"Choose Responsibly!"

"CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY!"

Your first thought may be, "Choose carefully!", which is also very important to remember but, today, we are going to focus on the "responsibility" aspect of our choices.

When I chose the picture for today's blog article it made me think of the old "Let's Make a Deal" program with Monty Hall. (Yes, I know there is a remake on television right now but I prefer the original on ALL of these game shows).

There were CHOICES that the contestants had to make all through the program and it would come to the grand finale when the top contestants would CHOOSE their final prize (one of which was the GRAND PRIZE for the day). Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3?

I vividly remember yelling MY choice at the t.v. when I was a child but I'm sure YOU have NEVER done anything like that, right?

Now, think about this...how many times have YOU said (or heard someone else say) something like, "Oh, that's the one I WAS going to choose!" once it has been revealed that you picked the wrong door?

20/20 hindsight, right?

We can do that in just about any and every area of our lives, can't we? I know I can!

So, yes, not only is it important to CHOOSE CAREFULLY when it comes to the choices that we face every day but SPECIFICALLY when it comes to CHOOSING what we allow into our minds, but, even more importantly is the fact that we must choose RESPONSIBLY!

Why? Because, again, what we CHOOSE to allow into our mindset will not only impact US but it will also have an impact upon EACH and EVERY person that we come into contact with throughout each and every day. And this starts with those that are closest to you.

RESPONSIBILITY for CHOOSING what we allow into our minds.

Let that concept sink in a little and I'll continue this discussion tomorrow. But, until then...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Celebrating 400 Podcasts!

It's rather hard for me to really take this in when I think about it but, today, I am broadcasting my 400th podcast episode!

Oh, it could have been closer to 500 if I hadn't had to take my little break for about 6.5 months but....it is what it is and I'm still looking at 400 of these little messages designed to inspire and encourage.

Have I done so through this effort? I HOPE SO!

But, honestly, I'm not sure how much impact I've had simply because YOU are not letting me know. See what I mean?

I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts but, the truth is, I'm not sure how many people are actually "hearing" or "reading" these thoughts.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN!

I need to hear from you! I've said it before but, to be honest, it's kind of hard to keep doing this when I'm not even sure anyone is hearing the message. So...here's what I SPECIFICALLY need from you now (please do one or more of the following):

1. Get in the habit of leaving a short comment here on the blog letting me know that you enjoyed the message or share some of your insights like Tanya does quite often.

2. Please send me a note via one of the contact options found on the "contact" tab on the main website - http://www.michaelspillman.com/ - letting me know that you are listening and/or reading and that you are getting some benefit from this effort.

3. If you haven't done so, "like" Future You University (you can find the link to it on the "contact" tab on the above mentioned website) and then START or ADD TO a NEW TOPIC DISCUSSION on ways that you have been encouraged from what I'm doing here.

4. Go to iTunes and find my podcast there (you can again access this by clicking the "videocast" tab on the above mentioned website and then clicking on the iTunes logo) and please leave a "review" on my podcasts. THIS IS IMPORTANT so that others that come across the podcast via a search can read YOUR comments and be encouraged to listen in for themselves.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

And, in advance, I APPRECIATE your help!

YOU are the ONLY reason I do this. Without someone to listen to this information and, hopefully, benefit from it then there is really no point.

Please don't put this off, do it today if at all possible.

Remember these basic and simple truths that resound throughout all 400 episodes in one way or another:

* DO NOT EVER GIVE UP! ("As long as there is breath there is hope!")

* SHARE YOUR POSITIVITY WITH THOSE AROUND YOU (even with just a big smile)

* YOU MAKE CHOICES EACH AND EVERY DAY - YOUR LIFE IS YOUR CHOICE!

* MAKE TODAY AN AWESOME DAY! IT IS YOUR CHOICE!

* STOP WAITING ON OTHERS TO "MAKE" YOUR LIFE BETTER (in any way) - IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Thanks for reading this and don't forget to share with me (and others!) what you think about what I try to accomplish via the website, podcast and blog.

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Life's Renewal

LIFE'S RENEWAL

If you have been following along with this series then you are catching on to the whole "life's patterns" idea and how it connects with an EKG readout. We have looked at the general patterns that are around us in our world (the changing of the seasons, the stock market, etc.) as well as the "ups and downs" that we all tend to encounter as we make our way through this life.

We've noticed that, when considering the readout of an EKG, the "ups and downs" are a very LITERAL "pattern of life" and those "ups and downs" (called "waves") are the very actual sign that one is actually alive!

And, in yesterday's article (and podcast - see information below) we talked about the need to make sure that we don't "flatline" or give up. As most of you understand, the "flatline" is what is shown on the EKG readout when the heart has ceased to pump and a straight, or "flat", line appears on the readout.

We can "flatline" in our own lives when we "throw in the towel" and give up on things ever improving in our lives. We can also "flatline" when we have decided to settle for mediocrity in our lives and we have chosen to merely "exist".

WAKE UP! Do NOT ever give up!

You're better than that, AREN'T YOU?

Of course you are!

Sometimes when we "flatline" we need HELP in getting back in the game of life! In the physical world this can happen in a couple of ways that most of us are familiar with when one's heart has "flatlined".

One way is for someone to perform CPR on the person who has flatlined. CPR, or "cardiopulmonary resuscitation" is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to return life to a person in cardiac arrest. You've all seen it on television, if not in person, right? It is the physical force to try to continue to pump the heart.

Another way that many of you will be familiar with involves some "paddles" and someone yelling, "CLEAR!". You know what I'm talking about, right? Here it is put another way: "An administering of an electric shock to the heart, termed defibrillation, is usually needed to restore a viable or 'perfusing' heart rhythm."

