EverythingSteve.com

Today Is My Birthday, and I'm Coming Out of the Closet!

Yeah that's right. So here it is. I've always been an admirer of Tony Robbins. I've read his books and sporadically listened to his tapes. A few months ago I joined one of his fan groups on Facebook and people immediately started blasting me, "Hey dude, are you serious?" I got self conscious and dropped out. But no more. I am a fan--period.

Last month I went to one of his seminars in New York and loved it. I met a lot of great people. Sure, there were a few characters as well. But for the love of pete, people are people.

Here's the deal: I take physical conditioning very seriously, and lord knows I could use plenty of emotional conditioning. And mental hygiene is what Tony Robbins is ultimately all about.

I think a lot of his curriculum is gospel. Sure, I can't stomach some of what he espouses -- particularly many of his perspectives on nutrition. And he and his co-horts engage in a fair amount of aggressive up-selling that I find unpalatable, But I take the really good, ignore the not-so-good, and hopefully learn something I can use along the way.

So if you think I'm a freak for liking Tony Robbins, I respect your opinion. And you can piss off.

I'm done with the closet. Happy Birthday to me!

Thank You!

My last post 10 days ago was certainly a doozy. Things are a little better now, although Heather is currently dealing with other physical issues, which I won't go into detail on here. But all in all we are A-OK.

We were extremely touched by the outpouring of warm and personal responses on Facebook and on this blog. They meant so much to us. All I can say is a heartfelt thank you!

I'll be back to posting pithy and wise-assed entries shortly. Cheers!

What Do You Say When...

• on a Friday afternoon you're with your wife at the OBGYN's office for an ultrasound and find out you've lost your fourth baby in the last three years?
• you were trying for the past seven weeks to stay as positive as possible but the vitals never really looked terrific and at one point they thought it was an ectopic pregnancy, but then everything turned more positive a couple of weeks ago?
• your wife wants nothing more on this earth than to have children?
• you know she is the most fabulous creature on the planet and it kills you to see her so hurt?
• you know she is going to start cramping and bleeding and you wish you could take that away from her?
• you also really want to have children but not as much as she does?
• her three older sisters have lots of children and she keeps wondering, "What's wrong with me?"
• you are most of the reason you both delayed starting to try having children until she was 36 because you "just weren't quite ready yet?"
• your friends and family are empathetic but deep down inside you know they're probably getting tired of hearing about it?
• you both are so freakin' tired of dealing with it and talking about it?
• you realize you are still more blessed than most people on the planet and should stop your wallowing?
• you were confronted with the workaday issues of the week like a Webinar that didn't go quite right or a small business launch that resulted in a bit of a yawnish reaction...and after giving your all for many weeks and initially being very frustrated by the results, you now simply do not give a flying crap?
• running the doctor's circuit makes you want to punch a hole in the wall because this is so not even close to being a sure thing -- and there is so much confusing and seemingly conflicting information, not to mention all the noise on the Web?
• people (and doctors) tell you there is still plenty of hope, but the statistics imply otherwise?
• your wife, who is so filled with faith and spirituality, wonders if it's all for naught -- the praying, the diets, the acupuncture, the pills, the shots, etc.?
• you know that being hopeful and positive is the only way, but right now you are anything but?
• people are expecting that predictable sense of humor of yours and instead they get a whooping or complete silence, and perhaps it's the best you can do, and perhaps it's not?
• your wife is sobbing and you simply don't know how to help her?

Exactly what do you say?

Some 'Wisdom' for your Thanksgiving Table

Thanks to Northampton's Jim N. for sharing this video, a promotional vehicle for what looks like a beautifully rendered coffee table book just in time for the holidays. I think this is inspiring and hope you do too. Here is the Web site for the book by Andrew Zuckerman. The video starts playing by default, but go through the other links -- you'll get to see the base photos of a range of folks who have a lot to say about wisdom, and some very interesting information on the background and development of this project.

My "Friends" Done Left Me

Well actually, they are my wife's friends. I mean, let's be serious. Do you really think I have friends? Nope, it's my wife -- the sweet, wonderful, genuine, compassionate, smart, funny and strong woman that she is. How strong? Well, she has had a crappy couple of years with varying and painfully repetitive infertility misadventures. And in the midst of continuous body and mind blows she has grown stronger and become even more resourceful than she already had been. And she stood strongly by my side when my Dad passed away in early 2007. And she was more than there for one of her sisters when she was stricken with breast cancer a few years ago.

So yes, I am being somewhat facetious when I say that one of Heather's groups of friends who has left her is Oprah and friends.  But she has sucked a lot of juice out of the Oprah and Friends franchise. Friends like Eckhart Tolle, who she loves and whose online course she listened to for free; Marcus Buckingham, who she admires and whose online course she listened to for free; Marianne Williamson, who helps bring out her inner spirituality and whose daily content is free; and Martha Beck, who provides common sense advice.

Yes, I hear about all of these folks, particularly as the phone book-sized magazine comes in every month. I used to roll my eyes, tune out, and generally "discourage" any conversation about Oprah in my midst. But then I picked up the magazine many moons ago, and although I can't say I'm anything close to a regular reader, it is really well edited and written.  

And I've been impressed with how much Oprah gives away. To a large extent she is not trying to run an e-commerce machine -- witness my comments in the second paragraph. And yes, she has turned a lot of her fan base onto the wonderful practice of reading -- imagine that.

But I think what really sealed the Oprah deal for me was several weeks ago, when Heather went up to the Moscone in San Francisco on a Saturday for an all day Oprah conference. It was almost like an "Oprah and Friends" trade show, with much of the usual gang from her TV show and magazine in attendance and giving sessions. 

That night Heather was glowing...literally glowing, and happier than I've ever seen her, wedding night included...ahem. She told me that she had actually met Oprah, for a fleeting second mind you, but she got a sense of the big O's presence.

Soon after that Heather "discovered" the Oprah & Friends radio program on XM Radio, as aired on DirecTV channel 807. Sure, I had sort of seen this on the DirecTV program guide, but had skipped over it. But then...whoosh...it was Dr. Oz, it was Marianne again, it was Oprah's Soul Series, and Heather was in heaven. And then...whoosh, as quickly as this newly found source of audio enlightenment came into Heather's life it went away. With the merger of XM and Sirus consummated, XM as represented on DirecTV went through an edit cycle and Oprah & Friends was removed. It done left us. 

I'm sure the thinking at Sirus XM is to use the DirecTV "channel" to entice folks to upgrade to the full service. Yeah right. When we're reduced to eating chipped beef and shepherd's pie given the collapse of the stock market? I think not. 

So Oprah, if you're among the few and paltry page views I garner on EverythingSteve.com each day, can I ask you to throw us a bone? Please talk to Mel over at the big S X, and ask him to slap your channel back on 807. Seriously, I know a raving fan -- and magazine subscriber -- who would be most appreciative. And she really deserves it.

P.S. Heather also wants me to throw a bone to her acupuncturist and "law of attraction" coach. And I have to say, whatever you cats are doing, I'm most appreciative.