Look What Donna Did!

Profiles in Goal Achievement
Donna Sheehan, Children's Book Author with Dyslexia

How does a woman with dyslexia so bad she can't even read her own shopping list become a renown children's book author?

Faith, determination, persistence--and a large dose of positive attitude!

Meet Donna Sheehan.

When she was about 9 years old, Donna noticed that she always had messy handwriting--on purpose. "If the teachers couldn't read it," says Donna, "they wouldn't know I couldn't spell." And since it was a small town in rural Australia, they had the time to go over her work with her verbally.

"I did well because I was marked on content," Donna adds. "I had great comprehension, but I was a really slow reader, and I couldn't spell."

She did so well, in fact, that she was accepted at university and excitedly began studies in geology. "I got a perfect score in the field work, but when it came to taking exams, I failed every time." And at college she didn't have the support of her teachers like she did in her small hometown.

When Donna was younger, her parents had taken her to an optometrist. But, as is the case with most dyslexics, there was nothing wrong with her eyes. "No one would entertain the idea that there was anything that could help."

It wasn't until she got to college that she finally got the tests she needed--and some answers. She discovered that although her reading comprehension (such as reading an entire paragraph was 89%, her ability to read individual words was only 21%.

After the testing, she got much more support. "Once there was a label, they went out of their way to be helpful."

She found that colored glasses and colored paper helped considerably ("At least the words didn't jump off the page anymore," she says), and the teachers gave her extra time to complete her exams, but it just wasn't enough. She knew that if she continued in geology, the paperwork would always be a struggle.

So Donna went back to something else she had always loved--children. For several years she worked as a nanny and Gymboree instructor, but it wasn't until she had children of her own that the idea came to write a series of children's books.

When Donna was pregnant with their second child, her husband Dan was sent on a 6 week assignment to the States. They hated being apart for so long, and when he came back, they determined that it would never happen again.

So Dan went in search of internet businesses that he could run from his home.

While doing so, he became aware of the self development and personal wealth building techniques taught by such well-known experts as Napolean Hill, Wallace D. Wattles, and teachers from the movie The Secret, such as Bob Proctor.

Dan and Donna learned how to notice and pay attention to how your thinking affects your day. And when they applied the principles they were learning, their lives were transformed in seemingly miraculous ways: their own marriage improved, their children's relationships with their grandparents became happier, Dan's business boomed to the point where he was able to quit his job, and the Universe delivered the money they needed to buy a block of land and build a house--all in a relatively short period of time.

They underwent such a metamorphosis that Donna felt a strong desire to educate her kids, then just two and four years old, on how they could use these same principles in their own lives, so she went searching for children's books on the subject.

Trouble was, there weren't any.

So Donna explained the principles with simple words and stick figures on napkins and scratch paper.

Some time later, fate landed Donna in the front row of a special one day seminar conducted by Bob Proctor, David Schirmer, and Gerry Roberts. The topic was wealth building. The recommended method? Becoming an author. "You have a book," they said repeatedly. "What is it?"

For Donna, the answer was clear.

Unable to find a publisher who would accept both her text and illustrations, she set out to publish them on her own--a five book series that kids can read on their own over and over.

"The response from children has been wonderful," says Donna, and recently Mark Joyner, four-time best selling author and famed internet guru described "My Mind and Me" (the third in Donna's "My Thinking Mind" series) as, "An awesome children's book that will...have a positive impact on kids."

Not bad for a woman who, though she can read books well enough, still struggles with deciphering her own shopping lists, as well as menus and promotional flyers--"Things that don't have enough words for me to get the content."

So what's Donna's advice for pursuing your dream and overcoming your own obstacles?

First, start small. "If a big step feels too big, take the little ones. The results just feel so good."

Second, keep a gratitude journal and "fall asleep thinking about things you feel good about."

Finally, Donna recommends a technique called "sleep instructions." This simply means adding a sentence or two to the end of your journal to help keep your mind focussed on your goals while you sleep.

As Donna will tell you, you really can have what you want. But to have it, you must forget about the obstacles and keep in the forefront of your mind the things you really want to accomplish.

And for Donna, that means continually thinking up things that will make a difference in children's lives.

If you would like to find out more about Donna and her children's book series, visit her online at http://www.MyThinkingMind.com/ or drop her a line at donna@mythinkingmind.com She would love to hear from you!

© 2008, Margie Remmers, http://www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com/

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Look What Becky Did!

