I just wanted to let you know that my “10 Minute or so Mentor Message” and “44 Minute Mentor Tuesday with Guy Finley” personal growth podcasts are now online and ready for you to download .
Enjoy and Benefit!
Rick
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I was poised for a much needed break headed to my hometown to celebrate my sister, Lisa’s, 50th, and Jenn’s younger-than-that, birthdays. Both surprise parties. Some meetings with local business partners crammed in but I was really looking forward to what normally is a slow 4-day period when those in America celebrate Memorial Day and this Canuck can chill a bit. I was itching to see my mom and eldest daughter and grandboys but I had to visit a business cohort first to drop off a few things. One of those was in my wallet. I shuffled the contents in the car and delivered them into his house before eagerly taking off to see my family. I arrived at my mothers and brought the soup we religiously make for her into the kitchen. It was there I noticed my wallet was missing. I asked Jenn if she had seen it and she last recalled it sitting on the roof of the car back at our last destination. I made my apology for the short visit and hurried back along the route we took scouring the roadside for the black object. Nada.
Needless to say I was flustered. If you’ve ever lost, or had your wallet or purse stolen, you know what lies in wait cancelling credit cards and reapplying for all your personal ID. Not fun stuff. Rather than let my emotions get the best of me I called the police and said a silent prayer that all would end well. I also remembered that I had a card with my home, office and cel numbers tucked safely away just for such a circumstance. All we could do was point the car towards the other end of town to get to my daughters. About a mile from her place I picked up my cel and started dialing. Jenn suggested I leave the line open in case the police called (you know how cel phones and call waiting can be) but I had a hunch there would be an important message waiting in Brantford. Anxiously sifting through the voice mails I came to the last one and . . .
. . . a Windsor landscaper, last name Devine, had left a message that he had found my wallet. About a mile from where it had sat on the car roof (can’t figure this one out) a cab driver spotted it at the same time he did. Not fully trusting him to be a good samaritan, he convinced the cabbie to let him take custody of the scattered contents, which included cash. We arranged to meet at a location where a widely smiling young man seemed as eager to meet me as I was him. I couldn’t begin to explain how relieved I felt to find everything but a few hundred dollars (the wind or the cabbie) tucked inside, albethem in different places. After a huge thanks we were on our way to enjoy our weekend.
Both surprise birthday parties went off without a hitch, or, a leakage. Pretty intricate stuff when you’ve involved both of the celebrants in the surprise for the other. It was the first real blast of summer-like weather and the new pool my daughter had just installed came in real handy for the kids. We drove home last evening, tired but grateful for a fine weekend with family and friends, and . . .
Devine intervention.
So, how was your weekend?
Rick
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It doesn’t hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.
During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized. “Well,”
said the Director, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”
”Oh, I understand,” said the visitor. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.
”No.” said the Director, “A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?”
:-)
Hope you’re enjoying your hollerday weekend!!
Rick
Filed under: General Ramblings, Yours 4 a Laff
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Here’s a nifty yet simple tool if you’re like me (or anything close) and spend way too much time with your face in front your computer screen. We all know that repetitive stress and eye strain can become a significant problem but most of us keep typing or surfing away and do nothing about taking small breaks. So, if you spend hour after hour staring at a monitor download this little gizmo as a reminder to Stretch. Just Save it to your desktop and click to set the reminder interval. Piece of cake!
Thanks to my great friend and noted Internet marketing expert, Paul Meyers, for sending this along.
For all my American readers, please enjoy a happy and safe Memorial Weekend!
Rick
Filed under: General Ramblings, Yours 4 the Taking
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As I had hoped for, and predicted, Taylor Hicks, is now America’s “Idol”. In the star-studded 2 hour finale that you likely stay glued to like me, it was Katharine vs. Taylor, McPheever vs. the Soul Patrol as performers Meatloaf, Mary J. Blige, Tony Braxton, Al Jarreau, the band Live, and, former Idols and now big stars, Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken, shared the stage with the last group of Idol contestants who had been picked off one by one the past several weeks. Very slick. Very entertaining. Prince made a surprise appearance near the end of the show with a less than royal performance.
As you may have read in a previous post, this was the first year I tuned into American Idol. I guess my love of healthy competition combined with my love of music to get the best of me and turn me into a late blooming Idol Addict.
After his coronation, Taylor summed it all up best when he screamed, in utter jubilation, “I’m living the American Dream!”
Now, Canadian Idol begins.
Rick
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Finally had the chance to see a few movies. “Match Point” I found intriguing.
