Shera R. Sever: Igniting the Spark™

How to develop a Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times

There’s the general economy, and then we each have our own personal economy. Yes, we all have are own economies, just like we all have our own belief systems, preferences, and opinions. There’s an inner economy and an outer economy

I have my own economy and my economy is great!- Say that a hundred times!

What we focus on expands- Intention is the most powerful element of manifestation.

So what are you focusing on? The fear and panic of old paradigms dying, financial crisis or on what YOU want to create?

Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Utilize what is! Create opportunities and your own micro-economies.

I often say to my clients: If you’re not changing, you’re not growing. If you’re not learning, you’re not living.

After three years of putting several of Harv Eker’s principles into play, I am once attending the Millionaire Mind Intensive, this weekend, in San Francisco. I’m going for a MINDSET tune-up, along with the opportunity to observe absolute master facilitators guide hundreds of participants through the most leading edge accelerated learning techniques.

Harv Eker is offering a special edition: Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times. I first met Harv Eker in 2005 at his Millionaire Mind Intensive in Los Angeles. Since then, I have served as a Life Directions coach with his company, Peak Potentials Training

If you’re prepared for difficult economic times, and have the right tools, there is no reason to worry about your financial future. You can create your own micro-economy, and a thriving economy.

History has shown it is possible not only to survive but to prosper in these times.

During the great depression, huge fortunes were made by many. The Kennedy, Rothschild and Rockefeller families all dramatically increased their fortunes throughout the depression. But it wasn’t just the rich who got richer – many ordinary citizens found a way to not only survive but thrive during a poor economy

What was their secret?

It’s not skills, education or luck that sees the rich getting richer and leaves you in the same situation year after year. It’s mindset.

There’s an incredible opportunity available now to change your mindset in these turbulent times and create what you want.

Millionaire Mind Intensive Fall 2008
Special Edition- ONLY $97 if you click below (regular $1295)
Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
November 21 – 23, 2008

Click here to find other locations and dates for 2009

At the Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times you’ll learn how to:

• Create your own personal economy that thrives at all times
• Focus on making a fortune while others are focused on fear
• Learn what to do and which strategies to use right now
• See how the worse it gets, the better you can do, now and in the future.

Here’s just a few of the incredible things you’ll learn at the Millionaire Mind Intensive:

• Wealth creation and maintenance strategies of the rich
• How to quadruple your speed to financial freedom
• Five key financial habits of the wealthy
• The underlying cause of almost all financial problems
• 12 ways to earn passive income so you can make money while you sleep
• The key to prospering during an economic recession

So, turn off the news and your TV. Come join me and others as we tap into our inherent abundance!

The thing to do is keep your mind when the world around you is losing theirs. Warren Buffet

Caban by RubyLee

After a long heat wave in the Bay, the cooler temperatures and hint of autumn is a welcome change.  I had planned to leave on Sept. 3 to visit  a friend on the island of Mallorca for a month. I used to live in Spain, and the Balearic Islands is one of my favorite places on the planet. I had wanted to revisit these enchanting islands, get re-inspired and  write, experiment with telecommuting from the other side of the world, brush up on my Spanish, and feel once again the passion, pleasure and warmth of the Mediterranean. I truly feel the roots of my soul in that great body of ancient mysteries.

A rapid series of unforseeable events took place, both in Mallorca and right here in my own home, forcing me to reconsider (postpone) my trip and stay put right here.  It was a difficult shift. There was a lot of resistance in letting go of that plan.

And now, it feels right to be here, taking care of unfinished business and patching up the holes in my own package.

FINDING OUR WAY BACK HOME

I think that’s what we are all doing collectively in these times: refining our vision,defining what’s really important,identifying our power partners and collaborators,strengthening our focus, taking a stand, and finding our way back home amidst so much uncertainty.

Autumn is a wonderful time for clearing, healing, forgiving ourselves and others, building and solidifying our foundations. This season feels particularly intense with the upcoming election. Please help at least 5-10 others register to vote.

