Lisa Leguenec posted the following to this month’s eTips:

I was reading some potential short stories for My Daily Insights and one of my authors Michael T. Smith sent me one about a game of Scrabble with his wife Ginny. You will see the entire story later this year on MDI but today I wanted to share part of it with you.

“Life is full of tiles. They’re scattered in front of us, but they’re upside down. We don’t know what they are until they’re picked up. We can’t handle too many at one time. We’re only allowed to choose seven.

Imagine having seven tiles of life in front of you. You stare at them and think to yourself, “Life starts here.” They’re lined up, but they make no sense. You move them around, trying to arrange them into something logical, but you struggle. The first move has to be right.

The letters come together into a word, but it’s a small one. Will you use it or keep struggling and make a bigger word? This is the beauty of the game - you get to replace the tiles you use. Are you going to make small moves, only to pick up a couple of tiles? Remember, the more you use, the more you can pick up - more opportunities.

Time goes by. The last tile is placed on the board. The game is over, but the words you created live on. They are the children fostered, decisions made, friends found, work done, and the life lived. We start with the same number of tiles. How we use them is up to us.”

My thought to you…how are you using your tiles?

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“If we don’t have a dream, we have nothing.” Those are just some of many memorable and inspirational lines from The Astronaut Farmer.

I don’t normally watch the in-flight movie on cross-country or international flights because they’re usually just too much pablum. But when I saw the trailer for The Astronaut Farmer on a flight from the West Coast yesterday I thought it might be a little different than the norm. And was I ever right.

I won’t describe the storyline (you can get a good idea from watching the trailer below), but I will tell you that I was so inspired by the movie that I pre-ordered the DVD that releases on July 10. This will be a permanent part of my collection of inspirational movies like Rudy, Braveheart, Hoosiers, Akeelah and the Bee, Miracle and more.

Now don’t get me wrong. This is not an Academy Award winning movie (but it’s star, Billy Bob Thornton, has won an Academy Award and does a great job in this role). In fact, it’s a little “cheesy” in spots. But the inspiration and positive messages of the movie more than make up for it. Best of all, this is a family-oriented movie (though rated PG) that every older child should see.

Watch the trailer below (be sure and check the name on the side of the rocket) and then pre-order it from Amazon or other source. But more than anything, live by the theme of the movie — no matter what those around you say or believe, never give up on your dream!

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A lot of people have a dream as a child of growing up to be a doctor.

Most people never realize that dream — many of them because they allow their circumstances to get in the way of the dream.

Kellie Lim was one who didn’t, even though she had plenty of “circumstances” in her life. At eight years old she became a triple amputee with an 85% chance of dying in the next few months.

What’s happened over the past 18 years is the stuff that dreams (and movies) are made of. Just ask Dr. Kellie Lim who just graduated from UCLA with her medical degree.

You can find the whole story (and a few more surprises) here…

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It’s rare for Hollywood to produce a movie that inspires us, and from all accounts, The Ultimate Gift does that and more. Appearing in theaters across the U.S. and Canada it stars Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin, Drew Fuller, James Garner, Ali Hillis and Brian Dennehy. Based on the best-selling book by Jim Stovall, The Ultimate Gift is an unforgettable, involving story that has already created a strong grass-roots movement of giving and inspired millions of dollars of donations to charity. Watch this preview and then get to a movie theater and see for yourself.

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Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the massive Chicken Soup for the Soul series, recently wrote some very powerful words about how easy it is to get into action:

“Doing doesn’t need a lot of definition! It means action, taking steps toward your goals! Once you understand your beliefs and thoughts … once you know what it is you want to be and who it is you wish to become … once you are clear on your dreams and begin living those very visions in your mind … you’ve already opened the door to action.

Action actually begins when you put that initial thought energy out there. The next step might be researching the activities you want to do. It might be networking or meeting people who are in the arena you’re interested in becoming a part of. It might be signing up for a seminar within your specific interest. It might entail researching the career position you wish to hold and finding out how - exactly - to get there.

When you take initial action, it doesn’t mean that you have to climb the entire mountain next Saturday. When I decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro last fall, I didn’t just decide to show up at the trailhead one day with a Powerbar in my back pocket. I started with small steps several months in advance. I began to change my diet; I incorporated exercise that increased my cardio endurance; and I started doing research on shoes and equipment used by those who had succeeded before me.

It’s not the size of the step that gets you there. It’s the fact that you’re taking the step.”

There’s an outstanding DVD of Mark Victor Hansen included with the Professional Edition of Goals 2007.

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I watch very little television but do manage to catch some big events occasionally, like this year’s Academy Awards.

