Becoming Aware of Your Resistance: The Key to Surfing and Surviving the Chaos of Today’s Uncertain World
by Lynn Andrews
Did you know that you are fearless, generous beyond thought, gracious, creative, able to shape shift your destiny?
You are! So what is keeping you from celebrating yourself, from living the bountiful life you deserve and can create?
In looking at the events of the past several years, I found a thread, a luminous thread that led me through the maze of challenges we face today. How did the events of our time form into the chaos of the world today, as well as the turmoil in our own personal lives? As you hold up your star shield to the Great Spirit, you see that there is a dangerous imbalance of the male and female energies on this earth.
We must balance the intellect and mind of the male with the intuition and emotion of the female in order to understand how we came here from nature and what we are made of. If not, then maybe we are lost. Maybe our evolution as a species will actually cease.
But there is a choice we can make to prevent that and achieve a critical balance. I believe it comes down to the one lesson that the Sisterhood of the Shields taught me over and over: how to give up resistance and pick up the shield of empowerment.
The events of this past year, in particular, demonstrated the turmoil of uncertainty. We have always lived with a sense of insecurity, and until lately, most of us have spent our energy trying to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t bother us. So how do we–as shamans–learn to make uncertainty our ally? How do we let go of our resistance to change, our fear of what is different? This has become a focus within my Shamanic Mystery School.
If I could teach you only one thing, I would choose for you to learn how to ride uncertainty like a wave. If you can learn to ride within the power of the wave, to allow its energy to propel you forward, you can tap into a source of personal power.
Using energy in a focused, conscious way will reduce the sense or experience of chaotic energy for yourself and others around you. Chaos is a part of creation, and instead of resisting or responding in fear, we want to shift how we respond to it by directing our awareness to the beauty and opportunities it manifests.
Dynamic energy is given off by an act of creation, and the energy that comes from the chaotic side of creation is powerful. It is uneven and somewhat like being in an earthquake. This dynamic energy is uncertainty. But it is an amazing energy once we tap into it and ride it like a wave.
The Sisterhood taught me to not stand and fight the wave, but to throw myself into it. Like the dolphins riding the surf line, when you relax and move with the current, you rise to the surface and maintain your sense of direction. Uncertainty in life is like that and we choose how to face it.
As shamans, we learn to see the energy between all living things – the energy of true power. I want you to be aware of the truth that energy is just energy. It is not good or bad, not dark or light, until someone or something focuses it. Energy itself is pure and unaffected in its original state and is incredibly powerful. By understanding and refocusing these frequencies, you can move into their flow and achieve the male/female energy balance. You can learn to surf!
It is your awareness of energy that allows you to begin to use it, to tap into its power to create the life you desire, to bring healing to yourself, your loved ones, the planet. Within that awareness, you make a shift of consciousness. However, the chaos you experience today is the result of your resistance to this shift.
Furthermore, throughout much of the world now, the economic field of energy is very stressed. This stress spills over into almost every aspect of your life, as you worry about how to support your family, as our countries move ever deeper into debt, creating an instability that will become the legacy your grandchildren inherit. This all results in fear. Your inability to create meaningful changes in response causes you to put up walls of resistance, to separate from others, to fear and distrust those with whom you disagree on ways to improve our world.
So it is essential, now more than ever, that you look at the choices you make and why you hold resistance in your body – which, in turn, creates a block, literally, within your life force. That resistance depletes your energy, separates you from Great Spirit, creating more chaos in your life and thereby in the world.
How do you shift away from resistance into riding the wave of uncertainty?
Let me offer a practice using the Sacred Wheel of shamanic tradition.
Find a place where you can be comfortable and at peace…whether that is outdoors or in your living room. Grab a piece of paper or journal and a writing implement. Draw a circle around you and sit inside of that circle, with your journal at hand.
- First face South, which represents the physical part of spirit and the physical aspect of the energy. Begin asking the following questions, recording your answers in your journal: Where do I experience resistance in my body-Am I closing my mind to change? Am I experiencing illness or physical pain? Where do I feel stress? And finally, what would I experience if I let that go or opened my mind?
- Then face West, which represents the emotional aspect. Ask: How am I responding, am I reacting? What do I feel? What emotions am I experiencing? And then: what emotion would allow me to flow with this change?