I am so grateful to be part of an incredible network of visionaries, entreprenuers, educators, healers, media and technology leaders.  My intention is to fortify these bonds. My desire is deep to be a creative container for collaborative leadership, action, and change. I am so ready to play a MUCH, BIGGER GAME!  How about you?

note on image: Caban by RubyLee

It was May, 1999. I was about to go into major surgery. To prepare myself,  I had committed to engage in a  firewalk (Tony Robbins style) and carpooled with a fellow adventurer, Michel Ginoulhac, VP of the Organic Wine Company, to idyllic Sonoma Valley. It was our first meeting and one of immense synchronicity. We shared our resources, beliefs, experiences, and visions. We walked (and danced) on burning coals, and affirmed with high energy, laser focus, and clear intention, what IS possible! (my walk=seven times and no blisters!)

On that journey to Sonoma Valley, CA, Michel and I discussed the multitude of our shared influences in the worlds of consciousness, human potential, belief systems, nutrition, sustainability, and business success. One of these shared influences was Abraham & Esther Hicks, whom I’ve since had the opportunity to meet several times in San Rafael, CA.

I am delighted to see that Esther’s new book, Money and the Law of Attraction, has made it the NY Times #1 Bestseller’s List.

I particularly like the section, Careers as Profitable Sources of Pleasure, where readers are encouraged to choose careers/vocations that are in alignment with what you love being/doing.

Our life’s experiences and our inner knowing will guide us to the right careers if we allow ourselves to follow the flow. Often times this means just GETTING OUT of our OWN way.

Create work that is in alignment with YOUR Source.

Abraham says: “We encourage you to decide as early in life as possible to live happily ever after.” Career is living a happy life. When feeling happy is of paramount importance for you–and what you do ‘for a living’ makes you happy–you have found the best of all combinations.”

Some of the basic Abraham teachings remind us that:

• Life is supposed to feel good and that overall Well-Being is what is natural. That improving our lives is within our control.
• When we feel good physically, we naturally feel joy and well being and have a good attitude in life. This fills us with the positive energy that makes manifesting easy.
• Learning to guide your thoughts in the direction of things that feel good, connects us with the power that only comes from vibrational alignment with Source.”
• The way you feel is always about the degree in which you are in alignment or out of alignment with your source. No exceptions.

THE SECRET BEHIND THE SECRET

What many fans of The Secret do not know, is that “The Secret” actually came from the work of Abraham and Esther Hicks. Her story and the beginnings of the Abraham work is quite amazing. For more on the Abraham, Esther Hicks, and the Law of Attraction teachings, visit the Abraham-Hicks site.

And hear Esther in a live presentation: The Secret behind the Secret.

Check out my article and previous post: What’s Your Passion? What Makes You Come Alive

I love to write, teach, and coach entrepreneurs, authors and leaders to Be the Change! Vocation is where your greatest passion and the world’s greatest need overlap.

There is no Secret!

What is truer than truth? The Story. . .says Nobel Prize novelist Isabelle Allende.

She is a maverick, human rights activist, a raging feminist, historian, and a leader of the human heart and spirit. I have read all that this remarkable woman , story-teller, true magician of words has produced.  

My, it ‘s been some time since I’ve posted here. I decided to start the new year on a holiday in Maui (my first time on that magical island).

It was truly a wonderful way to refresh and rejuvenate, release a lot of monkey mind clutter, eat lightly, do yoga with community, and get clear on what’s important to me.

I imagine many of you have been to Maui, but if not, I highly, highly recommend the Hana Coast. I felt such a deep peace there and rate her exquisite beauty right along with several other of my favorite places: the Baleares Islands (Spain), the Cyclades (Greece), Bali, and several islands in Southern Thailand (Koh Lanta, Ko Samui, et. al.). Yes, I’m an island girl.

I re-discovered what CLARITY is on this journey and that no matter how many goal-setting programs/workshops we participate in, if we don’t SEE and FEEL the DESIRE for an intended reality (as if it is occurring NOW) then the goal remains just that- a wish on a list.