Forest Whitaker, who won the Oscar for Best Actor, caught my attention with some key lines from his acceptance speech:

“When I was a kid the only way I saw movies was from the backseat of my family’s car at the drive-in,” Whitaker said.

“It wasn’t my reality to think I would be acting in movies, so receiving this honor tonight tells me it is possible,” he said. “It is possible for a kid from East Texas, raised in South Central L.A. and Carson who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and to have them happen.”

Read that last line again carefully and commit yourself to the idea that it’s possible for you too, “who believes in his (her) dreams, commits himself (herself) to them with his (her) heart, to touch them and to have them happen.”

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My friend Loral Langemeier has helped a lot of people build seven-figure wealth and I found this excerpt from her last newsletter to be “spot on,” as my U.K. friends would say.

The Vision Thing

An important step on the path to becoming a millionaire is to create and refine your vision, which is a description of what you want your life to be at any given moment. This may seem like a superfluous task but it’s really not since it concerns the financial infrastructure that supports your ultimate goals. Describing your vision should make you excited and proud. What does yours look like?

Become A Landlord

If you like being a homeowner, then you may love being a landlord. In addition to tax deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes, owners of rental property also enjoy deductions for homeowner’s insurance and property depreciation. Bottom line: you get a steady stream of income on an appreciating asset, pay less in taxes and keep more of your income.

Get A Mentor

Why would someone want to mentor you? Maybe they wouldn’t —but you’ll never know unless you inquire. At the very least, a potential mentor will be flattered you asked. Moreover, enlightened professionals understand that it never hurts to make an ally, even a newcomer to their industry. Plus, it could be the start of a lucrative referral source for both of you. After all, everyone has a specialty. For example, lawyers are often the best source of referrals for other lawyers.

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My friend Michael Angier at SuccessNet.org had a great post on his blog that is worth some contemplation. And it doesn’t just apply to money. It applies to everything.

I’m writing this message while attending Rick Raddatz’s Business Makeover.

I’m spending two days in Denver—then two more days hanging out at Rick’s home in Breckinridge—with several other business owners masterminding about our business, how it works and what we’d like it to be. We brainstorm ways to take their business to the next level.

Rick is brilliant—smart, quick, experienced and very perceptive. He cuts right to the chase.

I’ve learned a lot, shared a lot and gained tons of ideas and gotten great clarity on how to simplify, grow and add value to those we serve.

Yesterday, while we were brainstorming with one of the participants, we asked how much they wanted to earn per year. They were unsure, so we asked again: $100,000? $500,000? A million?

This person was still thinking about their answer when Rick said, “It takes about the same amount of work to earn $100,000 as $1,000,000.”

That really made me stop and think.

Is that really true? With only a little reflection I could see that it was.

I realized that I had worked harder to make $50,000 a year than I worked to make $100,000 a year. And I’m not working any harder today when I’m making a lot more than that.

So what changed?

Well, I know more now. I have more experience. I’ve built upon my strengths and I’ve gained confidence. But mostly I’m thinking bigger and seeing more opportunity.

So I believe Rick’s viewpoint is accurate.

It doesn’t neccessarily take more work to earn a million dollars a year than it does $100K per year.

It does require a good attitude. And it helps if you believe this premise to be true.

With that—plus consistent effort and dedication—you can do it, too.

My note: Most people think the solution to more income, or more of anything, is simply to work harder. I know a lot of broke people who work very hard. If working harder was the answer they’d already be wealthy. The right, consistent activity is always required to reach every goal, but that doesn’t mean you have to work any harder than you are now.

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Remember when you thought you could do and be anything? The innocence of early childhood is perhaps the last time you were unencumbered by perceived limitations and labels. Personal goal setting was simple, and there was no doubt you could achieve anything.

When asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” you would have responded with whatever struck your fancy that day, whatever you were “in to.” You did not concern yourself with how you would do it, if you could do it, or if you should do it. Your dreams were based on what you wanted, pure and simple. You set personal goals based on wonder and curiosity, not practicality.

The dreams of childhood were big dreams. Travel into space, win a medal at the Olympics, become a rock star. Soon enough the dreams become modified to reflect what is practical and expected of us. This is precisely when most people start having trouble setting personal goals. The dreams are no longer larger than life, so why take steps to achieve them?

Read more here….

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Typically speaking, science is a pretty dry subject. But this article on goal setting at sciencecareers.org is anything but dry. This is a great article for goal setters in all careers. It’s called “Mastering Your Ph.D.: Setting Goals for Success” and I’d suggest you check it out before the end of the year and incorporate the principles into your action plan for 2007.

Read the article on setting goals for success here…

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