Over the last month I’ve been doing a lot of work to clarify my business ideas and practices. In the process I stumbled across (or rather was led by my own coach to) this idea of the “inner wizard”. For me the inner wizard is the idea that we all have a little magical ability inside us that we can tap into at any time. Several years ago my friend Serena remarked to me “Magic is the art of conceiving of reality differently in such a way that it comes to pass.” This quote immediately came to my mind when talking about my inner wizard. So I tried a little experiment to see how I could conceive of reality differently and walked around for a day embodying my inner wizard just to see how it felt and how people reacted to me. It was interesting at first as I noticed what was happening in my body. As I tapped into this inner magical power I felt tremendous joy as if I was finally finding my true power and potential – I felt like I could do anything I wanted for a little while. People’s reactions to me started to change as well. I was walking around downtown just looking for people to interact with. What I noticed was people started to look up more when I engaged my wizard and intersected their energy field. They’d look me in the eye longer as they passed by and some even paused as if about to ask me a question before moving on. After a little while I started to get tired of putting all that focused energy into engaging my inner wizard and I relaxed a bit allowing the wizard to just sit in the background. I started to do some work with the wizard energy in me and all of the sudden the reactions around me shifted again – for a moment I was wondering if people could read my thoughts. Then I realized the difference between engaging and embodying! For me it was rather subtle but it was about “turning it on” vs. “being” the wizard. When I was “turning on” the wizard people noticed me like a bright light in a dark room. But when I was “being’ the wizard they simply responded to the power that enveloped me and extended outwards towards them. As I sat and pondered this I wondered how others might experience this difference. For me it was about trusting myself to have and utilize the skills and abilities I’d acquired over the years. Rather than focusing my attention on them externally I was turning them internal – but reflecting them out in the process. I wasn’t engaging anything, I was simply creating what I already knew how to do. Then in a flash it hit me – magic is what builds walls! Last month I was tearing them down and this month I was building them up! Ever since then I’ve been walking around and working with this incredible power surging up inside me and I’ve been having revelations of clarity for days since then! I feel as if my life has taken a giant leap forward and all I did was embody who I already know I am. So how do you engage this powerful wizard of clarity and power for yourself? Simple. All it takes to engage your inner wizard is some support at the beginning, a little focused attention, releasing the need to be actively engaged, accepting the skills we know we have, and embodying the process. After that, well, magic happens!

Are You Last on the List? When was the last time taking care of yourself or doing something just for fun made it to the top of your to do list? If your answer is a “long time ago” or “can’t remember” or even “never,” you’re not alone. From the time we were children, many of us were taught “don’t be selfish” and “think of others.” We may have learned these lessons a little too well. Most of us spend all the hours of our day taking care of others, completing the to-do list, fulfilling obligations, and doing what we “should” do. Taking care of ourselves is last on the list – if it’s on the list at all. The truth is this doesn’t work! If you ignore your own needs long enough you’re likely to become drained, dissatisfied, exhausted, and maybe even resentful. When you’re not refilling your own personal tank, it becomes increasingly difficult to give to others. Without recharging you won’t have the energy to be your best self at home or in the world. Put Yourself First Many of my clients come to me with empty tanks. While they may be searching for what is next in their lives or how to make a difference in the world, they often need to start with self-care. Only after refueling and recharging themselves are they fully ready to create their vision for a deeply satisfying future. Remember how on an airplane you’re told to put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then help others? In the event of an emergency on the plane, you must be both present and alive to assist and truly be of service to others. You must take care of yourself first. The same is true in all aspects of our lives. If you want to be a happier person, a better spouse, a great parent . . . if you want to be a good employee, manager or friend . . . if you want to do what you’re called to do, what your purpose in life is . . . whatever it is you want to do with your life, begin with yourself. When you make choices that nourish you and fill you up, you’ll naturally be more generous with your time, energy, and resources. And you’ll be more able to create a life you love. This is healthy selfishness. Make the Most of Your Self-Care If this idea makes sense to you your next question might be “What do I do to take care of myself?” There are a lot of “shoulds” in the area of self-care – exercise, eat healthy, meditate. The list can be long. All of these would be good for us, so the question often is “Where to start?” I recommend a different approach to self-care. To get the most impact and the best refueling from your self-care time, do something that “lights you up;” choose an activity that energizes, delights, soothes, or nurtures you. My clients’ “lights on” activities have included getting a massage, singing karaoke, reading trash magazines, having dinner with friends, practicing yoga, taking a ten minute walk in nature, and planning a vacation to a favorite place. The list is endless and different for each person. What is it for you? Take a moment to visualize some things you love to do. Perhaps those things you never make time to enjoy. Get these ideas out of your head and onto paper. Better yet, add some of these to the top – yes, the top – of your to-do list. And then do some of them! Notice how your energy increases when you take a little bit of time to do something just for yourself, something that lights you up. So go ahead- be selfish now and then. Put yourself at the top of your to do list. Healthy selfishness just may be the best thing you can do for yourself, the people around you, and the world.

