I have known Becca Smith for many years now. My first introduction to her was through your journal company called Oberon Designs. I had purchased one of her beautifully crafted leather journals, and was so impressed with the quality that I contacted her just to acknowledge her for the wonderfully designed journals and also to purchase additional journals as gifts.
During our dialogue recently I found out that she is also an author of a book entitled The Art of Surrender, about her personal journey with breast cancer. Becca is also an artist and used art as an expressive outlet while she journeyed through her challenges with breast cancer. I love this quote from her book “As an artist I responded to my cancer diagnosis in the only way I knew how, to be as creative as my diminished energy would allow. As a daughter, sibling, friend and colleague, I did my best to relinquish the independence and self-absorption of my previous life and open as wide as possible to the help and love of others. My ultimate goal was not to be victimized. I did all I could to embrace, not the disease, but my life story that had suddenly, when I needed it most, taken a mythic twist. I welcomed a poetic and mystical quest fueled by the power of symbolism, metaphor and analogy. I wanted to embark on my own hero’s journey and make the most of what life might offer while it lasted.”
It does not really matter if you are a survivor of cancer, or have never been touched by the disease at all. Becca’s personal journey and the lessons learned about life in general are interesting. In my interview with her we explore the fears and blessings that having a potentially life threatening illness can impart upon one as they traverse the treacherous battle with the disease. What you will find is that surrender to the disease both through her art and emotiona is what helped heal Becca.
I encourage you to listen to this wonderfully revealing podcast, and if you would like to learn more about Becca’s book, visit her website by clicking here.
At the beginning of this year I met Marci Shimoff at a conference in Los Angeles. I had the pleasure of being able to listen to a presentation she made on happiness. I was so impressed with her research and findings that I asked her if she would be interested in doing this podcast with me.
There is something you might want to know about Marci, and that is she is also the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, and is a featured teacher in “The Secret”. She is a highly sought after speaker, and has done her research to find what creates happiness in our lives.
Marci conducted interviews with what she terms her “Happy 100″. What she found out is that happiness is not an abstract emotion–it’s a physiological state that can be measured and experienced more often in our everyday lives. She found that we all have a “happiness set point” that is approximately 50% genetic and 50% learned. Marci states that no matter what happens to us we tend to return to our set level of happiness. The good news is that we can reprogram our happiness set-point to a higher level of peace and well-being. Marci explains in her book “Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out” that instead of trying to change our outer world in order to be happier, all we really need to do is change our happiness set-point. And it’s easier than we think.
In her interviews with the “Happy 100″, Shimoff found that happy people live their lives differently than unhappy people; they have different habits. The three guiding principles or universal laws, that she calls, The Guiding Three” are: First, what expands you makes you happier,(The Law of Expansion). Second, the universe is out to support you, (The Law of Universal Support) And third, what you appreciate, appreciates, (The Law of Attraction).
In my interview with Marci we cover the 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out. I know you will love listening to this vivacious, outgoing and wonderful soul, Marci Shimoff dialogue with me about what creates happiness. I highly recommend her book entitled “Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out” and for more information about her seminars and workshops please visit her website by clicking here.