That All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

In August 2010, we were shocked when thirty-three miners were

suddenly trapped in a century-old gold and copper mine in Chile.

Sixty-nine days after a rock collapse sealed the San Jose Mine, all

thirty-three men were rescued in good health.

It was a miracle, for sure. All odds were stacked against the miners

surviving at all. Approximately 700,000 tons of rock had collapsed in

the mine. For seventeen days, in darkness and with almost no food or

liquids, the miners wondered if anyone would ever find them.

The miners rationed the few supplies they had one-half mile below

the surface, praying someone would be able to locate their small area

of refuge. They allowed themselves only two teaspoonfuls of tuna every

other day, a sip of milk, and a bite of a cracker. They learned to extract

water from the rocks that surrounded them.

You Can Become Resilient, Like the Human Body

191

The miners managed to conserve the minimal food and air. When

the rescuers finally bored a correct hole into their area some seventeen

days after the collapse, it was estimated that the miners would have

had only twenty-four hours of air remaining in their 600-square-foot

survival area.

They remained buried for over fifty-two more days, until a larger

hole could be carefully bored, just wide enough for a rescue capsule on a

pulley to be slowly and meticulously lowered to raise each one to safety.

What a tremendous will to live and what faith the miners had! When

life is in jeopardy, most people will do and endure anything in order to

survive. And the non-stop efforts from above on the part of rescuers

who would not stop working for sixty-nine days until the miners were

all saved, was inspiring to watch.
C-2012 J. Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

An All-Consuming Desire to Succeed (review)

SELF-HELP

An All-Consuming Desire to Succeed

John Paul Carinci

Morgan James Publishing

Softcover $17.95 (245pp)

978-1-60037-994-9

In the spirit of such inspirational authors as Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, and

W. Clement Stone, John Paul Carinci has written a classic self- help book centered around

achieving success.

The author discusses all of the basics, including motivation, perseverance, rising

up from failure, the power of positive thinking, and living for today. The short chapters

are peppered with salient quotes and stories of success. In each chapter, Carinci includes

the boxed-in headline, “We Are Each Born into This World Destined for Greatness!” to

continuously reinforce the reader’s self-image.

The material in

previous motivational books, but Carinci brings a fresh perspective and an unbridled

enthusiasm that is sure to lift readers up. He points out, for example, that while many

people are consumed with worry, “92 percent of all worry is not necessary,” according to

experts. This is why it is so important, says Carinci, to put everything in perspective.

Carinci details four principles of success: 1. Formulate Powerful and Challenging

Goals, 2. Be Consumed with the Achievement of Such a Goal, 3. The Point of No Return

(in which the author says “the mind cannot be allowed to back out of the achievement” of

a goal), and 4. Reward System for Goal Achievement (or, as Carinci puts it, the “Happy

Celebration” of the goal’s completion). Through numerous stories, Carinci demonstrates

that the truly successful are those who never, ever give up, regardless of the odds or

adversities facing them. “The common denominator I have found in all the great

achievers is perseverance,” he writes.

Perhaps the most compelling content in the book is Carinci’s reliance on what he

calls “positive success affirmation.” The author says he repeats a number of affirmations

to himself on a daily basis to keep “fired up and motivated.” Carinci includes these

success affirmations at the end of the book should the reader wish to adapt them for

personal use.

Any reader seeking a healthy dose of positive motivation to achieve the loftiest

goals or even to meet the daily challenges of life is sure to find much of value in John

Paul Carinci’s inspirational work.

(August 2011) BARRY SILVERSTEINAn All-Consuming Desire to Succeed has been covered in

Leadership

Leadership

“Why are very few people leaders? Many people are followers in general and in most all aspects of life. Many seem to follow others, much like all the mice that fall in line to follow behind the Pied Piper.

I believe many people are too shy to lead, in whatever situation they are in. The average person, when entering a department store, will follow the person who previously entered the store. People will follow other people through the same exact door, no matter that other doors are more accessible. People tend to follow the path of a predecessor.

People do the same thing because it’s easier that way. It takes more commitment, work, and determination to find and to independently accomplish something new and better.

In a casino, if there is an empty roulette or blackjack table, people will usually walk right by it. But as soon as one person sits down at the table, it’s amazing how the table fills up with new people following the lead of the person who first sat down. Why? Maybe people think that they would miss out on something good, so they join the lone player.

