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 <<>>   VOLUME 1    <<>>   ISSUE 7   <<>>   June 18, 2003    <<>>

A Heartfelt Welcome
ARISE and be FREE
Your ARISE Article
Can I Get ARISE Outa You?
Poignant Ponderings
Giving  Back
Will You ARISE & Help Me?



Dear Valued Subscriber,


Ok, I couldn't resist. As one of my Father's Day gifts, I received a beautifully framed picture of my grandboys. My eldest daughter should have known better than to have presented it framed as the first thing I did was undo it all so I could scan the picture and show it to you:-) Without further adieu, here are the apples of my eye.

Ever been rollerblading? If you've mastered that activity all I ask is that you reflect back to your very first time, and not make fun of your athletically challenged editor, ok? Just so you know, I've NEVER roller skated and haven't been on ice skates since I was in grade school!

I now live on the water. But not just any water. It's the Detroit River - where  nobody-dares-to-swim-in-it with it's life-draining currents and powerful undertows. My youngest sister, who regularly blades the miles-long trail that graces my 'frontyard' volunteered to teach me to rollerblade this week. 

At the riverpark, and after donning my new blades, complete with recommended knee, head and hand protection gear (talk about looking like RoboCop!),  I looked at the long downhill slope of bumpy terrain that I would have to navigate to get me down to the smooth asphalt path. She instructed me to turn my feet inward and 'walk' bowlegged downhill so as not to start rolling down uncontrollably. 

Did I wanna look even more like a fool by listening to this good advice? Of course not. This "I'll do it my way" Virgo stands up and points his feet straight out and immediately begins a full-bore tear towards, yikes, the river! The only thing that held me back from a longer life and those choppy waters was the 4 foot steel breakwall fence, which I met at about twenty miles per hour, doing an almost full wrap-around that nearly put the non-swimming me deep into the drink! NOT a great start:-)

The good news was that after my near meeting with the mighty Detroit River, I began to take long almost athletic-like strides along this beautiful stretch of parkland and will now become a part of the exercise community below me. From now on though, I'll make a much more graceful entrance:-)

I've chosen a wonderful article by my good friend, and contributor of the special Father's Day article I sent last week, Dr. Michael Norwood, called The Power of the Underdog. I watch very little television and when I do it's usually auto racing, hockey or a good movie, but Michael uses the current story of one of the American Idol's contestants as the premise for his very inspirational piece. Thank you again amigo!

Now, please kick back (and if you can't right now, just click on the Print This Page icon at the top, scoop the pages from your printer and take it to bed with you:-) and enjoy this issue of ARISE!

As always, my greatest wishes for your complete success,

Rick Beneteau

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ARISE and be FREE

I'd love for you to take advantage of the following free gifts I've provided just to show my deep appreciation for your choosing to receive my publication:

Pearls of Success - My Free Inspirational eBook

Free PDF Chapter of my business eBook, Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank

The Articles - My Free Collection of Business Building Articles

My Inspirational Screensavers

Special Inspirational PDF Files

My 9/11 Tribute Song

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YOUR ARISE ARTICLE

He walked into the room with scraggly hair and wire-framed glasses that appeared too small even for his slightly anorexic-looking face. The baggy, old-fashioned prison-striped shirt and mismatched gaudy pants that hung on him made his frame seem more like a clothes hanger than a 24-year-old man’s body.

“Why are you here?” challenged a seated man, openly skeptical and who, with his tanned and muscled arms and dapper English accent, seemed creation’s flip-side of the younger man.

The 24-year-old’s face lit up, and with a degree of confidence that was made even more shocking by his total lack of guile, replied, “I’m the American Idol!”

Judges and music producers Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, who after weeks of seeing “everything” in their frustratingly hilarious quest to find suitable contestants for the next American Idol series, were left dumbfounded by the young man’s remarks. But that was nothing compared to what was in store for them when the music began and Clay Aiken opened his mouth to let the first words of his audition song, “Open Arms,” come reverberating forth.

