Have you ever chased passion to the threshold of sanity? Followed your soul to the dungeons gate or experienced a delirium so sweet that it defies verbal expression? Have you ever fought your way through unimaginable fear only to find that contained within it was the heart of your dreams?

Would you believe me if I told you that the real terror lies in discovering your destiny…in accepting your birthright and the enormous power that goes along with it?

There comes a time when we manifest our days from the content of our dreams…only to find ourselves no longer sleeping. Our chests heave with lungs full of breath and a budding new awareness begins to occupy every cell of our bodies. Suddenly we know who we are…we are awake, alive, conscious!

Discovering Your Power: The Hero’s Journey

Joseph Campbell described the purpose of life as undertaking the Hero’s Journey. This frame can be looked at in the large overall scheme of one’s life as well as the myriad smaller versions that happen every time we cross a threshold and move toward something spiritually new.

The pattern is separation - initiation - return; this requires a leaving of what is familiar into the unknown, a challenge or trial to face and overcome and a return that carries with it new information, a new social role and a new way of being in the world.

I was very familiar with this frame as a child…I resonated with it and just knew that I would be the kid to go on the big adventure. I would be the one who was lured by the unicorn to meet the dragon, receive the guidance of the old wizard and face the ultimate challenge for the sake of the greater good. My world as a child was full of mythical creatures and magical things, some of which looked normal by day and frightening by night.

I knew there were dark and scary things out there. I had come face to face with many of them at an early age…at that time the best I could do was survive.

But underneath the challenges of the world, there was a love that I could sense, a belonging and what seemed like a whole other secret dimension somewhere under the surface. It was a place that constantly changed like the shifting sand on the shore. I learned that I could sense it, feel it, see it and utterly experience it…like the ocean breeze, wild, free and available.

It was here I learned to go to escape pain…and to chase every passion driven adventure I’ve taken in life. The roads passion led me down were like a maze…the love I sensed was the prize at the end.

When I stepped out toward living on purpose (the separation portion of the journey)…I was to discover the beast hidden in the labyrinth was my wounded relationship with pleasure and that becoming whole would be my challenge.

The Challenge

I believe in transformation. I believe in unlimited resources. I believe that anything is possible.

However, I never applied this knowledge to the monsters of my childhood, somehow the idea that they could ever be transformed into anything beyond acceptance just hadn’t occurred to me. I had forgiven and had healed enough to allow a certain level of functionality but that was as far as I went.

That all changed one day when my husband asked me why it was I never told him how to pleasure me, why I never wanted anything from him in that way. My answer was I didn’t know…but I understood how unfair it was to him to always be in the position of receiving and never be able to give, so I decided in that moment that I was not going to live that way any longer.

Immediately dropping down inside of myself I asked, “Why don’t you know?” The response came quickly as I saw a part of myself floating away…to a safe place. This was the me who has a voice in the realms of physical pleasure and passion, the part that inhabits me when I feel and makes decisions about what is felt and what is denied…moving herself away from the body was an act of protection that had become a habit whether or not it was necessary.

It was the way she learned to use her voice…and to remain in control. It was clear to me as I stared into my husband’s eyes that it was time to learn something new, that this behavior no longer served me. Something inside stirred and awakened with the knowledge of a better way…

Beautiful Monsters: Choosing the Set for Your Story

What is painful? What is wrong? What is pleasurable? What is enjoyable?

All of these things are perceptions…categories, information and a storage system within the mind.

What happens if you put a memory in a different category? If you paint it a different color? Give it a new soundtrack? Or change who you are in that memory?

The memory shifts from something tragic, painful, hideous or difficult to something that’s o.k., enjoyable, powerful or even beautiful.

Monsters must have the proper set up in the story to remain monsters…and ugly must be made a space to remain ugly.

Let go of that space, change the story and the memory will transform. The monsters will cease to be scary…in fact, they may have a message for you, a vital piece of information, of learning that you will be grateful to receive.

Memories are changeable. The scene can be recreated, the actors can be assigned new roles, the emotional responses can be altered as well as the filters the mind uses to experience them.

Any memory can be transformed into something empowering…all it takes is an adventurer who is willing to undertake the journey, to become the hero and to accept the gift upon the return and an experienced guide.

Tower Rescue: The Return

Like the fairy tale princess, the part of me that was locked in the tower was given a ladder, in the form of my chakras, through which to re-enter the world.

When I started living on purpose I became aware of my life’s connection to passion. Working on opening up my first chakra to increase that connection is what my spirit was prompting me to do and ultimately it was what led me out on the call to adventure and to facing the challenge.

