PICTURED LEFT: Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH, who will be Lynn’s special guest this week. Details below.
I love my job. I get to work with the most interesting and inspiring people, like the lovely lady pictured at the left.
This week, I have the great pleasure to be hosting a 2-part webinar called “10 Steps to Reach Your Pinnacle” with Allison Maslan, who is widely regarded as the preeminent strategic life and business strategist in the United States. This FREE online event is on Wednesday November 3rd and Thursday November 4th, 2010 at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern, midnight UK time.
On the webinar, Allison will be sharing “10 Powerful Secrets that will turn your life and business dreams into supersonic successes.” Today she sent me the outline of these 10 secrets, and I have to tell you, they are like a mini-bible of common sense (but not always practiced) guidelines for happiness, acheivement, and satisfaction.
Allison is a remarkable woman, who has gained international recognition with her charismatic, inspirational spirit and numerous successful business ventures. She is the founder and president of Blast Off! Life and Business Coaching, an international motivational speaker and the President of the Homeopathic Wellness Center™ in California, where she has practiced as a homeopathic physician for 15 years. She is an avid entrepreneur who has built nine of her own businesses in many different industries and has appeared as an expert guest on several FOX, NBC and ABC morning shows across the US. She was recently a finalist for the Ethan Awards honoring the entrepreneurial author and the San Diego Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Award. She has coached thousands of clients in developing and achieving their own successful life and business ventures.
I first met Allison when she asked me to create the promotional campaign for the launch of her book Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality,which came out in January 2010, and rocketed (pun intended) to the #1 slot of entrepreneurial books on Amazon in both the US and Canada.
In my work with Allison, I have personally seen that she has a gift in empowering and propelling people, whether executives, entrepreneurs or individuals in transition, to their personal and professional pinnacle. She triumphs in the realms of career, business development, relationships and finances, as well as personal and spiritual growth. You might even say she does it “vicariously” in spite of whatever challenges and nay-sayers she encounters.
I love Allison’s unstoppable spirit. and I can think of no one who is more suited to talking about success. She is a truly genuine person who is always looking for the next mountain to climb. It’s small wonder why she called her latest project “The Pinnacle Program”, which is a mastermind group starting in January 2011 designed to “take you to the top” in life and business. I’m going to be participating in that program myself, because I want to create BIG things in 2011, and I know this kind of experience will provide me with the support I need to make them happen.
Here’s a recent video interview I made with Allison about my excitement about being a part of the 50 people who will be a part of “The Pinnacle Program 2011″:
Allison has just told me that during this week’s webinar, she will be making some REALLY special offers to people who register for The Pinnacle Program this week. I just read about the offers, and I have to tell you, I thought she was giving away more than anyone else I have worked with. I won’t tell you want she’s giving away right now. I’ll leave that for the broadcast.
Oh yeah… you can also send in your personal questions for Allison when you register, and you can also ask your questions on the live call. We’ll try to address as many questions as possible over the 2 days.
Warm wishes
Lynn Serafinn
Author, Transformation Coach, Book Promotions
Lynn Serafinn is a an award-winning transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has many bestselling book campaigns, including four #1 sellers in 2010 alone. She is also the creator of Spirit Authors, which offers training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. To contact Lynn for coaching, campaign management or media appearances, please fill in the form at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.
Lynn explores the many ways our inner fears contribute to our stopping short of unbridled Joy in our lives.
PICTURED LEFT: photo of an actual wooden “stairway to heaven” ascending more than 50 metres, used by the famous “Voladores de Papantla” in Central America, whose breathtaking annual springtime “flying” ritual is famous worldwide.
A few years ago, I enrolled on a mega-personal-development course where I had to complete a series of physical challenges, many involving heights. One of the first challenges was to climb up to a balance beam about 25 feet high and walk across it–blindfolded. Of course, there was absolutely no danger involved, as all of us had secure harnesses attached to our bodies, with a team of strong people ensuring our safety at all times. But the ego-mind is very good at creating its own messages, even if your logical brain knows you are perfectly safe. And what is so interesting is that the messages it creates might not have anything whatsoever to do with the current situation. In all likelihood, you might find yourself replaying some very old “tapes” in your head that you might not even have thought of for years.
And that is precisely what happened to me. As I got close to the top of the pole I was climbing to get up to the balance beam, I suddenly froze. There was no way I could bring myself to make those few last steps to stand up on that beam.
Why?
Because all I could think of when faced with the prospect of walking across that 25-foot high plank of wood were images of me in 10th Grade, as I wobbled fearfully along a 3-foot high balance beam in my P.E. class, and the teacher made fun of me in front of the class saying, “Serafinn, you’re fat and you’re useless. Can’t you do anything?”
And as I replayed that mouldy, old tape (which I hadn’t even realised I still carried with me), the voices in my head said, You have NEVER been able to walk across a balance beam in the past, and you will NEVER walk across this one either. Your body is fat and useless. Don’t’ even think about this. Get OUT now!
Totally “triggered” by this inner drama, an overwhelming sense of panic, shame and sheer terror made me freeze. I simply couldn’t move. I shouted down to my course leader, “No, no, I can’t do this. I know I can’t. I’m bailing. I need to get down NOW.” And immediately I let go of the pole and sailed down to the ground on my guide ropes (even letting go was a challenge). When I landed, my entire body shook uncontrollably from the adrenaline flooding my every muscle. My legs collapsed under me and my hands were in intense pain from all the stress hormones.
My hands shaking the whole time, I took out my journal and wrote for a few minutes, exploring my flurry of emotions around this strange experience. But later, when I returned to watch some of the others on the course, I noticed that many people started out scared to death, but became elated when they got on top of, and eventually across, the beam. As I watched, I saw they were actually enjoying themselves in spite of–or maybe even because of–the fear.
My sense of “shame” and “failure” made me angry–at myself. I realised I had convinced myself I would fail, and had deprived myself of the elation others were experiencing when they had gone past their own limits.
I harnessed this anger as I approached the next challenge–climbing now a 30-foot telephone pole to the top. It looked REALLY high! But this time, I was not going to stop. I growled with anger. I shouted. I grunted. I swore. I told myself I WILL make it to the top. I will. I will. I will.
And after overcoming a few obstacles here and there along the way, I climbed just high enough to touch the “cookie” on the top of the pole. I was really happy, and felt so proud of myself.
But then, my course leader called up to me and said, “That’s great, Lynn! So, what do you want to do now?
“Now?” I asked. “But I’ve already reached the top. What do you mean?”
“Well, would you like to stand on TOP of the pole too?”
In my head, I was saying, What? On top? You want me to stand up on top of a 10-inch diameter surface 30 feet in the air? Are you kidding?
But what I replied was, “Uh, no thanks, I’m happy enough with this.” And I took a moment to hug the pole, which had carried me to the top.
I came down feeling really proud of myself. After all, I hadn’t bailed out of the challenge. But in spite of feeling happy, I noticed I didn’t feel that real rush of elation I saw others express who did choose to stand atop the pole and free-fall down to earth (on the guide ropes, of course).
After meditating upon this, I began to understand that the thing that had stopped me short of that elation was my perspective. I had viewed climbing onto the top of the pole as a danger that threatened my happiness; I didn’t want to ruin my happiness by trying something so risky. But actually, the Universe was offering me the opportunity to experience more joy. But I chose not to receive it– for the moment.
Fortunately, I had the chance to stretch my limits one last time a few months later. This time, the challenge was a 35-foot high tightrope walk! But this wasn’t just a solo walk. I had to synchronise my walk with a partner who was walking on another rope a fair distance across from me, using a balancing pole.
Well, let me tell you, every single step I took climbing up to the tightrope made my heart POUND with sheer terror! But by this time, I had finally learned how to stop, acknowledge the fear, wait a moment, and continue. When I finally stepped onto the tightrope, I was completely and utterly thrilled. I had never actually STOOD so high up before, what to speak of being on a narrow, unstable wire, and working with a partner to boot!
Every step we took together was a sheer (terrifying) joy.
But then, when we got just past the halfway mark, one of my feet slipped off the wire, and for safety reasons I was instructed to let go of the pole and glide back down to the ground.
As I touched down, I felt, at long last, the rush, the elation, the sheer ecstatic JOY I had previously only witnessed in others. My partner and I were jumping up and down and hugging each other, delighted that we had survived the challenge without quitting, even if we hadn’t made it all the way across. I was buzzing. I was alive. I was so pleased with myself for mastering the art of walking WITH fear instead of fighting against it.
But then, our course leader came over to us and asked, “You two were the first in the group to do this activity, and other people have learned from watching what you did. Would you like another chance to try it again later?”
And do you know what my brain said?
It said, What if you go up and you cannot get past your fear this time? Then, it will take away all the joy you are experiencing now. No, don’t do it again. You don’t need to finish the task. You have enough joy for now.
Enough joy??
That was 3 years ago, and a heck of a lot about me has changed since then.
Looking back on it now, I can see that while I definitely had made some major breakthroughs during that whole process, what I had not yet fully learned was the depth of my own willingness to accept less than the very best for myself. I seemed to be satisfied with overcoming my obstacles, rather than being passionately desirous of true, unfettered joy. And this was not limited to physical challenges–it actually entered into every aspect of my life: from career and financial success, to health, to love, to fun, to spiritual fulfilment.
And I as looked around me, I saw I was not the only one.
Everywhere I looked, I could see people living lives in which they felt “happy enough” by:
Focussing on getting out of financial hardship versus wanting to create genuine wealth
Focussing on overcoming physical ailments versus wanting to create true health and vitality
Focussing on resolving conflict versus wanting to create true intimacy
Focussing on “making a living” versus wanting to create a lasting legacy
Nope. Not anymore. Not me. No more “happy enough.”
Now, I’m ready to stand on top of that telephone pole–to feel the ecstasy of reaching “The Pinnacle.”
And on that note, I would like to invite you to join me and my very good friend, Allison Maslan for a warm and wonderful 2-session teleseminar called:
(*Please note, this is a date change from previous announcement)
On these two calls, we’ll be talking about 10 secrets that help you reach your Pinnacle in your business and your personal life, so you never find yourself settling for being “happy enough” again.
I hope to see you there!
P.S.: And if you’re REALLY serious, Allison also has a great new mastermind group called “The Pinnacle Program.” It’s starting in January in San Diego, California. I’ll be there (for sure!). Have a look and apply if you want to join us at http://tinyurl.com/PinnacleProgram
Author Maria Gamb proposes some answers in her new Book Healing the Corporate World, coming to Amazon Tues Oct 12th, 2010.