In Turkey, 1500 sheep jumped off a cliff. It happened in 2005, while shepherds left their flock to graze, one sheep jumped off the cliff and 1500 others followed. 450 sheep died, and where the cushion for those on top that managed to live.

It has been known that in the former Soviet Union, people were so used to standing on line that, once a line formed, other people automatically joined on the long line. They didn’t want to miss out on whatever was for sale.

Who can be the leader of the pack?

 Anyone.

 With just a little imagination and determination, anyone can come up with new ideas to lead the way.

Remember, many people we know will be the followers, and will expect us to follow the followers also. I’m in no way saying this to degrade or make fun of people, but merely to

bring out a point of truth. The average person is often not aware of the strong urge to “follow the crowd.”

Being Different In Order To Accomplish Greater Goals

Being different means standing up, standing out, and leading. Too many people are content to be followers. Do you dare to be different?

One must plan to be different. You can start to love being different so that “being different” will become a good habit. You can make a plan and practice being different.

You do not have to be like everyone else. You can mentally note each and every time that you are different. You can go out of your way to do something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Be different – be better! You can’t miss with that attitude.

With a new modified success attitude, you will become successful.

John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

From the book: The Power Of Being Different by John Paul Carinci”

C- 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKTOGXGpphM&feature=youtu.be

“My Success Affirmations”

“Today I am born anew. Today is the most important day of my life

because it represents the glorious and first day of my new life.

I now understand that I alone control my destiny, my success or my

failure in this wondrous world of opportunity. Am I now capable, too,

of greatness and fortune like those highly successful individuals I have

learned about? For now I truly understand that I can accomplish anything

I carefully program into my mind. Does not the immigrant cherish fully the

American opportunity, knowing they must succeed and that failure is not

an option in their newfound world? I will adopt a similar burning desire,

and I will excel.

I am born anew. For now I realize that I am the greatest miracle in the

world, unique to anyone ever born. No longer will I count the obstacles and

drawbacks in my life. I now realize that, like the inventor who welcomes

each new failure on the road to victory, so, too, shall I. For now I understand

that each failure only brings me closer to the success I know will be mine.

Never again will I allow self-pity, doubt, or negativity to penetrate my

new power-mind, protected by a new negativity-shield, for now I realize

that 80 percent of all talk and actions around me will be negative. I now

realize that negativity has been around since the caveman, and yet successful people always prevailed. I, too, shall prevail. I, too, will stand out from the crowd. I am a king and the world is my new kingdom, for now I realize that the knowledge I possess is worth more than all the riches of the world.

Today I possess an immense knowledge of how to change my life forever.

It is a true celebration indeed because now I realize that the best is yet to be.

Just like the wind that graces the earth, never will I look back. Never will

I revisit yesterday’s problems and heartaches. They are dead. I will always

look forward with a newfound, childlike excitement and energy.

Never again will I allow my life to be likened to a casino game of chance

because I now understand that I alone take full responsibility for my results

along the long road to success, and I vow to apply the principles I have

learned along the way. It is a joy to travel the long road to success. I will savor every step, enjoying the rough as well as the easy road I encounter.

Today and everyday forward I will welcome each new day as a blessing

from above, and I vow never again to squander such a precious gift, knowing

that the richest king can never buy one more day of life. It is truly a gift from

the Creator and shall never again be wasted.

Enthusiasm, I have learned, is contagious. And I know that if I project

an enthusiastic, positive attitude to all whom I encounter each day, they, too, will be enthused and will spread it to others. And like all wealth shared with love, it no doubt will inspire me all the more.

I realize that I have choices in life:

I can feel happy, or I can feel sad.

I can act positive, or I can act in a negative manner.

I can succeed greatly, or I can settle for failure as an end result.

I can love all others I encounter, or carry around baggage of doom and

gloom and aversion.

I choose to be different, to stand out and set an example that others will

admire and want to emulate.

This is my new life. I am like a newborn, pure in heart and mind from

prejudice, hatred, failure, or fear. And like a newborn, full of life and hope,

I now understand that I, too, am unspoiled now in my mind. I now possess

the great knowledge of the ages. For now I know that the mind controls

the body, and the subconscious controls the conscious. As long as I feed the

subconscious mind good, pure, and positive thoughts, the subconscious will

radiate like the rays of the sun, thus renewing, invigorating, and warming

me each day like the powerful rays of the sun. For this little-known secret of

my subconscious is now part of my life, part of my daily routine. And with

each new day that I take a breath of air, I, too, will begin it with positive

self-suggestion statements.