Now that I am back there is more of me to inhabit the world. It climbs down through my chakras on a river of energy created by passion and pleasure into this realm..the experience of which is a beautiful reflection of my soul.

Birthday Reflection

Today, is my birthday. As I sit here contemplating this post, an image from the movie The Matrix flashes through my mind. Neo is sitting there, hooked up to this device, gazing at himself in the mirror…pretty appropriate, I think as I gaze at my computer screen and notice how my hands appear to be hooked up as I type, to the silver box that is my MacBook Pro.

Mirror…Mirror, I find myself saying, reflecting on the fact that without my conscious knowledge I scheduled a coaching session today with Raj, a fellow coach who refers to me as ‘the mirror’.

We are eerily alike…watching him approach life is almost like watching myself in a movie. While coaching each other we take turns climbing in and out of the roles of experiencer and observer…knowing that in either role we’re learning far more about ourselves than we ever expect.

Whatever we work on is a lot like tumbling down the rabbit hole…we think we know where it might lead…but then we end up somewhere else, only to find out that this place is exactly where we needed to go.

In these sessions we’ve been tackling subjects like personal development heavyweights…we just go in and tear it up in the manner of those sorts of people who are completely comfortable with self exploration.

You know…those Steve Pavlina types, who approach life equipped with a kind of fearlessness…that absorbs every challenging aspect of the experience and creates in its place enthusiasm, excitement and a joyful readiness for change.

The Mirror Exercise

In honor of all the mirrors, reflections and rabbit holes in life I am sharing an exercise I created as a pathway to different parts of myself. Sometimes I see a future self that has accomplished my goals, sometimes it’s a younger self that wants to play, sometimes it’s a fantasy self that lives in another world…regardless, I can use the mirror as a pathway and the other part of myself as a guide.

To start this exercise, I imagine myself in a room that is empty save one item, a huge piece of furniture tucked against a far wall. This item is covered in a white sheet, so I can only see its outline. It reaches to the top of the ceiling, is oval in shape and very large. As I walk over…I am possessed with the desire to tear off the sheet, but before I do, I state this intention.

Mirror before me…that which I see
A perspective born anew…a reflection from you
I experience a dream…I’ve never before seen
Something helpful today…a new path…a new way…

And with that chant I rip the sheet off…knowing that what I see before me, is a symbolic exploration relevant to my current place of growth in life. I reach into the surface of the mirror which ripples with reflective color all around my arm. It feels silver, cold, wet and refreshing as I walk slowly through.

I look around to find myself inside the scene that appeared after my chant, I see myself staring at me from the other side. I sit watching the real world me. I see how she walks, talks, thinks and experiences life from her current point of view but I see so much more.

I can see the energy around her, the past events that are significant to her and the future possibilities she has yet to become aware of. I rewind her life to some of these past events to explore them and I fast forward to some of the future events until I have gained a perspective that satisfies me and then I exit the mirror…and go back to being myself…taking back with me, all the adventures I had on the other side of the looking glass

Have you ever considered speaking to your chakras and getting their meaning directly?

I’ve experimented with this before while experiencing symptoms, which wrote about it in my post “Gotta Question? Ask Your Body…” but this exercise is more about asking the chakras to explain how they currently function for you in your life.

One idea in particular set me in this direction of exploration after being coached around the development of my new website. During the session, I spoke of my mission and while I was speaking I had the growing sense that one of the chakra’s contained a direct connection to my life’s purpose, and that this chakra wanted to speak to me about it.

Though I didn’t know which it was, or perhaps if it was all of them in some way…I was driven to figure it out. I started with a chakra meditation and while I envisioned each color, I invited that chakra to speak, asked it what messages it held for me and simply waited for the response before moving onto the next.

The answers I received came complete with visual images and feelings. I have listed them below.

Please keep in mind that there are several color variations one can use while meditating with the chakras, so don’t be alarmed if the colors you use are not listed. Also, the eighth chakra is actually ultra-violet light (so you can’t see the color), its color is dependent on the individual and determined by the soul and their current stage of development.

Root Chakra (Color Red)
I was shown two separate images, one was of a very old tree with a complicated and deeply connected root system and the other was a ball of swirling energy. The words, I am creation and creativity, I am the source, the root through which nourishment comes entered my mind along with the feelings of intense support.

Sacral Chakra (Color Orange)
For this chakra the image of a very old compass and map came to mind (something similar to maps made in the 1700’s) along with the words, I am intuition, the compass by which you use the map…this was accompanied by a deep sense of guidance.

