While
the world is living in a less-than-delightful circumstance, Victoria provides
tools in her book to help us find JOY despite the jeopardy.
“I have lost everything more than once. Money. Jobs, Homes. Relationships. Stuff. My heart. My soul. My sense of self-worth.
It was a big problem. And that was a big problem.
I saw myself having a big problem I had to fix. I hated myself for never being able to fix it.
It wasn’t until I began creating a daily practice of JOY that things shifted.
In fact, things didn’t shift. They TRANSFORMED. Everything transformed. I discovered the transformational power of heart-centered practice.”
Victoria Price
After a year of practicing JOY and sharing it with people, Victoria felt as though she’d discovered a magical formula.
“I thought if I could change my life into a kind of spiritual experiment, maybe I would be able to discover why a made-up practice had succeeded when nothing else had.”
Victoria Price
As a little girl, Victoria knew LOVE could heal because she’d experienced it. However, before she began her practice of joy, she forgot how to feel the LOVE which had always been inside her.
“Old fears melted away. Ancient stories lost their grip on me. I felt hope and experienced healing as never before! Why? Because all my practices had one thing in common: they were heart-centered, causing me to live as if I were living is, as, from, and through LOVE.”
Victoria Price
To fully reap the blessings of a heart-centered LOVE and JOY practice, it helps to understand the four components of practice:
Daily:Studies show that whatever we prioritize in our lives not only shifts to the top of our to-do lists, but it also becomes the lens through which we experience everything.
Deliberate:The word DELIBERATE means intentional, which comes from the Latin word for “stretching.” That is how Victoria thinks of practice – as the stretches we must do in our souls to keep ourselves limber in LOVE.
Conscious:It’s not enough to practice. To be conscious means to be present. If you are doing a heart-centered LOVE practice, but you are thinking about all the things you have to do next, then you’re not present.
Committed:This word makes so many of us nervous because it connotes pressure, obligation, duty. Try thinking of it this way instead: every day we are bombarded by fear, so if we do not commit to practicing LOVE, we will slide back into fear without even knowing it.
It was a THRILLER (reference back to Vincent Price) to have Victoria on the show. She most definitely brought JOY to Todd, me, and all the listeners of Life Mastery Radio.
Seven years ago, Kristi’s husband died by suicide.
“I had a really hard time processing that. I knew I could either be a victim of my circumstances, or I can take this pain and figure out how to use it to help other people.”
Kristi Hugstad
Kristi helps many people through feelings of grief and unhappiness, including middle school students.
“If we’re going to stop suicide from happening, we need to educate our youth about mental health…they are grieving the loss of hopes and dreams as their proms, graduations, and award ceremonies are being cancelled.”
Kristi Hugstad
Kristi’s advice about how to connect with our teenage children during this pandemic (or any time):
Don’t force conversations. Ask “how
are you handling this?”
Observe changes in patterns and/or
behavior
Don’t mete out judgement or put them
on the spot
Don’t minimize their emotion
Validate that what they’re feeling is
real
“The best tool you can give someone right now is to listen. Let them speak, and don’t try to fix it.”
Kristi Hugstad
Kristi suggests there are signs to look for if you suspect someone you love is becoming depressed:
Changes in behavior
One-word (or grunts) answers
Not showering, or ignoring self-hygiene
Isolation, and/or no longer doing what they
once enjoyed
Becoming someone you no longer recognize
During this pandemic we are all grieving structure, routine, social connection, purpose, and self-worth. Your self-care will be modeled by your children.
Kristi suggests the following tools to help you and your family get through your grief journey:
Journaling
Writing
Play games the kids are interested in
Take care of yourself first and be in a strong
place to help others
Ask kids to teach you how to do something (like
play a video game)
“Now is the time to reach out and reconnect with the people you’ve been meaning to connect with. I feel best when I get outside myself and help other people. I let go of the things I can’t control.”
Kristi Hugstad
If you or someone you know needs help, reach out to Kristi Hugstad: Go to www.TheGriefGirl.com
Lisa Erickson, author ofChakra Empowerment for Women, was our guest today. She realized, during a time of high demand in her career, that as a child she experienced the world energetically and didn’t know it.
