What Leads TED-sters to Success can Lead You Too!

I have the following eight words written on a card displayed on my refrigerator door. Without fail, all who come over for dinner and read these simple eight words open a vast and inspired smile. I can almost see their mental image of themselves being successful in their chosen areas. Their eyes shiny and dreamy. I always think "Imagine if they read the whole thing!"

I am delighted to have come across this entry once again and so happy to share these real views of what some of the world's most triumphant people believe accounts for their success. Enough said! Read on:
PS-I will PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE making this blog look nicer :-S

VIA One Powerful World

It all started one day on a plane, on my way to TED, seven years ago. And in the seat next to me was a high school student, a teenager, and she came from a really poor family. And she wanted to make something of her life, and she asked me a simple little question. She said, "What leads to success?" And I felt really badly, because I couldn't give her a good answer. So I get off the plane, and I come to TED. And I think, jeez, I'm in the middle of a room of successful people! So why don't I ask them what helped them succeed, and pass it on to kids? So here we are, seven years, 500 interviews later, and I'm gonna tell you what really leads to success and makes TED-sters tick.


1.Passion
Freeman Thomas says, "I'm driven by my passion." TED-sters do it for love, they don't do it for money. Carol Coletta says, "I would pay someone to do what I do." And the interesting thing is, if you do it for love, the money comes anyway.


2. Hard Work
Rupert Murdoch said to me, "It's all hard work. Nothing comes easily. But I have a lot of fun." Did he say fun? Rupert? Yes! TED-sters do have fun working. And they work hard. I figured, they're not workaholics. They're workafrolics.


3. Practice
Alex Garden says, "To be successful put your nose down in something and get damn good at it." There's no magic, it's practice, practice, practice.


4. Focus
Norman Jewison said to me, "I think it all has to do with focusing yourself on one thing"


5. Push Yourself
David Gallo says, "Push yourself. Physically, mentally, you've gotta push, push, push." You gotta push through shyness and self-doubt. Goldie Hawn says, "I always had self-doubts. I wasn't good enough, I wasn't smart enough. I didn't think I'd make it." Now it's not always easy to push yourself, and that's why they invented mothers. Frank Gehry said to me, "My mother pushed me."


6. Serve
Sherwin Nuland says, "It was a privilege to serve as a doctor." Now a lot of kids tell me they want to be millionaires. And the first thing I say to them is, "OK, well you can't serve yourself, you gotta serve others something of value. Because that's the way people really get rich."


7. Ideas
TED-ster Bill Gates says, "I had an idea -- founding the first micro-computer software company." I'd say it was a pretty good idea. And there's no magic to creativity in coming up withideas, it's just doing some very simple things.


8. Persist
Joe Kraus says, "Persistence is the number one reason for our success." You gotta persist through failure. You gotta persist through crap! Which of course means "Criticism, Rejection, Assholes and Pressure."


In Summary, Do it for love not for money; push your limits physically, mentally(self-doubt,shyness); Persist against Criticism, Rejection, Assholes and Pressures; Have fun in what you do; Become really good at what you do....practice practice practice; Serve others andmoney will come; Get Ideas -Listen, Observe, Be Curious, Ask Questions, Solve Problems, Make Connections; Focus yourself on one thing.


So, the big -- the answer to this question is simple: Do the eight things, these are the eight things that lead to success.


Source: Richard St. John, TED

Shift Your Mind

Today is a big day here in Greece, where I currently live. Unfortunately it isn't like a bride's big day, full of excitement and fun anticipation! Our prime minister has obviously played his cards all wrong and the whole of Europe is extremely dissatisfied with his latest decisions. There is talk of our country leaving the Euro and going back to the Drachma and this threat has driven every Greek citizen beside himself.  Man, there is so much anger here right now! I won't go into that any further as this subject, albeit significant, isn't the least bit inspiring to me.

What I find inspiring is the understanding that all of us, collectively, as a race, not only in my country but in many other countries around the world, have reached during these turbulent economic times. We see people from all walks of life coming together to inspire change. There has been an increased interest in topics such as self awareness, self development, spiritual advancement, mind and body approaches, and so many others that only a few years ago were seen as "fluff".

We have all understood the time has come to change, shift, evolve!

I am currently the proud student of a Coaching Prosperity School led by remarkable author and master coach Steve Chandler. Steve talks about shifting our mind a lot and although it may seem like something undoable (does "I've been this way all my life, I can't change now" sound familiar?) he says it only takes one thing for shift to occur - and this is what I want to share with you.

"When the mind is open, it will shift. When the mind is closed, it won't." Steve Chandler

It's as easy as it sounds! All you need to do is keep an open mind. An open mind welcomes new people, new people carry information, information can ignite creativity, creativity offers solutions and solutions almost always bring results. Accepting and acting on all of the above brings change!