It’s staggering to think about it.
The American Institute of Stress calls stress “American’s #1 Health Problem.” They estimate “75 – 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems” and that “Job Stress is far and away the leading source of stress for adults.” The New York Times quoted Steven L. Sauter (Chief of the Organizational Science and Human Factors Branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) as saying, “workplace stress costs more than $300 billion each year in health care, missed work and stress-reduction” and “workers who report that they are stressed incur health care costs that are 46 percent higher, or an average of $600 more per person, than other employees. And in the UK, nearly half a million people expressed they felt work related stress was at a level that was making them ill in 2008, and these figures appear to be increasing rapidly every year.
But in spite of all this, to my shock, all too many sites I found during my research provide tips on how to “deal” with stress, rather than trying to change “what is.” One site even talks about being “stress hardy” to make us better able to survive what we believe we cannot change. In other words, it seems that all too many have thrown in the towel, and given into the idea that being stressed (and unhappy) at our work is simply a part of life, and that the best we can do is to learn how to cope.
By all accounts, Maria was experiencing a highly “successful” career for many years—at least to the naked eye. But inwardly, Maria, a highly sensitive and intuitive woman, with a great belief in the human spirit, knew something was intrinsically wrong with the way businesses were being run in our modern world. Stress wasn’t the problem; it was merely the natural symptom that arouse as a result of much deeper issues. Competition, fear, blame, feelings of helplessness, and a sense of not being “seen” had become the norm rather than the exception, especially in corporate life. And no amount of stress management would ever make stress go away until these issues were addressed—not only at a personal level, but also at a global level.
It was time to talk about how we were going to transform the business world and heal a seriously ailing system.
Maria wrote this book with a passion to start the ripple of change that will do exactly what the title says: HEAL the corporate world. That doesn’t just mean to rescue our culture from economic crisis, but rather to heal the people and relationships within organizations so they can become healthy, flowing systems for change and creativity that are founded upon values, innovation, personal responsibility and authentic leadership at all levels of the business structure.
And while the title suggests a focus on corporate life, the book is NOT just for CEOs, senior managers or even corporations—it is a book for anyone who works. You might be a middle-manager, or a new employee on a team. You might even be self-employed, or the owner of a small business. The principles in this book are applicable to anyone who wants to create a more human-focussed society by transforming the way we do business.
To celebrate the release of this “inspiring and visionary book” (Ernest Chu, bestselling author of Soul Currency), when you purchase Healing the Corporate World on the day of its launch, you can receive a complete library of personal development gifts from dozens of leading authors, business professionals, speakers on the subject of business and self-improvement.
There you will find links to purchase the book from Amazon and instructions on how to claim your bonus gifts, including a special gift from Maria: almost 5 hours audio recordings of her 4-Day Telesummit, “Transforming Business from the Inside Out”, an uplifting and inspiring online telesummit with 9 of today’s top business and transformational authors and speakers.
When you look at all the bonus gifts, don’t worry about not having enough time to download them all. As long as you purchase the book during the launch, you’ll have access to the download page until October 31st.
I hope you’ll check out Healing the Corporate World on Tuesday October 12th, so we as a society can begin to apply these values-based principles in our work-place, and help start the process of healing for everyone.
Did you ever sit on the floor for too long and your leg went numb? Remember that horrible feeling you got when you stood up? At first, you don’t even feel your leg and your leg might wobble (or even collapse) underneath you. That happened to me on more than one occasion in India after having sat on a marble floor for several hours listening to a lecture. I had to get used to the locals laughing at me whenever they saw this western woman in a badly-wrapped sari fall over her own two feet for no apparent reason!
But once you’ve made it through the wobble, something else starts to happen—the dreaded “pins and needles” sensation as the blood starts to flow again in your legs. It feels absolutely horrible at first, and there is an overwhelming urge to sit back down on your leg and make it go “dead” again. But we know this is the worst thing we can do. We know the blood has to start flowing again. We know that the “pins and needles” is the signal that our leg is returning to its healthy state, where the leg recovers from its numbness, and we are again able to feel it and use it fully and effortlessly. We know it is necessary to feel the wobble and the pain (and maybe even the falling and the humiliation!) before we can move forward.
The interesting thing is, our emotional world works in exactly the same way, but for some reason, many of us do not respond to our emotions the same way we respond to our leg. Let me explain.
Emotions get “blocked” within us in exactly the same way the blood in our leg gets block—we “sit” on them and do not allow them to flow. And just like our legs, when we sit on our emotions, we go “numb”. We become detached and desensitized to our own feelings, as well as to the feelings of others. In extreme cases, we become incapable of connecting at an intimate level with anyone, what to speak of ourselves. Many of us can go on for years—decades—with blocked emotions.
When something shakes us up from our “numb” state, it is very similar to what happens when we first stand up on our “dead” leg. We wobble. We might even stumble. We have been hiding our emotions from others for so long, that when we start to allow them to be seen, our world starts to rock. People might not recognise or relate to us anymore, and because we fear losing them, we might try to convince ourselves to return to our familiar, stuck, numb place. We might also quite possibly become afraid of what we intuitively know is coming next—the “pins and needles”. This is the stage where sensation is returning to us. And just like pins and needles in our legs, it probably doesn’t feel particularly nice. We might experience an avalanche of confusing emotions like humiliation, shame, grief, anger, blame and fear. And being inexperienced with these emotions, having been cut off from them for so long, we might not know what to do with them or how to process them in a constructive way.
Now, if we were to sit our leg for decades, you can be pretty sure we would render it permanently useless, and it would be unlikely to heal. But the wonderful thing about emotions is that, even those that have been stuck for most of our lives can come back to life—if we can stay with the “pins and needles” long enough to allow the “flow” to come back into our feelings, without succumbing to the urge to jump back in the box of our numbness.
And just as how the end of the “pins and needles” stage restores full sensation and mobility to you leg, making it to the other side of your emotional pins and needles brings you into full sensation, which leads to flow at a heart and soul level. In both the leg and our emotions, feeling is the doorway to healing, and healing is the doorway to transformation.
And while the above analogy is my own, the essence of this story is the fundamental principle of the book Memory in the Cells: how to change behavioral patterns and release the pain body by my client and good friend Luis Angel Diaz. The book teaches both the theory and the practical methodology of what Luis calls “Cellular Memory Release” (CMR), where you learn how to FEEL your emotions at a deep level, not only for the purpose of healing old wounds, but also of transforming them so your life is full of awareness, sensation, aliveness and flow.
As Luis puts it, “It is about transforming the ‘Pain Body’ into the ‘Joy Body.’
Memory in the Cells is coming to Amazon at exactly 12:01 AM Pacific THIS TUESDAY October 5th (yes, that’s TOMORROW, as I write this). In celebration of the release of his book, dozens of Luis’ friends and colleagues have kindly donated a complete library of personal development gifts that you can download for free, when you buy the book Memory in the Cellson the day of its launch this week. I’m also giving away a free download (audio and text) of my mini-eCourse “Making Friends with the Monsters Under Your Bed.”
To find out more about the book and the free gifts, and to see a video in which Luis talks about how he came to develop this method to help people learn how to deal with pain, go to: http://memoryinthecells.com
AND… when you buy the book on Tuesday, Oct 5th, not only will you receive those free gifts, but you will also receive a special FR*EE 2-part LIVE online class with Luis himself, where he will take you through the CMR process, step-by-step.
This is not going to be another one of those self-help books that just sits on the shelf, unused. Luis is truly dedicated to sharing the information and practical tools in the book, and this free class is his way of showing that he “walks his talk.”
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the release of this highly-practical, and truly healing, book by Luis Diaz. To buy the book on Tuesday October 5th, just go to http://memoryinthecells.com.
And then, I hope to see you on the fr*ee class a few weeks later.
Warm wishes
Lynn Serafinn
Author, Transformation Coach, Book Promotions
Lynn Serafinn is a an award-winning transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has many bestselling book campaigns, including four #1 sellers in 2010 alone. She is also the creator of Spirit Authors, which offers training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. To contact Lynn for coaching, campaign management or media appearances, please fill in the form at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.
Maria Gamb, author of "Healing the Corporate World"
Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 5 of the Virtual Blog Tour for Healing the Corporate Worldby author Maria Gamb.
Written by former Fortune 500 executive, Maria Gamb, who spent more than 20 years trailblazing businesses valued at upwards of $100 million, Healing the Corporate World is a cutting-edge book examining the deep, and usually unspoken, ailment of the modern corporate world, offering solutions for healing at a personal, financial and even spiritual level. By showing the reader “the four cycles of transformational leadership”, Maria provides business leaders, from solo entrepreneurs to corporate senior executives, practical answers on how to transform their organizations from the inside out, and become “Change Agents”, consciously creating their own reality.
Yesterday, Maria visited Liz Pabon at www.lizpabon.com/blog. For today’s stop on the tour, I decided to ask Maria some questions about self-sabotage, feelings of powerlessness in the workplace, and how to rise above them.
* * * * *
Lynn: You mention in your book that some of us actually sabotage or compromise our own success. In your experience, what are some of the most common ways we do it?
Maria: Often times we engage in competitive behaviors, defensiveness and/or our values are compromised. But ultimately this all goes back to the same thing: we’re afraid that we’ll be found out as “not being good enough” or that potentially we believe there isn’t “enough” to go around. That means not enough opportunities, not enough resources to share, not enough praise or recognition. These are actually basic needs: to be seen, heard and recognized. By engaging in these “not enough” behaviors and attitudes, we often alienate those around us who can contribute directly to success.
Lynn: You mention in your book that it is vital to build teams that reflect our core values. What advice can you give for doing that when there are so many different value systems at play, and when some people in the workplace might not even be in touch with their own values?
Maria: It’s important for the individual business professional to decide what is most important to them. If it’s honesty, for example, then you would need to quantify exactly what that means in specific, actionable terms. Doing this helps to create a very clear framework of reference rather than an abstract ideal that will be hard for others to fulfil. More importantly, it will be challenging for the individual to know or experience that value in another human being without this quantifiable method.
People will be different, but that’s the beauty of this. In fact, my suggestion is to decide on 2-3 core values or beliefs of what they feel is most valuable for their team members to embody and then build that team. There will never be a 100% perfect match where everyone has the same values, but it is important to pick the ones that matter most to you. What you’re doing in this process is insuring that you’re all on the same page with regards to your rules of engagement in how you will work together and with others.
