When people see the cover of my first book, they often ask me if I really do have a barcode tattoo on my shoulder.  The answer is “yes”.  Their next question is usually: “What does it mean?“

The barcode represents my ‘expiry date’.  When I was 18 years old, I had a cardiologist tell me that because of my complex congenital heart defects (want to hear what my heart sounds like?), I would be lucky to live to the age of 30.  Eventually, I took the numerals of my 30th birthday, converted them to a barcode and had it tattooed on my shoulder to serve as a personal reminder to live life to the fullest.  I got the tattoo long before I ever imagined I’d be speaking and writing about this topic.  I got the tattoo for me.

If you convert the barcode back to numerals, it reads: 031800 or March, 18, 2000.  That was the day of my 30th birthday, a day that medical science hoped I’d live to see. Well, today is March 18, 2010.  Today I turn 40. I’ve now had 10 “extra” years.  Except that I know there is no such thing as “extra” time – it’s ALL extra time.  As I’ve been reminding people for the last 7 years, none of us is owed any specific amount of time on this earth.  There is no good reason why any of us were allowed to get out of bed this morning and experience another day of life.  And rather than seeing this reality as morbid, my philosophy of the Power of Mortality™ allows people to use this realization as a powerful force for personal development and the first step in Choosing The Life You Want.

From time to time people will ask me about the cardiologist that gave me my expiry date.

I’ve never understood why he decided to tell me, an otherwise healthy and symptom-free 18 year-old, that my life was more than half over.  He didn’t propose any surgeries, drugs or treatments and he wasn’t advocating any lifestyle changes. So I’m not sure what the point was in giving me a “death sentence” like that.  Clearly, his prognosis was wrong. I feel just as healthy today as I did on the day I met him, I just have a lot less hair now.

I’ve never seen that doctor since our fateful meeting, but if I ever do run into him again, I’d like to buy him a drink and thank him for setting me on this path.  A path that has dramatically changed the course of my life for the better and allowed me to have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people over the years.

So “thank you, doctor”!  Shall we try for 10 more “extra” years?

And “Happy Birthday Mom!“

So why is it important to Choose The Life You Want?

photo by robinn.

I often talk and write about the importance of “following your heart”, but now I will forever think about that phrase in a different light.

You see, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers have found that people who experience more positive emotions have a lower risk of heart disease.  The 10 year study followed 1,739 people and had trained healthcare professionals measuring their negative and positive emotions.

Positive emotions were ranked on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being “none” and 5 being “extreme”.  Researchers found that each step up the scale carried a 22% reduction in the risk of heart attack or angina.

Did you catch the significance of that??  Even being neutral… just floating along in life and staying the course… carries a risk of heart disease that can be decreased by experiencing more positive emotions in your life. A happier life may translate to a longer life!

As if you needed another reason to choose the life you wanted! So if you haven’t already taken the pledge – get started.  And if you have, then pass this along to a friend.

(If you want to know more about this study, you can read this article from Reuters.)

“Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose”

- Lance Armstrong

photo by mischiru

When you are in the midst of creating your new life it is perfectly natural to have times when you wonder:

• is this really possible?
• am I actually going to go through with this?
• how soon until I start to see changes?
• why is this taking so long?

…and so on… and so on.

If you find yourself having one of those moments it’s useful to stop and have a quick look back at how far you’ve already come.

• How far you’ve come in your life.
• How far you’ve progressed with your goals.
• How much you’ve learned.
• How much you’ve grown as a person.

Don’t let yourself get so focused on where you’re going that you forget to appreciate how much progress you’ve already made!  Taking a moment to celebrate what you’ve already done (even if it seems like mere baby-steps) can be the confidence boost that you need to move you to the next level.