I’d like to extend a heart-felt thanks to everyone who shared a story about one of their personal “aha” moments – so many inspiring stories!

We are grateful for all of our sponsors that generously contributed to the contest – particularly the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center for the 2 night stay in a Presidential Suite. Plus to all the Kensho contributors who donated prizes: The Hard Rock Café, David Houle, Byron Katie, Tim Sanders, Peggy McColl, Marci Shimoff and Mike Michalowicz – thank you so much for your contributions.

We are all in this journey together – now is the time to step up and act as a catalyst for change and awakening in your own life and community!

Here is Marty Coleman’s story – be sure to check out his artwork at www.napkindad.com

My Aha Moment

I started drawing on napkins while I was unemployed and making lunches for my 3 daughters. I would find an interesting quote and illustrate it with a character or funny scene. My goal was to help them think about various ideas and issues they might be going through in middle school and high school.

After many months I felt sort of depressed because it was my main creative outlet, the only artwork I was doing at the time. I had given up my career as a practicing artist to get a ‘real’ job and settle down, provide for my family.  But the napkins were of no consequence, silly little nothings that were being thrown away. I felt pretty low about things.

My wife at the time was not happy in the marriage (we later divorced) and took the girls to California to visit her family in the summer.  I was not invited. I was home alone on Father’s day when the girls called to tell me they had hid their presents for me around the house. I walked around the house following their hints and found my 2 of my daughter’s presents.

My middle daughter directed me to a bottom drawer in a desk and there I found a napkin she had
drawn for me. It simply said, “Happy Dad’s Day, I love you.”  And below it were all the napkins from the entire year! She had saved every one and given them back to me for Father’s Day.

It truly was the best present I ever got, I cried when I found them. She really didn’t, and couldn’t, understand how much it meant to me to have her do that, and to have them still in existence.

My Aha moment was realizing that even in the most small, inconsequential gestures you can have a tremendous impact if you do them with love.  I continued to draw the napkins for 4
more years, almost every day, until my youngest graduated from High School.

© 2011 Marty Coleman

During the holiday season, between Christmas and New Years, I like to step back from my hectic routine and reflect upon what’s happened over the past year. I take time to clean out my office and take part in other activities that help me manifest goals and impart a sense of renewal.

Here are some of the things I do to help get me there…

• Journaling to help shed light on my thoughts and goals

• Create a revised vision board

• Spend some time in nature to clear my mind

• Meditate on my life’s purpose and clarify the message I am putting out into the world.

• Get a massage…for me, a relaxed body allows the wisdom of the mind to open up to endless possibilities.

• Spend time with friends and family members who I can bounce some ideas off of. I ask them things like:

What are my gifts and talents?

What do you think I am best at and should further leverage?

Going forward, where do you think should be my main area of focus?

Although asking for feedback like this may seem a little daunting at first, it can help us get clear on our strengths, and what we need to let go of, in order to move forward.

Vision boards are also very powerful tools of manifestation. There are many ways to go about doing them, but here is a link to a website that has some great ideas: {vision boards 101}

What are your “renewal tools”? I’d love to hear about what you do to “get clear” for the New Year.

From now until January 24th, share with us any of your “aha” moments in life and you could win a fabulous weekend at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center plus more wonderful prizes from many of the interviewees in my book, Kensho: A Modern Awakening — including business and personal development books, dinner for two from the Hard Rock Café and a gift basket of exquisite organic teas from Ineeka.

Entering the contest is easy.

Year-end is the perfect time for self-reflection. The following may help you decide what you want to write about in your submission…

Ask yourself these questions:

• How have I changed this year – what did I do differently?
• What have I accomplished?
• What events do I remember most?
• Where did I have the most impact?
• What were some of my biggest challenges or roadblocks? How did I overcome them?

The answers to these questions may surprise you and provide helpful insight on the positive changes you’ve made, plus guide you to set additional goals for 2012.  Most importantly, when you share your insights with others, they can learn from your wisdom and experience!

Next step?