I was speaking to an acquaintance recently who shrugged off the topic of motivation and self-empowerment as “just fluff”. He suggested that the fancy words of my business were just hype that is good for the moment in “juicing” someone up, but in the long run there is no substance to it all and a person could do better without it because in the end it is what a person accomplishes in life that matters. I hold that ideas are essential and that the worth of a human does not depend so much on what he or she accomplishes, but on what he longs to accomplish in his heart. What do you believe on this? I am reminded of the words of Kahlil Gibran who once said, “The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain” so I am comforted to have at least one ally. Because chance and circumstance befall us all as a wise proverbialist once wrote, a person may be held back from accomplishing the great things in life they would have if the wheel of misfortune had not turned against them. I know a great man who was a bishop in my church and he was in the midst of accomplishing great things with many people, helping to change the lives of entire families because of his wise instruction and counseling. Then one day this friend of mine suffered a stroke, one that took away the use of his right side and his speech. After that he became practically useless in his ability to function as a whole person. His influence vanished from us in the church and it was felt by all from the least to the greatest of us. We felt a hole where there was once brilliant inspiration. I believe it is what a person longs to accomplish that matters, not what he or she actually does accomplish. You see if he/she longs to accomplish some great thing, then that fire “to do” burns in the soul forever, driving and directing a person like a compass on a ship through the dark night on a turbulent ocean; and should the weather change and good fortune present itself, the burning drive of those noble longings find place to produce, yes accomplish much. However if the weather should not change, and rough oceans and bad circumstances prevail it matters not, for the driving force shall still reside in the person burning bright making that person right of heart at least, and will await the opportune time if it shall come to then accomplish what dreams were intended to do. Chance and circumstance befall us all. That’s why the significance of a person should never be judged by what they have accomplished alone. We all have the potential to be someone great. But what we long for determines the present and the future? That is what matters. Like my friend the bishop who was stricken with a terrible illness that took his ability away, he shall be made whole again, and you too may awaken from your paralysis as he undoubtedly will someday. So my friend do not give up, but press on for if your heart is true to right principles, and if good conditions present themselves, as sure they will one day, you too will realize the results of your dreams. For today it is yours and mine to long for what we will. Your empowerment comes from what you desire.

So Karma-Yoga says, first destroy the tendency to project this tentacle of selfishness, and when you have the power of checking it, hold it in and do not allow the mind to get into the ways of selfishness. Then you may go out into the world and work as much as you can. Mix everywhere, go where you please; you will never be contaminated with evil. There is the lotus leaf in the water; the water cannot touch and adhere to it; so will you be in the world. This is called “Vairagya”, dispassion or non – attachment. I believe I have told you that without non – attachment there cannot be any kind of Yoga. Non – attachment is the basis of all the Yogas. The man who gives up living in houses, wearing fine clothes, and eating good food, and goes into the desert, may be a most attached person. His only possession, his own body, may become everything to him; and as he lives he will be simply struggling for the sake of his body. Non – attachment does not mean anything that we may do in relation to our external body,it is all in the mind.The binding link of “I and mine” is in the mind. If we have not this link with the body and with the things of the senses, we are non – attached, wherever and whatever we may be. A man may be on a throne and perfectly non – attached; another man may be in rags and still very much attached. First, we have to attain this state of non – attachment and then to work incessantly. Karma-Yoga gives us the method that will help us in giving up all attachment, though it is indeed very hard. Here are the two ways of giving up all attachment. The one is for those who do not believe in God, or in any outside help. They are left to their own devices; they have simply to work with their own will, with the powers of their mind and discrimination, saying, “I must be non – attached”. To get more information visit : http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com

It’s a New Year and a new set of resolutions. But how many will you actually see through to the end? And how many will fall by the wayside because of one simple four lettered word . . . FEAR. Fear gets to the best of us, whether it is fear of failure, fear of success or even fear of fear. All of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives and it can be a real stumbling block that holds us back from being truly successful. But don’t panic, there is a way to conquer these fears, and what better time to start than this New Year. Here are my top 10 fast acting tips for you to conquer your fear this year: 1. SEPARATE REALITY FROM PERCEPTION See the reality of the situation for what it is. Be rational and get clear on the facts. Soul search and explore your perception of the situation at hand. 2. IDENTIFY THE TRIGGER Isolate the specific aspects of the situation that trigger your fearful thoughts. What’s the worst that could happen? Change the way you look at these triggers and you will immediately change the way you react. 3. KNOW WHERE FEAR LIVES IN YOUR BODY Be in tune with where your fear lives in your body. Use it as an indicator to tell you when something needs to be addressed. What you are aware of you can act on. 4. BECOME AN OBSERVER When you observe something, you do it from a detached place. So if you become an observer of your fear, then you’re not in it and reacting instinctively. 5. LISTEN TO YOUR INNER TALK Monitor your inner conversations. When you hear negative self-talk, stop and change the script to positive talk. Keep repeating it. 6. CREATE A NEW ASSOCIATION When you feel fear, conjure up a picture of something or someone you love. Keep repeating this and soon your brain will associate your fear trigger with something much more pleasurable. 7. CONSIDER THE WORST Imagine the worst that can happen and come up with strategies that avoid or lessen the likelihood of it happening. What can you put in place to ensure that the worst-case scenario never happens? 8. LOOK AT THE GLASS HALF FULL Perception is a very powerful thing. And how you feel about your situation dictates how you respond. So think positively and you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success. 9. LEARN HOW TO CREATE SPACE Because fear happens in the emotional part of the brain, it’s natural to act instinctively. So when fear rises, break the fear cycle by stopping, creating space and breathing. This will give you time to calm down and allow your rational brain time to catch up. 10: MAKE IT SAFE When you feel safe, there is no need for fear. One of the best ways to overcome fear is to create the safest environment possible. And that’s why it’s important to practice, practice and practice again. Finally don’t let fear hold you back from reaching your goals and highest potential this year. If you’d like some extra support and inspiration to stay motivated and on track, why not sign up for my free downloadable One Big Gulp! Kit, which you will find at www.onebiggulp.com. Remember, it’s your life, your choice, so live your greatest life!