My newfound positive-attitude shield will protect me from the arrows

of negativity that kill off the spirit and drive off so many other people. I am

different; I am new. I will apply the newfound knowledge I possess.

No longer will that negativity seep into my mind. I will not allow

negativity to affect the computer-mind God gave me. I was born to be great.

Greatness is my destiny.

From this day forward I will never again worry, for now I know that 92

percent of all worry is useless, self-defeating, and draining.

Like the seasons that change, I now understand that my emotions, too,

change, and though I may not feel as happy one day, I know that in a day or

two I could possibly be ecstatic. Like the cycles of the world, emotions change, and now my newfound knowledge is power I will be able to use.

With love in my eyes and heart, I will greet everyone I meet with sincere

kindness. For now I understand that love alone will soften the coldest hearts

of enemies and friends alike. And if I am to help others along the road to

success, I must set an example of pure love and inspiration for all to follow.

My new attitude will be my shield that will protect me from the dreaded

arrows of negativity that kill off the spirit and drive off so many others. I am

now different; I am new; I am driven.

And as someone who loves himself, I now vow to allow only good things

to enter my mind and body, and to eliminate anything harmful from

affecting me. I will ignore the surrounding negativity and indulgences that

can harm this masterpiece-body that I have been born with. I now know

that I am the greatest work of art in the world, a masterpiece that no money

can ever duplicate.

I now vow that each new day will be carefully unwrapped and savored

for the precious gift it represents. And in the end, I will know that I have

made my Creator proud of what I have accomplished, and I will be able to

look back, knowing that I have set a truly inspiring example and have made

a lasting, positive difference in this great world of ours.”

C- 2011 JOHN PAUL CARINCI

“Be Different, And Become Great!”

“Be Different, And Become Great!”

“Psychologists tell us that some people are actually frightened by the thought of success. They’re scared of what success will bring or they feel that they just don’t deserve to be successful. Others may stop pursuing greater success because they’ve reached their comfort level Therefore, they stop pushing themselves. And it is a push!

Success can be a struggle that requires a strong desire and an intense will to succeed.

Success does not come and grab you. You must go out and grab it.

Remember, the positive self-suggestion: “I will be successful; it’s inevitable because my aggressiveness will create new opportunities for my success.” Make this your motto. Repeat your own self-suggestion statements to yourself daily. Write them down.

“I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered into this world in

defeat, nor does failure course in my veins.

I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my

shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to

walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear

not those who weep and complain, for their

disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep.

The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed.”

--Og Mandino

Motivational Author

“You were not born successful. You were born with abilities, traits, and a degree of intelligence that can be combined to make you successful and those things will

help you to accomplish great goals. Successful people have learned to work hard, to seek out new opportunities, and to take risks along the way.

The best example of this is the following record of an individual:

At age 22 he failed in business.

At age 23 he ran for State Legislature and was defeated.

At age 24 he failed once more in business.

At age 25 he was elected to the State Legislature.

At age 26 his sweetheart died at an early age.

At age 27 he had a nervous breakdown.

At age 29 he was defeated for Speaker.

At age 31 he was defeated for Elector.

At age 34 he was defeated for Congress.

At age 37 he was elected to Congress.

At age 39 he was defeated for Congress.

At age 46 he was defeated for Senate.

At age 47 he was defeated for Vice President.

At age 49 he was defeated for Senate.

At age 51 he was elected the 16th President of the United States.

--Author Unknown

This great man, of course, was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Thank goodness Lincoln was not a quitter. If he had been a quitter, the country would have missed out on having one of its greatest presidents.”

To paraphrase the words of Jesus, “Nothing will be impossible to you if you have faith the size of a mustard seed.” (Matthew 17:20)

“Conrad Hilton said, “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

C- 2005 John Paul Carinci

“You Can Achieve It If You Are Consumed With The Goal”

“You Can Achieve It If You Are Consumed With The Goal”

       “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close

       they were to success when they gave up.”

—Thomas Edison (1847-1931), American inventor

“So, then, how do we keep ourselves motivated for an extended

period? How can we rise above the mediocre and average worker? How

can we excel so we may earn that promotion? How can we land that

better job, or finish college and earn that long-awaited degree which will

enable our growth and higher income levels?

You already know you are capable of greatness. We all are. The

amazing thing is that we were each born to be great. It is only our

thinking that has infected our mind with roadblocks.

