Paul Allen - A Story of Triumph

Be Persistent

Hello, my name is Paul Allen. My wife Alma and I attended a discussion group once that focused on achieving
both business and personal goals. They asked if anyone could give an example of overcoming what seemed
like overwhelming odds. I mentioned some of my own experiences and a friend who was listening told me that I
should share it with others. Here is a little bit. I hope you benefit from it in some way.

This is about getting bigger than the circumstances that we all encounter in life. Circumstances are anything
that stand between you and what you want. Circumstances can show up in your life as anything. Some
common circumstances are time issues(not enough), money issues(not enough), and health issues.
Circumstances can also be negative thinking in general and sometimes it's just a flat tire. For some, their
circumstances completely run their life. We are all superheroes in our own life story and like Superman we all
have our own form of kryptonite that can rob us of our power if we aren't diligent.

Some circumstances demand that you meet them head on. For example, David couldn't go around Goliath so
he had to deal with him directly. For me, being diagnosed with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age
of 2 was just the circumstance. I was walking just fine and then my joints began to stiffen and seize up. It started
very slowly. I started to fall down. When it became too frequent it was clear that something was going on. This
was the late 60's and it stumped a lot of doctors. It took several months to diagnose and by then I was using a
wheelchair. We all have to start somewhere. Apparently my immune system was in overdrive and it was
attacking my joints. I thank God I had the parents I did.

My memories from kindergarten through high school always included a wheelchair. I was in a wheelchair in the
mall with my 3 sisters, at the movies sticking out on the end of the aisle, and playing with my friends. During all
of that there were hospitals and traction and low-tech drugs. I adapted as all 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 severe and it came with the sky high fevers.

Me as a young fella in a wheelchair. I guess
my parents liked Hawaii Five-O.

I'd get big fever spikes at night and the best remedy was to submerge me in a bathtub full of ice water. Ice
hitting a bathtub is one hell of a sound to me. I remember an ICU visit that lasted 30 days. I've been told that's a
long haul considering 3 weeks usually marks the point of no return. My nurse was Angel May. One night I saw
her come in and just stare at me. She didn't want to believe the info at her nurse's station because it said I had
a fever of 108'F. She asked me how I felt and she was surprised that I could answer. I could feel the heat
rushing off of me. Angel tried to get me out of the bed and into ice water. When she touched me she pulled her
hand back as if she had just touched a hot stove. It was one of the wildest things I've ever seen. The
temperature difference could have easily been 40 degrees in that cold ICU. I apologized. 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. I wondered about a story I heard where they say Jesus
perspired blood due to the duress of his impending crucifixion. Whenever my fever broke I would check the ice
water to see if it had turned red. God never gives us more than we can handle but I think I came pretty close.

This went on and on. Fast forward through high school now. In order to move the mountain that had always
been in front of me I was about to give my thoughts, feelings, and actions a makeover. My days of accepting
arthritis and its after effects were about to go out the window. I was like any other young fella and the fact that
high school came and went without a girlfriend was terrible to say the least, especially if you think you were the
only one, lol. I believed(mistakenly) at 17 that I couldn't get a date if I was in a wheelchair. Mistaken or not, I
believed it. It was the first time that something actually mattered more to me than just being comfortable.
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 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 good saying about commitment. The hen only contributes
to breakfast but the pig is committed. I was willing to take a huge risk and let go of the comfort of familiar pain
in order to get what I wanted. I would be jumping from my stable platform out to a moving trapeze. We're all
capable of making that leap, we just need some motivation.

I've noticed in recent years that a theory called the law of attraction has been a big craze. It's actually just slick
branding/marketing for things we already do. It's nothing new and it's not a "secret". Quantum physics actually
demonstrated it long ago. See the work of Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. Richard Feynman of M.I.T.,
CalTech, and Cornell. It was shown that our thoughts actually affect how sub-atomic particles act. The law of
attraction branding is a simplified 3-part idea that says your results are predictable based on your thoughts,
feelings, and actions. That's all. We attract/create what we focus on and what we think and believe. This is
what the "Placebo Effect" is all about.

If there is a particular goal that you're not reaching then one of those 3 elements is going to be lacking. Try it.
Pick something in your life that is not working the way you want it to and then notice your thoughts, feelings, and
actions regarding it. Atleast one of them will be off center. For me, my thoughts and feelings were aligned and
now it was time for action. I began a process of just trying to stand up. Actual walking was unbearable. I could
not 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. While they always supported me, 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 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 always show you
the way. The answer I got was: start going places without a wheelchair as a backup and deal with it.

