Randy Pausch Taught Us All a Lesson About Life, Love, and the Real Meaning of Success

As we plod through our lives, wondering about and debating its meaning, just how we fit into the grand scheme of things, there remains forever embedded in the minds of millions the image of Randy Pausch giving the world a gift…The Last Lecture.

This is not a post about the meaning of Professor Pausch’s selflessly magnificent gift, it is simply a nod from one professor to another, one teacher who loved touching the lives of a few with his self and his message.

It has been a little more than a year and a half since the passing of this great man and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of the message he left behind. Randy Pausch exited doing what he loved, sharing his knowledge with the world, his magnificent gift…The Last Lecture.

Ultimately, I believe a large measure of our immortality is based upon the impact we have had on those left behind, on how those we’ve touched remember us as they continue through life. If our immortality is measured by how people remember us, and for how long, Professor Pausch’s immortality is assured.

In marketing terms, we are remembered in terms of positioning and our differentiation.

In other words, positioning, how people talk about us when we are no longer around; and, differentiation, how we have separated ourselves from “the herd,” from the rest of the people, businesses, whomever or whatever we are being compared to on a daily basis.

One thing is an absolute certainty, Randy Pausch’s positioning and differentiation certain reflect the profound impact he had on the world he lived in, and the World as a whole; thus, making Professor Pausch one of the greatest men of our time. Randy Pausch’s loss is felt to this day by those who knew him…and by others who wish they had.

How many have made such an impact?

I would argue…not many!

Of all the videos I have watched, four stand out:

1) The Last Lecture

2) The video below

3) The announcement of his death

4) A video compilation that has since been pulled of highlights of Professor Pausch’s Last Lecture and  a song by Eric Hutchinson. I have squirreled it away because it is has been pulled back by “the powers that be” and I have refused to take a chance of losing it…until now. It inspires me often, I hope in sharing it that it will inspire you!

The videos speak for themselves, enjoy a celebration of life and a demonstration of the true meaning of life, love, and success…Professor Randy Pausch.

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526 (home)
440-821-7018 (cell)
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (personal email)

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Happy Holidays from My Family to Yours: Treasure the Moments – They are Gone in a Instant!

There are moments in everyone’s life, particularly when raising children, moments that last a lifetime. Whether it is a moment like this or the moment Marc Warnke refers to with his son, Jaken, climbing a rock in his wonderful book ONO: Options not Obligations or myriad others parents carry with them through life, the moments remain treasures, the gems that keep us going…all of us!

This was one of those moments, a blink and it was gone, and yet here it is, my daughter’s Facebook profile picture. The magic I felt so long ago and feel to this day is magic shared. The profound affect and impact the moment had on me was shared by 4 that day…a jewel throughout our collective lives!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa!

Celebrate life in each and every moment, because it is the moments taken collectively that define us and remain our legacy, as evidenced by a profile picture taken 17 years ago, a moment that remained in a 6 year old’s heart all these years!

John

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• 

I was watching and listening to the HBO Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Rock Concert from Madison Square Garden this morning.

Watching the 25th Rock Hall Concert, I still can’t get over the aging rockers refusing to give in to age and, perhaps more inspiring, conventionality. I think the thing that struck me most as I watched was the diversity of talent, every man and woman, each solo artist and group all have their individual style and grace…their own voice.

Bruce and Bono!

As I was watched The Boss and Bono, along with the rest of U2, I was struck by their very different styles. These rock and roll legends, these men whom have done as much for others behind the scenes, in terms of philanthropy, as any two men alive; and there, side by side singing about life, love, and hope.

Interestingly, while engaged in the same profession, and with many of the same qualities, humanity, compassion, and empathy, they are still as far apart stylistically as two entertainers can be.

As I watched, and it was in watching, much more than listening, that their real differences became apparent, I was struck by the fact that these two men, so very successful in the same endeavor, were so different from one another in the same moment.

Bono and The Boss, as different as night and day, yet both creating beautiful music in their own distinct fashion, their own style. These two mythic performers, deities of the rock and roll era, standing side by side and singing in complete harmony were as different in how they deliver their message, their performance, as any two performers can be; and yet, their harmony was incredible.

Both performers clearly belong on the same stage, however different their stylistic expression may be. All you have to do is watch, and then listen, but mainly watch these two performers, so different and yet so much the same to get a real sense of the contrast between them.

So, what is it all about?

