What's 2011 About For You?
Welcome to January's Connections - the first of 2011. This month we take a look back at 2010 and see what it can show us about how we'd like to live 2011. This is not about resolutions but setting some clear intentions in light of our experience and learnings of 2010. I also want to let you know about the upcoming Passion Test Workshop in London in February and also the new Passion Test for Business - very exciting. And heads up about a great new book by Marci Shimoff coming out in January. And I have just received some information about a Laughter Workshop being held in Wiltshire by my good friends Akasha Lonsdale and John Gloster-Smith - highly recommended. To round it all off some fun and inspirational stuff - both some old favourites and some new things from old favourites. Happy New Year and may 2011 be a great year for you.
What Is 2011 About For You?
For many people I have worked with as a coach, guided through The Passion Test or simply spoken with this year, the common theme seems to have been it has been a challenging year. Now don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has been a bad year, simply that 2010 has stretched us to what has felt like the limits. However, I remember my spiritual master once saying that we are never given a challenge we are not equal to. It might feel overwhelming at the time (it sure did for me at times this year), but in truth we are up to the challenge. It is these challenges that help us learn about ourselves and grow as the spiritual beings having a human experience that we are. Our lesson is to also allow ourselves to be stretched, let go and come out the other side stronger and more resilient.
So if 2010 has stretched you, what have you learnt this year? It is always good to review your year. So now, at the beginning of 2011, I suggest you take some time to sit with yourself and see where the gifts have been for you this year.
I would like to share just one of mine with you, just to give you an idea of how you can choose to see things and inspire you to take this precious time for yourself and really deepen your lessons.
My year started on a high – I was rolling along loving the work I was doing with everyone. In February I took the training to become a Passion Test Facilitator. Many of you have seen me talking about the Passion Test and the Passion Test workshop over the year. I cannot say it any more clearly that I truly believe this is a very powerful tool - and once you have learnt it, it is yours to use again and again to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
So there I was happily going along, my passions at the forefront leading the way, or so I thought. I knew where I was heading. It fitted with my passions of working with a likeminded team and empowering people to live their lives fully. However, as soon as I made the commitment in that direction the challenges arose. I ploughed on - that’s the Taurean in me – "I have decided, so head down and keep on going"! However, I eventually saw that the direction I thought was so right was actually not a good fit. I realised I had tried to force fit an opportunity with my passions. But taking an honest look, it wasn't where I was meant to be headed.
As disappointing and challenging as that was – after all I thought I had my next ten years mapped out – I knew that nothing happens by mistake and there must be something else. It took a while and more than a few worksheets of The Work by Byron Katie to remember this:-) Finally, as sure as eggs are eggs, a new direction revealed itself, in fact more than one.
So what were the lessons in all that drama for me?
Well firstly, I saw that I have a tendency to try to squeeze fit something to my passions, especially if it seems like a short cut. Thats not what knowing your passions is about:-) I didn’t do my homework to find out if it really fitted. I made assumptions and tried to make it fit. No surprise it fell apart when push came to shove.
Another huge lesson for me was, that it is time to stand up and be counted. To honour my own contribution instead of fitting in with someone else’s. To start speaking out what I know I have to offer and trust that people will want to listen.
These lessons were crucial in my personal journey.
I am sure that you too have had challenges this year that hold great insight for you. I suggest you sit down right now and make a few notes about what your personal challenges have been. Once you have them all written down, ask yourself:
What have these challenges shown me about me?
What has that taught me this year?
What strengths have I gained?
What is this showing me about how I could live my life differently?
What do I need to be conscious of for the future?
Once you see the learnings inherent in your experience of 2010 it is then time to look at the title of this newsletter – What Is 2011 About For You?
The answer lies in what you wrote in the learnings of 2010. As we say in The Passion Test – Clarity is Power. The clearer you are about what your focus is, the more you will create it. What you put your attention on grows stronger.
So from the lessons I mentioned, I have a few things that I will focus in 2011. One is that I am going to be really vigilant whenever I am faced with a choice, decision or opportunity that I am really choosing in favour of my passions and not trying to short cut or take an easier route.
Secondly I am going to take The Passion Test for Business and offer it with a powerful and clear intention of working with solo entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses to create contagious engagement of everyone involved in the business. This is a fantastic program of reengaging both the company owners and employees back with the company passions and unique contribution. The outcome of which means improving the bottom line profits, increasing the enjoyment of those that work in the company and happier clients. After all we spend over 8 hours a day at work, why not enjoy it!
And that next book – ‘Remembering Perfection in Relationships’ has to get written with the collaboration of Beatrice. We will also start to put together some workshops based on all the principles held in both the original ‘Remembering Perfection’ and this new one.
As you can see all this ties into my passion of empowering people to live their lives to the full. As does my current work as a Coach and Passion Test Facilitator, these are just additions. Also I get to fulfil my second passion of working with that likeminded team. Beatrice and I are going to be doing this all together and we are thrilled to have found a common area to join forces and have fun (her number one passion!).
To be clear these are not resolutions but clear intentions that arose out of my contemplation of 2010.
What are yours? Take moment now to see what have you learnt in 2010 that shines a light and shows you your direction for 2011? What do those lessons show you about the coming year? What is 2011 about for you personally? Find out and set your intentions now. Write them out and put them somewhere you will see them daily. I have them float across my screensaver so they catch my eye regularly.