Oh, sure, you may be successful, happy, well-off financially. But you

also may have settled into a comfort zone that many people accept in

life. We each have the capability of being outstanding, not only in one

area, but in many. Are you settling? Are you merely content? Do you

know in your heart that you can do far better, or do something else you

have always dreamed of doing?

When I was a teen, the boy who lived next door played the guitar.

He was great—very talented. He was even able to write songs. For some

reason, I couldn’t learn the guitar, though I tried to teach myself. So I

stopped trying. It wasn’t my thing.

Still, I desperately wanted to write songs. But how do you write songs

without playing an instrument for the music? Well, no one ever told me

that I couldn’t write songs. And if my neighbor could write songs, so

could I! So I wrote the words to tunes I created in my mind. Then I

would sing the songs out and record them on a small tape recorder. The

year was 1968. I have been writing songs ever since, singing unknown

musical notes and words into tape recorders and, now, directly onto

computer hard drives.

You see, my burning desire to write songs was so powerful

that I overcame the obstacles before me. Over the years, I have had

professional musicians listen to and decipher the tunes I was singing,

and have had some of my songs recorded professionally, mostly for my

own enjoyment. To this day, if inspired, I can write an entire song in

less than ten minutes. My goal is to have more of them transcribed,

deciphered, and made into professionally sung songs.

I will point out that my first songs were not fantastic. And some

along the way were not great. But over the years I have accumulated over

four hundred songs, and they have improved with every new one written.

Nothing is impossible. I can guarantee that if someone offered me one

million dollars if I could only play ten full songs on the guitar by two months

from now, I would be able to do it. I am sure most of us would be able to

learn the new instrument and play ten songs for one million dollars.

Desire is the key. I know I would be so motivated to complete that task

that nothing would stop me from receiving that money.”

            “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who

            Find it easier to live the world they’ve been given than to explore

            the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an

            opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is

            potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

            —David Beckham (b. 1975), English footballer”

C- 2012 John Paul Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

Can’t Do It?

Can’t Do It?

I’ve often heard the phrase used for athletes and musicians, “They were born with natural talent.” I know that some people can sing better than others and some can play baseball better than many others. Granted, some people are born with physical advantage that may be better suited for certain sports, such as above average height, weight, or bone structure which will make it a little easier for a person to succeed in a given sport.

More importantly though is the athlete who loves his given sport and has a desire to succeed. When a person has a true burning desire, he can compete against the best. A burning desire drives an individual, pushing him to greatness.

It’s a well-known fact that many Olympic athletes practice ten to twelve hours every day for many years in preparation for the Olympic games. Now think about this: If you were to practice a given sport with the proper attitude for ten hours a day and were strengthening your body over

the years, don’t you think that you, too, could excel in the sport? Maybe you would not be the best, but perhaps you would be in the top ten percent of all the players in the game.

This brings to mind a professional baseball player named Jim Abbott who played for the New York Yankees. Jim was born with only one hand – his left. Picture yourself trying to play professional baseball with the great players in the major leagues and being able to use only your left hand.

Jim Abbott was a starting pitcher for the Yanks. He usually pitched about eight innings a game. Not only could he play the game, which is remarkable in itself, but Abbott was also a very good pitcher. How did he do it? Well, what he did was catch the ball from the catcher with his glove on his left hand. He then held the glove against his right limb, the stub with no hand.

Then, with the limb resting against the glove, he’d wind up and pitch the ball. As soon as he had thrown the ball, he would slip his left hand into the glove. Abbott, believe it or not, could actually pitch the ball with one hand and field the ball very well if it was hit back to him.

Talk about “burning desire” and faith in oneself! He was in the Major Leagues for many years starting in 1989, and in September 4, 1993 he even pitched a no hitter against the Cleveland Indians. It’s amazing what some people can do when they want something badly enough.

If you think you can’t do something, think about Jim Abbott. “All things are possible as long as you long for it enough!” By changing your attitudes, you will change your results.

If you wish to become very successful in anything, you must first realize that you cannot be extremely successful in every aspect of your life. No athlete can excel in all sports.

My mentor and friend, Bob Richards, the great Olympic gold medal champion who graced the cover of the Wheaties Cereal box, said, “Ingenuity, plus courage, plus work,

equals miracles.”