Visit our contest page at: http://www.steinbrecher.com/index.php/contest/

In 350 words or less (video submissions are welcome!) tell us about about your personal transformation – big or small.  Maybe it’s an accomplishment or a difficulty that you’ve overcome. Perhaps you’ve changed the way you run your business, or allocate your time…maybe you’ve started journaling or writing a gratitude list…or possibly, you’ve changed the way you think about yourself – or communicate with your partner or family member. Please don’t be shy – there are no “small feats” when it comes to change!

Consider this:

In Bob Proctor’s book It’s Not About The Money, he quotes the following from a 1993 study conducted at Brigham Young University:

• Of those that made the statement “That’s a good idea.” They only had a 10% chance of making a change
• Of those that committed and said, “I’ll do it.” They only had a 25% chance of making a change
• Of those that said when they would do it, they had a 40% chance of making a change
• Of those that set a specific plan of how to do it, they had a 50% chance of change
• Of those that committed to someone else that they would do it, they had a 60% chance of change
• Of those that set a specific time to share their progress with someone else, they had a 95% chance of change

Change can be difficult and it often arrives through a crisis, but whether you realize it at the time or not – change is a gift. Without it we would not grow – without growth, we aren’t embracing life to the fullest.

Be bold, be daring and be joyful in your accomplishments! Join me in celebrating the many “modern awakenings” that surround us daily.

I hope this video inspired by my book KENSHO: A Modern Awakening will encourage you to share your story.

Hope to hear from you!

Again, the contest link is: http://www.steinbrecher.com/index.php/contest/

Best Wishes,

Susan

People often ask me, “how can I be grateful when I am in pain?”  How can one be positive in the face of adversity? The best advice that I can give is that when our perception of the future is bleak, we have to summon the courage to do some self-examination.  Step back and get conscious of where you are in that moment.  How are you feeling?  Give a name to the emotion (write it down).  This is important. We often try to hide our feelings from others and even sensor our deepest feelings within our own consciousness- as it may be too daunting to face these emotions, head-on.  Obviously, that’s the worst thing that we can do.  Burying our emotions can elevate stress levels, which impacts our physical and mental health, significantly.

Once we have identified the core issues, the second step is asking the question.  “What is the lesson in this?  Is there a purpose or a lesson in this situation?”

Socrates said, “An unexamined life is not worth living”. There is validity to this statement.  By simply questioning our feelings and issues, we are summoning answers forth from our conscious – and subconscious mind.

The next step is to trust your answers. This is the hardest part.  Our intellect and our ego will often overrule our intuition.  Believe it or not, our intuition is usually correct.  The answers we receive may not be the answers that we want to hear, so we second-guess them.  Sometimes, the answers that come are too difficult or earth shattering and so we even refuse to look at them – we just can’t “go there”.  At this point, fear is what paralyzes our progress. Fear is what stops us from allowing the message – and ultimately the answers – to come through to us. Summoning the courage to allow these messages to come, trusting in your own intuitive wisdom and then making a commitment to work at solving these issues isn’t easy, but it’s essential to personal growth.

Finally, realize as difficult as it appears at that moment – you will survive it! And, as hard as it is some days, we still need to be thankful.  Why?  Because gratitude can be very powerful – even life-changing in its effect.  Research shows that practicing gratitude may contribute to emotional, mental and physical health and may also increase prosperity. Professor of Psychology at UC, Robert Emmons, found that “a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more”. His findings also indicate “cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as a positive effect on hours of sleep and on time spent exercising, on more optimistic expectations for the coming week, and fewer reported physical symptoms, such as pain. His research on gratitude also uncovered a general increase in feeling connected to others and the ability of “thankful” study participants to deal with personal problems (their own and others’).

Convinced?  Give it a try.  Buy an attractive journal and a good pen to write with.  Set aside a time frame each day – even several minutes –and see where this practice can take you.  Keep track of any changes or improvements in your life – and don’t forget to add them to your gratitude lists!

