I am incredulous how quickly 30 days have whizzed by because I really wanted to give you a week-by-week progress report on this new lifestyle like I did with the “Tim Ferris Diet.”

Somehow I got sidetracked with speaking engagements, a week-long visit with my family in VA and other things.    I’m beginning to find myself in a comfortable groove once again at Adversity University but in a few short weeks, I’ll be off again to Texas for a keynote at Frito-Lay.  That’s okay, it’ll only be for a few days (last week of October).

If you’ve been reading my responses to various comments on other articles I’ve written on this blog or have been following me on Twitter or you’re a Facebook friend of mine, you will have caught glimpses here and there about the progress I’ve been making with this new 30 day raw food experiment.   Click here to read more...

Last week’s Part I interview with Jennifer Abbott was a hoot – it elicited tremendous amount of response from the Adversity University community!   It generated a record amount of interest in finding out more who she is.

So it is with absolute delight that we welcome her back for Part II of the Stephen Hopson Interviews.

JENNIFER, come out from the back and join us in the studios!

11.  What would you say was the defining moment (personal “tipping point” per sey) that forever changed the course of your life?  For example, was it someone who made an impact on you or was it a spiritual revelation?

College was a very defining moment for me.  I grew SOOO much there.   Click here to read more...

Today, Tuesday, October 7, 2008 is the day I am the featured inspirational luminary on InspireMeToday.com, a website that provides the Best of the Best Inspiration Daily from different luminaries.

Go ahead and enjoy reading my biography, quote of the day and “Today’s Brilliance,” my personal text of the best things I’ve learned in life.  I think you’ll enjoy it!

The 30 minute interview with me and Gail Lynn Goodwin is a membership feature and will be available for free mid-October.  Just use the following affliate code to access: E5WVNBC7ID

From Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude”:

“Gratitude is the most passionate transformative force in the cosmos.  When we offer thanks to God or to another human being, gratitude gifts us with renewal, reflection, reconnection.  Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life.”   (Photo credit:  Gabo)

That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it?  That’s why I do this on a weekly basis.  When I sit down to write a post like this, I am literally forcing myself to think of things I’m grateful for.

Not that I don’t have any gratitude (quite the contrary!) but when you put yourself in the position of having to think about the good things happening in your life (and those of others), especially if you do it week after week, it inevitably changes your way of thinking on a deep, cellular level.   Click here to read more...

Okay ladies and gentlemen – we are FINALLY back to the weekly interviews after a 3 week “vacation.”

Welcome back – I hope you all had a nice summer and that you’re ready to forge ahead and delve into the idea of meeting new people through the interview series!

How I met Jennifer Abbot, the subject of this week’s interview, was through Adversity University.   That’s right!  She began as a subscriber and then over a period of several weeks, we got to know one another.  And then one day she decided to create a Stephen Hopson Fanclub at Facebook!

I was like, “WHAT?  You did that for ME?”

From then on, I got to know her better through Principles for Peace.   That’s when I realized she would be a perfect fit for an interview here at Adversity University.  So, let’s call out Jennifer from the green room back there.   Click here to read more...

It’s amazing.

I never know where I’ll get the inspiration to write a post that I feel strongly about.  It was born over the weekend after having a great discussion with a good friend of mine, Joni. (Photo credit:  ifido)

Every time we get together, we end up having a long conversation about everything ranging from politics to the state of the economy to human rights to matters of spiritual nature.

It’s always thought provoking, entertaining and most definitely uplifting.  Sometimes our talks last for hours.  Rather than feel tired and stiff, we feel rejuvenated by the time we part ways.   It was during one of those talks that I am sometimes hit with simple, yet profound reminders of the truth when I get together with friends like that.

Let me paraphrase Joni’s parting words:   Click here to read more...

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?” – William A. Ward

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die, so let us all be thankful. – Buddha

As you know, I went away for about a week for business/pleasure that included a speaking engagement and a visit to my family.

I have much to be grateful for……..

Penn State University Speaking Engagement

It’s amazing how this gig came about because it took over a year for this to come to full fruition.   Click here to read more...

Note:  This is a VERY LONG overdue gratitude post.  It was first written on September 14th, ten days ago.  As you all saw in a previous post, as I was writing it, the Akron, OH area had a massive power outage.  Then I had to leave for a week-long business/pleasure trip.  I am just getting back into the groove again – this is my first full fledged post in over a two weeks. (Photo Credit:  Shelly)

So, here’s the deal.

We will hold off on the Stephen Hopson Interviews for another week to give those who are on the list of upcoming guests more time to compose their replies.    Today, I’ll share with you gratitude #45 and on Friday I’ll add #46.   That way we’re caught up with my weekly gratitude posts.   Okay?   Click here to read more...