Profiles in Goal Achievement
Becky Gillaspy, From Couch Potato to Marathon Runner

"I know, let's run a marathon together--oh my gosh, that would be so cool!"

When you're a teenager, you think you can do anything, and that was certainly the case for Becky and Roxanne.

Young, healthy, and co-captains of the field hockey team, Becky and Roxanne had run small races together, and they dreamed of someday doing the same with a marathon.

But life often doesn't turn out the way we plan, and their lives ended up taking completely different paths.

"When you pile on the stresses of a new marriage and starting your own business," says Becky Gillaspy, "something has to go."

For her, that meant health and physical fitness. In her early twenties, Becky gained a significant amount of weight, stopped exercising, and by her own definition became "a couch potato."

And when in their late twenties Becky got a call from Roxanne saying that she was training to complete their childhood dream, says Becky, "It was like a kick in the gut."

As Becky moved into her early thirties, she lost a large portion of the weight, began exercising sporadically, and thought, "Hey, maybe I could do this." And when she was 32, she vowed she would run a marathon before she was 40.

But again, it's amazing how life can get in the way. It wasn't until January of 2007, the beginning of her fortieth year, that she decided to get serious. "This is it, I thought, I either do it, or I back out like I've always done."

So she selected her race (the "Flying Pig Marathon" in Cincinnati--as in "I will run a marathon 'when pigs fly'"), found a training plan, and started pounding the pavement.

But Becky didn't just train her body, she knew she needed to train her mind, too.

"Something in me always knew I could do it," says Becky, "but the longer you do something, the more you identify with it. After so many years, I had begun to identify with being an overweight, couch potato. Could I really muster up the courage to run a marathon?"

She needed to convince her mind that she really could.

The first step was to tell everyone she knew. "I stood up in one of my business women's groups and declared that this was my goal and that I would be achieving it. After that, I would have been too embarrassed to drop out!"

Second, she visualized herself running across the finish line. "Every Saturday I would head out for my 'long run,' and as the run finished--regardless of how I felt--I would run the last 100 feet like they were the final steps of my 26.2 mile journey. I would get such a visual picture in my mind of that awesome moment that my arms would often fly up in the air and tears would come to my eyes. I crossed that finish line 17 times in my mind before the race even began."

Finally, she used a powerful affirmation. "Weeks before the race I started repeating this phrase to myself: 'I am absolutely certain in my ability to run the Flying Pig Marathon in 4:44.' I repeated this phrase to myself 3 times a day, every day. I looked at myself in the mirror when I said it and never let myself doubt it--even on the days it didn’t seem plausible because I was feeling tired and worn out."

That affirmation made all the difference when, just 3 weeks before the race, Becky badly injured her knee during a long run. "I couldn't even run 5 or 6 miles and literally had to limp home. I thought, 'This isn't part of the plan. What do I do now?'"

When she got home, she sulked for about 10 minutes, then she hobbled over to the mirror and did her affirmation--pushing all of the doubt out. Then she started doing some Internet research and found an expert in injury-free running.

Three weeks later, she was among "a sea of 10,000 runners of all ages and body types."

But the story doesn't end there.

The race was a uphill battle, literally and figuratively, and at one point Becky even considered dropping out. But she pushed forward, taking on one mile at a time. "I told myself, run this next mile well enough to let yourself have a chance at the finish. Then at the next mile I would make the same deal with myself."

Finally, the end was in sight. Says Becky, "I ran those last few moments on shaky legs, but I felt as light as a feather. As I stepped across the line, my arms flew up in the air and my eyes welled with tears as I glanced at my watch and read that magic number 4:44"--the exact time that she had visualized all those months before.

Today, Becky is a Certified Wellness Coach, helping people achieve their wellness goals. What's her advice for achieving yours?

1. Have a strong desire. "Your desire must be stronger than 'it's a good thing to do.' There must be a good reason why you are doing it."

2. Believe that you have what it takes. "Never let yourself doubt your goal," she says.

3. Commit to it. "Most people commit 'as long as nothing comes up,'" says Becky. "Commitment and convenience are opposite things. Do it anyway."

4. Maintain a high degree of self worth. "You cannot accomplish any goal if there is negative self-talk ('I'm so lazy,' etc.). There is just no place for it."

5. Be flexible. "Life happens--just don't let it derail you from your goal. You're not going to be 100% perfect, but if you're flexible, you will still reach your goal."

You really can have what you want. But like Becky, you must consider your mind an equal partner in whatever you are trying to do, and you must train it just as hard as you do your body.

