The Kickass Life Podcast with David Wood

As David sits in the sunshine listening to the waves rolling onto the beach of his own private island, he reflects back through his life and identifies the specific strategies that have allowed him to move from a life as a window cleaner living in a council house in a poorer part of England, to leading a Kickass Life traveling the world and living the life of his dreams. Are you affecting or infecting people around you?  What are you attracting into your life, do you know how to attract more of the great things into your life, and how to switch the crappy things so that they can become great things?

Honored by Hay House as one of their 2010 “Movers and Shakers.” Lisa Michaels, is a celebrated Elemental Wisdom Teacher, Speaker, Expert on Holistic Living and Author of "Natural Rhythms". David shares how his journey was deeply impacted by the work he did with an Elemental Wisdom Teacher and how his connection with the natural realm has been instrumental in his own success. In Lisa Words….. “Creation tools work exactly the same way no matter what it is we apply them to: better relationships, health, business building, increasing income, dancing through life, or living in harmony with Nature. Just like the physical art of dancing, dancing with the principles of creation takes practice”  

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Today’s show is to let you know what they are, and how to avoid them. LINKS The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz  

“When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” - Zig Ziglar Join David as he explores what it took for Roger Bannister to break a record that the experts said could never be broken, and what it takes to shift your mindset so that you can break your own records. On May 6th, 1954, an unidentified announcer gave the results for the recently completed race in a track and field meet being held at Oxford University. As he uttered “In the one-mile run, with a first place winning time of three-minutes …,” the crowd interrupted him, cheering in sheer excitement. The winner of the race, the new world record holder and the first person to finish a mile in less than four minutes was Dr. Roger Bannister – a young medical student from Oxford University.  His official time, once the crowd permitted the announcer to continue, was 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. In the years following Dr. Bannister’s May 6, 1954 feat, hundreds of runners have run sub-four-minute miles (and some runners have achieved the feat hundreds of times themselves). In fact, later in May 1954, John Landy, a miler from Australia, also ran the mile in less than four minutes – lowering the world record for the mile to 3:58.0. As of today, men over the age of 30 have run miles in less than four minutes as well as men over the age of 40. There are even women within striking distance of the sub-four-minute milestone. Currently, the world record is more than 15 seconds under four minutes. However, prior to Dr. Bannister’s accomplishment, few believed that a human would ever break the four-minute-mile barrier. Experts from the athletic, medical and scientific community regarded running a sub-four-minute mile as an insurmountable limitation of the human body. After all, the previous world record of 4:01.3 had stood unchanged for nine years. Despite what the experts said, Bannister thought otherwise. In his mind, it was not a question of whether or not someone could run a sub-four-minute mile. For Bannister the questions to be answered were “who” and “when.” Bannister believed that someone would break the four-minute barrier. He believed that he was capable of doing it. He believed that his unique training methods would enable him to do it. And, in the end, his convictions and confidence carried him to world-renowned prominence. Video  

A Police Chaplin who is as comfortable helping a family grieve the loss of a child or helping a couple save their marriage, as he is training his students in the art of co-creation or telling jokes in an Irish bar. PK Smith is a humanitarian and ambassador of change, teaching how the world to co-create together ream and never dream alone. Join David as he explores PK’s life in the service, his co-creation principles and the his amazing work in Africa.

David spends an evening with Cesar Millan (a.k.a “The Dog Whisperer”) and is blown away by how much any Kickass Life practitioner can learn not only about how to be a successful and happy dog owner, but also how to be a successful and happy parent, friend, and leader. Cesar on the web: http://www.cesarsway.com/  

After a suggestion from one of the listeners of The Kickass Life, David shares the 5 Practical Tips for better FOCUS. (Sam Horn) David also shares a few excerpts from the upcoming Best of The Kickass Life, Volume 1, including a powerful story by Marci Shimoff about a women who lost her sight after her eyedrops were laced with Lye, and how she took the situation and turned it around, and now leads an amazing, fulfilled life. More soundbites from the Best Of show by Stewart Emery (The Godfather of Personal Development), The Amazing Les Brown, and Author of Women are from Mars, Men are from Venus, Dr. John Gray.