After the birth of her first child, Lisa realized her energy had changed drastically, as did her relationship with her Chakras. Today, Lisa focuses on energy work for women, especially those women healing from sexual trauma and abuse.
“I had a health crisis myself that got me focused on women’s health and women’s energetics in particular.”
Lisa Erickson
Energetics applies to any modality in which we’re working with our energy body. Chakra meditation, Reiki, Acupuncture and Acupressure.
“Our energy body is that interface between our physical, our physic, and our spirit. Working with Chakras gave me a language and a structure for processing my energy body.”
Lisa Erickson
The second Chakra is the foundation of a woman’s energy body. It’s linked to procreation, creation energies, and sexual energy.
Men and women both experience problems with their first and second Chakras if they’ve experienced abuse.
In Lisa’s book, Cindi Dale tells the following story:
Decades ago, I was under the tutelage of a Belizean shaman. One afternoon, after he explained the curative properties of various jungle plants, he smiled and leaned toward me, ignoring my male companions. “I’m only teaching the men,” he whispered. “You are a woman. You are aware of what I am speaking.” I was puzzled and asked the shaman, a natural herbal healer, what he meant. “Women already know all things. Men must learn all things.” He paused and pointed toward my abdomen. “There, that is why. You have the power of the Mother—and of all mothers.”
Navel | Just under navel | Personal power, will, self
Heart | Center of upper chest | Compassion, balance, love
Throat | Center of neck | Expression, authenticity, clarity
Third Eye | Above brow midpoint | Insight, intuition, imagination
Crown | Top back part of head | Spirituality, faith, purpose
We can each learn which Chakras are blocked, and which are strong in us. Lisa uses a mapping tool in her book to help the reader learn how our own Chakras are operating. She does this through memory, visualization, and affirmations.
“I evolved the specific visualizations, affirmations, and use of emotional memory. I combine them into a how-to process. The reader can access whatever is most powerful to them.”
Lisa Erickson
There is so much information gained from her book; and from our interview with Lisa. Please listen to the show and then dive right into the book.
Many of our radio guests have made reference to A Course in Miraclesbook. They lovingly call it “the course.” I have not read this bible of conscious thought, but it’s been on my “must read” list for a while now.
In preparation for today’s show with Pam Grout I read her latest book called, “A Course in Miracles Experiment”. I was hooked quickly. In fact, after spending a few hours last night reading Pam’s book, I woke up at 2:30 this morning (and since I couldn’t sleep) I read more of her book until the alarm went off around 5:30.
I’m the very person these books have been written for. I live in a problem mindset, rather than a possibilities mindset. Pam’s wisdom put me in a good mood, despite the lack of sleep, and I’m living in a sense of “it’s possible” today.
Pam’s book was written to simplify A Course in Miracles, and to help those who found the original a little dry and “long winded”. She began creating it by blogging about each lesson of “the course” which she still completes every year.
“A Course in Miracles was just the thing that really captured my attention to do for longer. I’m one of those dabbers that practice a lot of spiritual searching.”
Pam Grout
Teachings of God when Pam was young lost appeal as she grew older. The strictness of the belief did not ring true for her. She had to let go of those tenets and be open to other possibilities; how this “divine buzz” comes to us.
“A Course in Miracles felt like my path. It’s the one spiritual practice I kept doing year after year.”
Pam Grout
Eventually the teachings started to stick, and Pam is still learning. She will always be a student of A Course in Miracles.
“The course teaches the message of love; the message of a bigger truth; getting rid of all the blocks to love and peace; and discovering who we really are.”
Pam Grout
Pam tells us there is a spiritual presence here for us at all times, and that it’s exciting to understand what life really is for each of us.
Her latest book began in January 2018 when Pam once again started the course. Each day she’d blog about each lesson, and her perspective of the wisdom taught. Those following her blog began to suggest she write a book. After ignoring those requests for a few months, Pam finally decided to do just that. Thus, A Course in Miracles Experiment was created.
“There are those people who love the book (A Course in Miracles), and those who hate the book, thinking it’s boring. My task was to make it a little more fun.”
