Chip ConleyI recently attended a conference in San Diego where author Chip Conley was one of the keynote speakers.  I was throughly taken by Chip’s personal story, and his new book entitled ” Emotional Equations-Simple Truths for Creating Happiness and Success .

I have been interviewing authors for over 5 years and have been immersed in the personal growth field for over 30 years.  Chip Conley’s new book  “Emotional Equations” is the real deal.  It is easy to understand, and I love how Chip has taken what sometimes can be difficult ideas to convey, and created equations out of them.  His formulas help the reader  take universal truths and turn it into a visual lexicon for mastering your life challenges.

I dont’ know how many of my listeners have read the classic book by Victor Frankl entitled ” Man’s Search for Meaning“.  If you are not familiar with the story it is about Frankl’s agony in the Nazi concentration camp.  The essence of this book is that the Nazi’s were attempting to break down the prisoners mentally, and  in Frankl’s words“everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”  Chip has distilled the essence of “Man’s Search for Meaning” book into this wonderful equation: Dispair=Suffering-Meaning.  How simple!!

Some of Chips’ other equations are: Disappointment = Expectations-Reality or Joy=Love-Fear.  No matter what emotion, Chip has a formula.

Chip states that their are parallels between math and life.  He states that when he was at is lowest point in his life that the “Meaning Equation” (above)  gave him the knowledge and conviction that if he placed his attention more on the meaning of his disparate collection of painful events, as apposed to the suffering, that he would likely have less dispair in his life.  He states that during his more troubled weeks, the equation felt as if it was his instructions manual for deactivating his emotional explosives.

If you are currently dealing with pain or suffering in your life, then I would highly recommend that you read Chips’ new book “Emotional Equations“.  I personally love how he has distilled our emotions into equations,almost as  if the equations diffuse our personal connection to the painful emotions, and  allow us to see the situation so much more clearly.

In all my years of working in the personal growth, mastery and human potential movement I have never come across a book like “Emotional Equations”.  It is a must read for anyone seeing to better understand their emotions!

 

If you would like more information about Chip Conley then just click here to be directed to his website.  You can also click here to be directed to his Facebook page.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with a great inspirational author Chip Conley.

Clint ArthurThis is my second interview with Clint Arthur, and every time I conduct an interview with Clint I am engulfed by his energy.  When you listen to our interview you will understand the enthusiasm for he his about the topic of his book ” The Last Year Of Your Life.”

Just imagine if we all lived our lives as if this were the last year— “impermanence” is just a fact of life.  My questions would be what might you do if you knew for certain this was your last year?  What bold and daring adventures might you take on, who would you give your gratitude and love to that is longing to make a deep connection with you.

Obviously, all of the above questions are valid and our infrequency to pause and  reflect on this subject is the opportunity.  Clint’s new book “The Last Year of Your Life” has been written to engage the reader to reflect on just what is possible.  What can you accomplish, what would you do?

Clint weaves his own compelling story into the book and sprinkles it with video segments that really give an upfront and inside view into what Clint is thinking about and encouraging the reader to act upon.  I must say the video’s are wonderful, Clint is vulnerable, authentic and delivers a message that is so important–what do you want to do with your life?

At once the book is crafted  like a guidebook, encouraging you to take action–while providing you with stories, insights and wisdom that Clint has experienced over the years.  But throughout Clint continues to ask you to take action.  Simple stuff like creating mantras, observing your negative thinking—all wonderful exercises to create a shift in your consciousness.

I would certainly recommend this book for anyone who has deeply pondered their existence on this planet, and  the words of the famous singer Peggy Lee–“Is that All Their Is?” running around in their head.  I am really dating myself!!   It does not matter your ethnic origin, color or sex we are all human and these deep reflective questions are what make our life worth living.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Clint Arthur, you can click here to be directed to his website or watch a YouTube video about the book by clicking here.  I hope you enjoy this very lively and engaging interview.

