This new inspirational  pocketbook entitled “Feel Good Thoughts” is a great way to reflect on beautiful Gladys Jimenez messages, and bring some sanity into your world.  Author Gladys Jimenez has compiled  really wonderful thoughts in this little pocketbook that you can position on your desk to remind you of what to be grateful for in your life.  I did a podcast with Gladys, and she certainly has lots to be grateful for considering her personal near death experience.

I can’t recall the number of times I have interviewed authors, and the impact  a near death experience has had on their life.  It truly is an awakening to a new world with a 180 degree turn in their perspective about what is important.

It is so easy to take for granted  family, friends and loved ones while forgetting that our experience on this physical plane is  impermanent.  Lets face it none of us is going to get out of here alive.

Feel Good Thoughts” is not loaded with lots of useless words,  and its not your typical self-help/ personal growth book.  It is however, a small book with very few words providing the reader with an opportunity to take just a few minutes each day to reflect on quotes, thoughts and inspirational messages that will up lift their spirit and bring life back into your soul.

I encourage you to listen to this wonderful podcast with a beautiful soul who has traveled the path through a near death experience and emerged on the other side liberated and awakened and committed to helping others understand the importance of love.

Please visit Gladys Jimenez’s website by clicking here to learn more about her publishing company or to contact her.

Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheIt truly was an honor to be able to interview Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.  His book entitled “Mind Beyond Death” is wonderfully written about the Buddhist culture and the levels of transition we make in preparation to death.  The Rinpoche speaks in this interview about the concept of the “bardo” which is the intermediary state and has become the catchphrase in Buddhist circles.  As the Rinpoche says this book is as much about life as it is about death.

There is a level of existence that is experienced between death and birth, and according to the Buddhist there are three levels: the existence of death, the existence of birth, and the existence  of what lies in between the two.  The Rinpoche encourages the readers to reverse their attachment to the appearances of this life and extract the most meaningful essence from their precious human existence.

I love the examples that the Rinpoche uses in the book, he explains that the moment we step outside our house and close the door, we begin to leave our life behind. We say goodbye to family and friends and to the familiar rooms and routines that we inhabit. We might feel regret mixed with excitement as we climb into the taxi and that will take us to the airport. As our vision of home recedes, we are both sadly parted and joyfully released from all that defines us. The further we go from home the more focused we become on our next destination.  We think less of home and more about where we are going. We begin to look at a new map; we start to think about where we will land, about the new people, new customs and new environment–the new set of experiences to come.
Until we reach our destination, we are in transit–in between two points.  One world has dissolved, like last nights dream, and the next has not yet arisen.  In this space, there is a sense of total freedom: we are free from the business of being our ordinary selves; we are not tied to the day-to-day world and its demands in quite the same way. There is a sense of freshness and appreciation of the present moment.

This interview with Rinpoche is an enlightening dialogue about life, death and the in between.  We discuss our fears, and how to learn to live in the moment without fear of our transition through death.

I know you are going to enjoy my interview with Rinpoche about his book entitled “Mind Beyond Death”  If you would like to learn more about his teaching you can visit the his website by clicking here or you can visit the website of the Nalanda West Center for American Buddhism where he teaches.

 

Cameron C. TaylorThis is my second interview with Cameron Taylor and this time we are featuring his book entitled, “Does Your Bag Have Holes?.”  It might seem obvious as to the nature of the book, but don’t let the cover deceive you.

While the book is as much about money and how we manage it, the underlying message is about moral and ethical principles that allow one to  acquire and sustain abundance and prosperity in their life.  We are all well aware of the most recent examples of greed that have been the downfall of not only many individual personal wealth, but the demise of large corporations in the US and abroad.

Cameron does a great job of outlining the principles to live by as well as provide a prosperity model that is as sound a model as any that I have ever seen.  As Cameron says ” Many of us have been given bad directions to the destination of prosperity. If you desire to achieve prosperity, an accurate map of how to do so is essential.”

“Does Your Bag Have Holes?, addresses the 24 myths that prevent prosperity. These myths are organized in relation to Cameron’s “Prosperity Model”.  Cameron also discusses the 6 Choices Model in which he outlines for the reader the negative choices as well as the alternative positive choices that will lead to a life of prosperity.

In the whirlpool of finance today it is always good to have a sound reference point to redirect and help us make better choices.  Cameron book “Does Your Bag Have Holes” does just that.  It is like the manual of right thinking as it relates to both our ethics and moral compass as well as sound advice on just how to manage our finances.
If you are interested in learning more I would recommend that you visit Cameron’s website which is loaded with great information about workshops and other publications.

Please click here to be directed to his website.  Enjoy this great interview with a wonderfully heart centered man, Cameron Taylor.

 

Michael NeillI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Neill the author of a new book entitled, ” SUPERCOACH: 10 Secrets to Transform Anyone’s Life.”

Michael says change the way you think and you will change the way you experience life.  For more than 20 years Michael has been helping clients fulfill their dreams–whether they want to make more money, build their businesses, improve their relationships or find greater contentment in their day-to-day lives.