It’s about finding your own voice! Both men have found their calling, their love for their work, their love of life, their voice…literally and figuratively.

While watching night and day on the same stage, both creating something beautiful, individually and collectively, something different and yet uniquely the same, I was moved. The collective voice they created was something uniquely theirs in that moment.

Success in Life

Because each of these rockers had given himself permission to express his voice in his own way, they both seem at one with themselves, with their true nature.

One only has to watch The Boss and Bono standing side by side, so very different, and each succeeding in ways unimaginable only a few years ago, to know that all things are possible if you give rise to your own voice, your passion, that one thing we are all put this planet to do.

The one thing!

It is in finding that one thing, and giving yourself permission to explore and express your voice, that true success is achieved.

Success in business and in life is certainly a progression, a journey, but more than that, it is a consequence of finding your voice and allowing it to do what only you can do with it, in very much the same way The Boss and Bono have….

Sing!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526 (home)
216-539-7412 (office)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

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• 

Freak Storm! Blizzard Strands 3 in Lakewood, Ohio: Puggle, Sheltie & John Zajaros

Just thought I’d share a nice moment with my buddies! Cheesy headline… But hey, I need the traffic…NOT! I just thought I’d give you yet another window into my life after neck pain, back pain, sciatic nerve pain, osteomyeltiis, and some really fun disease and illnesses.

There is life after profound and catastrophic illness. It is all about having a wonderful support network and making a decision that you aren’t going to miss any more moments like this one!

I am so blessed and I appreciate each and every one of you for stopping by and sharing in my new life!

John

216-712-6526 (home)
216-539-7412 (office)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

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• 

What Would You Do if Your Mom or Dad Could See You Now?

When I was growing up I would have long talks with my grandfather, almost one a week. I idolized my grandfather and would spend every moment I could at my grandparents’ house, or at my grandfather’s business. I loved to be at either place because it was his in every way, a reflection of the man, and because I could be near him. To this day I have a picture of my grandfather, along with his friend Father Martin the founder of Boy’s town, on my wall in my office.

What used to be so cool was every once in a while Gramps would be in a really good mood, having had a particularly great day I suppose, so he would take me to Carl’s Chop House in Detroit, Michigan. Carl’s was an awesome place for a little kid because it had the most amazing lobster tank. I would stand there until instructed to take my seat and ponder the fate of the lobsters…some bigger than I was! Or so it seemed. Memories of Carl’s are good ones, family dinners and Christmas parties!

Occasionally, after work and being in a talkative mood, which something quite unusual for him, my grandfather would teach me something about life.

Of course I was in total hero worship mode, I still am. You see, I loved and respected that giant of a man. I always looked forward to the talks and treasured each and every thought he’d share. Listening intently to this man, a god of sorts, a person everyone in the place seemed to know, I remember every word of every talk over so many years; and, so many years ago.

Interestingly, I still remember one talk in particular almost like it was yesterday. I had just earned my first pay check for a full week of back breaking work.

It was the summer of 1965 and even for an 11 year old kid who just wanted to play with his buddies, it was an amazing time. The amount of the check didn’t matter, it was the experience. I still have the picture of my grandfather handing me that check, $50…all the money in the world in 1965.

After the lobster tank, the check, and an amazing dinner, my grandfather lit up a big cigar. Carl’s was that kind of place. He leaned back in his leather-tufted chair, shifted a bit, and I knew we were in for a long one!

My grandfather looked at me and said,

“I am going to ask you just one question; and, I don’t want an answer until tomorrow. I want you to think about your response and I want you to tell me why the question I’m going to ask you is so important, perhaps the most important question I will ever ask you, OK?”

Not answer him? What did he mean, why was this question going to be so important?

I shook my head, of course. You always shook your head and agreed with Gramps…that’s just the way it was.

He smiled, nodded, and took in a deep breath. Then, he asked me the following question:

“Over the past week, while working for me, and over the past month, while you have been staying with your grandmother and I; again, there is just one question I want you to answer, but not until you have had plenty of time to consider the question and your answer fully:

“What would your mother and father think of you and your behavior, your actions and the thoughts behind those actions, if they could see everything?

“In other words, would your mother and father be proud of you, of your thoughts and deeds over the past week, over the last month, if they were watching you the whole time and you didn’t know they were there?”

Wow, I was dumbfounded! What a question!

I started to open my mouth and he held up his hand in order to shush me, he simply shook his head and I understood.

“Tomorrow,” I said.

He nodded.

