Paul Allen - A Story of Triumph

                                                                                Be Persistent

Hello, my name is Paul Allen. My wife Alma and I attended a local meetup a while back here in San Antonio, TX about
personal growth and awareness. They were discussing topics related to achieving goals and they asked for examples
of personal growth or self empowerment. Several people had some great examples and I had one of my own. Several
people suggested that I share what I told them with more people so here it is. Maybe you or someone you know will get
something out of it. We all have our own experiences/interpretations and mine is just one of them.

This is a story about getting bigger than the circumstances that we all encounter in life, especially when they appear
impossible to overcome. Circumstances are anything that stand between you and what you want. Circumstances often
present themselves to you in the form of time, money, health, or just plain old negativity thinking on your part or from
others. Sometimes it's just a flat tire. For some, their circumstances completely run their day. You are easily the
superhero of your own life story but even Superman has his kryptonite. In that case you just avoid whatever that is.

Then there are the circumstances that you just cannot deal with by avoiding them. David couldn't go around Goliath, he
had to go straight through him. For me, being diagnosed with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis around the age of 2
was just the circumstance. We all experience our own ups and downs and mine just happened to be extremely visible. 1
in 100 people have some form of it. At about 16 months old my joints began to stiffen and seize up. Before that I had
walked just fine. Then it started slowly. I started to fall down. All kids do that but when it became too frequent it was
clear to my parents that something was going on. This was the late 60's and it stumped a lot of doctors. It took several
months to figure it out and before long I was in a wheelchair. Apparently my immune system was in overdrive and it was
attacking my joints. Woohoo.

My memories always included a wheelchair from kindergarten through high school. I was in a wheelchair in the mall with
my 3 sisters, at the movies sticking out on the end of the aisle, and with my friends playing. In between all of that there
were hospitals and traction and old low-tech drugs. I adapted as kids do but it was still a drag. I had fun every chance I
got but I was the only kid who had arthritis in common with his grandparents. My version, however, was more intense
and came with the sky high fevers.



Me as a young fella in a wheelchair

I'd get big fever spikes at night and the best remedy was a bathtub full of ice water. It was a regular process. The
sound of ice hitting a bathtub has its own special sound. I remember an ICU visit that lasted 31 days. As ICU visits go it
was a long haul considering three weeks usually marks the point of no return. My nurse was Angel May. One night I
saw her peek in and stare at me. She was hoping that the info at her nurse's station was wrong because it said I had a
fever peaking at 108'F. 107'F is bad news and 108'F might as well be cremation. Angel asked me how I felt and she
was surprised that I could answer her. I could feel the heat radiating off of me. Angel tried to get me out of the bed and
into ice water. When she touched me her hand jerked back as if she had just touched a hot stove. It was one of the
wildest things I've ever seen. The temperature difference between me and her ICU-cold hands must have been
extreme. I apologized and she was in tears. It really shook her up. She came back with another nurse with towels for
each of their hands. My family got me through the days and Angel got me through the nights. Whether they allowed
long-term guests or not my Dad still stayed the night. I would wonder about a story I heard where they say Jesus
perspired blood due to the duress of his impending crucifixion. Whenever my fever would break I would actually check
my forehead for blood or check the ice water to see if it had turned red. We never get more than we can handle but I
think I got pretty close.

Let's fast forward through high school now. I was about to give a makeover to my thoughts, feelings, and actions in
order to move a mountain. My days of accepting arthritis and its after effects were about to go out the window. I was
like any other young man and the fact that high school came and went without a girlfriend was a drag to say the least
especially if you think you're the only one, lol. I believed at the time(mistakenly) that I couldn't have what I wanted if I
was in a wheelchair. Mistaken or not, I believed it. It was the first time that something actually mattered more than being
comfortable. Love is the divine drive that compels us to do crazy things like what I was about to do. There's a reason
they say it makes the world go 'round. Suddenly I didn't see myself as having arthritis. It had me and I wanted out of the
deal. Was I willing to wait and see if it just went away? No, this was too urgent. I was ready to be done with it, believed
it could happen, and was committed in the fullest sense of the word. There is a saying about commitment, that the hen
only contributes to breakfast but the pig is committed. These are the times when you're willing to take a huge risk and
let go of the comfort of a familiar situation in order to get what you really really want. You're jumping from the stable
platform out to the moving trapeze. We're all capable of making that leap, we just need a catalyst.