America’s leading success coach and author of close to 250 books, including the bestselling blockbuster “The Success Principles”, shares his road to success, including some of his most challenging moments and darkest hours. Jack’s ability to deliver proven strategies for success that are both simple and effective is such a rare gift that you may find yourself listening to this show over and over again. The Success Principles HOW TO GET FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE! The Success Principles® is a roadmap for anyone—from marketing professionals to small business owners, and from teachers to students and parents—striving to achieve their professional and personal dreams and goals. Touching on every aspect of our lives, Jack Canfield offers 64 practical and inspiring principles to get any aspiring person from where they are to where they want to be. Get The Success Principals Here LINKS Website: www.jackcanfield.com Facebook:  www.facebook.com/JackCanfieldFan Twitter: www.twitter.com/jackcanfield VIDEO

Deepak came to visit David’s area and did a wonderful presentation, which included what he called The Happiness Formula. This study was an initiative by his holiness the Dalai Lama and the findings are wonderfully enlightening and something that we can all learn from.

Join David as he celebrates Halloween and shares stories of his ghost hunting days at Borley Rectory, “The Most Haunted House in England” and his terrifying night at an exorcism in an old Tudor pub down an old cobbled lane on a very scary night.

Laura Hansen is a bestselling author, teacher, international presenter and counselor. Her work has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to understand how their lives work and how to squeeze the juice out of life. Her message is how to be a stronger advocate for your own life. Her bestselling books include Hand me a wrench my life is out of whack. Join Laura and David as they chat about life, its up’s and downs and its magic. http://www.laura-hansen.com Laura's Love Exercise: The Small Thing v The Big Beautiful Thing Every day we choose the small damaging thing over the big beautiful thing. We dissolve long friendships over gossip. We end marriages over money. We choose pain over love. We give up what we wish for most because it didn’t meet our expectations of true love. In your most important relationships, how much do you accept yourself and the other person? How many times have you chosen the small thing over the big beautiful thing? The below exercise is designed to help you acknowledge how you’ve built the foundation of your relationship, and how you can strengthen that foundation with acceptance and love. This exercise has been simplified and shortened from the version you will find in the book, Hand Me a Wrench, My Life Is Out of Whack. Using paper and pen/pencil, choose a relationship you’d like to work with for this exercise. Divide the paper into three vertical columns. Title the columns left to right: “Love it,” “Drives Me Nuts,” “Why.” In the “Love it” column write down one thing you love about your relationship. In the “Drives Me Nuts” column, write down one thing you don’t like about your relationship. In the “Why” column write down why you feel the way you do. Turn the paper over or get a new sheet. Divide the paper into three vertical columns. Title the columns left to right: “Small Thing,” “Big Beautiful Thing,” “New Decision/Behavior.” In the “Small Thing” column, write out your fear/judgment/expectation/sadness that surfaces when the other person does the thing that drives you nuts. In the “Big Beautiful Thing” column, write out what part of your love or acceptance of yourself or the other person is blocked by the small thing. In the third column, write out the new choice you are going to make so you can be side by side addressing this problem, instead of putting this problem between you. It’s possible that your new decision will be a change in behavior on your part that doesn’t require any discussion. Other types of problems will require the two of you working in supportive partnership to solve it. When you introduce the subject, talk about how the other person’s behavior affects you rather than point out that their behavior is wrong. Remember, the goal is to do this side by side. No one is going to be right in this discussion, but you both can be loved. Find this and many other life-affirming exercises in Laura’s new book, Hand Me a Wrench, My Life’s Out of Whack: Understanding the Decisions We Make and Discovering the Power to Change. Reprinted by Permission. Laura Hansen © 2012 All Rights Reserved.

David explores a new book coming out by Gever Tulley “50 Dangerous Things you should let your children do” that inspired him to buy his sons a KickAss knife. David also adds his own spin on some of the things he lets his kids do to go out, get dirty, and sample some danger. Check out Ted Talks:  http://www.ted.com    

David is back in Canada after his walkabout in Australia. Today’s show is centered around a moment that changed David’s life, and started him on the road to success. He also shares a story about how he had to shoplift food in order to survive each month, even though he had a full time job and wore a suit to work every day. “Like” us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thekickasslife

A comedian for 20 years has trained Kyle to look for the BS in life, which has allowed Kyle to not only be a great comedian, but alsosomeone who knows how to help people get better at doing achieving their goals. In his own words: “I can get people out of fear and help people get exactly where they want to be. The challenge is that people only see one world or the other. You are either a ‘funny cynic’, or a ‘positive nut job’. I am right in the middle of this. I am cynical. But I am cynical about doubt. I am cynical about fears. I believe THEY are the illusion” Learn about Kyle's program from Nov. 29-Dec. 31 in Las Vegas at http://www.kylecease.com Follow Kyle on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kylecease

Australians from all corners of the country join David in the Hunter Valley Wine Region for a leadership conference like no other. One that everyone will remember as one of the most KickAss days of their lives, where we all made some lifelong friends and created some lifelong memories!