Transformation Coaching Magazine February 2022

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COACHING AND BUSINESS TOOLS Rising Star Coach: Jabeen Qadri The Route to More Effective Marketing

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INSPIRATION & GROWTH Gain Freedom by Making Amends Spread More Kindness Find Your Coordinates for Life’s Journey The Gift of Grace Upgrade Your Body, Mind and Spirit Who Needs Need? The Sixth Pathway Invite Your Demons to Tea

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FEED YOUR SPIRIT Connect With Your Deepest Essence Does Life Continue After Death?

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PUBLISHERS Natalie Rivera Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.

EDITOR Lisa Cedrone

CONTRIBUTORS Noelle Sterne, Mary Boutillier, Emil Nazaryan, Owen Waters, Linda Commito, Mark Pitstick, Gregg Sanderson, Jowanna Daley, Kandace Hawley, Jo Mooy

© Copyright 2022 Transformation Services, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.TransformationMag.com

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We believe that self-employment is the ultimate form of empowerment. Our mission is to bring you guests whose powerful entrepreneurship stories and real-world advice will give you the inspiration and tools to create a business and life that you love.

Listen on our website or your favorite podcast app or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

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Rising Star Coach: Jabeen Qadri

Here at Transformation Academy we are excited to announce our January’s Transformation Academy Rising Star – Jabeen Qadri!

Our goal with this initiative is to recognize and celebrate group membership who demonstrate the heart and service of a coach. Each monthly recipient of this recognition will be selected for a unique reason. Some will be seasoned coaches who serve as valuable mentors within the group.

Others may be just starting their coach-training journey and exude a contagious attitude or passion. Others may be actively supporting other group members, whether by providing resources, answering common questions, or providing moral support. Regardless of each of our wonderful group members’ background or experience, we all benefit from the mutual support and varied perspectives offered within this diverse group!

The Rising Star initiative is a way to give a special THANK YOU to those who go above and beyond to share of themselves within this community.

ABOUT JABEEN:

Jabeen Qadri is an artist, writer, speaker, creative healer and coach. She works with empathic artists, creative solopreneurs and visionaries and empowers them in their life and business so they can find meaning, authenticity and spread the healing they are meant to in this world through soul-aligned visibility. After overcoming her own health struggles with chronic illnesses, she focuses on slow, conscious living, embracing all emotions, and transfers her teachings of intuitive creative processes into the world. She has a podcast called Creative Epiphanies and shares her in-

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tuitive art and poetry on her Instagram. Below is an interview we conducted with Jabeen.

WHAT IS YOUR NICHE (COACHING FOCUS) AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT?

My title keeps changing because my work keeps evolving or expanding. For now, I’m a creative healer and coach. I focus on bringing purpose, passion and happiness into people’s lives and work through different forms of self-expression. I help them embrace slow, conscious living that helps with their spiritual and emotional growth, as well develop a loving relationship with themselves and their body, and see the beauty in everyday life and relationships as they see the beauty within themselves. I also work on intuitivemarketing for soulful business owners and help them create ease in their work. I chose this niche because I struggled with lack of meaning and inability to manage my emotions, which not only effected my personal life and health but also my career choices. And so, I incorporated teachings of psychology and spirituality into my artistic processes and created my own healing methods. My methods today come from 10-plus years of lived experience and learning.

WHO IS YOUR IDEAL CLIENT?

I don’t have the typical ideal client statement. I work with business owners, moms, empathic artists—anyone who is ready to become their true self, become more visible and has a natural inclination towards any form of art. I work with those who feel disconnected from themselves or the world because they feel like they aren’t living authentically; they have been hiding parts of themselves out of guilt or fears. Now they believe

creativity could help them and they are willing to change and embrace themselves fully. For my marketing and business coaching clients, I especially love working with entrepreneurs who have chronic illness.

first client and all my clients since.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A LIFE COACH?

My life has changed immensely. As I entered coaching, I learned there were a lot of parts of my life that still hadn’t been healed. I think all wellness-based entrepreneurs can relate. These were deep-rooted beliefs around money, visibility, self-love and relationships that only starting your coaching business could bring into light. I strongly believe in integrity and, ever since I became a coach, I’ve been doing my own inner work as well. I saw that we can never be completely healed. I embraced myself as an imperfect human being who doesn’t have all the answers. I have slowly redesigned my entire life, my look, friend circles, belief systems, etc. I see my clients and fellow coaches as my teachers, too. I have witnessed that the more inner work I do, the more capacity I have to help my clients. Above all, it has helped me develop a very deep, trustful connection with God. I’m all the more grateful now that I entered this work because I not only help transform people, but it has completely transformed me. I feel brand new. I would have never known this would be one of the outcomes of choosing this line of work.

I always had this thirst to do something and bring change to the world ever since I was a teenager. I’ve been following what fulfilled that thirst. I started my mental health blog as a hobby when I was 22, and I started getting recognition. I would collaborate with wellness organizations. I started seeing how people didn’t know what to do apart from private clinical therapy to help themselves. I realized I had a gift of creativity and other gifts that I could possibly share with people. I was already an artist and designer, and I was very happy because that itself was quite a journey for me. But I felt something was missing still. I started facilitating painting lessons and art circles at first. It gave me a lot of meaning when I was struggling myself with my illness. Then during the pandemic, my level of thirst and disconnection became very, very high, and I decided to take my facilitation work further by becoming a life coach.

HOW HAS YOUR COACHING JOURNEY CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COACHING? BEING A LIFE COACH? I officially started at the end of 2020.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT?

I honestly don’t know. She found me. I had been visible for about 6 to 7 years so you would assume getting a client would be very easy—but it was not. I had to a lot of work to do on my self-worth and confidence, and I continue to do it. After I entered coaching, I gave a lot of free coaching calls, consistently posted in Facebook groups and spoke on podcasts. I would always be doing something, connecting with people, collaborating with other new coaches or simply sharing my art or my life lessons because all these things bring me a lot of joy. I believe joy and confidence attracts aligned clients. One thing I’ve learned from making art is to let go and enjoy the process. And so that is how I believe how I got my

There are a lot of things. The coaching industry has some difficult parts. Personally, the biggest challenge is that people around you will not understand the work you do, unless they are a coach themselves. However, sometimes even coaches will not.

When you struggle, they tell you to go back to 9-to-5 or judge you for struggling in life when you are a coach yourself. It was painful for me in the beginning, but I saw it as a healing process. Being intrinsically motivated is a very important part of being a coach.

WHAT IS THE MOST FULFILLING PART OF BEING A LIFE COACH?

Helping my clients feel so safe that they share very vulnerable things from their life and even cry in sessions. And es-

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COACHING ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE TO DO WITH CLIENTS?

The visualization meditations. I get my clients to feel the music and form imagery in their head. I do this on-the-spot to help them access their soul or intuition when they find themselves stuck or unable to speak up about what they truly want. I love the look on their face when they tell me how good and easy it was, especially those who find it hard to meditate.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR FINDING CLIENTS AND/OR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS?

