You may notice that this website has had a bit of a facelift. I’ve recently made some changes in the evolution of my work. Some of the changes are cosmetic and others are philosophical.

For instance – Mathieu.com has been my domain since 1995 (yep!), but I haven’t really used it for anything for a number of years. It’s now back to being my main site and has had a similar facelift. This is where people can get information about my speaking and coaching services as well as information about my books. (Yes, I said books – plural – see below!)

ChooseTheLifeYouWant.com has been redesigned as a straightforward blog.

And… I’ve dusted off PowerOfMortality.com. I’ve recently realized that I still have more work to do in the area of helping people with the concept of Mortality.

I’m also re-evaluating my plans for a follow-up book.  Read more about those plans.

Ultimately, I want to thank you for being part of this fun ride and for all of your feedback!  Please be sure to subscribe to this blog and to the Power of Mortality blog via the Subscribe links at the right of each website. That way, you’ll always be up to date.

And please – feel free to let me know what you’d like to see me talk about in these spaces!  You can do that my commenting below, or by contacting me directly.

Thanks!

As we work on choosing the lives we want and making the necessary changes, there will certainly be bumps along the way. At some point, as you work towards these goals, you may hit a plateau. Or you may slide backwards. Or you may become completely overwhelmed at the enormity of what you are trying to do.

All of those are perfectly normal, perfectly OK, and not a sign of weakness or failure.

Here’s what I suggest you do if you run into one of these situations…

Change your focus.

No, I don’t mean to focus on something else. Just shift the depth of your focus in order to get a new perspective.

If you’re getting caught up in the details – pull back and focus on the big picture. Imagine how much better your life will be once you’ve achieved this new goal. Spend some time thinking about how this goal integrates into your overall dreams for your life. How much better will all areas of your life be, once you’ve accomplished this thing you’re working on?

Or, if you’re getting overwhelmed with the enormity of the changes you are making, zoom in and focus on one task – one small change – at a time. Minute by minute. Day by day.

You may find that you shift your depth of focus quite frequently. That’s ok. It doesn’t mean you’re not committed. In fact, shifting your perspective is an excellent way to remain committed without becoming overwhelmed.

Keeping people from feeling overwhelmed is one of the main things I do when I coach people.  I help them to see the forest when all they can see is trees; and I help them to see the trees when there is nothing but forest.

So don’t be discouraged by plateaus, back-slides or feelings of overwhelm.  Shift your focus – change your perspective and keep on choosing the life you want!

This video features an awesome story about the importance of saying “YES!” to things – even things like robbing a bank.

Life is about improvisation, isn’t it? Sure, we can do our best to plan out our day, but improvisation is required as soon as our lives and our plans begin to interact with the lives and plans of others. John Lennon is credited with saying: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Personally, I’m grateful for that degree of uncertainty in each day. Variety is the spice of life, and I think it would be incredibly boring if each and every day went exactly as you planned it.

And yet, many people seem surprised when life presents them with opportunities to improvise. They are so rigid in their thinking that they don’t know what to do, or how to react, when life doesn’t follow the script that they’ve written out in their own minds.
Do you want to know the secret? The secret to good improvisational skills is to listen and observe more than you speak and act.

Years ago I was in Toastmasters and won numerous awards for impromptu speaking. I was always amused when people would see me before a competition and ask if I was prepared. How on earth do you prepare to improvise? I would answer, “Yes, all day long I’ve abandoned my usual prepared statements. Instead, I’ve just been talking to people!”

Open your mind to the possibilities of improvisation as you make plans and think about your goals and dreams. In the Mortality Manifesto I wrote that you should : “…always strive to ensure that your every thought word and action is moving you in the direction of your dreams.” Notice that I use the word “direction”. As long as you are moving in the right direction, don’t let your plans suffocate spontaneity. Because in the end, some of our fondest memories will be of the wonderful impromptu detours that we have taken while on our journey.

Human beings need a certain amount of ceremony in their lives to mark important occasions.