Pam Grout
Pam declares that, like me, you do not need to have read A Course in Miracles before reading her book, A Course in Miracles Experiment. If you don’t feel called to read the original, Pam simplifies the lessons in her book.
“We want to be who we really are: God’s son or daughter, and we all have assignments – the things we are meant to do. The guidance is available to all of us, and the answers come easily.”
Pam Grout
I highly recommend Pam’s books. I’ve only read this one, but the way she writes is so entertaining, I’m sure any of her creations are worth delving into.
Please look into a charity Pam set up for her late daughter, Taz Grout’s 222 Fund formed because of an inside “joke” of sorts Pam and her daughter shared. Now, Pam is offering gifts and love to people in need.
The Hedgehog is also special to Pam. She and her daughter sent a hedgehog to each other each month. It is through these two symbols (222 and Hedgehogs) which Pam continues to feel close to her daughter since Taz’s untimely death. You can read more about Pam’s experiences in her book.
Today’s guest,Sora Garrett is not just another organizational guru. Sora caused me to consider an expanded view of “clutter” in all areas of my life. I’m so happy her newest book, Simply Enough, Create Space for What Matters was launched this week. I needed to grow awake in this area.
Which of my belongings make me most happy?
Are any of my possessions no longer aligned with who I am becoming?
How would losing all (or most) of my possessions impact me?
What were the times when I had enough…more than enough…not enough?
“Until you know what truly matters where you are right now, you won’t know what you truly need to get where you are going”
Sora Garrett
In her book, Sora encourages us to make two lists:
A JOY LIST – a reminder of your destination, and what you want to keep for the journey
A CLUTTER LIST – the possessions and areas of your life that feel heavy or burdensome.
“Choose 3 things from your CLUTTER LIST to give someone who will appreciate it, or a thrift store where it can be found by someone who needs it.”
Sora Garrett
A STORY OF NOT ENOUGH
I love the parable about a woman who has the opportunity to tour both heaven and hell. The woman is first taken to hell, through the fiery gates and into a large room. What she sees is completely different than the images of hell she was taught as a child. There are tables and tables overflowing with food of every kind, goblets of golden wine, music, bounty everywhere. Yet the people sitting around the tables look famished and miserable. The woman is puzzled, but then she notices something strange. The people in hell are holding long spoons, but their arms are unable to bend so it is impossible for them to feed themselves. So even though the people are sitting around tables laden with a generous supply of food, they are starving. Interesting, she thinks, and asks to be taken to heaven. She walks through a different set of gates, these pearly, into another large room. Astonished, she sees exactly the same setting: tables overflowing with food, goblets of wine, music, people sitting around the tables with long spoons and unbending arms. But in heaven, the people are smiling, laughing, dancing and glowing with good health. There is one simple difference. In heaven, the people have learned to feed each other. In hell, they are still holding on.
Simply Enough, Create Space For What Matters page 68
I learned today to stop holding on. Will you join me?
I struggled to find the right title for this blog post. It could easily have been, “Are You Here to Save us?”; or “Blue Angel Dream”; or even, “Synchronicity, not Luck.” I finally settled with “God and Love on Route 80”
Each of those titles would have been appropriate and descriptive of the wonderful content our most recent guest delighted us with. Stephen G. Post, PhD is an opinion leader, public speaker, Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University; and a best-selling author of “God and Love on Route 80.”
Stephen’s amazing credentials began with a compelling, recurring dream as a teenage boy. This dream set his life on a certain course, and established for him a set of values to live by and practice daily.
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Stephen’s book is a remarkable true story of faith, love, and fate. Thumbing a ride across the continent on a spontaneous road trip adventure, his journey culminates in an extraordinary encounter that turns out to be the beginning of his spiritual odyssey.
I have a personal connection to Stephen as well, since he was the founder of www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com, which I’ve quoted in my own book on leadership and service. Connected-ness seems to be a natural law of the universe, as is evident in our meeting today on the broadcast.
Stephen describes his first experience serving others at the suggestion of his mother. Upon voicing his boredom, Stephen’s mother would say, “You should go help someone.”