- Next face North…this is the direction of Spirit, the place of inspiration and creation. The questions to ask here are: Am I listening to God? What am I resisting in my spirit and why? What is God trying to tell me? Finally, if I was working in concert with God, how would my spirit respond to this challenge or change?
- Lastly, turn to the East, the direction that rules your mind. Propose these questions: Without emotions interfering, what is the rational response? What does common sense say to do? And then ask: If I was facing this choice with a calm and unattached mind, how could I best embrace this change?
If you have gone around the circle once and you have not yet released most of the resistance, do it one more time. This is like peeling an onion…with each turn, a layer of resistance will peel away. The chaos will subside and-eventually–you’ll make friends with it. This is where balance is restored.
It is also where you begin to experience the freedom of letting resistance go, feeling the flow of energy moving through you again, and allowing creativity to bring new choices and new opportunities. That unencumbered creativity is the great healer that enhances your personal power, and is your portal into the energy field of a truly fearless, generous, purposeful, and bountiful life.
About the author:
Lynn Andrews is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of over 20 books and workbooks beginning with her Medicine Woman series. Today, she is recognized worldwide as Western society’s leading female shaman and mystic. Lynn is an initiated member of the Sisterhood of the Shields, 44 women who are healers from cultures as diverse as Panama, Guatemala, Australia, Nepal, Egypt, North America and the Yucatan.A leader in the fields of spiritual healing and personal empowerment, her Lynn Andrews Mystery School, offers a 4-year course of study and training in the Sacred Healing Arts. Learn how to enter the sacred Dreamtime to discover the mysteries and wisdom of life, how to create and use tools of perception and awareness that help you See, understand and choreograph energy and develop your own inner power and vision. Register and receive free gifts from Lynn! Click here for details: http://lynnandrews.com/mystery-school/mystery-school-early-registration
Surrounded By Negativity? Here’s How to Rise Above It
You’ve probably noticed: Negativity has pervaded our culture and daily lives. Whether you love or hate the current political climate, it’s hard to deny that our nation has ever been as divided, fearful, and vocal as it is today. Add in the avalanche of complaining that dominates social media and it’s not easy to be positive or happy right now.
There is a solution, says best-selling author Jon Gordon. You absolutely can rise above the negativity all around you. It’s not easy but it can be done.
“Throughout history, there have been times of extreme negativity, pessimism, and fear,” says Gordon, author of The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World (Wiley, April 2017, ISBN: 978-1-1193519-7-9, $25.00, www.jongordon.com). “Those who rose above it were able to change their circumstances for the better instead of allowing their circumstances to change them for the worse.”
It turns out that positivity doesn’t just make you feel better in the moment; it makes you more successful too. Research conducted by Manju Puri and David Robinson, business professors at Duke University, shows that optimistic people work harder, get paid more, are elected to office more often, and win at sports more regularly (1. Puri, M. & Robinson, D. (2007). Optimism and economic choice. Journal of Financial Economics, 86, 71-99.). They also have stronger relationships. And not surprisingly, when positive energy is shared in the workplace, teams perform better.
Gordon says, “Being positive doesn’t just make you better. It makes everyone around you better.”
Former Ford CEO Alan Mulally is a shining example of a positive leader who rose above negativity to create a better world. When he stepped into the CEO role in 2006, Ford had just suffered an annual loss of $12.7 billion and was on the verge of bankruptcy. But he managed to put Ford back in the black in just a few short years, and then the Great Recession hit. In these dire circumstances, it seemed like his efforts had been in vain—and plenty of people doubted his ability to save the struggling company. But Mulally proceeded with optimism and saved Ford and thousands of jobs in the process, while positively impacting the American economy and country as a whole.
You may not be a leader on the level of Mulally, or have “leader” in your job title at all. That doesn’t matter. Gordon says we’re all leaders in our own lives and can be a positive influence on those around us. But first we have to rise above our own negativity and reset our belief system. Here’s how:
Realize you have the power to distort reality. We often think that reality is objective, but that’s not true says Gordon. If you take a look at how leaders of positivity have changed the world throughout history, it becomes clear that we can define reality and distort it in a positive way. Before there was an iPhone, iCloud, or Apple Watch, there was Steve Jobs, a man with vision, positive ideas, and a reality distortion field.
“Jobs repeatedly convinced Apple employees that they could meet deadlines everyone thought were impossible,” says Gordon. “Time after time they would tell Steve he was being unrealistic and there was no way they could create software or hardware in the amount of time he was expecting. And yet, they did accomplish the ‘impossible.’ Jobs’s team said he distorted their reality from pessimism to optimism. Their newfound optimism ultimately helped them succeed.”