That’s why I am such an advocate of Vision Boards and Vision Statements. They are fantastic platforms for COLLABORATING and COMMUNICATING with OTHERS what we see US (you, me, them, ) CREATING. We are living in most amazing times of radical shifts and unprecedented change. Breathe into your heart and discover what makes YOU come ALIVE. Share Your Visions.

I have been continuing my studies in Marshall Rosenberg’s revolutionary system of Commpassionate Communication since his personal appearance in the Bay Area last April. Recently, our facilitator at the Oakland NVC Center shared this ritual practiced by the Babemba tribe in Zambia:

Babemba Soul Song and Healing Ceremony

When a woman in the Babemba tribe of South Africa knows she is pregnant, she goes out into the wilderness with a few friends and together they pray and meditate until they hear the song of the child. They recognize that every soul has its own vibration that expresses its unique flavor and purpose. When the women attune to the song, they sing it out loud. Then they return to the tribe and teach it to everyone else.

This song is sung at every important event of the child. When he or she is born, the community gathers and sings the child’s song to him or her. Later, when the child enters education, the village gathers and chants the child’s song. When the child passes through the initiation to adulthood, the people again come together and sing. At the time of marriage, the person hears his or her song.

Finally, when the soul is about to pass from this world, the family and friends gather at the person’s bed, just as they did at their birth, and they sing the person to the next life.

In the Babemba tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. When a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused individual. Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a time, about all the good things the person in the center of the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy is recounted. All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. The tribal ceremony often lasts several days. The tribal ceremony often lasts several days. At the end, the song is sung again, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe.

The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment, but love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything that would hurt another.

They believe a friend is someone who knows your song and sings it to you when you have forgotten it. Those who love you are not fooled by the mistakes you have made or the dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.

As we move into the shortest (darkest) days of the year, and the potential challenges of the “holidays” in our culture, know your song and sing it. Surround yourselves with others that will remind you of your purpose and bring you back to your song when you seem to have temporarily lost your voice.

A dear friend shared this wonderful quote from Martha Graham with me at my recent birthday celebration. May it inspire you to celebrate your magnificence, too!

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable it is nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and be aware directly to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open

VISION, VALUES, PASSION, PURPOSE

These four words have become the pillars in strategic planning meetings, business development, project management, financial planning, and personal action plans. It’s the core inquiry in most small business seminars. It’s a life coach’s mantra.

Malcolm Cohan coined this vision wave: Think It So. He has been the inspiration for hundreds of vision boards, vision videos, and vision stories now seen on You Tube.

Earlier this summer, I added this concept in my workshops for new and small business owners, and professionals in career transition. Parents and teens love it too!

These INTRODUCTORY EVES to Vision Coaching™ utilize a synthesis of powerful techniques designed to access clarity and the truth within you and a vision of what you want to create in your life.

The outcome is a beautiful vision canvas- a map to keep you on track, on purpose, and a daily visual reminder that intention and attention are powerful elements of manifestation.

So what’s your vision? What lights you up? What makes you come alive? What do you truly love?
How are you expressing your passions in life?

Come join us! It’s fun, engaging, exciting.

What’s Your Passion?
Discovering What Makes You Come Alive!

Let’s face it. There is no Secret.

The word is out. If you can think it, believe it, and FEEL it, you can achieve it. Intention is the conscious choice to create- passion is the fuel. Your results will always match your true intentions. When we feel a passion for some thing or activity, it is because we are remembering what it was that we came to do in this world. When we are aligned with our heart’s deepest desires, we are co-creating with source energy. And from this marvelous state of desire and creation, arises your vision, a landscape to create BIG dreams, plot and cultivate your goals, and celebrate the outcomes! It all sounds so simple, and it is . . .sort of.

Internationally acclaimed author Marianne Williamson says:

“You are a child of the universe. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world . . .As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

So why do some of us play so small? Are we afraid to let our own light shine? How do we get in touch with what we are really passionate about and live our life on purpose?

I have spent a good part of my adult life asking myself these very same questions and have created the RAW formula.