Stephen helped his neighbors, who became spiritual leaders and mentors to him. He realized “it was good to be good.”
Later in life, as a teenager, he began to have a recurring dream about a young man and a blue angel. In the dream (which he’d had 6 times), the blue angel said, “If you save him, you too shall live.”
He would contemplate and meditate on the dream and the meaning thereof. He was even asked to talk about his dream with Masters of Divinity students at the university in hopes of learning more about the action the dream was asking him to take.
On a very impromptu trip along US Route 80, Stephen encountered the young man in his dream. The synchronicity of this event changed Stephen’s life as well as the life of the young man. Rather than retell the story in this blog, I would highly encourage you to listen to him tell the story himself. You will also love his book “God and Love on Route 80”
Doctor Adam Sheck is a licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in connecting individuals and couples to their PASSION.
Whether in love or work, he connects people to their deepest truth and supports them in removing the blocks to living it fully. Having changed careers in his early 30’s from engineering to psychology, he has walked his talk and is living his life purpose, his mission and supports others in doing the same.
Whether working with someone in a midlife crisis asking, “Is this all there is?” or a sexless couple wanting to restore their intimacy, he gets results. With over 25 years of experience, he is compassionate, yet laser-focused and direct as well.
November 15, 2016 – Camille Gaines, AFC®, bought her first stock at age twenty two and has invested her own money in almost everything since. By her mid-twenties she had made enough from stashing money into stocks to leave dry corporate accounting and become her own boss in commercial real estate. After moving to Bermuda, in her early thirties she began managing family investments based on principles she learned from her father, who significantly changed her parent’s lifestyle in the 1980’s after buying then despised muni bonds at 50 cents on the dollar, paying over 20% interest tax free for the next decade. At midlife, following the scary stock market drops of the early 2000’s, Camille had an epiphany that wealth is not created by long term investments earning 8%, so she began creating income streams from real estate, oil and small business.
Following both her passion and low capital opportunity, in 2007 Camille launched financialwoman.com to inspire and share with women what she has learned about investing and income streams. She writes, invests, consults and oversees a small outsourced team to manage three successful online businesses and real estate rentals in between long walks in the woods in the Texas Hill Country with her white lab.
No matter how much you learn, the very first step to wealth creation is having the right mindset to fuel your knowledge. This discovery led to Camille’s Wealth Creation Launcher, a simple process which unlocks the key to allowance and belief so you can live fulfilled. Click here now to get it free http://financialwoman.com/wealth-guide- for-women
Here’s a very simple story that happened to me recently that illustrates how the law of abundance works:
I gave my daughter some money for her swim team. In return, I would get a sweatshirt out of the deal with my name on it.
A couple of days later, I get a text from my other daughter who needs money for a winter coat. For whatever reason, I had a vision of 100 dollars in mind in the form of 10 crisp 10 dollar bills I would give to her.
But then I began thinking about the details.
I had to go to the bank, get the money, drive to her bank, deposit the money, and all of a sudden the details got complicated, as the task involved a lot of running around. How was I going to get this done?
I had to stop overthinking and let it go.
Well, hardly 10 minutes later, someone walked up and handed over some cash for a machine I sold, so no trip to the bank. Thirty minutes later, my daughter on the swim team shows up with my sweatshirt. It just so happens she and her sister bank at the same place.
I handed the money over to her to make the deposit for me, and I never had to leave my shop.
Like I said…simple.
I believe that when we envision as opposed to strategizing, we don’t get attached to an outcome. It’s like surrendering to the idea that we will get some help. This idea helps us to lessen our worry and sense of lack.
Magical things happen when we step into the flow and practice these metaphysical principles.
Okay, so to recap the Law of Abundance (a topic first introduced in the blog post last week): We create the vision, affirm it with positive emotions, and say thank you. With some time, this allows us to step into the flow as illustrated in my story above.
But this begs another question: How much abundance can you handle?
Perhaps you get something you want and then promptly dismiss the miracle. Or you experience guilt that you’ve received too much or fear that you will never receive again. This negativity dams the flow and the flow becomes stagnant.
Ever felt “stuck” in your life?