Sure, there are the usual ceremonies that society dictates are standard practice (Christenings, Graduations, Weddings, Funerals, etc.)- but I’m more interested in the ceremonies that we create ourselves. The ceremonies we engineer in order to mark the beginning of a new chapter in our life. These may be very private ceremonies or they may be very public.

If you’ve read my book, you’re familiar with the private sunrise ceremony I held on the top of Mount Royal in Montréal on April 15, 1994. I took the photo above to mark that occasion. This was the day I accepted and embraced my mortality. It was my last day on earth – and my first day – all in one.

Well, it seems I’m not the only one who thinks the top of Mount Royal is an excellent place for ceremonies to mark epic beginnings!  Watch this video and then use the comment section below to tell me about any epic beginning you’re planning for your life and what sort of ceremony you’re planning to mark the occasion.

Yesterday, I read about the launch of Sir Richard Branson’s latest book “Screw Business As Usual“.

The title struck me immediately and sent my mind spinning a mile a minute.  It’s clear that “business as usual” doesn’t work. Just look at the economic woes in Europe and the US. Look back to 2008 at the collapse of so many financial institutions and large businesses in the US. It should be clear to everyone that if we are trying to bailout and restructure our business infrastructure with the intention of returning to “business as usual”, then we are dramatically illustrating the definition of insanity.

As I was thinking about all of this – it occurred to me that it is as though, in recent years, “business as usual” has been given an expiry date.  It has started to realize that it’s mortal and will not continue forever in its current form.  The meltdown of the financial and business worlds are very much like the stroke I had in 2006.  It’s a wake-up call.  An opportunity to start thinking about things differently, setting different priorities and making different choices.

Some might argue that this wake-up call is not new. It’s not something that been caused by the events of recent years – the business system has been sick for much longer than that.  Perhaps.  But what has caught my interest is that this particular rallying cry of “screw business as usual” isn’t coming from the tents of one of the “Occupy…” movements.  It’s not coming from a VW microbus with flowers painted on it. And it’s not coming from the downtrodden, disenfranchised masses.  It’s coming from Sir Richard Branson.

The beeeeellllionaire (said in my best Dr. Evil voice).

The man at the head of a global empire.

The man who owns a spaceship.

If Branson is calling for a business revolution, things are starting to get very interesting.

I train and certify people as life coaches and executive coaches and I’ve noticed that more and more “traditional” business people are seeking to add coaching skills to their skill set. They realize that you get much better results if you take the time to actually “coach” someone than if you simply “manage” them. There is a real shift happening in business (both the private sector and the public sector).

So all of this leads me to a question…

Do you think the business world is ready for the Mortality Manifesto?

I am hired to give keynote speeches for large organizations, but I have always regarded my message as something that is aimed primarily at individuals. One of my tag lines has been: “helping people live lives that are fearless, focused and free from regret”. But now Richard Branson has opened my mind up to the possibility that perhaps my work needs to extend more deeply into the corporate world. Perhaps there are organizations out there who are ready to heed the wake-up call that “business as usual” is dead, so it’s time to start thinking about how they can transform themselves into a new and powerfully empowering environment.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the business world is ready?

I’m not talking about a revolution or attack from external forces – I’m asking if the business world is ready for an evolution from within?

I get it.

Your life is busy.

People count on you. You have a very busy job. Your family and friends depend on you. You carry a smartphone because people depend on you 24×7.  If you don’t do it – who will?

Well….

Who is in charge of looking after you? Who’s looking out for your interests?

If you’ve ever paid attention to the airline safety demonstrations, you’ve heard the aircrew tell you that you need to put on your own oxygen mask BEFORE you attempt to help others.  The simple fact of the matter is – if you’re constantly running on empty, what do you have left to give to others?

As I mention in the short video below, looking after yourself and making time for yourself can take many forms.  It can be something large – like taking a cruise or getting away on a vacation.  Or it could be something smaller – like an extended weekend getaway or a day at a local spa.

Or it might even be self-care on the micro level.  Taking time each day to meditate or pray. Reserving some exercise time on your schedule. Or just reading a good book.

The bottom line is – you need to look after yourself.  You’re worth it!