Hero worship shouldn't disappear with adolescence. It can and should be a lifelong source of inspiration and motivation for us. Many of the most famous and influential people we know let great men and women shape their lives well into their own adulthood, and so can you. Long before he ever became a Beatle, John Lennon idolized many of the old rhythm and blues greats, people like Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. He had their pictures on his wall and used them as inspiration when he first began playing guitar. In this way he could influence his imagination by conceiving mentally that he was them. This process is not just idle daydreaming, but allows new creative ideas to be released from the subconscious. It allows us to move beyond our preconceived limitations and feelings of inadequacy. It is an excellent process for developing inspiration and creativity. Woody Allen watched the Marx Brothers' films hundreds of times and dreamed of being as funny and talented. It's no secret that Groucho Marx was a major influence on the talented filmmaker. Billionaire Ted Turner, founder of CNN, studied the Greek classics in university. His father, a very practical businessman, couldn't understand why his son was wasting his time with the classics. What he didn't realize was that Ted was conditioning his mind with images of the fabled Greek heroes who seized opportunities, turned sure defeats into victories, and surmounted countless obstacles in order to win. Sounds familiar? It certainly does to those who watched the meteoric rise and breathtaking moves made by one of America's most exiting and successful businessmen. [And congratulations Ted on giving away one billion dollars to charity. For those of you who might not have heard, Ted announced last month that he would give one billion dollars to the United Nations for humanitarian purposes. I hope you now become a role model for many of the world's millionaires. I know you're certainly one of mine and have been for many years.] Singer Whitney Houston watched her older cousin Dionne Warwick release hit after hit and dreamed of one day being just like her. She was lucky in that she had a family member to model herself after as she made her way to super stardom. But you don't have to know the person in order to model yourself after them. Few of us get that chance. A millionaire clothing manufacturer once shared with me how in her early struggling years, she would draw inspiration from other successful women. She had pictures on her wall of prominent women who had made it. They became her mentors. Each time she looked at the pictures it gave her encouragement. If they could do it, she could too, she reminded herself. And she did! All big companies that pride themselves on excellence have what is called their "war stories." IBM, Microsoft, 3M, and Hewlett Packard, all have them; stories of past employees who performed great feats under difficult circumstances. These were people who [...]

This above all - to thine own self be true... -Shakespeare The following is an excerpt from Money Success & You, a book by John Kehoe. A recent national poll revealed that more than 80 percent of North America's working population do not enjoy the work they do. This is a profoundly tragic statistic, considering that work consumes so much of our lives. Nor is it a good formula for success, because when you study closely people who are successful it becomes abundantly clear that their achievements are directly related to the enjoyment they derive from their work. This really struck home for me while I was writing this book. Since this is a book about money and success, I decided to send each of my financially successful friends (those with assets over $1 million) a copy of the manuscript so that I could get their feedback. As I finished my list and was reading over the names, I suddenly realized that every single one of them had achieved their success in areas they enjoyed working in - one was in publishing, another was a jewellery wholesaler, one in law, still another in home renovating - and so it went. They had found their passion, devoted themselves to it and had prospered. Every single one of them was doing what they loved doing. It got me thinking: Has anybody ever made a fortune doing what he or she dislikes? I thought about it for a while and you know what? I couldn't think of anyone. Not one. This is something to seriously ponder if you presently find yourself trying to get ahead working at an occupation you dislike. Do What You Love; the Money Will Follow Lars-Eric Lindblad loves traveling. As he backpacked his way to some of the more exotic locations around the world, he thought of what he would do when he eventually returned home. Nothing seemed appealing; and then he suddenly had an idea. "There are probably others like myself", he thought, "who want to experience a more adventurous type of travel. Why not start a business to cater to their specific needs?" So that's what he did. He started his own travel agency, Lindblad Travel, offering adventurous trips to offbeat locations-the Gobi Desert, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands. People in the travel industry told him he was sure to fail. "You can't make money offering just adventure packages", they said almost unanimously. This was before exotic travel became fashionable. Lars was one of the first to venture into this field and succeed he did, in a very big way. And 500,000 customers later, his travel business is still booming. Here's the lesson for those of you who wish to follow your dream: the real key to Lindblad's success is that he chose something that he was excited about, something he believed in. Peter Moore hated his job as a bank manager. Although he liked dealing with people, he felt stuck in his choice of occupations and [...]

