April 21, 2010

In This Issue

Featured Article: Stop and Hear the Music

Announcements

Daddy's Little Girls

Hey there, how are you? I hope you and the people in your life are doing well and counting your many blessings!

Last week's article, "The Power of Desire Without Attachment," received some insightful feedback on my blog, the Huffington Post, and Intent.com.  Check out the article on one of these sites if you didn't get a chance last week or want to re-read it.

Have a great day and rest of your week.  I'm grateful to be able to connect with you like this.

With Appreciation,

P.S. I'm honored to be a contributing author to a new book called Creating a Marriage You'll Love.  This book contains essays from various well-known authors, all about how to have a fantastic marriage.  For more info, read below in the announcements section or click here.



Stop and Hear the Music

(For this week's audio message, click here.)

Below is a poignant, true story I received from my friend Gary by email a few weeks ago.  While this event took place a few years ago (2007) and you may have read it already, it was the first time I'd been made aware of it and I wanted to share this story with you. It's an important reminder about the power of our attention - it's not about the beauty of the music, it's about our willingness to hear it and appreciate it.


Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning.

A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about forty five minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After three minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar; a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A three-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth thirty-five million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post a few years ago as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

The questions raised:

In a commonplace environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...

How many other things are we missing?

For this week's audio message, including additional thoughts, ideas, and tips - click here.

If you stop and pay attention right now, where can you find beauty and brilliance that you may not have been noticing? Share your thoughts, action ideas, insights, and more on my blog here.




Great New Book - Creating a Marriage You'll Love

I'm honored to be a contributing author to a brand new and inspiring book called Creating a Marriage You'll Love, which was just released by Sellers Publishing.  This book contains essays from people like John Gray, Kris Carlson, Gay Hendricks, Barbara De Angelis, Joe Bailey, me, and many others - all about how to have a loving, passionate, and meaningful marriage.  My essay is called "Be Their Biggest Fan and Greatest Critic."  All the essays are inspiring, insightful, and filled with wisdom, tips, and ideas - great for anyone who has been married for a while and especially for those who are just about to get married.  Pick up copies of this book for yourself and others (it makes a great wedding gift).  For more info about this new book and to purchase copies, click here.

Hay House's Movers & Shakers Event: April 23 - 25, Boston

If you're an author or speaker (or an aspiring author and speaker) there is a great event taking place in Boston the weekend of April 23rd.  Hay House, the top self-help/personal development publishing house in the world is hosting an event called "Movers and Shakers," designed to help authors and speakers expand their platforms and reach people through various forms of media, marketing, and outreach.  Bestselling author and well-known life coach Cheryl Richardson and Reid Tracy, President and CEO of Hay House, will be leading this event.  I attended this event when it was held in San Francisco a few weeks ago and it was phenomenal!  If you want to take your message and your impact to the next level, this event is perfect for you.  For more info and to register, click on this link.

Wayne Dyer in San Francisco - May 8th, 2010

In this all-new program, "Making the Shift from Ambition to Meaning," Dr. Wayne W. Dyer illustrates how and why making such a shift eliminates our feelings of separateness, illuminates our spiritual connectedness, and involves moving from the ego-directed morning into the afternoon of life where everything is primarily influenced by purpose.  This day-long seminar, based on Wayne's most recent book and his film "The Shift," takes place in San Francisco on Saturday, 5/8 from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Hilton Union Square Hotel.  Michelle and I will be attending and we are so excited.  For more information and to get tickets, click on this link.

"We love to stop and hear the music...
and dance to it as well!"
- Samantha and Annarose Robbins

To see more photos of us and
our mommy and daddy, click here.