Nancy AndersonThis is my second interview with author Nancy Anderson. In this interview I speak with Nancy about “Work with Passion” a book she first wrote in 1984.  Her new and revised edition is now out, and the content has been updated and I must say is one of the best book available for anyone wanting to find “How To Do What You Love for A Living”

I think more than ever people are attempting to find work that is congruent with their values and has meaning.  What I truly appreciate about the books that Nancy has written on the subject of career path is that they are all focused on finding passion and the work that you love.

Nancy guides the reader through a very unique and revealing process as they read, write and reflect on their perfect career.  She starts her book off with questions that are designed to help you explore and find your passion.  As Nancy states ” To find the right work you need to know what you feel as well as what you think, since your feelings tell you what you value.  Feeling is not the abdication of thinking; on the contrary people who do not feel make dreadful errors of judgement.  Taking time to integrate your thoughts and feelings is how you get to know yourself, what is unique about you, you weaknesses as well as your strengths.

When you know what you want you have the courage to go after it, your mind and feelings work as a team to help you accomplish your objective. As with any search you have to know the right key words.  Your feelings provide your mind with these key words, since your feelings reflect what you really want.  The mind then goes after the goal following a logical, step-by-step process.

I personally believe that many of us spend our lives attempting to find a vocation that matches our values and has meaning.  Finding work that we love is truly a tricky combination of personal exploration and reflection as well as clearly defining our values.  Nancy mentions that loves power not only remodels your values, it also alters the values of those who receive your love.  In spite of what you experienced in the past you can decide to give love freely right now, even if you are not yet in the perfect job.  Loving without expecting a return will speed up the process of finding the work you want to do.  You don’t have to do anything you hate—you can choose to do the work you love to do.  That is power

If for any reason you are searching for the right vocation, then I would highly recommend reading Nancy Anderson newly revised edition of “Work with Passion“.  Also if you would like more information about Nancy and her services you can click here to be directed to her website.

 

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with one of my favorite authors Nancy Anderson.

Michael BosworthI had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Bosworth, a personal friend and someone who is always on the cutting edge innovating around sales and selling.  His new book “What Great Salespeople Do” really hits at the heart of selling as far as I am concerned.  It is about the emotional connection and the power of story.

I know that many of you who are in sales might think that you are really good at connecting with your customer or prospect, but what Mike and Ben reveal in their new book really can transform the way you sell and connect with your clients.

As long as I can remember we have been using stories to convey wisdom from generation to generation.  And in some respect, that is what great salespeople do.  They know how and when to use compelling stories to connect with their clients and prospects.

In “What Great Salespeople Do” you will learn how to : 1) relax a buyer’s skepticism while activating the part of his or her brain where trust is formed and connectons are forged. 2) use the power of story to influence buyers to change 3) make your ideas, beliefs and experiences “storiable” using a proven story structure 4) build a personal inventory of stories to use throughout your sales cycle 5) tell your stories with authenticity and real passion.

This new book is truly groundbreaking and will help the experienced storyteller as well as the novice, begin to convey their stories with convection and authenticity which is the foundation of making a deep emotional and personal connection with their clients and prospects.  You will also learn the importance of empathic listening which embodies, awareness, encouragement and reflection which is a big key in getting the agreement of the buyer.

When I say this is a hugh leap for the sales industry, that is an understatement.  Gone are the days of programmed selling and thank God for the wonderful heartfelt approach that Mike and Ben are teaching in “What Great Salespeople Do“.
I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with Mike Bosworth—if you want to learn more about his company Story Leaders please click here to learn more.

Nancy AndersonAuthor Nancy Anderson is probably the best career coach that I have every interviewed.  She not only seems to have a special intuition about what one’s career path should be, she has an amazing wise insight into our current career marketplace.  What I love about her book ” Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond” is that it is easy to read and more importantly full of great advice and guidance.

What she conveys in our interview together is that when one reaches midlife the desire to have a vocation that is meaningful and on purpose is heightened.  As she states we have gone through our years of  raising kids, growing our bank accounts and now we want to focus on a vocation that will make a difference.

