Will Bowen Audio

Masters of Life - Part 13

“Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!” You probably remember the inspiring and powerful movie “Rudy.” “Rudy” is the real life story of Rudy Ruettiger; a short, small-framed young man growing up in a blue-collar Indiana family whose only dream is to play football for Notre Dame. For years Rudy struggled to even get accepted to Notre Dame. Then, he was told that he was too small for the team. So, Rudy volunteered his body as a human tackling dummy allowing the other players to hit him as hard as possible during practice in preparation for other teams. According to the movie, Rudy so inspired his teammates that they insisted he be allowed to wear the Fighting Irish uniform during a game. Rudy, tiny little Rudy, even got to play a few inspiring minutes in the game. Wow! You may know the movie. But you don’t know the grit, tenacity, and just plain anger it took for Rudy Ruettiger to get the movie made. Today, we celebrate Rudy as a Master of Life not for his movie, but for what he teaches us off-screen.

Masters of Life - Part 12

I had my world blown apart when I was 32 years old. Without warning, my wife left me and I was devastated. I felt as if my soul have been ripped in half. In desperation, I reached out to the man who would been my minister for years but whom I had not spoken to in quite some time. His name is Rene’ Pare’. I told him about the end of my marriage and how defeated I felt. “I feel like a failure.“ I said. “Why?“ He asked. “Because my marriage failed,” I replied. “What if your marriage didn’t fail?“ He asked. “What do you mean?“ “What if your marriage was complete – – rather than a failure? What if, it was simply done because it had fully served its purpose?” This reframing of my situation gave me a great deal of comfort. In this JumpStart we discuss such necessary endings and how they are important steps in our ongoing evolution.

Masters if Life - Part 11

The book that really got me to think differently about life, God, my body, and even how I eat, is “The way of the peaceful warrior” by Dan Millman. Millman tells the story as his own struggle to tap into the spiritual side of life while being trapped in the physical realm. You may have seen the movie adaptation of this book starring Nick Nolte. There are many great takeaways from this book but today we’ll focus on probably the most profound, “There are no ordinary moments.“ To be enlightened is to be awake. To be awake just to know that there are no ordinary moments, people, or experiences. Open your mind today to that awareness and watch out everything around you becomes easier and more appealing.

Masters of Life - Part 10

The book “Conversations with God“ really exploded my cranium! It’s inspiring, thought-provoking and even a little titillating because it seems almost sacrilegious. However, the message it speaks is all about living our most divine self - each of us. You know: love, forgiveness, peace, understanding, love your neighbor, – – all that truly important stuff we tend to forget. Some have called this a “channeled“ book, meaning that the author was transcribing what God was dictating. Whatever the origin of this series of books, after you read them you will forever see life, God, and yourself differently.

Masters of Life - Part 9

To me, a great quote is one that delivers a powerful message in the fewest words. Like Bruce Lee’s famous 1-inch punch where Lee would put his fist a mere one inch away from a sparring partner’s padded chest and BOOM, with just that distance to gain momentum, hit the person hard enough to knock him across the room. Joe Vitale, today’s Master of Life, delivers such a powerful and succinct quote with, “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." Our eternal focus might show us what we want to do, become, or have. But it is awakening within that brings us the capacity to achieve what we see with our external vision. More importantly, looking within helps us discern that which is important. Apply Joe’s quote today and you will find yourself happier, healthier, and less stressed.

Masters of Life - Part 8

Few people alive have had more of an impact on more lives than Tony Robbins. The bigger than life giant who seems able to motivate anyone to do anything! Tony is also a sincere, sweet, and wonderful guy who is consumed with helping reduce hunger in our country. Today, we’re going to take a look at Tony’s idea of “state.“ The energy you bring to any situation will dictate how that situation turns out. Your “state“ is pivotal to everything you do. Before you do anything today, ask yourself, “Am I in the right state to accomplish this?” Then, do whatever it takes to be in the optimal state to create the optimal experience.

Masters of Life - Part 7

One of the first self-improvement authors I ever read was Terry Cole-Whittaker. I found her advice to be sensible and no nonsense. One of my favorite pieces of advice from her is: “The best way to deal with somebody is to deal with yourself.” Often , a problem we are experiencing would not even be an issue for someone else in the exact same situation. Why? Because being a different person they bring a totally different energy, perspective and skillset. Different person - different experience. Instead of changing the outside world, we need to change our inner world and the outer world must change accordingly. Here’s how.

Masters of Life - Part 6

Venerable Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhat Hahn grew up in a family that was not demonstrative. He says that until he was an adult no one ever hugged him. As a result, Hahn felt awkward when someone tried to hug him until he created but he calls “Conscious Hugging.” Conscious Hugging has 3 parts: 1) You hug someone as if they have been gone a very long time — like he thought you’d never see them again. 2) Next, you hug that same person as if YOU had been gone for a very long time and have just one chance to come back and let them know how much you love them. 3) Finally, you hug this person grateful that both of you have not been lost to each other and are grateful to be present together. In today’s JumpStart, I explain the process. Try this with people you love – it will transform your relationships!

Masters of Life - Part 5

“If you’re not happy with what you have, why would want more?” This quote explains why the Complaint Free movement has become such a worldwide phenomenon. After soldiers returned from World War II, the United States went into a massive consumption boom! It no longer became important for people to be happy. Rather, it became important for the economy that people become (1) producers and (2) consumers - – those are their only two roles. Unfortunately, as prosperity increased happiness did not. In fact, we live in the richest time in American history and yet our suicide is at an all-time high. Before you lift a finger to acquire anything else, first, point that finger at the things you already have and give thinks.m! Then if you feel motivated to attract more, you’ll enjoy it when it comes.

Masters of Life - Part 4

“The Lazyman’s Guide to Enlightenment” is another one of those mind-blowing books that you can read in less than two hours. The copy that I was given is actually a xerox copy of an original. Thaddeus Golas was into enlightenment, not money or fame. After this book became an underground sensation, major publishers tried to pick it up. Golas declined. Later in life, Golas allowed a small publisher to print a couple hundred thousand copies but otherwise the book is pretty hard to come by. My dogeared copy is one of my most prized possessions. The entire book can be summed up in one sentence, “What is it that you feel needs to be loved right now?” This is the expressway to enlightenment and to happiness. Today let’s explore how we can use love to reach enlightenment all the while being lazy.