1 Taking the Mystery Out of Miracles Moving from Mythical to Measurable Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature. --Saint Augustine Miracles. They're kinda mysterious, right? I mean, isn't that part of the appeal, not knowing exactly how certain seemingly imperceptible events have lined up perfectly to save someone's life or deliver their wildest dream right to their front door? However, this mysterious nature also creates a problem with the way that we perceive miracles. I once saw a segment on the Today show titled "Skydiving Miracle: Man Falls Two Miles" about skydiving instructor Michael Holmes, who fell 14,000 feet when his parachute failed to open. As the ground below raced toward him, he tried to release the parachute but couldn't. He tried to cut it free, but that didn't work, either. In a last-ditch effort to save his own life, he pulled the reserve parachute, but it didn't release. In the final seven hundred feet that he spent free-falling through the air, he resigned himself to dying. Amazingly, he didn't die. Relatively speaking, his injuries were fairly minor. And have you heard Donnie Register's story? It was all over the news as "Donnie's Miracle," and Oprah.com even featured it as a "Real-Life Miracle." Donnie was standing behind the cash register in his own antique store when a gunman fired a shot at his head. Donnie threw his hands up in front of his face. The bullet bounced off Donnie's gold wedding band, which deflected the shot, and he miraculously dodged what should have been sudden death. Over the years, I've heard of miraculous health recoveries, where there seemed to be no other effort made except heavy doses of hope. And even of long-lost sweethearts who mysteriously crossed paths decades after they parted ways. All of these stories are intriguing and awe-inducing at the same time. In all fairness, stories like these can be called miracles. But for many folks (and you may be one of them), it's miracles like these that give all miracles a bad name. Miracle nonbelievers assume that extraordinary events happen only to other people. They believe that all miracles are elusive. Mythical. Random. Lucky. And out of reach. Totally unrealistic and unpredictable. They just don't happen in real life--not to them, at least. I used to feel the same way. I mean, if we could simply "think up" a seven-figure check to be waiting for us in our mailbox, wouldn't everyone be a millionaire? Miraculous health recoveries would be the norm, and that difficult client or coworker--you know, the one who's constantly spiking your blood pressure--would . . . well, he or she might just disappear. If you fall into this camp, you probably think that you have to see it to believe it. Being skeptical can be a good thing. You're doing what we should all be doing; thinking critically, evaluating and questioning everything, going in search of the truth. I approach things the same way and don't expect anything less from you. However, there is a potentially devastating downside to skepticism that we all need to be aware and cautious of: it can easily turn into cynicism. It can tip us into an unhealthy level of distrust and limit the possibilities that are otherwise available to us. As you'll learn in this book, there are actually two different types of miracles, and it's not really fair or beneficial to blend them together. The miracles that we've described above are what you might call "passive" or "random" miracles, those that occur by chance. We marvel at their unbelievable nature, but there is no definitive way to explain them, let alone repeat them (and I'm sure that that skydiving instructor and Donnie Register would prefer not to endure their experiences again). They can be seen as random coincidences. If you would like to create these kinds of miracles, which often include a "pray and wait" approach, I'm sorry, but I don't have much advice for you. They are not the kinds of miracles we will be discussing in this book. This book is about the kind of tangible, measurable miracles that require your active participation in producing them. They are more akin to making your biggest, scariest, and most improbable goals come true. These are the types of miracles that you have a significant degree of control over, meaning that you can consistently create them again and again in your life because you will understand how the process works. But to create this kind of miracle, first you must believe that the result you are seeking is possible and that you can produce it. If you fell into the skeptics' group above, I would urge you to suspend your disbelief for a moment so that you can explore what else might be possible for you. At least while you read this book. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to convince you to believe something unreasonable. What I am trying to do is open your mind to the possibility of something new, a second kind of miracle that you have the power to create at will. In this chapter, we will define what tangible, measurable miracles are, for the purposes of our conversation, and then dive into exactly how these types of miracles unfold so that you, too, can create uncommon results. Then it will be up to you if you want to believe. Anyone Can Create Tangible, Measurable Miracles When it comes to miracles, there are some questions that would be helpful for us to consider, such as Are miracles experienced only by special or "chosen" individuals? Do miracles occur only at random? Are miracles created by God or some other mysterious higher intelligence? Or could it be that we were each born with a limitless potential and capabilities far greater than what we believe about ourselves? What if that's why some people are wildly successful--because they've figured out how to tap into the dormant potential that every single one of us was born with? What if you realized that you're only a decision (or two) away from tapping into that potential? A realization like this would change the way you approach the size and scope of the goals you're willing to set and the life you live. It would raise the bar on what it means to be "average," if average were