Lynn: You talk about “blazing a new trail no matter where you are.” What words of encouragement do you have for people who see themselves as powerless and at the “bottom of the food chain” in their business environment?
Maria: People are only victims if they choose to take on that role. That is a belief that no one will ever hear them or understand or appreciate what they have to offer. The truth is that the individual has to believe in themselves first and what they have to offer as truly valuable. When they do they do not feel powerless.
A majority of the book is based on helping the reader to understand that they create their work environments and outcomes. They are in control of their happiness and security when they work through the processes outlined. Those who may perceive themselves as at the bottom of the food chain may not feel they can make any real difference on the scale they’d like. However, when they begin integrating this work into their lives they first change the immediate environment and effectiveness, which builds to greater influence to those around them. That’s the point: to use your influence in a positive manner. But first, you’ve got to start exercising those beliefs and values into your personal and professional life first.
Lynn: A lot of your work focuses on corporate environment and teams. Most of my clients are solo-preneurs who don’t work within the same kind of environment. How can these kinds of people apply your principles? What will it bring them and their business?
Maria: The beauty of the content in the book is that it applies to all those in business, not necessarily just large corporations. Many entrepreneurs dream of having large businesses with a huge earning potential. That sounds like they want to build their own legacy within their niche. The tools, tips and processes outlined in the book are universal. They share what it takes to be a person in business who creates solid, healthy relationships and influence. With that influence they have a decision to make about how they want to use that success: to take care of themselves and their families only or to help others too. You see, the concept of commerce was built to bring the flow of goods, services and opportunities, including the flow of money, into the world. Entrepreneur or executive, both are engaged in this exchange. So why not use the tools for building a more compassionate and conscious business from the start – when the entrepreneur has the dream or idea then begins to bring it into the world. What this system brings is positive influence and affluence: the fulfilment of one’s purpose and a deeper understanding of what you’re doing and why it’s so important.
* * * * *
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Maria Gamb and that you’ll check out her new bookHealing the Corporate World, which is coming to Amazon on Tuesday October 12, 2010.
You can receive a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts when you buy the book on the day of its launch, including one from me: a special report called “Why Nice People HATE Marketing” (it’s actually a sneak peek at some of the content from my upcoming book).
In addition, Maria is hosting an exciting FREE 4-day telesummit entitled “Transforming Business from the Inside Out” on October 4th – 7th with a distinguished panel of 9 of today’s most innovative authors and speakers on becoming the ‘Change Agent’ in your business, in your life and in the world!
If you’d like to attend, all you have to do is request a “launch reminder” about the book, and you’ll receive all the information to attend. If you cannot make the live event, you can download the audio at your convenience.
To find out how to buy Maria’s BOOK and receive these gifts,
including the FREE pass to the 4-day online telesummit, go to
Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day number 5 of the Virtual Blog Tour for Memory in the Cellsby author Luis Angel Diaz.
Newly translated from the popular Spanish edition, author Luis Diaz describes his book Memory in the Cells as “where Eckhart Tolle meets What the Bleep Do We Know, but taking you on a much more practical journey.” He says Memory in the Cells teaches “emotional education” and shows the reader how to transform the “pain body” into the “joy body”, helping to heal all aspects of their lives.
For today’s stop on the tour, I decided to ask Luis some questions about how to utilise both “positive” and “negative” emotions in our lives so we can find happiness and fulfilment.
* * * * *
Lynn: I heard you say once that “Self betrayal is a cultural habit”. Can you explain what you mean by that and give some examples?
Luis: The process starts with the disconnection between mind and body in each of us. I’ll give you some examples: We say things that we don’t feel or feel things that we don’t express. We do things we don’t want to do and then we don’t follow through. We want something but we don’t ask for it, and then we get mad because we didn’t get it! We say yes when we want to say know and then we resent others for that. We don’t set boundaries but then we blame others when they crossed them. We betray ourselves each time we are not honoring our truth and we pretend to feel, to think or to do what is not coherent with ourselves. The result is unhappiness and disease no matter what we do to try to change it.
Lynn: You also say that “positive and negative feelings are both necessary.” How do you help people embrace their painful feelings rather than avoid them?
Luis: We human beings do everything based on our needs and values, but only 100% of the time! Therefore our values rule our life. Let´s say; “freedom”: if we lose it, we feel sad, angry or afraid. But if we have it; we’ll feel open, trusting, creative and happy. The same happens with all other human values; love, respect, honesty, trust, compassion. If I have them, I feel great. If I don’t, I feel horrible.
Then, negative and positive feelings are both indispensable to tell me where I am in relation with my values in life. How far or close I am from them. Then, feelings both positive and negative are our guidance system and without them, we are totally lost.
Lynn:You mention that people can get addicted to emotions. Can you give some examples of that? What happens to us when we are addicted to certain emotions? How can we get “unaddicted” and what benefit will this bring to us?
Luis: Addiction is a strong word, but it works in this case. What really happen is that we create deep habits and we keep repeating them automatically endlessly. We are addicted to anger when we are irritable and frustrated most of the time. We may be addicted to fear if we are anxious and worry frequently. Behind a habit like this, there is always a pay off or a benefit that is deep rooted in our subconscious and the first step to change is always; AWARENESS. Then it comes the deactivation of the pattern and after that the reconditioning based on my main priorities set by my values.
* * * * *
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Luis Angel Diaz and that you’ll check out his new bookMemory in the Cells, which is coming to Amazon on Tuesday October 5, 2010. You can receive a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts when you buy the book on the day of its launch, including one from me: a free mini eCourse called “Making Friends with the Monsters Under Your Bed”, which can help you start to recognise your limiting beliefs so you can move past whatever emotions might be keeping you stuck in areas of your life.
In addition, Luis is hosting a very special FREEtelesummit entitled “Healing at a Cellular Level” on September 27th, 28th and 29th with a distinguished panel of some of today’s most inspiring authors and speakers on the topic of emotional healing and holistic wellbeing. If you’d like to attend, all you have to do is request a “launch reminder” about the book, and you’ll receive all the information to attend. If you cannot make the live event, you can download the audio at your convenience.
To find out how to buy Luis’s book and receive these gifts,
including the FREE pass to the 3-day online telesummit, go to
In our modern society today, we as a culture spend enormous sums of money every year on our “healing” needs—from medicine and pharmaceuticals to alternative therapies of all kinds. We also spend millions on academic education. But rarely, if ever, do we spend money on educating ourselves on how to heal—especially emotionally.
My client, friend and colleague Luis Angel Diaz has written a book called Memory in the Cells: how to change behavioral patterns and release the pain body, which is coming out on Amazon on Tuesday October 5th. Luis’ work is ALL about emotional education: teaching people how to become more aware of the sensations locked within the cells of their bodies so they can understand what is really going on inside emotionally.
Luis feels this topic is so important he has organized a free 3-day online event called “Emotional Healing at a Cellular Level”, and has asked me to host the event. Together, we have brought together a panel of 7 guest speakers, including myself, who are passionate about helping others heal by teaching them how to become more aware and more sensitized in all aspects of their lives.
This special telesummit will take place on Mon Sept 27th, Tues Sept 28th and Wed Sept 29th at 12pm – 1.30pm Pacific (3pm – 4.30pm Eastern; 8pm – 9.30pm UK).
CLICK IMAGE to WATCH the VIDEO PREVIEW for this EVENT:
Here’s a brief overview of the topics and guest line up:
Day 1: Monday September 27, 2010 The Power of Beliefs On Day 1, you’ll be hearing about The Power of Beliefs, and how our beliefs shape our feelings and emotions, which shape our behavior and life decisions. On that day, our special guests will be:
VIP Guest: Rochele Hirsch, author of the books The Theory of How Come, Emotions in the Workplace: Love at Work, and True Energy and the Chemistry of Relationships.
VIP Guest: Arjuna Ardagh,“Awakening Coach” and author of 8 books including the bestseller, “The Translucent Revolution”
Host: Luis Angel Diaz, Creator of CMR-Cellular Memory Release and author of the new book Memory in the Cells
Host: Lynn Serafinn, transformation coach, marketing coach, author of The Garden of the Soul.
Day 2: Tuesday September 28, 2010 How Emotions attract/manifest our lives
On Day 2 we’ll be talking about how emotions attract and manifest our lives, and what we can do to change those stuck patterns and emotions that no longer serve us, but are held in the cellular memory. On that day, our special guests will be:
VIP Guest: Patrick Ryan, Executive Coach, Founder of Awakened Wisdom and author of the spirituality bestseller: Awakened Wisdom: a guide to reclaiming your brilliance.
Host: Luis Angel Diaz, Creator of CMR-Cellular Memory Release and author of the new book Memory in the Cells
Host: Lynn Serafinn, transformation coach, marketing coach, author of The Garden of the Soul.
Day 3: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Transformation is the only key to true freedom
What is self-transformation? What is living from that place instead of being a victim of life? How can being authentic and honest with ourselves and our feelings pay us the dividends of inner peace, harmony and total freedom? On that day, our special guests will be:
VIP Guest: Warrior Sage Satyen Raja, Kung-Fu Master and trainer of the renowned Illumination Intensive
VIP Guest: Lisa Schrader, sacred sexuality teacher, international media personality and author of the book Kama Sutra 52, Lisa Schrader.
Host: Luis Angel Diaz, Creator of CMR-Cellular Memory Release and author of the new book Memory in the Cells
Host: Lynn Serafinn, transformation coach, marketing coach, author of The Garden of the Soul.
Attendance is absolutely FR*EE!
You can listen to the call either via telephone or via webcast.
Even if you can’t make the live event, go ahead and sign up anyway, because you will receive the links to download the audio after the events are over, so you can enjoy this lively discussion about one of the most cutting-edge and important topics of our modern times—the healing of our bodies, minds and hearts.
Lynn Serafinn is a an award-winning transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has produced three #1-selling book campaigns, and another #2-selling campaign, in 2010 so far. She is also the creator of Spirit Authors, which offers training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. To contact Lynn for coaching, campaign management or media appearances, please fill in the form at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.
