| Bonnie St. John Deane grew up in hospitals, in leg | | | | relationships, peak experiences, or career |
| braces, and on the wrong side of the tracks, but | | | | accomplishments. Star the items that really excite |
| that didn't stop her from believing that an | | | | you. Find the deeper meaning. Ask yourself, "Why do |
| African-American girl, with only one leg, could learn to | | | | I want it?" Dig underneath to find the personally |
| ski. | | | | compelling reasons. Dig down to find out what you |
| As soon as I learned to ski a little, I set my sights on | | | | want out of life. Like a child, keep asking yourself |
| qualifying to compete in the 1984 Disabled Olympics | | | | "why?" If the final answer is "I should," or "My boss |
| in Innsbruck, Austria. Such an outrageous dream | | | | wants me to," scratch it off your list-or change it, |
| made me stand taller just thinking about it. | | | | expand it, and aim higher. Stop underestimating your |
| My big break came when an elite ski academy in | | | | odds for success, err on the side of optimism, spend |
| Vermont accepted me as a student. For three | | | | less time around negative people, and learn from |
| months, I searched for grants, scholarships, and | | | | people who have done it before you. List your |
| sponsors to no avail. When I told the headmaster I | | | | resources and act-don't feel you have to do |
| couldn't afford the tuition and had failed to find | | | | everything at once. You can get there if you do |
| sponsors, he said, "Come anyway." I knew this | | | | what you love! |
| opportunity would change my life. But then on the | | | | Bonnie's story didn't end on the winner's platform at |
| first day of the ski school, I broke my leg-my real | | | | the Olympics. |
| leg-while playing on a skateboard. As the only kid at | | | | She has since motivated herself to finish degrees |
| the academy with only one leg, I had wanted so | | | | from both Harvard and Oxford, win a Rhodes |
| badly to show them I could run the obstacle courses, | | | | Scholarship, win awards as an IBM sales |
| jump rope, and play soccer. Instead, walking on | | | | representative, and garner high praise as a White |
| crutches with my artificial leg I could barely get from | | | | House official on the National Economic Council. |
| my room to dinner without tripping. Being so | | | | Again, it all starts by knowing what you really want. |
| thoroughly inept among a crowd of such superb | | | | Don't get trapped by your present reality-what you |
| athletes hurt more than my injuries. At night, I cried | | | | have or how effective you are at the moment. |
| in my pillow. | | | | People who are immersed in their present realities |
| Although the doctor removed my cast after six | | | | often think they "know the truth," but they don't. |
| weeks, my luck didn't improve. A week later, my | | | | When you find your Core Desires, your emotion |
| artificial leg broke in half. Even when you think things | | | | needle will go clear off the chart. Those are the |
| can't get any worse, they do. For three weeks my | | | | things you'll want to focus on. When you truly want |
| new prosthesis roamed the country, lost in the U.S. | | | | something, you'll amaze yourself at what you will do |
| Postal Service. | | | | to get it-nothing will stop you once you uncover your |
| Years later, as I stood on the winner's platform in | | | | Core Desires and tap into your Conquering Force. |
| Innsbruck, Austria, with the silver medal around my | | | | What you will become, or achieve, will be a direct |
| neck, I could hear the National Anthem playing, and | | | | result of the Core Desires you uncover, the mentors |
| see the Stars and Stripes fluttering behind me. The | | | | you choose to learn from, and the choices you make. |
| desire for that moment had pulled me through all the | | | | Successful people invest in themselves through a |
| tough times. | | | | continuing quest for knowledge, understanding, |
| Do you have a powerful desire that captures your | | | | wisdom, and truth. When you invest in yourself, be |
| heart and picks you up when you fall down? Who or | | | | sure you know your Core Desires first. Then you'll |
| what motivates you? When I am asked that | | | | see a much greater return on your investment_not |
| question, I must answer, "I motivate me." For any | | | | only in greater satisfaction but also in improved |
| project you are working on, you can increase your | | | | productivity, enhanced social relationships, and greater |
| motivation by finding bigger payoffs that have more | | | | earning ability. There's nothing like learning all you can |
| meaning for you. In all cases, "things" are less | | | | about something you love, your Core Desires. |
| important than what those things mean to you | | | | Learning about them will start an important chain |
| personally. List everything you have ever wanted to | | | | reaction that will work in your behalf. |
| have in your life: new clothes, vacations, ideal | | | | |