Attitude and Longitude

Book Recommendation: The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Mastery of Love is a “practical guide to the art of relationship.”  In all of his books and teachings, Ruiz passes along the wisdom of his Toltec ancestors, who he describes as “men and women of knowledge” from southern Mexico who formed a society of artists and scientists thousands of years ago. He says that they came together to “explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones.”

As you read The Mastery of Love, it’s apparent that the information isn’t at all that new, and, in fact, you’ll find much in common with the fundamental truths at the core of many traditions, philosophies and religions of the world.

His description of love – how he lays it out in chapter called “The Track of Love, The Track of Fear” – is reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 13 from The New Testament.  Love is this, love is that…

My favorite part is when he gives a simple example of what makes the perfect relationship with a loved one.  He uses the analogy of having a relationship with a pet.  He says that this is a perfect relationship because you not going to change the animal.  “A dog is a dog.  It doesn’t matter what you do, it’s going to be a dog.  You are not going to change a dog for a cat or a dog for a horse; it is what it is.”

He goes on to explain that trying to change a person to fit what you want them to be is to like trying to change a dog for a horse.  If they are what you want, you will love them for who they are and vice versa. 

Following this profound piece of advice alone could save you a lot of money in therapy bills. And think of all the marriages that could succeed if folks realized this and decided to practice it?  

Ruiz explores all the myriad facets of love in this book and gets you moving along the path of mastery.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they bring who they are to what they do in life. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: The Bridge Across Forever

A couple of months ago, someone asked me what kind of books like to read.  “All kinds” was my first response.  “Okay,” I thought,” that was a cop out.”  So I amended my answer, “I like all kinds, but I really enjoy autobiographies and biographies that share the person’s growth and their ‘aha’ moments.”  But I wasn’t off the hook yet because this person’s next question was, “What are some that you’ve read?” 

Ever since that conversation, I’ve been reflecting about the particular books I’ve read that influenced me, inspired me and were based on true life experiences.

The Bridge Across Forever was one such book.  Richard Bach has such a way with words and storytelling that he has been my favorite author ever since I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull as a child.  Even when telling his own story, he infuses his writing with a down-to-earth poetic brilliance that I love so much. 

This book is a lovestory.  Bach reveals his quest for and discovery of his soulmate.  I won’t give his story away by telling you about it, but I will leave you with an excerpt that shows his skillfully playful writing style.  You’ll enjoy this book, especially if you’re a romantic at heart.

I felt like a surfer resting on his board, all at once some monster energy wells up, grabs him without asking him if he’s ready and there’s spray flying from the nose of the board, from midships, then from way aft, he’s caught on this massive deep power, the wind pulling a smile around his mouth.

There are excitements indeed, having one’s book read by many people.  One can forget, charging mile-a-minute down the face of a giant wave, that if one isn’t terribly skillful, the next surprise is sometimes called a wipeout.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they bring who they are to what they do in life. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: Five Wishes by Gay Hendricks

I read this book, which is subtitled, "How Answering One Simple Question Can Make Your Dreams Come True," when it came out in 2007.  That year was a tremendous time of transformation for me personally.  I'd taken a major career step in going solo, and I'd resumed writing my book in earnest with the goal of publishing it - which I did the following year.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of self-inquiry.  I've been doing Q&A with myself, analyzing why and what for, ever since I can remember, and especially with purpose since I was a teenager.  (My nature has always been rather socratic, I suppose!)  Hendricks' book grabbed my attention because of that resonance and then further influenced my own mission.

But that's not the only reason why I recommend the book.  This brief book is easy to read and digest.  It begins with a story - a very relatable scene - in which the author meets a stranger who, with his consent, asks him a big question that changes his life.

Throughout the rest of the book, Hendricks shows you how he has applied this question to 5 areas of  his life... hence his 5 wishes.  How can this one question help 5 wishes come true for him?  Well, you'll have to read the book to find out since I don't want to give anything away.  However, I will say that by the end, you'll have been introduced to a pretty simple and yet powerful way to turn wishes into goals.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: Unbroken

The subtitle says it well:  "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption"

You’ve probably heard the adage, “true life is stranger than fiction.”  If someone tried to make up this amazing tale, no one would believe it.  Except this IS a true story about Olympic athlete and World War II Airman, Louie Zamperini.  

Survival and resilience doesn’t even come close to describing this epic account of the life and near-death experiences Mr. Zamperini endured, including being adrift on the Pacific Ocean on a raft surrounded by sharks for 47 days and being savagely abused as a prisoner of war in Japan. 

Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, is a first-rate storyteller who spent 7 years researching and writing Unbroken.  She offers meticulous details and copious notes throughout and demonstrates a terrific ability to create pictures in your mind as you read.  The New York Times said that Hillenbrand “is a muscular, dynamic storyteller, never using an ordinary verb when a “teeming,” “buffeted” or “porpoising” will do. Her command of the action-adventure idiom is more than enough to hold interest.”

