such positive impacts on our lives seem to have something in common with each other, they are intentionally living the best life they can. It doesn’t mean that every part of their life is perfect, it just means that there is something they are passionate about and they are intentionally pursuing that passion with joy. It’s what feeds them, what gives them the energy to balance the rest of their life so they can pursue their passion. Just like the unexpected teacher who showed up on my doorstep; Dorothy and I want that for our lives, too.

We’re all teachers and coaches as well as students and apprentices wherever we are in life. You never know when you’ll meet someone who will be inspired by you, or who will be an inspiration to you. So, whether we’re walking alone, or sharing your path with someone who stepped up to lend a hand, each of us has opportunities to choose our destiny and intentionally create our path to fulfilling that destiny everyday.

We invite you to look around and find wonderful people and things that inspire you. Acknowledge that they can be anywhere. Allow for the probability that you are an inspiration to your family, friends, and associates, as well. When someone has said or done something inspiring, don’t be shy; let them know you appreciate it. When you’re open and looking for joy, you’ll be amazed where you’ll find inspiration and you’ll be delighted when you hear that you’ve inspired someone else.

SUSAN: It is my intention to author my life this week by being open to all the beauty surrounding me, especially the pure pleasure of interesting, fun, and inspiring people.

DOROTHY: Last week I had the good fortune of traveling south to the Mojave Desert in Southern California. The brown, wind blown earth was just coming alive as the desert flowers burst open to paint every vista in shades of yellow and purple! To say it was stunning is an understatement! Talk about inspiration – Mother Nature never disappoints! I actually returned home inspired by another, unexpected source, though. While away I met, and spent some time with, a remarkable woman who is grieving the recent loss of a child. Something I, and I suspect you, can’t even fathom. Yet there she was finding time to take a stranger on a hike and genuinely finding joy in sharing her knowledge with me. Clearly she was finding strength in the wonder of her surroundings, the beauty of it all giving her some sense of meaning in an otherwise broken world. She is truly living an intentional life – choosing to put her feet on the ground every morning and to somehow muster up the strength and courage to bump through another day. In spite of the depth of her sorrow and pain, in spite of how easy it would be to just pull the covers over her head; she chooses, with intention, to LIVE fully. She chooses, every day, to honor her child’s life by not giving up on her own. This is Grace. This is inspiration. This makes me wake up in the morning and say – “Oh how insignificant my troubles are.” This week I will author my life by acknowledging the inspiration and kindness of strangers.

Destiny awaits!

Susan and Dorothy

Living an Intentional Life

Intention:  an aim or objective, the quality of purposefulness.

As we move forward with the 51% Project, we are deeply touched and lifted by the stories shared by the people we’ve highlighted, and of those of you who have posted comments on these pages. In recognizing the joyful and determined lives of folks like Charley Johnson and Heather Gable, we’ve come to see a central theme in their way of being in the world.  Though they may not be as well-known (yet) as others across history who have lived intentional lives (often at their own great peril); Oskar Shindler, Martin Luther King, Paul Rusesabagina, Nelson Mandela, Captain Sully; their choices and actions are made through the conscious intention of decency and integrity everyday. 

When Susan and I first started talking about this project, she told me about a morning ritual she practices.  Each day when she awakens, she takes a few moments to write a sentence in her journal:  Today I will author my life by______________________.  Author her life = write her story, a chance to start a new chapter if so inclined or to beef up or alter the current saga unfolding, simply by stating an intention of how she wished to be that day.  Brilliant!

I loved the concept and began to employ it the very next day.  The results have been remarkable – really.  Though I often forgot the actual verbiage of the written intent by the time I get about my day; at days end, when I peek back at my entry, it’s clear my subconscious has remembered and has guided me appropriately. It’s so subtle, yet extraordinarily powerful.  The results seem to be cumulative as well.  I feel better – do better - am better - for those few moments of contemplation I am taking each day.

Though our intentions may not save the lives of millions, they may provide us, or the people we love and share the earth with, a joyful memory, a moment of grace or the feeling of peace in our sometimes-frightening world.

Whether you choose to AUTHOR your life through your heart or your hand doesn’t matter.  The important thing is to define what purposefulness means to you, and to offer up – in whatever way is comfortable to you – your intention to make it be.

Dorothy:  A peek at my intentions this week:  Today I will author my life by……being a witness and not a judge, remembering to breathe, giving someone the benefit of a doubt, smiling at strangers, being quiet, giving more hugs, trusting it will all work out………………….

SUSAN:  Last summer I began looking closely at the people I interact with in my work life as well as my personal life. I identified what I saw as a change that has occurred in the past few years in everyone’s way of looking at life. I described it in my journal as a frantic, swirling, compulsion to protect ourselves, our jobs, our families, our finances. Everyone, including me, seemed quick to react with aggression and without thinking about a positive outcome, a win/win if you will.  It seemed to me that we’d all given up on the belief in a happy life and instead turned to frustration and fear about the changes occurring in our world.  I didn’t like this feeling and decided to do something about it.  As I considered how to improve my outlook I remembered something I was taught years ago as a technique for creating successful sales calls … visualize the desired result before you walk into the appointment.  Just like an athlete, see the entire encounter it in your minds eye. See/feel yourself entering the meeting confident and purposeful, see/feel your prepared presentation going perfectly, the client’s responses being positive, and leaving the meeting having been awarded the sale. I read about authoring your life every day and liked the idea because it was a simple way to create my day using the same principle I’d learned about successful selling. Every morning I began writing what I wanted out of the day and, like Dorothy, found that I didn’t think about my entry during the day, but when I reviewed it in the evening I’d almost always had the kind of day I’d intended.  Some of my entries have been: “I will author my life today by letting go of the old and inviting in new positive experiences.” “Today will be a day filled with energy and accomplishment.”  “Today is a day to enjoy being out in the mountains, clearing my mind and defining what’s important to me.”  “Today I will be authentic in all of my conversations.” I hope this gives you some ideas about creating an intention for your day … a way to create a purposeful and fulfilling life.

