ABOVE YOU

MOST the Movie: A father takes his son with him to his job as a bridge tender. When the son falls into the drawbridge’s gears the father must choose between saving his son or saving the oncoming train filled with passengers.  It is a story of love, pain, redemption, and salvation.

Awards

Sundance Film Festival 2003
- Official Selection

Palm Springs International 2003
- Winner - Best of Festival

Maui Film Festival 2003 -
Winner - Best Short Film
and
Audience Award - Best Newcomers

Heartland Film Festival 2003
Winner - Crystal Heart Award

Nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Live-Action Short.

Anthony Robbins

World Authority on Leadership Psychology

For the past three decades, Anthony Robbins has served as an advisor to leaders around the world. A recognized authority on the psychology of leadership, negotiations, organizational turnaround, and peak performance, he has been honored consistently for his strategic intellect and humanitarian endeavors. His nonprofit Anthony Robbins Foundation provides assistance to inner-city youth, senior citizens, and the homeless, and feeds more than two million people in 56 countries every year through its international holiday “Basket Brigade.” Robbins has directly impacted the lives of more than 50 million people from over 100 countries with his best-selling books, multimedia and health products, public speaking engagements, and live events.

What began as a young person’s desire to help individuals transform the quality of their lives has grown into Robbins’ lifelong crusade as he is called on by leaders from every walk of life—presidents, political leaders, advocates for humanity, CEOs of multinational corporations, psychologists, peak performance athletes, world-class entertainers, teachers, and parents. Since fathering the life coaching industry, Robbins has produced the #1-selling audio coaching system of all time. He also is a corporate Vice Chairman, and Chairman overseeing five private companies. Robbins has been honored by Accenture as one of the “Top 50 Business Intellectuals in the World”; by Harvard Business Press as one of the “Top 200 Business Gurus”; by American Express as one of the “Top Six Business Leaders in the World” to coach its entrepreneurial clients; by Forbes as a Top 100 Celebrity; by Justice Byron White as one of the world’s “Outstanding Humanitarians”; and by the International Chamber of Commerce as one of the top 10 “Outstanding People of World.”
Anthony Robbins official website: http://www.tonyrobbins.com/

1) Know your purpose Are you drifting through life with little direction - hoping that you will discover contentment, health and wealth? Determine your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own distinctive compass that will guide you to your truth north all the time.

2) Know your values What do you value most? Make a list of your top three values. Check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top three values get rid of it.

3) Know your needs Unmet needs will stop you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. List your top five needs and get them met before it’s too late!

4) Know your passions You know who you are and what you truthfully like in life. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5) Live from the inside out Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. Learn to listen to what your heart is saying.

6) Honor your strengths What are your positive traits? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you willingly share what you know with others.

7) Serve others. When you live authentically, you will find out that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you are indeed pleasing, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

1. People want to make more money. They may
want to start their own business, get a higher paying
job or invest in the stock market. This will make
them feel successful.

2. People want to save money. They may want to
invest for the future or save for a big purchase.
This will make them feel more secure.

3. People want to save time. They may want to
work less and spend time enjoying life’s pleasures.
This will make them feel more relaxed.

4. People want to look better. They may want to
lose weight, tone their body, or improve their facial
features. This will make them feel more attractive.

5. People want to learn something new. They may
want to learn how to change their car oil or build a
deck. This will make them feel more intelligent.

6. People want to live longer. They may want to
get in shape, eat better or gain extra energy. This
will make them feel healthier.

7. People want to be comfortable. They may want
to relive aches and pains or want to sleep in a more
comfortable bed. This will make them feel
relieved.

8. People want to be loved. They may not want to
be lonely anymore or want to start dating again.
This will make them feel wanted.

9. People want to be popular. They may want to
be a famous celebrity or be more popular in
school. This will make them feel praised and
admired.

10. People want to gain pleasure. They may want
satisfy their appetite or sexual desires. This will
make them feel more fulfilled.

by James Dillet Freeman

Do you need Me ?
I am there.
You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.
You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.
You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.

I am at work, though you do not understand My ways.
I am at work, though you do not understand My works.
I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries.

Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know Me
as I AM, and then but as a feeling and a faith.

Yet I am here. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.
When you need ME, I am there.
Even if you deny Me, I am there.
Even when you feel most alone, I am there.
Even in your fears, I am there.
Even in your pain, I am there.

I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.
I am in you, and you are in Me.
Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me, for
only in your mind are the mists of “yours” and “mine”.
Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.

Empty your heart of empty fears.
When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.
You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all.
And I AM in all.

Though you may not see the good, good is there, for
I am there. I am there because I have to be, because I AM.

Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world take form; only because of ME does the world go forward.
I am the law on which the movement of the stars
and the growth of living cells are founded.

I am the love that is the law’s fulfilling. I am assurance.
I am peace. I am oneness. I am the law that you can live by.
I am the love that you can cling to. I am your assurance.
I am your peace. I am ONE with you. I am.

Though you fail to find ME, I do not fail you.
Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never
wavers, because I know you, because I love you.

Beloved, I am there.

This poem received a lot of attention in 1971 when it was taken to the moon by astronaut James B. Irwin on Apollo 15. Irwin’s mother gave it to him before the flight and he actually left a copy of the poem on the moon.

The author, James Dillet Freeman, is poet laureate of the Unity School of Christianity at Unity Village. He wrote the poem in 1947.

From an article title by P.H. Mullen “Everything is possible if you can just believe” that appeared in SwimmingWorld of July 2005.
Despite losing her leg only a year after she just missed qualifying for the Olympics, South African swimmer Natalie du Toit still competes, still succeeds and still dream of one day taking part in an Olympic Games.

By the time she was a teenager, South African swim-ming had its eye on Natalie du Toit. The versatile Cape Town swimmer lit up the pool, set-ting multiple national age group records in both medley events and dominating many of her races. At 16, she nearly qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics in three events. People sensed great things were in store for the strong, determined swimmer. In 2004, Athens could become her playground. Then in 2001, those plans abruptly changed. Done with morning workout, du Toit eased her motor scooter into Monday rush-hour traffic and headed to school.

Just down the street from her pool, a careless driver exiting a parking lot ran directly into her left leg. The scene was gruesome; the devastation was immediately obvious. “I kept saying, ‘I’ve lost my leg, I’ve lost my leg,’” remembers du Toit. Her teammates rushed to her. Traffic snarled. The scene: total, horrible chaos. A motorcycle policeman racing to the accident crashed headfirst into a truck and had to be airlifted to a hospital. It would have been merciful if du Toit had fainted. But this is a girl who confronts reality without blinking. She stayed awake. At that moment, Natalie du Toit was not in the least preoccupied with her swimming career. But that state of mind would prove to be very temporary.

DETERMINED AND DEFIANT
Du Toit comes from a working-class background, and maybe that’s where she learned her stubbornness and determination. Mother Deidre, is a receptionist and father, David, is a foreman (she has an older brother André). Even the family dogs suggest a serious, no-nonsense attitude: Binga is a boxer and Storm is a rottweiler. For days, the doctors attempted to save her leg. But it was no use. They amputated through the left knee and inserted a titanium rod into her broken femur. “I remember asking my mom, ‘When are they going to amputate?’” Du Toit recalls. “My mom’s answer was that they already had.” Through the fog of medication, Du Toit absorbed the news. The next day she got out of bed. Life was calling. The pool was calling. “I just wanted to get back to life again - swimming four hours a day - and I wanted to be able to walk again so that I would be able to do things by myself,” she says. Her teammates visited the hospital. Awkwardly, they mumbled their condolences, sympathies and whatever it is a person is supposed to say at a time like this. She like the visits, but couldn’t handle the pity. So she would pull back the sheets to shock them with her half leg. Several nearly fainted. This wasn’t an angry move. But it was a defiant one.

Did people record this raw defiance in their diaries? They should have, for it was the first clue that Du Toit planned to defy all the odds that got in her way.