Having clarity, confidence and integrity has been the biggest strategy for me. I believe in following my intuition and carry out marketing methods that feel most satisfying. Sometimes I get clients when I take time off and rest and pay attention to self-love. I also meet people in person and attend events because I love meeting inspiring people. I get invited to podcasts and speaking opportunities when I’m not pitching but I’m in my flow. It’s very magical how that works out. With my business processes, I do as much as I can and limit burnout. I celebrate what I have now rather than getting more. I do this from a grounded place and not forced gratefulness.

To sum it up, I follow my heart and then I let go and let God and the universe handle the rest.

pecially after the session if they message me and tell me how good they feel with their pain, and they don’t hate their pain. Apart from my clients, I feel so incredibly happy when my followers find so much solace in my posts and listening to my podcast and they take crazy leaps in their life. It is very overwhelming for me that my art and words carry so much power.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST INSPIRATIONAL COACHING MOMENT, WITH A CLIENT?

This is such a difficult question. Every session feels so inspirational because all my clients feel like a version of me from my past. It’s like coaching myself. But if I must pick one, I think when I was helping one client with procrastination around her marketing and we were working on emotional health in a session. In the next session she told me how much her relationship with her husband is improving by working with me. I don’t have a husband so I never saw this side of my work before. I was amazed at how holistic this work is and how connected all parts of our lives are.

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF BACK WHEN YOU FIRST DREAMED OF BECOMING A COACH?

Don’t lose faith and trust that the upcoming hardships will bring a lot of lessons that you really need to help you become an amazing coach, artist and leader. You need this more than the certificates and courses and money you think you need. The universe is always working in your favor.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT YOU WANT TO MAKE IN THIS WORLD?

I want to bring art, flow, play and expansiveness into people’s life again. I want people to not hide and embrace all parts of themselves: the sadness, the anger and the happiness. I want to do this not only through coaching or my art but also by living it myself.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH TRANSFORMATION COACHING MAGAZINE READERS?

I would like to share that happiness comes with pain. So embrace all parts of yourself and enjoy the journey of life.

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Gain Freedom by Making Amends

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When we take responsibility for our mistakes or erroneous behavior, we can clear out guilt, grow and gain strength.

By Noelle Sterne Making amends may be something we’re not used to and recoil from.

But we pay a price, often carrying guilt and hanging onto self-condemnation for things we have the power to set right. We may think our heavy feelings are gone, but they lurk just under the surface, taint our lives, and sap our energy for other activities. Making amends, and clearing out the guilt, may take a little or a lot of effort, but it’s very worth it.

To make amends may also mean gulping down some pride, mustering some courage and taking actions we’ve been too embarrassed or uncomfortable to take. These feelings are exactly why we should act. We’ll feel lighter and freer and will grow and gain strength from the dreaded action.

So, return the book to the library.

Send the thank-you gift. Make the date you’ve been avoiding. Repay the debt. Arrange a payment plan. Call and apologize.

Write the letter. Explain why you did/said/ didn’t do/didn’t say it.

PREPARE

If you think you absolutely can’t do it—whatever it is—prepare. Talk to a neutral person about it. Start writing down what you want to do or say. Rehearse. For example, you can start by saying, “This call is long overdue. I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time but haven’t had the courage.”

A family friend taught me this lesson. He visited me to explore avenues to raise funds for a new business he wanted to start. After dinner, as we discussed his financial circumstances, Gardner became so anxious and agitated that he shouted and left abruptly. Fifteen minutes later, in a rage he called from his car. He said he couldn’t find his good pen and accused the valet of stealing it.

Later that night, Gardner phoned again and said simply, “I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I found my pen wedged between the car seat and the door.”

I admired Gardner’s dignity and courage—and his language. He didn’t berate himself but labeled his actions as simply “inappropriate.” I thanked him and complimented his action, promising another brainstorming session for the funds he needed.

RESPONSES AND RESPONSIBILITY

When you face up and make amends, what’s the worst that can happen?

The other person may say, “It’s about time, you so-and-so!” Or, possibly with great relish, “I told you so. I knew you were wrong, but you never listened.” Or, “I hear you, but it’s been too long and the hurt is too deep. I never want to speak to you again.”

Any of these responses is possible but hardly probable (except maybe the one we all love: I-told-you-so). Even if the other person responds by cutting off the relationship, what’s more important is what you did: You took the risk for yourself.

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Remember that you’re not in charge of how and if the other person has changed or softened. If he or she remains intractable, you can then say, “I wanted you to know and I wish you only the best.” Even if the person harumpfs and walks out or hangs up on you, you’ve done what you needed to. You’ve taken the risk and faced your guilt. But most of the time, none of those negative responses you fear will take place.

Yes, to make amends takes courage and the willingness to make the leap.

Whenever I’ve done so, often holding my breath but daring to expose the egg on my face, the other person has had one or more of these reactions: surprise, delight, gracious acceptance of what I had to say, or appreciation.

Today’s incessant (and annoying) phrase “My bad,” although a little too easily rolled off, is actually a step in the right direction. It says that the speaker is willing to take responsibility for the mistake or erroneous behavior. By its very casualness, this phrase is asking the other not to take the whole thing too seriously.

MAKE AMENDS MENTALLY

If you cannot make amends in physical reality, do so in your mind or on paper. Set a quiet time alone, visualize the ideal setting, and sit down with the person in your imagination. Say or write the words you really want to say clearly in your mind or out loud. Listen for the

o­ ther’s ­response. You will hear. Allow the dialogue to flow until you feel complete, and then thank the other person and consider the matter done, resolved, closed.

If you need a little more help, here are some affirmations before, during, and after your session of making amends. Louise Hay in her Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook (p. 97) offers some wonderful affirmations for forgiving that apply to making amends in any situation we want to heal: 1) I forgive whether I/they deserve it or not.

2) I take responsibility for my own life.

3) I release myself from this prison.

4) I am strong when I forgive and let go.

5) I refuse to limit myself.

6) I am always willing to take the next step.

Another powerful pair of affirmations hones right in. You can say these aloud to the other person or silently (and frequently) to yourself while visualizing the other.

1) Whatever you’ve done to offend me, I forgive you.

2) Whatever I’ve done to offend you, please forgive me.

Practice these steps or your own variations to remedy and cleanse situations that have been pulling you down, consciously or less so. You may discover new solutions to problems, find you have unsuspected creativity and depths of courage, or reclaim and regain a missed and cherished relationship. You’ll certainly feel lighter, happier, and more energetic.

And you’ll realize that you have the power and strength to make amends.

Trust Your Life Now with Noelle Sterne, Ph.D. Author, editor, writing coach, workshop leader, and academic mentor, Noelle Sterne has published over 700 stories, essays, writing craft articles, spiritual pieces, and occasional poems in literary and academic print and online venues. Publications have appeared in Author Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul (six volumes), Inspire Me Today, LiveWriteThrive, MindBodySpirit, Journal of Expressive Writing, Life and Everything After, Mused, Pen and Prosper, Romance Writers Report, Ruminate, Sasee, Textbook and Academic Authors Association blog (monthly), Thesis Whisperer, Transformation Coaching, Two Drops of Ink (monthly), Unity Daily Word, Unity Magazine, WE Magazine for Women, Women in Higher Education, Women on Writing, Writing and Wellness, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer. Eons ago, she published a children’s book of original dinosaur riddles (HarperCollins), in print for 18 years.