to become extraordinary. Imagine if you and every person you know began actualizing his or her full potential, if each of us were to discover how to overcome our self-imposed limitations and begin creating everything we want for our lives while making a profound impact in the world. What if we all became Miracle Mavens? What Is a Miracle Maven? The word maven comes from the Yiddish word meyvn and the Hebrew word mebhin, meaning "one who understands." Though the word miracle has several definitions, the most useful one for us as we move forward, found in the English Oxford Living Dictionary, is "a remarkable event or development that brings very welcome consequences." Miracle Mavens encompass these two definitions in one body. If you were to think about it, I'm sure you could come up with a few people who are living close to their full potential and seem to have a knack for bringing their visions into reality. Whether you know them personally or admire them from afar, these individuals never let anyone (including themselves) talk them out of their grand ideas. They seem to have an unlimited well of creativity and perseverance. Opportunities abound for these folks. You may wonder how or why they're always so lucky. But what if luck played only a teeny-tiny part in their overall success, if at all? Throughout history, there have been many people who actively created tangible, measurable miracles. US president John F. Kennedy, who envisioned putting a man on the moon, and the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who imagined a free and equal America for all people, are examples of individuals who intentionally and actively created miracles. While others prayed and waited for those results to happen, JFK and MLK went out and made them happen. They succeeded in transforming seemingly impossible ideas into tangible reality. They followed their visions as far as they could and in doing so created extraordinary new realities. By tapping into their abilities, they became Miracle Mavens. Because becoming a Miracle Maven is just that--a way of being. When you live with Unwavering Faith and put forth Extraordinary Effort, you are a Miracle Maven. Notable Miracle Mavens come from all walks of life, and their accomplishments--and the pathways they forged--come in every imaginable permutation. Many you know, simply because their accomplishments have made such a significant impact on our world. Well-known Miracle Mavens include * Henry Ford, who gave us transportation by car * Marie Curie, who developed the theory of radioactivity and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to be granted that prestigious award twice * Bill Gates, who put personal computers into millions of homes and offices around the world * Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean * Neil Armstrong, who walked on the moon * LeBron James, who gave the city of Cleveland a miracle when he led the Cavaliers to win the city's first championship in a major professional sport in more than sixty years * Michael Phelps, who became an Olympian at age fifteen and went on to win twenty-three gold medals * Steve Jobs, who put thousands of songs into our pockets and made smartphones the norm * Elon Musk, who is constantly creating technological miracles that help move humanity forward From the beginning of time, otherwise ordinary people have catapulted themselves beyond the limits of what was thought to be possible. They, too, have had to overcome the same types of fears and insecurities that chain us all. We are all born with unlimited potential, but these people have figured out how to tap into it. When you discover how to do the same, everything changes. Though the circumstances that each of us were born into vary from person to person, the unlimited human potential that each of us is born with is universal. In fact, there are countless stories of individuals who were born into challenging conditions yet found a way to turn their lives into something extraordinary. You may be familiar with some of them. The author J. K. Rowling was broke and nearly destitute when she wrote the first Harry Potter book, which ultimately turned into a series--and several blockbuster movies, theme park rides, toys, clothing, video games, and more--and secured her spot in the exclusive billionaires' club. Jay-Z grew up poor in a Brooklyn housing project before moving on to become a world-famous rapper and business tycoon. His empire includes real estate, sports bars, clothing, beverages, and even beauty products, just to name a few. Oprah Winfrey had a childhood filled with poverty and abuse and became one of the most successful and wealthiest women in the world. Now, with a commitment to paying her success forward and helping future generations make their way out of poverty, she has donated more than $150 million to charitable causes that help underprivileged girls. The actor Sylvester Stallone was homeless for brief periods as he worked his way up from bit acting parts to his breakout role in Rocky, which he also wrote. The Rocky franchise went on to become one of the most successful of all time. This list could continue with enough real-life examples to fill this entire book. What I hope you are realizing is that your external circumstances do not confine you, just as your past does not dictate your future. You will first need to envision your ideal future, see it clearly, and then establish the belief that it's possible. (We'll spend a lot of time discussing how to do exactly that in the coming pages.) Then you must begin to move toward it. That's what the folks listed above did. They decided that what they wanted was possible, figured out what they needed to do to make it probable, and then continued giving it everything they had until their success became inevitable. You can absolutely do the same. Remember, the goal you decide to tackle does not necessarily have to be world changing. It can be as big or small, as easy or complicated, as you like. The key is that it must be meaningful to you. That significance will serve as your driver. Excerpted from The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
