Podcast 653: Touching the Infinite-Four Foundations of Mindfulness with Rodney Smith

If you are like most people from time to time you question your life; and if done effectively how to change our worldview.  Is the world in which we “think” we live the reality we want to live in?  Are we happy with our existence on this round blue ball called earth?  If we are not happy how can we, change our emotional, spiritual and physical experiences?

I am pleased to say that in this interview with author Rodney Smith about his book “Touching the Infinite-A New Perspective on Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness” you can find a starting point in which you can look at your life, and question your perceived reality.  What is the truth?

As Rodney states ” The spiritual journey is looking behind the scenes.  We have all grown up holding the world to a conventional set of criteria established by our cultural and personal norms. These norms established our worldview and are embedded early in childhood. There is both a conscious and unconscious part of our drama, a part that we are willing to see and a part that does not fit our script.”  As Buddha taught “only one thing, suffering, and its cessation”

If you want to release yourself from the shackles of life, you best look at the world from the perspective of the end of suffering.  “When we question what we are doing and why we have to steer the question through the continuum bounded by suffering and the end of suffering: Does this method you are employing, this effort you are exerting, this goal you are setting, add to or alleviate suffering?

I am fascinated by Rodney Smith’s perspective, his book and teaching and I know you are going to learn tremendous lessons from our dialogue in the interview.

If you want to learn more about “Touching the Infinite” just click the link.   You can also click any of the highlighted URL to be directed to the book on Amazon.

Enjoy this wonderful dialogue with a very informative and deep teacher of living a life of mindfulness.

 

Podcast 651: How to Own Your Own Mind by Napoleon Hill interview with Don Green

I have interviewed Don Green several times before for previous books that the Napoleon Hill Foundation has released.  In my many years of interviewing I have never found a more genuine and wonderful soul than Don Green the executive director of the foundation.

In this interview, we discuss a newly released book entitled ” How to Own Your Own Mind” by Napoleon Hill.  The content of this book was locked in a vault since 1941 and has never been released before to the general public.

There three major points that this book covers, something called creative vision, organized thought and controlled attention.  This makes up the entire content of “How to Own Your Own Mind” but each section goes into great depth on how to cultivate these characteristics.

In Hill’s interview with Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie states “that creative vision is not just another name of imagination.  It is the ability to recognize opportunities and take action to benefit from them”  Creative vision goes beyond imagination, it is imagination in action.

The second section of this book is about organized thought. Thoughts are things and it is significant that it is one of the few things an individual may control completely.  The key is to learn how to organize and direct your thought toward definite ends.  I speak with Don in our interview about the power of thought and how Hill and Carnegie had mastered the power of organized thought.

The third section is about something Hill refers to as “controlled attention”.  Controlled attention is “mental dynamite” and it is capable of blasting the cause of self-imposed limitations, and giving one the means by which he or she may take charge of his or her own life. Andrew Carnegie included this principle of controlled attention as one of the principles of individual achievement, but even the great steel master failed to associate this principle with the means by which civilization may be advanced.

If you want to read a great book on how to control your mind, then “How to Own Your Own Mind” is the one you want to read.  I encourage you to listen to this interview with Don Green the executive director of Napoleon Hill Foundation and go to the Napoleon Hill Foundation by clicking here for more information.

Enjoy this uplifting interview with Don Green.

 

Podcast 650: Obroni and the Chocolate Factory with Steve Wallace

I don’t know of too many people that hate chocolate, so for all you chocolate lovers you are going to love this interview.

Steve Wallace is the author of a new book entitled  “Oberoni and the Chocolate Factory-An Unlikely Story of Globalization and Ghana’s First Gourmet Chocolate Bar.” This book is about a fascinating journey about a man who truly has made a difference in the production of chocolate.  When we think of chocolate we immediately think of Switzerland, France, Belgium–but why?  Cocoa beans are not from those places.