Well, I thought about that question all night. I thought about all the times I didn’t think anyone was watching and I thought about my thoughts at cetain points over the last 30 days.

Then I had a horrible thought:

Did he know something he wasn’t telling me? Did he have someone watching me? Did he overhear me when I thought I was alone? Was I talking in my sleep? Did he hear me back in the parts department when I thought no one was listening? Did he….

No, of course not!

Then it hit me, the answer to his question.

Yes! I would be ashamed of myself! I certainly would not want my parents to have been a “fly on the wall” or a “little bird,” as my grandmother used to say, over the last 30 days.

No way, now how!

I got it!

Well, later that day my grandfather called me into his office and I went, tail between my legs and head bowed.

Things got real quiet, he didn’t say a word.

Finally, I looked up and he was smiling and nodding.

I smiled back…he knew, I thought!

Then, he spoke. “Do you understand what I asked?”

I nodded.

He then asked me the ultimate question. “Do you understand?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, I do…and I’m sorry!”

He smiled, nodded, and said,

“Never forget how it felt at the precise moment when you realized what I was asking and how you were going to have to answer it!”

Then it was my turn to smile and nod.

I never wanted to feel like that again, like there would be a time when my parents would be ashamed of me and my thoughts, words and/or deeds. From that moment until today, I always ask myself this question:

If the people I love the most knew what I was thinking, if they had a window into my soul, would they be proud or sickened? If I can’t answer yes to the former and no to the latter it is time for a change or, at the very least, and agonizing reappraisal.

Interestingly, we all have our moments and we all have our regrets. However, if we wish to be proud of ourselves, and have those important to us be proud of us too, it pays to remember the question and apply it in our daily lives.

Do I still have my moments?

We all do!

But they are fewer and farther in between, in part because I have grown up but also because of that larger than life character and a talk near the lobster tank in the summer of 1965.

Here’s that question in today’s terms, in terms an adult can understand:

If someone followed you around all day with a video camera, what would they see? And, more importantly, what would you see about your Self, your real and true Self?

How about commenting on this? Let me know about your little bird moments and/or talks with your grandparents!

Thanks!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526 (home)
216-539-7412 (office)
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

PS, Comment on this, subscribe to the newsletter, and get a link in your confirmation email to an awesome and inspiring ebook by Seth Godin.

PPS, For more stories and a look into another side of John Zajaros, go to The Internet Marketing Quest Revealed and let me know what you think!

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• 

Kailyn and Grandpa: The Most Precious Moments are the Unanticipated Ones, the Intangible Rewards of a Magical Life!

Once in a while you have to stop everything and take a moment to take in all that truly matters. Grandchildren are the ultimate do-over, they provide you with one last chance to get it right, to not only make your life more meaningful but to touch the lives of all of those around you!

I was fortunate to have quite a few years between my son, now in his middle 30s and my daughters, all in their early 20s. That time span gave me the same sort of do-over mentality with the girls and I am carrying it over with my grandchildren. The opportunity to get it right rarely comes around twice. However, when it does, it is amazing and provides rewards beyond measure.

I just thought you might like to share a moment with me and my oldest granddaughter, Kailyn, as we visit our favorite hangout for strawberry sundaes, tin roofs, pretzels, peanuts, and some conversation!

John

John Zajaros
216-712-6526
216-539-7412
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

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• 

Happy Thanksgiving from The Zajaros Family

Regardless of where you are in the world, there is something you can be thankful for on this day!

Even in the depths of despair and depression, there were things I could focus on, things that would remind me of why I was glad to be alive, and so I pressed on! More times than not, my family was my focus, it is what defines me and keeps me going when every fiber of my being wants to say…

“Uncle!”

We have all had moments when we are tested; and, those moments may range from seconds to weeks, months, and in the worst cases, years. Times and challenges may come when were feel more than a bit like Job.

And yet, if we persevere, if we press on and do not give up all hope, things turn and our lives become amazing…again!

Amazing!

The other day I was walking my Little Big Dog. For those of you who have watched Little Big Man (1970), with Dustin Hoffman, you will understand why I refer to him in this fashion. I swore I would never own a “little” dog, a “yappie” dog, and yet here I am with a 15 pound “little-yappie” dog who thinks he’s a cross between a Bull Mastiff and a Doberman. We inherited the puppy when my son-in-law and daughter had to pick up their household and move south for his US Army Reserves commitment, his second call-up.