Solar Plexus Chakra (Color Yellow)
I entered this chakra and saw myself, reflected in a mirror. It then panned out to an image of me in relation to the world, I heard the words I am self-awareness and the mirror by which you see from without…while experiencing myself from the position of the observer.

Heart Chakra (Color Green)
This chakra presented itself in the shape of a heart, and I saw an image of a knight on a quest riding hard on his horse. The words I am passion, I am the beating heart and the force that drives the adventurer out to meet his destiny entered my mind along with the feelings of intense desire and love, of feeling ignited.

Throat Chakra (Color Blue)
I was shown our blue world from out in space for a moment before it zoomed into an image of my mouth and jawline speaking into a microphone. I heard the words, I am your voice in the world and the vehicle through which you deliver your contribution and felt energy go out before me like a wave, interacting, changing, impacting everything around me.

Brow Chakra (Color Purple)
I entered this chakra and was shown a funnel through which poured intense white light and out of which came images, sounds and feelings. The words, I am your communications system. I transport messages from Source came to me along with the sense of receiving information…like being told a story, learning something fascinating or experiencing some new understanding.

Crown Chakra (Color White)
For this chakra I was shown a tunnel, on one side was the light-filled world of energy and on the other our physical reality. I heard the words, I am your bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds while experiencing the feeling on intense connection.

Eighth Chakra (Silver & Gold)
This chakra appeared as an indescribable being of white light that words can not express, the closest I can come is to say that I experienced a visual representation of consciousness. This consciousness stated, I am the aspect of you that is Source and I hold your mission. The other chakras assist me in delivering it. The resonance and vibration of the voice, coursed and hummed it’s way through me until all I could sense or feel was the movement of its vibration…like a melody or song that defies the mind…but to which the body responds.

Mission & Purpose

Now that I know how the chakras are currently at work in my life I am experiencing a greater congruency with my mission on the planet. The alignment has taken place. It’s a movement outwards that starts with expanding this site into its role as ambassador for my life’s work…the purpose of which is nurturing the dreams of the soul, igniting passion and impacting the world by assisting people to bring out their biggest, best selves!

What information might your chakras have for you?

Spirit and Mirth

Sometimes the content of this site gets entirely too serious. Something I appreciate about being in a group of people is the humor that is produced by select individuals who connect with joy by being silly and providing a situation for others to laugh. I may shake my head in disbelief at some of what they say or do, but there are few things I enjoy more than someone with whom I can share my deepest thoughts on one level and gut wrenching humor on another…

An Unconventional Method of State Change

Master Certified Coach, Helen Attridge Green, learned a technique from Tony Robbins while she was a coach for his company (which attests to it’s unconventional but effective origins ). During the coaching course she passed it on to us…and now I am passing the torch to you, my dear readers!

Whenever the group needed an energy shift, she’d stand up and have us “just shake our asses”. I still see Helen in my mind’s eye in her lime green jacket, hair flying, shaking away…her mere presence a smiling shock-wave of friendly enthusiasm!

The changed physiology made it easy to shift states, renew energy and internally clear out the remnants of what we had been working on. There we were, in a meeting room, a group of thirty some people, hair flying, ass-shaking and giggling away in surprise and perhaps even a bit of wonder at just how good it feels to really shake your ass!

It became a kind of mantra for me…whenever I wanted to lighten things up I would suggest we shake our asses and have at it! It was a fun way to move into a joyous state…

Booty-Ananda

One member of our class, however, already knew how good it feels to “shake it” and she took this technique to a new level. The night before the end of the course we all went out as a group to Kincaid’s, a restaurant with a small dance floor and a live band. We had some real dancers hidden within our collective…including an actual instructor and at least five others who really knew what they were doing! I, of course, was not one of them!

With a room full of adept dancers, it took a Mochatini and a Mojita before I was ready to be pulled up onto the dance floor and just shake it (which is really the only method of dance that I know how to do…never having learned anything that remotely resembles moves).

When I got onto the dance floor I was inspired to really cut loose and give it a go because there dancing next to me was the booty shaking goddess of all time! This butt dancing diva displayed a pure form and mastery of the skill…reminding me of some aspects of belly dancing…(I have a theory that these kinds of movements promote the transfer of energy up through the first chakra and beyond but we’ll save that for another post ).

This goddess whom a member of the class aptly named Booty-Ananda, was kind enough to take on a few pupils that evening and one of her sessions we even have on film!

With that in mind and of course with permission I am sharing a video of a phenomena that was the topic of deep discussions, near car accidents and of course just plain fun!

