Mike O’Mary (pictured left) believes every one of us has the power to change someone’s life.
When Mike was a teenager, his brothers and sisters were placed in an orphanage. He moved away to live with his father, but he visited his siblings whenever he could. While Mike always tried to do something special during the time they spent together, he never really knew what his brothers and sisters thought of him or his visits with them.
But many years later, Mike received a letter in the mail. He opened it to find a hand-written note from his youngest sister. In that note, she told Mike how much she appreciated his kindness during one of his visits, when he took her out to choose a Christmas tree. She said it was the first time anyone had ever taken her to pick out a tree, and how after all this time she had never forgotten how wonderful she had felt that day.
That note healed years of self-doubt Mike had carried with him since he was a youth. He was so moved by his sister’s note he could not help but reread it many, many times.
But then one day, Mike realized there was tremendous power in this simple note, and he decided it would be a good idea to share the story of his sister’s note with other people. First he told the story in a newspaper article. Later, he wrote a book called The Note. Mike was encouraged by the response he received from the public.
But one day, Mike woke up and thought, “If one simple hand-written note can change my life so profoundly, what if I could inspire one million people to write a note of appreciation? It could make the world a million times better.”
And that, in a nutshell, is the essence of Mike’s latest creation:
The Note Project is a global movement to make the world a million times better by inspiring 1 million people to write a note of appreciation to someone who made a difference in their lives. It is free to join AND because Mike is so passionate about writing notes of appreciation, a portion of all proceeds from the sale of his book The Note on The Note Project website goes to charities that support literacy projects around the world.
Mike’s vision for how The Note Project will change the world is pretty inspiring. He says, “Everyone has the power to make the world a million times better. And it’s so simple. Just think of all the people who have made a difference in your life, whether friends, family members, neighbors, teachers, employers, co-workers, old classmates. Think of the good times you had together or the nice things they did for you…Maybe they cheered you up when you were sad or made you feel special when you were questioning your self-worth…Whatever it was, a simple note of appreciation from you could make their day, their week, and maybe even their whole year!”
To celebrate the launch of The Note Project, Mike is hosting a FREE 3-day online Note Project Telesummit where you will hear wisdom from 10 world-renowned authors, artists and speakers on the topic of “Appreciation as a Way of Life.”
P.S.: It’s completely free to join the movement to make your pledge to send a note at http://noteproject.com. But if you need a little help to think of ways to write your note, check out Mike’s book The Note on his website.It’s available either as a full color gift book (for $14.95) or as an eBook (for only $1). When you buy the book during the month of April, you can receive a great collection of free gifts. See http://noteproject.com/launch/pages/ekit.html for details.
“I am a rock. I am an island…
And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries”
~ Paul Simon, 1965
“…No man is an island, entire of itself…”
~ John Donne, 1624
We humans are social creatures.
We thrive through connection, community, collaboration and co-creation. And although I firmly believe that each one of us is perfectly complete in and of ourselves, at the same time, it is the nature of our creation that connection to others is what makes us far more than the sum of our parts. The example I always think of is the iconic musical group The Beatles. While each of these musicians (along with their musical director George Martin) was undeniably talented in his own right, this group collaboration was massively more creative, influential and productive than the sum total of work produced by all of these artists independently. If you think about it, you might even call The Beatles the most “pop” example of a “mastermind group”, whose sole reason to exist was to churn out challenging, trend-setting (and highly profitable!) music. It’s a clear case of “The Power of We” in action.
The power of “We” is something that has long been known to leaders, both in governments and business. In there book Meet and Grow Rich (2006), Joe Vitale and Bill Hibbler discuss the history of the idea of mastermind groups citing that many people believe the idea of “the mastermind alliance” was originated by the famous mega-business tycoon Andrew (Dale) Carnegie who attributed much of his success in rising from an impoverished upbringing to becoming the richest man in the world to the power of collaboration. And what is most interesting is that Carnegie had started using mastermind groups to help him achieve his personal goals as early as 1850, decades before he reached the pinnacle of his business success.
A look back through history shows us all manner of mastermind groups (in all but name) started by Benjamin Franklin (The Junto), P.T Barnum (The Cary Salon), Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr (The Metaphysical Group). Back when I was a music history student in Boston (I can’t
believe it’s almost 40 years ago!), I also learned about “The Florentine Camerata,” a group of humanists, musicians, writers and other intellectuals led by Vincenzo Galilei (father of the astronomer Galileo Galilei) in the late 1500s, who gathered regularly to discuss and influence trends in this arts. Taken in its broadest sense, this highly influential alliance was also a “mastermind group.”
