Marci Shimoff is the author of Happy for No Reason, co-author of six Chicken Soup for the Soul Books, and featured teacher on the movie The Secret.
I’ve mentioned before that Marci introduced me to my husband, Jay, 29 years ago. Even though he and Marci were friends, she didn’t know he was moving across the country to California. As fate would have it, he was moving to Santa Monica for a year. Jay and I became good friends, eventually started dating, and a year later we were married. So, even though Marci has inspired thousands of audiences around the world, I tell her that introducing us is her greatest success.
Anyway, whenever Marci and I get together, we talk about happiness, relationships, love, life and how it all fits together. This summer I interviewed her about her latest book that is chock full of happiness tips.
Please click here to listen to my interview with Marci.
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Every Thursday I post a quote or thought for all of us to ponder. Today’s quote is from humanitarian, Lynn Twist, pictured on the right with me in Fairfield, Iowa.
“When a tree falls in Brazil, there is less oxygen in Ohio.”
Lynn is the bestselling author of The Soul of Money and co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance. I had the privilege of taking a long walk with Lynn and my visiting friend and New York Times best selling author, Marci Shimoff, on the walking trails along the lake in my hometown of Fairfield, Iowa. Lynn was visiting our town because she was receiving the Mayor Malloy’s humanitarian award. I found Lynn to be the most genuine down-to-earth yet global thinker I’ve ever met.
Lynn has spent more than three decades working in positions of leadership with many global initiaves including: ending world hunger, protecting the woldks rainforests, empowering indigenous peoples, inproving health, economic, and political conditions for women and children, and advancing the scientific understanding of human consciousness.
She has had many teachers in her life. In addition to being trained by Mother Theresa, some of Lynn’s great teachers are the people she meets in third world countries. For instance, she traveled to Ethiopia during the 1984 famine that killed 1 million people. (more…)
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photo: Earth rising over the Moon
Thoughtful Thursday: Every Thursday I post a quote or thought for all of
us to ponder.
Today’s Quote is:
As soon as you trust yourself you will learn to live….
–Friedrich von Schiller
Elizabeth Gilbert is a creative writer and the author of Eat, Pray, Love and has recently spoken about creativity on TED. “As stated on their website, “TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. This TED site makes the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.”
I’ve heard from so many individuals that they are afraid of the work they were put on this earth to do. It may be too hard, or too much work, or just unclear. What about creative ventures make us afraid? For some reason, over the years, creativity and suffering are often linked. Maybe in the creative process, we don’t believe we are “doing it right.” What do you mean by right? How would you know if it was “right?”
Elizabeth Gilbert’s suggestion is “that you start with the love and then work very hard and try to let go of the results. Cast out your will, and then cut the line.”
If you can just trust that still small voice within, and follow your passion or impulse to create, you begin to trust ‘the process’ which is a part of ‘yourself.’ Whether it’s to create words, art, a garden, a family, or ideas, a birth is occurring within you. Revere yourself at least as the vessel through which the creativity is flowing through.
Elizabeth Gilbert ended her talk encouraging us “Don’t be afraid. Just show up for your piece of it…..it’s okay just to have the love and stubbornness to keep showing up! We need more creation, not more destruction. We need our artists more than ever, and we need them to be stable, steadfast, honorable and brave – they are our soldiers, our hope. If you decide to write, then you must do it, as Balzac said, “like a miner buried under a fallen roof.” Become a knight, a force of diligence and faith. I don’t know how else to do it except that way. As the great poet Jack Gilbert said once to a young writer, when she asked him for advice about her own poems: “Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.”
Listen and be inspired to hear the talk and 400 other fascinating talks on TED.
How do you use your creative process? Do you trust yourself? Is it okay to trust yourself even if you make mistakes?
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THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY POST:
I’ve been thinking about courage lately as I focus on organizing a transformational retreat on the Italian Riviera in September. Anytime I take on something new, I have to learn so many details. I ask others, research online, read books, interview those that have already done it. And it takes courage to go out of my comfort zone, and risk failure. Even the women who decide to take the plunge, travel to Italy to experience something new and adventurous, are being courageous–some more than others. To be courageous doesn’t mean “without fear.” It just means doing it even though we may be afraid.