In short, I was swept into Zamperini’s story from page one… and it didn’t let me go until the end. 

It’s also deeply inspiring.  Someone I know was so moved by this book that it positively affected his outlook when he read it during some challenging times in his own life.  He said that until he read this story, he didn't have a true understanding of what it means to forgive. 

Yes, Unbroken is that powerful...

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: Follow The River by James Alexander Thom

This novel, (my second favorite novel after Illusions by Richard Bach) is based on the true ordeal of Mary Ingles, who was captured by Native American Indians in Virginia during a raid in 1755.  I recommend it for two main reasons... the writing is fabulous and the story is an inspiring tale of a woman's indomitable strength (one of my favorite themes!).

First let me say that I greatly admire Thom's writing style.  It is colorful and beautifully descriptive.  He cleverly pulls you along as he develops the plot and the characters, keeping you riveted like a good storyteller should.

Thom has authored many other historical novels, most notably From Sea to Shining Sea (about the Lewis & Clark expedition, as well as the exploits of the Clark family) and Panther in the Sky (about Tecumseh, the famous leader of the Shawnee nation), which was also made into a movie.  Follow The River was made into a movie as well, but it's not nearly as good as the book.  Thom is known for his meticulously research and use of primary sources.  He even walks in the footsteps of the characters.  For example, he traveled the entire route of the Lewis and Clark expedition while writing From Sea to Shining Sea.

When Mary Ingles was taken, she was 23, happily married and pregnant with her third child.  The tale of how she escaped after months of captivity and what she endured to follow the Ohio River through 1000 miles of wilderness in her effort to get back home is amazing and inspiring.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: The Magic of Thinking Big

I first heard of this book by David Schwartz because of Emeril Lagasse, the famous chef from the Food Network. Apparently, he read it when he was still the executive chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, which was, in mid 1980's, one of the pinnacle positions for those in a culinary career path (and some would argue still is!). The book challenged Lagasse to ask himself what more could he do with his career and life.

In case you're not a foodie like me, let me give you a quote from Wikipedia, which sums up what Lagasse did after he read this book. "The 'Emeril Empire' of media, products and restaurants generates an estimated US$150 million annually in revenue." Talk about thinking... and growing big!

Dr. Schwartz, who was a professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, wrote this book nearly 50 years ago, but its principles are timeless. And he doesn't merely focus on career, he takes a whole-life perspective as he points out that attitude determines whether people embrace opportunities in life, and how they handle difficulties and challenges. The book is filled with the message that professional and personal success is rooted in self-confidence, conviction and optimism.

Need a dose of practical inspiration to get you out of a rut? Read this book!

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Book Recommendation: The Science of Being Great by Wallace D. Wattles

Wallace D. Wattles was a progressive New Thought pioneer who lived 1860-1911. He is best known for his 1910 book, The Science of Getting Rich, which I also recommend. Indeed, that book is the one which Rhonda Byrne refers to in her bestselling book and extremely popular movie from 2006, The Secret. However, The Science of Being Great, is such a gem that I thought I would focus on it instead.

According to Wallace, "any person may become great" regardless of heredity. What I like, though, is that he doesn't claim that heredity doesn't count. In spite of the optimistic message of "your thoughts become your reality," he's a realist. He acknowledges that what we call genetics today, how you are brought up and what your inputs are will heavily influence your thinking.

The optimistic part that resonates with me, of course, is that you can succeed no matter the apparent limitations thrust upon you. He says, "The brain does not make the man; the man makes the brain." And, as we all know from numerous scientific studies, medical and psychological, this is not theory... it's truth. My friend and colleague, Tom Cassidy, who has a Masters in Physics, likes to point out that nothing can be called a science without having been proven time and time again that it's true. Otherwise it's just a theory. Wattles aptly titled his book because all that he discusses in the book is proven and true.

I appreciate one particular area that Wattles goes into, which, in my opinion, is only flirted with but not addressed in The Secret. That is the role of Source or Creator in the "your thoughts become your reality and how to change the habit of your thinking" process. Though he cites mostly from the Christian tradition (one of the chapter titles is "Jesus' Idea of Greatness"), I know from having read the preface of The Science of Getting Rich, that he also embraces concepts put forth in what he calls "Oriental Philosophies" such as the monistic theory of One is All and All is One from the Hindu tradition. He apparently also looks to some western philosophers including Descartes, Spinoza and Emerson to name a few.

This book is refreshingly direct. Wattles doesn't waste words, though he does repeat himself when necessary to drive a point home. It is a "certain way of thinking" that he lays out succinctly and clearly. For a man of his time, his writing style is remarkably pragmatic and direct.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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The habit of asking yourself, "Is this all I want?"

