Podcast 343: Living Fully with Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche

Shyalpa Tenzin RinpocheWhat an amazing interview with Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche about his new book entitled “Living Fully“.  The essence of the Rinpoche’s book is the importance of each breath and the life force and joy in each breath.

Now I am aware that at the pace we move in the Western world, understanding the importance of our breath is so essential; but really how many of us pay attention to our breath or are aware of the gift of each breath.  When you distill the message of this book into these terms and the simplicity of what we all take for granted you begin to see the beauty and transformational power within the message of “Living Fully”.

As Rinpoche state in “Living Fully” “Whether we realize it or not, our deepest aspiration is to experience the richness and fullness of our being in every moment. Each of us has the capacity to live fully, but how do we recognize our potential? ”  In my interview with Rinpoche we discuss the many desires and attachment we have to the physical world and how these desires and attachments really are not bringing us happiness and joy and distract us from “Living Fully“.

Happiness and joy are fulfilled when we look deep inside and content with who we are regardless of all of our worldly possessions.  As Rinpoche mentions in “Living Fully” instant pleasure is not the true way to enjoy our freedom.  When we know how to surrender, we can truly appreciate our freedom. This ability to surrender comes from a disciplined approach to life.  Surrender is not submitting to a higher authority, like an army recruit saluting a drill sergeant.  Rather, we surrender when we give up trying to satisfy all of our hopes and expectations.

If we abandon our efforts to fabricate a “perfect” world, we all experience genuine freedom that is not corrupted by endless craving or something better.  Understanding the philosophy and practice of the Buddhist way is quite simple.  Finding our essence of our precious human nature is learning how to live in the moment, enjoying each and every breath and the joy that it brings.

While this might sound like utopia, because we are all aware the plethora of distractions our material world brings, it  would certainly be nice to not just capture these moments but to become one with them permanently without programming our brains to remember how to remember what it feels like.

So if you are so inclined and want to learn from a master then I would recommend that you read and emerse yourself in the teaching of Rinpoche.  His new book is delightful, and something all of us in the Western world need to become more aware of how important the aspect of something as automatic as our breath teaches us about the joys of life.

 

If you would like to learn more about the book click here to be directed to the Rinpoche’s website or listen to a YouTube interview with the publisher Marc Allen at New World Library by clicking. here. Enjoy this great and inspirational interview with a wonderfully compassionate man.

Podcast 342: Smart Trust with Greg Link

Greg LinkI recently interviewed my good friend and co-author of “Smart Trust“, Greg Link.  Yet another great book from the Covey Link team.

Many of you may remember a book entitled ” The Speed of Trust” which sold more than 1 million copies in 2006  in which Stephen M.R. Covey wrote about the importance of preserving and restoring trust was one of the most important elements in business today..

In “Smart Trust” Greg and Stephen provide a lens to see how trust issues impact every situation, and how you can cut through traditional either/or thinking to extend what they call Smart Trust, enabling you to operate with hight trust in a low trust world.

Greg speaks with me during this interview about how high trust organization time and time again outperform low-trust organizations by nearly three times.  Moving from a low-trust organization has hugh implications and opportunity abounds.   Organization that can embrace “Smart Trust” have the benefit of having employees, customers and communities that support their organizations thus , employee engagement, profitability and innovation are just a few of the benefits of operating with “Smart Trust“.

Greg and I discuss what they refer to in the book at the “ 5 Actions of Smart Trust“, and how Smart Trust Leaders consistently take these actions.  1) Choose to Believe in Trust–this creates the foundational paradigm out of which all other trust-building behaviors flow. 2) Start with Self–focus first on developing the character and competence that enables them to trust themselves and to also give others a person–or a team, organization or country–they can trust 3) Declare their intent…and assume positive intent in others–they signal goals and intended actions—both what and why–clearly in advance, and generally assume that others also have good intent and want to be worthy of trust. 4) Do what they say they’re going to do–they follow through and act to carry out their declared intent; walk their talk. 5) Lead out in extended trust to others–they are the first to extend trust an initiate the upward virtuos cycle that leads to prosperity, energy and joy.