I've noticed in recent years a theory called the law of attraction has been a big craze. It's actually just
branding/marketing for things we already do. It's nothing new and it's not a "secret" but it's real and it's consistent.
Quantum physics has now proven it. Their LOA branding is just a simple 3-part idea that says your results are
predictable based on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. We attract/create what we focus on and what we think about
and what we believe. An age old example is called the "Placebo Effect." Quantum physics shows us that the
thoughts/intentions/expectations of the observer affect the outcome of every quantum physics experiment. Don't take
my word for it, google it. The physicist Dr. Richard Feynman is famous for his discoveries here. If there is a particular
goal that you're overdue for reaching then that at least one of those 3 elements is lacking. Try it. Pick something in
your life that is not working the way you want and think about your thoughts, feelings, and actions regarding it. At least
one of them will be lacking.

So, my thoughts and feelings were fired up and now it was time for action. I began a process of just trying to stand up.
Actual walking, which I tried on my own, was unbearable. I couldn't put any weight on my legs so I worked on my
muscles. It was self inflicted pain, but it was backed up by the power of intention. I told my parents and three sisters
what I was doing. They always supported me, but only I could do the work. A year later I surprised my family by walking
from my bedroom to the living room. They were in awe and I was too. It took a while to make it a full round trip but I was
on my way. My family gave me unlimited support. I really hit the lottery with them. I understood my value from within
from them. I kept at it and learned to recognize when I was in a place of fear and I'd ask myself, “What would I do if I
wasn't afraid?” The answer to that question will alway show you the way. Fear is just your ego tricking you. That simple
question lets you trick it back and go around it. The answer I got was -leave your wheelchair behind and deal with
whatever might happen.

Though my best friend Walt had always pushed me in my wheelchair all over creation I was about to be walking side by
side with him. During a regular appointment my doctor was more interested in a particular blood test than he had ever
been in the last 20+ years. It had to do with measuring inflammation in the body. It’s called a sedimentation rate and
mine was always off the scale. It's like a measurement of how fast the joints are dissolving. My doctor came in with
results in hand, shaking his head, and said that my sedimentation rate was zero! Wow! Of course it was! It couldn't be
anything else. Total remission of the most severe form of rheumatoid arthritis does not happen one week to the next.
The best treatment today in 2010 does not produce anywhere near the results that I got. The doctor said, "this disease
doesn't just switch itself off like that." All I can say is, what disease?

With my dream girl Alma always laughing.

This is an interesting theory. The "Universe" or God or Source only fulfills. It's an abundance machine. Negativity and
scarcity and lack is a concept of man. If that's true then it's an important distinction. If your goal is to "get rid of"
something it won't quite work. One of my sisters was very heavy set. No diets ever worked. She was finally willing to try
anything. Instead of trying to limit and lose and "get rid of" things she switched to adding health. Boom, she's slim
again. The question then is what is healthy? Is it a fresh fruit salad or is it fast food with a diet soda? For me, my
thoughts, feelings, and actions had all been aligned in a way that demanded the healthiest conditions. In order to reach
my goal of walking there was simply no space for illness. I got radical and created something new where the arthritis
was and replaced it.

