A new earth?

Before you elevate Eckhart Tolle’s latest book, A New Earth, to the level of the prophecy of a seer or the depths of the ravings of an over-zealous philosopher, I’d like to offer some perspective. I picked up the book recently for an airport read on the way across the country. An Oprah’s Book Club special, and Internet group event phenom, the book came up repeatedly in coaching sessions, referenced by a diverse cross section of my clients. I felt I had to read it too, just to keep up with - if not ahead of the curve.

I trust my having an advanced degree in the Theory and Practice of Meditation and Yogic Philosophy gives credence to my noting that much of this read could have come straight from the ancient scriptures of Advait Vedant (read non-dualism or Oneness). Tolle does an excellent job of making sometimes abstruse eastern philosophy accessible to the western mind.

There was also a lot of bleed-over to Walk on Water - especially the chapters on Growth vs. Development, Aware of vs. Awareness, and Will vs. Willing. Tolle does a first rate job of using distinctions in general, such as Cleverness vs. Wisdom, Perception vs. Interpretation and Being vs. Doing.

And have you seen WALL-E (the Disney movie) yet? This not just for kids flick gives hope that Oprah and Tolle’s prompt for change is on the move by showcasing ecological awareness and sustainability to audiences from babies on up!

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June 16th, 2008

Inspire Me Today

Recently I was invited to be an “Inspirational Luminary” at a wonderful website: Inspire Me Today!
As part of the process, I was interviewed by Gail Lynne Goodwin, who started the website. Gail is very inspiring without needing any help from others! She told me her own inspirational story about about visiting the troops in Iraq with her daughter, who is an entertainer. While there, Gail decided to make the inspirational podcasts on her site available to all service men and women in Iraq. She’s just come back from arranging that at the Pentagon before our interview!

To hear the interview click here.
To hear my podcast click here.
To become a member visit inspiremetoday.com. Use this referral code: AV7J22CKMQ when you sign up and experience a new Inspirational Luminary every day.

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May 19th, 2008

“How did you do it?”

People often ask me, “How did you do it?” when they find out I took seven trips to India between 1985 and 1997 to study meditation with the meditation masters of the Himalayas. In the same sense, the question “How did you do it?” comes up about my writing and self-publishing a book that has led to an online teaching program reaching a potential audience of 60,000 students. And people have asked me, “How did you do it?” regarding several successful businesses I have owned. Answering that question leads to some fascinating stories but it doesn’t help anyone to figure out, “How can I do what I want to do?” That’s often the question under the question.

To get that answer, you might ask a different question: “Who do I have to be to do it?” What has helped me to “do it” is being really clear about what “doing it” means to me – how I want to show up, how I want to be vs. what I have to do. Here is what has worked for me in committing to go to India, writing and publishing my book, and in running my businesses… I had to be 100%.

How can you be 100% in your life? Try on these five steps*

The Five Steps to being 100%

1. Develop Clarity
Decide what you really, really, really want. Frame it as what is meaningful to you vs. just a goal. For instance, saying “I want to lose weight” is different from saying “I want to be healthy and feel confident and alive.” When you make what you want bigger than a goal it’s easier to stick with it and be 100%.

2. Change Your Thinking
Imagine that you can stand behind yourself and observe what you are thinking. Ask yourself: Is that thought helpful? Does it make me feel energized? Is it moving me toward what I want? Sometimes we get so caught in being the “thinker” we forget we have the power to change and direct our thinking! The one who is watching the thoughts is always 100%.

3. Take Action Daily
Take at least one step daily in the direction of what you want. It can be a very small step or a big step. No matter which, when you go to sleep at night you can say to yourself, “I was intentional today.” Being intentional daily is showing up 100%.

4. Evolutionary Step
Declaring your intentions strengthen them. Evolution is about how we are in our environment – how we shape our environment and how our environment shapes us. Letting others know what you are up to invites more resources into your life. When you are evolutionary, the environment serves you 100%.

5. Transcend
Lighten up! You may have heard of the story of the child who put his hand in a jar of cookies and wouldn’t let any of them go even though he couldn’t get his hand back out of the jar. When you come to life with an open hand, letting go of shoulds, expectations and attachment, your actions will be life-supporting and you will be able to receive life’s gifts.

Whatever you do, the truth is that you are already in your life 100%.