Last year, I had the great pleasure of being one of the dozens of holistic and creative teachers at the annual One World Summer Festival in the UK. Since 1996, thousands of holistically-minded adults, teens and children have enjoyed the uplifting vibes, wonderful macrobiotic food, arts, entertainment, world-class transformational workshops and warm community for which the One World Festival is known. Personally, what I loved most about teaching there was that everyone who attended the workshops was 100% ready for a truly life-changing experience. It made my role as a workshop leader a truly uplifting experience. I also loved the fact that all the workshops were included in the cost of the festival, so people were free to pick and choose whatever they liked. This meant you got to meet new people every day of the festival. Another thing I loved was that we teachers got to attend as many workshops as we liked when we were not teaching (which was most of the time!). All in all, the workshops were life-changing, the food was delicious, the venue (last year it was in Bath) was stunning, and the people-well, they are what made the festival wonderful. Even the weather was perfect. For me, it was the most fabulous “working holiday” I could have ever imagined. I knew I would return this year. I wouldn’t miss it!
This year, the 15th Annual One World Summer Festival is coming to Great Malvern, England August 9th – 15th, 2010. I will again be teaching at this wonderful event, offering daily mini-workshops “Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life”, “The Garden of the Soul” and “Spiritual Marketing.”
The festival will also be held in Tuscany during the first week of September, but apparently the Italian festival is already sold out! (but I WILL be there!… how lucky am I?). That just shows how popular this event is.
Over the past 15 years, thousands of people have benefited in body, mind and spirit from coming to One World, but THIS YEAR, we are giving everyone a taste of this fabulous festival right from the comfort of your own home at a unique event called…
The One World VIRTUAL Festival
Tues June 29, Wed June 30, Thurs July 1
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
ADMISSION: FR*EE!
A mini-fest of FR*EE online classes in holistic health, spirituality and overall wellbeing by NINE internationally acclaimed experts
Simulcast! Take your pick:
Listen via webcast OR telephone conference line
DATE: Tuesday, June 29th
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 1 GUESTS:
1) Christian Kyriacou RIBA MCSD – Ki Architect and House Whisperer. Christian will be talking about the Ki Signature of buildings, House Whispering, Feng Shui, Vastu and Geomancy.
2) Zascha Brésilley – Spiritual Teacher. Zascha will be talking about increasing our “Spiritual Footprint” in the world.
3) Steven Acuff – Nutritional consultant and therapist, author, teacher. Steven will give an introduction to healing with food, including acid/alkaline balance, and other vital information.
DATE: Wednesday, June 30th
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 2 GUESTS:
1) Simon Brown – teacher, consultant, healer, therapist. Simon will be taking you on an introductory exploration into macrobiotics, feng shui, face reading, chi, healing and wabi sabi.
2) Maria Gillott – Macrobiotic Coach, co-founder of the One World Summer Festivals. Maria will give a sneak peek into the Macrobiotic cooking workshops she delivers for parents, showing how to cook for children through the various stages of childhood.
3) Lynn Serafinn – coach, author, radio host, spiritual marketing consultant. Lynn will talk about becoming the hero of your own life, the four Principles from her book The Garden of the Soul, and a new paradigm for spiritually-focussed businesses.
DATE: Thursday, July 1st
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 3 GUESTS:
1) Julie G. Silver – Nutritional Therapist, Natural Health & Stress Management Consultant. Julie will be talking about “Nutrition for the Now”, and how to cultivate your intuitive, spiritual connection to nutrition.
2) Verne Varona – Author, film director, nutritional consultant and researcher. Verne will introduce you to the art of self diagnosis and disease reversal.
3) Samantha Terry – Acupuncturist, Aromatherapist, Chinese medicine practitioner. Sam will talk about understanding your health from a holistic perspective, and the art of vibrational healing.
YOUR HOSTS THROUGHOUT VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Lynn Serafinn – coach, author, radio host, spiritual marketing consultant
Kyle Nash – One World Festival Promotion Team
There will also be a bit of time on each broadcast to ask questions, both over the phone OR via the webcast.
Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Transformation Coach, Book Promotion Coach, Author, radio host
About Lynn Serafinn, Creator of Spirit Authors
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has produced two #1-selling book campaigns, and another #2-selling campaign, in just the past 4 months. She created Spirit Authors to offer training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. She’s also in Round 2 of the Next Top Spiritual Author contest! To check out Lynn’s video entry, brand new book proposal and read 80 pages from her book The Garden of the Soul, go to http://www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=2016. A free gift awaits you when you cast your vote.
If you’re looking to reclaim your inner space this month, Karen’s luscious Walkingspirit Retreat runs June 26th to July 3rd in Tuscany, Italy. See full details at the end of this article to find out how to book and receive a discount as one of Lynn’s subscribers.
When Karen Maycey (pictured above) changed careers to become a coach in 2005, she was asked a simple question: “What is your dream?” Karen replied quickly, saying, “My dream is to run a retreat in the mountains!”
She had first had this dream when she was working as a tour guide in the Austrian Alps. During that period of her life, Karen had a successful and exciting career as a guide for long haul and adventure holidays. She had taken groups to the Great Wall of China, through the US National Parks, and countless times through New Zealand and Australia. And throughout those times, she kept dreaming of creating her own retreat-not one that was defined by the tour companies that hired her-which would incorporate yoga, walking, being in inspirational surroundings in the mountains (her favourite place) and good quality home-cooked food.
But the fact she was so successful at her job actually proved to be a distraction to Karen, and over time this dream got somewhat forgotten.
But when her coaching trainers asked the question, “What is your dream?”, the dream reappeared. And this time, she knew her mountain retreat would also include coaching.
But while the picture of the dream became clearer in Karen’s mind, life took over, and once again the dream got pushed into the background of her life. She says, “The dream sort of ‘hung around’ but it was semi-forgotten.”
In 2006, Karen she met a man named Verran, who was at that time a marketing director of private company. Soon, the two became a couple. Like Karen, Verran loved the mountains and the great outdoors, but his job offered little opportunity to live his passion. He had a dream to start a new company that incorporated his love for the outdoors and his work with businesses. Karen encouraged and supported him to follow his heart, and Verran resigned from his job. He soon started a company called “Outside Insights”, where he works as a walking guide taking businesses into the outdoors for team building, problem solving and personal growth. But Karen’s own dream was still not yet manifesting,
Then, April 2007 she took a course called Awakened Wisdom with Patrick Ryan where one of the tasks was to create a “mandala” envisioning her dreams for the future and how she wanted to “be” in the world. Over and over again, the theme of retreats kept popping up, along with being open-hearted, tapping into cosmic love, being a shining star, and being a catalyst for change and an inspiration. She was inspired by the words of Marianne Williamson that spoke of allowing one’s light to shine, and that it didn’t serve anyone for her to hide away. In making this mandala, Karen knew it was time to start being that shining star.
Astonishingly, within weeks of coming to that realisation, she was called by a company called “The Big Stretch” for an interview, and was subsequently hired. “The Big Stretch” was very close to her dream, as every gave her the opportunity to lead personal development courses for small groups that involved a “full on” week of coaching and walking in mountains of Spain. She felt this new job “semi-satisfied” her dream, but the bigger dream was still on the back burner. But all of it was slowly building up to the experience she truly wanted to create, and helped to give her the confidence she could do it.
But then, things changed.
In May 2008, Karen noticed a lump in her left breast. Shortly thereafter she went for an operation and her first diagnosis. At age 37, Karen had grade-2 breast cancer.
Karen was filled with shock and disbelief. How could she have cancer? She had always been so healthy and health conscious. She was young, fit, active, sporty and spent a lot of time outdoors. How could this happen?
But after the initial shock, she got down to dealing with the situation. After all, this was a matter of life and death. But Karen soon realised it was not so simple. She realised that deciding upon a treatment regime had to be something that matched her philosophy in life. Trusting her intuition, and frequently needing to hold true to her convictions in the face of advice she was receiving from her NHS doctors, Karen decided not to do chemotherapy, and embarked on a naturopathic route to healing. She felt her healing could only really happen if she worked in a way she herself believed.
Karen says, “I think what matters is that you believe in the choices you are making.”
She spent more than a year on an intense 5-hour a day regime that included detox and supplements, costing her thousands of pounds.
And all through the process, she kept saying to herself, “When I get better, I’ll do this or I’ll do that” But while her treatments seemed to be working well, and she began to look more healthy and vibrant than she did before the cancer, whenever her test results came back from the lab, the doctors never said, “Your cancer is gone forever.” Instead, they would always say, there is more work to do. It seemed like everything in her life was put “on hold” while she focussed on her cancer.
But then, over the Christmas holiday in 2009, things changed again.
She and Verran were on holiday on the La Vacchio farm in a valley in northern Italy. They spent many hours talking together about the experience of the past year and their vision for the future. Looking at the beautiful surroundings, Karen felt a shift within her. Suddenly, she realised how long she had been delaying her dream, year after year. But now she saw it was time to start living in the now. If she kept using other things as excuses to delay her dreams, they might never come true. And if she simply put her dreams on hold while she had cancer, she might even die before she had had the chance to live life fully.
In one instant, she shifted from a ‘When I get better then I’ll do…” attitude, to a ‘Go for it!’ attitude. It was time to do her retreat–NOW.
And in the serendipitous fashion of the Universe, no sooner had she made this shift, the owners of the farm asked her and Verran if they would be interested in running a retreat on their farm! So all of a sudden they had their venue sorted, without any effort.
Karen’s entire life has changed since then. She lives life fully and makes the most of every moment. She didn’t do this last year when she was focussing on her illness. There’s no more waiting for tomorrow, no matter what the situation might be–even when you have cancer.
So now, Karen wants to share her dream with the world. She says, “I’m really looking forward to showing others that self–indulgence–this lovely thing-is actually a gift for the sake of their happiness and health. I want people to have a gorgeous time reconnecting with nature and themselves, chilling out, and recharging their batteries.”
“What I want people to gain from the retreat is to know they matter–that they are important–and that they can choose their attitude in every moment. The retreat is an opportunity to kick-start loving life and to shift from deferring one’s dreams to being in now. The yoga, coaching, walking, wonderful food and beautiful surroundings will all bring that. It’s all about being in the present and going for what you want.”
“In a way, that’s the secret to life,” she adds.
WALKINGSPIRIT RETREAT
Date: June 26-July 3, 2010 (7 days)
Place: La Vacchio Retreat (in valley north of Luca, Tuscany, Italy
Retreat Leaders: Karen Maycey (coaching), Verran Townsend (walking guide), Lisa Jones (yoga)
Agenda: Coaching, Yoga, Walking, organic food, relaxing and fun!
There will be group coaching every day 1-2 hours, and the opportunity to have one 1-to-1 session of either coaching or yoga during the week.
Cost: £995 (including accommodation and food)
You can get £25 off to cost of the retreat if you say “Lynn sent me” when you book!