I am a disabled veteran and am proud of him for serving. I hate war…I love my country!

Interestingly, our other dog, a Shetland Sheepdog, was also inherited through the same daughter when her boyfriend, another soldier (go figure!), was shipped off to Iraq and needed a home for his puppy. AJ never came back for the dog! He would have had a very hard time getting him back anyway.

Anyway, back to the Little Big Dog, dog number one…in his mind, anyway. This “Little Big Dog” has the perfect name, a name he earned after surviving terrible illness as a puppy, TuffGuy! TuffGuy is indeed tough. Yes, I do know we have played with the spelling, but once again that was a name we had no part in selecting. In retrospect, how could he have been named anything else?

Interestingly, that little dog, that tough little dog, TuffGuy, nursed me back to health very much in the same way, and at the same time, I was nursing him back from the grave!

So, there we were the other night, 3am in the morning actually, walking down the street as we do every night or early morning, both happy to be alive, healthy, and each other’s company! The ultimate Odd Couple, an Internet marketing entrepreneur reborn and a Puggle…Mutt and Jeff, just happy to be alive!

It’s funny how life often brings us back to certain points again and again. I can remember driving down the street in 1983, again in 1987, in 1993, and once again in 1998 (just before I got sick); and, in every instance I had the music up loud, the windows of the car open, and the wind in my face, literally and figuratively, just happy to be alive. Ecstatic, actually! These moments were all attached to specific events and/or periods in my life, periods of super achievement, living with a sense of what is possible. In fact, with a very real sense that all things are possible! There have been many more throughout my life!

That was the feeling the other night…that all things are possible!

As Yogi Berra would say:

“Deja vu all over again!”

It is the most amazing feeling in the world, it is better than any drug, it is a natural high…the likes of which you have got to experience to understand!

It is on that note that I say I am thankful, not simply because it happens to be a day earmarked by our government years ago as a time of celebration, but because it is a time in my life for celebration, for a victory dance of sorts, for being thankful, and for thanksgiving!

I have a wonderful wife who has stayed with me through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, until death do us part…through years of being in the hospital 2 of every 4 weeks, for months on end. I have 4 wonderful children whom I love dearly and would sacrifice my life for. I have two of the most amazing little granddaughters a grandfather could ever brag about…and I do! I have amazing friends, a few and I treasure them, and I have met a few new ones. I have Bart, a wonderful, quiet, and very special Sheltie we just paid over $6,000 to “save,” after he broke his leg. And I have TuffGuy…or he has me!

I am an extremely wealthy man!

Interestingly, I had a YouTube viewer comment that a video I made showed a lack of material possessions and that it must say something about my financial status.

In fact, it said more about his!

We have been to H#ll and back over the last few years…and I have survived, we all have. I have survived because of the wealth I have that has nothing to do with a bank statement and everything to do with the true value of life and the real measure of a man’s place in it…his family, his friends, and the things he holds dear!

And yes, sometimes that is a “Little Big Dog” named TuffGuy!

I am rich beyond words, beyond description, and it has nothing to do with my bookshelves or the background in my videos or the balance in my bank account.

Sam Walton, the story goes, was on his death bed and uttered these words:

“I blew it!”

I intend to say the following on mine:

“I did it!”

In the mean time, I will simply say:

Thank you, one and all for taking the time to be a part of my life, for reading my thoughts and feelings, for sharing your own. I am richer for the exchange, and I am wealthier for the knowledge you have shared with me.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving…each and every day!

John

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• 

Life, Paying it Forward, Success, The Power of One, and Infinite Intelligence!

It is always darkest before the dawn. Cliche´ or not, it is true!

When I think back to last November, just 12 months ago, I quite literally thought I would be gone by now. I was making final arrangements and wanted to leave behind some sort of legacy…helping people, “Paying it Forward,” whatever.

I had it all wrong!

Instead of improving my life and the lives of those closest to me, I was fixated on some “larger purpose,” this notion of a legacy.

Silly?

Yes!

But when faced with your own mortality, “The End,” rational thought isn’t always available, particularly when the mind is clouded by all sorts of medications. Not to mention being scared out of your wits! But somehow, I got through it and came out the other end.

Nothing short of a miracle!

I firmly believe the entire battle for life and battles of life are won or lost in the mind, basically in our will.

Free Will?

We either continue and press on…or we give up and give in!

It is during the toughest times of our lives that we are forged into whatever it is we are becoming. The test of an individual, the real test of our mettle, is in being able to make it through these life altering, life changing, even life threatening events a better person.

