Official Site of Paul Keetch

#1 best-selling author Mark Joyner, the man people like Dearl Miller call “the greatest marketing mind of our generation” has just released his new book, but it’s not yet available at your local bookstore.

Instead, he’s letting you download it now for free.

If you want to learn how to grow your business, this is an absolute must-read.

And the Integration Marketing Deal Boardyou’ll find there is one of the most powerful marketing resources on the net.

Here are the promised videos from my recent skydiving adventure!

1st Person Perspective From 3300 Feet Up
I was able to take this video with my hand-held digital camera once the canopy had been opened and we were in soaring descent. It shows the flight down, the landing and my raucous behaviour upon landing.

And this is the professional video shot by hand-held and helmet cams, showing ground footage, flight up, and freefall as well as the landing from a different vantage point.

Enjoy!

Well, it’s not the first time if thrown myself out of a perfectly good airplane… and hopefully it won’t be the last!

Skydiving is one of those things that really gives a new perspective - and heightened sense of appreciation - to all aspects of life.

Here is me (and my talented pilot Nik) exiting at 11,000 feet.

Here are Nik and I in freefall (traveling at about 193 km/hr or 120 mph).

And here’s a close up of me having just a wee bit of fun…

I’ll post video when I get it uploaded…

One of my many professional skills is the art of copy writing… using words to create a desired response in the reader, usually for commercial purposes.

One of the people I look to for training and mentorship in this area is Clayton Makepeace - one of the best in the world.

Today, there is a little contest at Clayton’s site and as my entry, I wrote the following personal account of the event that changed my life just over 9 years ago.

As I re-read it, I decided I would share it here, as well, for those who might be interested.

Enjoy,

My life changed, irrevocably, on January 17th 1999 at precisely 9.55pm Eastern Standard Time.

Now, you may be thinking I’m making that up, but anyone who has had one of those “wake up” moments - a pattern interrupt - knows that the moment is etched, indelibly and forever, into your mind.

I was 24 at the time, just six months away from what I thought would be the biggest day of my life so far… my 25th birthday.

I would finally become the man I wanted to be. Somehow, at 25, I would be taller, stronger, smarter and sexier.

Somehow that magic number - 25 - would transform me.

Little did I know.

But I digress…

On January 17, 1999 I was skiing at a local hill. And I must confess a truth here, because in past versions of this story I say I was skiing at a local mountain. But if you’ve ever been to Toronto, you know there are no real mountains in Southern Ontario.

It really was just a hill.

A former ski instructor, I really should have known better.

You never, EVER make the last run “The Big Run”. It’s just dumb.

But the thought never even crossed my mind as I turned my skis and pointed them down the hill, calling behind me to my friend, “Last run - let’s make it a good one!”

Not sure if “good” is the word I’d use, looking back. But it was definitely a doozy.

A wild grin on my face, I threw myself down the hill, careening along the icy corners prepping myself for the big box jump at the bottom. The same jump I’d been launching off all night. The same jump I was now hurtling towards faster than any previous attempt.

If you know anything about Ontario winters, you’ll know they can get pretty cold. That night was 20 below zero centegrade. Or 5 Farenheit, if you prefer.

When I hit the jump I knew I was going too fast and concentrated on keeping my balance… Which was a good thing because I would have shattered my hip, if I’d landed that way.

Instead, I landed in the flats, dropping from about 20 feet straight down on my feet.

I shattered both heel bones with the force of the impact.

The rest of the night is something of a blur, but I remember the shaky ride from Barrie to Toronto in the back of the ambulance, my feet screaming in agony with every bump in the road.

Just 10 short days later I was back at home - a place I would grow very accustomed to - with both feet in casts and bone taken from my hip and inserted into my left foot, to rebuild the shattered bone that had once allowed me to walk.

I only hoped I would one day walk again.

Sports and adventure were a way of life for me, but the doctors predicted that I would limp for the rest of my days… if I was lucky.

I was in quite a fix, and I had no idea what to do.

Fortunately, I had the next five months to think about it as I recouperated in my tiny little apartment.

It was then that I realized I may never be able to rely on my body to earn a living. That even getting up and down stairs could be challenges of monumental effort… and pain.

Did I know that I was going to be a professional copy writer then? Not specifically.

What I knew was that I needed to find other ways to seek adventure and that using my imagination, creating worlds with words, came naturally to me.

It’s now June 25 2008 and I’ve just celebrated my 34th birthday, 9.5 years after that “accident”.

Now I live in Vancouver, BC, so that I can be closer to the mountains, the sea and the woods, where I spent much of my time skiing, climbing and hiking or just sitting by the water enjoying every moment, soaking it in and being forever grateful that my body healed itself so well.

And I still relish creating worlds in my imagination, describing them using the power of words so that others can begin to experience what it’s like to live in those worlds so much of the time.

Copy writing pays my bills these days… and it does a pretty good job of it, too.

And I don’t regret a single damn thing about my life… not even that fateful night in January 1999, when a boy became a man in a single moment, without ever realizing it was happening.

Yes, writing pays the bills these days… and it affords me the time, energy and money to chase the dreams I’ve always chased.

Tomorrow I will jump out of a plane from 12,500 feet.

40 seconds of freefall and 5 minutes of floating later, those once battered feet will again touch the ground… but my spirit will always be soaring.

- Paul

**** 100% of this story (including skydiving tomorrow - Jun 26/08) is true. *****

Yesterday I conducted what was possibly the best interview so far for Millionaire Prep School. My guest was the incomparable Christine Comaford-Lynch.

Christine is a powerhouse in the business world, having invested in over 200 start-up companies (including the now-mighty Google.com), she has started, built and sold 5 companies with an ROI of over 700% and now runs Mighty Ventures.

She is author of the best-seller Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career and Revel In your Individuality

In this preview clip from last night’s interview, Christine shares her thoughts on how to handle rejection and tells the story of how she decided to go and train to become a Geisha.

Yes, a Geisha.

Press play to listen:

Register To Listen to The Entire Call With Christine:
http://www.MillionairePrepSchool.com

See you ‘in class’!

P.S. Have an opinion? Comment away!