Take an inside-out approach to success. It’s important to understand that we don’t create our world and success outside-in. We create it inside-out. This means that your circumstances and the events that happen outside you in the world are not meant to define you. You are meant to define your circumstances. The power is not in the circumstance. It’s in your state of mind and the love, passion, soul, purpose, and perspective that you lead and create with.
Coach Donna Orender is a great example. When she served as commissioner of the WNBA, she saw a lot of negativity amongst those in the corporate offices. There was a feeling that no one cared about women’s basketball and a lack of belief that the organization could be successful. But Orender saw the passion and optimism in the coaches and players, and she believed in them and in the future of the WNBA. She began building an optimistic belief system and inspired her colleagues to believe in the WNBA’s future as well. By focusing on one success at a time, she helped create a new reality for herself and changed the organization from the inside-out.
Choose people over politics. People have “unfriended” longtime Facebook friends because of political views. This phenomenon is not limited to the virtual world: Some “real-world” friendships have ended because of politics as well. Even siblings have stopped talking to each other because of who they voted for in the presidential election. This is why Gordon advises you to make relationships—not politics—your priority.
“Focus on your connection with other people rather than the politics of the day,” he says. “Research shows that one of the key factors in success, happiness, and longevity is not your political opinions but your relationships and connections with others. Focusing on politics divides. Focusing on relationships unites and creates a better future for you.”
Control what you can control. A person with an internal locus of control believes they can influence the events and outcomes of their lives by how they think and act. A person with an external locus of control blames outside events for how they feel and believes they are a victim of circumstance. During the Great Recession, those who had an internal locus of control were more likely to embrace the change, take action, and thrive.
The truth is you can’t control what decisions the White House makes. You can’t control what other people are going to say or do. You can’t control the negativity that exists around you. But you can control whether you look for the good or bad in the world. You can control what you read and write on social media. You can control the actions you take each day to make your life better and the lives around you better.
“Instead of looking at your phone and getting angry at the world around you, look up,” says Gordon. “Take a quiet walk and decide what actions you will take to create your positive future. You can’t change the whole world, but you can change the world around you, and that’s a great place to start.”
Implement a “no complaining” rule. It’s a simple rule with a powerful impact. The rule says you aren’t allowed to complain unless you offer one or two possible solutions. Gordon says when we complain we focus on what’s wrong and feel disempowered. But when we focus on solutions, we feel empowered and empower others to make positive changes.
“If you are complaining, you’re not leading. If you are complaining, you are not showing your team the way forward,” writes Gordon in The Power of Positive Leadership. “Complaining causes you and your team to focus on everything but being your best. It causes you to be stuck where you are instead of moving forward to where you want to be.”
Choose faith over fear. Fear and faith both believe in a future that hasn’t happened yet, Gordon points out. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. If neither has happened yet, why not believe in the positive future?
“Ultimately, being a positive leader is all about leading with faith in a world filled with cynicism, negativity, and fear,” says Gordon. “The ultimate battle we face every day is the battle between faith and fear. The people around you are facing this battle daily. They are filled with fear, doubt, and uncertainty, and it’s your job to inspire them with faith. If you don’t have it, you can’t share it. ”
Now, share your newfound positivity with the world. For example, some people are turning away from social media because of the negativity. Instead, use it to spread positivity. Change the perspective and conversation.
“Even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment, every single effort you make to be positive will create an effect in the world,” says Gordon. “Your words—typed or spoken—your intentions, and your actions matter, so use them to make the world a more positive and hopeful place.”
“When you make the decision to rise above negativity, you can finally become the leader of your own life,” concludes Gordon. “Leadership is not just about what you can do but what you can inspire, encourage, and empower others to do. Your commitment to a positive mindset will show the people in your life once and for all that they—not outside forces—shape their own lives. When you feel better about yourself and your actions, you feel better and you help the people around you feel better. In this way you help others become all that they are meant to be—and ultimately, change the world for the better.”
About the Author:
Jon Gordon’s newest book is The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World. His best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and MLB coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits.
In addition to his new book, Jon has written numerous bestsellers, including The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, The Seed, You Win in the Locker Room First, and The No Complaining Rule. He and his tips have been featured on Today, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends, and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Falcons, Campbell’s Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, BB&T;, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, Bayer, the U.S. Military Academy, and more.
Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a master’s in teaching from Emory University. He and his consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations, and teams.
About the Book:
The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World (Wiley, April 2017, ISBN: 978-1-1193519-7-9, $25.00, www.jongordon.com) is available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book’s page on www.wiley.com.
How to benefit from gratitude
by Sabbir Muslim
There is one tried and tested method to change a negative mindset into a positive one. Gratitude practised on a daily basis gradually switches the preoccupation with what is wrong in our lives to what is right, which paradoxically then attracts more good things.
When there is a mindset of lack and desperation for an external outcome to fix a situation, the outcome will be suffering and distress.
An antidote for the excessive craving and often negative nature of the ego mind is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude dissolves the dense negative thoughts and emotions that block our connection to a higher power. The resulting consciousness vibrates with the qualities of wholeness and of both being and having enough. Such a powerful energy vibration magnetically pulls positive people, places and situations towards us.
One person I was helping would often moan to me how much she hated her job. One suggestion I offered was to e-mail me a daily gratitude list of at least ten points. After some weeks of doing this I saw on her gratitude list that she was grateful to this same job enabling her to pay her bills and warm her flat.
A friend of mine with diabetes who does daily gratitude lists told me he used to hate doctors, especially when they told him how he should be eating. His attitude has now shifted so radically that he is not only grateful for his medical treatment and insulin but that he can now eat the way they suggest.
By practising gratitude I now appreciate my near-death experience at age 30 when I had acute kidney failure along with a heavenly spiritual experience in my hospital bed. Even though it led to the loss of my job and the disability of daily dialysis it allowed me to focus on spirituality and developing an authentic positive life.
Start to write a daily gratitude list to receive the positive benefits.
Writing a daily list of ten things you are grateful for, irrespective of whether or not you actually feel grateful or indeed even want to write anything.
You may find that as the days and weeks pass you become increasingly appreciative and develop a contentment, along with a sense of being taken care of. The key is to commit to writing every day.
The gratitude list might range from the ordinary to the miraculous. Be as precise and as specific as possible.
For instance, today I wrote I am grateful that:
I am developing a happier vibration, which will attract good people and circumstances to me.
Today I was aware of the sunlight on the oak tree by my window.
The health of my body.
My caring parents.
The birds chirping in my garden.
I have a roof over my head.
My faith is growing.
I have a comfortable home.
The universe is taking care of me.
My loving connections with friends.
About the author:
Sabbir Muslim is a spiritual teacher, coach and the author of Bulletproof Peace 30 Spiritual Secrets of Peace and Happiness. He brings a unique approach to spiritual teaching with a meditative and contemplative approach to guide people to be their authentic self and access higher intuition, happiness and miracles. His purpose is now to share with others how to transcend their limited identifications to realise their limitless self and live an authentic life of love and higher purpose.
Bulletproof Peace, 30 Spiritual Secrets of Peace and Happiness is available on Amazon.
His videos can be found at
http://www.youtube.com/c/sabbirmuslim
You can learn more about his work at
http://www.sabbirmuslim.co.uk/
Are You Caught In One of These Seductive Traps?
You’ve seen it before—the person who once had a great career, now stagnating in mediocrity, the relationship that once seemed invincible, now ending in abrupt separation. We all wonder the same thing: How could it have happened to them? Could it happen to me?
You’ve got a really great life—at least on paper—but have you anticipated the hidden obstacles in your path ahead?
A new book by David M.R. Covey and Stephan M. Mardyks points out the blind spot in our preparation:
“Many of us spend so much time thinking about how we can move ahead that we fail to spot the traps that will hold us back,” says Stephan M. Mardyks, coauthor along with David M.R. Covey of Trap Tales: Outsmarting the 7 Hidden Obstacles to Success (Wiley, May 2017, ISBN: 978-1-1193658-9-1, $25.00). “Like the great chess masters, successful people learn to think many moves ahead and avoid the traps that would derail them from their goals.”
“Modern-day traps are seductive and alluring,” adds David M.R. Covey, the son of famed author Stephen R. Covey. “You often don’t see them coming, and without even realizing it, you can step into traps that can keep you stuck for years.”
The good news is, getting “unstuck” isn’t as hard as it seems—once you realize you’re caught in a trap, that is. But don’t count on traditional approaches to free you from problems involving debt, relationships, career, and other common traps. The advice you’ve always heard for life’s big problems rarely works.