Profound! Huh?

But true!

There are many people who have never made it, lost it, and have had to make it all over again. It is in facing failure, financial ruin, even death, we find out who we are and what we are made of. It is in working through failure and triumphing in spite of the possibility of ruin and death that we are reborn and forever altered…hardened and focused in a way others cannot, will not understand.

You see, I don’t think we are in full control of where we are going…or why. I believe control is an illusion. Without the illusion, many of us could not, would not be able to make sense of the reality of our existence, either as individuals or collectively, as a species here on Earth.

Many of us, “control freaks” or not, would simply crash and burn without this illusion.

And yet?

And yet control is an illusion!

Why?

Well, there are so many variables impacting and affecting our lives, we simply can’t account for all of them, much less control them. Any researcher will tell you control is an illusion. You may attempt to set up controls but there are so many confounding variables, events and occurrences simply unaccounted for, unable to be accounted for, that complete control is an unattainable construct…it is simply not possible.

And yet we are all fixated on control!

The fact is we can’t even control ourselves. The example many of the 12 Step programs are happy to offer up is about a certain bodily function:

If you think you have control, try controlling yourself when you have (the runs)!

It’s not a pretty example but it is one that brings the point home.

When faced with adversity and with events seemingly beyond our control, it is up to us to press on, get through, and be wise enough to realize that whatever we come out the other side as…it is what was meant to be. Not in the sense that that was the only outcome…it is simply the only outcome you have, the one you must make use of and build upon.

After all, what’s the alternative? There isn’t one!

You are faced with certain events, issues, and obstacles in your life and your success or failure depends solely on how you deal with them…or not!

I am not a fatalist or a determinist…at least I don’t think I am?

I am something of a realist. At least I think I am?

However, being a realist is a difficult thing to be. Realistically speaking, of course! Just look up “Realism” on Wikipedia. Talk about a smorgasbord! You can, quite literally, have it any way you want it, fit the word to just about any classification and definition…within reason, of course.

But we are getting off the subject.

I believe that somehow, someway, as long as we persevere, we triumph. I don’t believe that is predetermined or preordained. I believe it is up to us, we are actively engaged in our own lives, or not, by and through the decisions we make every day.

The decisions we make!

That’s about as close to control as we get. However, our decisions are affected by a myriad of circumstances, many beyond our control. Thus, we are back to the illusion!

The alternative?

If we don’t believe we have the ability to shape and reshape our lives?

We are doomed to continually relive the difficulties of our past…or our present!

I believe there is a synergy of energy, ours and that of Collective Consciousness…or Collective Unconscious (as some people refer to it).

Meaning?

Well, without getting all mystical on you, we all have our own, undeniable energy and power, a certain irresistible force within us and, when we combine our force, our power with that of the collective energy, power, and focus of the Universe, whether you call it a Collective Consciousness, a Higher Power, God, or whatever, the results are incredibly powerful, particularly when focused in our lives…again, both individually and collectively.

An example (and not the greatest, I’ll admit):

Have you ever met a person with what is referred to as charisma or personal magnetism? Have you ever met an individual you were immediately drawn to; their power, energy, drive, and magnetism palpable? I believe we all have that quality, that power within us, it’s just that some people are more adept at tapping into it, focusing it in their lives, either for personal gain or for the “greater good.” The topic of another article, to be sure. We all know this kind of person and we have felt this awesome power.

An integral aspect of success, the linchpin if you will, is knowledge of Self and the ability to focus on, and tap into, this reservoir of power. Significantly, I sincerely believe this resource is available to all of us. Many people fail to understand this power and others are simply ignorant of it, ignorant in the sense that they simply have no idea this sort of power exists, much less being available to them in their own lives.

We all talk about persistence and determination as the crucial ingredients, the key components making success possible. In my opinion, it is this wellspring of Infinite Power, combined with Self-knowledge, determination, and persistence, that defines us and our ability to reshape our lives.

We have all heard the Yogi Berra quotes. Interestingly, many of these quotes are very insightful. Part of Yogi’s charm is the kernel of truth, or at least the reflection of how we perceive the world, in many of his quotes:

1) “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”
2) “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
3) “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”

This is precisely how most of us view the world and live our lives…

“Whether we are 100% aware of it 50% of the time!” (Yours Truly)

Or maybe…

50% aware of it 100% of the time!