After the doctor's visit I knew that I was just dealing with the damage that had been done by the arthritis. To me it was
the deal of the century. After a date or two or five, I cruised along, happy to be alive, going to college and making up for
lost time. But my life wasn't automatically awesome just because of past accomplishments. One of the worst things of
all happened. I got comfortable again. I was uninspired. I would get the girl but never appreciated her. I finished
college and took a year of law school. The hardest part of law school is getting in. I did great academically but it never
felt right for me. Google a phrase like "I hate being a lawyer"/attorney/doctor and look at the number of hits. It's not the
whole world but it's alot of hits and those are just the sentiments expressed that online. So do what you love and settle
for nothing else.

Years later it was "game on" again, just like when I was so driven and inspired before. I took a course in Dallas, TX
designed to light a rocket under you and it did just that. To this day it's easily in my top 5 most significant life
experiences but then maybe I'm just easily impressed, lol. For me it actually ranks up there with getting out of a
wheelchair. I began to appreciate even more what I had accomplished when I was younger and what it took to make it
happen. I discovered a few limiting beliefs(we all have them) and rapidly advanced in all goals. It's been phenomenal.

When it comes to what you want, be clear on that before anything else. For example, IF you want to have an amazing
relationship what are you willing to do? People often say they'll do anything and then proceed to list what they won't do,
lol. Everything we do has a payoff of some sort or we wouldn't do it. Everything we do also has a price. What is the
only common thread in all of your relationships? Be clear on what that is. Are you playing the match game? Do you
expect to find someone that you think is a "10" while you see yourself as a "5"? That's not much of a match. Or insist
that you're a 10 and everyone else is a 5? That's just arrogant. The ego wins both times(no match).

IF you're focused on health what are you willing to do? There are no clear answers except for what works for you.
Since I started walking my medicine cabinet has remained empty to this day. Some drugs are truly life saving while
others just trade one problem for another. Pain and discomfort can be a deal compared to many side effects. Seek
what you want instead of focusing on what you don't. Remember, the universe doesn't register negativity or negation so
it sees "I do not want to get sick." It seems twisted but it sure explains the idea that what we resist persists. It's not our
intention but it's what happens. "I want to be healthy" is a whole other statement.

IF you want greater wealth what are you willing to do? The wealthiest people seem to have all positive thoughts about
money and about being wealthy and do positive things with it. If you have negative thoughts and feelings about wealth
then notice that. Of all people to be wealthy why not you? Your #1 wealth building tool is your income but if you give it
away, for example, to an auto finance company, then someone else is the beneficiary of your hard work. If you made
that payment to yourself and invested it over 40 years, it turns into a few million dollars. What is your idea of wealth? If
a car means you are wealthy would 5 cars mean you're 5 times wealthier? If you put your income "all in Gods' hands"
then can you just stay home? No because the details are actually all up to you. You're given the power to make an
income and it's your choice to use it. Money is about your choices and how you think, feel, and act towards it. Being a
good person is separate from it. That's why the mafia has money and missionaries often don't. There was a story
about a couple in New York who wanted to see if they could go a year without buying anything except food and
transportation. They did it. Not one thing. We wouldn't attempt something like that but it inspired many to pursue
actual wealth instead of the appearance of it. Another goal also included becoming an entrepreneur* which literally has
turned a thought into a business.

There will always be more questions than answers but just having the questions is great. Are you truly clear on what
you want? The world doesn't need another doctor or lawyer or teacher or bus driver. The world needs you to do what
you're called to do. Who/what inspires you? Change is guaranteed but progress is not. I remember that after I could
walk I was changing, but I stopped progressing. I was only surviving and playing it safe. Survival in the most developed
country on earth is pretty easy. If your thoughts and feelings are calling you to do something then begin already. Don't
worry about "how" it will happen. We all walk through a lot of doors in life but they usually have common labels like work,
home, restaurant, theater. What completely new door with a completely new label are you willing to walk through?
School? Gym? Self-Discovery? Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and ask yourself what are you willing to do?

Paul

I regularly donate my products and
services to several fundraisers and
charities. If you like the idea and want
to be a part of that you certainly may.

___