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has produced two #1-selling book campaigns, and another #2-selling campaign, in just the past 4 months. She is also the creator of Spirit Authors to offer training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. She’s also in Round 2 of the Next Top Spiritual Author contest! To check out Lynn’s video entry, brand new book proposal and read 80 pages from her book The Garden of the Soul, go to http://www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=2016. A free gift awaits you when you cast your vote.
When Vrinda Pendred (nee Barker) was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at age 7, the doctor failed to notice she had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as well, despite OCD symptoms being a huge part of why her parents had brought her to the doctor in the first place. Even when she was finally diagnosed with OCD at almost 14, Vrinda had no comprehension of how complex and wide-ranging the disorder was, even within herself. Only as an adult did she finally start to understand just how deeply OCD affected her life, mentally, physically, emotionally and socially.
Vrinda’s story is not at all unique. In fact, if there is anything rare about it, it’s that she was diagnosed as young as age 13. Some people don’t discover there’s a name for their intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviour until mid-life. Others are never diagnosed throughout their entire lives, their ‘quirkiness’ remaining a mystery both to themselves and to the people in their lives. We can only imagine the suffering they’ve experienced, struggling through homelife, school and work, feeling misunderstood by teachers, parents, friends and colleagues.
And it’s not just the people who have OCD who are suffering. Think of the frustration and heartache felt by millions of teachers and parents around the world, who watch their students or children struggling with OCD (often undiagnosed), but cannot understand what is happening because these children are too young to express what is going on inside their heads. The sense of helplessness, and even guilt, can be enormous, as they simply do not know what to do to help an OCD child, and are at a total loss as to how to manage or respond to the unusual behaviour and destructive anxieties.
And what is most poignant is the thought that all of this could be avoided – and even treated – if there were more education about the many facets that make up OCD.
And that is what Vrinda Pendred has set out to do. Now 27 years old, and a mother herself, she has merged her two most passionate callings in life: 1) writing and 2) educating the world about neurological conditions, such as OCD. Vrinda has created a unique publishing company called Conditional Publications, whose primary aim is to help push forward this education, by devoting its catalogue to publishing the works of writers with neurological conditions, thus giving a voice to the real experts on these mysterious disorders.
Put together by 20 writers and artists from around the world, all who have OCD, Check Matesshowcases a range of emotions, from love to hate, joy to rage, fear and sorrow to hope and optimism. There’s even a little bit of humour. What it doesn’t do is shy away from the truth. Every angle is covered, no matter how painful, which makes for a startling and moving read.
If you are wondering why I am so empassioned by Vrinda’s story it’s this: Vrinda is my own daughter, and I personally know what she has gone through to reach this remarkable achievment. I also know what I, as a mother, have felt watching her grow up. And lastly, my father had undiagnosed OCD, and it is only through Vrinda that I have come to understand much of the pain and confusion from my childhood.
On this Day-After-Mothers’-Day, I could not be more proud of my daughter than I feel today.
Whether you’re a parent or teacher of a child dealing with OCD, a therapist or coach of OCD clients, or you have OCD yourself, everyone will find something in this book that speaks to them.
And if you don’t think you know anyone with OCD, have a look around. I think you’ll be surprised (if not shocked) at how many people have it, but are hiding in silence and isolation. This book will open up your eyes, your mind and your heart, and will bring a long overdue healing for many.
And, true to her principles, Vrinda will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every copy of Check Matesto OCD charities, to encourage research and treatment for the condition.
AND… In addition to my gift, there are over 30 other wonderful gifts being offered by mind-body-spirit teachers, authors, coaches and healers from around the planet when you purchase the book on May 11th.
To find out how you can buy this book on May 11th
and receive over 30 other gifts, just click HERE
I hope you will join me in celebrating the launch of this unique book, Check Mates, the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about OCD.
If you follow my weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio, you know I open every episode by saying it explores “personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being.” While I believe all of my guests are “heroes” in their own right, never have I been more filled with emotion to introduce the hero of the show I hosted this past Wednesday, April 28.
Why? Because the guest was my own daughter, Vrinda Pendred, author and founding Director/Editor of Conditional Publications, a new independent publisher dedicated solely to publishing the works of authors with neurological conditions. Their first book ‘Check Mates’ comes out on May 11, 2010, and it is nothing short of groundbreaking. What makes Check Mates so special is that it is a collection of short fiction and poetry either about or inspired by the struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, all written by people with OCD. Whether solidly real, allegorical, or completely fictionalised, all the compelling work contained in this collection portrays the true story of this greatly misunderstood condition.
It is also the first ever book of fiction written entirely by OCD authors—including Vrinda herself.
This interview is stop number 6 on Vrinda’s 14-day Virtual Blog Tour to promote the launch of Check Mates. Yesterday Vrinda stopped by the blog of Yvonne Perry from Writers in the Sky. If you happened to miss that stop, just click here.
In our interview together on April 28, Vrinda started out by describing the struggles she faced as a child growing up with neurological disorders.
She was first diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at age 7, but doctors did little to educate her, her parents or her teachers about the disorder. She describes the frustration of not being able to explain what compelled her to think and do the things she did, and how this impacted her childhood experiences and emotions. For years, she pretty much kept the reality of having Tourette’s hidden from her friends, but she finally had a breakthrough when the topic of Tourette’s came up in a discussion in a science class at school when she was 13 years old. She described how learning more about her condition was a “stunning” revelation, and how it released her from the feeling she needed to hide her condition from the world.
Wanting to understand her condition, Vrinda requested to go back to the doctor to find out more. It was then that a new neurologist finally diagnosed Vrinda with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Vrinda, now 27 years old and extremely knowledgeable about both Tourette’s and OCD, said she finds it “shocking” she was not diagnosed with OCD by the paediatric neurologist when she was 7 years old, as “half the stuff you brought me to the doctor for [at age 7] was actually OCD, and not Tourette’s at all.”
Vrinda explained that OCD, Tourette’s, autism, bipolar disorder and other neurological conditions are genetic in nature, but the way they manifest in a person are “completely founded in your own emotional experiences in life.” Vrinda and I discussed how her diagnosis opened up my own understanding about my own frustrations as a child because my father (Vrinda’s grandfather) had OCD, although it was never diagnosed when he was alive. Vrinda gave some pretty humorous examples of her grandfather’s OCD behaviour in a way that only a fellow OCD person could recognise.
I asked Vrinda about the freedom she has found from learning about her diagnosis. She described how most of her life she had suffered from the terrors of intrusive thoughts, and when she found a name for what she was experiencing, and realised that other people experienced the same thing, she stopped feeling “crazy” and alone. She said, “Once it had a name, it seemed so much smaller. As soon as I could box it and put a name on it I said, ‘Ok, this is the OCD—and I am more than it.”
Vrinda discussed how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has successfully helped her with many of her obsessions, by enabled her to learn how to allow her anxieties to pass without acting upon them. She said, however, that “intrusive thoughts” were frequently much more difficult to overcome and she is still challenged by many of them.
Vrinda discussed how important it was for parents to “educate” teachers about how OCD impacts the child’s behaviour and performance at school. She gave an example of how helpful it was when one compassionate teacher allowed her to take an exam in his private office so she would not be challenged by her OCD by being in a distracting environment.
Vrinda went on to talk about her book Check Mates. She explained that the title “Check Mates” refers to the tendency for people with OCD to “check” things, and also because it is a collection of stories by people who have now become good friends (“mates”). The 20 authors of this book all met each other on a social network called “OCD Tribe” (http://ocdtribe.com). Vrinda said it was “indescribable” and “life-changing” to find a “tribe” of people who all shared the same condition.
She explained that what makes Check Mates unique amongst other books is that it is not a “self-help” book, but rather a book of fiction by OCD authors. She said she felt fiction was “more powerful” than an autobiography in this case, as readers who do not have OCD would be able to see something of themselves within the stories as well.
She explained how the stories in the book shed light on the wide range of the types of obsessions people with OCD have, such as fear of death, post-partum OCD, pre-occupation with religion, compulsive cleaning, self-harming, hoarding, counting rituals, checking, etc. “We wanted to show that OCD is a very complex thing. When you see it on television, they only ever focus on one or two problems that seem really extreme. They certainly don’t ever talk about the thoughts, or ‘pure obsessional OCD’ (obsessive ruminations), which in my view is the most debilitating problem.”
If you or a family member has OCD, or any neurological condition, you definitely will want to check out Check Mates when it comes out on Tuesday May 11.
When you are there, be sure to sign up for a “launch reminder” so you can receive over 30 free personal development gifts when you buy the book on the day of its launch. Amongst the gifts are a free short story on Tourette Syndrome from Vrinda, and a free mini-course from me called “Making Friends with the Monsters Under Your Bed.” Just click HERE to read more about the book and the 30 free gifts (if you are reading this article after that date, you may buy the book directly from that page).
I should also mention that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every single book goes to OCD charities, so when you buy it, YOU are also making a difference.
Being Vrinda’s mom makes me understand what they mean by the term “pride and joy.”
______
Be sure to follow Vrinda to her next Virtual Blog Tour stop on Sunday May 2nd, hosted by Geoff Laughton at http://geofflaughton.com/gltc/blog/.
You’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with anything. Why is Lynn suddenly publishing a recipe? Well, I think the fact that when I tasted this I thought I had gone to heaven might be reason enough. But if we need another reason, I can think of several, which I shall share with you AFTER the good stuff… the SOUP!
Equipment
The good news is, you don’t need any fancy equipment for this one. I am using a Tribest “personal” smoothie maker, and I imagine a good blender would also do the trick. For me, my personal smoothie maker is perfect because I live alone, and there is no waste or leftovers. It’s also extremely energy efficient because it is tiny, and you only need to run it for a few seconds to make your soup. The recipe below is for ONE serving (about 12 oz/400ml). If you have a larger blender/smoothie maker, and want to make more soup, just increase the amounts as desired.
Note: If you don’t have organic veg, or you don’t have whole spices to grind, you can still make this recipe, but really the taste is completely different. And if you think you don’t have time to make this, my TOTAL preparation time was LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!
Ingredients
First of all, I highly recommend getting your produce from a local organic farm. I just started ordering a weekly fruit and veg box from Riverford organic. They deliver it fresh right to your door. I have to tell you, the asparagus was SO tender, it was like eating a completely different vegetable from anything I’ve ever had before (and the humus I got from them was simply to die for!).
