Will Bowen Audio

In the wonderful biography “Steve Jobs,” the author tells of a marketing scheme used to sell the original Ipods.

Although not the first mp3 player, the Ipod had the wheel and that tactile feel made people fall in love with it and load their Ipods with thousands of songs.

At Apple HQ during that time, people began to notice that you can tell a lot about a person based on their playlist and the marketing idea of sharing celebrities Ipod playlists was born.

So, what’s on your playlist?

Do you have a playlist that will BOOST YOU UP and KEEP YOU GOING?

Everyone needs a playlist like that and in this message I share my playlist with you.

As you probably know, I began a daily devotional email more than ten years ago that I pretended was from God.

Blasphemous? Maybe. But I wanted readers to truly be open and not ascribe the words to any human person.

I sent out those emails for more than 7 years until we compiled the best 365 into To You; Love God, which is available in hardback.

Each week during 2019, I’m dedicating these Tuesday JumpStarts to whatever the To You; Love God reading is that day and today is a big one.

Shakespeare told us, “Nothing is either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”

It is our beliefs that shape our lives and our worlds so, today, begin to change your beliefs to create what you desire.

A few years ago, one of my publishers, Brilliance Audio, brought me to Michigan in February to record my latest book “Happy This Year.”

The car service picked me up at the airport and took me straight to the studio where we had an intense 3 days of recording planned.

Somehow, between leaving home, flying to Detroit and arriving at the studio, I GOT SICK!

I couldn’t speak without croaking like a frog.

The publisher refused to record me (who wants an audiobook recorded by a sick person?) and I spent 2 days in my hotel room guzzling TheraFlu and listening to “Roar” by Katy Perry.

In this video, I share how the story turned out (big surprise!) as well as more from my personal playlist to inspire the lion within you!

Believe it or not, my mother used to blame her weight struggles on her mouth.

“I just have such a sweet tooth,” she’d say in her delicate southern drawl.

Many people have told me that they, too, are afflicted with a “sweet tooth” and yet, having been one of those people myself I can tell you that there’s no such thing.

A “sweet tooth” is a sugar habit.

The more sugar we eat, the more want (not less).

If you find yourself eating sugary snacks, don’t blame your teeth, it’s your willpower.

Try breaking the cycle one day at time. Go just 24 hours without sugar and see how you feel.

I’m betting you’re going to feel GREAT!

What if, rather than feeling sorry for yourself when something painful happened, you instead began to work to resolve this situation as best as you could?

Look, whatever is upsetting you, you’re going to get over it so why not do it now and feel free?

The pain of most experiences lingers not because of the seriousness of the incident but because we replay it over and over in our heads.

This keeps tearing open the wound.

If you’re dealing with a problem that seems unfair and too big (and, who isn’t?) take the shortcut to feeling better.

Skip the feeling sorry for yourself stuff -- get off the pity potty and do something about it.

I think the reason so many people love zombies is that we, as human beings, can relate to walking around half dead.

John Lennon was never more spot on than when he observed, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

As we work, plan, and dream life slips silently by.

Today, wake up to the good things that are around you. The things that you’d miss if they were gone. The little things that, in the end, mean everything.

Begin to focus on this moment for it alone is life and, as the highest act of gratitude, dare to enjoy this moment as much as you can.

It’s amazing how many opportunities surround us that we rationalize letting slip through our grasp.

Recently, I was at a convention of professionals and was surprised to see every single one of them miss a blatant opportunity right in front of them.

In this video, I share why we fail to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves and how we can begin to take action.

In the end, you either make effort of you make excuses.

What’s it going to be for you today?

Restaurant portion sizes in the United States (and elsewhere) have gotten much larger over the years in an attempt to convey value.

Unfortunately, this shift has lead to super-sized people who are unhealthy.

It’s amazing the little decisions about ourselves that we relinquish to other people from restaurant portion sizes to the styles that we wear.

Happiness comes from feeling self-determined and deciding how much we’ll eat, what we’ll wear, and other small decisions lead to feeling in control AND living a better life.

Today notice how often decisions are made in advance for you.

Then, where appropriate, make new, healthier choices.

Have you noticed that most really successful people sit down and write their thoughts, plans, dreams, discoveries and problems?

Throughout history great people have left a diary of some sort not so much for posterity but as a tool to work out what is, in many cases, their own madness.

I was recently reintroduced to the power of journaling and reminded of the healing that awaits us when we sit with pen and paper to express our thoughts.

When you journal, your mind slows down and you’re able to put your problems down on paper where they often look much smaller.

Journaling is a great practice to lower stress and create a sense of purpose and direction.

Today, spend ten minutes reading your own thoughts as they spill from your pen.

You’ll find it enlightening.

Ginger was a dog who showed up at our home one day and took up permanent residence.

Ginger had obviously been abused in the past and was always nervous and anxious. She would cower whenever you went to pet her out of fear that you might hit her.

Teddy, on the other hand, is our current dog and he’s has been held, nuzzled and played with since the moment he was born.

Teddy has no fear of people--only trust.

People tend to fall along a similar spectrum from Ginger (been hurt before, stressed) and Teddy (totally loved and knows it!) and this creates a load on our nervous system that determines our relationships, reactions and even our health.

Today, let’s take a look at the stress life has placed upon us and how we can make it as light as possible.