Though my best friend Walt had always pushed me all over creation in my wheelchair 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. But total remission of the most severe form of
rheumatoid arthritis just doesn't happen from one week to the next. The best treatment today does not produce
results anything close to that. The doctor said, "this disease doesn't just switch itself off like that." I'm sure he's
right. As far as I can tell I'm the one that switched it off.

With my dream girl Alma always laughing.

After the doctor's visit I knew that I was just dealing with the damage that was left behind. It was the deal of a
lifetime. After a date or two or five, I cruised along, happy to be alive, going to college and making up for lost
time. My life wasn't automatically awesome just because of past accomplishments and one of the worst things
of all happened. I got comfortable again and didn't notice. I'd get the girl but never appreciated her. I finished
college and took a year of law school. I can say that the hardest part of law school was getting in. I did great
academically but it didn't feel right. I wasn't meant to do it. Google a phrase like "I hate being a lawyer"
/attorney/doctor and look at the number of results. Those sentiments exist all over. I had just enough foresight to
know that I'd be doing something I didn't love. The world doesn't specifically need another doctor or lawyer or
teacher. The world needs you to do what you're called to do as far as being of service to at least one other. Do
what you love and settle for nothing less. Remember that it doesn't have to look a certain way. For example,
people often mistake medical work as being very important because it "saves lives". Well, the best anyone
can do is prolong or improve the quality of life. That makes your options wide open. No single calling is more
important or meaningful than another. Not one bit. The mechanic doing excellent brake work or the teacher
showing children how smart they are make as much of a difference as any heart surgeon.

So years later it was "game on" again, just like when I was so driven and inspired in high school. I took a
course in Dallas, TX known for bringing huge insight into people's lives in ways they never imagined and for
me it did just that. To this day it's easily in my top 5 most significant life experiences. It ranks up there with
getting out of a wheelchair. It required honesty though. I've seen people take the same courses and get nothing
out of it because they weren't honest with anyone and held on too tightly to ego and appearances. 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. While I had learned to be
persistent a while back this was the point when I learned to be open to the possibility that I have a lot left to
learn.

When it comes to what you want, be clear on that before anything. 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 all
of the things they won't do, lol. Ask yourself tough questions like, what is the only common thread in all of my
relationships?(Hint: It's you.) For myself I was willing to do anything to be with Alma, like putting her first and
learning to honor her. She is as special and rare and as brilliant as it gets. I used to pray to meet her when I
was little. We all know that talk is easy. If something truly is important you'll find a way to do it. Look at people's
actions and not so much their words. They rarely match up. There is a great story about Alma doing what no
other applicant would do in order to get the job she has now.

IF you're focused on health what are you willing to do? Since I've been walking my medicine cabinet has
remained empty. Some drugs are truly life saving while others just trade one problem for another. Sometimes
a little pain and discomfort is a decent option compared to potential drug side effects. Look for what you want
instead of focusing on what you don't want. Remember, God is all about abundance. His universe doesn't
know limitation or lack. You are always being supplied with something. It's the old saying that "what we resist
persists." It persists because we focus on it. It's that simple. It may not be your intention but it's what happens. "I
want to be healthy" is very different from "I don't want to get sick."

IF you want wealth what are you willing to do? The wealthiest people seem to have positive thoughts about
money and about being wealthy and they do positive things with it. If you have negative thoughts and feelings
about wealth or wealthy people then try to discover what that's about. 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 at 10%, it turns into a few
million dollars. It's pure math. Google "compounding interest". Einstein supposedly called compounding
interest the most powerful force of our time. Ask yourself what your idea is of wealth. Is it a big bank account or
just the appearance of one? If a certain car means you are wealthy would 5 cars mean you're 5 times
wealthier? Money is about how you think, feel, and act towards it. Being a good person doesn't matter to
money. That's why the mafia has money and missionaries 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 for a year. I don't know what their thoughts and feelings were but their actions were definitely on
track. A personal goal for me was creating a successful business. I'm up to two at this point including this one.

There will always be more questions than answers but just having questions is a great thing. Change is
guaranteed but progress is not. I remember that after I could walk I was changing, but I stopped progressing. If
your thoughts and feelings are calling you to do something then start on it already. You can do anything you
want and get bigger than any circumstances with persistence and discipline and faith/believing. Use your gift.
Your gift is what makes you different. Use your difference to make a difference! If there are circumstances in
your way then use what inspires you to go through them. Sometimes you won't know exactly "how" you will
reach your goal. Just begin. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and ask yourself what would I do if I
wasn't afraid?

I LOVE YOU ALMA
PAUL