Archive for the Personal Growth
Just a few hours ago, I was talking with my friend who’s a very talented an accomplished costume designer. (She has over 3,000 of her designs in the Beijing Olympics and recently designed the wardrobe on a Meryl Streep film.) Needless to say, she’s quite successful. She’s also an amazing and beautiful person inside and out. But when she called me, she wasn’t feeling so amazing and successful. Why?
Long story short, an “authority figure” in her industry told her, in not so many words, that she was “not enough” yet and needs another 5 years of assistant type work before she can expect to compete in the “big leagues.” From the “authority figure” point of view, there is a set path to success in that industry and my friend had done her career all wrong. (Always fun to hear that kind of feedback from people you hold in high esteem, right?)
I had to laugh because defying “conventional wisdom” has made me successful time and time again and allows me to enjoy a magical life that most people think is impossible. You see, there IS magic in this world and success can often happen easier, faster and more directly than the rest of the world thinks. And just because someone is an “authority figure” does not mean they live in a space of magic and transformation.
So I asked my friend, “Has following conventional wisdom created success for you before?”
FRIEND: “No.”
ME: “Ok…how about your relationship with your husband? Did that happen in a traditional way…following all the rules?”
FRIEND: “No…of course not. And it’s the most amazing relationship ever!”
ME: “Right. So everything you love about your life has been produced by defying conventional wisdom and living in the space of magic, transformation and unreasonable-ness???”
FRIEND: “Yes!”
Now here’s the cool thing….
Just a few weeks ago, I was told by a mega big PR firm that I did my book launch ALL WRONG and that basically, I should pack it in and give up. I had a few tears and felt devastated for a few minutes, and then….A hot spark of Italian fire lit up inside me and I said “Oh yeah??? I should pack it in? Watch this….”
Fast forward 3 weeks…
Today I got an awesome email from my editor at McGraw-Hill saying that he is thrilled with book sales so far and we’re #7 on Amazon.com for the dating category. My book that I did “all wrong” keeps showing up on their internal “best seller” lists. My point? Do NOT listen to naysayers or people who have narrow and “reasonable” ideas of success.
There are many ways to create results and often, those results can happen much faster, easier and more effortlessly than you think. Reality is how you define it. The reality I now live in is a magical one. It may not be the most popular reality, but it works for me and many people I know and love.
If you have a dream burning in your heart, don’t give up!
Surround yourself with people who think “Why not?” rather than “that’ll never happen…” You have a dream for a reason. And that reason is to make a difference in the world. Take a look for yourself. Are you living in a “normal” way? Do you need to upgrade your reality?
If you want to come play with me, and other like-minded folks in the space of magic and possibilities, sign-up for my Live In The Moment Booty Camp coming up in July:
http://www.marieforleo.com/bc
I’ve added a new social networking component so you can connect with other folks, share Aha-moments and support each other during the journey. Of course, I’ll be with you every step of the way!
Not sure if Booty Camp is right for you? Join me for a free teleseminar, “7 Myths of Living in the Moment.”
If you still have questions, write to question@marieforleo.com and you will be PERSONALLY contacted.
Confession: I’ve got goosebumps as I write this…
Why? Because I’ve been quietly working on something that I’ve been wanting to do for a LONG time. And it’s finally ready, but before I tell you about it, I want to share a simple, healing idea.
Just this morning I was at Yoga class here in Sag Harbor and I realized something profound:
We human beings need presence and connection. Our bodies, minds and souls long to be connected to one another and connected to the deeper intelligence of life itself.
When we are truly present, something in and around us is healed and energized. It doesn’t require effort or strain. Only guidance,
attention and if you’re lucky, a loving community.
When you have those three things, life becomes sweet. Stress, worry, and “drama” naturally fall away. What’s left is your brilliance. You can interact with any situation with clarity and compassion. You also enjoy an expanded ability to create, enjoy and make a difference in the world. It’s wonderfully ordinary and profoundly extraordinary all at once!
Discovering how to live in this state of presence has truly been the most powerful thing I’ve ever learned in my life.
And now, I’d like to invite YOU to join me on this exciting adventure and bring the power of presence into your own life.
Interested? If so, learn more about what I’ve been working on here. If you’ve been itching for a fun, affordable way to work with me and launch into an entirely new way of living, here’s your chance. I’d love to have you join us!
Wouldn’t it be nice to have perfect days, every day?
As it turns out, it’s not as impossible as some people might think.
Here’s the secret: each day already is perfect. The trick is to become aware of what you do, or don’t do, that gets in the way of experiencing it! In fact, I’m about to share 5 powerful ways you can start having perfect days…starting right now!
1. Surrender to what is.
Having a perfect day is directly related how well you can surrender to what is. Here’s what I mean. Whatever is, already is. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a thought, sensation, feeling or external circumstance. If your printer breaks, your flight is cancelled or you feel bloated from eating too much Chinese food - if the situation already exists in this moment, what’s the use in arguing against it? There is none. Make no mistake: surrendering to what is doesn’t mean that you won’t take action when appropriate. You’ll just skip the typical “inner fight with life” meltdown that gets in the way of your perfect days.
2. Lighten up. Really.
Do you ever notice how serious you get about life? Whether it’s relationship drama, money woes or finding a parking spot, most of us contract like a sphincter the moment life shows up a bit different than we expect. And incase you haven’t noticed, life doesn’t care how you expect it to go. Really. Life does it’s own thing. And let’s not forget, we all end up the same way: dead. Not to be morbid, but since we already know the ultimate outcome, we might as well have a good time while we’re here, right? And frankly, most people I know who have a sense of lightheartedness about life are making a much bigger difference in the world than those who are seriously trying to get through it.
3. Quit complaining.
Is the weather too warm today? Or did someone not return your email fast enough? Most of us complain so frequently and automatically, we have no awareness we’re even doing it! The problem is complaining about anything is a surefire way to un-perfect your day. One important caveat: there’s a big difference between complaining and commenting. When you complain, you victimize yourself. There’s a whiny, negative energy to your communication. When you comment, however, you state an observation in a neutral way. There is no “pity party” or energetic “dig” against another person when you offer a genuine comment.
4. Be dominated.
No, not in that kind of way, naughty girl! Simply stated: Our lives make requests of us each and every day. The phone rings. The dishwasher needs to be unloaded. Taxes must be paid. You can either resist being dominated by what your life is requesting of you OR you can enthusiastically be dominated by your life! I suggest the latter. By allowing yourself to be enthusiastically dominated by what you have to do, you actually get way more done and life begins to run very smoothly too.
5. Make wherever you are the place to be.
Isn’t it wild how often our minds disagree with where we are? No matter where we find ourselves, we think we should be somewhere else. When we’re at home, we’re thinking we should be at work. When we’re at work, we’re thinking we should be at home. What if the secret to having a perfect day is to make a simple shift so that wherever you are is always the right place to be? Because after all, you can only be where you are in any given moment of now. Why not make where you are the place to be?
By using these tips to have “perfect days,” not only will you have more well-being, but your business and bottom line will grow as well.
Photo originally uploaded by miszbabykiss
Have you ever gotten stuck being “reasonable” about life?
A few weeks ago I almost got snookered. Here’s what happened.
I was speaking to a group of entrepreneurs about productivity and well-being at a conference in Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida. I was thrilled to share the power of transformation as it relates to productivity, wealth and well-being.
Being a gal who likes to balance business and pleasure, I built fun time into the last day of my trip. Since my flight back to NYC wasn’t until 5PM, I had time for rollercoasters and Mickey before heading home.
On Sunday morning I woke up at 8:30AM and headed down to the concierge desk to find out my options.
