Hey Folks. Today was easily the most challenging day of parenting I’ve ever had. Granted I’ve only been at this for less than a year, but today sick and fussy babies kept my wife and I very busy and pretty much any brain cell that’s worth a damn has shut down for the day.
So, I haven’t had a chance to put together an update post for today. Family first, sorry. That’s how it’ll always be here. Try raising infant triplets and you’ll see what I mean.
In the hopes of re-negotiating my karmic contract with y’all, I had a thought today as I was spending a few minutes putting together some more of my “stuff” for donation to the library. I’m just trying to lighten my burden around here.
Over the last decade, I’ve invested in more than a handful of self-help courses. Some of them spectacular, some craptacular. As I looked at what was sitting in my donation box, I felt sad and annoyed that I would give this stuff to the library and they’d turn around and sell it as part of a dollar a bag sale or something.
So, I decided instead to reward my loyal readers with periodic contest giveaways of my stuff. Nearly everything that I’ll be giving away is in the personal development category. Some items retail for as little as $27, some up to $497.
Up For Grabs Today…
I thought I’d start somewhere in the middle with a program that retails currently for $249. Check out Matt Furey’s Dao Zou sales page for the full description; he can certainly describe it better than I. There’s a nice little demonstration video on the sales page too.
The Dollar Menu version is as follows:
Dao Zou is the ancient Chinese practice of walking backwards, while mixing in mental imagery exercises and deep breathing to help turn back the clock of time.
It relieves stress, increases energy, and looks weird to anybody spectating.
This is a 3 DVD set and I’m passing it on because I’ve studied the course sufficiently and implemented it that I don’t need the DVD’s anymore (yes, I’ve walked around backwards in my backyard). Most of my workout routines come from Matt Furey in one form or another. I can’t more highly recommend his stuff, it’s terrific, and this won’t be the last giveaway I do of his materials.
What’s the Catch,Mr. Blogger Man?
No catch, good peoples. Just leave a comment that answers the following question:
What would you choose to do with your life if you knew you could not fail?
After 14 days, I’ll close the comments (let’s call it end of day, February 22nd, 2010 Eastern Standard Time (Buffalo, NY) in the US – that’s one minute after 11:59pm on February 22nd).
Then I’ll pick one of them fancy random number generators that will select a comment based on the number thingy of what order you placed your comment.
Yes, I’ll cover the shipping and handling. All you have to do is leave a comment that’s an answer to the question. Please, only one comment per person. I monitor comments so if I see you abusing the rules, I’ll delete all of your comments.
Once I have a winner, I will contact you by email. That’s one of the reasons why we (me and the mouse in my pocket) make you put in your email address when submitting your comments. No one sees your email address except me (and the mouse, his name is Corporal Asskicker, but he can’t read). When I contact you, I’ll ask for your mailing address as it would look if someone from the United States was sending you a package in the mail. I don’t keep your mailing address so don’t worry about me sending you crappy catalogs in the future.
Disclaimer – If you fail to get back to me within two weeks of me announcing you as the winner, I’ll pick another winner instead.
Disclaimer Part Deux – If you live outside the US, then it may take awhile for the program to get to you in the mail. Being a cheapskate, I will likely choose international media mail, but I assure you that I will send it. If it gets lost in the mail, oh well, sorry. I’m not gonna buy another Dao Zou program just to make it good to you. The point is to get rid of my shyt and if the mailman loses it, I’ve still achieved my goal.
As I said, I’ll periodically have more give-aways. I have maybe a dozen books or programs that are worth the effort for everyone. So, I may do this like once a month till I run out of good stuff, but no promises. If this becomes a hassle, I’ll drop it like fifth period French.
So please, fire away and give me your best answer to my question.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
If I could not fail, I would make sure on a global level that every child was well cared for and kept in a safe environment. I cannot keep people from the choices they make, but children should not be made to bear their parents’ mistakes at an early age.
Nothing. I believe that you should not regret what you have done but learn from it instead. If you new you could not fail, then I believe that you would get a poor judgement. Instead, have knowledge about that you could fail, but don’t let that stop you from doing things.
I would fall in love with someone fully, completely, and irrevocably.
The reason I choose this as my answer is because falling in love is the only thing in my life that I’m afraid to do because of my fear of failure. For me, the prospect of a business failure or an artistic failure (I’m a musician) is no sweat. I understand that in business and in art, as in most other ventures, failing is part of the process. But for some reason that understanding has never translated to my experiences with love.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.
(Dr. Napoleon Hill)
Frankly, I’m already doing it. I’m studying to become a world-class bridge player.
According to so-called prevailing wisdom, the cards for success are stacked against me. I’m a woman, I’m 51 years old and I began playing bridge less than six years ago. I’ve been told that I don’t have what it takes to become a star “female” player, that I started too late, that I don’t have enough good brain power left, that I don’t play that well, and that I’m a woman. Some people in the upper echelons of bridge hold firmly to the belief that it is genetically impossible for women to compete with men on the world stage because we lack concentration and because we are not egotistical enough. How ridiculous!
Well frankly I don’t believe the naysayers, as I know beyond a shadow of any doubt that I will be one of the greatest bridge players of all time. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to succeed: I study bridge for at least 3 hours every day. I pay thousands of dollars for private bridge coaching. I now play online with a world class Russian bridge coach who recently won a world-class event in Verona, Italy. I study card combinations until I’m blue in the face. I fall asleep each night with a book of bridge esoterica in my hand and the love of bridge in my heart. I’ve modified my diet to boost my concentration and memory, and most important of all, I encourage others who, like me, have been told they will never amount to anything in their area of endeavor. No one has the right to say that to anyone, as no one can predict the drive and determination of the indomitable human spirt. Even in spite of all the negative things that may happen to us, we somehow manage to prevail. Ahhh the beauty of hope!
Winston Churchill spoke to me so poignantly when he said, “Never never never never never never give up.” And with all due respects to Mr. Churchill, I most certainly never will.
Vita Reid
The One Minute Minimalist
I’d spend my life walking through cities — New York, London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, Istanbul, Tehran, Dehli, Beijing, Tokyo — taking pictures of street life.
I would follow my desire to teach. I am a natural teacher and love kids, but the condition of the public education system kept me away. My girlfriend and I spoke of starting a school but never got pass talking. Opening a school is a desire that continues to surface. I’ve written a business plan and every year or so I revisit the plan.
I would walk across every continent. The idea being I would meet interesting people along the way, learn languages, see interesting flora and fauna, and in the end probably learn more then I ever imagined.
Freedive around the world.
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