I'm reading Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.  It's one of those books that I picked up years ago, meaning to get around to it but never did.  Now I see what the buzz was all about because when I finish every little chapter I want to bookmark the golden nugget I just found.  This morning I felt I had to share this one:

     ..."It's what everyone worries about, isn't it?  What if today were my last day on earth?"  He studied my face, and perhaps he saw an ambivalence about my own choices.  I had this vision of me keeling over at my desk one day, halfway through a story, my editors snatching the copy even as the medics carried my body away.
     ... "Mitch," he [Morrie, who is beset with the fatal Lou Gehrig's disease] said, "the culture doesn't encourage you to think about such things until you're about to die.  We're so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks--we're involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going.  So we don't get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying.  Is this all?  Is this all I want?  Is something missing?"
     He paused.
     "You need someone to probe you in that direction.  It won't just happen automatically."
     I knew what he was saying.  We all need teachers in our lives.
     And mine was sitting in front of me.

And mine are all around me.  I am very aware that everyone and every situation are the teachers in my life.  Because of them, I do make the time to stand back and look at my life.  I constantly challenge myself to answer the question: "Is this all I want?" 

Oh sure, I get hooked.  Sometimes I have those downward-spiralling moments when I'm wrapped up with the egotistical things Morrie mentions.  But like I said, my teachers "probe me," and I make the space and time for personal retreats and reflection... and then I take whatever actions I'm called to do.  In doing so, I chose to be a conscious co-creator of my life with the intention of having no regrets. 

That being said, after taking my customary end-of-year personal retreat time, I'm ready for 2011 - I'm ready to receive the abundance of the new year!  Let's go!

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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Revisiting favorite wisdom from "The Secret"

Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" has been out for awhile now.  She made the film and then followed that up by the book in 2006.  I was scanning my bookshelves this morning and came across my copy again.  It reminded me that I'd taken notes while watching the movie.  Knowing I'd stashed them somewhere in my computer, I went searching for the secrets that I learned from "The Secret" in my files.  Bingo!  I found them and thought it'd be fun to share some of my favorite words of wisdom from the program. 

"The Secret's" main theme is about the Power of Intention.   Here are some favorite quotes on the subject:

What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about.

Our job is not to worry about the "How."  The "How" will show up out of the commitment and belief in the "What."  The How’s are the domain of the universe. It always knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way between you and your dream.

Some of the featured teachers in "The Secret" made excellent observations about maintaining good health - this point particularly resonates for me:

Laugh, stress free happiness will keep you healthy.  Parts of our bodies are replaced every day, every week, etc... Within a few years we have a brand new body.  See yourself living in a new body.  Stress degrades the body.  Remove stress from the body and the body regenerates itself. You can heal yourself.

We have more than enough...

The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, and happiness to go around.

And my favorite secret from "The Secret"...

When you realize your potential to feel good, you will ask no one to be different in order for you to feel good.

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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do.  To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com.
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My Book Signing Was More Profound Than A Dream Come True

I love books.  Words.  Writing.  Reading.  I always have - apparently before I could remember.  My mom says that I pretended to read books even before I could read. 

In high school I hung out with a group of my friends in the library habitually before school started everyday.  Sitting among the books, we discussed the books we were reading.  Geekiness at its finest!  

Not long after graduation, I visited a campus library, and the aroma of old books triggered for me what I would describe as similar to a profound spiritual experience (and I've had many profound spiritual experiences so far!).  I have loved books so much during my life that I even got a job at a bookstore during my last couple of years in college. 

Well, about 20 years have passed since I worked in the bookstore dreaming of having my own book on the shelf, and on Thursday I had my first-ever book signing.  It was an absolutely wonderful event.  However, something unexpected happened to me...   

There I was, fully anticipating I'd savor the moment of achievement.  I thought the thrill would be in the seeing of my book on the shelf or in the signing of copies of it for people.  And, don't get me wrong, I was, indeed, very excited.  This was one of my lifelong fantasies coming true, but, suprisingly, what I ended up savoring the most wasn't the achievement at all.  What ended up thrilling me the most was experiencing the gathering of loved ones who came to celebrate this moment with me - my husband, my daughter, my colleagues & clients, and my friends.  They beamed their love toward me, and I felt it - and I even felt it from those friends and family members who couldn't be there in person because they have all expressed their joy about my joy over the birth of this book. 

After all is said and done, I guess you could say that I had another profound experience in connection to books again... but this time it has had to do with the love of and gratitude for those who share their journeys with me.  The book was merely a catalyst for something far more wonderful, and I have been touched in a way that goes much deeper than the already-deep joy that I have over making a dream come true. 