RAW (Relax, Ask, Write) works every time I start to lose sight of my path (my purpose) and feel the fire extinguishing. I do this process personally once or twice a year (normally in January and June), and I apply variations and expansions of this in my workshops. The results have been magnificent.

DISCOVERING PASSION- The RAW™ Formula

RELAX
Create some time for you to be undisturbed (an hour if possible). Go into a meditative, inner, relaxed state. Use soothing music if that helps you get there. I prefer to focus on my breath and body sensations.

ASK yourself:
• What drives me? What do I really love to do?
• What’s really important to me? What do I stand for?
• What am I good at? Hint: Activities that are naturally easy for you; you know you are good at it, and others do as well!
• What puts a big smile on my face, or a skip in my step?
• What types of people do I love to be around?
• What are my unique skills and talents? (Talents and passions often go hand in hand)
Answers to these questions all provide clues to your purpose.

WRITE
What answers revealed themselves with your inquiry? If you want to live a passionate, purposeful life, start by writing your passions down.
Go with your first impulse. Keep writing. Don’t second-guess.
As you are writing these passions, notice:

• What you are feeling inside? 
• Are you expanding or contracting? 
• Is your breath deep, even, and relaxed or short, constricted, and shallow?
• Are you excited, afraid, or both?

It is very helpful to start each passion statement with a verb (teaching workshops, dancing tango, writing bestsellers; traveling to Mediterranean countries; riding my bicycle on a beautiful summer eve) for example. These action words help ignite passion in the subconscious. When you write your passions in a way that excites you, you feel excited.

If you are feeling stuck as you go through this process, one of the best ways to excavate the fire within is to do some “time travel” to your childhood.

Write down significant events in your life in three-year interval periods (ages 4-7, 8-11, 12-15,16-19.) What were you doing? How did you spend your time? What activities were you involved in that you loved the most? Do you notice any patterns?

Once you make your list, remove yourself from it for a few hours or until the next day. Go back over what you have written and circle the words/activities that appear more than once. The first time I did this exercise, I was amazed at how many times travel appeared as significant learning-turning points in my life. International travel is one of my top passions. The others are performing, teaching, speaking, and writing.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT
Okay, so let’s say you have uncovered or rediscovered your passions. Now what? One fun and powerful first step is to create a Vision Canvas- a vibrant expression of your passions as if you are living them NOW. When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life. Get as specific as possible with the images on your Vision Canvas. Add affirmations to the images (in the present tense) that support you living your passions. And then, focus, focus, focus on what you want!

STAY COMMITTED
Take time daily to review your passions and Vision Canvas. There may be times you find yourself not wanting to read your passions or focus on your goals and vision. Is there an underlying fear or belief that you can’t achieve what you have written? Examine this. Are your focusing on something you don‘t want? If that’s the case, flip the switch now. Remember the “Law of Attraction” is about energy and vibration. Where we put our attention, creates our experience. Focusing on what you don’t want will deaden your passions (and bring more of what you don’t want). A skilled coach can guide you more with this process.

Take action everyday. The only time to take action is NOW. What actions are you taking in support of your passions, everyday? Whenever you are faced with a decision, choose in favor of your passions.

PRACTICE APPRECIATION
Studies have shown that brain and hormonal activity shifts significantly simply by giving attention to what you are grateful for. Additionally, there are some very interesting studies from the University of Utah linking gratitude to better immune system functioning. I find making a quick list (or verbal scan) of all that I am grateful for, either first thing in the morning or before sleeping, keeps me living with optimism, intention, and momentum.

GIVE YOUR VISIONS a LIFT
According to T. Harv Eker, best-selling NY Times author, how you do anything is how you do everything (from making your bed to running your company). How are you expressing your passions in life? Half-heartedly or with the precision of an elite athlete. Passions are irresistible. When you are truly passionate about something, there is absolutely nothing that can keep you from it. Give your visions a lift. Take one more step today!

Collaboration in the Workplace
“None of us is as good as all of us.”
© Sheryl R. Sever (Coach Shera)

Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values collaboration. In a teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively.