The opening scene and narrartive depicts a tennis ball striking the top of the net and falling lazily over to the opposite side. The few Woody Allen films I’ve seen before flaunt the same elements as this dark portrayal of “luck” - obsession, desperation, class struggle, neurosis. Instead of Allen’s oft-used canyons of New York, the charming English countryside and elegant London settings fare well as the battleground of the crusty upper class when invaded by the former tennis pro, lower class, Chris Wilton, played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Infidelity saunters in as Chris begins instructing the socialite brother of his soon-to-be wife, Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), on the finer points of tennis, only to begin to backhand him and hone in on his student’s neurotic fiance, Nola Rice, fittingly portrayed by Scarlett Johansson. At first, flirting. Then turning to obsession. Finally, wild adultery. All turning very sinister.
A calming thread to the tense drama is the love of Opera shared by the players as they escape to the London Opera House to “chill.”
The film is as much about usery as it is about luck. Everybody uses everybody. The hungry Chris uses the rich family to climb the societal ladder. Chloe (Chris’ wife played by Emily Mortimer) uses Chris to fulfil her obsession with having children. Entreprenurial father of Tom and Chloe, Alec (Brian Cox), uses Chris to occupy his daughter, build his business and satisfy his craving to keep the family financially fortified. Nola eventually uses Chris as human Prozac. It all climaxes in an ending that is shocking. And evil.
What this movie does is reaffirm that sometimes in life evil wins out over good in a big way and the ball will fall over the net in favor of the evildoer.
Rick
Filed under: General Ramblings, Movies that Moved Me
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I just wanted to let you know that my “10 Minute or so Mentor Message” and “44 Minute Mentor Tuesday with Guy Finley” personal growth podcasts are now online and ready for you to download . David Riklan, founder and president of the largest self-development website on the Internet, is my guest on the 10 and if you haven’t checked out Guy Finley’s new show, please do yourself a great favor and listen to this sage!
Enjoy and Benefit!
Rick
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I seldom watch network television unless it’s an NHL game (go Oilers!) or a NASCAR race. I wouldn’t know the name of the latest sitcoms if my life depended on it. What I did watch the last dozen or so weeks for the very first time though was ‘American Idol’. I had heard all the rants and raves and discussions about who was hot and who was not over the years but never until this year had I tuned in to see what all the fuss was about. I was instantly hooked!
From my first viewing I declared the ‘gray haired singer’ as the winner. A few episodes later I learned his name - Taylor Hicks. His love and passion for music shone through every performance and that southern boy can really entertain! I also enjoyed watching performers like Elliot Yasmin, Chris Daughtry (both voted off this and last week respectively) and the young Paris Bennet, who said goodbye several weeks ago. Katharine McPhee, who only mildy impressed me throughout, gave me goosebumps with her rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow on Tuesday night, leaving her and my favorite-from-the-getgo to duke it out on the season finale. At 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 23rd and May 24th, my calendar has been cleared!
Go Oilers! Go Taylor!
Rick
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This is not an actual movie review (haven’t had time to see any lately) but rather an article I wrote last year that many people seemed to be able to relate to. I hope you enjoy . . .
The Problem Movie
“The other day I got out my can-opener and was opening a can of worms when I thought, what am I doing?!”
Jack Handey
Problems. Problems. Everywhere we turn there are problems!
The modern world and its monster media make darn sure you hear about problems. Every hour of the day. Every day of the week. Every week of the year. Bloody wars. Suicide bombings. Gruesome murders. Killer storms. Throughout this non-stop bombardment of negative news we have our own problems to deal with. Money
problems. Relationship problems. Health problems.
Life is problematic!
Let me ask you this question. Are you always worrying about your problems, dwelling on how bad things are and constantly thinking about the worst possible outcomes? Even if you’re not wrapped up in your problems, do you still from time to time create what I call a Problem Movie. You know, imagining the worst possible
outcomes to your problem, letting them flash across the screen of your mind like your cable news channel? To a degree, I think we all do this.
One of the basic, immutable Laws that govern this amazing Universe is the Law of Attraction. I’ve written about this many times simply because I have been so profoundly impacted by it, in both positive and negative ways, in my five decades of living on the planet. James Allen (1864-1912), author of what most modern day self-development experts feel is the ‘bible’ of positive thinking, “As A Man Thinketh”, sums this law up most succinctly:
“A man is literally what he thinks.”
Centuries before however, the Bible tells us so, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Proverbs 23:7
So I ask this, if we know the Law of Attraction to be true, then why do we allow our problems and the negative thinking associated with them to invade our lives even a little bit, let alone dominate them as some people do? Afterall, no one controls our thoughts and thinking but us, right?
I don’t profess to know the complete answer to that question. Nor do I know why so many of us can’t seem to tune in enough to the bad news networks or read page after negative page of the daily newspaper. But I am learning more about human nature as I grow older.