If you see after doing that exercise, that you could do with some help and support to launch these new directions,
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and lets have a chat about how I can support you in making the lessons of 2010 worthwhile ones. The ones that sponsor a great 2011.
Happy 2011!
News and Offers
A personal invite to the Passion Test
»At last! Introducing a proven Path to discover Your Passions!«
»Thank you so much – the passion test was brilliant. I have to say i wasn’t sure how much I’d get out of it – I’ve done these kinds of things before, but it’s really powerful in its simplicity and helped me to get really clear and excited about what I want right now – there were a few surprises that have really had an impact since. What I love too is how it’s not about setting goals that I then feel the pressure to strive for but about creating markers that help focus your choices and when you hit them you can stop and celebrate. Very very cool.« S.B. UK
It’s Happening! The next Passion Test workshop in London.
Check out what one participant said after our last workshop in November.
The Passion Test Workshop in London
When: Saturday, February 19th – 10:00am–2:00pm
Where: October Gallery 24 Old Gloucester St., London WC1N 3AL
Cost: £65.00 – EARLYBIRD rate before Feb 9th: £50.00
If you missed the last one make sure you join us this time, book your place now.
For more information you can also visit my website
Love For No Reason by Marci Shimoff
The Best Kept Secret About Love is Out!
What if you could feel like you’re in love EVERY DAY of your life? And what if you could dissolve any heartache, pain, or emptiness and experience the ecstasy of an open heart?
You can. . . by learning how to Love for No Reason.
I was very happy to meet Marci when I visited San Diego in December and she told me about her extraordinary new book Love For No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Life of Unconditional Love. Marci, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, shows you how to experience a deep and lasting state of love that doesn’t depend on another person, situation, or romantic partner. You’ll be able to:
o Open your heart and become a magnet for love
o Enjoy more fulfilling relationships with others AND yourself
o Turn off your body’s stress response and turn on your body’s love response for better health and well-being
o Experience more success and satisfaction
o Help your family, community, and the world
Marci’s onto something BIG. I’m heartily recommending this breakthrough book to everyone, giving it two VERY enthusiastic thumbs up!
It's actual launch date is January 11th but you can get it TODAY, and you’ll also receive the exclusive “Love For No Reason Gift Package” as a BONUS. Click here now
P.S. If Marci’s name sounds familiar. . .it should! She’s the author of the international bestseller Happy for No Reason, a book I justed loved when I read it. She also has six top titles in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and a teacher in the hit film The Secret. Now, in Love for No Reason, Marci shares the most important life-changing message of all. I urge you to get a copy today!
Introducing The Passion Test for Business
Also while we were in San Diego we expanded The Passion Test portfolio to include The Passion Test for Business. Beatrice and I are really excited to be offering this program.
In a Gallup poll in the USA in 2009 it was shown that 71% of employees are disengaged. That means only 29% of employees are engaged in what they do. It is this 29% which goes the extra mile, actively comes up with new ideas or solutions for problems. Not only that, those disengaged employees can be costing the company up to $16,000 a year.
The Passion Test for Business is about turning those statistics upside down. What distinguishes the Passion Test for Business program is, that we assist companies in identifying their unique contribution (
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) and company passions and express them with elegant simplicity that ignites passion, both within the company and with clients.
When everyone is engaged in the company's unique contribution and passions then, not only is everyone happier and more productive at work, but the bottom line improves.
We are offering The Passion Test For Business in Europe and if you are interested in knowing more then please
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or give me a call on +44 (0) 203 239 6155 and we can set up a time to talk.
There is also a Passion Test for Business for solo entrepreneurs. It specialises in identifying your unique contribution and ensuring that you are focusing all your efforts in the right direction. Once you have that information, you can assess new opportunities when they arise with the confidence of knowing exactly where your company passions lie and how to follow them. Again
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or give me a call on +44 (0) 203 239 6155 if you’d like to find out more.
LAUGHTER IS BACK!!!
Monday 24th January 2011 is statistically designated as "Blue Monday" - the most depressing day of the year because the festive season is over, the New Year has been celebrated and for many it isn't pay day yet! So to ensure that this doesn't happen to you, on Saturday 22nd January Akasha Lonsdale and John Gloster-Smith are leading one of their very occasional and very popular 3 hour "Live Life Laughing" workshops where you will learn proven laughter techniques for:
* improved health
* better relationships
* less stress
* great communication
* more creativity..........and that's just for starters.
Where is this not-to-be missed event being held?
The Equilibrium Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
What time is it? 10am - 1pm (well they wanted to give you a lie in ........)
How much is it? Well this is the real laugh........... it's only £35 ..........which includes tea and coffee (I know......how do they do it!)
How do you book? Click here now
Fun & Inspirational Stuff
Here are some of the best from this year – many thanks to everyone contributed to the Fun Stuff this year, keep them coming
Some more from Jeanne Robertson
And one of my favourites The Mom!
One more from Amanda Gore, she’s always worth it – interesting and fun
And a couple of odd best friends
Living Life Backwards
I want to live my next life backwards.
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.
You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension, then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.
You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby,
and then...
You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, spa-like conditions; central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters everyday,
and then,
You finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case