Now the interesting thing is, most people tend to associate mastermind groups with business growth. But note that the above examples were NOT all focussed on business and profits. Far from it. Rather, these groups were havens of great ideas, inspiration and innovation. Just like The Beatles, they created far more together by dint of their mutual brainstorming and power of intention than they were likely to have done on their own.
What is even more remarkable to think about is the fact that all these groups have all changed history in some way, whether it is in business, government, philosophy, science, technology, the arts or world view.
Ok, I think I’ve made my point about mastermind groups. Now here’s the news I want to share with you.
My client and very good friend Allison Maslan has started a brand new, and very elite, mastermind group called Pinnacle Program that will have its first meeting next month (January 22nd 2011) in La Jolla, California. I am part of this group, as are also nearly 30 other entrepreneurs in a variety of fields. Some of them are names many of you would recognise I am sure. I have joined the group because I have a vision of creating something specific in 2011–a legacy, if you will–that will be the “pinnacle” of my life’s work on this planet. I believe the “power of we” will help me success in getting the project off the ground.
The Pinnacle Program is filling up, but it still has some room for a few more members for 2011. Allison is organising this group in such a way that anyone who wishes to be a part of it must be with us from the very beginning. In other words, you cannot just join later in the year. This is not a “personal development course.” Nor is it just a bunch of people getting together to network 4 times a year. It is a highly structured, very clever program with many different forms of support, including four annual full-day masterminds, weekly pod calls, monthly group coaching, and even daily support. Allison is even throwing in a full year’s free subscription to her Blastation motivational software (that’s worth $300 on its own).
A few weeks ago, Allison and I did the “10 Steps to Reach Your Pinnacle”webinar. I know from the emails I’ve received from people who attended that some of you out there are thinking about joining The Pinnacle, but have a lot of questions you would like to ask before you commit to such a program.
That’s why Allison and I are holding an online Question and Answer session on Thursday December 9th, specifically to answer any questions you may have about mastermind groups, The Pinnacle, or the benefits you might expect from joining this group.
This is a completely OPEN call. That means you DON’T have to sign up to attend or give your email address. It will be driven solely by the questions we receive from you either in advance or on the live call.
Click “Listen In” and you can listen EITHER via web or via telephone
(the phone number and access code will be displayed when you select “telephone” as your option).
Not sure you can make the live call? Want to ask a question in advance? There’s a question form right on that page where you can ask whatever you want. Be SURE to include your email address if you want a personal reply.
I look forward to hearing your voices on this Q&A call, and to the possibility of collaborating with some of you throughout 2011 on The Pinnacle Program.
Oh, and just as a point of interest, the above quote from Paul Simon’s song “I am a Rock” was first recorded as a solo piece in 1965, but it didn’t make it as a hit until he collaborated with musical partner Art Garfunkel and re-released the track the following year under the name Simon and Garfunkel. The words themselves are meant to be ironic, but the history of the song makes them even moreso.
Long live the “Power of We”!
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 several top-10 book campaigns, including FOUR #1-sellers, in 2010 alone. She created Spirit Authors to offer training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. Contact Lynn about YOUR book project at at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.
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PRESS RELEASE: WOBURN, BEDFORDSHIRE – 18 November 2009 – Today at Woburn Sculpture Gallery, Bedfordshire Businesswomen (BBW), a not-for-profit networking organisation for women who live and/or have business interests in the Bedfordshire area, now in its 21st year, announced their annual business awards for outstanding achievement in various categories. Amongst the six winners for the 2009 awards, which were sponsored by Barclays Bank, was Lynn Serafinn, a Bedford-based community leader, transformation coach, personal development trainer, public speaker, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Ms Serafinn received the BBW award for “Working within a Community Organisation or Not-for-Profit Organisation” owing to her work as Founder of the Global Wellness Circle, and also as the Chair of Transition Bedford, a new initiative that is part of the worldwide Transition Network addressing climate change and fossil fuel dependency.