How about I set a call for action? Remind yourself everyday for the next week that you have an open mind! Let "I have an open mind" be your mantra! Be aware and start to notice how your open mind will make space for those exceptional shifts that will inevitably begin to occur!

On being thankful

Today I gave thanks for the opportunity of meeting a wonderful spiritual life coach, Akrura dasa of Gita Coaching. This man travels the world offering workshops and coaching individuals to achieve a fuller life, not only spiritually but also with issues of this physical reality. I met Akrura in a kirtan, where he led the chanting for the elevation of our consciousness. His interest didn't terminate in the people who were gathered there. So grand is his generosity, his intent was to benefit the whole of humanity with our chanting. "Sound travels around the globe" he said "our chanting will vibrate and spread its benefit to all".


After the kirtan, I eagerly approached him to share that I too am a life coach, helping individuals get in touch with their inner power and fulfill their true potentials. I never expected his reaction! Akrura opened a vast smile that reminded me of a child who has just gotten exactly what he asked from Santa! I shared with him that I coach people holistically, approaching the body, mind and spirit. He was interested in meeting with me to know more about my chosen path.  


Our meeting a few days later was another surprise! Akrura ate a cucumber and a green pepper, part of his raw food diet. This, along with his chanting must be what makes his being so light. "Tell me how you put awareness in the body and soul during your coaching session." Having him listen curiously to my holistic approach to coaching was probably how a musician felt if he was so lucky as to jam with Jimmy Hendrix! 


Before I left, without my asking, Akrura openheartedly gave me most of his and other leaders' work which would take me years to compile. 


How could I not take the time to thank this beautiful soul and my "lucky stars" for having met him?

Gratefulness, simply put, is about getting in closer touch with the origin of which every blessing, benefit or support comes from.  Giving thanks keeps you in contact with the creative force, universal energy, God or whatever you choose to call the unseen power that ultimately rules our existence. 

I ask my coaching clients to report to me on a weekly basis, what it is that they are thankful for in their lives. Some have never had the chance to think about this and therefore don't know what to write. I sometimes get: "I have nothing to be thankful for, can't you see the state that this country/the world/my life is in?" I remind them of their health, or their mother's health or even the blessing of having their children close to them. This automatically puts things into perspective and I see genuine gratitude in their face. 


Being grateful helps us focus on the positive aspects, things and people that enter our lives and therefore compels us to want to share positive things with others.


Try it yourself! Can you make a list of five things you are grateful for today?

Be prepared

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity"!
Seneca

Just Breathe

Yesterday a client came in like a hurricane. He was extremely anxious as he entered my office several minutes late. He started telling me how he ran around the whole day, a photo shoot that was supposed to take two hours took four, and then he attended a meeting and then he had to come see me and still needed to go to kickboxing class after our appointment...

I was out of breath just listening to him. Before we did anything, I asked him to take two minutes to breathe. After the two minutes, he had a huge smile on his face. It was all he needed at that moment. To be reminded to just breathe.

Here's a great post via zenhabits

Breathe.

Breathing can transform your life.

If you feel stressed out and overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.

If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.

If you are discouraged and have forgotten your purpose in life, breathe. It will remind you about how precious life is, and that each breath in this life is a gift you need to appreciate. Make the most of this gift.

If you have too many tasks to do, or are scattered during your workday, breathe. It will help bring you into focus, to concentrate on the most important task you need to be focusing on right now.

If you are spending time with someone you love, breathe. It will allow you to be present with that person, rather than thinking about work or other things you need to do.

If you are exercising, breathe. It will help you enjoy the exercise, and therefore stick with it for longer.

If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.

So breathe. And enjoy each moment of this life. They’re too fleeting and few to waste.

—

Tip: Put the word “Breathe” as a screensaver or desktop pic, or put it up as a note on your wall or fridge or on your desk. Then do it every time you see the word.

Where are you going?

"You'll never leave where you are until you decide where you'd rather be"
Angela Oberer

I often hear people say that if they didn't need the money, they would leave their job. I have also heard: "If times weren't so tough, I would be free to do what I really love". Or the one everyone must have heard or said at one point or another: "I can't leave him/her, because he/she needs me".

As stated in the very truthful quote above, one can never leave (a place, a relationship, a job, you name it) if he does not make clear in his mind where it is he would rather be.  Or how it is she would rather be living, working, spending her time. So making excuses is the next best thing to do!

Most people don't realize that "deciding where you would rather be" takes more than the mere decision.  It is not enough only to think about it, daydream about it once in a while, especially if you do it in a shy way, scared that someone will find out where you would really like to be.  Or scared that God will punish you if you want something different, and God forbid should you want something MORE!!