Each powerful note filled the room, a rare musical wine, touching the soul, seeming as if the notes were nurtured in the heavens rather than the vocal chords of the bedraggled figure in front of them. The judges watched and listened with open mouths, witnessing a never-before-seen act of nature, akin to a totally unforeseen explosion of colors and blooms from a desert rain.

Add in a hotly vied-for pot of new hit-singer gold at the recent American Idol television competition, and that describes how the rest is history. Clay Aiken, along with Ruben Studdard, the competition’s winner by less than a half percentage point of 26 million viewers’ votes, is already a household name.

The two winners, individually or together have appeared on just about every major American television talk show, and both are well on their way to super-stardom. Even before the end of the competition, guest judge and singer/composer icon Neil Sedaka proclaimed to Clay in front of the show’s millions of fans, “I would kill to write and produce your first C.D.”

Sedaka’s instinct’s were right. Clay’s first C.D. has already soared to the #1 hit on music sales charts. And the world has fallen head over heals for the unassuming, sweet kid with the voice that can only be described as coming from “somewhere else.”

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Few of us are born with a talent that is as hard to ignore as the God-given voice of a singer. However, all of us are born with our own special gifts that are equally as important for us to nurture in order for us to fulfill our Creator’s purpose in breathing life into us.

Whether your destiny is to be a wonderful parent, a well-known artist or athlete, or a high-performer in your career, what you can learn from irrepressible achievers like Clay Aiken is to always use perceived low expectations of yourself as a source of strength to climb higher rather than a signal to quit. . .

To always use other people’s negative comments as a motivator rather than a deflator. . .

And to always use doors that have impersonally closed on you as an opportunity to take your time to gather your strength and perfect your craft.

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Another American Idol guest judge, pop superstar Lionel Richie, commented after one of Clay’s performances: “I’m still in awe that all of that is coming out of that body.” 

What makes Clay Aiken so admirable is not simply his voice - a God-given gift he had nothing to do with receiving. The true touch of grace is having the courage to face insurmountable odds and blistering rejection, and not to allow himself to believe whatever doubts he might otherwise harbor of not fitting the mold of being a possible singing legend.

 And, in fact, the same might be said of every single one of all American Idol finalists, who week after week put the often outright nasty comments about their performances by the judges to the side, and believe in themselves enough to sing their hearts out and get the world to send their votes in for them and keep them moving forward.

 And the same can be said of almost everyone else who has achieved anything.

 Just look at the whispy figure of Celine Dion, who on the surface, like Clay Aiken, doesn’t fit the physical mold of other singing divas with siren curves and model faces.

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From that standpoint, look at Oprah Winfrey, who I portrayed on page 8 of my book, “The Vision of the Wealthy Soul.” She was a total first, using her struggles with weight, her African-American heritage, and her scarred childhood filled with sexual abuse to make her audience relate to her like no television host before or since her meteoric rise to fame.

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Consider also Rudy Giuliani. Most New Yorkers were not big fans of his in the first half of 2001. Giuliani (portrayed on page 10 of my book “The Making of the Wealthy Soul”), was going through a highly publicized soap-opera-like divorce. At the same time he received a diagnosis of prostate cancer, which forced him to pull out of the 2001 NY senate race. His political career seemed all but over.

Then came September 11th. The man from whom no one expected anything more raised himself up from the ashes to become an international hero. Forget the N.Y. Senate now, the American presidency has been suggested as his next possible race.

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Another perfect example is the unheard-of 1976 presidential candidate from Hoochamaflip Georgia who would become the 39th President of the United States. Two years prior to his historic win, no one ever expected anything from Jimmy Carter, because no one had ever heard of him before!

Just four years later, however, in 1980, in an election that would make his downfall as abrupt as his stellar rise, he would lose his next presidential bid to Ronald Reagan, who succeeded in making him appear weak on foreign policy.

But true to his underdog nature, Jimmy Carter would come back once again to do his life’s most extraordinary work and certainly the most outstanding work of all past ex-presidents (page 56 of The Making of the Wealthy Soul).  Through the Carter Center, he went on to battle hunger, disease and repressive regimes in Third-World nations by initiating election monitoring and other highly effective programs.