Here are a few more steps to “thanks giving” – that may help us move through the tough times with more ease and grace:

* Reinforce your gratitude list for the day before drifting off to sleep.  This could be with a meditation or a prayerful practice, or simply listing what you are grateful for as you fully relax into a deep sleep.

*Spontaneous acts of kindness.  Each day, try to do something that lifts the spirits of another human being – even if it’s only to offer them a smile, encouragement or compliment.

*Try to meditate or do deep breathing – for even 5 minutes per day – to reconnect with your breath, savor a moment of peace and focus on what you are thankful for.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Khoon_Eng

Self-reflection requires honesty, integrity, and the motivation to take the time to focus internally and to let go of blaming others for the circumstances of our lives. To make a shift of focus from external frustrations towards assuming full responsibility for whatever is hap­pening in your life is not an easy task.

As many experts and psychologists affirm, it is only as we begin to look in the mirror and take ownership of who we are including the good, the bad, and potentially the ugly, while still showing com­passion and empathy for ourselves, that we are able to discover our capacity for love and compassion for others. The depth and quality of the authentic union between you and your inner, loving self ulti­mately determines the success of your relationships.

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.~ Dalai Lama

Why should we strive for a solid foundation of self-awareness and self acceptance?

Because authenticity of self is the currency of meaningful relationships, and self-reflection can be a springboard for positive change in our lives.

And since true loving relationships begin with the relationship you have with yourself, pursuing such a path may be the only way to be truly happy.

Yet with so many external factors bombarding us day in day out, taking a few moments to reboot and realign our inner selves might seem impossible. It’s a challenge, to be sure. But if we don’t commit to this inner journey of exploration in order to truly assess who we are and how we present ourselves in the world, much unhappiness can follow. It is a waste of time to put our focus on the outside, for the only thing that we can really control is what we do and say.

Therefore it’s an “inside job”. Much time and energy are wasted by wishing oth­ers could “only be different”. Again, this is an external focus. Instead, observing and reflecting on our thoughts and how they create our feelings – which in turn create our behavior – is the only way we can truly achieve happiness and peace.

The above passage is an excerpt from KENSHO: A Modern Awakening — from the chapter titled, Life: A Love Story.

Neha Gupta, founder of www.empowerorphans.org is an amazing young lady; I admire her spirit and compassion. I urge you to read the whole interview!

Empowering Orphans: An Interview with Neha Gupta

When American Neha Gupta was nine years-old, how harsh life could be for orphans became all too clear during a family visit to India. According to a time-honored tradition within her family, Gupta and her relatives would celebrate their birthdays by taking food and gifts to orphaned children in their hometown in India. From an early age, Gupta participated in this tradition. And each outing made Gupta realize that there was no one in the world who really loved these orphans.

These children had no money. They had no prospects. Furthermore, they could not get the education they needed to turn their impoverished lives around.

Gupta felt enormous empathy for the plight of these children. But she did more than just sit back and feel sorry for them. Gupta channeled that empathy into action, a decision that has changed the lives of the orphans, as well as enriching her spirit.

Determined to help this underprivileged group, Gupta set out to collect money for their cause. To date Gupta has raised more than $150,000 primarily by making and selling wine charms at community events. Gupta went door to door in local neighborhoods to find dona­tions and enlisted family and friends to help her with her mission.

When children like Gupta take the initiative to care for other kids in need, huge vistas of hope are opened for the future.

Your actions and ideals definitely support the statement that “it only takes one person to change the world”. Do you believe this to be true? What advice do you have for young people who are prompted to seek change in their communities and beyond?

Mahatma Gandhi once said ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. It is undeniable that just one person has the ability to make a positive change in the lives of thousands in his or her community. Becoming that ‘one person’ is quite achievable, if you make an active effort to convert your empathy into action.