Her identity is top secret, but word of her good deeds has spread across Canada one Tim Horton's coffee at a time. (Tim Horton's is our largest coffee and sandwich franchise, with numerous outlets in every major city.) For the past three years, a mystery woman from Toronto has consistently surprised Tim Horton's drive-thru customers who pulled up to the take-out window right after the coffee angel" has driven away, only to find their bill has been taken care of. Big order or small, the 40-year-old mother of two boys doles out money for total strangers at Tim Horton's with a single purpose in mind: To see how good it feels to do something nice for someone else." Usually people react with shock, she says. A few have literally chased her car down the road. I've had somebody follow me, honking wildly," she says. I'm trying to wave at them it's no big deal but they insist on me pulling over. They roll down their window and say, 'Do I know you?' No, I say, and they reply, 'But you bought my food. I have a sandwich here.' " They just don't know how to deal with it. And I say, 'I hope you enjoy it.' I really love those moments: when they're speechless. And then I imagine them going back to their work or to their life and saying, 'You're not going to believe this...' Hopefully it shocks them," says the woman who refuses to be identified because she does not want to appear in any way self-promotional. And hopefully it injects some positive energy into their days so they can feel better about themselves. I know my kids and I sure do." The java angel, whose sons are 12 and 8, says she started the coffee crusade while coming out of a nasty divorce. It was a tough time as a family, and one day I was having a very stressful day at work. I remember very clearly; it was a Monday morning. The next person's tally came up on the screen after I'd paid my order and it was like a big red neon sign that said to me. 'You're supposed to buy that person a coffee.' I came home that day and I felt so good-after feeling really sad for a long time." Employees around the city love the coffee angel, who has befriended many staff at her regular haunts. We all adore her," says an Assistant Manager at one of the outlets. She's become a friend who brightens all our days. Sometimes she even starts a chain reaction with as many as five cars buying in succession for the people behind them." Adds the manager, I always like to see the expression on people's faces. They're shocked and pleased too. There is a gentleman who also now comes into our stores and regularly buys for complete strangers. As a movement it seems to be growing." Indeed many of the coffee angel's friends who live in [...]

Last year, while in South Africa, we spent about twenty days with a remarkable Zulu Songoma, Credo Mutwa. This was over a four-month period, and we would stay for three or four days at a time. My wife was shooting a documentary to be released in 2008, and we gathered over forty hours of footage for this show. We have visited Credo Mutwa each year since 1993, and over that time a friendship has developed. We felt honoured when he invited us to record some of his teachings, for he has no successor, and when he dies many of his stories and teachings will leave with him. He is not the only teacher of Ubuntu, but he is perhaps the most knowledgeable and most eloquent. When he passes, and at eighty-six, that will be sooner rather than later, it will be as if a great library has burned to the ground. It is Credo’s wish that Ubuntu will spread throughout the world to ail a suffering humanity that has lost touch with its basic humanness. “Africa’s wisdom must be shared with the world now. Africa has so much to offer the world…but alas, people only focus on negativity and problems.” - Credo Mutwa Africa does indeed have so much to offer. And for too long, it has been ignored and trivialized. Long before the eras of the Greek and Roman empires, Africa thrived and was the foundation for and creative genius behind such divergent subjects as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, architecture and engineering, to name but a few. Let us not forget that the pyramids of Egypt, built thousands of years ago, are still, to this day, a pinnacle of human engineering. Even today they could not be built with greater accuracy and precision. Western civilization is built on the wisdom and knowledge of the African continent. Egypt had the first universities and the first libraries. The history books written by Europeans forget this aspect, but the truth of man’s evolution culturally and intellectually is open to anyone to pursue, and once pursued, it leads clearly to Africa, with the height of its achievement being Ancient Egypt. However it was not just the Egypt we know from history books, but Ethiopia as well, which in ancient times stretched across most of Africa, as far south as South Africa and west to the Atlantic Ocean. This great nation has not been given its due respect. What Does Ubuntu Mean? Ubuntu is a term derived from the word “muntu,” meaning a person - a human being. Ubuntu is not easy to describe. It is both a philosophy and a way of action. It is a distinctive African cosmological system of teaching each individual to appreciate and enjoy their life while caring, sharing and respecting others. Ubuntu belongs to no one tribe or no one religion or teaching. It transcends all attempts to restrict it and place it in a category. According to ancient African traditional wisdom, each individual possesses positive, loving qualities. [...]