Forgiveness, Wholeness and A New Earth

Just about everyone I know is abuzz about the Eckhart Tolle book, A New Earth.  Apparently, he has teamed up with Oprah, and they're doing a book study project.  Even though I don't watch her show or subscribe to her website, I appreciate Oprah's overall work.  And I'm excited that Tolle is able to partner with her to reach a larger bandwidth. 

Tolle's first book, The Power of Now and then A New Earth both affected me deeply.  What he says is nothing really new, of course, but his direct style, which cuts through the clutter to state truth and wisdom with amazing clarity, really has resonated with me for the past five years since I've become acquainted with his work.  Since it's become so popular recently, I've been planning to say something about how A New Earth influenced me, but back in 2005, when I read it, there was so much profoundness, I haven't known where to start.

Then this last week, a friend and I were talking about how she has let go of a painful past experience with someone she knows professionally.  She decided how she might tell a new story about it if she is ever asked.  We talked about forgiveness and what that means to us.  I told her that to me forgiveness means personal healing - that by forgiving you don't necessarily have to condone the behavior of the person who wronged you, but that in forgiving you restore your own wholeness.  Then I remembered a quote from M. Scott Peck that explains this so very well, "The reason to forgive is for our own sake.  For our own health.  Because beyond that point needed for healing, if we hold onto our anger we stop growing and our souls begin to shrivel".

But then I remembered that in 2005, I'd journaled some thoughts about forgiveness when I read A New Earth, and suddenly, I knew what I wanted to say here today.  Below is an entry that I'd like to share.  Thank you to the angels that inspired my memory to find this!

December 21, 2005 Wednesday
Contemplating forgiveness:  Tolle says something in his new book, A New Earth, which resonates:  "At times you may have to take practical steps to protect yourself from deeply unconscious people... somebody becomes an enemy if you personalize the unconscious that is ego."  Nonreaction, he goes on to say, is forgiveness, and "To forgive is to overlook, or rather to look through... You look through he ego to the sanity that is in every human being as his or her essence."

Then he speaks of resentments and grievances:  "A grievance is a strong negative emotion connected to an event in the sometimes distant past that is being kept alive by compulsive thinking, by retelling the story... of 'what someone did to me' or 'what someone did to us'... One strong grievance is enough to contaminate large areas of your life and keep you in the grip of the ego... Don't try to let go of the grievance.  Trying to let go, to forgive, does not work.  Forgiveness happens naturally when you see it has no purpose other than to strengthen a false sense of self, to keep the ego in place.  The seeing is freeing."

And he adds:  "The past has no power to stop you from being present now.  Only your grievance about the past can do that.  An what is a grievance?  The baggage of old thought and emotion." 

Interactive Self-Coaching Book

When I first found out about Jen Blackert’s, Seven Dragons, A Guide to a Limitless Mind, I thought it might be just one more book talking about the Law of Attraction since Blackert has studied those programs.  I wondered if this book would add any more substance to what I had already heard.  However, what I had been doing wasn’t working – the first quarter of 2008 was all about speed up-slow down, speed up-slow down.  I was like a car lurching forward on the road even though the fuel gauge doesn’t read empty and the engine and tires are in working order.  Maybe this book would point out something to help me accelerate and steady my momentum.  Obviously, I needed to do something.

Yes, this book engages and acknowledges the Law of Attraction, but Blackert adds her own blend of perspectives and so it’s not necessarily a rehashing what you’ve already heard.  Instead, her suggestions help unlock what you already know but haven’t quite tuned into yet.  Because of the interactive nature of the book – the practical-exercise aspect – you are able to access your own wisdom and put the principles to work for you. 

What I appreciate most is the variety of activities so that if one thing doesn’t resonate for you, there will be something else that does.  You can also skip around and use whatever you want whenever you’re ready.  My favorite exercise, and one which has propelled me forward in amazing ways within the span of a few weeks, is work I did in association with what Blackert calls the resistant dragon.  Something happened when I did her T.H.E.M. exercise that was very powerful for me, personally.  Bottom line, I had understood zero resistance in theory, but it wasn’t until I did Blackert’s mental unblocking exercise that I really got it and could actually release resistance.  Out of this work, I came up with a plan to move things forward – now it’s full throttle ahead and no lurching!

"Uncertainty breeds creativity and success" - Helen Harkness, Ph.D

Helen Harkness, Ph.D. presented to a group of career development professionals in Austin on October 19. I was among the privileged 60 or so in the room for her workshop. She's been at the business of career consulting for about 30 years now, having founded Career Design Associates Inc. in 1978. She teaches, has authored several books, and is the living definition of dynamo.

"Uncertainty breeds creativity and success" is what she added to her autograph in my copy of her last book, Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life. I love that! Talk about transforming circumstances through attitude... seeing uncertainty as an opportunity for creativity which can then lead to success. My kind of thinking!