50 gm organic tofu (about 1” x 3” x 3” block)
6-8 stalks organic asparagus
¼ bulb organic fennel
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon powdered kelp (optional; I add this to boost my sluggish thyroid as it’s rich in iodine)
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin organic olive oil
1/2 cup water. The water should either be room temperature or slightly warm, if you prefer warmer soup. Do NOT use very hot or boiling water, as it will expand in the blender AND it will also kill off the nutrients.
How to make it:
Grind peppercorns and cumin seed with a mortar and pestle (you can use powdered, but it simply isn’t the same!). Set aside.
Cut tofu into 1/2” chunks and put in blender cup. Put in just enough water to cover them.
Blend tofu until it is a smooth cream.
Chop asparagus and fennel into small enough chunks to get around the blade of the blender. Put into blender and pulse until chunky.
Add ground pepper, salt, cumin, kelp and olive oil. Blend for 30-40 seconds.
Your soup is READY to eat! If it’s too thick, and some water (slightly warm if you want warmer soup).
This is awesome with a couple of slices of toasted no-yeast rye bread with humus. What a TASTE!
Ok… so why am I REALLY talking about soup?
Environment: Earlier this year, I took a “10/10″ pledge in which I vowed to cut my fossil-fuel consumption down by 10% in the year 2010. You might think reaching this goal is a diffcult thing to acheive, but something as simple as making raw organic asparagus soup can help you get started. How?
If you buy your organic produce from a local farm, like I did, you are saving on “food miles” as they are not being flown to you from the other side of the planet. It’s even BETTER if it comes from your OWN garden.
Coming from the local farm, and not the local supermarket, there is NO packaging or waste at all. Even the little bits of veggies that I didn’t throw into the smoothie maker I put into my compost bin, and it will be helping to grow vegetables in my back garden later this summer.
Running a little 200 watt blender for 40 seconds takes a LOT less energy (and costs a lot less money) than cooking a pot of homemade soup on the hob for 20-30 minutes, so it’s very economical, too.
Health: Eating veggies that are local means they are fresher, and packed with nutrients. The longer the gap between when your fruit/veg has been picked and when you consume it, the more nutrients are lost. Also, eating with the seasons (as organic farms provide you only season produce) will also improve your health, as it puts your body “in synch” with your environment, giving your greater immunity.
Spirituality: There is something very spiritual about getting closer to Source by eating organic, local, fresh and uncooked. I don’t think I will ever go 100% raw, but I have to tell you, when you eat something like this, you feel like you are tasting the Sun and the Earth, and that’s pretty special. It helps you feel connected, and lets you know that you are safe in this big, vast Universe.
Fun and Creativity: It’s actually pretty cool to make up new concoctions. I make up something new every day. I had a delicious melon and plum smoothie before. Sheer nectar!In fact, what’s so neat is that just about ANYTHING you toss into the smoothie maker can be turned into something really tasty and interesting. Experiment and set yourself free!
Closing thoughts Today, I found out another close friend of mine has breast cancer. Mind you, this particular woman is one of the most health conscious people I know, so if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. I do believe the high incidence of cancer in today’s world is due to us being just so disconnected from the Source of life, both in our food, and our state of being in general. Our failing health is a symptom that we human beings are craving a return to a more natural state of living in harmony with the Earth. And the good news is, I firmly believe it is “do-able.”
I took the 10/10 pledge because I love our Planet, and I also believe our dependency upon petroleum is simply a recipe for disaster, for so many reasons.
Let’s not consume THAT recipe. Instead, let’s start (un)cooking up our own recipes. I’ve done many things this year to make good on my 10/10 promise. If you do only one thing this year and nothing else, start off by making a pledge to buy local produce. Or better yet, how about starting a vegetable garden in your backyard? I’ve just done this with the help of a neighbourhood woman, as part of the new “garden share” project we at Transition Bedford are hoping to get going this year. But more on that another day.
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and author of the mind-body-spirit bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self.She is the recipient of the Bedfordshire Businesswomen Award for working with a community group for her work with Transition Bedford, part of the Transition Network, a grassroots initiative to build a sustainable future. She is also the founder of Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience, which offers training, community and support for aspiring and established mind-body-spirit authors. She also works as a campaign manager for book launches, and has produced two number-1 selling authors in 2010 so far. Coaching, training and campaign enquiries may be submitted at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that the 8 finalists have been announced in the the beautiful Awakened Wisdom Experience Contest on offer from Patrick Ryan. I know because I set up the page for them this afternoon!
The winner for this contest is being decided by PUBLIC vote. Each of the contestants had to answer a single question: ”
What will YOU give the world when you reclaim your brilliance?”
Please take a moment to go over the to voting page, and read the (very short) answers to this question each of our 8 finalists gave. Then, vote for the one you believe has the most passion and desire to make good use of the Grand Prize, which is a $3000 “Awakened Wisdom Experience” (AWE) including 4 one-to-one coaching sessions with Patrick Ryan, 2 VIP guest passes to his 3-day workshop “Awakened Wisdom”, and a signed copy of his new book, “Awakened Wisdom”. All I can say is there are some VERY deserving people on there.
And if YOU missed out on this great contest, no worries. Check out Patrick’s book “Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance”. It’s coming to Amazon on Tuesday April 20th (that’s just ONE week away). When you purchase the book on that day, you can receive over 40 GORGEOUS gifts from a lot of wonderful people (including me!!).
Patrick’s a personal friend and mentor of mine, and I have to tell you that his work (and this book) is simply AWE-some. I urge you to go over and sign up for a “launch reminder” at this page: so you’ll remember to pick up the book next Tuesday, and be able to claim all those gifts (my mind is boggled at how many there are).
Ok, that’s enough for now. Just remember 2 things:
P.S.: The CONTEST ENDS ON SUNDAY APRIL 18TH! Be sure to cast your vote before the end of the weekend, as the winner will be announced just after midnight on Monday.
“As students, we see our teachers come and go. After we leave, rarely do we get the chance to come back to tell them how they have impacted our lives. It is difficult to explain how the act of telling a teacher he changed your life can make you feel complete. What greater privilege can there be than to be able to tell someone, ‘You are the person who awakened my soul from its slumber; you were the vessel whence I found my voice.’”
This is a passage from my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Selfwherein I describe the feeling I had when I was reunited with a particularly influential teacher from my past after 33 years. It is a wonderful thing to be able to glorify and give back something to our teachers and mentors, no matter how old we are. That is why, with great delight, I wish to share with you the highlights of a recent interview I conducted with one of my personal mentors, Patrick Ryan.
Patrick Ryan is an executive coach, leadership trainer, spiritual teacher and author. He was one of two leaders (the other is the wonderful Mary Butler) who trained, held and watched me evolve when I was on the 10-month Co-Active Leadership programme in 2007-2008 in Spain. Patrick and Mary’s expert training transformed my life in the most profound way and I can say without reservation that I seriously doubt I would be doing what I am doing today had I not crossed paths with them. After the course was over, I also had the great pleasure of talking Patrick’s workshop Awakened Wisdom when he delivered it in London (a rare treat). It was on that 3-day course that I stood up in front of a room of people and declared boldly that I was finally stepping into the (somewhat scary) call to become an internationally known author and spiritual teacher, no longer hiding from my own Essence. And the rest, as they say, is history… and the future is still unfolding, minute by minute.
So of course, when Patrick asked me to be the manager for the launch of his book Awakened Wisdom – A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance, which was the long awaited book version of the teaching he had been transmitting through his workshop for many years, it was a no-brainer. What an opportunity to be able to give something back to one of the people who shaped my life so profoundly. In a nutshell, I simply want other people to enjoy and bask in the simple wisdom of his teachings. I also want Patrick to enjoy what he deserves by seeing his book reach thousands—perhaps millions—of people.
As part of the promotion for his book release, I had the great pleasure to interview Patrick on my radio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul on March 24th. It was a wonderful interview, and I thought as part of the Virtual Blog Tour, it would be perfect to share the highlights from that interview with you.
You can hear or download the complete interview in the player below:
If it does not appear correctly on your screen, you can grab it online at:
Here are some of the highlights of that interview:
Wisdom Gained From a Near-Death Experience
When Patrick was in his late teens, he “died”, his body being kept alive only from CPR. During that time, he “met the Divine,” which he describes as “that wisdom that is of this Universe and that this Universe is of”. He said this meeting, “Woke me up in a most profound way to the mystery and the ultimate nature of this world we are living in.”
He said, “That experience allowed me to see that there is a profound Wisdom holding this Universe. It enabled me to trust that that Wisdom ‘just is’, but at the same time it provided me no answers. So, I still had to go and figure it out. And that really is the journey all of us are on: ‘figuring it out’. And I think the thing we’re figuring out, at the core of it, is ‘who is the one that is walking the walk of this life?’ And, at the end of the path, when you keep dropping the veils, and move further and further into the Essence of that answer, you find there is no distinction between you and your neighbours, no distinction between you and the animals and the forest, or even the organisation you work for, and that we are just this one entity, this one Being that reflects back and forth who we are to each other.”
Reflections on Hearing and Answering Our “Call”
Patrick was leading a life on an entrepreneur, but was always interested in what makes people behave the way they do. He said he woke up one day curious about what else was “out there.” He felt “called”.
“But like with any call,” he says, “you usually cannot see the path ahead with much clarity. So it requires you to take a leap and just enter onto that path.”
I asked him, “What are some clues that people are hearing ‘a call’ in their life?”
He said, “For me, and also for a lot of people I was spoken with, some of the common factors include a ‘stirring within’, a sense of dissatisfaction with life as it is today, and a desire to touch into a deeper meaning or purpose. There’s a wanting to get more fulfilment or more congruency between our moving through every day and the higher levels of values we know exist, even if we don’t understand what they are.”
“I had always dreamed about going on a walkabout,” he continued. “That dream had never left me. And that’s something people should pay attention to. What’s the recurring, nagging, dream that won’t leave you alone? First it knocks gently, and then it shakes you harder, and at some point, if it’s important enough, it’s probably going to create something in your life much more dramatic until you ‘get it’.”
Experience as a Monk in Burma
Patrick told his story of how he became a monk in a monastery in Burma in the mid 90s, even though he had no such prior intention, nor did the monastery have a policy of taking on western disciples (he goes into this story in greater detail in his first book The Eagle’s Call).
He gave us a little taste about the essence of the teachings he received during his time as a monk, as well as a student of many shamans and other masters around the world. He said, “At the end of the day, I’m a very practical guy, and as much is it is easy to become seduced by the mysticism and big words around spirituality, it’s very important to me to be able to ground it to my daily life in such a way that makes sense. That’s why I created the ‘Eight States of an Awakened Life’ that my book Awakened Wisdom is based upon.”
