Podcast 279: Expand this Moment with John Selby

 

John SelbyJohn Selby is quite a prolific author and a fascinating man.  John has just returned to the mainland having been in Hawaii for the last 10 years spending time in silence and seclusion.  John is the author of many books, but this new book entitled “Expand This Moment” is very special to him.

When John was a graduate student, the well-known meditation expert Alan Watts challenged him to study the world’s meditation traditions from the inside, to identify their common underlying psychological processes, to formulate an approach to meditation based on these commonalities, and to then teach this universal process.  Forty years later, the birth of “Expand This Moment“.

As a result of a personal breakdown that lead to an amazing breakthrough John was gifted with the technique for meditation that we will share with you in this podcast.  This technique consist of 12 focus phrases which are designed to bring greater levels of awareness in the moment.  It does not take lots of time, and it is quite effective–as a matter of fact John leads us through the process during my interview.

During John’s breakdown and awakening, these focus phrases rose spontaneously into his mind.  They are broken down into Phases. Phase I-Zen Awakening.  1. I choose to enjoy this moment 2. I feel the air flowing in and out of my nose. 3. I also feel the moments in my chest and belly as I breathe. 4. I am aware of my whole body at once, here in this present moment.  Phase II- Emotional Healing. 5. I am ready to experience the feelings in my heart. 6. I let go of all my stress and worries, and feel peaceful inside. 7. I accept everyone I know, just as they are. 8. I honor and love myself just as I am.  Phase III-Insight Mode. 9. I am open to receive. 10. I feel connected with you Source. 11. I’am here to serve, to love, to prosper, and to enjoy myself. 12. I am ready to act with courage and integrity.

If you are looking for a simple and effective practice which does not takes lots of time, then I highly recommend John’ s 12 Focus Phrases.  I experienced the meditation while doing this podcast and they really did center me, bring awareness to my surrounds and bring me present.  What more could you want from a mindfulness meditation.
If you would like more information about author John Selby, please click here to be directed to his website.  It really is loaded with video, audio and reference material that you will find useful in your meditation practice.

Podcast 277: All Together Now with Gail Voisin

Gail VoisinIt was a pleasure speaking with author Gail Voisin about her new book entitled ” All Together Now – Vision, Leadership and Wellness“.  I can’t remember exactly how Gail and I met, but we have been speaking about the birth of her new book over the last year, and I am proud to bring you this wonderful podcast with Gail.

As Gail states “Achieving outstanding personal and organizational success in our busy, competitive, chaotic world requires a unique, leading-edge set of skills for the twenty-first century executive and leaders.  It is critical to have the knowledge and ability to align the three key areas of vision, leadership and wellness to measure and sustain high performance levels.  In my interview with Gail, we speak about her ” All Together Now Advantage Model“.  It is designed to guide the busy executive in defining both their personal and organizational vision, leadership and wellness goals.   It is truly an integrated approach to creating a balanced lifestyle.  For most corporate executives, every day is a constant challenge to balance the many facets of life – career, family, friends and personal goals.

Gail states that balancing our lives does not have to be a daily struggle.  When you understand the importance of integrating your personal and organization vision, leadership and wellness, you will have the foundation to achieve extraordinary success in your personal and work life.   Personal vision is the anchor, and I could not agree more with Gail.  When you have developed your personal vision and can articulate it easily, it becomes that anchor that keeps you on track for what matter most.  Personal vision is a special and unique combination of desire and talent that is exclusive only to you.

You know the old saying that your health is your wealth.  Well this is so true, and Gail devotes a section of the book to wellness and the benefits from staying healthy– psychologically, physically, and emotionally. This plays a big role in our overall health.

Gail defines wellness as maintaining a healthy mind and body that can consistently sustain the energy reserves you need to meet exceptional circumstances beyond your control, both in business and family life.  Wellness and the focus on it is certainly in the headlines of our newspapers, and it is such an important aspect in being able to perform on and off the job with excess energy and enthusiasm.  Gail provides wonderful advice and direction for the busy executive who might feel they have neglected this very important part of their life.
“All Together Now” is a wonderful read for anyone who is seeking balance and harmony in their life.  I highly recommend reading this book if you are on the fast track and want to take a few minutes to step back and reevaluate what is important.

Enjoy this great interview with author Gail Voisin, and if you want more information about Gail please click here to be directed to her website.

