During my presentation this week to the International Coach Federation’s Virtual Community, I spoke about an article I had written called “How To Have A Stroke”. Many people expressed interest in the article, so I thought I’d re-post it here.
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In my book, “What’s Your Expiry Date?“, I wrote that my goal was to help people understand the Power of Mortality™ without the need for them to undergo a traumatic event. On October 10, 2006, twelve years after discovering the Power of Mortality™, I suffered a stroke.
Technically, it was a Transient Ischemic Attack or TIA. As I lay in the hospital for a week following the event, I realized that, thanks to the Power of Mortality™, there was nothing - not one thing - in my life that I needed to change! How many people could say that when faced with their own death?
Thankfully, I made a full recovery from the TIA and suffered no deficits or after effects. When I first wrote about this in my newsletter, one of my subscribers suggested that TIA could also stand for “Teaching In Action”. I really liked that idea! So, in the spirit of using acronyms, I would like to present a short lesson on “How to have a STROKE“
S - STOP!
You can do it. You can take some time for yourself. Let the rest of the world take care of itself for a while. You owe yourself this time. Besides, if you don’t stop once in a while, life has a habit of stopping you.T - Take stock of your life. Who have you become? Who did you intend to be? How do you feel about that? Be honest with yourself.
R - Realize that you are not owed any specific amount of time on this earth. Likewise, you need to realize that your loved ones are not guaranteed any specific amount of time.
O - Open yourself up and listen. You’re listening for the small voice inside of you. It may take a few minutes or it may take a few days, but you will hear it. This voice comes from your heart of hearts - listen to what it has to say about your life. The process of tapping into the Power of Mortality™ isn’t something you can “think” your way through. It must be felt at the core of your being. The problem is that most of us are very out of touch with the core of our being because we are too busy letting life live us. We never intend for it to happen that way - it just does.
K - Keep in mind the principles of the Mortality Manifesto. Commit to aligning your life with your dreams. Commit to paying attention to your thoughts, words and actions. Realize that everything in your life happens because of your thoughts, words and actions and it is up to you to ensure that these three things are moving you in the direction of your dreams. Free yourself from fear and regret by keeping your focus on the present moment.
E - Embrace your life by embracing your mortality. EVERYDAY!
Let me finish by saying that I sincerely hope that this is the only STROKE that you ever have to experience. However, if you approach this exercise with a sincere heart and actually work though the process I know that you’ll be ready for whatever life brings your way in the future.
ENJOY NOW!