Distorted Self, Divine Essence and the Observer
Patrick went on to explain the three-part aspects of our nature: the “Observer”, the “Distorted self” and our “Divine Essence”. He said it’s important to know “who’s in your shoes” at any particular moment in life.
He describes the “Distorted self” and the voice in us that “wants to take us out of the game” and “hold us in a zone of safety and comfort” and “whispers messages to us like ‘you’re not ready for that yet, if you do that people won’t like you, etc.” He said that it is interesting how the body will so often respond to this by getting ill on the very day you are meant to do something you fear, etc. He said, the more the “Distorted self” takes over the decision making in our lives, the more isolated we become and the more ‘self’ there is in us.
“On the other side, we have that part of us that is infinitely wise, that moves with the wisdom of what we acquired in this life, and also that goes beyond what can be explained by what we received in this life. This is the one in us that does not get caught in fear—the one that is about creating beauty in the world, about bringing life-giving energy into the world and transmitting it outward. It’s the one that can go into an organisation and sit in a meeting and speak the truth about what’s really going on, in a way that makes everyone go ‘Wow, you just nailed it. That’s exactly what we needed to hear.’ That aspect of us, I call the ‘Divine Essence’ because the more connect you get to this aspect, the less ‘self” there is in it.”
He said that our “Observer” is that other part of ourselves that is able to report the facts in life clearly and without judgment. Both Divine Essence and Distorted self are receiving the report from the Observer and “we get to choose who we’re going to put in charge.”
The Eight States of an Awakened Life
In the last part of our interview, Patrick named and described his “Eight States of an Awakened Life”.
1. A Good State of Intention
2. A Good State of Words
3. A Good State of Being
4. A Good State of Purpose
5. A Good State of Effort
6. A Good State of Practice
7. A Good State of Doing
8. A Good State of Understanding
He then offered a few REALLY simple and very profound practical example of how to apply the principles. If you wish to hear more, please listen to the audio.
Book coming to Amazon Tuesday April 20, 2010
I also strongly encourage you to buy Patrick’s book Awakened Wisdom – A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance. Dozens of leaders in the mind-body-spirit field have joined together to support Patrick in celebration of the coming of this book, and are offering over 40 free gifts to everyone who purchases it on the day of its Amazon launch on Tuesday April 20th.
I myself am offering 4 audio meditations from my transformation workshop The Garden of the Soul, to cultivate the four spiritual principles of Giving, Receiving, Becoming and Being. To be sure you receive this gift, along with all the others, just go to http://www.awakenedwisdom.com/Public/Amazon/BookLaunch/index.cfm and sign up for launch reminder so you remember to buy the book on April 20th.
Tomorrow, Thursday April 8, Patrick stops at Caron Goode’s “Intuitive Parenting” site. It should be really interesting. Check it out at http://intuitiveparenting.wordpress.com
In today’s world, you’ll see a lot of advertisements for beauty makeovers, pamper days and the like. That’s great for the body, but how about a makeover for the mind and spirit?
That’s what I imagine it will feel like to the lucky person who wins a wonderful contest being offered by coach Patrick Ryan, author of the upcoming book Awakened Wisdom: a Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance, which is coming to Amazon on Tuesday April 20, 2010.
As part of the celebration of the launch of the book, Patrick is giving away a $3000 “Awakened Wisdom Experience” (AWE) to one person. The AWE-some Grand Prize includes 4 private 1-to-1 personal coaching sessions with Patrick, a personally signed copy of the book Awakened Wisdom AND 2 free VIP passes to attend his 3-day Awakened Wisdom Workshop anywhere in the world.
Patrick is a world renowned executive coach, leadership trainer and spiritual teacher. For more than three decades, he has studied and practiced the way of an awakened life with spiritual masters and indigenous teachers all over the planet, and even served as a Buddhist monk in a monastery in Burma. His depth of spiritual knowledge, combined with his natural, down-to-earth personality, make him both a powerful and accessible coach and teacher.
Anyone who receives this exceptional prize should ready for a complete “inner beauty” makeover. And remember: there are TWO free passes to the Awakened Wisdom workshop, which means you can share this gift with a friend or loved one.
To enter the AWE contest, you only need to answer one question:
“What will you give the world when you reclaim your brilliance?”
To qualify, you will be asked to sign up for a “launch reminder” for Patrick’s book, Awakened Wisdom first. As soon as you’ve done that, you’ll be taken to a page with a link to the contest entry page.
A list of semi-finalists will be announced on April 12th. The Grand Prize winner will be decided by public vote (so be sure to get your friends and family on board to support you!).
And…
Even if you don’t want to enter the contest, do please check out Patrick’s book Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brillianceon that same page. If you scroll down on that page, you’ll see that dozens of authors, coaches, entrepreneurs and spiritual teachers have come together to celebrate the launch of this profound and practical book, by giving away over 40 very special gifts to anyone who buys the book on April 20. And I am one of them!
To everyone who buys Patrick’s book, I will be giving away FOUR free audio meditations from my Garden of the Soul Workshop. These are very special meditations I have never offered before anywhere, unless you happen to have taken my workshop. I hope you’ll like them.
Best of luck to all of you who enter the contest. Please keep me posted if you win, so I can announce it in my upcoming newsletter. I’d also love to hear your answers to this great question!
Please check out the video I made as my “pitch” for the “Next Top Spiritual Author” contest. I have entered my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, which as many of you know, is currently self-published.
The grand prize is a book contract from Hampton Roads Publishing, one of the top Body-Mind-Spirit publishers in the world, along with a promotional package worth over $50,000.
There are 3 rounds of voting. The first round starts MONDAY March 29, 2010, and ends May 3, 2010. I could REALLY use your vote to help me advance to Round 2.
Here’s the video I made for my contest entry. I poured my heart and soul into it! If you cannot see it on your screen, view it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8P92UVYwCQ.
If you think The Garden of the Soul deserves to go to a wider audience, please help me by:
1) Watching this video to help you decide whether you think I deserve the prize AND THEN
2) Voting for me at http://tinyurl.com/TopAuthorLynn between March 29 – May 3rd.
3) Help yourself to a THANK YOU GIFT on that page (it’s a collection of audio excerpts from my book)
4) SHARE the page via Twitter or Facebook (you’ll see the buttons right there on the page).
And there is NO pressure to choose only one author to win this contest! There are hundreds of great authors for you to consider, and you can vote for as many authors as you like (but you can only vote ONCE for each author per round).
I you can help me advance to Round 2 of this exciting competition, I will be EXTREMELY grateful!
My motivation is fuelled by your encouragement and comments. I’d love to hear what you have to say about the video, my book and whatever else, in the comments box below (if you are reading this in your email inbox, click HERE to leave a comment).
“Imagine a life through which you managed to rise above the fears and concerns that always linger faithfully in the background, haunting us with their song of intended safety, always with the purpose of keeping the status quo. Imagine a life without those messages you tell your Self about what you can’t do, or those messages that diminish the brilliance of who you are in any way. You know the voice I mean.
“Imagine that you integrated those voices in such a way that they no longer gripped you but rather informed you about interesting and relevant conditions to pay attention to.
“And now, as you are no longer held in false constraints, you are free. Free to listen and respond to the wisdom of the moment. Free to wonder what is possible in creating more beauty and dreams. Free to respond to the yearning of your heart that knows that more is possible…”
These are the opening words of a most inspiring new book by Patrick Ryan called Awakened Wisdom – A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliance. The first chapter is called “A Life Well-Lived”, and as we read it, we cannot help but think to ourselves, “Yes! I want to know how to have that!”
In his book, Awakened Wisdom, Patrick Ryan says a life well-lived is an awakened life, in which we shift away from our “distorted self” and connect with our “Divine Essence”, and allow that wisdom to guide us.
But how precisely do we DO that?
Fortunately, Patrick Ryan gives us a formula: the Eight States of an Awakened Life”.
Patrick explains the “Eight States of an Awakened Life” in great detail in his book Awakened Wisdom. He says, for our awakening to unfold, we must come into a “good state” of relationship with our understanding, our intention, our words, our being, our purpose, our effort, our practice and our doing. And when we are in a “good state” with all these things, we are able to see life clearly, and our decisions and actions in life become purposeful, powerful and meaningful.
It sounds very inspiring, doesn’t it? It is. But what I really like about Patrick’s book is that it is also a practical manual. There are dozens of affirmations and practical exercises to help you learn and master each of the Eight States, to help you begin to create your own well-lived life. It’s great to see such a spiritual book come down-to-earth so we can actually apply the teachings within our daily lives.
Awakened Wisdom – A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliancecomes out on Amazon on April 20th, 2010. To expand the giving and receiving of this wisdom I am giving away FOUR free audio mediations from my Garden of the Soul Workshop to everyone who buys Patrick’s wonderful book with the first 24 hours of its release. I’ve never offered these meditations before, as they have only ever been available to those who have attended my live Transformation workshops.
AND… In addition to my gift, there are over 40 other wonderful gifts being offered by mind-body-spirit teachers, authors, coaches and healers from around the planet when you purchase Awakened Wisdom – A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance on April 20th.
AND… Patrick is giving away an EXTRA special gift of his own: An AWAKENED WISDOM VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE, a 2-day global event where you can learn the Eight States of an Awakened Life directly from Patrick himself after you have bought the book. I’m really lucky because I’ll be hosting that event!
To find out how you can buy this book on April 20th, claim your free admission to the Awakened Wisdom Virtual Experience, and receive over 40 other gifts, just click HERE
Nearly 500 people registered 4 the #Spirit #Authors Grand Opening http://bit.ly/9pfpJV
My good friend @SpiritusShelagh was my co-host for the event. What a source of strength she is.
Oz Tweep @charlyjl was a wellspring of technical support in getting the site ready. Couldn’t have done it without her.
March 2010: Spirit Authors is now open and I have long waiting list of book campaign clients.
On #Spirit #Authors I teach new authors how to set use #Twitter to build a promotional platform and Amazon launch… as well as many other things (Oops! That’s more than 140 characters!)
Ok… enough with the Twitterspeak!!!
I am quite serious when I say Twitter has changed my life. Yes, my own book would never have become a bestseller without Twitter. Yes, I could never have helped Allison become a number-1 seller. Yes, I would not have gotten some fab new clients and an amazing literary agent. And yes, I would never have thought to create Spirit Authors and now have a blossoming new business as a result.