I would concur with her, for me personally this happened when I turned age 50.  I also have spoken with many of my friends and their seems to be a stirring and uncomfortable feeling that we don’t have much time and we need to change career course with more meaningful work.

Nancy states that change for the better takes place in three (3) stages.  The first stage is when you admit that what your’re doing is not working, and you ask for help if you need it.  Then comes the second and most difficult state, stopping what your’re doing that is not working.  If you persist in your efforts, you reach the third and final state, making choices that work for your.  Now this may all sound simple, but when you are in the middle of a career and considering a choice this can be scary.

Nancy says that identifying and facing our fears is the crucial step in the first stage of change.  She states that in the book “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill discribes six basic fears that keep you stuck in the past. These fears are as follows: 1) the fear of poverty 2) the fear of criticism, 3) the fear of loss of love 4) the fear of illness 5) the fear of old age 6) the fear of death.  I would say that about covers them all.

Nancy also recommends that when we are ready to take the next step that we rewrite our life story.  Now this is probably the best advice for anyone wanting to explore their authentic self and the core of their personality.  Going through this exercise is very revealing, and can be life altering–I know for I have completed this exercise and it is extremely empowering.  You see that once you do this exercise this much if revealed from your past, and frequently we are carrying emotional baggage forward into our life today and it is not serving us.

So, if you want to work with passion and live the life you want I think that Nancy Anderson book “Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond” is the perfect reference.  She also is the author of “Work with Passion” which is also a great book on career coaching.  If you want to learn more about Nancy and how she can help you specifically please click here to be directed to her website.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with this wonderfully insightful career and life coach–Nancy Anderson.  You can also watch a wonderful video at YouTube by clicking here.

Michael LinenbergerIn the New Year I wanted to treat my listeners and supporters to better ways to manage their time and life.  This is my second interview with author Michael Linenberger, about this new book entitled ” The One Minute To-Do List“.

When Michael states that he can help you quickly get your chaos completely under control he is absolutely correct.  In my interview with Michael we discuss how he recommends his clients approach their to-do lists into urgency zones.  The first zone is referred to as the “Critical Now“.  These are items that you know are absolutely due today.  What is making you nervous and needs to get completed.

The next zone is what Michael refers to as the “Opportunity Now“.  You  list in this section of the worksheet those tasks that though not urgently due now, you would work on now if you had the opportunity.  Included things that may be due tomorrow, or later this week, even as far out as ten (10) days.

Now for the last segment of the list entitled ” Over-the-Horizon List“. On this list you will write down anything that is on your mind that can wait ten (10) days or more for you to get to it.   These are items that are obviously your slow-burn items.  These things are not troubling you right now as being at all urgent.

Michael states that we tend to overload our lists.  The first rule deals with how many tasks, and the maximum you should have in each section. The number one cause of a failed to-do list, particularly those that are automated, is that the list gets to big and overwhelming.  Michael suggest that we keep the “Critical Now” list to five (5) or fewer items, the “Opportunity Now” list should be fewer than 20 items.

If you are into automated systems Michael recommends a great program that is cloud based called “ToodleDo“.  I have provided the link to their website.  I started using is right after our interview and I have found it to be quite useful.  It is also simple, so give it a try you have nothing to lose.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with Michael Linenberger about his new book ” The One Minute To-Do List”.  Michael website is loaded with resources and forms you can download, so click here to be directed to his website.  If you would like to see Michael in action, then click here to watch a great YouTube video.

Steve FarberI have known author Steve Farber for several years now, and this is my second podcast  with him. His new book entitled “The Radical Leap Re-Energized” is the subject of this interview The Radical Leap Re-Engerized is designed for those readers and leaders who do what they do because they love it,  and and they are in service to others.

Steve is extremely passionate about his work, and in this new book which is part non-fiction and part fiction Steve guides the reader to renew their excitement for what they do and encourage others to lead with passion.  What Steve refers to as the Radical Leap is associated with 1) cultivating love 2) generating energy 3) inspiring audacity and 4) providing proof.