STILL SUCCEEDING

You will know when Du Toit is racing. You will know because the crowd is on its feet. The crowd tries to process what it is witnessing. There in the water is an amputee racing with the lead pack. The crowd cheers because the other alternative is to sit in stunned disbelief.
Natalie du Toit, now 24, is one of the world’s fastest distance swimmers, and the only amputee to qualifying for the Olympic Games. Less than two years after the accident, she qualified for the finals of the 800 meter freestyle at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, marking the first time an amputee in the modern era had raced in the finals of an able-bodied international swimming competition.

That day, Du Toit wasn’t close to winning. But that hardly mattered. She was named outstanding athlete of the Games, beating Aussie Ia Thorpe, who had won six golds, one silver, ands set a new world record. Out of necessity, she switched to distance freestyle after the accident. But although her body and events have changed, her goals haven’t. “I have always had a dream to take part in an Olympic Games, and losing my leg didn’t change anything,” she says.

When she’s not training, she’s studying sports management. She’s also doing motivational speaking because she’s become one of South Africa’s best-known stories and a source of inspiration to the country.

Just imagine what it would mean if she competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She doesn’t yet have the qualifying times, but she’s not that far off. Prior to the accident, a coach gave Du Toit an unattributed poem. She rediscovered it after her accident. Before, it didn’t mean much. Now, a laminated copy hangs on her wall, and she can probably recite it in her sleep:

The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals;
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for.
It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars,
But it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.

Paul Potts - Making your dreams come true, even when all the odds are against you.

Author: Shannon M. Clooney

Using The Power of Visualization To Accomplish Anything

Did you know that through the power of visualization you can change your life, meet your goals, and achieve everything that you set out to do? Visualization is simply the process of seeing your life unfolding in a positive way through your minds eye. When you do this you are literally taking charge of your life, not leaving any room for negativity or self doubt that normally creeps into your life and stops you from doing the things that you want or need to do.

The Power of Visualization

Visualization can help you change your life because it can break you from your typical routines, influences, and circumstances. Many of us go through life and we allow circumstance and those around us to dictate where we go and when, and what happens to us. Essentially, we live our lives as victims, wondering what is going to happen next. With visualization you are no longer the victim or just along for the ride, you are in control and you are in control because you can see the future unfolding before your eyes.

Through visualization you can find peace and contentment any time. It doesn’t matter if you are in the office, in your home, at a friend’s house, or elsewhere. If you are going through something uncomfortable or that makes you mad or sad, you can use visualization to picture yourself in a place that is mentally and spiritually more positive and inspiring and will work with you instead of working against what you have set out to accomplish.

We all have the potential to get down in the dumps. Look around yourself for a moment and it seems that everywhere you turn there is a reason to be worried, upset, angry, or sad. If you turn on the news or read a newspaper there is a lot of negativity there that you can get caught up in. Instead of allowing for these things to pull you down, use your visualization to stay positive so that you can continue to go down your road to success.

When it comes to visualizing you can use all of the tools that you can get. You can download free wallpapers for your desktop background that you can look at for peace and inspiration when you need it most. These could come in handy at work and at home and will allow you to step outside yourself mentally for just a moment to become balanced, positive, and peaceful once again. You would be amazed at how inspiring or peace provoking a picture can be, but in that moment when you need to slip away and visualize success, they can help. The best thing is that you do not have to pay a bundle for wallpapers; in fact you can download free wallpapers that are just as inspiring as those that you have to pay for. Give it a try! You never know when you may need to use visualization to help you get through the day.

Author: Jason De Boer

Why is motivation important?
Whether you are trying to achieve something yourself or lead others towards an achievement, the ability to be self-motivated or to motivate is crucial. When we meet people who are regarded as successful or high achievers, it is tempting to assume that they are innately self-driven, or are natural leaders with high levels of motivational ability. This may well be the case, but it is just as likely that they have learned and used some effective techniques for either motivating themselves or to motivate others.

The benefits of motivation to an individual are fairly obvious - people who are motivated tend to be more successful in achieving their personal and professional goals, which in turn has benefits in terms of their self-esteem and confidence. Given that people are usually the most important asset of any organization, motivation is also a critical factor in the overall success of a team or business.