With a Ph.D. from Columbia University, for 30 years Noelle has assisted doctoral candidates in completing their dissertations (finally). Her published handbook to assist doctoral candidates is based on her professional academic practice: Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Psychological Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015). In Noelle’s spiritual self-help book, Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books, 2011), she draws examples from her academic consulting and other aspects of life to support readers in reaching their lifelong yearnings. Continuing with her own, she is draft-deep in her third novel. Her webinar about Trust Your Life can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95 EeqllONIQ&feature=youtu.be Visit Noelle at her website: http://www.trustyourlifenow.com © 2021 Noelle Sterne

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Spread More Kindness

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It’s time to expand our horizons and find ways to lift each other up.

By Mary Boutieller Here we are moving through another year, a hopeful year, filled with promise and proclamation, as we announce to ourselves and maybe to others, what dreams we wish to fulfill in the months ahead. And although resolutions work well for some, they never

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r­ eally stuck for me, so I tend not to make them . Instead, I think about the kind of person I want to be and the kinds of actions I hope to pursue.

Some of these ideas are easy—I want to continue to teach yoga for as long as I can. I want to hike and bike and spend time in nature while I’m still able to do so. I want to expose myself to things that aren’t

in my wheelhouse and expand my horizons beyond what I think I know. It’s these things and more that excite me about living.

I want to remind myself that this life is amazing, even when it doesn’t feel like it. I want to look up at the sky and breathe in the clouds, the colors and the stars. I want to pause long enough to feel the welcome breeze on a warm day, the nourishment of a good hug, and how I never want to take it for granted.

I want to play more and be serious less.

I also want to spread more kindness in the world—simple, effortless, acts of kindness—things that are within my power to maybe make someone else’s day a little better.

There is so much inspiration out there—people and organizations doing amazing things and shining the light for the rest of us. Recently, I watched a Ted Talk featuring Jacqueline Way. She talked about a program called 365Give that she and her son started.

It’s based on a simple idea, taught by a mom to her young son, that, to be happy, all you have to do is give of yourself once a day. It could be as simple as saying hello, smiling at a stranger, holding a door for someone, helping a neighbor, volunteering...really, anything that moves you and brings joy. What Jacqueline called a “fun family challenge” has become a global movement.

Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True, said, “With the smallest of gestures, we lift each other up.”

Finally, I aspire to listen more to the quiet voice for good that comes from the Universe and enters my brain, that I can either heed or ignore. You know the voice I’m talking about? The one that, upon seeing someone in need or something to be done, says, “Hey, why don’t you...?” So often, we have these good ideas that seem to come out of nowhere and, when that happens, what stops us from doing it? Is it fear, timing, the bother of it all? In this life, we all know that if we wait for the perfect moment to say “I love you” or “I’m sorry”, or if we wait until it is easier or more convenient to pick up the phone or write that letter, it may never happen. So I wonder, what can we do to lift each other up?

Maybe it simply boils down to becoming more aware and then acting on our beautiful, kind natures to make this world a better place.

The great Maya Angelou said, “The best part of life is not just surviving but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.”

Let’s all thrive throughout 2022. Let’s remember that we are all here for the benefit of each other, and allow kindness be our motive, love be the energy which carries us through our day, and compassion be our mentor.

The Yoga of Life with Mary Boutieller Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

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Find Your Coordinates for Life’s Journey

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You are like a rocket with more than enough fuel to take you wherever you want to go in life.

By Emil Nazaryan “I want a job that is financially and spiritually rewarding, a job that will allow me to evolve, grow and make an impact on other people.” These are the exact notes I jotted down while traveling back home in an airplane on a cold winter day in 2014. I really hoped and believed that getting this kind of job would help to turn my life around. Did it happen? We’ll find out later. But as I was reflecting back on my life over the past 7 years, I realized that this note unconsciously initiated a chain of events that led to finding my life’s true journey. Perhaps this desire served as an invitation for the higher powers to lead me to my path.

Do you ever try to take a bird’s eye view of your life? Do you ever question if there is more to it? Do you ever wonder if change is possible?

Have you ever looked deep within to find out who you really are? Do you know that you are like a rocket that has more than enough fuel inside to take you wherever you want?

Life is a journey. We are all in it. Everyone’s journey is special and unique. But do you know what your coordinates are for your own journey? Let’s look at three different stages and see if you can find yourself in any of these.

Stage 1: Life is mostly meaningless and sometimes hopeless.

Everything seems to go against you.

Job, family, health...You feel stuck, struggling in a vicious cycle and never getting anywhere. There’s always something or someone dragging you down and you don’t have the power to do anything about it. Even though occasional glimpses of hope arise here and there with some lucky breaks, permanent change seems impossible. Is this where you are in your journey? If yes, then you are not alone. By some accounts, at least 75 percent of the people in the world feel this way. But now you know where you are! You just became conscious of it. Now you are like a rocket, ready to take off. Just like it takes most energy for the rocket to overcome the pull of gravity in the first few seconds, in the same way, it will be most difficult for you to overcome this first stage. The gravity you will be fighting is your own mind, your habits, your beliefs and your paradigm.

The takeoff requires complete reprogramming of your mind and it can be done by resolving to do so and asking for help from above. This will serve as your invitation to higher powers.

Stage 2: You already feel like you are in control of your life. You feel empowered and empower others. You don’t blame events and circumstances and take full responsibility for your actions and results. You enjoy worldly success, recognition and happiness.

You are getting ahead by ­helping

o­ thers get ahead with you. Challenges and hurdles don’t bother you as much as they did in the past because you know you have the power to overcome any of them. Is this where you are in your journey? If you are, then you, that powerful rocket, are already cruising freely in space. In this stage it’s important to watch out for space junk, such as arrogance, pride, vanity and getting drunk with power. Any of these can send you right back to Earth or even destroy you. Humility, selflessness, charity and surrender will unlock the gateway to your next stage.

Stage 3: This stage is rather remarkable. You start realizing that not only are you the rocket, but also the space surrounding the rocket, the stars, the planets, the moon and everything else in the universe. You are a part and the whole. The sense of personality, separateness starts to diminish and you start experiencing life as a perfect unfolding of events. You are no longer striving to achieve, setting goals, looking for success. You remove all resistance and let whatever it is to be. Although worldly success may still descend upon you, it is no longer a motivator. You enjoy life to the fullest and take it as it comes. Most of your living is in the spiritual domain now. At this stage you have handed the reigns of your life to higher powers and you are just along for the ride, enjoying every bit of the journey. A feeling of a strong and constant connectedness

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with the universe is one of the telltale signs of this stage. Is this where you are in your journey? If yes, what’s next? Is there a fourth stage? I suspect there is, but it might be one that is impossible to explain with words.

If you found your coordinates to be in stages 2 and 3, then you know what to do. You’re already doing it. But what if you feel like you are still in stage one? Here and now, as we leave behind a most challenging year and more forward in 2022, I want to make you a promise. Life

can be great, it should be great, it is great. If you don’t see it, it’s because your mind and your habits, like dark clouds, are blocking the stars from your view. Resolve that you are determined to reach the stars, that nothing will stop you. Nothing can stop you if you have made an irreversible decision. You, the rocket, are taking off.