Steve used to live in Ghana (one of the largest regions producing cocoa) when he was 16 years old. This experience transformed him and he wanted to return to Ghana and give back.  While the people of Ghana’s vertically-integrated cocoa bureaucracy, overseen by Ghans’s Cocoa Board, aspired to move up the cocoa value chain, they were unwilling to invest in doing so.  They were content to stay at the bottom of the value chain.

Needless to say with tremendous hard work and lots of maneuvering the cocoa bean system, Steve Wallace build a very successful chocolate bar factory called Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company.  The chocolate bars are produced and manufactured in Ghana and shipped to Wisconsin for boxing, sales, and shipping.  Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company is truly a global company employing and housing over 200 natives.  Steve provides his employees with a fair wage,  and housing and has infused the local economy with a newfound wealth from what was once a place of poverty.

If you want to listen to a truly great story about a social-entrepreneur on a mission to change the lives of hundreds of people, then you won’t want to miss my interview with Steve.

To learn more about Steve and his new book ” Oberoni and the Chocolate Factory” please click here to be directed to the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company website.   Enjoy this great interview with a social entrepreneur making a difference in the world!

 

Podcast 648: Put Your Intuition to Work with Lynn Robinson

I just interviewed author Lynn Robinson the author of a new book entitled ” Put Your Intuition to Work“.  I personally have been on a mission to find out as much as possible about how our intuition works, and in the process have found some great author and thought leaders with tremendous knowledge about the topic.

Lynn Robinson is one of those authors and her new book “Put Your Intuition To Work” is a book that provides the reader with greater insights into tapping into their intuition, and very importantly how to apply your insights at work.   As Lynn states in the book ” Your intuition is your inner compass. It delivers the message that you need to head in a new direction and shows you the best to get there. However, sometimes it’s hard to get started.  Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, when through many transitions in life.  He said, “When one door closes, another opens: but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we don’t see the one that has opened for us.”

Are you having a challenge seeing the open door, or getting in touch with your intuition.  Are you asking your intuition questions and waiting for guidance?

If not you will want to read ” Put Your Intuition to Work“.   This book provides inspiring stories, techniques, and practices that will help you open up your intuition so you can more easily listen, feel or see what your intuition is guiding you to do.   If you get that gut feeling about something take the time to do something about it, don’t ignore this sign.

If you want to learn more about tapping your intuition you can click here to be directed to Lynn’s website.  You can also connect with her on Facebook by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with an author that has valuable insights to impart about tapping your intuition.

Podcast 647: Shine-How To Survive and Thrive at Work with Chris Barez-Brown

I recently conducted an interview with author Chris Barez Brown about his book entitled ” Wake-Up“–Podcast # 645.  I had such a great experience and interview with Chris that I invited him back to speak about his new book entitled “Shine, How To Survive And Thrive At Work“.

We all spend a lot of time at our work, so having fun and enjoying our work is so important to remain engaged.  In my interview with Chris, we discuss the many great ideas about how to keep our work fun and stay engaged.

Just one of the ideas includes a concept he calls “Who’s Elvis Around Here?” This is really a great idea, and is the person who stands out in your business, the one that breaks the rules, and makes things happen within the organization.  Is that you our are you just standing by waiting, or afraid to speak up?  Don’t stand on the sidelines waiting, get engaged and speak up with your good ideas to propel the business forward.

Chris states that our minds are highly efficient killing machines.  They are trained from an early age to destroy anything that doesn’t fit our model of the world. This means that analytical, logical minds dominate our working lives–what are you doing to get off or autopilot and tap into your abundant thinking brain which breaks the cycle of helping us to consider futures that are not based on past experience?

Shine, How to Survive and Thrive at Work is a book loaded with great ideas to help you thrive in the workplace.  It is an easy read and should be the companion to anyone wanting to make a difference at work.

If you want more information about author Chris Barez-Brown please click here to be taken to his website.  Our your can click here to be directed to Chris’s Facebook page.  I hope you enjoy this great interview with someone who has transformed how organizations look at their employees.