Either way, they are BOTH drastic measures that are used in order to RESUSCITATE, REVIVE or RENEW a life!

So, here's the point, friend... even if you come to the realization that you have "given up" and, for all practical purposes "flatlined", THERE IS HOPE!

Look at the picture at the top of this article. Do you notice that it starts off as a "flatline"? And, then what? The "waves" or "rhythms" return which indicate that life has returned!

So, you see, there IS hope in your life!

How does that happen for you or how WILL that happen for you? I can't answer that for you, friend.

It may be simply reading an article like this or listening to this series on the podcast that "RESUSCITATES" your life or it may be a friend that helps you "snap to" and "wake up" to what is (or isn't) happening in your life. KEEP THOSE KINDS OF FRIENDS!

Bottom line: ARE YOU A FIGHTER?

Doctors will tell you right away that someone that has the "will to live" (a fighter) has a much better chance of survival in surgery than someone who seems to have given up.

ARE YOU A FIGHTER?

Then GET UP and GET AFTER IT once again! Get that "rhythm" and "pattern" back in your life (yes, the "ups" AND the "downs") and keep moving FORWARD in your progress.

Do me a favor, please. If you feel that this series has been beneficial for you (I hope and pray that it has!) then would you PLEASE share it with someone else that you feel could use a little good news like this? I thank you and THEY will thank you!

Remember: NEVER, EVER GIVE UP! "As long as there is breath, there is hope!"

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

(go to http://www.michaelspillman.com/ for the podcast link to listen to the audio version of this series)

Avoid the Flatline

Avoid the Flatline

Oh yeah, when you or someone you love is in the hospital you DO NOT want to see that pattern shown above. You don't want to see the dreaded "flatline"!

You WANT to see the "ups and downs" that indicate that your heart is pumping and working showing that you are ALIVE!

Now, surely, you are catching the obvious comparisons here, right? I've already talked about the "pattern of life" that we often go through in our own lives when we experience the "ups and downs".

We think we'd LOVE it if all we ever encountered were "up times". We AVOID the "down times" as much as possible yet, just as with the EKG readout, the "ups and downs" in our own lives are also indicators that we are ALIVE!

And, just like in the hospital and on the EKG readout we should also AVOID THE "FLATLINE" in the pattern of our life!

Many people flatline when they have hit an extended down period in their lives but it is also possible to "flatline" when things aren't so bad. That's right. It's easy to "settle for the mundane" or "the easy". It's easy to want to live life without "rocking the boat" or creating any waves.

BORING!

And dangerous IF you want to avoid the "flatline".

Hey, listen... whether you are settling for mediocrity or stuck in a down period, whatever you do - DO NOT FLATLINE!

In other words, do NOT give up and do NOT settle.

We see the dangers of this type of "inactivity" all around us. A body of water that does not have flow ("life", energy) becomes a STAGNANT pool of FILTH and DISEASE! A person that is inactive WILL face health issues and this is really evident in those that are confined to nursing homes when they are unable to move about. They MUST be moved or they will develop all sorts of bed sores as well as other ailments.

MOVEMENT IS A MUST FOR LIFE!

Again, even if you are in an extended down period - DO NOT GIVE UP! Look for those small "up-ticks" in your day. It may be the smile of a friend or the sunshine or whatever it is. LOOK FOR THESE THINGS in your day so that you DO NOT "flatline" and become stagnant!

Remember, "As long as there is breath there is hope!" - DO NOT EVER FORGET THAT!

Tomorrow, in the concluding article for this series I will discuss the HOPE that we still have even if we HAVE "flatlined". Be sure to join me for this important discussion.

Until then...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Life's LITERAL Pattern

Life's LITERAL Pattern

In yesterday's discussion we talked about different "patterns" that we all have in our lives. Hey, how many did YOU come up with in your own life?

I'm sure you have already figured the connection to this discussion by looking at the picture combined with the title of today's article. There are "general" patterns that we can observe all around us each and every day and then there is the very specific and LITERAL "pattern of life" shown on an EKG readout.

Notice the pattern has "ups" and it also has "downs". Should we be concerned because there are "downs" in this pattern? Should we get frustrated, discouraged and/or depressed because of these down "ticks" in this wave pattern?

Of course not! Hey, as long as it keeps moving up and down we're happy, right? Why?

BECAUSE AS LONG AS IT KEEPS MOVING IT IS EVIDENCE THAT WE ARE STILL ALIVE!

Now, please believe me when I say that I understand that all of this sounds a bit cliche, o.k.? But, whether it sounds that way or not really has nothing to do with the fact that it is TRUE!

The "ups and downs" that we all experience in our lives simply PROVES that we are ALIVE and participating in this "ride" that we call LIFE!

Life is not always FAIR and it is not always FUN. Somewhere along the way we bought into this myth and, for many, this false expectation about life has brought a lot of disappointment into their lives.

Even those that we might perceive of living a "dream life" deal with "ups and downs" in their lives. But, many times, there is a difference that we may not see.

What is it?

THEY HAVE LEARNED THIS SECRET ABOUT " UPS AND DOWNS" - they are a PART of LIFE itself and, like we have already discusses, they come AND go!

Many of these people view life just as they do the stock market. They do not "freak out" when the stock market takes a "dip" or even a "dive". Why? Because they prepared themselves for the long haul and they know that it will rebound.

Others are ready to jump out of a window while those that have prepared simply watch and wait for the pattern to continue.

Really think about that and let it sink in - it could make a major change in your approach to life.

Come back tomorrow and we'll continue this discussion of "Life's Patterns" and what it means to each of us.

And, until then...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com