Don’t worry about not having the directions to the stars, the way will be shown to you if you allow it. Just keep your mind open, recognize the signs, and act on your hunches.

By the way, thank you for patiently waiting for the answer to the question in the beginning of the article!

Did I get the job I was looking for? Well, I have a job that is financially and spiritually rewarding, a job that allows me to evolve, grow and make an impact on other people. But guess what? It’s the exact same job I had 7 years ago, only now I see it in an entirely different light.

It wasn’t the job that was going to turn my life around, but my approach to it.

Doing any work with love will make it feel enjoyable and rewarding.

Emil Nazaryan is a motivational writer and a contributor to the monthly Motivational Corner column of HR Realtor Magazine. He has undergone a spiritual transformation which has led the way to sharing the insights he has experienced with the others. He is well acquainted with all major spiritual traditions of the world, but it is the direct experience of the essence of these teachings that is responsible for the altered life outlook and the motivational articles that stem this. In his daily life Emil is a successful REALTOR and he resides in Norfolk, VA, with his wife and two children. Contact him by email at emil.rw@gmail.com.

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Deck 3 Deepening Conversation – Insightful questions that invite sharing experiences and reflections on life and relationships.

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Connect With Your Deepest Essence

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On your journey back home to the All That Is, you will always be you.

By Owen Waters Infinite Being is the ground state of consciousness behind all things. It does not move. It does not change. It just is.

It is the awareness behind all things. When you become aware that you are aware, that is the silent essence of Infinite Being within you.

Your normal state of consciousness is in constant motion as you experience life in all its ever-changing forms.

However, behind that consciousness-inmotion is the ground state of unmoving, singular awareness.

Infinite Being is that which is beyond all things. It is the state of pure beingness which is beyond all manifestation.

It is the silent, unchanging consciousness which is behind all of Creation. It always existed and it always will exist. It is complete within itself. It is infinity in every sense of the word.

Infinite Being is the ‘I Am’ consciousness within you. It has also been called the Absolute, the All That Is, the Godhead, Brahman, the Isness, and the Tao. Because of its unmoving, pure beingness, some people have been tempted to call it a state of non-being. However, non-being is one of those impossibilities of existence. Everything is conscious, even the tranquil, unruffled state of pure beingness which exists behind all things.

Another impossibility is for you to ever cease to exist. You are; you exist

as a unique perspective of Infinite Being.

You will never cease to exist. The essence of you is immortal. In the physical world, you come and go, choosing different incarnations in order to experience the variety that human life has to offer. In between those incarnations, you live in the spirit world while you make sense of all you learned in the latest incarnation.

Then, at a soul level, you plan your next adventure into physicality.

On your journey back home to the All That Is, you will always be you. Your consciousness will grow continually along the way until it eventually expands to fill all things and you will once again be back home. You will be back where you started out on your journey into experience.

Infinite Being is the original consciousness behind even the One Creator of all life. Infinite Being formed an aspect of itself which stirred from the silence into action, thereby creating the Creator of all life. Infinite Being decided to express a Creator aspect of itself so that the Creator could decide how to explore all of itself and all possibilities of itself in order to see itself from infinite viewpoints. The One Creator then decided how to manifest the universe and all that is within it.

The terminology used to describe this perfect awareness is simply, “Infinite Being.” It would be less than accurate to say, for example, AN Infinite Being or even THE Infinite Being, as such expressions would suggest that there

may be something outside of this one, all-present state of perfect, complete and eternal beingness.

When you become aware that you are aware, you contact the ground state of consciousness within yourself.

There is nothing more balancing than to anchor your ever-moving thoughts and feelings to the ultimate state of personal peace—the unchanging, ever-aware, all-present state of Infinite Being. Because it is ever-present in all things, you only have to focus upon it in order to find that one anchor which never moves in an ever-moving world.

On our website, there is a complete how-to article called the Infinite Being Meditation at https://www.infinitebeing.com/now/meditation/. It employs the most powerful affirmation possible in the English language, namely “I Am Infinite Being.” This affirmation of the “I Am” awareness within you and your conscious alignment with the ultimate state of Infinite Being takes on an even deeper meaning when you appreciate the powerful silence of that ground state of all consciousness.

When you practice the Infinite Being Meditation, simply be aware that you are aware and you will better connect with your deepest essence. When you really become aware of that still, silent awareness within you—that state of Lucid Being— you will be in a place that few have found; but a place for which most people yearn.

Spiritual Dynamics with Owen K. Waters Owen Water is a cofounder of the Spiritual Dynamics Academy and InfiniteBeing.com, where a where a free spiritual growth newsletter awaits you at https://www.InfiniteBeing.com. He is an international spiritual teacher who has helped hundreds of thousands of spiritual seekers to understand better the nature of their spiritual potential.

Owen’s life has been focused upon gaining spiritual insights through extensive research and the development of his inner vision. He has written a spiritual metaphysics newsletter since 2004 which empowers people to discover their own new vistas of inspiration, love and creativity. Spiritual seekers enjoy his writings for their clarity and deep insights. Contact Owen via email News@InfiniteBeing.com.

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The Gift of Grace

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It is through grace and gratitude that we stand strong in who we are.

By Linda Commito The beginning of each year is an opportunity to experience life anew, to open our hearts and minds to fresh ways of engaging and living in our world. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that 71 percent of people are feeling more HOPEFUL about 2022, according to the results of a survey revealed on CBS Sunday Morning, a favorite show of mine.

What is the Word of the Year? While the Merriam-Webster dictionary had the word “vaccine” as the “word of the year”, in this CBS episode, Faith Salie, shared her “word of the year”: GRACE, one that she is hearing used more than

ever. She suggests: “Let’s show some grace: Let’s be patient, forgiving, and let’s be understanding that we all fail to be impeccable.” She continued: “We’re all in this together. You give grace to someone, not because they’re worthy, but because you can.

You’re human and you hope someone will give you the same gift. Our ability to grant grace rather than to judge is what heals us.”

To me, grace infers love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is a form of kindness in action—the openness to others and willingness to assume the best about them . . . and ourselves.

Grace implies a purity of thought with an understanding and hope that each one is doing what they can

in their own unique way. And when we fail, grace offers the opportunity to try again, to live in the best way we can, sharing the essence of our love and goodness. How can we offer each other the grace of a fresh start by letting go of past hurts, resentment, and judgments? We’re here to learn, grow and be better.

Our expressions of grace and gratitude come from within—from our hearts, from our willingness to accept, love, forgive and share the best of who we are as humans. Let’s clothe our spirit in grace, gratitude and hope.

May we experience GRACE in our own lives and share it generously with others as we move forward in 2022.

Love is the New Currency with Linda Commito Linda Commito, author, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant and teacher, is passionate about her vision to leave this world a kinder, more loving, and interconnected place. Linda’s award-winning book of inspirational stories, Love Is the New Currency, demonstrates how we can each make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others through simple acts of love and kindness. Her latest project, the card game Just Ask 1 2 3, was inspired by a desire to ­connect people of all different ages, beliefs and lifestyles to share our individuality and find commonality. Linda also created “Kindness Starts with Me,” a program, book and website for children. For more information visit http://www.LoveistheNewCurrency.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Justask123game.