Civic responsibility is a key component of what makes us human. Exposure to community challenges, a knowledge and understanding of global issues, and an appreciation of ethnic and social diversity all serve to enhance our civic awareness and the role each of us plays in the world we live in. It is my belief that it is never too early to gain this exposure, as civic responsibility begins with early childhood. It begins with sharing toys with siblings and other children, waiting one’s turn, playing well with other children, and defending and pro­tecting the weak against the playground bully. These civic experiences translate into adult life. They determine the types of friendships we forge and the relationships we have with co-workers, with a spouse, or with children.

My message to other young people is that getting involved with issues that affect the community and the world is a key component in their becoming responsible, well-rounded, and well-adjusted citizens. The fulfillment a person achieves in making a difference in the lives of others has no parallel to any other experience or material posses­sion they might have.

In conclusion, becoming that ‘one person’ who is able to make a positive change in the lives of others does not mean that there is a one in a million chance of being that ‘one person’. It means that every single person has the ability to be that ‘one person’, if they turn empathy into action. The difference between ordinary and extraordi­nary is the little word ‘extra’. Everything in this world is attainable with determination and motivation. I would like to ask all young people to recall the story we heard as children, Watty Piper’s The Little Engine that Could, and remember the wonderful motto from that story in their daily lives: ‘I think I can, I think I can’.

The Empower Orphans logo is followed by the phrase, “empathy, opportunity, equality”. What do these three words mean to you?

The goal of Empower Orphans is to motivate individuals to translate their empathy into action by providing orphaned and under­privileged children the opportunity to help themselves and so be treated with the equality they deserve.

What are some of the more poignant life lessons you’ve learned as a young philanthropist and orphan advocate?

The experiences, fulfillment, and happiness which I have garnered by making a difference in the lives of orphaned and disadvantaged children are incomparable. They go far beyond any other experience I’ve had or gift that I’ve received.

I have gained confidence, the skill to effectively communicate with people, and marketing proficiency. In order to convince people to buy wine charms or greeting cards or to persuade them to join my organization and support it, I have had to make a compelling case, usually to complete strangers. I have also had to give interviews to professional media personnel. In the beginning, I was exceedingly nervous when I had to cold sell or speak with strangers about my cause. However, I’ve overcome my nervousness and am now comfort­able with these activities.

Dealing with rejection and persevering despite it all has been one of the biggest lessons for me. I used to get discouraged when people turned me down, but now I know that success does not come easily and that a person has to have the tenacity to keep at it. I recall a time when my friend and I went around her neighborhood selling wine charms. We returned home after three hours, our bodies numb from the cold, with only $5 in our money box.

Gaining financial skills has also been part and parcel of the project. As a part of the process of making and selling wine charms and greeting cards, I have had to understand concepts like the cost of goods, profit and loss, etc. at a very early stage. I also operate a bank account for Empower Orphans with the assistance of my parents. As well, it is imperative that I organize and manage my time, juggling school work, sports, and social activities, along with activities related to Empower Orphans.

Civic responsibility is another area of growth for me. I am an only child and, within reason, I get what I want. However, working with the orphaned and disadvantaged children has opened my eyes to just how fortunate I am. As a result, I’ve become less materialistic since I started Empower Orphans. The poverty and the challenges faced by these orphaned and underprivileged children are unimagina­ble, and it is the responsibility of each one of us to give them a chance to improve their lives.

How does it make you feel when you are able to help these children? Please tell us about one of your proudest moments as founder of Empower Orphans and your plans for the future.

I can quote many stories of inspiration, but one recent one comes to mind. Last year, I donated sewing machines to older girls at the Shree Geeta Public School. When I went to India this summer, one of the girls invited me to her home, a single room shared among five people. She informed me with great pride and gratitude that her earnings as a seamstress allowed the family to get electricity in their house for the first time. This basic amenity that we take for granted allowed her to work at night and made it possible for her brother to study for and pass an exam which qualified him to become an electri­cian. Knowing that I had been able to make such a vast difference in someone’s life gave me unquantifiable satisfaction.

