CONTENTS 7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9
FOREWORD by Anthony Robbins 11
BORN TO KICK BUT: The Short Story of a Big Life 17
Brittle Bones 18
My Parents Didn\u2019t Sit on Their BUTS 19
Growing Up the Hard Way 20
My \u201cCostumized\u201d Wheelchair 23
Learning from Pain 24
Cause and Effect 24
Finding the Purpose of My Life 28
A Different Kind of Pain 29
\u201cSean\u2019s Sister\u201d 29
My Limiting Belief 30
The Promise of Good Things to Come 33
\u201cMy Buddy Bill\u201d 35
Developing Skills 37
Never Count Yourself Out 38
Launching My Surprising Career 39
Back to School 40
My Work as a Therapist 41
My Love Life 42
Eliminating the BUT 44
How Some Folks Can Keep You on Your BUT 46
Why We Sit on Our BUTS 47
Get Off Your BUT Now! 48
LESSON 1: Start Connecting 50
Why Should We Have to Connect? 53
How We Can Tell When We\u2019re Connected 54
Connection Versus Communication 55
Emotional Energy Is the Fuel That Powers Connection 56
Ten Things I Learned About Connection from President Bill Clinton 57
What If You Feel Too Shy to Connect? 61
We\u2019re All Connected 63
Why I Love Everyone 63
Connecting Is Great\u2014Even When It Hurts! 64
Connecting with Some Really Tough Customers 69
Connecting Through Conversational Ping-Pong 72
There\u2019s Always Time for Connection 74
LESSON 2: Watch What You Say to Yourself! 86
The Power of Words 88
Words Can Transform 90
Words Can Heal, and Words Can Kill 91
Parenting Our Inner Voice 93
Be Your Own Best Friend 93
How Words Impact Our Self-Confidence 94
The Hammer Versus the Doormat 96
The BUT Triple Threat 100
How Beliefs Work 107
LESSON 3: Master Your Physical Confidence 119
Sean\u2019s Childhood Wish Comes True 120
Gifts from Tony Robbins 122
The Mind-Body Connection 125
The Brain-Gut Axis 127
Physical Confidence Is Vital 130
Slowwwwww . . . Downnnnnn . . . 138
Sensory Acuity 140
Finding Romance Through Physical Confidence 142
Burst Through Any Challenge 145
Note 147
LESSON 4: Focus Your Focus 154
Happiness Is Right in Front of You 154
How Focus Works 159
The Egg-Timer Technique 160
Compare Leads to Despair 163
Be a Rain Runner 163
Laughing at Stress 165
How to Get Unstuck 167
Fairness Is an Illusion 172
LESSON 5: Choose Your Friends Wisely 180
How We Become Our Friends 182
The Pit Crew Theory of Friendship 183
Choosing Your Pit Crew 185
Why We Keep Takers, Drainers, and Destroyers Around 190
The ABC\u2019s of Friendship 192
You Do Not Have to Be Lonely 201
LESSON 6: Take Full Responsibility 209
Near Death 210
Inside the Theater of My Mind 212
I\u2019m Back 216
Owning Your Life 218
The Freedom Formula 219
Taking Out the Trash 223
Self-Pity Is a Drug 226
The Power of Cause 228
The Wheel-Catching Moment 230
You Choose 233
RESOURCES 237
THE AUTHOR 241