No, that would make sense and be fairly accurate.

But seriously folks…

Think about numbers 2 and 3 for just a moment. This is how many of us live our lives!

Number 2? We get to a fork in the road, we have to make a decision and we make it…over and done! Little thought given to the actual decision. Just Do It! The end result will be what may.

Number 3? This is how 80%, 90% or 95% of the world lives their lives each and every day. The range between 80% and 95%? That’s simply a reflection of research and writer bias. One author or researcher says 80% live this way, others say the number is as high as 95%. I think it is probably closer to the latter than the former but the actual numbers are impossible to know and are irrelevant for this example. The important thing here is that most of us live rudderless lives, being blown this way and that by the strength of current “hot trends” and latest occurrences.

So?

Without a clear destination, mapped out in the form of clearly defined goals and a plan of action, we may take the wrong fork in the road and may be blown repeatedly off course by the slightest wind…or adversity. If we define who we are and what we wish to accomplish, we are ahead of 80-95% of the population! We are on our way to success in our lives.

Now, there comes a point in our lives when we find out just how much control we really have. This loss of control, or the illusion of control, may hit us as an illness, an economic setback, the loss of someone important in our lives or some other unforeseen catastrophic event. It is at this point we must have Faith is something greater and larger than ourselves or we will not make it through, regardless of how much power you may think have and how goal directed you may be.

There comes a point when you must say I need help, this is bigger than I am capable of handling on my own and I need help!

For some, the help will come in the form of organized religion, others will find solace and strength in a personal spirituality and a belief in the power of an Inner Self, still others will find strength in family and friends, and finally, others may have access to a mastermind group of some sort, a group of like-minded

Individuals focusing on similar goals by creating a Collective Consciousness, a mind greater than any one mind…a very powerful concept suggested and developed by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich.

Regardless of the specific strategy, there comes a time when, if we don’t learn to turn to a source of power outside ourselves, if we aren’t smart enough to “turn it all over” to that group or Higher Power and say, “Help me!” or “Your will be done!”, you will fail.

I am not a religious man, or at least I thought I wasn’t. However, I have witnessed too many amazing things, been provided with second, third, and twentieth chances when I didn’t think I was going to make it through the day, much less be here twelve months later, for me to believe their isn’t this wellspring of Power, in all of our lives and at many different levels. It is up to you to understand it, develop it, and access it for your personal benefit and for the benefit of those around you.

Significantly, this last year started with the overwhelming urge to Pay it Forward, reinforced by a challenge from a good man, and developed by education, not only education in the traditional sense but in the “other worldly” sense. There is something greater, something more profound, something infinitely more powerful than any one of us understand alone. However, collectively we are more than One, we are more than the Group.

When we access this “Infinite Intelligence,” this “Higher Power,” we become greater, in fact we become great, and we begin to realize that indeed:

“All things are possible!”

By understanding that, as William Shakespeare wrote in 1601:

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” (Hamlet to Horatio, Act I Scene V)

In combination, these final quotes bring it all together. We must first accept that indeed “All things are possible!” And, once accepted, we must be willing to accept the belief, and this is where the real power rests, in belief that there is more in heaven and earth…and that it is available to us if we will only act, and believe.

Because:

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve!” Napoleon Hill (my personal favorite)

Belief, in combination with Faith, Persistence, Determination, and Infinite Intelligence, however Infinite Intelligence manifests itself in your life, is an irresistible combination. When combined with a goal directed life and the recognition of the many being greater than any one individual, anything is possible because:

“All things are possible!”

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
866-835-2913 (toll free)
Skype: johnzajaros1
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The Meaning of Life and The Definition of Success

Life is funny sometimes!

Life is funny…as in peculiar, perplexing, uncertain, difficult, a conundrum. And yes, sometimes life is also funny, as in ha-ha, amusing, and downright hysterical! Very often, it is somewhere in between.

Success in life, on the other hand, is elusive, perplexing, rewarding, frustrating, and amazing. In other words, success is the ultimate paradox, disconcerting and awesome, often all in the same moment, at times in the same breath.

Success is elusive because most people don’t understand what success is, perplexing because they are chasing something they think will define success, without actually understanding that success is nothing close to what they envisioned or imagined.

Success is rewarding because, when it comes, and regardless of how fleeting it may be, it validates our efforts and is one of the most amazing experiences we can have as human beings…providing we recognize it along the way!

