Dr John DeMartini Interview: Living Your Inspired Destiny
Dr John DeMartini can only be described as a person who chooses to see the upside of events and situations that would otherwise crush the spirit of a less aware and enlightened soul. He considers the early childhood physical and learning disabilities as gifts and opportunities to design the life he has now.
At age 7 his first grade teacher pronounced him dyslexic and suggested to John’s parents that he play sport as academic achievements was out of the realm of possibility. Thankfully her prediction was incorrect as today John DeMartini is a highly influential speaker, author, coach and master in the study of human potential.
His latest book “Inspired Destiny-Living a Fulfilling and Purposeful Life” is aimed at people who have yet to find their purpose and direction in life. “We all have a teen or early twenty year old still in us who has a passion and purpose to live and fulfill”, says John.
What I found most encouraging in this interview was his firm belief that we can pursue our passion and be well paid for it.
And here’s the clincher we all know what we would really love to do; as John explains, “We just have unfounded and unjustified fears (of failure and rejection) that can be overcome using the DeMartini method as set out in the book”.
John DeMartini Audio Part1 and John DeMartini Audio Part2
This is a man with a vision, an astronomical vision of leaving this world a much better place than when he found it. John’s passion for positively affecting every person who has crossed his path makes the enormity of his vision an achievable certainty, this I truly believe.
Find Dr John DeMartini at:
Courageously Moving Into 2011
I welcomed in 2011 with a quiet dinner and contemplation.
Perhaps it was the 43C (109F) evening that was the deciding factor between heading into the city to join in the celebrations and festivities (read beer and more beer, wine and spirits) with the usual suspects or staying home in the cool Adelaide Hills.
As is my custom and habit I use the first week of January to set the course for the coming 12 months.
This comes in the form of writing down on a sheet of unlined paper five important goals I want to achieve, covering all aspects including career, personal relationships and finances, health and spirituality. I sign and date this document that I like to call my memorandum of understanding. I then put this in my pocket book that I have with me every day.
However, this will be unlike previous years in that I stopped in my tracks when I sat down to put fountain pen (there is something magical about writing the old fashioned way) to paper.
I examined the underlying reason(s) for wanting to achieve each goal and I must say, took the time to squarely look at the why for listing it. These are very important personal goals and there is only so much room at the inn.
So, some honest appraisal and self interrogation ensued and the realizations that dawned on me were that my goals:
1) Are a reflection of my current state of being
2) Can be driven either by FEAR (False Expectation Appearing Real) or courage
The nerdy kid in me has always had a fascination for etymology (the study of the origins and history of words) so a quick on line search found how the word “courage” came into being.
Courage: from Old French corage, from couer or heart
Noun
1. the power or quality of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain, etc
2. the courage of one’s convictions the confidence to act in accordance with one’s beliefs
3. take one’s courage in both hands to nerve oneself to perform an action
Courage is an acknowledgement of goals that emanate from my heart and are accompanied by a deep sense of conviction that they are in keeping with my highest purpose.
Courage means that these goals require wholehearted commitment to see them come to fruition.
Courage means experiencing a feeling of peace that the decision to set into motion a course of action is aligned with my heart.
May 2011 be the year you found your heart (courage).
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
Owning Up and Learning from My Mistakes
Our education system does not encourage us to admit our errors and effectively punishes us when we get it wrong.
This is reinforced by the assessment strategy of grading us down in tests and formal examinations when we do not produce the “right’ answers.
The system is designed to turn out cookie cutter lookalikes with not a whit of individuality.
It stymies creativity, inventiveness and discourages exploration; in effect we get a slap on the wrist every time we colour outside the lines.
So does the title of this article stir up a bit of discomfort?
I certainly hope so, only because I want you to challenge conventional thinking and behaviour.
What if, for a change, we celebrated instead of shaming kids in grade school for giving the incorrect answer?
Rather than making them feel like a failure we gave them elephant stamps and gold stars for having a go, for attempting an answer.
Brian Tracy, one of my favourite motivational speakers and amazing business coach said it best:
Learning from your mistakes is an essential skill that enables you to develop the resilience to be a master of change rather than a victim of change.
The person who recognizes that he has made a mistake and changes direction the fastest is the one who will win in an age of increasing information, technology and competition.
By remaining fast on your feet, you will be able to out-play and out-position your competition.
You will become a creator of circumstances rather than a creature of circumstances.
In other words: Adaptability is the name of the game.
In every episode of Star Trek Dr Spock may have said, “Live long and prosper”, but Dr Tan says “Live smart and prosper”.
So, the faster you fail, the quicker you get to your goals.
You might as well get through it sooner than later because that lets you gain momentum as you hurtle towards success.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dawg
A city slicker was visiting his distant relations out in the country and stopped by a gas station for refreshments and to fill up his fancy car.
As he was about to go inside to pay, he noticed an old timer sitting on his wooden porch in his rocking chair just quietly taking in the fresh country air.
But the peace and tranquility was disturbed by a howling dog laying at the feet of the old timer.
Mr City Slicker could not contain his curiosity and just had to ask, “Hey there sir, I can’t but help notice your dog howling. Is he ok because he sounds like he is in a lot of pain”.
“Well, son”, replied the Old timer, “That’s because this here dog is laying on a nail that ain’t hammered down smooth on this porch”.
The next obvious question he had was, “Why doesn’t the dog lay on the other side of the porch then?”
Without batting an eyelid, the Old timer said, “Because then, it’ll have to get up and MOVE!”
The first time I heard this story, I laughed so hard I almost snotted.
This is a great example of some people who say they want to be happier, thinner, healthier, richer etc but balk at having to make some type of effort.
They love the sound of their own whining, they wheel out their “story” to the unsuspecting and hope to reel them in with their tales of why something’s not right in their lives (cue violins).
So, below is this little checklist that is sure to get us thinking. It’s self explanatory.
We ask ourselves, do we play above or below the line.
If you are an OAR it means you take ownership of the situation. For example you might be a tad heavier that is healthy for your gender, age and height.
You are accountable for that less than healthy lifestyle, and you take responsibility by doing something about it such as making a choice not to have the greasy take out but choose the lean chicken whole meal sandwich instead. In other words you play above the line like a true CHAMPION.
Alternatively, you can lay in BED and play VICTIM and below the line by placing blame on everyone and everything, make convenient excuses about why you can’t (substitute “won’t) change your eating habits and downright be in denial about the fact that you haven’t been able to see your toes for years.
Ownership
Accountability CHAMPION
Responsibility
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Blame
Excuses VICTIM
Denial