My friend, Julie, sent me this article from Chritine Kane’s blog post and I’m re-printing it with permission.
66 Ways to Build Your Courage
Posted By Christine Kane
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Here I am with Jack Canfield, author of many books including the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
I met my friend and member of my Monday Morning Telephone Vision Group, Marilyn Suttle, president of the Michigan Chapter of the National Speakers Association this weekend in Chicago. Several years ago, she organized for me to teach my Beyond Belief Workshop in the Detroit area, so when she said she was going to be an assistant at the Success Principles One Day in Chicago, I decided I’d drive the 5 hours there and join the support team for the course.
What I learned was that even though our economy is in trouble, we can find opportunity in everything. Not only look for opportunity, but it’s important that we don’t feed the negativity. It was powerful to focus on our goals and to be reminded to keep thinking big, and not allow the naysayers to bring us down. For many years, Jack taught self esteem courses, when I was teaching parenting classes, and much of his work was used because the creator of the Redirecting Childrens’ Behavior Course was a graduate of Jack’s seminars.
In my Beyond Belief Workshops, I focus on many of the principles he covered this weekend I’d like to share 4 of the many success principles we discussed over the full day course.
1.Take 100% responsibility for your life and your results. If you want a different outcome, you have to change your responses.
2. Believe in yourself. We think 50,000 thoughts a day and many of them are negative. Become conscious of your thoughts, question those that bring you down. (Try the Option Method). Focus on your desired outcomes, not on what you don’t want.
3.Believe it’s possible. This may take some practice. There is so much more in life than we recognize as possible. There was a time when people didn’t believe there were germs (that caused many deaths) because they couldn’t see them.
4.Unleash the Power of Goal-Setting. To achieve our visions, it’s helpful to turn every aspect of it into a measurable goal. How much…by when? I wanted to travel again to Italy. I started working on that goal 8 months ago, and what unfolded was the plan to take a group of women to Italy for a transformational retreat and adventurous day trips in paradise.
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Photo: Author (left) Marci Shimoff and Lenora Boyle
My dear friend, Marci Shimoff, author of Happy For No Reason , six Chicken Soup Books, and featured teacher on the movie, “The Secret” is known for many outstanding accomplishments around the world, but she holds a special place in my heart because she introduced me to my husband of 27 years. For that I am grateful to her. Now her wonderful book, Happy for No Reason is coming out in paperback, today, March 4. It’s a wonderful book that I read in hardback a couple times and is chockfull of tips on how to be happy no matter what the circumstances.
You probably know that there’s actually research that shows that UNhappy people:
* Have a greater risk of heart disease, strokes, hypertension, infections, and Type 2 diabetes
* Release more of the stress hormone cortisol. They have a higher heart rate and may be at higher risk for heart attacks
* Are 65% more likely to get a cold
* Are less likely to find a spouse
* Live nine years fewer than their happy counterparts
So… when you are happy, you are likely to live longer. You are more emotionally and physically healthy, creative, energetic, compassionate, and successful!
When you order by clicking the link, you’ll receive many free gifts too.
Happy for No Reason was #1 on many bestseller lists, including Amazon and #2 on NY Times. It’s been translated in 28 languages and it has inspired a national PBS special called Happy for No Reason that Marci hosted. It’s also a mega-bestseller in Japan (in 19th printing in just 3 months). and has been nominated for the Audio Book of the Year Award (AUDIE).
When you buy the paperback “Happy for No Reason”, you will receive these fantastic programs and many more as a gift
* “2009 Happy for No Reason Coaching Manual” — plus live group coaching session with Marci over the telephone.
* “Eliminate the #1 Belief that Blocks Your Happiness” — an online interactive process with expert Morty Lefkoe.
* “Happiness: From the Blues to Bliss” recording by Marci and award-winning actress and author, Mariel Hemingway
* “Turn Happiness into Money” recording by Marci and CNBC wealth expert Phil Town
* Over 150 top authors and thought leaders, including Jack Canfield, John Gray, Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra, will give you recordings that support you having a wonderful, happiness-filled life of abundance and peace. (These alone are valued at more than $3000!)
Order your book right now by going to:
http://www.HappyForNoReason.com/MyBook
Let me know what you think! Maybe Marci can help you find a life partner too!
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