Before diving into that book, however, I decided to read her earlier Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century. So far, I'm jazzed. Considering how many job seekers I meet who worry about their age, I really look forward to referring this material... especially chapter eight, “Seven Steps for Resetting Your Career Clock”. In this chapter, you can do exercises which are very affirming and provide much needed re-focusing no matter where you are in your career journey.

Anyway, you've gotta love a futurist like Dr. Harkness whose functional age, as she calls it, is far younger than her chronological age. While she quotes Alvin Toffler, refers to Daniel Pink and reminisces about her own career, she expounds with energy and enthusiasm on the page as well as in person. You'll find that she's well-researched in chaos theory, understands the business of business, draws from her vast knowledge of literature from when she was an academic dean and educator in that field, and delivers her insights with the down-to-earth sense of humor I've come to admire in strong, determined Texas women.

She seems to be all about finding out what you're built for and then finding a way to do it. For example, she suggests that you ask yourself these four critical questions:
--What is a need now or in the future?
--Do I have the skills or could I get them?
--Would I value and find meaning in doing this?
--Can I make the money I need?

I particularly love the concept she calls the “YOYO” model. The acronym means “You're On Your Own”. She says that yesterday's work model, "Womb-To-Tomb", in which you worked for one employer for most of your career, is passé.  In that old model, management helped you develop your career.  Nowadays, you have to be ultra alert to your situation and aware of all possibilities... and manage your own career. She adds that "you have to know what you want inside of you and outside in the market" and advises: 1) know yourself, 2)know what's out there, 3) ask for it effectively, and 4) know that you deserve it. That last one, "know you deserve it" sounds a lot like an attitude stance, doesn't it? I would have to say that it's one which is absolutely vital to career success.

Go check out Dr. Harkness' website, and read her books. This is a woman who walks the talk, and you'll find her wisdom to be helpfully practical as well as inspirational.

The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior - Book & Movie

About four years ago, I bought a bargain-priced copy of Dan Millman’s The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. When I was in college in the 1980’s, I worked part-time at a bookstore in the mall. I remember this book being a pretty good seller back then, so I casually picked it up thinking I’d get around to reading it soon. However, I stuck it in my bookcase and then forgot about it. On a whim, I plucked it off the shelf early last year and finally read it... to my delight.

Well, you could say there’s no such thing as doing something on a whim just as you could say there’s no such thing as coincidence. The messages in this book are so pertinent to my personal growth and where I am right now, I know it was with purpose that my hand was guided to pick it up at last. You know the adage, when the student is ready the teacher will come. That’s how it is with books and me. Anyway, I highly recommend The Way of the Peaceful Warrior and now see why it was so popular when it came out. The good news is that the author’s experiences and messages are timeless and universal.

I like that the book is a refreshingly easy read. Guess I’ve been into some intense shake-you-up, wake-you-up material lately. It’s nice to have a break from the heavy stuff. Even though The Way of the Peaceful Warrior contains wake-you-up messages, it’s a book you can enjoy on different levels. I especially like the humbling-the-ego-to-get-in-touch-with-your-true-power aspect.

Something I can’t help noticing is that Millman’s approach is very much like Richard Bach’s autobiographical style. Check out Illusions. To this day, Illusions is still one of my all time favorite books. There’s another interesting similarity to Illusions. Both feature a character along the lines of Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid, Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, etc. You know what I mean – reluctant hero meets teacher with special powers and/or knowledge. In this case, Socrates is Millman’s Jedi Master so to speak. I tell you, it’s the kind of hero’s journey plotline that Joseph Campbell would relish pointing out to us.

As soon as I finished reading the book, I heard that a film version was being released. It turned out to be a limited theater release, so only one place in town showed it on the big screen. Not able to work it into my schedule to go across town to see it during its fairly short run, I decided to wait for the DVD. I have to admit it, I had low expectations. I mean, these events were supposed to have happened on and near the campus of UC Berkeley back in the 60’s, told retrospectively in book form in the 80’s, and now made into a 2006 movie with – of all the actors who could play Socrates – Nick Nolte. And, add in that it didn’t get much notice when released.

Got it and watched it anyway. Still think the book is better, but the movie is a pleasant surprise. As in most book-to-movie translations, something is lost. Details and certain character development parts intrinsic to the full gist of the story are left out. In spite of that, the movie stands up well on its own. I actually really enjoyed every minute of it... every minute of what they chose to capture out of the book that is. While I’m not a huge Nick Nolte fan and though he’s not as I imagined Socrates, he pulls it off pretty well. The actor who plays Millman, Scott Mechlowicz, does a fine job. He believably expresses a wide range of emotions without overdoing it. He successfully portrays the transformation of his character.

Dan Millman said in an interview with amazon.com, "Although the movie covers only the first two-thirds of the book -- leaving out the most important part of the story -- it still manages to capture the spirit of the book, and to offer wisdom that can impact the lives of those who view it." I would agree with that observation.

