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Issue #1 Sunday, August 19, 2007
And welcome to the inaugural edition of The Odyssey Newsletter! Congratulations! You've made it this far in Life! I hope this New Year's Day marks the beginning of the most joyful, fulfilling and perhaps even pivotal year in your odyssey through life. And so we begin... NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS How was your Millenium year? Did you keep those New Year's Resolutions you made last year? ...make a lot of them this year? Ah, yes... those profound (and too often resurrected) resolutions! I made a lot of general ones last year, you know the kind: loose weight, gain financially, be a better person... The problem was, I was not specific enough. It's a lesson about goal-setting that many of us have heard many times... but it bears repeating... WRITE THEM DOWN and BE SPECIFIC -- for example, quantify them (how much weight to loose?). SET A SCHEDULE TO ACCOMPLISH THEM. And TAKE ACTION! RECORD YOUR PROGRESS - measure your results. That is a primary resolution I made for 2001. Another resolution concerns this, The Odyssey Newsletter. I'm new at producing a newsletter, so please bear with me. I will improve as time goes along with better format, design, illustration and, most of all, content - to create more value for you. My resolution is to make each succeeding issue have at least one new or improved element. I'll do research and stimulate my creative mind. But I would also welcome your input and feedback! e-mail: newsletter@melawend.com SELF-IMPROVEMENT What to you think about the glut of infomercials these days? Can you imagine your house filled with all those devices that promise to help make you a better person, cook food better, increase your enjoyment of life...? So many entrepreneurs are competing against each other for your attention and dollars! Today's wonder product... tomorrow's yard-sale item. Well, among them those infomercials, I discovered a truly great product (and I'm not being paid to tell you about it). It's been around for quite a while... Many of you have seen Tony Robbins' infomercials - those images of a highly energetic, entertaining, yet down-to-earth Tony Robbins telling us about his "Personal Power" program, with lots of celebrities and everyday people like you and me to back him up with their personal experiences. I was within days of ordering the current edition of his program - Personal Power II program - when I came across an earlier edition of it (12 audio tapes)... hidden in a plastic bag at a - you guessed it - yard sale! I could not believe that someone would be selling it for $5.00! (Not the fault of the product -- the seller was like many others: a giver-upper.) I used my personal dickering power and got it for $3.00.... one of the best investments I've ever made! -- and, in my opinion, well worth the selling price of the current edition you now see on TV! On the audio tapes, Tony comes across not so much like the guru of self-improvement, but more like a big friendly loving brother who looks out for you and offers you sound advice -- and who coaches you to TAKE ACTION. Tony also walks his talk. And so what if it's made him rich. I don't think he would have been around for as long as he has (over 17 years) if what he sells doesn't work. "Personal Power II" is just one of Tony's products. His new site offers a myriad of products, courses, forums and live events as well as a network of experts. It might be worth your time to check out Tony's website. http://www.dreamlife.com As I mention in my book, IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey, I feel I would have achieved greater results if I had better-prepared myself by using something like Tony's "Personal Power" program before I made the journey. But it's never too late to begin! For the odyssey continues... For Christmas, I was given a video of a movie that is well worth watching: THE HURRICANE, starring Denzel Washington. It's based on the true story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter... a man cut down in the prime of his boxing career, sentenced to life in prison for three murders which he did not commit. In prison, he writes a best-selling autobiography called The Sixteenth Round. Celebrities including singer/song-writer Bob Dylan rally to his cause but to no avail. He looses further trials. Years later, a young poor man in Toronto , given the opportunity for higher education by three caring strangers, buys a tattered copy Carter's book at one of those catch-all book sales. He is so moved to improve his own life by Carter's story, that he rallies the aid of the three strangers. They put themselves on the line to secure Carter's freedom. Carter is finally exonerated after 22 years in prison. This story combines the best and worst of the human condition: love, hate, racial prejudice, corruption, exploitation, lost hope, hope re-gained, friendship, commitment and the pursuit of justice. Imagine having the prime years of your life torn away because of such injustice. Rolling Stone called the
movie "A stirring fight for freedom! Denzel Washington at his powerful,
poignant best!" Well, that's it for this issue. Like New Year's Day, it's a beginning. And this newsletter will improve as we go along. Thank you for your interest. As for me, I'm getting back to the festivities -- it's my birthday today and and I'm blessed to have loving people here to help make this a memorable day. Just remember that each day is a blessing. Make the most of yours! All the best to you, one and all! Tom
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Thomas Martin Smith. All rights are reserved.
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To one
and all a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2001!
