It is kind of weird writing my own blog about myself and my new book, but hey what the heck someone has to do it and who better than the author.

I recently released my new book entitled “Hacking the Gap-A Journey from Intuition to Innovation and Beyond.”  I have been asked what the book is all about?

The answer to this questions is that the book is about my personal journey as a serial entrepreneur, my ups, and downs and the struggles to birth new products and or services and then take it to market successfully.  Believe me, I have had plenty of failures, but the learning lessons from the failures and setbacks provided me with the persistence to continue on in spite of the disappointments.

My podcasts program, Inside Personal Growth, set the foundation for the learnings that I share with the readers.  I’ve interviewed over 630+ authors on personal growth, business, wellness, and spirituality.  It is virtually impossible not to have a personal transformation from learning and soaking in all that information. I have weaved the learnings from many of my over 10 years of interviews into Hacking the Gap.  Everything I learned has made me a better person, more authentic, more sensitive, more understanding and forgiving of myself and others. As we work on ourselves we naturally become better people, and to me, this is the important element of the personal growth work.  If you are not improving and becoming a better person, you won’t be a better father, husband, employer or whatever you are to the world.

So remember when you read this book, listen to your soul’s calling and get in touch with your intuition.  What you are being informed to do is vital to your growth.  Listen carefully, learn how to discern between your intuition and your ego.  Once you do this and are not afraid of taking action, you will find that your world will change forever–and for the better.

I hope you enjoy the interview that my friend Reese Harris did with me.

Please go to Hacking the Gap.com to learn more about the book, and download a couple of chapters for free.  Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and free webinars.  I am here for you please reach out want to hear from you.

I was recently was told about a Chrome extension called Momentum Dash from my good friend Lee Regan.  I don’t usually review software, but this particular software caught my attention–so much so that I reached out to the founder  Levi Bucsis and requested that we do a podcast.

If you’re like me you have lots to do and very little time to complete your work in.  Your days are filled with various projects and you are juggling between tasks.  Does this sound like any of you?

At this point, I hope I have your attention because Momentum Dash works incredibly well at increasing your focus and the outcome is improved productivity.  Levi Bucsis and his amazing software development team have created an awesome Chrome extension piece of software that it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs–you have to get this extension software now!!!    

So what are the features, beautiful pictures of nature to look at and ponder which will take you to a meditative state of being–not doing.  This particular feature forces me to slow down and ponder, reflect and thus makes my next though that much more poignant.  It has an API to the to-do list I subscribe to which is Todoist.  I can turn it on and off at will, and add to the list when I have another to-do–the key is being able to hide it and only look at the prompts when I am ready.

Momentum Dash Podcast clock Momentum Dash Podcast percent Momentum Gift Page

The software prompts you for your daily focus for the day, and there is a countdown timer and clock if you choose to use it. It also has awesome quotes that change daily, and these quotes seem to really make a connection for me.  All the features can be turned on or off dependent on your particular workflow.

This is must try software, you can download the free version of the extension by clicking here, or you can subscribe for $29.95 and get all the features and options.

I hope you enjoy my wonderful interview with a very creative software engineer and student of psychology, Levi Bucsis.

 

 

ken

I was honored to interview Ken Wilber for his new book “The Religion of Tomorrow-A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions.”   This is a wonderfully written book and informs the reader of the insights about what will be required to transform religions if are to stay relevant into the future.  As Ken states “Religions can only stay relevant if they embrace the discoveries of science and the insights of psychology to offer an “integral” approach: bringing together the wisdom of many paradigms and respecting the individuality of seekers.

Ken and I speak about the esoteric and exoteric religions and the great differences that these two movements have created in the evolution of religion.  As we discuss Ken states that the exoteric religions have always cooperated and shared insights and wisdom while the exoteric religions have done more to divide people and create chasms in people’s beliefs.  Experts state the 70% of the world’s population is at a fundamentalists stage of development, where their given religion is taken to be the literal word of God and mythic stories become fact. Ken explains how we can help this percentage of the population to “grow up” and embrace more inclusive views that will help curb violence and global conflict.