For instance, I have a small group of clients that use my Spirit Coaching services and a certain few individuals who have chosen me to try to help them confront and move forward from their problems. While most do exceptionally well because they are open to learning and applying what amounts to some pretty simple concepts, some I have not been able to help whatsoever because, well, they seem to derive so much more benefit from being able to tell me (and others) about their (long list of) problems and how much they suffer from them than they ever would from finding a solution to, and eliminating them. I recall stating this very sad fact in a recent article, but I’ll say it once more, these folks really do LOVE their problems!
I see a similarly interesting phenomena with the new series of health related products I have helped to create. A small percentage of customers simply need to prove their theory that change is difficult. They do this by running their Problem Movies over and over and as a result they do not follow our program, choosing instead to remain steadfast to their misinformed belief only to remain a smoker, or overweight, or unhappy. Another failed attempt and yippee! - another problem created! These
people will continue to own and grow their problems until they eventually learn that change does not have to be difficult. Some may never learn.
Ok, I’ll admit that I feature Problem Movies a little too often in my own life. I catch myself writing the scripts and directing the scenes that I would never want to become my reality. Heck, what sane person would ever want what they’re thinking most of the time to become their reality?
Here’s a very recent example of how I allowed the plot I created in my mind to turn into my reality.
I had no sooner written my last line of web and promotion copy to use for our Long Term Katrina Relief effort when I entertained the thought - what possibly could happen ‘this time’ to sabotage yet another noble effort by a lot of caring folks to help people. Yes, I went so far as to project the same kinds of obstacles that had been put into my path previously with such charity projects. In other words, what kind of villain was I going to cast in the movie I had just set into motion? Right, old fears rearing ugly faces! Wasn’t a long thought but it surely was potent!
We no longer had clicked send to launch this project to hundreds of influential and possible promotion partners and then to tens of thousands of potential donors, when we began to experience major server issues. Nobody could access our website! And this challenge went on for days.
But hold on, there’s a sequel.
Once these server issues were finally fixed we discovered another - any links to the donation site would automatically and mysteriously “redirect” to the main business website of my partner, and originator of this project, jl scott. Another technical snafu. No wonder we weren’t getting any donations! I was by then working on other things, and jl was packing up to move north and out of the path of Hurricane Rita, so neither of us took notice right away.
In the normal scheme of things, when a link is broken, you will receive a polite email from someone letting you know of the problem. What happened next, I was not prepared for, but should have expected.
Into my Inbox came this rhetorical assault on the integrity of our Long Term Katrina Relief project, even calling it a scam! This subscriber of mine came loaded and gunnin’ for bear as he attached this constitution-length document, full of untruths and venomous assertions that he threatened to blast all over the Internet via discussion boards and lists including the sending of press releases if I personally didn’t “fix” this. There was nothing to fix but a server glitch to get the website appearing again. This misguided soul must have put a lot of effort into making the movie that produced such an overture. I could only imagine how much good he could have done to help our cause with all the time and energy he spent trying to tear it down!
Needless to say, we took care of this incident quite quickly but simply stated, I was equally responsible for the receipt of that email as it was me who put those kinds of negative thoughts out there, projecting a fear-based outcome and setting into motion the very incident I just described. The Law of Attraction is indeed a very powerful force!
I’ve always loved what Shakespeare had to say about thoughts:
“Make not your thoughts your prisons.” Have you too spent time in your life as a willing prisoner?
Back to our problems. We all have them and always will. I’ve often likened life to a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs and twists and turns and moments of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror. No matter where we are on that ride and what problems exist in our lives, we always have the choice of how and what we think. We are always the writer and director of our own movies.
It goes without saying that burying your head in the sand and ignoring a problem will never solve it. But neither will creating and then running and rerunning a Problem Movie, fraught with fear-based outcomes that are self-fulfilling by universal decree. If the opening scenes of a Problem Movie start rolling on the screen of your mind be quick to take a commercial break, change the reel and start another. One perhaps where a solution has been found whether you have found it or not, or, one that doesn’t star your problem at all! Remember, you control every thought you have and every thought you have dictates your reality!
Anyone for popcorn and a good movie? Great, because you have my heartfelt wishes for a lifetime of Happy Endings!
© Rick Beneteau
Rick
Filed under: General Ramblings, Inspiring Articles, Movies that Moved Me
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I just wanted to let you know that my “10 Minute or so Mentor Message” and “44 Minute Mentor Tuesday with Guy Finley” personal growth podcasts are now online and ready for you to download . If you haven’t checked out Guy Finley’s new show, please do yourself a great favor and listen to this sage!
Enjoy and Benefit!
Rick
Filed under: My Podcast
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