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Chet To Be Featured as an Inspirational Luminary on Nov 12

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Please join me on November 12th, 2008 as I am the featured Inspirational Luminary on InspireMeToday.com. InspireMeToday.com is a website that provides the best inspiration daily, each day from a different Luminary from the fields of empowerment, health, business, family, loving relationships and more. You’ll enjoy reading my ‘Today’s Brilliance’, my personal 500-word text of the best things I’ve learned in life. The 30 minute interview with Gail Lynne Goodwin and me is amazing! As my gift to you, just use the affliate code provided on this invitation to access the free inspiration!

 

 When you register, please remember to use my referral code: 7XLFUFA1J3

The Election is Over – Learn to Let Go

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The election is over.  America has decided on its next president.  Are you sad?  Are you happy?  Did your candidate win or lose?  These are all important questions, but here is the most important one:

Are you allowing it to ruin you day, week, month…or the next 4 years? 
LET IT GO!

I have already heard and seen many comments expressing concern for the nation, and I believe concern and a close watch on the future of our country are important.  But, I’ve also seen people who are mad about the election and are allowing the results to really affect their attitude today.  There are mad workers, mad drivers, mad customers, and mad clients today all over the nation.  And for what?  Can they go back in time and change the outcome of the election?  What is the point of being angry?

It is time that we, as a nation, learn to let go.  Let go of grudges, let go of anger, and let go of the “me, me, me” attitude that is plaguing our nation.  Both candidates spoke of unity in their speeches last night.  They both seek a unified nation, peace and harmony.  Now, it is time to follow our leaders and make our own effort to let go of the past.  It is time to live life to the fullest.  And, you can’t live a truly happy life without first letting go of the hurt and anger you may hold today.

Starting today, I will live life not by what happened yesterday, but by what can happen today!

Full Day of Church Speaking Fun

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This weekend, Joni, Hannah, my mom, my dad and I drove to Shreveport, LA where we were to speak at two different churches.  We got in a great visit with Nan and Pops (my adopted grandparents), and early Sunday morning, we rose to visit our first church of the day, Church of Christ – North. 

North has a wonderfully laid back attitude, and it was wonderful to see some friends from the past.  To give you an idea of their relaxed atmosphere, the announcement maker gave a “farm report” about his cattle, to which the church responded in laughter.  I loved the casual feel of the service, and my dad and I taught Bible Class and did our All He Needs for Heaven presentation during the worship hour.  We had a wonderful time, and had a great reaction from the crowd.

We spent the afternoon having lunch with a member from North and then we drove about an hour to spend time with a relative that had just moved into the area.

An hour’s drive back to Shreveport found us at the University Church of Christ.  Many friends from our days in Bossier City (1980-1991) were there, and it felt like a family reunion of sorts.  In fact, after our presentation, we were asked if we would come back on an annual basis for a “McDoniel Reunion Day!”  I love it!  Several youth groups came as well, which made the singing that much better.  So many people came out saying what a difference we had made in their lives, and we’re so thankful the opportunity to present our story.

All in all, the weekend was wonderful.  Well, until we started the 4 hour drive back home and didn’t get to bed until 2AM.  Even if our story only touched one person, it was worth it!

I Don’t Have Arms…So What?

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I want to give you a sneak peek at my new book, entitled “I’m Not Broken.”  I hope to have the book out by the end of the year.  Here is an excerpt from the chapter entitled, “Change Your Perspective”:

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The obvious thing here is to spend some time on what it means to be able to see the positive side of not having arms.  So many people, upon first glance, see me as unwhole, handicapped, and typically take pity on me.  Why?  Because they don’t know the awesome life I live.  I don’t have arms… 

…But I can drive a van that has special equipment.
…But I can type with my feet at over 35 words per minute
…But I can write with my feet
…But I can feed myself and brush my teeth with my feet
…But I can “hold hands” with my wife…with my feet
…But I can hold my daughter up in the air and play “Super Hannah” with my feet

Yes, there are elements to not having arms that genuinely “bite it.”  I have daily aches and pains that won’t ever go away because my body is not designed to do the things I do with it.  For instance, some doctors told my parents early on that I wouldn’t be able to walk.  I can walk just fine, though, long distances are a problem due to having no bone support structure in my hips.  I walk on sheer muscle mass and willpower.  I can’t do some things for myself that others take for granted.  There are problems in life.  But…you don’t need to be missing limbs to know that, right?