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Upgrade Your Body, Mind and Spirit

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Part 2: A simple but powerful blueprint for optimal health and nutrition in 2022.

By Mark Pitstick MA, DC Once you’ve made a commitment and started following the “12 Steps to Progress” we outlined last month (See the box for a summary.), you are ready to start the Healing Phase of this journey, which actually is a part of Step 12: “The Real Food Way of Eating.”

The 90-day Healing Phase addresses significant health problems, excess weight, and imbalances. Strictly follow these guidelines for only 90 days. After this period, most people can then graduate to a Wellness Phase that involves eating healthfully 90 percent to 95 percent of the time. (That means you occasionally can eat small amounts of whatever you want.)

The Healing Phase is very low in sugar. Why? Excess sugar can cause weight gain, inflammation, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels, diabetes, and increased microorganism growth. Heavy metals and chemicals reside inside these microorganisms and are also stored in fat. Excess carbs—as you probably know—are converted to sugar that, in turn, may be stored as fat. That’s why.

THE GUIDELINES: • •

Eat fresh and unprocessed foods that are chemicalfree, non-GMO, and healthfully raised.

Read labels and AVOID the following: sugar, wheat, soy, corn, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup. Also AVOID meat, eggs, or dairy from unhealthily raised sources.

If it’s not on the list below, don’t eat it for 90 days.

(A serving size is the area and thickness of your palm.)

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Protein: 2 servings per day.

Meat: wild caught fish; pasture-raised chicken, turkey, beef, or buffalo. No cured meats.

Eggs: 2 – 3 whole eggs plus 1 – 2 egg whites for more protein.

Dairy: from certified raw or organic, flash pasteurized pasture-raised sources.

Protein powder: from plant or whey for smoothies.

Protein bars: with plant or whey-sourced protein and low carbs.

Vitality Drink: (see recipe below) for plant and seed sources of protein.

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Grain and legume combination for complementary amino acids.

• Other “milks”: Rice, almond, or coconut milk but not soy milk.

Vegetables: Unlimited amounts allowed, but at least 4 – 6 servings per day.

• Eat vegetables raw, juiced, steamed, lightly sautéed, or in soups.

• Avoid the starchy (high-sugar) varieties: white potatoes, corn, yams, peas.

• Eat at least one raw vegetable salad per day.

• Green powder with a variety of grasses, vegetables, and sprouts.

• For dressing: use cold pressed oil with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; homemade blends with organic ingredients or healthy brands such as Haines, Annie’s, and Newman’s.

Raw Nuts & Seeds: 1 – 2 servings per day of RAW almonds, pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts; chia, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flax seeds. These are best eaten after soaking for 20 minutes. Visit http://www.TheRawtarian.com for additional information about sprouting.

12 STEPS TO PROGRESS 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12)

Pray, intend, and/or affirm daily.

Meditate.

Activity.

Rest.

Decrease electronic stimulation.

Benefit from a holistic health care team.

Detoxify your body.

Use the Holistic Breathing Technique.

Get a personalized nutritional healing evaluation.

Ask your Soul.

Take maintenance whole food supplements.

Enjoy the real food way of eating.

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The real food way of eating was the norm until processed food industries destroyed nutrients in food and brainwashed consumer choices via advertising. You now have a choice to make: What is more important to you? Eating the way that is convenient and temporarily stimulates your taste buds and brain—which are addicted to sugar and chemicals—or making some changes and feeling happy, healthy and energetic again?

THE VITALITY DRINK RECIPE

Healthy Fats: Healthy fats and oils include pastureraised butter, ghee, coconut butter, avocado, eggs, and olive, grape seed, walnut, sesame, safflower, and coconut oils.

Grains & Legumes: 0 – 1 serving of grains or legumes (below) per day depending on your health status and weight loss goals. Organic sprouted grain bread and cereal.

Wheat-free grains, crackers and pasta from brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, or millet.

Legumes include adzuki, pinto, black, garbanzo, fava, edamame, soy, red kidney, and lima beans; black eyed peas and lentils. Dried organic legumes soaked overnight before cooking are better than canned. Legumes are also great sprouted.

Fruit: 1 serving per day of low-glycemic varieties: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and Granny Smith apples Sweeteners: 0 – 1 serving per day of stevia, xylitol or agave. No artificial sweeteners.

Condiments: Natural herbs and spices; Borsari and Celtic sea salt; only low-sugar brands of mustard, catsup and meat sauces.

Beverages: Pure water with lemon and lime added if desired, herbal teas, and 1 – 2 cups of organic coffee or tea per day.

Makes 64 ounces of a nutrient-dense drink with extraordinary energy and satiety. Best made with a Vitamix blender or similar high-powered blender.

Ingredients 42 ounces pure water 1 scoop of GardenofLife.com (GOL) Raw Greens ½ lemon 1 stalk celery 3-inch section cucumber ½ tsp. sea or Himalayan salt 4 Hawaiian spirulina tablets 4 chlorella tablets, handful spinach leaves 1 tbs. pumpkin seeds 1 tbs. sunflower seeds 1 tbs. hemp seeds 1 tbs. chia seeds 1 tbs. black sesame seeds 1 carrot 1/4 small beet, ½ apple Several sprigs of parsley 2-inch piece of turmeric 2-inch piece of ginger Handful of sunflower and/or kale sprouts.

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar/workshop facilitator. He directs The SoulPhone Foundation and founded Greater Reality Living Groups. Dr. Pitstick can help you know and show—no matter what is happening to or around you— that your earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst forever. Visit http://www.SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters and radio interviews with top consciousness experts.

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Who Needs Need? The Sixth Pathway

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“Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.”—Richard Bach, Illusions

By Gregg Sanderson When you get to feeling good all the time, you might tend to get down on yourself if you aren’t always 100 percent “Spiritual.”...Whatever that means to you.

Ken Keyes wrote The Sixth Pathway for just such moments:

“I accept myself completely here and now and consciously experience everything I feel, think, say, and do—including my emotion-backed addictions—as a necessary part of my growth into higher consciousness.”

One day, when I asked a friend how she was doing, she said apologetically that she was ATTEMPTING to follow the Pathways. Hey. That’s all any of us can do. No apologies needed.

Think of a ship at sea. The navigator plots the course to the destination, but the winds and currents require regular course corrections. A course correction doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the ship.

It’s that way in life, too. You’ve plotted the course for your “ship of life,” then the winds and currents throw you off. No course correction you ever need to make can ever mean there’s something wrong with you.

In other words, you’re OK, even if you screw up now and then. As a matter of fact, sometimes you have to, just to remember that you haven’t arrived yet.

The sixth pathway addresses one of the most insidious of the limiting beliefs foisted upon you. Every time you turn around you’re told you need something outside of yourself to be OK. The mark of the con artist is first to convince you there’s something wrong, then of offer you a way out for a simple tribute.

You’re not OK because your clothes are dirty. Buy my soap. I’ll save you.

You’re not OK because you’re going to get sick. Buy my pill, I’ll save you.

You’re not OK because times are tough. Vote for me.

I’ll save you.