As One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard discovered, people recognize, and even assimilate, the belief that “none of us is as good as all of us.” High Five, The Magic of Working Together.

In America, many of our institutions such as schools, our family structures, and our pastimes still emphasize winning, being the best, and coming out on top. Workplaces that exemplify and reward teamwork are not yet the norm.

Organizations, however, are working on valuing diverse people, ideas, backgrounds, and experiences. As part of the social transformation that we see taking place globally, collaboration, co-creation and cooperation seem to be values that are being more readily embraced and promoted in organizational development.

Having consulted many senior managers, educational, and organizational leaders over the past 13 years, I’ve included here my Ten Tips for Building Terrific Teams as your quick guide to cultivating successful teams, encouraging creativity and innovation, and attaining optimal results within your business or organization.

TEN TIPS for BUILDING TERRIFIC TEAMS

1. Communicate Clear Expectations. It is crucial that team members know why they are working together, and how their role, functions, and outcomes contribute to the bigger picture and overall success of the organization, its clients and coworkers. As a leader, how clearly you communicate the overall vision, mission, and values of the organization will be the power driving the team forward.

2. Have an agenda with objectives at team meetings. Allow time for progress updates, discussion, brainstorming, and action plans. It can be particularly beneficial if the meeting facilitator is trained in Cross-Cultural Awareness, or Marshall Rosenberg’s NVC practices. Using these techniques will help keep a diverse team cohesive and focused, encourage everyone’s participation, and can easily diffuse and transform stagnation. Change, creativity and solutions are not birthed in a static environment. Are necessary concerns and misunderstandings raised and properly addressed on your team?

3. Include your consultants and independent contractors in your brainstorming meetings. One of the biggest mistakes some organizations make is to not include consultants and independent contractors in staff meetings, project updates, long-term goals and vision. You will get a lot more mileage from your consultants when they are included in discussions and sessions affecting your organization’s direction and growth. Consultants are typically natural networkers and wealth of resources. They can easily be a powerful contributing factor to your organization’s long-term success and expansion.

4. Cultivate an atmosphere where team members can appreciate the diversity of talent on the team, not just in skill set and areas of expertise, but from a whole person perspective. If the team is working on a long-term project consider investing in the Myers Briggs assessment, DISC or an Enneagram training for the workplace.

5. Have a rewards or recognition program in place. Giving public recognition on the company intranet, newsletter, or in a staff meeting, or rewarding high-performers with gift certificates to a spa or event, are just a few low-cost, no-cost ways to acknowledge team members for a job well done.

6. Build fun and shared occasions into the organization’s agenda. Hold potluck lunches; take the team to a performance or cultural event. Host dinners at a local restaurant, (include your associates’ families) or plan an outdoor event such as hiking, bicycling, or even river rafting.

7. Encourage collaborative leadership models within your workplace. Move away from traditional, hierarchical leadership models that are deadening to the human spirit and that can create separation, distrust, and a competitive environment. Focus on cooperative models for team performance. Rotating facilitators at your weekly or monthly meetings is one way to begin this shift. Appointing co-managers to lead a project is another effective strategy.

8. Create opportunities for giving and receiving feedback. In his recent visit to San Francisco, the Dalai Lama continually emphasized the importance of dialog, along with education and training. How well trained are you and your people in examining assumptions, active listening, asking for clarification, and other non-defensive communication models that make it safe for you and your associates to express needs, be heard, and enthusiastically create innovative solutions with and for each other?

9. Provide resources. One of the surest ways to create chaos and diminish motivation, performance, and morale is to expect people to perform without the tools and resources they need to deliver outcomes they are proud of. Be sure everyone has the basic information and tools they need to perform, including healthy, ergonomic workstations.

10. Form a Green Team at work. Help your people raise their awareness of opportunities to save energy and contribute to a healthy and sustainable environment. By allowing others to take leadership and responsibility, passion takes hold. A green team can be very motivational for employees who want to make a difference in their work environment.

Got a great organizational team story? I’d love to hear it, along with any other feedback you’d like to share.