Last year, more than two decades after his embarrassing defeat to Ronald Reagan, at 79 years of age, Jimmy Carter’s remarkable post-presidential accomplishments won him a Nobel Prize.

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The moral here, friends, is . . . BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Especially when no one else will. When you are so far down as to be totally discounted or even forgotten, you paradoxically have an incredible advantage.

Like Clay Aiken, Oprah Winfrey, Rudy Giuliani, Jimmy Carter and so many other people of accomplishment, it’s at that below-the-radar-screen point that you can begin to rise over time, unseen and unstoppable, from the ashes.

And in so doing, you will accomplish more and gain more respect and admiration than the person who always seems on top, always seems in control, yet always is having to maintain the precarious and possibly illusory status of being number one.

After all, there is no one we admire more, no one who reminds us more of our own selves, our own struggles and our own unlimited potential, than the person from whom we have little or no expectations . . . the person who is a seemingly inconsequential and possibly forgotten underdog who stays true to themselves and their Vision, and . . .

WHO GOES ON TO PROVE US ALL WRONG!

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P.S. The full inspiring biographies of most of the celebrity underdogs I portrayed in the above article can be found in my books “The Vision of the Wealthy Soul”  and “The Making of the Wealthy Soul”, which you can read more about at www.wealthysoul.com .  (I referenced page numbers throughout the article for those of you who already have the books.) In the Wealthy Soul series, I portray a total of 18 of the world’s most spiritually powerful people, and  the lessons they have to teach you and me in triumphing over our  own life challenges.

© 2003 Dr. Michael Norwood

Dr. Michael Norwood is the author of The 9 Insights of the Wealthy Soul, which has been featured in places such as The Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Constitution and The Miami Herald. You may have heard him interviewed on many radio and television shows worldwide. To preview his life-changing book series or to sign up for a complimentary subscription to The Wealthy Soul Newsletter and to view his beautiful Flash presentations, The 12 Gifts of Life, visit www.wealthysoul.com  

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Can I Get ARISE Outa You?
With thanks to Trish Cushman!

Beer 


"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams.. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be
selfish and worry about my liver."
Jack Handy

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. "
Frank Sinatra

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
Henny Youngman

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
 Stephen Wright

"When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"
Brian O'Rourke

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
Dave Barry

Remember "I"! before "E", except in Budweiser.
Unknown

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Poignant Ponderings

Having Lunch with God! 
with thanks to jl scott!

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey. 

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. 

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. 

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. But, before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. The old man gave him his biggest smile ever. 

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." And, before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!" 

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God."  However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected." 

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!


- Author Unknown - 

GIVING BACK

You might already support these or similar organizations, but it's the sad truth that we can never really do enough to help people, especially children. Here is what I support and encourage you to review:

The Internet Toy Drive  
Founded by Anne Marie Baugh and myself, and sponsored by Drew Bledsoe (#11, 2001 Super Bowl Champion quarterback), we are official corporate sponsors of the U.S. Marine's Toys for Tots program.

My WorldVision Children
This is the special group of children from around the world that I sponsor. WorldVision is a Christian organization that has been around for decades and almost every penny donated goes directly to these needy children and their families. Nothing beats receiving a handwritten letter, or even an email now, from "your child":-) You can even buy chickens or cows that get right to these families in dire need!

St. Jude Children's Hospital
My father was a lifelong musician and played piano in bands with Danny Thomas (founder of St. Jude and father of Marlo Thomas) among others during the depression, thirties and early World War II years. Understandably, this world famous research hospital is close to my heart:-)

Parenting with Dignity P
If you are a parent, expecting to be one in the future, or even believe you've done your parenting job, do yourself a great favor and check out this fabulous resource! Drew Bledsoe, his father and family members, my great friend Tom Heatherington and many more have established an absolutely wonderful foundation devoted to the betterment of children and families (Mac Bledsoe was interviewed on ABC's 20/20 this year).

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Will You ARISE & Help Me?

I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few seconds to tell just a few of your friends about ARISE. Simply Forward this URL to everyone in your Address Book.  All they need to do is enter their email address below (it will NEVER be shared or given away).

Thank You!!

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