There’s one more thing I want to say about the movie, and then I’ll stop because I don’t want to give too much away. Normally, so many slow motion scenes in a film would turn me off, but in this one it works. Slow motion in sports-themed movies is a device usually used in order to help build momentum to the audience’s expectations during an impending victorious moment. Since Peaceful Warrior is not a typical sports-theme movie, the slow motion moments are more artfully applied. I was able to stay with those parts without being jolted out of the movie. To me, it’s true craftsmanship when your attention and sense of time remains suspended throughout a film. Slow motion can be cleverly worked in to achieve that very effect. Overuse of such special effects and you can find yourself thinking, "Oh, that’s right, this is just a movie."

The filmmakers could have been tempted to make this a sappy piece of crap, but they stayed true to the messages and created a little gem. Read the book. Watch the movie. The book gives you so much more, but the movie is a really nice complement. You’ll enjoy both as a breath of fresh air... and maybe get into some other levels of personal meaning as well.

Just A Few of the Gems of Profound Wisdom I Found in Paulo Coelho's book, The Fifth Mountain - a worthy read!

Paulo Coelho’s The Fifth Mountain, is a retelling of the story of Elijah, the famous prophet of ancient Israel. In the scene below, Elijah has fled the city of Gilead. The Lebanese-born princess, Jezebel, has convinced her husband, Ahab, King of Israel, that the prophets are a "menace to the growth and expansion of Israel". In truth, her goal is to convert the people to the religion of her homeland. 450 nabi are executed while Elijah, having miraculously escaped a soldier’s dead-on arrowshot, runs away into the desert. After spending several days alone, a crow appears, dropping a tidbit of meat from his beak so Elijah can eat. Soon, he plays a game with himself, pretending he has become the crow and begins to talk to himself as if he is the crow. The "conversation" holds several gems of profound wisdom: how we choose to see things relates to our level of happiness; never give up on your dreams and desires; see the sacred in everything; and know that as our destinies unfold, the paths we choose are our apprenticeships. With spare language and eloquent storytelling ability, Coelho captures all of these insights in this one short piece of the book. Enjoy!

     Elijah remembered [the woman who used to make bread]. She had come to ask him to make some trays. While Elijah was doing as she asked, he heard her say that her work was a way of expressing the presence of God.
     "From the way you make the trays, I can see that you have the same feeling," she had continued.
     "Because you smile as you work."
     The woman divided human beings into two groups: those who took joy in, and those who complained about, what they did. The latter affirmed that the curse cast upon Adam by God was the only truth: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." They took no pleasure in work and were annoyed on feast days, when they were obliged to rest. They used the Lord’s words as an excuse for their futile lives, forgetting that He had also said to Moses: "For the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it."
     "Yes, I remember the woman. She was right; I did enjoy my work in the carpentry shop. She taught me to talk to things."
     "If you had not worked as a carpenter, you would not have been able to place your soul outside yourself, to pretend that it is a crow talking, and to understand that you are better and wiser than you believe," came the reply. "Because it was in the carpentry shop that you discovered the sacred that is in all things."
     "I always took pleasure in pretending to talk to the tables and chairs I built; wasn’t that enough? And when I spoke to them, I usually found thoughts that had never entered my head. The woman had told me that it was because I had put the greater part of my soul into the work, and it was this part that answered me.
     "But when I was beginning to understand that I could serve God in this way, the angel appeared, and – well, you know the rest."
     "The angel appeared because you were ready," replied the crow.
     "I was a good carpenter."
     "It was part of your apprenticeship. When a man journeys toward his destiny, often he is obliged to change paths. At other times, the forces around him are too powerful and he is compelled to lay aside his courage and yield. All this is part of the apprenticeship."
Elijah listed attentively to what his soul was saying.
     "But no one can lose sight of what he desires. Even if there are moments when he believes the world and the others are stronger. The secret is this: do not surrender."
     "I never thought of being a prophet," Elijah said.
     "You did, but you were convinced that it was impossible. Or that it was dangerous. Or that it was unthinkable."
     Elijah rose.
     "Why do you tell me what I have no wish to hear?"
     Startled at the movement, the bird fled.

Love Whispers All The Answers You Seek by Terah Duncan Stearns

Just a quick sharing of some wisdom from an awesome book I just finished reading called Love Whispers All The Answers You Seek by Terah Duncan Stearns. Click on the link to see the book and my review on Amazon.com. (Thank you for turning me on to this one, Cathy!)

Remember, you are a powerful magnet. You can attract love,joy, abundance, and infinite blessings or you can attract fear, frustration, anger, and lack of prosperity. God has given you free will to chose. The creative energy is flowing constantly. Attraction is happening whether you realize it or not. Chose wisely and your life will shift into an amazing canvas of joy and prosperity.


