'Shift Happens'

I like to introduce you to (another) book, this time by Robert Holden, who is a top UK psychologist. Robert teaches that we are worthy of a joy-filled life and, through our ability to 'change our mind,' we can achieve amazing inner peace and power. He shows us, that happiness can be attained by making small, consistent changes in the way we think. And as our thinking changes, so does our life. As Robert says: 'One new perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever.'

Each of the 50 concise and entertaining chapters is filled with wisdom and clearly tackles fundamental, everyday concerns that can undermine enjoyment and fulfillment. His clever and inspirational blend of tender, poignant, joyful and eye-opening stories, insights and practical exercises cover a wide range of themes such as confidence, creativity, fear, success, relationships, forgiveness, control, struggle and so much more.

In Shift Happens! you will read gems such as the following extract from the chapter entitled Give Up Your Fear of Giving:

'I was at my health club on an exercise bike pedaling fast to nowhere when James first introduced himself to me. I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.

I was nearing the end of a grueling ninety minute workout. I was in a sweat, in a world of my own, and the last two minutes of the cycle program were feeling like forever. Sometimes I swear I can make time go backwards when I exercise! I had not noticed James and his companion enter the gym, so I was greatly surprised when James slapped me on the back and shouted, 'Hellooo.' It took all my balance just to stay on the bike!

James’s hearty, open manner left me abashed. 'Why pick on me?' I thought. As it turned out James didn’t just pick on me. I watched him enthusiastically introduce himself to every person in the gym. 'Hellooo,' he said to the man who almost fell off the treadmill. 'Hellooo,' he said to the man who almost dropped his dumbbells. 'Hellooo,' he said to the most attractive woman in the gym whom no man dared talk to.
James aimed his great big smile at everyone he met, and within moments he was talking to people I had never spoken to in months of visits. I was so impressed. James was so natural, so present, and so open with everyone. 'That's how I want to be,' I thought. Come to think of it, I probably was like that once.

James is diagnosed with Down's syndrome. According to society he is deficient and ill. He is certainly different, but I saw no trace of lack. That day in the gym he was more unconditional, loving, and communicative than the rest of us 'well people' put together. James gave himself fully and he got the best of us in return. He had no fear of giving.

I believe the purpose of life is to be like James. You are a gift-bearer, blessed with gifts of God, and you are here on earth to live fully and give fully—not just things, but who you are. You are the gift. My work has shown me over and over again that when people do not give themselves fully they experience lack, struggle, discontent, emptiness, isolation, and illness. Do not sit on your gifts.'

Inspiring Books

I recently re-read 2 books which have been inspiring me and which have been guiding my work at the same time. The one is 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle and the other one is 'Bitten by the Black Snake' in which Manuel Schoch interprets the ancient wisdom of Ashtavakra.

One of the key elements in my life and also in my workshops are about practicing Observation and Stillness. Observing that 'what is' without judging it, describing it or re-acting to it helps us to be still and to connect to our source, our center. Any action that we then take from that state of being centered helps us to express our own values, rather then just re-acting to the behavior of others.

When we start to observe and acknowledge 'what is' , then we are in the 'Now' and we realize that everything is relative and that there is an endless flow of changing ideas, thoughts, feelings and circumstance and that we are a part of it all, a part of the whole like a drop in the ocean. There is nowhere to go and nothing to do, we are here to enjoy the ride.

I like to share with you Sutra number 4 which is about Stillness:

'Stillness
All things arise, suffer, change, and pass away.
This is their nature.
When you know this, nothing perturbs you, nothing hurts you,
you become still.
It is easy.
Sooner or later fortune or misfortune may befall you.
When you know this, you desire nothing, you grieve for nothing.
Subduing the senses, you are happy; whatever you do brings joy
or sorrow, life or death.
When you know this, you may act freely, without attachment.
What is there to accomplish?
All sorrow comes from fear, from nothing else.
When you know this, you become free of it, and desire melts away.
You become happy and still; the world with all its wonders is nothing.
When you know this, desire melts away. for you are awareness itself.
When you know in your heart that there is nothing, you are still.'

Take some time and really take in those words and observe how you feel when reading them. You may feel that they are so simple and at the same time that they set you free and you become still and start to relax.

Actions speak louder than Words

This known phrase came to me 2 weeks ago when I met with some Executives and Managers to ask their views on leadership qualities, challenges and training. In fact everyone had been on training courses and workshops on the subject and was very knowledgeable. The biggest problem seemed to lie in implementing what had been learned .