In truth, extricating yourself from a trap requires an open mind and a willingness to try something completely different, often something that goes against the cultural grain.
Trap Tales teaches readers the art of Trapology, as described through the tale of Alex, a husband and father who has unwittingly fallen into the traps that so many people struggle with. (For example, he’s fallen deep in debt and his marriage is on the proverbial rocks.) Through Alex’s story you’ll learn the seven most common modern traps in life and work, and how to gear up to avoid them (or how to escape their clutches if you’re already caught in one!). And like a skilled Trapologist, you’ll learn a unique Epiphany Breakthrough that frees you from each trap.
The core message of Trap Tales is hope—the belief that anybody can change the trajectory of their life, at any stage of their life. Stop letting traps steal your time, money, energy, and happiness—Trap Tales provides survival training of a different sort, allowing you to write your own tale of success.
Keep reading to learn the seven traps we all risk falling into, and how to sidestep or escape them.
Trap 1: The Relationship Trap (Operating as a Married Single). The Relationship Trap ensnares romantic partners who live together, yet fail to fully integrate their lives. Because each party secretly believes their upbringing is superior, they never shift their mindsets fromme to we. As a result, they operate as “married singles,” creating a disconnect in many areas of their relationships. This trap leads to fighting, simmering resentment, and often divorce.
“When two people form a partnership, they usually bring to it two very different value systems,” says Mardyks. “But most couples don’t realize these major differences exist, and they unconsciously launch a pattern of disagreements and contention. Everything from money to child rearing methods to household responsibilities can be affected when partners fail to acknowledge these important differences.
Traditionally, partners try to avoid the Relationship Trap by focusing on the issues they agree on and ignoring the issues that cause them problems (which leads to more trouble!). But the Epiphany Breakthrough that actually frees you from this trap involves creating a shared vision for your relationship and agreeing upon a pathway to get there together.
Trap 2: The Money Trap (The Quicksand of Debt). Just like our protagonist Alex, most people fall into debt for three reasons. First, they live in the moment, without thought for the future and lack the discipline to forgo unnecessary expenses. Second, they spend money competitively to keep up with the people around them. Third, they’re in denial that worst-case scenarios could ever happen to them.
“Conventional wisdom tells us that budgeting and showing restraint alleviates debt,” says Covey. “Sadly, these approaches don’t work for most people because they take too much willpower. A far better way to escape the Money Trap is to make eliminating debt fun and motivating by turning it into a game.”
The Money Trap Epiphany Breakthrough: Covey says getting competitive and having fun fuels your motivation to erase debt. Take a roll of butcher block paper and cut out a snake shape with a long body. For each $1,000 you owe, draw a vertical “debt segment” on the snake. Each time you reduce your debt, trim another segment off the snake. This method gets the whole family involved and inspires everyone to contribute.
Trap 3: The Focus Trap (Being Mired in the Thick of Thin Things). Today it’s all too common to become consumed by the superficial, trivial things in life. Further, we’re addicted to technology, which bombards us with irrelevant information and activity. Finally, we’re impatient; we’ve forgotten that the best things in life require time and effort. And so we fail to invest in the worthwhile parts of life like strong relationships, career success, or personal fulfillment.
“Our protagonist Alex spent much of his energy responding to emails, checking sports scores, and go-go-going all the time,” says Mardyks. “He lost sight of what was important and got distracted by the nonessentials. This trap nearly unraveled his life, and it affects countless others in the same way.”
The conventional approach is to better manage your overscheduled, overloaded, and overcommitted life. But to truly free yourself from the Focus Trap, you must filter out the nonessentials. You’re familiar with a to-do list; now try starting a not-to-do list and see what you can add to it. Identify everything that’s keeping you from what’s really important, what is distracting, and what is interrupting to your day. When you filter out the unimportant, you can learn to say “yes” to the things that matter most.
Trap 4: The Change Trap (Procrastination, the Killer of Growth and Transformation).Whether it’s changing your diet, adopting an exercise routine, or curbing your spending habits, you probably already know the life changes that you need to make. Still, most people fall into the Change Trap because, well, change is difficult and uncomfortable. Procrastination also stops us from making these changes. But when we put off or avoid change, our growth stagnates, our progress stalls, and we get stuck. Finally, as perfectionists, we live by the mantra: If I can’t be perfect, I might as well not try.