Ken’s long-awaited “The Religion of Tomorrow” is a definitive text on spirituality and religion in the modern world.  The Great Traditions from Christianity, to Islam and beyond have failed to evolve, unlike nearly every other dimension of modern life.  If you want to learn more about what Ken believes the “Religion of Tomorrow” will look like I encourage you to listen to our interview.

If you want to learn more about Ken Wilber you can click here to go to his Integral Life website.

 

 

richo I recently had the opportunity to interview author David Richo. This is his sophomore appearance here at, Inside Personal Growth. This time around David and I discussed his new (and may I say excellent!) book entitled, ” The Five Longings-What We’ve Always Wanted and Already Have.”

Have you ever had a vague sense that something’s missing from your life? It’s a feeling that I believe many of us can relate to. Embrace it. David explains the longing for something better is intuition, awareness of our discomforts and desires to grow are a sign of being fully alive. David states that it is when you carefully identify the things you long for–like love, meaning, freedom, happiness and growth–you not only discover deep truths about yourself, but also find the things you long for were never really “missing at all.”

In our interview this week, we explore the “five longings,” that are a prominent part of our human experience. As David says, “Life keeps showing us that what we want or cling to doesn’t last. This fact does not mean that what is impermanent is not necessary or of less value than what is permanent–a common bias. The fact that something will not last can mean that it is very precious indeed, precisely because it will be with us so briefly.”

Enjoy this insightful podcast with author David Richo about his new book, “The Five Longings“. For more information about David click here to be directed to his website.

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing author John Tarnoff; who just happens to be one of my prior classmates at the University of Santa Monica where we both graduated with Master’s degrees in Spiritual Psychology.  John’s new book Boomer Reinvention-How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50 John Tarnoffis an instruction guide for any boomer looking for ways to become a valuable asset to any employer, and as an entrepreneur.

As John points out many of the baby boomers have been the collateral damage of the economic downturn of 2008, thus they have lost a significant amount of their retirement portfolio forcing many to remain actively engaged in the workforce to support their lifestyles.  Boomers will continue to be, excellent choices for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. But for the moment, the message from the top to the bottom of the American enterprise is that older workers need to be weaned out before they hit sixty-five.

Reinventing is about manifesting something out in the world and changing your career and by extension, your life. Reinvention implies a deep willingness to surrender the old ways that you use to live and work. It is reinvigorating, inspiring and energizing.  John provides the reader with inspiring examples of real people that have reinvented their careers and we discuss what he coins as the “boomer reinvention methodology.   This methodology works with anyone with the willingness to rebuild a new career or become a consultant.  John explains to the reader how they have to reprogram their thinking and actions to become a success in our new competitive work world.

I hope you will listen to our podcast, and more importantly, listen to the advice that John provides to boomer’s that are attempting to build a new career and or become independent consultants.

If you want to learn more about John Tarnoff you can visit his website by clicking here, or you can watch his Ted-X speech where he addresses the issues of boomer reinvention.

 

So what are the real issues that help to foster the environmental concerns that all of us are faced with?   Author Lee Van Ham in his new book entitled “From Egos to Eden” has identified what I personally believe are the biggest issues.

As a nation and society, we live as if we have a Multi Earth filled with resources for constant consumption.  We don’t understand that we need to start living as a society and nation as if we were inhabiting One-Earth and reduce our consumption of resources so that future generations can inhabit our earth and still have the necessary resources, as well as clean air, water, and soil that will be able to be farmed and produce nutritious crops.

As Lee writes ” The changes Earth is making in this 21st century exceed anything we’ve known in 12,000 years. The ecological crises she’s undergoing mean that by 2100 CE she will not longer be home for millions of species, and our species is the primary reason for their extinction.  If you are at all interested in learning about the shift in our mindset about how we live in harmony with mother earth, then I encourage you to listen to my interview with author Lee Van Ham about his book “From Egos to Eden“.

I also encourage you to check out another of Lee’s books entitled “Blinded by Progress“.  You can reach Lee by visiting his website by clicking here, or on Facebook by clicking here. I hope you enjoy this lively interview with a wonderful author and leader in the ecological movement.

 

One of my favorite and most admired authors is Steven Kotler.  Has authored  “Tomorrowland“, “Bold“, “The Rise of Superman” and “Abundance” just to name a few.  He is a prolific writer and author.