Three golden rules of motivation
Motivation does not take place on its own. In order to be motivated or to motivate others, it is important to remember three golden rules of motivation before considering any specific techniques.

1 Motivation is impossible without clear achievable goals
Motivation and goal setting are inextricably linked. Without a goal or purpose, motivation is meaningless, whilst motivation is a vital part of intentionally achieving any goal. Two of the most basic motivators are to know exactly what you are trying to achieve, and to then go out and achieve it. Not having a clear idea of your goal or not believing that a goal is attainable will severely dent your motivation.

2 Motivation and goals need to be in alignment at every level
How often have you felt that you have been performing well or doing a good job, only to be told by your manager or colleagues that you have been focusing on the wrong thing, that priorities have changed or that you have simply been underperforming? For example, imagine an experienced sales person who has an excellent track record of retaining business with their established customers, but is heavily criticized by their manager for failing to develop as much new business as their less experienced colleague. As a result, the sales person feels alienated, undervalued and ultimately de-motivated. Their performance and results are likely to suffer. The chances are that there has been a lack of dialogue between the manager and the sales person over how individual goals need to fit with the overall goals of the company. If the emphasis is on generating new business, has this been communicated effectively to each sales person, and in a manner which will motivate each of them to succeed?

Every business needs motivated employees in order to be successful and achieve its goals. If employee motivation is not closely matched to these business goals, the chances of success are diminished.

3 Motivation is neither fixed nor infinite
Motivation is not a one-off event. Something which provides motivation at one particular time may not be as effective in the future, due to changes in environment and circumstances. If someone is driven to become the best in their field, how do they maintain their motivation to perform once they reach the pinnacle of their profession? Even if circumstances remain constant, the most powerful motivational factors will lose impact over the course of time. For instance, you may attend a conference and feel energized by a particular speaker or meeting, and leave the event highly motivated to put what you have heard into action. How long will the impact of what you heard last before you slip back into old ways of doing things?

Motivation is a constant process and constantly changes. As an individual or as a leader trying to motivate others, it is vital to remember this.

Author: Shannon M. Clooney

When you go to work each day do you dread it? Do you feel a lack of creativity and passion in your surroundings and the people that you work with? If so, you are like many people! A lot of people don’t necessarily like the job that they do, the people that they work with, or even the atmosphere in which they work. Well all work because we are inspired to do so, so that we can live the lifestyle that we have created for ourselves. When you feel your passion and your inspiration warning it is time to do something about it. You need to find ways to get inspired at the office, and you can do this through inspirational wallpapers.

Inspirational Wallpapers: Simple Inspiration

Many times the area in which we work in is what zaps us of our creativity and passion for what we do. If you work in a small cubicle every day and you don’t have much around you that inspires, you can do something about it. Even if you aren’t allowed to bring plants and pictures into your space, there is one thing that you can do that will not take up any room but will allow you to get that inspiration that you are seeking. What could this be? It’s simple and effective: inspirational wallpapers.

On your computer you currently have a background. Many people have pictures of their family others have their work logo or something of this nature. If you are not finding inspiration in these things, why not download inspirational wallpapers that will change the look and feel not only of your computer, but your entire work space? You may not realize it, but by simply changing the background on your computer desktop you can change the way you feel about your environment.

When you have a stressful job where you always feel overwhelmed it can be difficult to find the inspiration that you need to get excited about all of the work on your plate. When you download inspirational wallpapers you will find that there is suddenly pictures and words before you that will inspire you to prioritize and get started. We often under estimate the power of words and images, but when you put words and images in front of you that really speak to your heart, you’ll find that you always have a source of inspiration to tap into it when you need it most.

Inspiration can be hard to come by when you don’t particularly like your job, the people that you work with, or your surroundings when you are at work. It is very important to find sources of inspiration where you can, and inspirational wallpapers are really very simple to come by and they will give you the inspiration that you need right at your fingertips. In those moments when you aren’t sure where to start or you don’t feel like you can take your job anymore, you can turn to your wallpaper and center yourself and remember that you are doing the job that you need to do to live the life that you want for yourself. You’d be amazed at how simple and effective this process really is, and it’s all based on the power of images and words.