You must train your mind to believe you really can do it. Because the fact is, you really can.

If you would like Becky's help in achieving your wellness goals, visit her website at www.WeightLossWithoutWorry.com/blog

She offers individual and group consulting, is the author of the book "Lose Weight without Losing your Love Affair with Food" (available as an ebook from her site), and will soon be starting a long distance "Speed Dieting" course. Sign up for her mailing list to be notified about the course and receive her free report, "Think and Grow Thin!"

For more information about "Speed Dieting," watch the video at http://www.WeightLossWithoutWorry.com/seminar/wp-login.php

© 2008, Margie Remmers, http://www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com/

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Look What Stephen Did!

Profiles in Goal Achievement
Stephen Hopson, The World’s First Deaf Instrument Rated Pilot


You can't fly planes! Be more realistic!!”

Those were the words of Stephen Hopson’s well-meaning parents.

You see, Stephen was born with a passion for flying, but he was also born profoundly deaf.

When he was just four years old, Stephen would beg his mother to take him to the airport so he could watch the planes take off and land. He would stand at the perimeter fence and watch until the plane went taxing toward the runway. At that point, he would run back to the car and gently place his head its hood.

“That plane would take off and the roar of its engines could be ‘heard’ through the tremendous vibration I would feel,” says Stephen. He describes the vibration as what you would feel if you put your hand on top of a furiously shaking washing machine. “That, of course, always made my day. It made my dream of flying even more vivid and made it easier for me to ignore my parent's well-meaning lectures.”

Later, Stephen would construct makeshift villages with flying planes overhead and pretend he was a pilot coming in for a major landing.

When we was old enough to drive, he continued the ritual of taking himself to the airport to watch the planes take off and land.

Sometimes, he would go for a long drive in the country. “After looking around for traffic, I'd swerve the car in the middle of the highway so that the broken white lines would slide beneath the car, and I'd imagine I was a pilot roaring down the runway for takeoff or landing. I'd put my hand on the gear, pretending it was a throttle. Then I'd act like a real pilot by pressing imaginary buttons in the car as if they were lights, switches, dials and other instruments. It made it so real one time I had to pull off and cry.”

“That,” says Stephen, “is the power of visualization--imagining yourself as doing something and actually feeling as if it were truly real. At times I would be overwhelmed with a sense of ‘knowing’ that one day I’d take my first flight lesson.”

But there are no deaf pilots, right? So Stephen put aside his dream and became a successful stockbroker on Wall Street.

It wasn’t until years later, when fate landed him in Michigan, that Stephen’s dreams started to become reality.

He had come there to work on a book project, and although that didn’t turn out as he had hoped, while there he somehow stumbled onto information about deaf pilots.

“I found that they had been in existence since 1948, much to my utter shock. I had no idea!

“That's when my childhood dreams came roaring back to life in an instant. I was instantly transported back to my childhood fantasies and set out to find a flight instructor to work with me, not knowing how it would pan out.”

He found that instructor and went on to become the world’s first deaf “instrument rated” pilot.

Though it’s easy enough for a deaf pilot to fly on a nice day, it gets tough when there's inclement weather and visibility is poor. It's times like these that you have to rely on only the instrument panel and your communication with the radio tower.

That’s why, though there have been many deaf pilots throughout history, Stephen is the first to be instrument rated.

Learning how to fly solely by reference to the instruments presented its own challenges, as this involves wearing a restrictive view device, which prevented him from turning to his instructor and reading lips for instructions. “Communication was then done by dry erase board,” says Stephen, “which would be shoved under my view limiting device, and I'd read it.”

Once he conquered the skill of flying solely by reference to the instruments, Stephen and his flight instructor turned to the task of radio communication, and in 2006, Stephen made history when the FAA allowed him to modify the instrument rating and fly as pilot in command through bad weather with another hearing copilot onboard whose job is to handle the radios.

So what’s Stephen’s advice for you to make your dreams become reality? It’s the H.E.A.R. principle:
-- Have a passion;
-- Entertain the possibilities;
-- be Authentic (that is, don’t try to measure up to someone else’s expectations of you or compare yourself with another person); and,
-- Remember who helped you along the way.

You really can have what you want. But like Stephen, you must never give up the passion to achieve it, no matter what obstacles stand in your way.

To contact Stephen, visit him online at http://www.sjhopson.com/, stop by his blog at http://www.AdversityUniversityBlog.com/, or email stephen@sjhopson.com--he would love to “hear” from you!

© 2008, Margie Remmers, http://www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com/

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