You’re not OK because you’re going to hell. Put a dollar on the plate. I’ll save you.

There isn’t much input these days that just says, “You’re OK, just the way you are right now. That’s where the sixth pathway comes in.

“I accept myself completely...” Every bit of you. Even those extra pounds. “here and now...” You’re not going to be OK. You already are. “and consciously experience everything I feel, think, say, and do...”

That covers it all. “including my emotion-backed addictions...” It’s OK to get caught up in your “stuff.” “as a necessary part of my growth into higher consciousness.” How else could you become aware of the causes of your suffering? See the Third Pathway.

Now, we’re at the halfway point of the Twelve Pathways.

If you follow just these first six, it would be enough to assure your unending happiness...if you live alone in a cave.

For the rest of us, there’s those pesky “others” we have to deal with. You know who “others” are, don’t you? It’s anybody who isn’t you—those who never got a grade for “...works and plays well with YOU.” Yet, there they are and they’re your unavoidable playmates in this sandbox of life, so you might as well learn to love them.

Although it may not look that way from your vantage point, they’re also learning to love you. Follow the rest of the pathways and make it easy for them.

Happiness is BS with Gregg Sanderson

Gregg Sanderson, one of our long-time contributors, passed to spirit in September 2021, and we are continuing the 12 Pathways Series in his honor. He also authored Spirit with a Smile and The World According to BOB. During his life, he was a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books include What Ever Happened to Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing the Pain of Divorce.

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NOT JUST A GAME! Each custom-designed deck of Just Ask 1 2 3 cards offers 53 thought-inspiring questions and a Directions card. A lovely organza gift bag is included to hold the cards for selecting.

Just Ask 1 2 3 is a fun pathway to conversation, kindness and connection!

Only $15.95 There are different pathways to connecting: Deck 1 Easing In – easy, playful questions to break the ice and have fun!

Deck 2 Getting Closer – thought-provoking questions to get to know each other better . . . including ourselves.

Deck 3 Deepening Conversation – Insightful questions that invite sharing experiences and reflections on life and relationships.

JustAsk123.com & LoveIstheNewCurrency.com 31

Invite Your Demons to Tea

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A perspective on healing and active imagination.

By Kandace Hawley I often hear jokes and tropes that our mind is a scary place, full of demons, ghouls, and trolls that are out to get us.

These figures are often so terrifying that we resist going down into the basement of our minds to see what lurks there.

We all know that the light of consciousness has an equal counterpart, the dark shadowy unconscious. However, I want to reassure you that, just because the unconscious is dark, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. What is dark or hidden simply means that it’s not illuminated by consciousness. The same goes for our inner demons. Many of them are not so bad or evil after all. Rather, they are often just distorted aspects of ourselves in great need of attention. In fact, from my experience, they mostly just want to be invited to tea.

So, for the past two years, that’s what I have been doing. I have been inviting my demons to tea, where we air out our grievances with each other, come to a common understanding, and agree on a path forward. I often see my demons transform from grotesque images to luminous figures, simply by offering them the graces of my consciousness. I have been doing this work through Jungian analysis, which, if you are not familiar, is like scuba diving in the subconscious. Unlike hypnosis, the subconscious exploration is fully conscious, through active imagination, a technique invented by Carl Jung.

And the reason why I do these deep dive

e­ xplorations is because they offer immense relief, more than I have ever experienced in my life. In fact, this is the technique that, out of all I have ever explored, has offered the quickest and greatest inner transformations for the better.

Allow me to explain by contrasting this technique with yoga. I have been practicing yoga for over a decade, including deep meditation, the asanas, niyamas, and yamas. I am a dedicated yogi, and I truly love the practices—but one thing that yoga has never offered me is a direct encounter with the darker side of my consciousness. For example, for a long time, I have struggled with an annoying self-critical voice that’s constantly telling me that everything I do is not good enough and I shouldn’t even try because everything I do is terrible.

My yoga practices taught me that to deal with that voice, I should observe and transcend above it, realizing that this voice, like any other thought or feeling, is essentially not me. It taught me that I am more than my thoughts, and I am separate from them. Overall, yoga philosophy taught me to observe, detach and transcend. And while I think all of this is true—I am not that voice and I am not my thoughts—my yoga practice has never really tackled the core issue, that there’s a crippling, self-critical voice in my head that won’t let up whenever I try to live my life, and it’s sucking my energy.

Now this is not to say that yoga techniques are not effective for healing.

Quite the contrary, individuals cannot

heal if they cannot detach from their thoughts and feelings and observe their own mind. Yoga is immensely helpful at training our minds to perform seemingly magical feats of intention, attention, and observation—but I dare say that meditation alone has its limits. For instance, it never helped me modify my inner world so that it serves me better. The only method I have ever encountered that did this is Jungian therapy.

THE PATTERNS OF OUR INNER WORLD

Jungians call these inner demons archetypes and they can manifest in a variety of ways. Sometimes, they can be supportive, while at other times, they can be a total, energy-sucking detriment. Archetypes are primordial patterns, structures, images, and behaviors that we’ve inherited from our ancient ancestors. They exist in the deepest layer of our subconscious that Jungians call the collective unconscious, which is a universal consciousness shared by all humanity. These archetypes express themselves within us in unique ways through our inner complexes. In fact, according to Jungians, these archetypes are really running the show in our lives, and we don’t even know it. And only until we pull open the curtains and look at our puppet masters, they’ll continue to pull the strings. As Jung emphasized: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

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In my experience, these archetypes are like characters in my mind. They often have a face, clothing, a gender, and their own consciousness and agenda. So, when I invite them to tea, I learn all about them. I not only see that they exist, I see why they exist.

For instance, I invited that inner critic to the table. He (yes, he was a he) was a petty, pathetic and insecure figure.

And through my interactions with him, I discovered where he came from and why he was saying such horrible things to me.

It turned out that he wasn’t a horrifying demon after all, just a distorted and misguided figure who needed some attention, transformation, and love. After some time, he was able to transform into a supportive inner masculine figure for me, and I am happy to report that I am no longer suffering from a debilitating inner critic.

This has freed up so much of my energy and provided me with great relief.

However, I want to make clear that not all demons are the same. While many of the inner figures I have encountered are just simply distorted, there are others in the shadows that represent the true, dark side of my nature. These figures are often more difficult to confront as they represent the parts of my personality I wish weren’t there, like my capacity for cruelty, violence, hatred, or manipulation.

Jung often suggested that the more we repress and dismiss the dark part of our personalities, the more likely it will persist and manifest in unexpected ways, like in addiction, self-sabotage, or cruelty to others. The key is to confront our darkness and integrate it into our personality. Doing this offers great benefits. For starters, it frees up a lot of energy that is otherwise used to push these

parts of our personalities down. Second, it gives us a necessary edge that’s useful for building things like integrity, selfrespect, and boundaries. Those inner monsters can become guardians and protectors that give us the necessary doses of aggression to help us claim our place in this world.

Over the years, I have worked with dozens of inner figures, each representing a neurological structure or patterning that usually requires a certain degree of unravelling, reprogramming, acceptance, and/or integration. Some of them are very easy and even pleasant to work with, while others are so terrifying that it’s hard to look at them. But every time, I am always humbled and healed by what I learn from my subconscious mind. I have learned that the light of my consciousness is healing and that many of these characters just want to be seen and heard. They are there for a reason and inviting them to tea is a cathartic experience for the both of us. Overall, this is the path to lasting healing that I have discovered.