Success is a paradox because it is often accompanied by incredible heartbreak, even failure; and, it tests our mettle in ways we never imagined, in the fires of life.
While exploring the rain forests of Central America we used to say Heaven and Hell were one in the same, around every bend, in every experience, in each and every moment.

The reason for this?

We had to endure incredible hardship on our way to amazing experiences. We had to endure incredible physical trials in order to get to pristine locations, places where few people had been for hundreds of years, untouched and unspoiled by humans. We had to endure bugs that would literally turn any exposed skin into sores, sores that, if scratched, increased in discomfort exponentially, all the while taking in some of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We had to endure intense heat and humidity, enough to stagger many in our party, only to jump into a river, clothes and all, a river so clean you can drink from it without fear of any of one hundred possible diseases or infestations. Imagine snakes and tarantulas along side of the most amazing lightening bugs imaginable, as big as silver dollars lighting up the sky. Imagine one hundred different tests each and every day while experiencing the time of your life, in each and every moment!

Life is like that!

Success is like that!

We often hear people say that life is a process, a progression, but deep down inside many still assign success to things instead of to experiences. Success, like life, is experiential!

Why is success experiential? Because it is a process!

That’s why people say it is a progression. Success is very much like life, in that as we progress through it we can either live one year 30 times or we can live 30 years.

Life, like success, is a process, a learning opportunity we are not meant to survive…but it can be amazing along the way. The end result is the same! It is up to each of us how we progress, how we experience the tests along the way.

I often mention Tony Robbins when I talk about success because I have been listening to Tony and people like him for decades. Napoleon Hill, then Earl Nightingale, Zig Ziglar, J Douglas Edwards, Wayne Dyer, and others all have the same message, enunciated in different ways…but there is a common theme.

The theme?

Build one day upon the one before!

*Whether as a template for a lifetime, as Napoleon Hill suggests.
*As a 30 day all out quest, repeated again and again, as Earl Nightingale challenges us to do.
*Or as CANI! Constant and never ending improvement! as Tony Robbins suggests.

The result is the same, an incremental approach to life. The method is similar, using forward motion, baby steps to build something amazing!

Baby steps?

What About Bob? is one of my all-time favorite movies and does the whole baby steps thing in such a great way! Take the time, Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfus at their best!

While we are on the subject of movies, and Bill Murray, watch Groundhog Day! Talk about a message cloaked in comedy! Do it over until you get it right, can you imagine? Can you imagine being given the chance to live every day until you get it just right?

You do!

You are!

Each and every day is a major do-over!

We have two choices, we can go on into the next day, week, month, year, decade in the same way as the one before…or we can have a do-over. Because every day we live is in essence a chance to reshoot the day before, to get it right…Groundhog Day!

If you haven’t watched those two movies, do so! They will not only make you laugh until you cry, therapy in and of itself, but you will learn something about life and do-overs! We all get them each and every day…it is all about perspective and about living each moment and building upon the one before, learning from our successes and our failures on the way to CANI!

Constant and Never Ending Improvement!

Well, enough for now! The video below will help you get a sense for the mindset I have been developing over a lifetime. I thought I might share a little of it.
Remember! Build, remember, and make it better each and every day. Your life will be amazing and success will be a done deal!

John

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

johnz@ultimateinternetmarketing.info
Video Title:
Life, Success. and a Sculpture on Halloween!

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I recently received a CD from Tony Robbins, it is from his Power Talk series and is a bonus for The New Money Masters members. In many ways, this is the most important and certainly, at least in my opinion, the wisest and most useful recording I have received from Tony Robbins since Personal Power II!

The recording defines success in terms of consistency, noting that “it is consistency that creates the fabric of success for a lifetime” and offers a new word to remember and apply this definition, this concept of and for success.

I have been thinking about this almost nonstop since receiving the CD a couple of weeks ago, and it has taken me back to the recording of The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale and to Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

The Tony Robbins Power Talk CD and The New Money Masters series have also reminded me of the videos by Napoleon Hill, done years ago, and now available on video through YouTube.

Talk about an amazingly powerful historical record!

So, not only do we have the text of both The Strangest Secret and Think and Grow Rich, we have the actual recordings available on Google and YouTube!

But Google does this one better. Because of the time constraints on YouTube videos, yes even for the masters like Nightingale, Hill, and now Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy…the videos and recordings must be segmented. The power isn’t lost when you can go right from part one to part two, and so on, in video format. However, I feel something is lost when attempting to follow an audio recording in such a manner. There is something magical about listening to Earl Nightingale uninterrupted.