I envision expanding Empower Orphans into a truly global organ­ization, with children around the world helping other children better their lives. My short to medium term goal is to establish technical schools for orphaned and disadvantaged children. In India, once an orphaned child turns sixteen, they have to leave the orphanage and fend for themselves. With minimal education, these children are not equipped to earn a basic living and, as a result, the potential for their slipping into a life of crime or prostitution is high. To break this cycle, I hope to establish technical schools that will focus on teach­ing practical skills and trades to both the orphans and other disad­vantaged children, allowing them to become electricians, mechanics, lathe operators, tailors, and seamstresses. Equipped with the skills needed to earn a decent living, these children will be able to stand on their own feet and hopefully become productive members of society. 

At first, I simply felt empathy towards these children. However, once I turned my empathy into action, it opened my eyes to the ful­fillment one receives in helping others. Being on the receiving end of smiles, hugs, and goodwill bears no comparison with anything else in the range of human experience.

The proudest moment for me has been to watch the first class of girls at the Sewing Center complete the course, establish their own businesses and begin to make a living. Beyond a doubt, to watch such a transformation occur made the tremendous effort that goes into Empower Orphans utterly worthwhile.

See what Neha’s up to – visit  www.empowerorphans.org

To purchase KENSHO: A Modern Awakening, click HERE.

The following is an excerpt from my new book KENSHO: A Modern Awakening from the chapter, A New Vintage, which is all about young people who are awakening to what’s wrong in the world and striving for change.  Tirelessly working to save the planet, improve the conditions of the less fortunate and even taking on the big issues in our food supply chains, they are positively impacting our world in every way imaginable.

As I began to research and dig deeper to find out more about young people creating impact in today’s world – I did not have to look too far. In the next few blog posts, I will highlight a few of the amazing kids that I’ve I had the good fortune to get to know. These young dynamos are not old enough to solve global warm­ing. They may lack the higher education and the life expertise required to engineer new, life-altering technologies, at least for now, but life in today’s global village has made the world’s youth wise beyond their years, as well as much more vocal about what exactly is on their minds.

I love this interview with Orren Fox – he truly inspires me!

The Power of One: An Interview with Orren Fox

Orren with Eunice

How could a 14-year-old boy from Massachusetts have such a powerful impact on the food industry? Orren Fox, author of the Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs blog, is an insightful tween, a commit­ted vegetarian and a notable leader in sustainable agriculture who is making a difference in the world today by opening people’s eyes, and he’s creating quite a stir.

A project in the fifth grade was the starting point. Fox did research for a project on chickens and became shocked and dismayed when he discovered some unsavory facts on industrial chicken farming meth­ods. This was followed last year by an essay called “Meet Your Meat”, which was posted on his blog and which met with lengthy comments from the Head of Poultry Services in Canada. He has also elicited responses from Monsanto after posting an item on the controversial documentary, Food Inc.

Thanks to his interest in animals and agriculture, the Newbury, Massachusetts native has become an avid gardener. In 2007, he acquired his own chickens. That same year Fox joined the American Poultry Association and earned his Coop Tender Certificate. Fox is currently working on earning a Flock Tender Certificate. He also has 25 chickens, three call ducks, a rescue rabbit and raises honey bees.

Fox is passionate about his birds and loves hearing them “talk.” The teenager feels he can understand his chickens and that they are happy.

Through blog writing, fundraising, and social media, Fox has garnered much attention and has many supporters within the food industry. He hopes to help keep local farmers in business and says ethical eating is the environmentally responsible thing. Referring to soda pop as “death in a bottle,” Fox’s other mandate is to create an awareness that eating organic and locally raised food is also nutrition­ally sound.

According to this committed activist, children his age are inter­ested in what he has to say, and many have changed their eating habits because of what he has taught them. Every small, informed act creates a more sustainable world, says teen dynamo Fox. All people have to do is stop, listen, and think.

How did you develop an interest in our food system?