Instead, focusing on the positive has allowed me to develop a personality that my wife found attractive enough to want to marry me.  I have a great career spreading joy to as many people as I can through books and presentations.  I have a daughter, who just after learning to crawl, finds her favorite spot curled up in my lap.  (I know that won’t last forever, but I’m loving it while it does.)  All of these things in my life would have never happened had it not been for my passion and zest for a happy life. 

How did I get here?  You have to decide to see the positive lining in EVERY situation. 

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Want to be the first to know when my new book is released?  Sign up to get my FREE  “7 Steps to a Happier Tomorrow” at the top of this page! 

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

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Ok, so I’m almost embarassed to admit that I’m just now picking up on the TV show, “Heroes.”  We bought seasons 1 & 2 and we’re DVR’ing (is that a word?) the 3rd season.  Many friends had recommended the show, and after finding a YouTube version of the 1st episode, I was hooked.  (I even got Joni to watch it, and she’s hooked, too!)

The show has become on of the most talked about TV shows of all time.  The writing is superb, and the story itself is so compelling.  We’ve finally finished season 1, and it is not uncommon for us to block a couple of hours to watch multiple episodes in a row.  It’s that good.  But that got me thinking…why is it that good?

We watched the “Making of Heroes” on the final disc last night, and I got my answer.  The show’s creator, Tim Kring, said that the show is so popular because it is based on everyday people becoming more.  Living a life with a true purpose.  These normal people discover they have super-human powers, and have to choose how to use them.    

We all strive for a life with purpose and meaning, and none of us have “super-human” powers.  Our lives can, though, have a meaning.  We can make a difference in the world.  In one of my talks, “The Smile Experiment” (which is great for schools, by the way), I show people how simply smiling at a stranger can really change that person’s day.  And, how, if you change one person’s day, then you’ve touched all of the people they encounter that day as well.  A smile is contagious and it passes on from person to person.

We can all make a difference in our world by simply taking interest in other people.  You can save the world just by changing one life at a time. 

Now, I better not hear a WORD about seasons 2 and 3…we just left Hiro in the middle of an ancient medieval battle.  Once Hannah goes back down for a nap, I’ve got to find out what happened to Sylar!  (Wow…this show is addictive.)

Only You Can Ruin Your Day

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So, the Dallas Cowboys lost yesterday.  Yes, they’re “my” team, and yes, I pull hard for them.  The game was especially painful to watch because the offense just looked pathetic.  After the game ended, I felt let down and that I had wasted the afternoon watching a team who didn’t come to play, in my opinion.

Then I remembered, “WHO CARES?”  Seriously, what part of that game has anything to do with my life, my day, my family…should I keep going?  Football is a game.  Nothing more.  In fact, football should be entertainment…not something I am so invested in that the outcome of a game can ruin my day.

I say in many of my talks that “only you can ruin your day.”  It’s true.  You can be yelled at by the boss, get cut off on the drive home, have a screaming kid all evening…but only your choice in how you react to these things can ruin your day.  If you choose to be mad and hold a grudge, then yes, your day may be ruined.  If, however, you choose to let things go, chances are, the rest of your day will go much better.  Same circumstances, same set of events, different perspective.

So, I chose last night to turn off the TV after the game and have fun with my family.  Hannah (my 7 month old) and I had a laugh-fest before bedtime last night, and I barely remembered the game this morning.  I chose to not let the game’s outcome bother me…and…it didn’t.  I can take that lesson and apply it to many other areas of my life and many other circumstances. 

Sure, I don’t have arms, but it doesn’t ruin my life.

So, my challenge to you is to learn to let things go, so that you can have a better day and a better life.  Only you can ruin your day.  No one else has that special ability.

***(Now, as you can see, Hannah was not happy at all with the outcome of the game…but she got over it, too!)

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