Podcast 267: The Art of Convening with Craig Neal

 

Craig NealI have known Craig Neal for a number of years, as a matter of fact I attended one of his “The Art of Convening” meetings at the Gap in Northern California several years ago.   I recently reconnected with Craig and had the opportunity to discuss his newly released book entitled “The Art Of Convening-Authentic Engagement in Meetings, Gatherings, and Conversations“.

If you are like me, you have attended lots of meetings during your career and frequently walk away wondering “why” did I attend?  If you have ever asked this questions, then Craig’s new book “The Art of Convening” is a must read.

In my interview with Craig we discuss what he refers to as “authentic engagement”.  Authentic engagement is , simply, a genuine expression of what is true for us, and an attentive listening to what is true for another, or others.  Why this simple human interaction often eludes us can be a matter of habit, distrust, faulty modeling, lack of attention, or fear.

Craig has created a wonderful model in the book that assists “the convener” in understanding the art associated with creating a gathering.  The model is referred to as the “convening wheel” and at the center is “The Heart of the Matter” with eight adjacent spokes:  Clarifying Intent , The Invitation, Setting Context, Creating the Container, Hearing all the Voices, Essential Conversations, Creation, Commitment to Action.   Craig states that there is a lot of pressure in our lives to go, go, go all the time–to drive to results and spring into action, often before the actions’s optimal time has come.  It’s counterintuitive to take the time to reflect on how we ill be in relationship with others. In a way, we have to slow down and do the internal due diligence to know what results we really want to drive and when it is time to take the action.
If you are at all interested in better understanding how to hold meeting with meaning, purpose and aligned outcomes then I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “The Art Of Convening“.  This book will instruct you with essential questions to better understand your purpose, your meetings purpose and the associated actions you really would like to achieve from meetings, gatherings and most importantly conversations.  I hope you enjoy this interview with one of the masters in the business of “authentic engagement”.

You can learn more about Craig and Patricia Neal the authors by clicking here to be directed to their website.

Podcast 266: Change the Culture, Change the Game with Roger Connors

Roger ConnorsI recently did an interview with Roger Conner the author of “Change the Culture, Change the Game“.  In our dialogue together we discuss the importance of having a organizational culture of accountability.   As Roger states in the book, either you will manage your culture, or it will manage you.   Organizational culture is nothing more that the way people think and act.  Every organization has a culture, and they either work for you or against you.

Roger and I discuss what he refers to at the Results Pyramid, which is the tool that his organization uses to help create accountability within organizations.  At the core of the Results Pyramid are the experiences, beliefs, actions and ultimately the results that are created.   So the leaders of the organization must create the needed culture, the culture produces the results, the most effective culture is a culture of accountability then this helps transition the organization into one with a competitive advantage.  Sounds simple doesn’t it.  Well hold on just a minute—this only happens when the people in every corner of the organization make the personal choice to take the Steps to Accountability–and each step builds on the previous one.

So what are these steps of accountability that are require to produce results.  1) See it– means moving Above the Line or staying there whenever a new challenge arises.  2) Own it-means being personally invested, learning from both successes and failures, aligning your work with desired company results and acting on the feedback you receive. 3) Solve it-requires persistent effort as you encounter obstacles that stand in the way of achieving results.  When you take this step, you constantly ask the question “What else can I do?’  4) Do it– the final step in the process, represents the natural culmination of the first three steps–it means doing what you say you will do.

If you think that this stuff is just for business people, think again.  The basic principles that Roger speaks about in this book are so important to your own personal growth and development.  If you follow the sound advice in the book about being personally accountable, not only to yourself but to those you work with you will find a wonderful transformation in your personal life.  You can only imagine the amazing results that occur when you can get a whole organization where personal accountability is the guiding light for the employees.  This is a company that you will want to do business with.

I highly recommend that you obtain a copy of “Change the Culture, Change the Game“.  It will give you the guidance both personally and professionally in creating cultures of accountability, once you know the forumla for creating accountable people,  positive organizational transformation is bound to occur.
If you would like to learn more about Roger Conner’s and Partners In Leadership  please click here, and enjoy my interview with Roger.

Podcast 265: Fried- Why You Burn Out and How to Revive with Joan Borysenko

 

Joan BorysenkoI know that many people go through times in their lives when they feel Fried, and burned out.  This is certainly not an uncommon feeling, especially when things have veered off course.  In my interview with author Joan Borysenko  about her new book entitled “Fried-Why You Burn Out and How to Revive“,  we discuss the challenges associated with these feelings and what one can do to revive.