 

 

Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 644: Lifestorming, Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life with Alan Weiss & Marshall Goldsmith

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Weiss the co-author with Marshall Goldsmith of a new book entitled “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  This is a practical handbook for becoming the person you want to be.  You will discover what it takes to redesign your life, friends, behaviors, and goals in order to move closer to your goals.

Alan and I discuss the evolutionary journey, and a very important question: To what extent is your journey one of internal control, and to what extent one of external control?  I believe this concept alone is one of the most important elements that one must master if they are going to master their life.  As Alan states are you taking a “random walk” through life, or do you have high control and are one of those people that creates your world, or are you mutually creating your world.  No matter your purview of your world, it would be best to have high control if you want to make something of yourself.

If you want to change behavior, Alan states that most studies have found that it’s very difficult to merely change poor behavior.  It’s much more effective to substitute a more positive behavior. Change for its own sake makes little sense.  The key is to determine the salutary result that makes the change worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy the lively and engaging dialogue with Alan Weiss the co-author of “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  If you want to learn more about the book you can click here to be directed to the book website page.  If you want to learn more about Alan Weiss please click here or Marshall Goldsmith click here.

Thanks so much for listening, enjoy the podcast!

 

Podcast 642: The Path to Personal Power by Napoleon Hill with Don Green

Every time I interview Don Green from the Napoleon Hill Foundation I learn something new.  Don is a  continual learner with more knowledge and understanding about Napoleon Hill than anyone I have ever met.  He has been the executive director and spokesperson for the foundation for the last 20 years and is just a wonderful person.

In my interview with Don, we discuss a newly released book entitled ” The Path to Personal Power“.  As Don states, personal power is acquired through a combination of individual traits and habits.  The ten qualities of personal power are: 1) the habit of definiteness of purpose 2) the promptness of decision 3) soundness of character 4) strict discipline over one’s emotions 5) obsessional desire to render useful service 6) through knowledge of one’s occupation 7) tolerance on all subjects 8) loyalty to one’s personal associates and faith in a Supreme Being 9) enduring thirst of knowledge 10) alertness of imagination. The old adage “knowledge is power” is not quite true. Knowledge never is power until it has been expressed in some term of useful service.

“The Path to Power” is a powerful roadmap that leads to a single discovery: You already have the power to attain whatever wealth, success, and prosperity you desire in life.  All you need to do is walk the path without straying, and the rest will follow.

I hope you enjoy yet another great interview with Don Green the executive director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.  If you want to learn more about the courses, books and audio recording available through the foundation please click here to be directed to their website.

Podcast 639: Unfu*ck Yourself with Gary John Bishop

Many of us are guilty of trapping ourselves in the web of negative self-talk. The not-good-enough, self-doubt cycles that many of us cope with on a daily basis. We know its detrimental, but what are we doing to stop insidious cycle of negative self-talk? How do we reduce this thinking quickly and replace it with a positive affirmative monologue?

In my interview with author and coach, Gary John Bishop we talk his new book entitled “Unfu*ck Yourself-Get Out Of Your Head and Into Your Life“. This book is an easy read packed with practical advice on creating more success and abundance in your life and quieting the pesky self-doubt. Over the years, Gary has coached thousands of individuals from entrepreneurs, athletes, professionals and creatives. Gary’s philosophy has yielded a high success rates by leading individuals down the road to replacing old negative self-talk with positive thoughts and sustaining this growth and potential.

Gary states that “If human emotions largely result from thinking, then one way to appreciably control one’s feelings is by controlling one’s thoughts—or by changing the internalized sentences, or self-talk, with which one largely created the feeling in the first place.” Gary believes the answers we are seeking lie within ourselves, but we must be open to finding these answers and believe in our guiding voice.

If you feel like something unspoken is holding you back from abundance and reaching ultimate success, then give Gary John Bishop a listen! If you are interested in knowing more about Gary please click here for his website.

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