So if life is getting a little too intense, and you just need a completely new attitude…get up, take a few deep breaths and practice “shakin it” with Booty-Ananda. I guarantee you’ll feel better

Creativity…what is it? How do we experience it? And how do we construct an environment in which the creative mind can grow?

Creativity as a State

Creativity is a state of resourcefulness. It is a field where one has access to more of themselves, their ability and their connectedness to the world around them. This state is achieved by climbing up through the neurological levels of physical environment to the level of connected oneness with all things (or of seeing yourself as part of a larger system). This can be done through meditation, an activity of great enjoyment, using the body in a way that is physically challenging or a series of questions as it is done in coaching.

There are many ways to access it, but the key attributes that these activities share and must produce in order to successfully bring about the state are: cessations in the stream of thought, mental space, focus, body awareness (i.e. the way that the activity feels, the emotions it produces and or the locations of the feelings associated with the activity), an increase in energy and a sense of being safe and alive.

How Do We Experience Creativity?

New ideas pop into the mind when the mind is relaxed, empty and still. Often times when we are having fun and completely engrossed in the moment they will appear. Sponsorship and space provide the necessary support for inspired thoughts to come into being. Creativity also requires down time. Time spent daydreaming, drawing, scribbling, writing, puttering, meditating, singing, playing and walking in nature…are all examples of activities that are often associated with the creative state.

Cultivating creativity requires stepping away from structure and allowing yourself to be free of time for periods. Maybe you indulge in a nap or a cup of tea on the couch while doing nothing but cuddling your cat…you may not think this is anything special, in fact you may beat up on yourself for engaging your time in this way but it is exactly this kind of space that is necessary for new ideas to come.

The most vital components that I have noticed are the cessation of mental chatter and the kind of doing that leads to a sense of enjoyment. These states are similar to meditative or trance-like states, it’s a return to the source. When we touch home and connect to our origins in that way…we exist, fully centered, in the flow of life. In these moments we receive transmissions…often times in the form of ideas.

The Creative Environment

In my training we used techniques that explore the process of taking something that exists in the imagination only and forging it into a physical existence that directly influences the experience of others in a positive way.

The models that we used uncovered methods of interacting with ideas from the perspectives of three separate entities, with very different points of view, but ultimately the same goal. Through these exercises I became extremely interested in the conditions that encourage people to get creative.

One of the first things I understood is that people need to feel safe in order to dream and that most dreams are torn apart before they ever get a chance to sprout their wings…so I’m going to talk about sponsoring the dream, and how to stick with this position long enough to let the dream develop fully.

Sponsoring the Dream

In order for a dream to fully flourish the proper sponsorship needs to be in place. Sponsorship is an attitude of support, in order to provide support, you need to be fully connected to yourself. In martial arts this connection is often called “your center”. When you loose “your center” you begin to loose resources. Obviously, it is difficult to offer support cut off from your own resources…this connection or center is what allows for responsive engagement.

Sponsorship is about seeing and fostering potential, acknowledging and blessing something that does not yet fully exist, developing a curiosity around how it will evolve and creating a receptive and safe place for that evolution to occur.

The basic attitude of sponsorship is acknowledgment: You exist, I see you, you are valuable, important, special, unique, you have something important to contribute, you are welcome here, you belong, it is possible for you to succeed, you are capable to succeed and you deserve to succeed, are examples of positive sponsorship.

This is turn creates the emotional responses necessary to be truly creative: a sense of relief, relaxation, feeling centered, at peace, satisfied, motivated, energetic and safe. Sponsorship is important because when a person feels like they are a valuable, contributing member of a system (of something larger than themselves) the sense of well being they experience, produces an environment for creativity to flourish.

The Dreamer: What is Possible?

Being really creative requires the ability to dream. For this to occur you need to step out of reality and pretend for a moment. This releases your mind from the constraints of what you’ve learned is possible. You are then free to let it get as large and imaginative as it can go…the biggest and best of what you can conjure up. Your objective at this point is not to be realistic, it is to let go of your map of the world and step outside of the box.

To assist you on this level your focus will be on the what of your dream, your thinking will be visual and big picture oriented and your attitude is one of anything is possible.

Cultivating the Dream

The dream is not the place for the world, life and rules that you know…it is the place to create something in alignment with the higher order of things. Take this idea and plant it firmly in the ground of possibility. Let it grow, let it mature and when it is mature…you will step out of the dreamer and into the planner and then out of the planner and into the critic.

As you do, the idea will be pruned and trimmed in a way that makes it stronger, the bed in which it is planted will be weeded and other complimentary ideas will begin to grow with it.