As Joan states “Fried” may seem like an innocuous enough word since so many of us use it these days to describe our frenzied, speed-oriented, exhausted state of mind. But innocuous it is not.  Feeling fried is an alarm that life has veered off course.  It’s shorthand for losing our way individually and culturally in a world spinning so fast that it feels like we’re about to be launched into outer space.

In our interview together we discuss the work of author and psychologist Herbert Freudenberger who first popularized the condition in his book “Burnout: The Hight Cost of High Achievement“.  As Joan discribes in her book, and atributes to the work of Freudenberger ” Falling short of your ideal in a way–perceiving a gap between what you think is require of you and the reality of what you can produce can be disheartening to the point where your entire sense of self crumbles.

Joan certainly know the challenges of burn out herself, having gone through it several times and reverting to using antidepressants to combat the overwhelming feeling of depression. She soon learned that the use of drugs to treat the condition was only temporary and was not a permanent solution to the things she needed to change in her life to sustain a life of balance and harmony.   As Joan states knowing what to limit in your life and what to seek more of isn’t always easy to figure out, let alone implement.
Joan also reveals that burnout can have its roots in childhood, and the seeds germinate many years later and can be carried into adulthood.  They grow in emotional soil polluted by helplessness that was deeply rooted in the nervous system during childhood.  Given the right conditions–a bad economy, a mismatch of values at work, frequent rejection, and abusive or loveless relationship, those seeds of burnout and depression often germinate many years later.

If you are interested in learning more about burn out and want to know more about how to cope with it, then I highly recommend that you read Joan’s new book “Fried-Why You Burn Out and How to Revive“.  You can learn more about Joan’s book and become involved in her community of Facebook followers sharing their experiences by clicking here to be directed to her Facebook page.

Enjoy this great interview with a wonderful author and friend.

Podcast 264: Loyalty To Your Soul with Ron and Mary Hulnick

Ron and Mary HulnickI had the distinct honor to interview two spiritual teachers of mine  who have had a significant impact on transforming my life for the positive, and countless thousands of other University of Santa Monica graduate students in the study of Spiritual Psychology.

In my interview with authors Ron and Mary Hulnick we get the opportunity to discuss their new Hay House book entitled ” Loyalty To Your Soul-The Heart of Spiritual Psychology“.   This book at it’s essence distills the teachings of the Spiritual Psychology, a two year graduate course and it does an amazing job of covering so many of the valuable lessons of the course.

There are 22 Principals of Spiritual Psychology covered in the book, and while Ron, Mary and I only have time to cover a few you will certainly want to purchase a copy of the book so that you can learn more, believe me it is well worth you investment of money and time.

A key point of the Spiritual Psychology course is something that Ron and Mary call your “Learning Orientation to Life“.   Most people in life are on the “goal line” of life.  Acquiring more things in the physical world reality, home, cars, more money etc.  While this is part of our physical world reality, it is not the most important.  We will soon get tired of just seeking the next new thing in life, and ultimately it will not fulfill our soul.  On the other hand if our orientation to life is on the learning line, we are focused on our spiritual evolution.

Ron and Mary state in Principle #5 ” Physical-world reality exists for the purpose of spiritual evolution.  If you understand this point, it changes your life perspective and will have major positive implications for your lifetime. Wins on the Goal Line stay here, while wins on the Learning Line go with you.  It’s the Learning Line that leads Home to God where progress is spiritual evolution is made.

Mary and I discuss that consciousness functions on three levels, physical, mental and emotional.  On each of these levels we have either positive or negative experiences.  As we grow in our consciousness evolution we seek to ascend to what is referred to as our Authentic Self Level.   At this level of understanding and peace is where we know Unconditional Love.

Your Authentic Self knows the curriculum you have come here to learn. It knows what ego work you’re here to complete.  It also knows that until your ego work is done, your spiritual agenda in the physical world will serve you by continually providing experiences that will tend to trigger your unresolved issues.  These experiences are actually spiritual opportunities to learn, grow and complete what must be done.  The Authentic Self cooperates with this structure, for it knows what it’s here to do and how this physical form supports it spiritual progression.
If you are at all interested in exploring your personal spiritual growth, and want a book that will provide you with so many of the answers you have probably been seeking then I highly recommend Ron and Mary’s Hulnick’s new book ” Loyalty To Your Soul”.  You can also visit the books website by clicking here, or you can learn more about the Spiritual Psychology Master’s program by clicking here to be directed to the USM website.

Please enjoy this wonderful interview with two of the most amazing spiritual teacher I have ever encountered.

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