In spring 2008, Ms Serafinn noticed that there was a large faction of practitioners in the holistic health and wellbeing industry who felt isolated both professionally and socially, having no way to promote their businesses or to educate the public about the benefits of living a more natural, holistic lifestyle. In response to this, she formed Continue Reading…
Rarely do I feel moved enough by a video to put it on my blog, but this one was so captivating and moving that I simply had to. It is a pictorial journal by Hans Silvester, who photographed the people of the Omo River in Ethiopia. They treat their bodies as artists’ canvases, clearly expressing their feelings of connection to and love for Nature. Take a few minutes to be amazed at the stunning beauty and complexity of the artwork, the intense emotion that comes through their expressiveness, and the sheer freedom you feel as you watch a whole culture of people letting go of inhibitions and ego and simply expressing the Art of Creation itself. If you happen to have read my book The Garden of the Soul, the Omo people are the perfect expression of the “Principle of Giving”, which is the unfettered outward expression of the Authentic Self. Surely we could all learn a lot about our real relationship with the Earth by meditating upon these jaw-droppingly beautiful images. Enjoy this!
The following blog post was originally written for Transition Bedford site at http://www.transitionbedford.org. I decided to include it here on my own blog because, although it makes references to working within the Transition Network, the key points are relevant to everyone who wants to understand more about what it means to be free at an inner level, and to understand more about why they may not always be creating the impact in the world they desire to create. I welcome your comments and feedback, as I spent significant amount of time writing it, lol! Hope you enjoy it. –Lynn
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Whether we are aware of it or not, the members of the Initiating Group (IG) at Transition Bedford are now evolving from the “forming” stage into the “storming” stage. Can you feel it? Entering the storm means we are making real progress, even if it seems unclear right now. So, at this important juncture, in hopes of taking us even further into the eye of the storm, I’d like to share some ideas which have been swirling about in my mind ever since my Transition Training in London. It has to do with media, our responsiveness to it, both conscious and unconscious, and our role as leaders in the community. After much reflection, I believe in our work within the Transition network, it is essential that we bear in mind
1. That we as an initiative will need to understand and address publicemotions that may be stirred up by the media in all its forms (TV, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, pop culture, music, advertising, Internet, social media, etc)
2. That we will also need to become acutely aware of how WE ourselves are impacted by media, whether consciously or unconsciously
3. That we will need to know how to protect ourselves against succumbing to any unconscious unwanted impact, so we do not become “reactionary machines” instead of creative, resilient human beings, both individually and collectively.
4. That we will also need to become acutely aware of our own impact upon our community as we reach out to them.
5. That we will also (and most importantly) understand how toavoidunintended impact upon the community.
It is important to understand that these statements do NOT mean that we, as part of the Transition Network, are not entitled to our emotions. It would be an unreasonable expectation to think that we as humans should never feel angry, overwhelmed, grief-stricken, bitter, hopeless or cynical, especially when we are facing issues of such importance as climate change. Nor is it true that, by being part of a Transition Town initiative, we are expected to become super-humans or non-humans.
Awareness Raising and Inner Sustainability
by Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC Coach, author Lynn Serafinn dicusses the inner work needed before Transition Town groups embark on awarness raising, to ensure personal and societal resilience. For more information on Transition Beford go to http://transitionbedford.wordpress.com, or visit the Transition Network at http://www.transitionnetwork.org
It’s a paradox. Effective “awareness raising” is in many ways “awareness grounding”.
What I mean by that is that we tend to think that “raising” awareness in people is a matter of telling them facts and details so they may understand the urgency of an issue as crucial as climate change and peak oil. But it is my observation that when people become over-saturated with sensory and mental data, far from this raising their consciousness, they actually go numb. It’s called “overwhelm”. I used to be that way earlier in life (and I get back there occasionally when I don’t take care of myself). When the issues of life became too much for me to bear, I became numb, disconnected and resigned. This is a spiritual tragedy for any individual. But when an entire culture becomes numb, it is not only a tragedy, it is a recipe for societal self-destruction.
My good friend Karen Maycey, who came from Manchester to speak at the Bedford Wellness Circle on Monday, went through this process of overwhelm when she was first diagnosed with stage-2 breast cancer last year. Karen has always been a very active “go-getter” in her work as a coach and workshop leader, and prior to that as an international tour guide. She had always been on the constant run all over the planet. But shortly after she was first diagnosed, and via a very intense group healing session in which I participated, she intuitively came up with a motto for herself, which was, Continue Reading…
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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