But it isn’t REALLY about business at all.
Have a look at all the Twitter links above. These are not just links. These are all REAL people whom I have come to know, respect and care about over the past year. Even though some of us are separated by tens of thousands of miles, we have all shared many a heart-felt conversation over the phone, and have been there for each other through the highs and lows.
And really, there are just so many other wonderful people I have met from Twitter (as well as Facebook, Ning and LinkedIn, in that order), I cannot count them.
When many people first come to Twitter, they don’t “get it”. How can you possibly communicate in 140 characters? How can you possibly make friends with people? How can you possibly build a business from it? WHY would you WANT to do this????
And I’m telling you now—it’s because of the PEOPLE!
I have made more close friends from networking on Twitter than any other form of networking I have ever tried… even more than “live” networks in my home town! While I do love Facebook as well, there is nothing (yet) that can beat Twitter for ideas going viral, and for meeting lots of people who share your interests within a very short period of time.
But as I said, it’s not just about the business. The friends I have met through Twitter are some of the most inspiring, supportive, positive and powerful light-workers I have ever met. That is why I have linked to EVERY one of them above.
So, if you are on Twitter, you should follow them. These are wonderful, beautiful people—get to KNOW them.
P. S.: This article was inspired by a Twitter conversation I had a new friend on Twitter @WendyMWarden. Many thanks, Wendy. This was fun to write!
P. P. S.: Knowing HOW to make Twitter (and social networking in general) work for you, both on a business level and on a deeply fulfilling personal level, is something of an art form. This is why I teach it on the Spirit Authors course:
In Module 2, I teach the fundamental principles of spirit-based promotion so you can create a fertile promotional platform for selling your book online using social networking.
In Module 4, I teach the “how to’s” of creating an Amazon Book Launch.
And, of course, there are 3 other modules on starting and writing your book, preparing for publication, and creating a brand and sustainable business from your book.
It’s my hope that by teaching authors (and authors-to-be) the techno-art of Twitter, they will not only find professional fulfilment, but they will also expand their world by connecting to others who understand them and wish to help them grow.
If this sounds like something you would like to explore, I offer a 14-day “Test Drive” on any Spirit Authors learning module for only $1. Visit the site at http://spiritauthors.com and check out the introductory audios and module overviews to see if there is something at Spirit Authors that can help you achieve your writing goals. And if you have any questions, please just fill out a contact form on the site and I promise I will reply personally.
Presenting an exciting NEW concept on the Internet, combining coaching, learning, community and business-building in a creative, spirit-based environment…
Spirit Authors (www.spiritauthors.com) is an innovative new membership site where established, new and aspiring authors in the mind-body-spirit genre can find everything and everyone they need to make their publication a success. Founded by bestselling author and award-winner teacher and coach, Lynn Serafinn, Spirit Authors provides learning, support and professional resources to mind-body-spirit authors, whether you are just starting out, or are already successfully published.
Won’t you please join us for our Grand Opening Celebration?
Monday 22 February through Friday 26 February (one webcast per day), from 3pm Eastern (8pm UK)
FIVE unique broadcasts on different topics including writing, publishing and marketing your book and beyond
FREE to attend; FREE to listen (via webcast)
A superb VIP panel of 18 spirit-based industry professionals, all leaders in their fields
Panellists include top-selling mind-body-spirit authors, editors, marketing specialists, translators, literary agents, publishers and basically wonderful people.
On the broadcasts, you will…
Hear the experiences and insights of 18 leading mind-body-spirit publishing professionals
Learn lots of new things about spirit-based writing, publishing and promotion
Have the opportunity to direct questions to the VIP panel via our webcast
Find out how you can “Test Drive” Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience for only $1
Receive some great free gifts just for checking it out.
Can’t make it to the live broadcasts?
No problem! Register for the webcasts you want, and you will receive a link to download the MP3 after the event. But don’t leave it too long before you listen to them… we’ll be giving away some freebies that will be available only during the week of the Grand Opening launch.
Who are our VIPs?
HOST: Lynn Serafinn, bestselling author, book promotion coach
Happy Monday to you. I just HAD to put this blog post up today because tomorrow, Tuesday 19 January, is a day I’ve been looking forward to for the past 5 months.
I’ve been working closely with Allison since the autumn to plan the launch of this book. Although I’ve been working with many authors over the past year, this is definitely the biggest and most exciting book campaign (other than my own!) I have coached so far. It’s been a BIG job for us, along with the help of many others including Yvonne Perry from Writers in the Sky, to coordinate all the events, create all the materials, and communicate with the dozens of people who have been involved. It’s been a LOT of work, but also a lot of fun.
As you can probably guess, even though I am not the author of this book, I feel a very strong connection to it, and I SERIOUSLY want to be able to say I helped one of my clients reach the Number-1 rank in Amazon Self-Help books tomorrow! But that’s not just because I have a natural “bias” here; I honestly believe Allison’s book deserves to be a top selling title.
Because whole gaggle of Allison’s friends and colleagues (including me) are giving away over 20 inspirational gifts to EVERYONE who buys the book on launch day. Gifts include audio books, eBooks, free memberships, meditations, photography, prosperity building, business help, personal growth, spiritual growth… all sorts of interesting stuff by some of top mind-body-spirit and business professionals. I myself am offering 4 audio book excerpts from my book The Garden of the Soul when you buy Allison’s book tomorrow.
Just go to http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch and you can read all about Allison’s book, and the bonus gifts. You can sign up for a launch reminder AND buy the book directly from that page TOMORROW. The page will go “live” from midnight Pacific time tonight.
Ok, so that’s my Monday news. I’ve got a lot more I will be telling you about in another week or so, when I finally start taking bookings for my new Spirit Authors Grand Opening. Spirit Authors is a new Virtual Coaching site where I’ll be helping mind-body-spirit authors just like Allison (and others who may be aspiring to become authors) to write their books, develop their promotional campaigns, and learn all they need to know about self-publishing in the mind-body-spirit genre. But more about Spirit Authors next time.
Until then, PLEASE be sure you get your copy of Allison’s book tomorrow at http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch. Hopefully while you’re downloading all your free bonus gifts, I’ll be celebrating the fact that Allison has hit number 1 on Amazon! I’ll be so happy for her when that happens.
Hope you are staying warm and happy this winter, and that 2010 is the year all your dreams come true.
Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Author, transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts Barbara Techel, author, publisher, educator, advocate for dogs with disc disease and therapy dog team volunteer. Barbara Techel began a journey five years ago that she never intended to travel. After her beloved Dachshund, Frankie, was diagnosed with disc disease that caused paralysis, she thoug […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts empath coach, metaphysical teacher, spiritual author and host of 'We Are One in Spirit' Podcast, Yvonne Perry. For many years, Yvonne Perry’s empathic abilities caused great distress until she learned how to protect her auric field. Her best-selling book, 'Whose Stuff Is This? Fin […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts spiritual author, minister, blessing giver and empowerment coach, Charlene M. Proctor , Ph.D. Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. is an ordained Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and a Deeksha facilitator trained by the oneness guides from Fiji and India. She is the bestselling author of 'Let Your G […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts author, spiritual educator, organizational psychologist, leadership development consultant, executive and life coach Sarah Rozenthuler. As a young woman, Sarah has struggled to talk with people, including loved ones, at key moments in her life. Because of this, she was always been interested in […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts author, revolutionary spiritual teacher and healer, Barbra White. From the age of twelve, Barbra White began hearing spirits, angels and even God. In her youth, she didn't understand what was happening, which caused her anger and unhappiness. When she grew up, Barbra devoted her life to hel […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts author, revolutionary spiritual teacher and healer, Barbra White. From the age of twelve, Barbra White began hearing spirits, angels and even God. In her youth, she didn't understand what was happening, which caused her anger and unhappiness. When she grew up, Barbra devoted her life to hel […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts Author, peace activist, Iraq war veteran, Paul Chappell. The son of a half-black and half-white father and a Korean mother, Paul Chappell grew up in Alabama. His father had been in the military, and had served in both Korea and Vietnam. Coming from this background, Paul was surrounded with viole […]
Bestselling author, coach and book marketer Lynn Serafinn hosts physician, spiritual author and teacher, Karen Wyatt MD. Dr. Karen Wyatt first became involved in hospice work when she was recovering from the grief of her father’s death from suicide. What she discovered from working with dying patients was not only the means for healing her own grief, but als […]
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PICTURED LEFT: Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH, who will be Lynn’s special guest this week. Details below.
Did you ever sit on the floor for too long and your leg went numb? Remember that horrible feeling you got when you stood up? At first, you don’t even feel your leg and your leg might wobble (or even collapse) underneath you. That happened to me on more than one occasion in India after having sat on a marble floor for several hours listening to a lecture. I had to get used to the locals laughing at me whenever they saw this western woman in a badly-wrapped sari fall over her own two feet for no apparent reason!
And while the above analogy is my own, the essence of this story is the fundamental principle of the book 
To find out more about the book and the free gifts, and to see a video in which Luis talks about how he came to develop this method to help people learn how to deal with pain, go to: 
Lynn: I heard you say once that “Self betrayal is a cultural habit”. Can you explain what you mean by that and give some examples?
In our modern society today, we as a culture spend enormous sums of money every year on our “healing” needs—from medicine and pharmaceuticals to alternative therapies of all kinds. We also spend millions on academic education. But rarely, if ever, do we spend money on educating ourselves on how to heal—especially emotionally.
Last year, I had the great pleasure of being one of the dozens of holistic and creative teachers at the annual 
If you’re looking to reclaim your inner space this month, Karen’s luscious Walkingspirit Retreat runs June 26th to July 3rd in Tuscany, Italy. See full details at the end of this article to find out how to book and receive a discount as one of Lynn’s subscribers.
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and author of the mind-body-spirit bestseller, 
Hi everyone,
In today’s world, you’ll see a lot of advertisements for beauty makeovers, pamper days and the like. That’s great for the body, but how about a makeover for the mind and spirit?
Please check out the video I made as my “pitch” for the 
I’ve been working closely with Allison since the autumn to plan the launch of this book. Although I’ve been working with many authors over the past year, this is definitely the biggest and most exciting book campaign (other than my own!) I have coached so far. It’s been a BIG job for us, along with the help of many others including Yvonne Perry from Writers in the Sky, to coordinate all the events, create all the materials, and communicate with the dozens of people who have been involved. It’s been a LOT of work, but also a lot of fun.