My wife and I planted a cinnamon tree in our garden. We purchased it at a nursery. It is approximately ten feet (3½ meters) tall! When we bought it, the roots were bundled tight in a burlap sack to restrict their growth while it was awaiting someone to come and claim it. We dug a hole, cut the burlap sack, and planted the tree into the earth, allowing the roots to expand without restrictions. All of this felt nourishing. Its rich potential can now be fully realized. I look forward to watching it grow. There is a similarity between us and the cinnamon tree. Our roots, too, are bundled and confined - not with burlap but limited consciousness. What can we do to release our full potential, for we are plugged into the matrix of all existence, and so much is available to us? One very effective yet incredibly overlooked method is to increase the life force energy available to us. What Is Life Force Energy? All living things, including plants, animals, insects, and human beings, draw life force from the cosmic reservoir naturally and without awareness; it just happens, and is a part of being alive. The life force that nurtures the cinnamon tree is the same life force that fuels the barking dog and allows the grasshopper to leap in the field. It is the force and energy that maintains life in all things. It exists everywhere in abundance. While invisible and undetectable by human senses, its existence has been well documented by various mystery schools and is known by many different names. The term “Life Force” is one of those names. Synonyms include Prana, Qi, and many more. Our mind and body are constantly being regenerated and revitalized by this vital energy that circulates throughout the cosmos. This life force reaches all. It ties all things together in one dynamic wash of ever-flowing, renewing energy. This river of energy is flowing all around us. We live, move, and have our being in it. Each of us receives a minimum amount of life force energy just by being alive and human. But the amount of life force each individual receives varies greatly and is affected by a number of factors. It is possible to draw directly from the great cosmic reservoir of undifferentiated energy and to increase our intake. When we do, life force energy is transmuted within our being into all the different forms of activity that go to make up a human life. If our vital energy goes up, every factor of our nature is quickened and intensified; the artist paints with new power and inspiration, the insight of the scientist is doubled, the skill and strength of the athlete are increased, the savvy decisions and actions of the entrepreneur work like magic. Whatever we are becomes intensified. The amount of this energy we access is limited solely by our capacity for realization. If we can increase our realization and get rid of our inhibitions [...]

Stalking yourself is the process of hunting, following and observing your habits, beliefs, thoughts, routines, strengths and weaknesses for the purpose of seeing who you are. It is using the mind to see all aspects of yourself in action. In this guide, you'll learn techniques to stalk your inner dialogue, habits, and energy fluctuations. Let's dive in. Table of Content Stalking Yourself – Rules of the Game Stalking Inner Dialogue Stalking Habits Stalking Energy Fluctuations In stalking yourself, you want to see not only what and how you are thinking, but to identify your central beliefs, those core beliefs that cause you to act in certain ways. The fact is that our mind makes decisions for us and directs us in all aspects of our life, and if we remain unaware of this process, we can lose control of our lives. For indeed the mind is a great servant, but a terrible master. Most of us remain totally unconscious of this internal process. We fail to see how our beliefs influence our choices, or how our inadequacies and hurts cause us to lash out in anger or withdraw into self-pity, according to our nature. Or we fail to see how certain habits like procrastination or lack of imagination keep us stuck in situations that do not serve our best needs. In many ways we don’t see ourselves at all because we are too busy thinking and doing without noticing what we are thinking or why we are doing what we are doing. Stalking ourselves is a novel concept because we assume we know and see ourselves well. In fact, we reason, nobody knows ourselves better than we do. But in this reasoning we are woefully wrong. It is an important turning point in each of our lives when we are confronted with and fully grasp how much of who we are is unconscious, and how these unconscious parts of us have agendas and make decisions for us. Not only that, but if we are not careful and diligent, these unconscious parts of us can take over our thinking without our even being aware it has happened. Each of us is a unique mixture of strengths and weaknesses of conscious and unconscious patterns and beliefs. We are totally unconscious in some areas of our life (usually those areas where we are having problems and difficulty), and hyperconscious and aware in others. No two of us is alike, and so no two strategies will be alike. Each of us must design a strategy that fits our unique situation. But to do this we must first see and understand ourselves without illusion. To be effective in our life we need to be adept at three distinct processes. Seeing: seeing ourselves and our present situation without illusion. Knowing: having the insight and wisdom to make empowering decisions according to what we see. Doing it: overcoming procrastination and fear and mastering the dharma of action. Until you can see yourself, you cannot see your [...]