The first, and probably the most important step, to leaving where you are is to announce where you'd rather be! Announce it to your mind, the universe, and anyone around you that you think might help.

How do you announce it to your mind? You "see it" with your mind's eye. You see yourself in that position, visualize every possible detail. Make it substantially detailed! What will you see when you are in this new place? How will you look, how will others around you look? How will they see you? How will you be dressed? What will you see when you look around you in this new role?
What will you hear? How will you be speaking? How will others be speaking to you? Do you hear sounds around you?
Finally, how do you feel being in this new situation? What feelings do you get when you visualize yourself there? Pay attention to these feelings that come up, they are valuable feedback. Visualizations provide information for your brain and it starts "searching" for this reality. The more detailed the visualization, the more information your brain receives. Careful visualization creates a neural network that hold these "memories", even if they are future memories. Your mind cannot tell the difference between something you "see" and something you visualize.


How do you announce it to the universe? You talk as if you were already there "I am a cabaret singer"! You are training yourself and your mind to actually BE in that new position. You practice with affirmations, even if you do it only while looking in the mirror! That's how actors become so believable - they practice and practice until the day they themselves believe they are their character. Talk like you believe it, even if at first you don't! Practice does make perfect!

Don't be afraid to announce your desired destination to others. It is very important to know that you can use people around you as resources. Yes, I did put use and people in the same sentence and I am not ashamed of it! You need not be either! You will be surprised to find out that there are many people who will be happy to help you. Share your dream with others, you never know who or what they might know, it could be just what you need!

What about you, are you happy where you are?

A Shaman in town!

The great Mexican Teacher, Shaman and Healer Monyca Bouras, is in Athens! I feel blessed to have the opportunity to benefit from the teachings of this conscientious and powerful “curandera”!

For those of you not familiar with the term, the word shaman comes from the Tungusic language of Siberia and now a days is used to describe a practitioner. Yet, I prefer to have my teacher explain that which she understands all about: 

Monyca, what is a shaman?

Monyca - The Shaman in the old days, was the lawyer, the physician, the priest all together, the same person. In the original communities in human kind, it was the king and the shaman. The king was the leader and the shaman took care of all other parts of the community.

Shamans are found in all societies. A shaman is someone who understands reality in a wider way. By understanding it one can move it. Understanding is the power! Shamanism is the path of wisdom.

When you say one can move it, do you mean the energy?

Monyca - For lack of a better word, I would say affect or modify energy and therefore, reality. The actual healing, the cleansings, the understanding of situations and illnesses does this.

Why would someone see a shaman today?

Monyca - Shamanism is valuable to the everyday person for it transmits / teaches a different view on life. In life we have certain things we feel we HAVE to do (find a job, buy a house, get married) and if you’re still not happy when you achieve these goals, you feel lost.

The shamanic point of view is wider, more open and permitting. It is limitless, not in the way that one doesn’t strive to have a house or a partner but in that it recognizes that these are just pieces of something bigger. Widening your comprehension of what life is, eases tension.

Can you further explain what you mean with limitless?

Monyca - OK let me give you an example: a person can be very worried and stressed out because they gained weight, or their boyfriend left them and then one day a doctor tells them: “you have brain cancer”! That really puts things in perspective.

Of course you don’t have to get cancer to widen your perspective. One of the great teachings of shamanism is that at the end of the day, the understanding that there are more meaningful things in life, gives you the freedom of not caring so much and not taking things so seriously. And that is a beauty!

How did you come into this path?

Monyca - My grandmother was a healer although I didn’t know it because I never met her.  It became obvious that it was there, not only genetically but in the family system. I had little hints when I was a little girl, like knowing when the phone was going to ring. My mom tried to stop this from happening, by being very reactive towards it (due to fear) so it closed that opening. Then I bumped into my main teacher, Carlos de Leon because I wanted to study martial arts with him but he probably saw something in me and said I should practice shamanism.

What is it that you do exactly?

Monyca – I do healings and cleansings of spaces and people, rituals like the ceremony of light, and spiritual development counseling.  I teach Ontogonic Shamanism since 1994.  

What I found through the years is that this path has given me an enormous amount of joy. It might sound cheesy but seeing people smile again and tell me how I changed their lives is something I couldn’t live without anymore. Sometimes it is very tiring and freaky but all in all I have always had a lot of fun.

What d you mean with tiring?

Monyca - Although as shamans and healers we are taught how to handle our energy, I can get very tired after a day of many cleansings or after cleaning a big building. There have been cases when I had to sleep for 2 days after a particular cleansing. Yet, actual patterns change and people and situations do get healed and this is what’s wonderful about what I do.

Moyca will be in Greece until the beginning of October.

For a consultation call: 6970 475 857

www.monycabouras.com