I think I got interested in fifth grade at school when we had to do a big research project. I became very interested in chickens that year and actually had some of my own. It was during the research for the project that I found out how horribly most chickens are treated in ‘the food system’. I guess I never thought of it as a food system, when I was doing that project. All I knew was my hens were really amaz­ing animals with personalities, with likes and dislikes, and I couldn’t imagine them being crammed into a teeny, teeny cage with no oppor­tunity to do the things healthy chickens do – take dust baths, perch, spread their wings, and eat bugs. Unfortunately, I didn’t have to imag­ine it. This was happening in the factory farms just so we could all have cheap chicken meat and eggs.

What did you learn that surprised or shocked you, once you started researching further into the origin of our foods?

The thing that shocked me the most was how the big factory farms were treating the animals, the workers, and the land they were on. I guess I’m just not good with it. I know there are many opinions on this. I try to hear them all and consider other points of view, but, from what I’ve learned, it doesn’t add up at all. I actually don’t think it’s sustainable.

You were quoted in a recent interview as saying, “We should be able to know what we are eating. We should know where our food comes from. Abuse doesn’t have to be part of what we eat – abuse of the soil, abuse of the farm workers, abuse of the farmer, abuse of the animals.”

In your opinion, what actions are necessary to stop the vicious cycle you refer to? What can be done to educate and encourage kids to be pro-active and eager to make healthy choices and possibly initiate change within our food system?

In the movie Food, Inc. there is a really cool idea which is the notion that we all get to vote three times a day. At each meal we can decide what we’ll eat and what we won’t eat. If we don’t want milk with rBGH (bovine growth hormone), GMO corn, HFCS (now renamed Corn Sugar), or chicken with growth hormones, then we don’t have to buy it. When no one buys something, then the market won’t sell it.

I know that when you grow something yourself, like a tomato, it tastes different. It tastes great. You don’t need much room to grow a tomato plant. So try it next spring. Honestly, I don’t like the tomatoes from the market. They don’t taste like anything. Once I grew some green beans, but they were ready to be harvested while I was at camp, and so my mom sent them to me. When they arrived, my cabin of ten boys went crazy eating them, because they tasted so great. They all said they were going to grow some the next year. Once you’ve had a real green bean, you never want to eat anything else. Kids like food that tastes good. Also, I have to say that you should add cheese. Cheese makes even Brussels sprouts taste good.

Some people say to me, ‘But you live where you have space to grow things’. That’s true enough. However, my friends at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn are growing veggies, raising hens, and hosting bees on their rooftops! One of my heroes, Will Allen from Growing Power (a national nonprofit organization and land trust that helps provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe, and afford­able food for people in all communities) has a full farm in the middle of Milwaukee!

Are you surprised that what initially began as an interest or hobby for you has blossomed into a “mission” that has compelled you to take a stand and speak out on issues that affect our food chain? Do you ever get tired or over-whelmed by the challenge?

I don’t view what I talk about or what I do as a mission. It isn’t how I understand it in my head. I do it just because I’m really inter­ested in it. I guess I just woke up that way. I never try to tell people what to think, but just let them know what I’ve discovered and let them make up their own minds. For example, I often take one of my hens (Susan or Sugar – they are really chill birds) to school and to our local farmers’ market. Once people meet them and see how sweet they are, the next time they stand in front of the meat counter, they might ask the butcher how that chicken was raised before buying it, or they might try and find responsibly raised eggs.

I’m not overwhelmed by the challenge. I think it’s exciting to think we kids could make the situation better. I feel that, if even one person asks to buy my eggs instead of factory-farmed eggs, that’s great!

What advice do you have for kids who want to promote change in the world or in their community? How should they begin?

If you want to make a change, make sure you are really, really interested in the subject. I didn’t wake up one morning thinking that I wanted to change the world. I woke up one morning thinking about those poor hens living in a cage no bigger that an 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper. That’s not cool. Then I did more and more research. I talked to farmers. I visited farms and read everything possible. It didn’t ever feel like work. It was what I wanted to know more about. Then I couldn’t stop talking about what I had learned. I guess it’s like someone who is really into guitar. They practice, practice, and prac­tice. Then most likely they play for other people and, because they are good, they change the world. This may sound funny, but I think that’s what happens. If you’re interested in football and the environ­ment, then find a local football stadium and set up recycling boxes for drink bottles. If you’re into basketball and you and your friends outgrow your hoop shoes, give them to a local group that could use them. That’s changing the world.