I recently had the pleasure to discuss with him his new book entitled “Stealing Fire-How Silicon Valley, the Navy Seals, and Mavericks Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work.” 

In our interview together we explore the revolution that is occurring in society today, and shortcuts that are being used to boost insight and inspiration which results in creating alters states of consciousness, thus improving personal performance. Steven and his co-author Jamie Wheal have spent four years investigating the leading edges of this revolution, from interviews with the Navy Seals, Green Berets and attending Burning Man they have compiled the stories and information in their new book “Stealing Fire”.

Steven states that this revolution is spreading into the mainstream, fueling a trillion dollar underground economy and forcing us to rethink how we can lead richer, more productive, more satisfying lives.  In our interview, we discuss recent advances in psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology, and technology are driving this phenomenon which allows us to move past myths, assumptions, and controversies and embrace peak performances as men and women.

As you will find out when you read “Stealing Fire” the quest to attain these alter states of consciousness have been going on since 415BC. To this day the rituals, techniques, and drugs used to attain these altered states of consciousness are changing and the effects are much more powerful.  I know you are going to love this interview with author Steven Kotler about his new book “Stealing Fire

To learn more about Steven please go click here to be directed to his website,  or you can learn about the book by clicking here.  Enjoy this amazing interview with a fascinating author and explorer of a new frontier.

 

In my recent interview with author Joanna Garzilli we speak about her new book “Big Miracles-The 11 Spiritual Rules for Ultimate Success“.  During our interview together we get to discuss the 11 Spiritual Rules starting with ” Aligning with Spirit”.

In my dialogue with Joanna she tells some of her personal story in finding these laws and the personal pain she experienced, but the first law is about being a spiritual being, and knowing that you don’t have to imitate someone else, all you need to do is learn how to be yourself.  While this might sound easy, so many people don’t have the confidence and the self-esteem and they are constantly trying to be someone they believe is better than them—well no one is better than you finding your authentic self and letting the world know.

Joanna’s second law is “Being a Spiritual Vehicle”.  She state that in choosing a spiritual path you are choosing a path of continuous personal growth and actively seeking your spiritual transformation.   Your main purpose is to expand your capacity to both give and receive love.  I hope you will read her new book “Big Miracles” to learn about the other 9 laws to assist you in transforming your life to that of a spiritual being.

Throughout “Big Miracles” author Joanna Garzilli is providing practical advice and techniques to awaken your spiritual being, and in so doing achieving the ultimate success in life you desire.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with Joanna, for more information about the book please click here to be directed to her website, or click here to join her on Facebook.

 

This is my second interview with author Andrew Holecek.  In our interview about his new book entitled “Dream Yoga-Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep“, Andrew and I speak about now only how to utilize lucid dream “dream yoga” to gain insights about your true self and your personal desires.

Andres states that there are three essential ingredients for lucid dreaming (1) strong motivation or intention, (2) good dream recall, and (3) practicing the induction techniques.

So just what are the induction techniques, (1) is something called the “state check” this is a questions that you pose throughout your waking day asking yourself “Is this a dream?”  “Am I dreaming?”, this is designed to bring awareness to your state of consciousness.  (2) is something called “dreamsigns”.  This is when we become sensitized to the out-of-the-ordinary dreamlike events that occur during the day and to use these events that occur as triggers to conduct a “stage check”.  (3) Something called “prospective memory”.  This is where you are remembering to do something in the future.  It’s almost an oxymoron, because memory is associated with the past and prospective is associated with the future.  An example of this is telling yourself that every time you get a text message you’ll remember to do a state check–another way to remind yourself to check in about your state of consciousness and awareness of what is happening around you.

Andrew’s new book “Dream Yoga” is filled with great instruction on how to develop a state of lucid dreaming.  If you are interested in learning more about lucid dreaming and how to practices techniques that will trigger your nightly deep dream states with great recall then I would recommend you obtaining a copy of “Dream Yoga“.  I also think that listening to our interview will provide you with a great overview of “Dream Yoga” and Andrew is truly one of the master instructors on this topic.

To learn more about “Dream Yoga“please visit Andrew’s website by clicking here, or  you can watch a great video that Andrew recorded about “Dream Yoga” by clicking this link.  

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with author Andrew Holecek.