Howd They Do That?

"How'd they do that?" I asked myself time and time again in my youth.

As a journalist and documentary filmmaker, I witnessed ordinary people performing extraordinary feats on countless occasions. I documented individuals in moments of crisis and emergency going beyond the limits they and society believed possible. Caught up in earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and accidents, I watched mild-mannered people become super-heroes.

When extreme circumstances demand action, paranormal abilities arise from normal folks. Women lift two-ton trucks and hold them aloft until their child or husband is freed from beneath the vehicle. Young boys perform successful medical procedures as if they were trained professionals. Men lead victims to safety through burning buildings, pitch-black forests and raging floods. Teenagers bend steel and rip open closed elevator doors to liberate loved ones. Scared people jump ten feet over a chasm to safety. Given a death sentence by doctors, people heal themselves spontaneously.

"Where do human beings get the power and knowledge to perform such implausible feats?" I wondered. I observed that when life offers people a choice between their beliefs in what is possible and the necessity to save another from harm, people often scrap their perceived limitations and choose to do whatever needs to be done. Every day people choose life, caring and rescue over the restrictions of their belief systems.

"If we can break out of our belief box when life has us up against the wall, why can't we release our limiting beliefs at will when we are not in a crisis?" I inquired within myself.

I looked around in my world for examples of people who know how to free themselves from tribal collective limitations-mainstream cultural beliefs-in order to access fresh possibilities of human potential. I discovered my models through reading biographies of dynamic individuals and interviewing adventurous people. I found that people who are forerunners, pioneers and explorers in social, political and artistic expression invariably refer to one or more moments in their lives in which they opened to a peak experience.

And not only do these resourceful people make reference to these extraordinary moments, they draw strength, wisdom and compassion from these glimpses of their true power. They have learned how to tap into these past moments of heightened awareness and achievement in order to surmount present life challenges. Whether it be excellence in athletic or artistic expression, or success in business or romance, these potent moments of "transcendence of the ordinary" act as wells of inspiration and inventiveness that enable people to handle current predicaments.

With a degree of benevolent innocence, I decided that if these people could break free of their restrictive belief systems and tap into the power of previous peak experiences, then I could as well. Their successes inspired me to try this approach myself-to reach beyond my perceived boundaries.

Every day now I invite magic into my life and welcome miracles into my world. It is my heartfelt wish that you too are inspired to go beyond your own self-created limits.

What do we have to lose-except our fears and imaginary walls?

(c)2004, Keith Varnum. All rights in all media reserved.

About The Author

Drawing from the wisdom of native and ancient spiritual traditions, Keith Varnum shares his 30 years of practical success as an author, personal coach, acupuncturist, filmmaker, radio host, restaurateur, vision quest guide and international seminar leader with "The Dream Workshops." Keith helps people get the love, money and health they want with his free Prosperity Ezine, free Empowerment Tape and free Coaching at www.TheDream.com.

Keith@TheDream.com

In The News:


Keystone Innovation Grants Foster Job Creation, New Businesses
MarketWatch - Sep 5, 2008
The 23 Keystone Innovation Grants were announced today during Collaboration 2008, a two-day seminar hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and ...

'Tradition meets innovation' Lake Forest High begins belated ...
Waukegan News Sun, IL - 10 hours ago
"It's a building where tradition meets innovation," said Principal Jay Hoffmann. Walls with original brick from 1935 stand next to the commons area, ...

Examine Robert's American Gourmet Case Study: Focusing on Product ...
MarketWatch - Sep 5, 2008
... has announced the addition of the "Robert's American Gourmet Case Study: Focusing on Product Innovation in Healthy Snacks" report to their offering. ...

Sify

'Innovation' is the theme of UK-India business awards
Sify, India - Sep 5, 2008
The awards uniquely celebrate Indo-UK business partnerships in terms of inward investment, collaborations, entrepreneurship and innovation.

BikeRadar.com

Eurobike trends: slow refinement beats big innovation
BikeRadar.com, UK - 3 hours ago
In an industry that thrives on innovation and the excitement of new product launches, it's amazing how many times you hear "there's nowt new under the sun" ...

Competitive Companies, Inc. Signs LOI with Innovation Capital ...
MarketWatch - Sep 4, 2008
and Innovation Capital Management, Inc. (ICM) parent of DiscoverNet, Inc., said today they have signed a Letter of Intent to merge the two Companies' ...

Phase Forward acquires Clarix for $40 Mln cash - Update
RTT News, NY - Sep 5, 2008
... Clarix IRT and Phase Forward's market-leading InForm EDC solution and Empiric Safety Suite will represent the next generation of eClinical innovation. ...

Art of innovation
The Australian, Australia - Sep 4, 2008
"MY aim in innovation is not to flood the country with shiny gadgets, but to change the culture". This was the opening line of an important speech by the ...

High Prices And Lack Of Innovation Kill Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF
Clusterstock, NY - Sep 5, 2008
ANF's premium pricing and "lack of innovation" apparently did them in. We acknowledge our upgrade to Buy on 11/21/07 at $72.79 has been wrong as we had ...
Ahead of the Bell: Abercrombie & Fitch downgraded Forbes
Citi No Longer Shopping at Abercrombie Wall Street Journal Blogs
all 8 news articles

Shenick Gets 2008 Global Technology Innovation Award from Frost ...
Trading Markets (press release), CA - 14 hours ago
... a lab environment before they move to a live environment. We are honored to receive Frost & Sullivan's DPI Test Equipment Technology Innovation Award 2008."
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