They clearly identified a gap between the actions and the words - the theory. I observed with interest how I myself was recognizing this gap. I realized that the leaders that moved and inspired me most were the ones that acted in line with what they were talking about before and during our meeting. In fact from the first moment of our contact their style became apparent. After our meetings, I soon forgot the details of their words, but their behavior, their actions stayed with me.

Speaking with so many different Managers and Leaders also moved me to look at my own actions once again and I realized how important it is for me to 'walk my talk'. I realized that when I am at my best I also open the door for the person or people around me to be at their best. So I asked myself what does it take for me to be at my best? Here is what I came up with:

I feel that I am at my best:

• When I am authentic, myself
• When I am motivated by caring rather than by fear
• When I am passionate about what I do
• When I am well prepared and clear about my intention

This has been a valuable lesson I re-learned and which helped me to re-commit myself to ‘walk my talk’ and add some daily self-coaching tools to help me stay on track.

What does it takes it for You you to be at your best? I invite you to give it some thought.

7 steps to build the life and business you want

More and more people are deciding to work on their own, making a living with the skills and knowledge they have acquired over a period of time. While the idea of doing your own thing, following your own path is great; in practice it often turns out to be frustrating and a not too successful road to travel.

How come? Well, going from my own observations, the main stumbling blocks often seem to be a limited vision, an insufficient support team and little real knowledge of how to actually build a business. The result is that many talented, wonderful people after a couple of years of struggling on their own either return to find a job elsewhere or work twice as hard as before for less income.

Now if any of the above sounds familiar to you and you would like some ideas of how to invite more joy and success into your business and life then stop whatever your are doing right now and contemplate the following 7 steps:

1. Take time and start thinking of what your vision is for your life, what would your dream life look like? Make notes, be bold as if time and money would not matter, think BIG
2. Then create a vision for your work, your business which would support your overall vision for life. Write it in the present tense like it is happening now, as if you have achieved it already.
3. Consider how much capital or income you would need to support yourself at the start of your business. Would you need to keep a job on the side? Be honest and realistic. Most new businesses take a couple of years to be self-supportive.
4. Invest into working with a coach or mentor. Working with a coach or mentor can help you in many different ways and can be the key element to your success. To have someone by our side to support you in each step and help you find and achieve what you really want is a most valuable asset. There are many wonderful coaches out there and the key is to find the one that most appeals to you. How? Check out the websites and articles. Follow your intuition, your heart. Who’s message do you connect with most? This is the one you call first. Most coaches offer free consultations, so you can make contact without any cost.
5. Build your own support group – Join forces. Being self-employed can at times be lonely and there is a danger of lacking in Motivation, Accountability, Focus and Fun. Find other people with similar dreams and values. Network within your profession. Look for the ones that are successful in the way that you would like to be. As early as possible identify areas where you would want to engage with others for help or support.
6. Do at least one thing that scares you a day. Get used to leaving your comfort zone. We have a tendency to do what we know and feel secure with. But security can be like a prison. It is good to practise stepping into the unknown and feel the energy and excitement when you do.
7. Nourish your Soul. Read inspiring books and articles. Do things you enjoy. Take time to be still and contemplate. Step back and look at the whole picture again and again. Then move forward.
   

Co-operation, communication, sharing and feeling connected are some of the key ingredients for a joyful life and they are also some of the key ingredients for a successful business. Enjoy the journey; my heart and thoughts will be with you.

What am I grateful for looking back at 2007?

I usually note down what I feel grateful for most weeks. And having more time over the holidays I started to contemplate everything that had happened during the last year. And then suddenly a few days ago when looking back at 2007 I realized that I felt grateful for everything. Yes, EVERYTHING. I felt startled for a moment. Do I really mean it? Look again – and I did. Yes was the answer, I am grateful for everything. For everything that I recognized as a blessing straight away, and for everything that was a challenge, a difficulty and that I recognized to be an important part of my growth, a blessing sometime later. Now if I would want to grade my gratefulness then the outcome would look something like that:

Most grateful for list

• The awareness that all difficulties are opportunities for growth
• Realizing that being in-joy with myself brings joy to whatever situation I am in
• The awareness that being in-joy with myself means to embrace all aspects of myself and not being against anything I feel or think – no judgement
• The love and support of my husband
• Good health and Yoga
• All the inspiring teachers I have worked with including my coach
• Having the courage to follow my intuition and walk my path
• Opportunities to encourage and help others to walk their path too
• Connecting with others in workshops and coaching sessions
• Learning from the world around me
• Old movies, good friends and living close to nature.

I invite you to do the same. Take a look, make a list and share it with others on this blog, just enter your list as a comment. I would love to hear what YOU are grateful for.