Superman died yesterday.

I'm talking about Christopher Reeves, the actor who starred in the in the "Superman" movies and was paralyzed in a horse back riding accident in 1995.

Is the disability and early death of this courageous, intensely positive and generous man a tragedy?

Sure it is - for those he left behind.

But his life?

His life was a triumph.

Look... we're all going to pass away some day and I know many of you reading this have lost people very close to you. I certainly have. There's no two ways around it. It hurts.

But in the end what really matters?

It's all about what you do with what you've got while you're here.

Reality is that we don't always have total control over all the things in our lives.

What we *do* have control over is our attitude and life all boils down to this:

We can spread light or we can spread darkness.

It's our choice, moment by moment, and 'circumstances' don't have a thing to do with it.

What are *you* spreading?

--- Christopher Reeves was a master marketer

Reeves had a vision of a better world - in his case better treatment for spinal cord injury patients - and he promoted it relentlessly.

Here's what Dr. John McDonald, the physician who worked with Reeves, had to say about his life:

"Before him there was really no hope.

If you had a spinal cord injury like his there was not much that could be done, but he's changed all that. He's demonstrated that there is hope and that there are things that can be done."

'Before him there really was no hope...'

A lot of people think that marketing is all about money and the ego gratification that comes from it.

That may be satisfying for a short while, but the real, lasting satisfaction that comes from becoming a skilled marketer is knowing that you're helping improve the lives of other people.

The soundest businesses I've seen and the happiest people I've met operate from this simple realization.

Every human being I've ever met has challenges, limitations, and weaknesses, sometimes very serious ones.

Some people nurse their doubts and disappointments

Others make the focus of their lives taking the good they do have and working with it, leveraging it, and building on it.

Not everyone is going to have as dramatic a life story as Christopher Reeves, but everyone reading this can use the lessons they learn from the System and elsewhere to 'transform circumstances', to make things better... to bend steel in your bare hands...

Keep studying, keep working, have faith in yourself... the world is looking forward to *your* contribution.

Best,

Ken McCarthy
http://TheSystemSeminar.com

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The SYSTEM Seminar
Customer Service
P.O. Box 42
Tivoli, New York 12583

Is Bush cheating?

There's rumours going around the Internet that President George W Bush was cheating during his first debate with John Kerry. (See: http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/10/bush.rumor.ap/index.html)

Apparently there's a shot of him which shows he could be wired - he could be receiving help from his aides during the debate.

Of course it's true! We all know Bush's level of intelligence. He sure is stooping low this time!

Let's hope John Kerry wins next month. There only seems to be people in America who are supporting him (are they crazy?!). No one else in the world supports him. He's gotta go. So if you're in USA reading this - I plead with you to vote for John Kerry next month. I don't think the world can bare another 4 years of that war crazy Bush!

Aussie elections

As you may or may not know Australia held their federal elections on Saturday. And unfortunalety Johnny Howard and his Liberal Coalition party won yet again - for the 4th time! I'm not happy about this, I really wanted Mark Latham and his Labor Party to win.
Why? Because John Howard is an idiot. He's just George W Bush's little plaything. And he's been PM in Australia for too long. I cannot beleive that people in Australia still like him! After all, he wouldn't even go on Rove Live (Mark Latham did). And he gave a very negative campaign towards the Labor Party about this interest rate thing. How can people vote for someone who lies?
So now we're (or should I say Australia) is stuck with John W Howard for another 3 years. Although by all rumors he'll be replaced by Peter Costello as leader in the very near future.
Let's hope Mark Latham can win in 2007.

Adam