Do you have a story to share – yours or someone you know?  Please tell us about it!  You can email your suggestions to: dmsa51@51percent.us and we’ll contact you.  Remember – this is a PROJECT and the more we share the better we ALL will be!  Thank you for your kind words and acknowledgements.

Live with intention!

Dorothy and Susan

Choosing Joy and Happiness

Joy waits on welcome, not on time.
Robert Holden, PhD.

February, the second month of The 51% Project. It’s not quite as scary as I thought it would be (did I really say that?!). Finding what we hope are interesting subjects to write about is very rewarding and helps us boost our positive outlooks. We’re glad you’re joining us!

Finding happiness is a choice, sometimes not an easy choice to be sure, but a choice nonetheless. We all find ourselves in difficult situations now and then. When we (Dorothy and I) are in one of those situations, we’re making an effort to find something to feel good about before we let ourselves fall off the cliff of negativity.

In this new work, Dorothy and I have the opportunity to talk with very interesting people and we’re truly delighted by how much happiness they are receiving by contributing to their communities, families, and friends. Hearing their remarkable stories always gives us something wonderful and joyful to think about. We’d like to share a recent conversation with a remarkable young woman who is dedicated to helping girls gain a sense of pride, accomplishment, self esteem, and independence.

Heather Gable was raised by very adventurous parents who involved their children in many unusual, wonderful experiences like living 6 months in a cabin in the forest that had no running water or electricity, just for the fun of it. Heather is an accomplished horsewoman who, as a teen, won multiple honors in the World Championship Horse Show. She is now a dedicated wife, mother, career woman, and is carrying on the family tradition of giving back to her community.

Each year she volunteers a week of her vacation, her time, her expertise, her horses, and opens her home for a horse camp for girls between the ages of 11-15. Some of the girls are 4.0 students; others struggle in school and in their lives. Some have never ridden and some have their own horse and ride regularly. Every girl needs encouragement to find her path to success, and every path is unique.

Over a week’s time she works with the girls to improve their communication skills and handling of the horses, colt starting (first bridal, first saddle, first ride), jumping and vaulting (trick riding) and even swimming with the horses in a river near her home. She requires hard work, dedication, fearlessness, and a willingness to go the extra mile even if they’re scared or tired. If the girls have interest and ability, Heather voluntarily continues to work with them taking them further into the world of champion horsemanship after the camp is over.

Heather has her own young family to care for as well as a demanding career with a large national corporation. She is making a difference in the lives of these girls, giving them an opportunity to succeed at something special, something not many people have an opportunity to experience. In the process she is changing the course of all of their lives for the better, forever. Heather has reached beyond the 51% Tipping Point in making a difference in her community, and who knows where the change she triggers will take these girls? Heather and her family live in beautiful Idaho. You can check out Heather’s web page at: http://www.gablestables.com/ .

SUSAN: I find myself getting great strength and joy from people like Heather, Charlie Johnson, Dorothy, my daughter Christina to name just a few. So I don’t forget the stories I hear, I’ve begun carrying a small notebook with me wherever I go so that I can jot down things that make me feel happy. The notebook also serves another purpose when I leave a challenging situation; I can perk myself up by reading from the notebook and remembering the joy I felt writing in it earlier. I’m finding that I get more joy out of the amazing stories I hear from people I meet than I do from simple words like “Warren Miller blue skies”, or “a perfect diamond studded snow day”, so I’m on the lookout for remarkable stories about all of the good things people are doing with their lives. I’ll include these stories as the month progresses.

DOROTHY: Here in the Wasatch Mountains, where weather changes rapidly and often with great extremes, I’ve been paying attention to people and how they respond to the old, “Hey, how ‘bout this weather?” query!!! What I’ve found is that amongst the usual grumbling and grouching about the 3 feet of snow in the driveway - AGAIN, there are those who, no matter how cold or wet or windy it is out there, find someway to turn it into a very good day!!! "But, oh what great skiing tomorrow" and "at least I’m getting my exercise." They’re the same folks who, when it’s 90 degrees with zero humidity, claim, “My flowers LOVE this weather!” And, they are also often the people who drive their elderly neighbor to the polls to vote, take in foster pets, and deliver meals to shut-ins. They are people who find joy in unexpected places and, from my observation at least, are living happy lives. Just being around these people makes me happy, helps me to see the world in brighter colors. So, like Susan, this month I’m going to seek them out and collect their joy-isms and their stories to share with you later. In the meantime – I’m going to take time to notice the cardinal in the aspen tree, the giggles of the kids on the playground, the elderly couple holding hands, and I’m going to work extra hard to find a way to be helpful to at least one other living being everyday. Do good – feel good/feel good – do good!

We invite you to join us this month in making happiness and joy your choice. Look closely at the people you encounter and see what lies beneath the surface. When you find amazing people who are making a difference in your life and the lives of others, we encourage you to acknowledge them for their positive contributions, and share their remarkable stories with us and with others. It’s one more step on the way to the 51% Project Tipping Point.

If you find this blog of value please share it with friends and become a subscriber and/or follower yourself. Thanks!

Happy February,

Susan and Dorothy