Dan Coughlin's Acceleration Blog

The Law of Attraction

A friend, Kevin Wade, lent me some CDs called "The Law of Attraction" by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I didn't really know what to expect.

The best way to describe these CDs is "very practical advice delivered in a very funky manner." There are five CDs and they cover a few very powerful concepts:

1. We attract to ourselves what we think about.

2. Consequently, we need to solely focus our thoughts on what we really want.

3. For each item that we really want we need to take the time to think about why we really want it. If we don't have very good reasons for wanting it, we probably won't sustain our focus on it.

4. For each item that we really want, we need to identify why we expect to have it. What are the actual reasons why we believe it will become a reality.

5. We need to allow ourselves to be successful. In other words, we need to be ok with actually having the items on our list. (And "items" could be relationships, opportunities, financial wealth, physical health, and so on.)

6. We need to allow other people to pursue the life they want to live.

7. We need to live in short time segments. In other words, as we go through the day we need to continually resharpen our focus on what we want and then consciously stay focused in the next 30-90 minutes to make sure we are doing the activities and making the decisions that support what we really want.

Very, very good advice from a very, very funky delivery. I think you will enjoy it, but stay open-minded and listen to all five CDs.

Keep the Learning Going

My brother, Mick, pointed out I've missed a few blog entries. Ok, ok, more than a few.

One thing I do like about traveling so much is the opportunity to learn. In the past three weeks, I've been to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL; the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC; and the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta.

When you get a chance, carve out part of a busy day and go learn something. And if you don't happen to travel, you can alway order great books. Here are two short, powerful books I picked up on my journeys:

The Measure of a Man by Martin Luther King. This book should be called The Measure of a Person, but other than that, it has two great essays in it about the completeness of a person. He writes about the length and the depth and breadth of a truly great life.

Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness by Thomas Jefferson. This is a compilation of carefully edited remarks from 50 years of his writings, and it is really magnificent.

The thing that was interesting to me is that these two books are really great examples of regular blogging, or in those days, of keeping a journal. These disparate ideas can be merged together into powerful documents.

I encourage you not only to read, but also to keep a diary, or a blog, if for no other reason than to capture your thoughts.

"It's good to do good."

I had a speech today in Atlanta so yesterday I went down early and spent three hours at the Martin Luther King Center. Martin Luther King is one of my American Idols. To me, he is the greatest American leader. I was enchanted watching films on him and reading details I didn't know about.

But the highlight of the day was the taxi ride to the MLK Center. The driver asked if he could stop to get some gasoline. I said that would be no problem. When he went in to pay for the gas, he found out a person's car battery had gone dead. He asked if he could take a few minutes to give the person a jump on his battery. I said of course he could.

Then, under his breath, he said, "It's good to do good."

I'll never forget that moment. Here was a cab driver who only made money when the meter was running, who had a customer in his car, and who took the time to jump someone else's battery. "It's good to do good." What a simple and powerful example of the ordinary, daily good in the world.