Many of us don’t know how or when to start pruning and sever the foundations of our dreams before we know which limbs they need in order to grow. Every dream is infused with it’s own form of life, a distinct energy, that needs to be observed in order to be acknowledged. Bringing out the planner and the critic in a way that works with the dream rather than against it, is the art of keeping the dream space safe, an act of reverence and sponsorship that holds the key to creating something concrete and achievable of an idea that previously existed in the mind alone.

Creation myths around the world start with empty space…by an act of the divine that most cultures view as sacred, life comes forth from the void. Similarly, an idea comes forth from empty space as a seed or spark within the imagination that grows into a dream. Consider where these gifts of the divine might take you when they are treated with reverence and seen as the acts of creation they really are…

The BackStory of the Reading

When I first met Slade Roberson we had an immediate spiritual connection. I can only describe it as a very conscious recognition of spirit, as if, on another level we knew each other. This connection manifested in me asking him for an interview for this blog, a meeting with his guides regarding interview questions and lastly, scheduling a reading.

In each of these instances Slade was thinking something to which I responded, almost as if we had a spiritual short wave radio that we were using to listen to one another. I received my first reading from him a few days after I began my NLP Coaching course. I didn’t know what day he would do it, but was not surprised the morning I got the email because I was aware of another person’s presence (a distinct energy connection) the night before.

What was it like?

It was a journey. Together we traveled through the landscape of my energy toward a visual message that was meant for both of us. We met my main spirit guide, got a look at my god posse and discovered that we both serve the mother/goddess in the aspect of Mary…I would come to understand later the connection between her appearances to me and first chakra energy. Here is a segment of my reading:

I received a very detailed vision of visiting your Tower with you. You told me you had to “run upstairs to check something” and told me to look at a display case of what looked like trays of jewelry or pendants. You said “I want one of those” and ran off. I looked where you pointed and there were two pendants or amulets that appeared to be made of amber. They were shaped like honey bees, but were the size of carver or bumble bees — slightly larger than life-size.

They were gorgeous, and I thought, if Paula gets one, I’m getting the other one right beside it — I want one too! If you come back from San Francisco bearing some gorgeous new amber pendant, I’ll just die from jealousy! : ) Obviously, these are symbolic — I can’t imagine actually finding something like them physically existing… They were almost anatomically perfect, like tiny machines made of jewels or some material we don’t have the technology for. Well, I take that back, circuit boards and computer chips have a similar look and feel, really, in terms of physical material…

So, you came flying back down the stairs and grabbed my hand and said “I’ve got to show you something!” You were very excited. I followed you up this spiral stone staircase leading up into your Tower, and I was anticipating where you were going, but I was also reluctant to mention that I can only go so far up in my Tower — I can’t go out “on the roof” — at least, I haven’t been able to yet.

I was beginning to suspect you had discovered something I have not. Sure enough, the staircase went straight up to the ceiling and awkwardly ended. No door or window. There was a landing at the top, like there SHOULD be a door or window, but the space between the landing and the ceiling was barely half-a-foot high.

You said “Watch this!” You had just “watched someone else do this trick” and had apparently tried it, and very quickly returned to find me and show me:

You laid down and inched/crawled into that space between the landing and the ceiling — barely room to squeeze your body into it. It looked incredibly uncomfortable, claustrophobic… I was like “Paula, what are you…?”

Red-faced and barely able to breathe you shouted back “No! Watch this!” And right before my eyes you pushed yourself up against the ceiling, like doing a push-up and BIRTHED yourself through the ceiling and vanished. Like a caterpillar erupting through the skin of a cocoon.

The ceiling is an illusion. After you went through it, it returned to looking like a hard surface. But I know now that you have discovered a way to another level.

Slade literally saw me go through the roof of my tower and that is an appropriate visual comparison to what I have been experiencing.

What Does the Bee Mean?

The bee piece resonated with me so strongly I was surprised by my reaction when I read it. Around the same time as the reading, I picked up a chakra book at the East West Bookstore in Mountain View, CA when I was in training. I had no idea at the time that I would find a part of my answer to the bee there.

(From Wheels of Light)
The image of the bumblebee is found in Crete and Egypt. In Crete the queen bee symbolized the mother goddess who created everything, nurtured everything, and was the reason for being. In Egypt, the bumblebee was a sign of the female pharaoh, the southern part of Egypt or the Upper Nile.

The bee and other insects that move like a bee have a rhythmic movement in their legs and in their antennae. This movement relates to the first center. When that movement becomes exaggerated and accelerated it is then associated with flight. In people, when internal movement (or energetic vibration) becomes rapid, it can be said that we are “flying”. We are lifting and moving, expanding and growing in a way that we had not been doing before. Because of this association, the sound of buzzing is often related to the opening of the kundalini. Consequently, the bumblebee became symbolic of the first chakra in the ancient world.