The other day I realized how truly blessed most of us are. While working on a household project, I had cut my right thumb with a utility blade. The razor-sharp blade cut my thumb so deeply that I had to have it stitched in the emergency room of the local hospital. After it was wrapped, I could not use the most important finger on the hand that I use all the time, my right hand.

I did not appreciate the importance of my right thumb, until I could not use it. I soon realized the importance of my right thumb for shaving, brushing my teeth, writing, buttoning my shirt, and in dressing. Life became a little more frustrating without my right thumb to help me.

This experience made me realize how fortunate most of us are because we are blessed with all our senses and body parts. I cannot speak for a handicapped person, but I believe success is a little easier to achieve if we have all our senses and body parts working normally.

The other day I saw a story on television about a man who was born with no arms. I felt rather foolish at that moment complaining about the temporary loss of my right thumb. As I continued to watch this young man with no arms, I saw a totally self-sufficient man. Granted he didn’t have arms, but still this young man managed to brush his teeth. He drove a car, opened a jar, drank, ate, and did everything I could do, all by using his two feet in place of his arms and hands. By

raising his leg up the way we use our arms, this man did it all. I found it amazing how he could function rather quickly without arms. He drove his own car to different locations and gave speeches to young students on the subject of achieving success and maintaining a positive attitude. He also demonstrated to the young people that, if he could be successful with his limitations, then they could apply their healthy minds and bodies to achieve success as well.

George Allen, former coach of the Washington Redskins, summed it up best when he said, “God gave every single human being a certain amount of talent, and unless

you utilize that talent to the utmost of your ability twenty four hours of every day of your life, you deceive your God, your family, and above all yourself.”

C-2005 John Paul Carinci

“The Greatest Living Miracle In The World – IS YOU!”

“The Greatest Living Miracle In The World – IS YOU!”

YES, YOU - are the greatest living miracle in the world!

No one else in the world has your exact eyes, hair, fingerprints, personality, or DNA.

The odds of your being born into the specific person and personality you are have been estimated at one in 225 billion. You are the most unique person in the world.

By the age of seventy, the average human heart will have beaten two and a-half billion times. Your heart pumps over fifty-seven thousand gallons of blood every month.

The heart is an amazing organ! There are people alive today who have lived 115 years—you do the math.

Suffice it to say that we are each a phenomenal working mechanism that still

cannot be duplicated.

No matter what our financial status at this particular moment, whether we have fifty cents to our name or $50 million, each one of us is an equally great miracle in the world.

We all may say we are special, but do you believe it with all your heart?

You are, in fact, the greatest living miracle in the world. Once you realize this, you will begin to appreciate just how very special you really are.

I’ve read that the human body has approximately 70,000 miles of blood vessels. When the heart beats, it circulates the blood through the entire system of vessels once every minute.

Your eyes, if we could place value on them alone, are worth at least a billion dollars to a person who can’t see. Your hearing ability and your ability to stand up and walk are awesome blessings.

Another amazing fact is that the human brain weighs only about three pounds, yet it holds an estimated eighty trillion electrical cells.

Consider just how unique each one of us is. Even identical twins have some differences between them.

If you don’t have an identical twin, it can be said that there is no one else exactly like you. Unlike computers, which may be identical computing systems, you interpret the world through your brain and that brain develops its own personality, the mechanism that helps you understand and react to the world around you.

To become who you are, it took one of about 5 million microscopic sperm cells to reach the egg. Your personality, everything about you, and your potential were carried in

that one sperm. Millions of other sperm cells died searching for the egg, while one sperm cell combined with the egg that gave you life, resulting in your extraordinary uniqueness.

You are a true miracle. In fact, childbirth is an amazing miracle, because we all had to survive about nine months in the womb in order to be strong enough to be born into the world.

The chances of you being born were one in 5 million, based on the estimated number of sperm. Don’t ever feel sorry for yourself if you haven’t yet won the lottery; you’ve already won the lottery by being born!

The question TODAY is, are you acting like the greatest living miracle in the world? Each of us was created by God. A true miracle took place in those nine months of gestation in order for you to be born. Now think about the following question very carefully:

If God presented Himself to you right now, and He just stared at you without saying a word, just studying you for a few precious seconds, would you feel proud about your accomplishments thus far in life?

Would you feel that you have used the miracle of your life to the best of your ability, or would you feel that you have cheated God, slightly or drastically, in return for the miracle He allowed to be performed through your birth?

CONGRATULATIONS, on being The Greatest Miracle In The World!