When things don’t flow the way we feel they should, when we second-guess our gifts, or we feel stuck, we tend to get pretty nasty with ourselves.
If we talked to our best friend the way we talked to ourselves, we wouldn’t have that friend anymore. We have scarcity thoughts; we react to our fears. These habits dam the flow.
So if you’re taking all the right steps – you’re envisioning, you’re associating the vision with positive emotions, you’re grateful, you’re addressing your negativity in a loving way – but you’re still not seeing any variation of your dreams, take heart.
Because there’s something tricky about abundance I haven’t mentioned yet:
When a freight train is headed down the track, it isn’t going to stop when you hit the stop button. It has to roll out. That’s what happens when we start to work with the law of abundance. It takes a little while to change our thinking and get going. It’s a practice.
In the meantime, Spirit has to organize the universe in order to send opportunities your way.
So keep working at it and keep your eyes and heart open – the gift is on its way.
Mike has been a guest on hundreds of TV and radio shows throughout the United States and Canada – ABC News, the Oprahradio network, NPR, and local TV and radio shows in markets such as San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Orlando, Kansas City, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Vancouver, San Diego, Detroit, and many more. He has also been featured in Forbes, US News & World Report, the Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, SELF, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, and many others. He’s been a regular contributor to Oprah.com in the past and has blogged for the Huffington Post since 2008.
Join us tomorrow at 11:30 am PST for Gaurangi Gupta's inspiring talk at TED Next! At just 14, Gaurangi has transformed the lives of countless children through her nonprofit, Youth4Us. Her journey exemplifies resilience and creativity, offering valuable insights on overcoming challenges. Let's support our young leaders as they take the stage! #youthleadership#TEDx#empowerment#creativity#inspiration
Email from The Speak Feed Lead Project 14-year old business owner gives TEDx talk Dear {First Name} It makes me so happy when youth in our programs receive opportunities to speak on prestigious stages
Exciting news! Gaurangi Gupta, a remarkable 14-year-old and founder of Youth4Us, will be speaking at the TED Next virtual event tomorrow at 11:30 am PST. Her journey of empowerment and creativity is a must-watch. Join us in supporting her as she shares insights on overcoming challenges and inspiring the next generation. Don't miss this opportunity to witness youth leadership in action! #TEDx#youthleadership#inspiration#empowerment#creativity
Email from The Speak Feed Lead Project 14-year old business owner gives TEDx talk Dear {First Name} It makes me so happy when youth in our programs receive opportunities to speak on prestigious stages
Exciting news! Gaurangi Gupta, a remarkable 14-year-old and founder of Youth4Us, will be speaking at the TED Next virtual event tomorrow at 11:30 am PST. Her journey of empowerment and creativity is a must-watch. Join us in supporting her as she shares insights on overcoming challenges and inspiring the next generation. Don't miss this opportunity to witness youth leadership in action! #TEDx#youthleadership#inspiration#empowerment#creativity
Email from The Speak Feed Lead Project 14-year old business owner gives TEDx talk Dear {First Name} It makes me so happy when youth in our programs receive opportunities to speak on prestigious stages
Email from The Speak Feed Lead Project Health | Hope | Higher Aspirations Hello Jackie, Remember the question you were asked as a kid - "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Well, the kids we v
I’m excited to announce that some of the youth from The Speak Feed Lead Project are speaking on the Voices of Color Summit on October 26th! 🎉 This FREE online event is packed with dynamic speakers from across the globe, sharing their insights on everything from building resilience to conquering stress and unlocking personal power.
📅 Date: October 26, 2024 🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Pacific 💸 Cost: FREE 📍 Where: Zoom
This is a must-attend event for anyone looking to grow, learn, and connect with like-minded individuals. Space is limited, so register now to secure your spot!
Support our amazing youth by sponsoring them. It's all in the following link, so go ahead and click: conta.cc/3UoKT5o
Email from The Speak Feed Lead Project Raise the roof with the voices of youth! Hello Jackie, 🌟BIG NEWS🌟 I’m beyond thrilled to announce that some of our youth from The Speak Feed Lead Project are
Quick Links to our Social Media Sites