As Carl Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

USING ACTIVE IMAGINATION

Now at this point, you might be wondering how to do this kind of work.

For starters, it’s important to understand that how you approach your demons will be personal and unique to you. That’s the beauty of doing this kind of work. By owning your own path, you discover yourself in the process. You might find that you find a lot of relief working with images. Or perhaps writing works better for you (i.e. writing a letter to your inner demons). Others prefer not to work with images or characters. It’s important to discover your own way.

I did this work with a Jungian analyst using active imagination, a process that integrates unconscious contents through some form of self-expression such as visualization, painting or writing. I worked with images, and my analyst has been like my scuba diving guide and teacher throughout this journey. I’d say working one-to-one with a professional is best, but it’s up to you ultimately. Overall, there are many ways to do this work, either with someone else or on your own, and I’ll cover a few of them in my next article. Stay tuned.

Kandace Sheri Hawley is an educator and writer who believes that every individual holds the key to their own truth. Her overall aim is to enable people on their own path to self-realization and discovery. She runs a podcast called “En Soma,” where she combines her academic background in education with her studies in Jungian Theory from GAP, along with her years of experience in analysis to share perspectives on spirituality, philosophy, society, and existence in general. You can find her at http://www.ensomapodcast.com.

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We believe that self-employment is the ultimate form of empowerment. Our mission is to bring you guests whose powerful entrepreneurship stories and real-world advice will give you the inspiration and tools to create a business and life that you love.

Listen on our website or your favorite podcast app or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

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The Route to More Effective Marketing

THE R EFFEC

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ROUTE TO MORE CTIVE MARKETING How to create and use a customer journey map.

By Jowanna Daley One of the biggest struggles for most startups is knowing how to market effectively. If that’s a challenge your business is facing, a customer journey map can help. It will allow you to empathize with your clients and spot opportunities to enhance their experience with your brand, thus leading to a higher acquisition and retention rate.

Overall, a customer journey map is a business tool that allows you to visualize how your client might go through the buying process. It can be intimidating because it is created and used by hardcore marketers. However, having a customer journey map in your toolbox can help you create a path from client awareness to delight! (Is it perception and perspective.) It can give you the flow you are looking for to connect the pieces of your business, and it helps with customer acquisition and retention. Best of all, it supports customer-focused business modeling.

Understanding your clients’ thoughts, emotions, and inspiration helps you devise campaign assets that speak not only their language but also to their hearts. A customer journey map allows you to visualize opportunities to remove hiccups from your process, which will enable you to attract, convert, and delight your consumers.

However, a customer journey map is not a “one-anddone” activity. It is a continual learning process. ­Having a feedback

mechanism throughout your buying cycle allows you to get early feedback and proactively improve your client’s experience.

Creating a customer journey map is walking in your client’s shoes, and it provides an empathetic perspective. You find out information about their: • Motivation • Pain Points • Experience • Thoughts and Feelings And there are many other benefits! The customer journey map can help: Grow Your Business: Business growth requires retention and new customers. Your customer journey map allows you to attract customers and motivate existing customers to act as ambassadors for referrals to your company.

Spark Creativity: Your customer journey map will show opportunities and gaps. It will generate creative marketing campaigns and solutions that draw clients—and that’s no surprise since it’s based on their wants and needs.

Continually Stay in Touch With Your Clients: Your customer journey map is based on continual ­communication with your client base. People want to know that you care. As you experience the benefits of an empathetic approach to marketing your business, you’ll look forward to those genuine engagements with clients.

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ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES Customer journey maps are usually built with big (expensive) teams, using gnarly marketing terms. So yes, it has its challenges for a solopreneur with a limited budget.

It’s easy to get tangled in a weave of information, losing the reason why you engaged in building one in the first place.

Moreover, when you first start your life coach business, you may not have the insight to know your marketing model or have the model to run expensive studies. However, you can conduct research or get insights from the ideal people interested in similar services.

The data from a full-blown customer journey map can be overwhelming, especially if you put multiple products or services and personas on it. You can minimize the confusion by only journeying one client and service at a time. Finally, your map is a visual representation of data gathering, analysis, and conclusion. Each step includes its own set of activities. If you have no research or customer data, this process can take two weeks or more. It’s definitely time-consuming, so be prepared!

FEBRUARY CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR CONTENT CALENDAR February is the month to celebrate plenty of different themes. Two of the most popular events are black history month (in the United States) and love (worldwide). This month we highlight the top hashtag awareness days in February.

Many of these daily observations have month and week-long observances you can tie in with the day, but remember these are only a fraction of the holidays that can fill up your marketing calendar. Use them to inspire content and offers that ignite excitement throughout your online and offline groups.

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HOW TO MAKE A MAP Making a customer journey map is actually straightforward. The work is in the process. Luckily some professionals can either walk you through the process or create the journey map for you. Here is a list of the steps to familiarize you with the mapping process: #1 Determine Scope: You can get lost in a sea of information. Have a SMART objective and keep the scope to one service or product at a time. #2 Define your Persona: You more than likely have more than one type of buyer that behaves differently and have diverse reasons to purchase. Using one customer journey map per persona will keep you focused and minimize confusion. #3 Step into Your Client’s Shoes: Walking in your persona’s shoes means you will explore their experience with a beginner’s mind. Make no assumptions and uncover the endless possibilities. There are various tools you can use to complete research. You want to collect information for each step of the journey. This include: • Customer goal and activity.

• The touchpoints (the different times in the process that your brand interacts with the customer).

• The customer’s experience with your brand. #4 Create Your Map: Your journey phases go across the top (for example, awareness, consideration, and conversion), and the data such as customer pains, touchpoints, and activity, are listed vertically). Then add the identified business opportunities, goals, and activities to your map as they relate to the items you have listed.

The overall visualization created by the customer journey map allows you to spot opportunities, and then develop a concise and effective marketing plan. And remember, if planning the route becomes difficult, there are business coaches and consultants that can help you map the journey. Happy travels.

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FEBRUARY 1

African American Coaches Day. This holiday celebrates and offers support to African American coaches in the United States. It’s also a perfect day to highlight the benefits of life and business coaching in this community.

Freedom Day. February 1 celebrates freedom from slavery in the United States and is a symbol of liberty. It’s a good day to remind your audience to free themselves from limiting beliefs.

National Get Up Day. This holiday celebrates perseverance. Enlighten your clients on practicing resilience and not let a setback stop them.

FEBRUARY 2 National Girls & Women in Sports Day. This empowerment day is also perfect for promoting health and wellness in this population.

FEBRUARY 3 National Women’s Physician Day. Our healthcare workers deserve TLC. This is a perfect holiday to highlight what they are going through and honor their sacrifices.

FEBRUARY 4 Facebook’s Birthday. Is there a better day to go “live” or announce what you have planned for your audience and clients for the year?

Thank Your Mailman Day. If you are in the United States (and perhaps around the world), you are aware of what a nightmare it has been for the mail personnel during the Covid pandemic. Take a moment to thank them for their service. It’s a way to help your clients improve their mental wellness with gratitude.