C – 2012 John Paul Carinci – from the book: An All-Consuming Desire To Succeed

INTENSE DESIRE

“INTENSE DESIRE”

Now, here is a very important question. I need you to think very

carefully about your answer before you respond. If you were in the

wilderness, far away from civilization, and you were trapped with your

arm stuck between two trees so that you were unable to free yourself, and

you were bleeding very heavily, and if the only way you could possibly

free yourself was to cut your arm off at the forearm with a pocket knife,

could you actually do it?

Think very carefully. You will die for sure if you do nothing. What

will you do? Does fear of death actually turn into a tremendous drive to

make us forge ahead with the unknown? Is the will to live that powerful?

Don’t assume here. Don’t think that because you may have never done

something so drastic before, you couldn’t actually perform the act of

cutting off your arm in order to live.

It’s possible that the person who is typically considered the bravest

may not be able to cut his arm off in order to survive, while the most

timid, normally unmotivated person may be the first one to act. We

never know for sure until we are faced with such a deadly decision

whether we would be able to make such a determination. On the one

hand, just a few slight slices of the arm’s skin may be so excruciating

that the act of cutting would actually force you to change your mind.

But on the other hand, the thought of leaving your loved ones behind

might actually give you the motivation to continue the tedious and

excruciating act of cutting off the arm and living. Have you made up

your mind? Do you want to live?

      “The brick walls are there for a reason. Right? The brick walls are not

there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how

badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people

who don’t want it badly enough.”

—Randy Pausch

Can we each break through that imaginary brick wall, the one

that in our minds appears impenetrable? I say yes. Each of us can do

the unspeakable, the so-called impossible, something neither we nor

anyone who knows us intimately would believe us capable of. We may

not actually know whether we can accomplish this seemingly impossible

action until we are forced to make that tough decision when our backs

are flat against the wall.

If you corner a rat, it will attack. If a mother’s child is at risk, she will

do anything in her power to spare that child. And if that child is pinned

under a car, that same mother can lift the car weighing thousands of

pounds in order to free her own flesh and blood.

     “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly

you are doing the impossible”.

—St. Francis of Assisi

Here are two examples of the tremendous will to live and what some

people can do if their lives are in danger:

On September 11, 2007, Sampson Parker was harvesting corn on

his South Carolina farm when his hand got sucked into his old corn

picker. As he fought to pull out his gloved hand, the machine’s rollers

pulled his arm in deeper.

Parker stuck an iron rod into the machine’s sprockets to try to slow

down the machine’s pull on his arm. But instead, this action caused

sparks to shoot out and set the ground around him on fire. With his

skin melting from the flames, Parker had to make a tough decision: die

from the fire spreading around him or cut off his arm and try to escape.

With a pocket knife, he proceeded to cut through his arm and

deliberately fell hard to the ground to break through his arm bone, thus

severing it from the machine that refused to release it. Parker, with a

great loss of blood, proceeded to walk some miles until he was rescued.

While hiking along in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park, climber

Aron Ralston was descending from a mountain through a three-foot wide

section of the canyon when, suddenly, an eight-hundred-pound

boulder shifted and pinned him by his right arm. Unable to free himself

for four days, and running out of food and water, Ralston had to make a

tough decision. He concluded that he could either try to cut off his arm

to free himself, or he would surely die all alone where he was, pinned

hopelessly by the huge rock.

So, Ralston proceeded to use a dull pocket knife to cut off his right

arm just below the elbow. He thought it out carefully beforehand.

Ralston knew that he had to cut his arm at the joint so he could separate

it at the elbow. He also knew he needed to minimize blood loss, so he

applied his own tourniquet. After severing his arm, Ralston lowered

himself approximately sixty feet to the canyon floor and began to walk

some five miles to reach his truck.

Finally, Ralston was found when a rescue helicopter that had been

alerted to his disappearance spotted him.

When interviewed by National Geographic Adventure in August of

2004, Ralston was asked, “But how did someone who had been repulsed

by dissecting a sheep’s eyeball in ninth-grade science class manage to

sever his own hand?”

Ralston answered, “It was strange. I kind of entered a flow state. I’ve

been there before while climbing. You are not thinking ahead. You are

just thinking about what is in front of you each second.”

Ralston went on to say that the pain was a hundred times worse

than anything he had ever felt before.”

C-2012 John Paul Carinci from the book An All-Consuming Desire To Suc