Fortunately, Google offers the entire audio version of The Strangest Secret free!

The Strangest Secret, listened to from beginning to end in one sitting, is one of the most important recordings in terms of self-improvement, understanding the power of setting and achieving goals, and the true definition of success ever made…period! If you have not listened to the entire thing, you must do so at once…it will change your life!

But wait until you finish this article and have a look around…OK?!

I listened to Earl Nightingale for the first time in the mid-1970s and I have listened to it hundreds of times since, literally! I pull it out every few weeks and particularly when I feel my life getting a bit off course. The power of this single life-lesson is awesome and the lessons immediately applicable…in any of life’s arenas!

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal!”

The definition above has become ingrained in ever person who has ever had the pleasure of listening to, and applying, The Strangest Secret!

Interestingly, Tony Robbins has re-introduced many of the same concepts and philosophies in a new concept he calls CANI!

CANI! Means consistent and never ending improvement!

The Tony Robbins synthesis takes into account the teachings of the early masters and expands upon them by integrating the notion of kaizen, the Japanese word for constant, consistent, and incremental improvement over time, generally used in the context of business and thought to have emerged in Post World War II Japan.

In the aforementioned episode of Power Talk, Tony Robbins introduces the concept of kaizen to his listeners. Robbins expands on the concept of kaizen, and subsequently introduces CANI!. Both terms are introduced in relation to the work of William Edwards Deming, known by many as simply W. Edwards Deming or Edwards Deming, the father of the industrial turnaround in Post WWII Japan. Kaizen, a concept integrated into a way of doing business, but also applied generally to how one lives their life, catapulted Japan from being known for “cheap” products, meaning the manufacture of substandard products in my youth, to being know for the finest quality in the world within a period of a few short years.

Interestingly, and as noted above, the concept of kaizen, the “Japanese way of doing business,” has its origins in an American, W. Edwards Deming, who is still revered throughout Japan, even today. By extension, Tony Robbins thought it appropriate to apply an American term, one he originated, to the American concept and came up with an American term…CANI!

CANI! means constant and never ending improvement.

If you think about it, CANI!, or whatever you decide to call it, is the basis for success…in business and in life. Combined with notions as old as “seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” and, “ask and ye shall receive,” all the way up to the present day CANI!…the message is the same:

Success is a progression towards a worthy goal and/or ideal…or whatever! As long as the “whatever” is quite specific and the the progression is consistent and never ending!

In other words: CANI!

Why do people fail?

People fail for a myriad of reasons but it all comes down to four things:

1) A ship without a rudder! No goals, no idea where they have been; and, worse yet, no clear idea where they are going!
2) No passion! No idea what they want. People who fail lack a burning desire, something…anything…that captures the imagination and inspires massive action!
3) No consistency! Many think they know what they want, and may even have an idea how to get there! But they lack consistent effort, they work in spurts and quit before half way there!
4) They quit! This ties into number 3 and is the biggest reason for failure! “Winners never quit and quitters never win!” I can’t tell you how many times I have witnessed failure on the brink of success. I have witnessed people quitting just before a promotion was about to be offered, before a deal was about to close, before a goal was about to be achieved!

Quitting is the deadliest of all success killers and it is a habit. Avoid quitting at all costs!

Remember the first post at The Internet Marketing Quest Revealed?

No?

Well, it is on this topic and will get you pointed in the right direction, it relates well to the whole notion of a rudderless ship, goals, and consistency of action…quitting on the verge of success. I hope you enjoy it!

Ultimately, success means something different to and for everyone…but how you succeed is one of life’s hard and fast rules:

Success is a progression, a progressive journey toward a worthy ideal!

Whether kaizen or CANI! or some other phrase or term…the end result is the same if you apply it…success!

The end result is also the same if you do not…failure!

It is more difficult, and more painful, to fail! And yet, many seem to choose it. Incredible as it seems, with a road map in front of us, we still get off course and get lost!

The decision is yours:

Consistent and never ending improvement?

Or

Failure, pain, and remorse!

Success, like quitting, is a habit. That’s why I love The Strangest Secret, Think and Grow Rich, and Personal Power II…they are all about setting and achieving goals, building one day on the day before, one 30 day challenge upon the last…until you have created a habit and a lifetime of success!

A lifetime filled with success!

John

John Zajaros
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com

http://www.facebook.com/JohnZajaros

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