Okay, you guys, how much more plainly can it be stated? Here's wishing you the awareness you need to make it a beautifully abundant day!

Zero Resistance Selling Is Not Just For Sales Professionals

Last week, I picked up and started reading Zero Resistance Selling by Maxwell Maltz.  Interestingly, it was published posthumously and is not really his work directly, but, rather a compilation of his work from Psycho-Cybernetics along with input from 5 entrepreneur types who are experts in sales and business development.

Jen Blackert, Attraction Marketing Coach and author, suggested this book in one of her recent e-zines.  Since I believe Jen knows what she's talking about, I decided to check it out.  Just like these things usually go, it happens that this treasure was already sitting, collecting dust, on my shelf! It's said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  I think that it's the same way with books.  (I could also say the same of Jen, of course!)

So, I picked up Zero Resistance Selling and dug in.  Good stuff!  It's not just about selling - it's about Creative Visualization, Ego, Self-Image, Power of Thought... and Attitude.  If you’ve read Rhonda Byrne's The Secret or watched her film like just about everybody has, then you’ll be familiar with the message.  Maltz isn't saying anything new, really.* But, put into this context, it really becomes INSPIRING… and not just to the professional salesperson.

While I'm not a professional salesperson in the traditional sense – I don’t sell widgets for a living – selling is connected to my work in two ways.  First, I "sell" to clients when I attract their business, and they "buy" into my willingness and ability to help them with their needs.  That takes knowledge and expertise, but it also takes persuasive ability, even if applied unconsciously. Secondly, when I coach job seekers in the job search process, it all comes down to their ability to "sell" the hiring manager on the concept that they're right for the job.

The stories and suggestions in Zero Resistance Selling are applicable to any circumstance when you’re persuading others to see the value of what you’re offering. Whether you are in a job search, pitching an idea to the boss, or trying to convince your spouse that it's time to buy a new car, you need selling skills. Think about it. Imagine that you’re a scriptwriter or a producer. You’ve got to "sell" the idea of getting your movie made to a studio. Imagine being in charge of the IT department, and you’re about to go into the board meeting. Today is the day you get to "sell" your project idea to spend money to upgrade the computer system. Pretend you are a manager who wants to hire a certain person who’s been highly recommended to you. You need to figure out how to "sell" that person on working for you and your company. Okay, now imagine you’re on the other side of the equation. You are hunting for a job and have attracted a great interview opportunity. You are definitely walking into a sales process because you have to "sell" the potential employer on the idea of hiring you. The interview is your sales presentation. It certainly contains the following components of a sales call: The small talk to break the ice, the pitch (especially when they ask, "So, John, tell me about yourself"), the discussion of needs (all good salespeople probe for problems their product/service will fix), the discussion of qualifications to meet the needs, the possible objections, price (salary) negotiation and the closing of the deal.

Check out Maltz’ Zero Resistance Selling, and while you’re reading, use your imagination to make slight adjustments to the verbiage so it fits your situation. You’ll see immediate ways to be successful using Visualization, Power of Thought and Attitude, not just in selling but in life overall. I’ll close with parts of a passage from the book containing good common sense about our reactions to people who make objections to what we’re "selling". As you’ll see, it’s not just about selling. It’s a really a solid mini-discourse on dealing with frustration and anger.

     "Your first – and worst – option is to respond with anger, frustration and resentment. Or the second option is to respond…with stubborn, dumb persistence. Third, you could respond by being a victim and blame the [clients] or circumstances beyond your control. Or, finally fourth, my choice: you can be inspired and motivated to seek new opportunities, to correct your course, and to rise above frustration. You make this choice. No one makes it for you.

     "If you respond with anger, frustration and resentment, you turn off your Success Mechanism and turn on your Failure Mechanism…

     "But more immediately, anger clouds the mind, so that accurate, analytical thought is impossible. Imagine being put inside one of those giant mazes that are in some royal gardens in Europe. You must use your wits to find your way out. You must remain calm, try this path; if you meet a dead-end, you must reverse, correct, and move in another direction. It may take you hours of patient movement to find the exit. Or you may do it in minutes. But if you lose your temper and get angry at the maze, and give yourself up to anger, it can only take longer to escape. Time can only be lost to standing there in the maze screaming at it or ripping and flailing at its walls with your hands. It could care less. It will not budge. You can only escape by looking for the exit, not by being angry."


*(Another truly inspiring book on sales success resulting from adjusting attitude and self-image, is Frank Bettger’s, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. First published in 1947, Bettger, a personal friend of Dale Carnegie, tells his story of turning from professional baseball player into successful salesman.)

Being Influenced by Richard Bach

“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however.”