“People typically refuse to change until their circumstances force them to,” says Mardyks. “But if you listen to your conscience about the changes you need to make before things get out of hand, you can free yourself from the Change Trap faster than you would otherwise.”
The bottom line is this: Don’t put off making necessary changes until unfortunate circumstances force them on you. Instead, change courageously whenever your conscience dictates it. The moment you realize that a behavior, habit, or action is negatively impacting your life, take action to correct your course and avoid getting stuck in the Change Trap.
Trap 5: The Learning Trap (Mistakes, and Why We Got It All Wrong). The Learning Trap revolves around how people feel about and handle mistakes. Covey says most people go to great lengths to hide their mistakes or put a spin on them to justify or rationalize them away. That’s because we commonly view our mistakes as character flaws, and, eventually, we let them define us. Finally, we fear that our mistakes will damage the persona we project to others; we instinctively try to protect this image instead of letting others see our flaws.
“When we perform poorly or make mistakes, conventional wisdom suggests we try something else or do something that we can succeed at,” says Covey. “Trouble is, skipping to whatever comes easiest for us circumvents our learning process and keeps us stuck in the Learning Trap.”
Society is obsessed with the end result, but discounts the effort it takes to produce impressive results. The Epiphany Breakthrough for the Learning Trap asks us to change our narrative about mistakes and start viewing them as progress and instructive learning opportunities. Rejoice and celebrate in the effort, the journey, and the process as much as the end results. This will redefine how you look at your life.
Trap 6: The Career Trap (Settling, or Losing Your Passion and Inspiration). People get stuck in the Career Trap for three reasons. The most obvious reason is that they are financially dependent on their jobs. But employees also get stuck doing uninspired work because growing companies structure themselves to the point where they unintentionally stifle their workers’ creativity and innovation. Finally, many people get too comfortable in ho-hum careers and settle in for the long haul, unfulfilled.
“Conventional wisdom insists that if you do what you love everything will fall into place,” says Mardyks. “In reality, a fulfilling career must do more than ignite your passion. You must be financially compensated too—but that’s not all. You must also find a work environment where your ideas are valued and you feel you are making a purposeful contribution. When each of these dimensions coincide, you will find true work satisfaction.”
The Career Trap Epiphany Breakthrough involves doing professional work that encompasses all four dimensions of a successful career: finances, ideas, passion, and purpose.
Trap 7: The Purpose Trap (Accumulation, or the Ultimate Lie). The final trap centers around the ultimate lie, which too many people discover after it’s too late to escape. We are seduced into believing material abundance is more important than our character, service, contributions, family, and relationships. In pursuit of happiness, we acquire the next new thing, but we still aren’t satisfied. Finally, we view possessions as success markers and compete to have the best “stuff”—material things like status symbols, higher degrees, and stockpiled money.
“Many people try to consume their way to a purposeful life,” says Covey. “They spend so much of their time managing their stuff that they never get to nurture the relationships that actually lead to their ultimate happiness and fulfillment.”
The Purpose Trap Epiphany Breakthrough is powerful and simple: True happiness comes from providing service, making meaningful contributions, and building lasting relationships. Your possessions play a supporting role; they don’t precede relationships in importance.
“As you probably already know, much of the advice you’ve heard for dealing with some of life’s biggest problems simply doesn’t work,” concludes Mardyks. “You’ve struggled long enough with ineffective solutions and now it’s time to overcome them in new and exciting ways. You’ll be amazed by how quickly your life opens and by the newfound satisfaction and fulfillment you’ll enjoy.”
Trap Tales: Outsmarting the 7 Hidden Obstacles to Success
About the Authors:
David M.R. Covey and Stephan M. Mardyks are widely seen as world-renowned experts in the field of global learning and development. They are the cofounders and CEOs of SMCOV, Wisdom Destinations, and TrapTales; and cofounders and managing partners at ThomasLeland, Leading in English, and Streamline Certified. Past experiences include serving as joint COOs at FranklinCovey.
For more information about Trap Tales, please visit their websites at www.traptales.com,www.wisdomdestinations.com, or www.smcov.com.
About the Book:
Trap Tales: Outsmarting the 7 Hidden Obstacles to Success (Wiley, May 2017, ISBN: 978-1-1193658-9-1, $25.00) is available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book’s page on www.wiley.com.
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