Hello Everyone!

This is a quick note to let you know why you haven’t heard from me.  Right now I’m at a hotel in PA for a speaking engagement at Penn State University tonight and tomorrow.  Then I’m off to VA to visit my family.

I fell behind last week and was in the middle of writing my weekly gratitude post when “the storm” hit.  Everything, including my computer, blacked out.  Thinking the power would come back on soon, I wasn’t worried.

But an hour turned into a few hours, which turned into a night and then a full day and night.  As of right now, I’ve been without power over 2, going on to 3 days.  I was forced to clean out my fridge just before leaving on this trip.   Click here to read more...

(continued from Week #3)

Today’s post is not what you expected – normally I post an interview in mid-week but I got a little sidetracked.

A week from today, I will be at Penn State Altoona for 3 presentations.    Then after that, I’m visiting my brother and his family in Virginia the rest of the week and weekend.    It’s an opportunity to connect with my mom and dad who are also planning to be there.   Therefore, I am taking a two week break from interviewing people.

I know many of you have been waiting to see the final results of the “Tim Ferris Diet.”   If you were extra alert and took took notice of today’s title, you’d already have some inkling about the results.   Click here to read more...

For sure, this turned out to be a very interesting and gratifying week.   Normally, I post this on Thursday nights for Friday morning RSS/email delivery but I decided to take my time with this and post it sometime this afternoon (Friday).  (Photo credit:  Gabo)

Right now, it’s raining with a bit of cooler temperatures, giving all of us a sneek peek into the Fall season, just around the bend.  While I will miss the summer, I don’t mind watching the leaves turn color.   But I’m always asking myself, “Where did the time go?!?”

Here’s a gratitude quote for this week:

There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude.  It is accompanied with such inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently rewarded by the performance.  Joseph Addison

In other words, want to avoid dementia?  Practice gratitude – it’s great exercise for the brain!   Click here to read more...

Part I with Slade of Shift Your Spirits last week was so successful that it inspired people like Corinne Edwards to write about her own psychic experiences -  check it out at the bottom of this post.   I think you’ll enjoy it but Slade comes first – he’s the star today!

Meanwhile, a handful of new people commented how reading my interview with Slade was almost like listening on the radio – that’s exactly how I’ve been envisioning it when I do these interviews!

Slade is definitely different from the people I’ve interviewed so far, isn’t he?  Well, I never told you it would be “same old, same old,” didn’t I?  In fact, I intend to bring in people of different backgrounds, even if their philosophies or viewpoints might be somewhat foreign to yours.  What’s the point of interviewing people who bring in the same thoughts, ideas, etc?   Click here to read more...

(Continued from Week 2)

Well, it’s hard to believe I’ve only got one more week left of the “Tim Ferris Diet“!

Looking back, despite the changes I’ve made, especially in the mornings when I had to cook breakfast and clean up afterward, it really wasn’t all that bad.  Even when I absolutely did not feel like cooking, by forcing myself to go through with it, I was able to break through the initial resistance pretty easily.

All of you know from last week’s gratitude post that I received a terrific “encouragement card” from Chris and Lisa Cree (see photo).  As I mentioned, it caused tears of gratitude to flow and now it’s sitting on my desk, reminding me of the mantra “I am at my ideal weight.”

I know all of you are leaning forward, dying to know if this “Tim Ferris Diet” has generated incredible results for me.   Click here to read more...

How can I not be thankful this week?  But before we go into that, here’s a random quote about the meaning of gratitude: (Photo Credit:  Gabo)

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life.  Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”  Margaret Cousins

Now, I don’t know who Margaret was but think about what she said.   Imagine if you expressed appreciation with a simple smile for a stranger.  You have no way of knowing if that person was on the brink of committing suicide but decided to give it another chance just because you warmed his/her heart with a genuine smile.  What’s not to like about that?

“Putting gratitude into words is all that is necessary.”

Wow.  I won’t even try to analyze that so let me get to it and put my gratitude into words right now!   Click here to read more...

For as long as I can remember, especially after I discovered my spiritual journey in the mid-nineties (I was still on Wall Street but it would be a few years later I would receive the divine calling to pursue my dreams of becoming an inspirational speaker, author and eventually pilot), I’ve been fascinated with the concept of guardian angels.

Eventually I became aware of those who are in tune with their psychic abilities; not because they are any more special or singled out by God but because they, like me, “heard” the calling to serve and worked on honing their respective skills.  Truth of the matter is we all have this ability but some do it better than others.   Click here to read more...