Each secret, which is illustrated with case studies and anecdotes, is designed to be a catalyst–something that will spark the reader’s insights about how he or she thinks, lives, and works.  Supercoach also includes specific actions that people can take to actually experience change and incorporate it into their lives.

Michael and I speak about transformation from the inside out.  He states, “when you learn to live your life from the inside out, stress disappears and worry becomes almost non-existent.  You realize that you were born happy and the worst thing that can ever happen to you is a thought–a thought about whatever you think is the worst thing that could ever happen to you”.

Many of Michael’s coaching secrets are counter-intuitive.  Take goal setting for instance.  He explains, “Obsessing about goals is like playing a game of fetch with yourself, using your happiness and self-worth as the bone.  Even when you do reach your goals, you only allow yourself a fleeting moment of satisfaction before throwing your happiness even further away into the future than before.”

If you want to learn more about the 10 Secrets that can transform your life, I recommend that you visit Michael’s website.  He has lots of useful information and videos providing you with these transformative secrets.  To access Michael’s website please click here.

Al Weatherhead We have all been effected by adversity during the course of our lives, but  Al Weatherhead, the author of “The Power of Adversity“, has certainly had more than his fair share of adversity.  Al has struggled through the death of an infant son, two failed marriages and a life long battle with alcoholism not to mention the heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

The key point to Al’s message is that we gain strength from adversity when we change how we view the challenges we are faced with. He says instead of asking “Why me? he advises asking “Why not me.”  Embrace positive thinking and recognize that adversity is the impetus to look for creative solutions.  Al has four techniques for mastering adversity:

  • Attitude and the Mind-The Power of Positive Imagery–Developing a positive attitude about adversity is essential to tapping its power to enhance and improve your life. If you think positively, with the right imagery, your battle is all but won.
  • Meditation: The Art of Letting Go–How doing Nothing Can Be Everything–Practicing meditation creates and sustains your positive mindset. Without this mindset, you place an unhealthy emphasis on your goals and adversity that prevents you from reaching them. Daily meditation helps you rejuvenate and rebuild yourself, and to come to realize firsthand that adversity is just another name for a series of choices called life.
  • Communication-Articulating the Speech of the Heart–A great gift of adversity is coming to understand that you can resolve your problems when you share your life with others. You simply must reach out to others, or you will never overcome adversity.
  • Sharing, Not Managing–Don’t Confuse the Need to Control with Love–As you truly connect with other–revealing, extending, and expressing your innermost self–the layers of adversity will peel away like an onion, revealing choices an solutions that would never be apparent to your on your own.

I invite you to set down, relax and enjoy this wonderful interview with an author who not only knows how powerful adversity can be he is the living embodiment of a wise soul who has lived with adversity and survived and created a very meaningful and fulfilling life. If you would like to know more about Al Weatherhead I encourage to you visit his website by clicking here.

Jessica Pryce-JonesDo you remember what Walt Disney used to say about Disneyland? –That is was the happiest place on earth.  If you have ever visited Disneyland or Disney World then you will experience a culture of people that really love their work.

I recently learned that of the trillions we are spending on health care in our country,  that 70% of the dollars spent are allocated to five chronic diseases of which depression is one of the aliments.  This is a staggering amount of money being spent to keep our workforce happy and more productive.  What I am wondering is why are so many of us reverting to anti-depressants to just sustain our life, and why can’t happiness be a natural life occurrence?.

If you have some of these same questions, then you are going to love my interview with author Jessica Pryce-Jones about her new book entitled, “Happiness at Work“. In our interview together we explore the mindset that is part of a happy productive person and the associated workplace environment that fosters happiness.  Jessica spent over five years studying 3,000 people and compiling data on what creates happiness in the workplace.  She discovered that there are five main components of happiness at work, and they are:

  • Contribution: For individuals, this means achieving one’s goals, having clear objectives, raising issues that are personally important, and feeling secure in one’s job. It also consists of being listened to, getting positive feedback, being respected by one’s boss, and feeling appreciated.
  • Conviction: This means being motivated, feeling effective and efficient, showing resiliency when time are tough, and perceiving that one’s work has a positive impact on the world.
  • Culture: People who feel they fit well at work enjoy their jobs, like their colleagues, appreciate the values the workplace stands for, believe they are being treated fairly, and feel that they have control of their daily activities.
  • Commitment: Means identifying your overall purpose, finding meaningful work, being interested in your job, and believing in the vision of your organization. Increasing commitment is just as much an individuals responsibility as it is a corporate one–the company’s vision and strategies should be understood at every staff level.
  • Confidence: It’s important to choose jobs, goals, and challenges that push the boundaries of one’s comfort zone in order to grow confidence. Increasing confidence also means creating safety mechanisms and support when trying new and difficult things.

So, if you want a workplace filled with happy workers who are more productive, engaged and willing to contribute, then you need to read this wonderful book by Jessica Pryce-Jones.  You can also visit her website by clicking here to learn more about her company iOpener, and the studies she has completed.

Enjoy this wonderful interview with someone who know what it takes to make a workplace the happiest place on earth.