Richard Bach, Illusions [1977]

     Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah is a book I discovered in my late teens, and it’s still my all-time favorite novel.  It’s about a guy who makes his living barnstorming (selling bi-plane rides to folks) and he comes across this other fellow in a farm field doing the same thing.  When they meet, the book gets playfully cerebral and deeply spiritual.  The main characters’ exploratory conversations and various adventures center around the classic concepts about life being an illusion and about our power over matter.  If you’ve ever read The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, you’ll know what I mean by the tone and style of this book.  There are certain similarities between the two…

     I was heavily influenced by Richard Bach when I was a mere adolescent.  After reading his most famous short novel, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I was inspired to draw seagulls, write poems about seagulls and ponder the deeper meanings of freedom and individual expression.  That book impressed upon me the idea of remaining tenacious and steadfast in achieving my goals as well as being true to myself in spite of peer pressure, perceived limitation and even death… or, rather, changing states of consciousness.

     After Illusions, I voraciously read Bach’s autobiographical The Bridge Across Forever and One, which focuses on his romantic relationship with his wife – who he calls his soulmate.  In these books he also relates his handling, or, rather, mishandling, of success and his research/quest for knowledge on various topics ranging from quantum physics to ultra-light plane piloting.  Much like the voice he uses in Jonathan and Illusions, he is refreshingly very honest and open in these memoirs.

     Illusions still stands out as his best work though.  Not only does Illusions hold a sentimental place in my heart since it entered my life at a developmentally important time, the story dared me to consider everything from a new angle.  That was and still is really exciting!  Every once in a while I re-read the book, and I always come away with something new.  It’s so jammed packed with challenging concepts.      

     The above excerpt is one of my favorites because it expresses the timeless wisdom, “ask and you will receive” as well as “with free will, you have the power to co-create your situation”.  I’ll close with yet another of my other favorite Bach quotes from Illusions which is “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.”

Book Review: Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculée Ilibagiza

     You have to check out the book I just finished reading last night...  Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculée Ilibagiza.  Talk about inspiring!  If you haven't heard of Immaculée, let me tell you briefly about her.

     During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, when she was 23 years old, two of her brothers and her mom and dad were among the 1 million Tutsis slain in just 3 months.  The local pastor hid Immaculée and 7 other women in a 4'x3' bathroom for 91 days.  She has finally gotten her story published, and what a blessing to the world that she did!  This is an amazing account of survival, determination, spiritual faith, and creative visualization, but, more importantly, her story is about forgiveness.  This is an amazing woman.

     That is as much as you’ll read on the flyleaf of the book jacket, so that’s all I’m going to say – you can get more details by reading her remarkable book.  Left to Tell Website

There’s a quote that I’d like to close with – one that I came across after having a personally profound experience with forgiveness several years ago.  The act of forgiveness is a truly trans-logical experience, but this quote does give us a logical reason to try to forgive. 

“The reason to forgive is for our own sake.  For our own health.  Because beyond that point needed for healing, if we hold onto our anger we stop growing and our souls begin to shrivel.” –M. Scott Peck

Book Review: The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors And Closing Deals Online, by David Teten and Scott Allen

Below is my book review that I hope will appear on Amazon.com soon.  I was so impressed by this book that I just had to say something here, especially because it helped me to understand what my friend Deb was talking about when she kept telling me about blogging.  If you don't mind getting a little left-brain with me here and if you are curious to know more about how the virtual world is becoming more and more relevant to our everyday lives (especially if you want to better identify with the young people of today, who are sometimes referred to as the digital generation), then check this out.  Otherwise, stay tuned.  I'll be publishing some more uplifting attitude and inspiration stuff soon! 

As its subtitle suggests, The Virtual Handshake is all about interfacing with business and social contacts through the worldwide web.  In my field (recruiting), the lines between business and social contacts blur since everyone I encounter might need either a new job or project, might know someone who does, or might be in a position to hire.  Networking is not just about pressing flesh and passing business cards at a luncheon these days.  There is a rapidly growing area of opportunity to meet people and make deals on the internet.  However, please note that The Virtual Handshake does not merely expound the virtues of the internet or report results of deals closed and marriages made, the authors also make the technologies easy to understand and provide practical advice on how to use what’s out there.  Published in 2005, the book provides current information on various virtual options and their uses.  The authors cover topic such as social software and services online; virtual clubs and associations; tips on managing the deluge of email; basics on blogging; effective use of email blasts without being perceived as a spammer; netiquette; privacy protection; and, of course, real-life examples of the use of the virtual medium.  Easy to read and very useful, The Virtual Handshake is a primer for those of us who haven’t been hip to the virtual world that’s out there.  It made me wonder if I’ve been living under a rock!  The good news is it’s not too late to learn, and this book will definitely help.  Oh, and you should check out their site for additional, ongoing information updates as well:  http://thevirtualhandshake.com