One thing that I know for certain is that “trust” and “fear” can not co-exist.  If we can move our people, businesses and planet to to understanding the importance of embracing “Smart Trust” we will certainly move toward more equanimity. We would have a world where we work in cooperation with one another without the conflict that fear creates.  Competition would be replaced with collaboration and wonderful synergies would emerge  benefiting humanity as a whole.

 

If you would like to learn more about Greg Link and Stephen Covey please click here to be directed to their website.

You can also check out this YouTube Video about the 13 behaviors of high trust people. I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with Greg Link from the Covey Link Team.

Podcast 341: Work with Passion in Midlife and Beyond with Nancy Anderson

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.

Podcast 338: Tapping the Source with Bill Gladstone

Bill GladstoneOver the last several months I have grown to know author and literacy agent Bill Gladstone.   Bill a fascinating man, and  has a true passion for helping and serving people through great books, and connecting people for the greater good.  I recently interviewed Bill about one of his many co-authored book entitled ” Tapping the Source”

This book was written and co-authored with John Selby, Richard Greninger and Bill Gladstone and brings to light the works of Charles Haanel’s Master Key System combining short-form meditation techniques with new psychological insights assisting one in tapping their personal potential.

Charles Haanel never claimed to have invented the process of manifestation that he taught. In fact he often refers to classic sources in the Judeo-Christian heritage and Greek and Eastern traditions to highlight the ancient wisdom he’s drawing from and expanding upon.  But beyond classic parallels, his personal vision appears to be uniquely inspired with new psychological insights and remarkably clear elucidations of the core principles that drive our everyday lives:  ” What you and I desire, what everyone is seeking, is happiness and harmony.  If we can be truly happy, we shall have everything the workd can give. If we are happy ourselves, we can make others happy.”

The primary difference in the qualities of Haanel’s vision is that he’s not fixed on material possessions or giant bank accounts or a fleet of fancy cars in the garage.  Yes, he does fully support abundance, but he bases his teaching on the fact that what we really want deep down is to feel genuinely happy and in ongoing harmony with ourselves and the world.  He says “Harmony and happiness are states of consciousness, and do not depend upon possession of things.”

Haannel stated that ” creative power does not originate in the individual, but in the Universal, which is the source and foundation of all energy and substance; the individual is simply the channel for the distribution of this energy.” Haanel was not only a wise man, but very spiritually connected soul bringing awareness and light to the world.

If you want to learn more about Charles Haanel and Tapping the Source, please visit the Tapping the Source website by clicking here.  There is also a full featured DVD that is excellent and will provide you with insights from some of the greatest minds in the personal growth, spirituality and mastery  today.

 

Enjoy my interview with Bill Gladstone a wonderful author and compassionate man on a mission.  To learn more about Bill Gladstone please click here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 333: Madness at the Gates of the City: The Myth of American Innocence with Barry Spector

Barry SpectorI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Barry Spector the author of his new book entitled ” Madness at the Gates of the City-The Myth of American Innocence.”    In this book Barry describes the madness of American public life in our time of diminished imagination.  The author states that we have constructed walls, both physical and emotional, to protect against the terror outside.  Inside, while we distract ourselves with consumerism and fundamentalism, the anxiety drains our vanity.

This book invites you inside our mythic walls and asks you to examine your own ideas of freedom, community and individualism.  Barry states that “When we acknowledge that we’ve dug ourselves into a hole, we must first stop digging and them realize how we have colluded with stories that no longer work for us.

We truly need to write new stories that work, our old stories are not serving us anymore.  As the post-modern lurches toward the disasters and bereavements that signal the end of an age, we turn to myth to comprehend the elemental forces that move through our lives, to know who we are, to undersand which stories inform our consciousness.   For much too long, we’ve been telling stories that hatred is inevitable and that violence is the only way to resolve disputes.  We’ve been telling them for so long and os insistently that they have become our myths.

As Berry states his book “Madness at the Gates of the City” has some specific intentions: 1) Clarify the mythic themes in American history.  2) To encourage mythological thinking 3) To support the re-emergence of initiation, authentic ritual, the oral tradition, deep memory and the imagination. 4) To confront readers with the hidden bedrock of their value systems. 5) To avoid muddling things with academic jargon 6) To circle around these themes in a Hermetic, Dionysian, soulful, non-linear manner, showing more interest in surprising connections and brief liftings of the veil than in logical proof. 7) To er-imagine America’s purpose in the world.