Love is the ultimate motivation of the Extreme Leader: love of something or someone, love of a cause, love of a principle, love of the people you work with and the customers you serve, love of the future you and yours can create together, love of the business you conduct together ever day.  Without the calling and commitment of your heart, there’s no good reason for you to take a stand, to take a risk, or to do what it takes to change your world for the better.

Generate energy-the Extreme Leader is a generator, a powerful force for action, for progress, and an enthusiastic believer in people and in their capacity to do the awesome.    Steve asks ” what gets you out of bed and brings you to work?” If you are to be the generator, where does you juice come from?  In what well do you dip your cup to get the nourishment you need to meet the obstacles and challenges that you and your face every day.   So what generates energy–Love, Great Ideas, Noble Principles, Leaping Goals, Interesting Work, Exciting Challenges and a Compelling Vision.

Inspire Audacity– for the Extreme Leader, audacity is the bold and blatant disregard for normal constraints in order to change the world for the better.  Love-inspired audacity is courageous and fille with valor.  The Extreme Leader is audacious not to serve his or her own ego, but to serve the common good.  And to do so boldly and blatantly and let the naysayers be damned.

If you are a leader, and I am not just don’t referring to  someone in business.  Leaders are all around us, Mom’s, Dad’s, Sisters, Brothers we are all leaders.  Steve’s book will provide you the inspiration to lead with principle and integrity and to take the leap forward into a new way of perceiving your role as a leader.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Steve Farber and for more information please visit his website by clicking here or you can watch some great video’s of him on YouTube by clicking here.

Guy FinleyI always have a great time interviewing Guy Finley.  He is one of my favorite authors with a heart of gold, and a love for humanity.

I had the pleasure of actually being involved in the making of “Being Extraordinary-The New Model for Success“.  This new book is what is referred to as an enhanced book for the Apple iPad.  I am a partner in an organization called Wiseologie Media Group, and we develop enhanced books for authors and publish them in the various forms of digital media for tablets such as the iPad, Nook, Amazon Kindle Fire etc.

Guy’s new book ” Being Extraordinary” is  a question and answer format allowing the reader to easily extract the words of wisdom from Guy Finley without having to read every page of the book–although you should its a wonderful book.  I personally interviewed Guy for over five hours, and our interviews are the foundational material included in “Being Extraordinary”  For Guy Finley this book is a leap into addressing many issues facing business leaders from a spiritual perspective.

A very important topic that is covered is the shift that Guy would like to see business leaders make, from one of “what can I take” to “what can I give or contribute to the world“.  This concept might seem simple, but imagine a world where our business leaders make a shift in their thinking from “taking” to “giving”.  Not only would our business world be transformed, all businesses and the stakeholders–employees, vendors, stockholders would become part of a global transformation in the exchange of good and services benefiting humanity–social responsibility would be the focus.

Guy says that the ordinary is created to serve the extraordinary, and that we realize this relationship within ourselves by learning what it means to come “awake” and be “present” to ourselves at all times.  In becoming extraordinary, one of the most valuable lessons is to awaken to our own personal relationship with our “higher-self” the self that transcends aspects of our self that are not awake to what and who we are becoming in each and every moment.  At this point we experience our own personal revelation, we realize that their are not failures only learning lessons and opportunities to progress in our own awakening to who and what we are becoming.

Guy states that the “I” must be willing to die for the “We” if we are to become fearless.  In “Being Extraordinary” the reader will learn that to transcend the ego’s dominion and realize our connection to the “One”.  You learn that you are  not separate, you are One with the Source and Being Extraordinary is part of our divine right.

If you want to learn more about “Being Extraordinary” please click here to be directed to the iTunes store where you can download the first two chapters for review on your iPad.  You can also learn more by clicking here to be directed to a You Tube video with an introduction to the book.  I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with author Guy Finley about “Being Extraordinary“.