I believe in the importance of mentorship. Whom do you admire? Is there or has there ever been a family member, teacher, or other advisor that has become a mentor to you and guided you through this process of becoming an early-stage activist?

I have tons of mentors. It’s funny. I don’t think of myself as an activist. I don’t really know what it means. Hold on. I’m going to look it up. Ok, here’s the definition. ‘Activism’ consists of intentional action to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Ok, I guess I am an activist, but it just isn’t how I think about it. I’m trying to bring about change. But the reason I talk about the issue is for the birds, not for myself. I don’t really care if I bring about change. I care that the way hens are raised is improved.

As for mentors, I count on them for information and I count on them for support. I just had a hen die and I was really, really sad.

So I reached out to one of my chicken mentors. She was really help­ful. In fact, she invited me to have one of her prize-winning hens! My family is also my mentor group. Just about every weekend, my family spends time with me helping me at the barn and with the hives.

And the really cool thing is: they let me lead.

— — —

You can follow Orren on Twitter at @Happy Chickens. To learn more about KENSHO: A Modern Awakening – the book that Orren is featured in – click here.

Do you know of any extra-ordinary young folks? I would love to hear more about them!

Visit www.kenshobook.com for more details!

In writing KENSHO: A Modern Awakening, I set out to discover why so many people across the globe are going through a period of extreme flux. The research uncovered many timeless truths: often the path to enlightenment comes through a crisis – when our lives are spinning out of control, we finally pay attention.

Inspired by this archetypal message of Kensho, I try to share what I have learned throughout my career as an executive coach and organizational consultant, that cynicism exists whenever “a little dust on our eyes” blocks our ability to awaken to what is truly possible within ourselves, hindering us from seeing past our problems and our fears with a brave and open heart.

At the heart of KENSHO I hope you will discover:

• a deep, intimate sense of where we are headed as a global society
• why more and more people have become disenchanted with corporate life and long to do something that has meaning and value
• why corporate social responsibility is coming to the forefront of our consciousness
• when we create more balance in both our professional and personal lives we allow ourselves to focus on what’s really important
• how the work-place is being redefined through philanthropy, authentic leadership, social media and attention to the importance of wellness
• ground-breaking research on the astonishing ability of the brain to change
• how to break free of stagnant habits and bring awareness to how your thoughts shape your experiences
• the “age of imagination” and innovative ways to tap into the endless source of creativity
• a host of tools, information and exercises that amplify the significance of awakening to one’s true nature

The message within each of the chapters in the book is: “to become enlightened by the world around us is to ultimately discover oneself along the way”.

Each chapter of the book is it’s own journey, its own path of discovery. KENSHO: A Modern Awakening, also offers tips, tools and interviews designed to help you step confidently into this new era with grace and understanding, and ultimately inspiring you to live a more fulfilling, conscious life.

Be sure to visit our book site on June 29^th, purchase the book on Amazon.com and receive some incredible free gifts!

“This is an important book at an important time.  Waking up to who we are within the world allows us to learn and master strategies that optimize health, and ultimately guide us to our destiny.  As a physician and wellness coach, I find the philosophy of Kensho to be a vital tool both in my medical practice and my personal life.  I believe in Susan Steinbrecher’s work and endorse it completely.” – Dr Jim Nicolai, Medical Director, Andrew Weil, MD Integrative Wellness Center at Miraval

“In a world where finances, bad news and harsh realities abound, KENSHO: AModern Awakening offers a fresh perspective on how to go inward, from a place of compassion to create a new outward world. It gives us the jump on the mental shift that is needed to adapt, survive and thrive in today’s world.” – Fran Capo, 5 time world record holder, author, peak performance coach, and TV host

Thank you for your support. I’d love to hear from you!