If you really want to take a deep dive into the stories we have been telling ourselves the the history that contributed to these stories, then I highly recommend that you read “Madness at the Gates of the City.”  Barry’s book is thought provoking as well it will stur your soul in a way that will inspire you to change you own story so that you might re-craft a new more compelling story that serves you and everyone you serve on this planet.
Enjoy my interview with author Barry Spector.  If you would like more information about Barry Spector and his new book please click here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 332: The Radical Leap Re-Energized with Steve Farber

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.

Podcast 331: The Prayer Chest with August Gold

August GoldIn this spiritual parable entitled ” The Prayer Chest” authors August Gold and Joel Fotinos tell the story of Joseph Hutchinson a man who know the reality of tragedy all to well. His life has been filled with misfortune and adversity.  A widowed father of two, living on a farm that is about to be taken from him, he embarks on a unexpected journey that will bring him face to face with the greatest fears, and ultimately with his greatest discovery…a mysterious wooden box hidden in his attic over one hundred years earlier.

This box, “The Prayer Chest, contains the Three Secrets that will change his life and the lives of everyone around him. What starts out as a journey to save his children and himself turnes into a quest where he–and every reader who has ever struggled–discovers the power to make every prayer come true.

In my interview in this podcast with August Gold, we throughly explore the topic of prayer and as she states “Prayer doesn’t come to you, it comes through you.”.  This particular fact is radically different than what many people believe about prayer.  Most people expect change to happen to other around them.  The prayer that the authors are writing about is about opening yourself to be changed in order to receive the answers to your prayer.

If you really listen to and take in what August is speaking about in our interview, you will understand that prayer is 90% listening.  As August states ” The moment we put our prayer “out” our work then is to welcome everything that Life brings us from that point forward, no matter whether is looks like the answer to our prayer or not. Welcoming everything means welcoming the “dark” as well as the “light”, oftentimes the dark experiences come to us because they are what stands in the way of receiving the answers to our prayers.

 

If you want to learn more about the power of prayer  I recommend that you read “The Prayer Chest“.

If you want more information about the authors click here to be directed to their website.  I hope you enjoy this interview with author August Gold.

Podcast 330: The Inspired Life with Susyn Reeve

Susyn ReeveSo just what is is like to live an inspired life?  I recently interviewed author Susyn Reeve the author of a new book entitled ” The Inspired Life-Unleashing Your Minds Capacity for Joy” and we discussed the important elements associated with leading an inspired life.

We all are in a time of great worldwide change and transformation, and Susyn’s book does a great job of providing the reader with techniques to shift our minds capacity to sustain a new level of inspiration even in what  seems to many to be challenging times.

As Susyn states ” We choose to life and inspired life and it is an empowering choice.  When you make this choice, it is possible, actually most likely, that in addition to experiencing greater joy, happiness, peace, and self-worth, you will initially encounter distress, frustration, turmoil, emotional pain, sadness and anxiety.  This is natural and normal.

It is the process of your personal blocks and obstacles to living an inspired life—your internal resistance–coming to the surface of your conscious awareness, presenting you with the choice to evolve beyond these patterns of the past.  When your fears and beliefs—meet the light of your awareness you then have the opportunity to acknowledge them and use them as a springboard to upgrade the software of your mind, transforming your identity with I am worthy, I am loving, I am valuable, I  am loveable, etc.

Living an inspired life has is roots in your mind and learning how to create new nuro pathways and to upgrade the software of your mind.  In “The Inspired Life” Susyn Reeve helps the reader understand the challenges associated with establishing these new patterns of thinking–and helps you reprogram your mind for greater levels of happiness, prosperity, bliss, joy, abundance etc.

I love a quote from Gandhi that Susyn included in the book, and probably sums up and inspired life.

” Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.  Keep your words positive because your words become  your behaviors.  Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.  Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

If you would like to learn more about “The Inspired Life” you can visit Susyns’ website by clicking here or watch a great video on self-esteem by clicking here.

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