Jim CathcartA month ago I was at the National Speakers Association meeting in San Diego and one of the first people that I bumped into was Jim Cathcart. I have know Jim for quite a while, as a matter of fact I first meet Jim at a Million Dollar Round Table meeting over 10 years ago. His work in the area of human potential has been a passion of his for many years. His book “The Acorn Principle: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself ” is a wonderful book focusing on developing self awareness. Each chapter is packed full of thought provoking questions to get you to think about personal mastery. In this podcast Jim discusses “thought breaks” and how they assist one in creating greater self awareness. Jim stresses that the more we know about ourselves the better our coping strategies are and the more likely we are to succeed.

Albert Einstein said that the hardest part of discovering the theory of relativity was determining how to think about it. Do you often think about thinking? Probably not. Thinking is something that has become automatic and we really don’t give it much thought…pardon the pun. Jim and I explore in this podcast how to become a better observer of self. Think for a minute if we were to have a video camera follow us all day long and record our actions. What would you observe about your patterns, behavior and actions that were either serving you or not?

I know you will enjoy this lively interview with Jim Cathcart and if after listening you are interested in learning more about Jim’s workshops, books, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. just click here for a link to his web site.

Will Marre My first encounter with Will Marre was through a seminar I attended at the University of San Diego. I have been to plenty of seminars and workshops in my day, but Will’s was particularly captivating and his message and topic were just what I needed to hear. The American Dream Project is focused on Generation X and the so-called Millenniums. The mission of the organization is to help individuals and institutions create, design and implement sustainable personal strategies, public policies, and citizen solutions that will lead to the greatest good and least suffering for each individual in our American society and globally. You must admit that this is a big mission and if anyone can be successful in getting people excited about living their dreams and and helping them achieve them it would be Will.

I went to Wikipedia and looked up “social entrepreneurs” to get a definition: “A social entrepreneur is an entrepreneur who works to increase social capital, often by founding humanitarian organizations.” Generation X and Millenniums, as they have been labeled, are generations that are focused on doing good for society whether it be environmentalism or helping to bring awareness to the many social problems we are facing.

I love the spirit of this generation and the fact that they have put their values first, and are not willing to compromise them for a job that will jeopardize their values. I work with several individuals in this age group and I am so impressed with their intelligence and willingness to do their part in making this a better place to live.

I would encourage you to visit the American Dream Project web site for more information on this forming community of committed individuals. I would also recommend Will’s book entitled “Your Dream Life,” as well as his set of DVDs. They are an excellent way for you to learn more about this social movement and will provide fascinating insight into the many social issues that we can all become involved in helping to solve.

Dave EllisI was in San Rafael, California a few weeks ago with my son Sean, and we had the pleasure to meet with Dave Ellis. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Dave which gave us an opportunity to learn more about his successful coaching and workshop business. Dave’s story is fascinating! He is a teacher, a coach and now a philanthropist with a mission to help people create the life of their dreams.

If at this point you are asking yourself the proverbial question: What can Dave Ellis do for me that other coaches, books and workshops that I’ve experienced have failed to do? That would be a valid question, and the answer is nothing. Because in the end you are the only one who can take the tools, techniques and processes and apply them to helping transform your life into what you want it to be.

But, in my humble estimation Dave Ellis and his content is the real deal and he provides you with the tools, techniques and processes to help remove the barriers that get in the way of your success. He teaches, through utilizing all of the learning styles, how to identify and work on transforming your beliefs and patterns. His book entitled “Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your Dreams” is the bible for his students. The format, layout and visual impact that his book uses to engage the reader is truly unique, easy to use and can be approached in a non-linear manner. Dave also conducts workshops by the same name “Falling Awake” and he has a staff of qualified personal/professional coaches to help those students who want to go more deeply into learning how to master the transformation process. I have read lots of material on personal growth and how to live your dreams, but Dave Ellis and his Falling Awake material is amazing. I also recommend his book entitled “Human Being.” You can get this book in PDF form by visiting his web site at www.fallingawake.com.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Dave Ellis.

Dan Millman About two weeks ago I had the good fortune to meet Dan Millman, the author of “Way of the Peaceful Warrior.” I had twice seen the autobiographical movie “Peaceful Warrior” about Dan’s life and was really excited to meet him. Prior to our meeting Dan sent me a copy of a book he wrote entitled “The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation.” This a short read but it is full of wisdom and guidance.

In the Laws of Spirit, Dan articulates the 12 Laws of Spirit that he learns from an encounter with a mysterious mountain sage. One of the Laws of Spirit focuses on balance and was particularly revealingly to me at this juncture in my life. The mountain sage uses a stick balanced on her hand and discussed the pull of desire and the push of fear as an analogy to get the reader to understand the concept of balance.

Think about it: We are either pulled by desire or pushed by fear. What happens if we don’t understand how to balance these two emotions? Frequently it can be paralyzing. If fear gets the best of us we freeze and don’t take any action. On the other hand if we become too focused on our desires and wants we acquire more stuff and get addicted to the stuff in our lives. Finding the balance between the fear and desire is so important to lead a healthy life.
I encourage you to read “The Laws of Spirit” and purchase or rent “Peaceful Warrior.” This is a wonderful movie about Dan’s spiritual journey, and a life changing event that forever alters the course of his life. It is an inspiring film that should leave you with many questions about your own life, and how to shift your perspective so that you might see this wonderfully magnificent world full of opportunity to overcome obstacles and achieve happiness along your path.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Dan Millman.

Again, I apologize for the lack of sound quality in this podcast. The upcoming podcasts that I’m working on in the next few weeks will feature vastly improved sound quality.

Larry Wilson It is certainly by no accident that one of the men who has influenced me the most is my first interview for our podcast and this blog. If you are not aware of Larry Wilson’s many accomplishments he is probably best known for having founded one of the largest learning organizations in this country, Wilson Learning Corp. I met Larry about 12 years ago after having read several of his books. I called him up at his ranch Pecos River in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I told him that I was starting a company called Sales Solutions Systems, and asked if he would be interested in meeting with me to discuss an opportunity that existed in the insurance industry. His answer was a resounding yes, and he welcomed me with open arms and heart when I met him at Pecos River some 12 years ago. Pecos River has since been sold, but what an incredible retreat facility it was, with ropes courses and beautiful scenery and some of the top training in leadership that this country had to offer at the time.

Since our meeting each of our lives have taken many twists and turns, but one constant is that Larry has always been there for me every step of the way to help guide me through the maze of business and personal growth.

In this podcast you will learn more about his current work “The Great Game of Life” and his book “Play to Win!: Choosing Growth Over Fear in Work and Life. Larry has recently developed a 12 session course that is one of the best personal growth courses I have ever reviewed. Later this year we will be bringing this program to our Digital Seed learning platform so that thousands of people can enjoy this work via the Internet and collaborate with others across the country in the process. This podcast is a wonderful insight into Larry Wilson the man and his own personal journey. I hope you enjoy it.

I apologize for the sound quality of my voice (Larry comes through much clearer). We are still getting the hang of recording phone conversations over here.