FEBRUARY 5 National Play Outside Day. Health coaches should rally around National Play Outside Day. This is a day to encourage people to put down their devices and enjoy outside physical activities.

FEBRUARY 6 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. Empower young girls worldwide by speaking out against a very debilitating and dehumanizing ­experience—female genital mutilation. This may not be a topic for all, but if you are a female empowerment

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coach, it’s an intriguing topic and certainly one where you can make a difference by advocating against this painful practice.

FEBRUARY 7 National Send a Card to a Friend Day. February is the month for relationships, and relationship coaches can help their clients appreciate those around them with this fun holiday.

Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day. You can encourage improved relationships with your client with this holiday. Continue to leverage this love month to help your clients better their relationships.

FEBRUARY 8 Laugh and Get Rich Day. This is a fun holiday to promote mental wellness through laughter. Help people relieve everyday stressors with a big hearty laugh and spreading kindness.

Safer Internet Day. You can take the love, liberation, and relationship topics for the month and highlight how to use the Internet responsibly.

FEBRUARY 9 Read in the Bathtub Day. This is a favorite for wellness coaches. Promote self-care on Read in the Bathtub Day. FEBRUARY 11 Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. This holiday can be appreciated by almost any type of life coach. It is a holiday where you can promote resilience. Still, don’t forget to practice empathy and validate your client’s feelings.

Make a Friend Day. You can align this holiday with other themes in the month to help people recognize healthy relationships. You can teach people how to use digital technology to make new friends.

FEBRUARY 12 Flip-Flop Day. Though it did not initially start as a day to celebrate wearing flip-flops, it is now a day to promote self-care and spend time with loved ones—whether on the beach or at a spa.

FEBRUARY 13 Galentine’s Day. This is a cute holiday to celebrate female friendships. It continues the relationship team theme for the month.

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Madly In Love With Me Day or Self-Love Day. With all the hype about significant others, this vital holiday ­promotes self-love. After all, how can we have a ­relationship with anyone if we don’t love and care for ourselves first?

FEBRUARY 14 Valentine’s Day. February 14 is a day built for relationship coaches (especially those who deal with romantic relationships). It’s a great day for great content or market an upcoming workshop.

World Marriage Day. If you are not a fan of Valentine’s Day, you can share the responsibilities of being in a ­committed relationship with World Marriage Day; you can also tie in not losing yourself or forgetting about friends. The possibilities and creativity with this holiday are boundless.

FEBRUARY 16 Do a Grouch a Favor. Kindness can turn a person’s bad day around. Promote empathy in your community by giving your audience ideas to be kind (even if the person is seemingly a grouch).

FEBRUARY 17 My Way Day. This is a perfect day for people to do what they want. If you are a Life Purpose life coach, use this holiday to use a quiz, webinar, or Facebook Live to get leads for an upcoming life purpose group or offer.

Random Act of Kindness Day. Another way to show love is through kindness, hence why this topic is prevalent in February. As the name suggests, this holiday is one to continue promoting kindness in your community.

FEBRUARY 20 World Social Justice Day. Another theme in the month is social justice. You can use this day to let your audience inside your heart and share causes important to you. If you donate to an important cause, let it be known. Let your community see your humanity.

FEBRUARY 21 Family Day. All can celebrate this Canadian holiday. Use it to highlight the importance of family bonding. Promote a turn off the devices day and encourage your audience to spend time with their family.

The Daley Word with Jowanna Daley Jowanna is a business and personal coach, consultant, freelance blogger, and personal brand photographer. ­Jowanna uses her 20-plus years of business, information technology, business analysis, and project management experience to serve solopreneurs, microbusinesses, and professionals through consulting, coaching, training, and workshops. She is also a freelance blogger who serves corporate and non-corporate clients. Visit her website at https://www.jowannadaley.com/about/.

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Does Life Continue After Death?

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Evidence is piling up all over the world as universities and private institutions study the phenomena.

By Jo Mooy Reincarnation can elicit skepticism or disbelief. Yet, 25,000 cases that are consistent in their explicit details say life continues after death. For the past eight months, I’ve been in a deep dive researching near death experiences (NDEs), out of body experiences (OBEs) and hypnotic regression therapies. The scholarly reports suggest life, or consciousness, continues to exist after physical death.

The Bigelow Institute of Consciousness Studies (BICS) researches the survival of human consciousness after death by awarding milliondollar grants for the best evidence on the topic.

Regardless of current beliefs on the survival of consciousness or religious or spiritual affiliation, the researchers found that NDEs, OBEs and using mediums were the most persuasive in changing opinions. The conclusion was that people believe in an afterlife if provided with scientific evidence.

Scholarly studies are one thing, but some say it doesn’t prove reincarnation. Yet, the case studies mention archaic details that a “normal” person in the 21st century would not know about the 15th century or any other century. They may tell a story about a battle, giving names and ranks that only a military historian would know. A dead relative may reveal the location of an heirloom ring and sure enough, the living person finds it.

There are hundreds of thousands of stories like these. But how about personal stories from people you know or trust?

My neighbor Kathy, who was in her 70s, lived in the adjoining villa. She often shared her life story, and her love of plants. She was also very close to her mother who died about 10 years earlier. She spoke of her mother as though she was still

present, and Kathy said she couldn’t wait to see her mother on the other side. From those conversations about her mother, I knew she had a strong belief in the afterlife, and that she was convinced she’d see her mother again.

A lifelong smoker, Kathy suffered from COPD, which eventually took her life. It was quite traumatic when she died, as the paramedics worked on her a long time in tribute to her son, who is a sergeant in the police department.

About a week after Kathy died, the lights in our house began to flicker without any provocation. My partner came from a back bedroom towards the living room to ask about the flickering lights. At the same time, I walked out of my office towards the living room and froze in mid-stride at what I saw. There was a two-foot orb suspended on the face of the sliding glass door. The orb kept powering up brightly and then going dim. This repeated several times.

A strong feeling washed over me, and I called out, “Kathy is that you?” When I asked the question, the orb grew even brighter. Within a minute, an additional orb, a bit smaller, appeared next to the first one. Intuitively I asked, “Kathy is that your mother?” Instantly, both orbs powered up brightly and dimmed down. Finally, I acknowledged both of them and said, “Kathy I got it. I’ll tell Steven (That’s her son.) As soon as I said that, both orbs faded and disappeared.

Hindu Vedas and the near death summaries in the case studies say that souls present themselves as “spheres of light.” They also describe souls who are incarnating as crystal spheres.

Edgar Cayce, a Psychic Healer in the 20th century, saw himself traveling in space as a soul that he described as “A bubble of light.”

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Photo Credit: Unsplash/Ilja Tulit

Does any of this prove consciousness or life continues to exist after physical death? It proves something is happening because the evidence is piling up all over the world as universities and private institutions study the phenomena. When Baby Boomers,

the largest generation of humans on the planet, begin to leave, the stories will become more pronounced.

Their stories along with the new case studies may finally provide the evidence needed to change belief systems and with it, raise human consciousness.

Conscious Living with Jo Mooy

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this ­training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia ­Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

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