Understanding Symbolism in Readings

Slade has a way with symbolism and reads authentically. He is his own physic in every sense and has a distinct style and ability mixed with straight forward honesty, curiosity and wonder at what he will learn.

My experience with him was a surprise, the information right on and the connection profound. Do I know all of what it meant? Yes, actually I do, so I will leave you with this last quote from my reading as food for thought.

It’s not lost on me that Jeff Lilly had a vision he wrote about that involved a mechanical bee. What do I think this bee is?

Well, I think it’s some totem that we share. I think it’s connected to technology and human ascension. As a devotee of Mary, I believe the bee represents something she stresses to me about human ascension — that we don’t ascend individually — we’re meant to ascend collectively. Is the bee perhaps a metaphor for the hive mind, the collective social structure, connectivity, our new technologically enhanced democratic communication?

These are my theories. Any honey bee action going on in your world?

Priscilla Palmer of Personal Development Demands Success has started a collaborative list of personal development blogs that has been contributed to by bloggers all over the world. She defines the list by the following:

Personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). This list should include any blog you feel can benefit us in our growth process.

Slade Roberson (thank you Slade ) of Shift Your Spirits added me to the list and so I am adding Vera Nadine of True Hope Through Spiritual Awareness.

With all of these blogging resources…you’ll have inspiration for your personal development for some time to come!

Personal Development Blogs:

Adam Alexander at Adam’s Peace

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day

Adam Kayce at Monk at Work

AgentSully at Life Learning Today

April Groves at Making Life Work For You

Ash aka Mr. Biggs at One Powerful Word

Al at 7pproductions.com

Alan Torres at Made to Be Great

Alex Shalman at AlexShalman.com

Alexander Kjerulf at The Chief Happiness Officer

Alexys Fairfield at Unraveling The Spiritual Mystique

Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net

Amber at Random Mangus

Amie Ragan at Psychology of Clutter

Amy Hedin at There is no Maximum to Human Potential

Andrea Learned at Learned on Women

Andrea J. Lee at Money, Meaning, and Beyond

Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com

Anita Pathik Law at Power of four Way

Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand

Antonio Thornton at AntonioThornton.com

Ariane Benefit at Neat & Simple Living

Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development

Barbara Sliter at Creatorship

Belle Wong at Abundance Journal

Bill Perry at Lucid Blog

Billy Smith at The Organic Leadership Blog

Blogfuse at LifeDev

Brad Isaac at Achieve It

Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Brian Kim at briankim.net

Brian Lee at geniustypes.com

Bob at everyeveryminute

Cam Beck at ChaosScenario

Cara Lumen at The Success Magnets With Cara Luman and Your Second Wind Blog

Carlon Haas at Possess Less Exist More

Chris Cree at SuccessCREEations

Chris Marshall at Martial Development

Chris Owen at Pink Apple

Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com

Clyde at Feeling Good

Colin Beavan at No Impact Man

Conceive, Believe, Achieve at Conceive, Believe, Achieve

Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker

Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure

Cyres at Cyres Matters

Damian Carr at Soul Terminal

Daniel Sitter at Idea Sellers

Darren Rowse at Problogger.net

Dave Schawbel at The Personal Branding Blog

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet

Davers at Language Trainers Blog

David Allen at The David Allen Company

David Bohl at Reflections on Balance

David Fitch at David Fitch.com

David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence

David Seah at David Seah.com

David Zinger at Slacker Manager

Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com

Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners

Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear

Debbie LaChusa at 10 Step Marketing Collection

Debra Moorhead at Debra Moorhead.com

Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business

Dick Richards at Come Gather Round

Dominic Tay at Personal Development for Winners

Don Simkovich at Hey Don

Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer

Donna Karlin at Perspectives

Dr. Charles Parker at The Core Psych Blog

Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog

Drew Rozell at Drew Rozell.com

Dwayne Melancon at Genuine Curiosity

Edward Mills at Evolving Times

Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business

Emmanuel Lopez at The Adventures of Motivatorman

Ellesse at Goal Setting College

Elly Jolly at Jolly Life Coaching

Emily G. W. Lilly at The Science of Waldorf Education

Enoch Tan at Mind Reality

Eric Napier at Quotation Collection

Erin Pavlina at ErinPavlina.com

Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership

Frank Roche at KnowHR Blog

Galba Bright at Tune Up Your EQ

Gilad Buchman at Sigsug

Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas

Grayson at Modern Worker Blog

Greg Butler at Life as Art

Greg Frost at ChargedAudio.com

Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project

Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com

Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World

Gyanish at Diethack

Halina Goldstein at The Inner Travel Journal

Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud

Heather Goldsmith at A Creative Journal

Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog

Honman at Open Your Mind to Prosperity

Inkedmn at The Cranking Widgets Blog

Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded

Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives

Jason and Michael at Black Belt Productivity

Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day

Jason Womack at Fit and Effective

Jay White at dumb little man tips for life

Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk

Jeff Lilly at Druid Journal

Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster

Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness

Jenny and Erin at Jenny and Erin

Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Jerry Hart at Blue Print to emarketing

Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth

Jessa at Clairvoyant Guidance

Jim stroup at Managing Leadership

Jim Walton at Black In Business

Jo Lynn Braley at The Fit Shack

Joan Schramm at Accelerating Momentum

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

Joanne at I’m Happy Fish

Joe Vitale at Dr. Joe Vitale at Zero

John Pratt at John Pratt International

John Place at John Place Online

John W. McKenna at The Leadership Epidemic

John Wesley at Pick The Brain

Jon at Join The Secret

Jonathan at Smart Wealthy Rich and Freelance Folder

Jory Des Jardin at Pause: Meaningful Work

Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence

Josh Kaufman at The Personal MBA

Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden

Julie Bonner at Declutter It

Kailani at An Island Review

Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose

Karen at Journey with Water Learner

Karen Lynch at Live The Power

Karen Wallace at The Clearing Space

Karl Moore at Karl Blog.com

Karl Staib at Karl Staib.com

Kevin Kinchen at Creative Power of Thought

Killeris at Attitude, The Ultimate Power

Kim and Jason at Escape Adulthood

Kim George at Doing What You Can Do

Kirk Nugent at Kirk Nugent.com

Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin

Krishna De at Biz Growth News and Todays Women in Business

K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now

Leah Maclean at Working Solo

Laura Young at The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life

Lee Nutter at bmindful

Leo Babauta at Zen Habits

Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom

Linda Salazar at Awaken The Genie Within

Lisa Braithwaite at Speak Schmeak

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Lisa Van Allen at Finish Strong

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lodewijkvdb at How to be an Original

Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development

Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living

Luciano Passuello at Litemind.com

Lucid at Spiritual Suggestions

Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life

Lyndon Antcliff at LyndonAntcliff.com and Cornwallseo.com

MT at MindTWEAKS

Maddy at Illuminated Minds Want to Know

Malathy Badri at Laws of Universe

Maria Palma at The Good Life

Marianne Williamson at Journal

Mark at The Naked Soul

Mark Forster at Get Everything Done

Mark LaPierre at The Winding Path

Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order

Mark W Shead at Productivity 501

Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily

Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog

Meg Haworth at Life Lessons From Your Soul

Melanie Benson Strick at The Success Blog

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders

Michelle at aMusing My Genius

Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog

Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution

Mike Janssen at Opgestroopte Mouwen

Mike St. Pierre at The Daily Saint

My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner

Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence

Neil Patel at Quick Sprout

Nic Askew at Monday 9AM Blog

Nick Smith at Life 2.0

Nneka at Balanced Life Center

Organize-It at Organize-It

Pamala Slim at Escape From Cubicle Nation

Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker

Paula Kawal at PaulaKawal.com

Patti Digh at 37 Days

Paul at Paul’s Tips

Peggy Payne at Peggy Payne’s Boldness Blog

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Aldin at Great Circle

Peter Haslem at Necessary Skills

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great

Philippe Matthews at Shockwealth

Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success

Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths

Rich Schefren at Strategic Profits

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro

Ririan at Ririanproject

Rob at 7Breaths

Rob Cooke at Leave the Office

Robert at Compassionate Council

Robert at Myselfdev

Robin Yapp at Yapp 3.0

Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz

Roger Von Oech at Creative Think

Rolf F. Katzenberger at Evomend

Rosa Say at Managing With Aloha Coaching

Ryan Marle at The Alpha Project

S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion

Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog

Scott Berkun at Berkun Blog

Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret

Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name Is Blog

Scott H Young at Scott H Young

Scott McArthur at McArthur’s Rant

Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit

Seth Godin at Seth’s Blog

Shane Navratil at Zoomstart

Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path

Shaheen Lakhan at GNIF Brain Blogger

Simone at Dynamic Living

Simone and Mandy at Outfit Inspirations

Slade Roberson at Shift Your Spirits and Spiritual Blogging

Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early

Sonora Jayne Case at Positive Realities Coaching

Spike at Organize It

Stephanie and Jeffrey at Brains on Purpose

Steve King at The Green Geek

Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com

Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com

Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace

Stephen at HD bizblog

Steven Aitchison at Change Your Thoughts

Surjit at Gurushabad

Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe

Suzanne Bird-Harris at Learning Curve Coaching

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business

Terry Starbucker at Ramblings From a Glass Half Full

Thom Quinn at Qlog

Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog

Tim Taylor at My Agapic Life

Tom Peters at Tom Peters.com

Tom Spanton at TRCoach

Tom Van Brunscot of Transformation Economy

Tony Chimento at Living Forward

Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest

Torlink at You Create Reality

Travis A. Sinquefield at Disorganizational Behavior

Travis Wright at Cultivate Greatness

Trizoko at Trizoko.com

Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key

Troy Worman at Orbit Now!

Tuck Self at Rebel Belle Blog

Tupelo Kenyon at Tupelokenyon.com

Ubertech at Geeks Guide To GTD

Vickie at Contemplate This

Vera Nadine at True Hope Through Spiritual Awareness

Wally Bock and his real-life management insight at Three Star Leadership

Wan Qi at Meditation Forum Mantras

Wild Bill at Passionate Blogger

and these collaborated sites:

Burst Blog

Change This

Change Your Thinking

Daily PlanIt

Did I Get Things Done

GTD Wannabe

Jobman2

Joyful Jubilant Learning

Life Coaches Blog Stratagies for a Greater Life

Lifehack.org

Lifehacker.com

Transformational Girlfriends

The Training

The course has ended and I along with 32 other students have now earned the right to use the title: Certified NLP Coach. Our school was one of only three in the world to be accredited by the International Coach Federation for NLP Coaching, and is the only one in the United States which is part of the reason we had such an international group including people living in Japan, France, England, Canada and the Netherlands. I loved this course, the people I got to know who were taking it, the instructors and the experience.

What Does it Do?

The power of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques and what they uncover amazes me. I view NLP Coaching as a bridge between the conscious mind, unconscious mind and spirit. It is a way of unifying all of our parts (aligning and integrating with our higher selves). This integration then flows into our every activity. We go forth with our full power available, no longer trapped in fragmentation and inner conflict, we are free to approach life with a sense of peace, purpose and congruency.

Why Did I Go?

I entered the course because I wanted to learn a more powerful way of being with people than giving them advice, or assuming that based on my experience I know what they should do. Even speaking to their angels and guides on their behalf, while extraordinarily useful, wasn’t as fulfilling to me as I felt I was in the way of the other person directly experiencing the feeling of being with their spiritual selves and the immense changes that evolve from that process of self discovery.

I wanted to learn how to consciously lead others to this connection and the perspective shifts it creates in a way that is directly useful and valid to whatever is currently a concern for them in life and this is what I have witnessed and accomplished through the process of NLP Coaching.

When I walk someone through a coaching technique, I literally watch them climb the ladder through the physical to the spiritual realms. In the process they discover their own thought patterns and beliefs, gather information from their spiritual selves, understand the positive intents of the behaviors they learned in life as they apply to their current situation and transform them into something that serves them on the deepest levels of their being.

It’s taken me years of meditation to reach the altered states of consciousness that a talented NLP Coach can bring about in a matter of minutes…thinking at these levels of consciousness is what makes NLP Coaching so powerful.

How Do I Contribute?

My job in all of this is to act as a guide. In order to assist the client/adventurer, I have to be fully present. An empty vessel tuned into their energy…noticing everything and directing their attention to what is there and what is absent. I see their unlimited potential, their resources, their ability, their inherent goodness, their positive intent and help them locate whatever strengths, abilities or resources they need to fulfill their missions in life.

I’ve never experienced more satisfying work. It takes an immense amount of trust in the process, in spirit, in the client and in myself to hold the coaching space…during the course I learned how to establish this trust. In the beginning I was hit and miss with it…but when I was on…it was life altering.

It didn’t take long to learn what the ‘coaching zone’ felt like and how to consciously create it. I understood that it is a spiritual process from the very beginning (all that meditation had trained my mind to slip into and hold various states of consciousness, so it was easy to apply this to the coaching state once I had identified what it felt like ).

Questions/Answers

Many of you have expressed an interest in coaching or in becoming a coach. Please use the comments section of this post for your questions about the process, being coached or being a coach and I will post all of your answers together in an article for everyone to read. If you have something personal that you would like to ask then send me an email and we will discuss it privately.

Much love to you all!

PK