I realize that this is where I’m supposed to share my life story in a nutshell—or at least offer the highlights, my biggest epiphanies, and my qualifications for writing about wisdom. Instead, I’ll put it simply: I hurt.

I hurt a lot, for a long time, and I caused it.

When I was younger, I carried around numerous victim stories to justify my negativity and misery. After years of suffering, I realized I truly was the cause—no one and nothing else made my life hard.

I was the one thinking undermining thoughts. I was the one drowning in overpowering emotions. I was the one dwelling on the past. I was the one who moved around all the time, hoping to escape myself. Eventually I realized that I was the only one who could change how I experienced the world.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy—that I’d have to let go of certain things and make certain choices over and over again. And so I do, in as many as moments as I can, knowing I will never be perfect—but finally accepting that’s okay.

I started tinybuddha.com as a community blog in the fall of 2009, after tweeting quotes through @tinybuddhafor more than a year. It’s a place where people of all ages share how they apply wisdom to everyday life—a space where people write authentically and sometimes vulnerably about the challenges we all face.

Though people often ask me about the numbers—the Twitter followers, the page views, and the unique visits—that’s not why I run Tiny Buddha. I do it because engaging in this way connects us on a meaningful level and allows us to make a positive difference in each other’s lives.

I run Tiny Buddha because I’m done hurting alone. The world’s a far brighter place when we choose instead to heal and thrive together.

Currently Mr. Gladstone personally represents individual authors such as spiritual teachers Eckhart Tolle and Neale Donald Walsch, radio talk show host Thom Hartmann, international peace advocate Dr. Ervin Laszlo, philanthropist Shari Arison, novelist Victor Villasenor, environmental activist Hunter Lovins, Chicken Soup for the Soul book series creator Mark Victor Hansen and many other outstanding authors and professionals dedicated to creating books which inspire and improve the world. Mr. Gladstone is also the author of THE TWELVE, a novel of ancient wisdom as well producer of the film Tapping the Source and co-author of the book Tapping The Source.

Over the last several months I have grown to know author and literacy agent Bill Gladstone.   Bill a fascinating man, and  has a true passion for helping and serving people through great books, and connecting people for the greater good.  I recently interviewed Bill about one of his many co-authored book entitled ” Tapping the Source”

This book was written and co-authored with John Selby, Richard Greninger and Bill Gladstone and brings to light the works of Charles Haanel’s Master Key System combining short-form meditation techniques with new psychological insights assisting one in tapping their personal potential.

Charles Haanel never claimed to have invented the process of manifestation that he taught. In fact he often refers to classic sources in the Judeo-Christian heritage and Greek and Eastern traditions to highlight the ancient wisdom he’s drawing from and expanding upon.  But beyond classic parallels, his personal vision appears to be uniquely inspired with new psychological insights and remarkably clear elucidations of the core principles that drive our everyday lives:  ” What you and I desire, what everyone is seeking, is happiness and harmony.  If we can be truly happy, we shall have everything the workd can give. If we are happy ourselves, we can make others happy.”

The primary difference in the qualities of Haanel’s vision is that he’s not fixed on material possessions or giant bank accounts or a fleet of fancy cars in the garage.  Yes, he does fully support abundance, but he bases his teaching on the fact that what we really want deep down is to feel genuinely happy and in ongoing harmony with ourselves and the world.  He says “Harmony and happiness are states of consciousness, and do not depend upon possession of things.”

Haannel stated that ” creative power does not originate in the individual, but in the Universal, which is the source and foundation of all energy and substance; the individual is simply the channel for the distribution of this energy.” Haanel was not only a wise man, but very spiritually connected soul bringing awareness and light to the world.

If you want to learn more about Charles Haanel and Tapping the Source, please visit the Tapping the Source website by clicking here.  There is also a full featured DVD that is excellent and will provide you with insights from some of the greatest minds in the personal growth, spirituality and mastery  today.

Enjoy my interview with Bill Gladstone a wonderful author and compassionate man on a mission.  To learn more about Bill Gladstone please click here to be directed to his website.

More on Why Jonathan Brings Credibility and Fresh Perspectives to Personal Growth and Balanced Living.

Dr. Jonathan Ellerby is one of the most credible and accessible personalities today who can help people of all backgrounds to bring real change and vitality to everyday life by making timeless spiritual tools, alternative healing, and modern psychology simple to understand and easy to apply.

People are calling Jonathan “a guide to inspired living today”. Having travelled the globe, and earned his PhD in comparative religion with a focus on healing, Jonathan has researched, experienced and applied spiritual philosophies and practices in diverse settings, cultures and faiths. With deep compassion, humor, and down to earth common sense, Jonathan’s world of experience allows him to embrace the world as an author and teacher. Dr. Ellerby helps audiences to sort through all the mixed messages of self-help to find what matters most, and what works.

Jonathan is the CEO of the Tao Wellness Center and Inspired Living Community in the Riviera Maya of Mexico. As the leader of this world-class event center and residential development with a focus on wellness (opening January 2012), Jonathan’s impact on the world of well-being and practical inspiration has expanded into the community and corporate arenas.  The former Spiritual Program Director for the acclaimed Canyon Ranch Health Resorts and a Hay House author, Jonathan has appeared in diverse TV, radio and print settings including Larry King; the Yoga Journal; Ladies Home Journal, New York Times, Woman’s Day, WholeLiving Magazine; CNN, Montel Williams Radio; Martha Stewart radio and several documentary films. Author of the international best-selling “Inspiration Deficit Disorder,”  “Your Spiritual Personality” (CD set) and international best-selling  “Return to the Sacred: Pathways to Awakening,” he has two new books to be released in 2011!! 
With a background as a spiritual counselor, senior healthcare executive, hospital chaplain, business consultant, Interfaith Minister, and a counselor to celebrities and CEOs, Jonathan brings a rare perspective with both depth and breadth. Jonathan views himself first as a husband and father, and he too faces the challenges of living a life of balance and meaning in a world of stress, change, and reaction. He understands changing diapers and managing a mortgage as well as he understands ancient cultures and the psychology of the spirit; Jonathan is as at home in the remote villages of Africa as he is in uptown Manhattan. Recently, Jonathan and his family have relocated full time to the Mexican Caribbean.

Stay tuned for his new two releases in 2011, and his upcoming events in which he will be speaking alongside personal growth legends Jack Canfield, Don Miguel Ruiz, and others.

Please contact us for more details about Jonathan and his work:

connect@jonathanellerby.com

He first book Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships shows how to support the long-term health, well-being, and intimate partnership of mothers. Many related articles and other resources can be found at www.NurtureMom.com. He co-founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, www.WiseBrain.org.

Dr. Hanson’s latest book is Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom with Rick Mendius, M.D. (New Harbinger, Nov 2009).

Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other great teachers were born with brains built essentially like anyone else’s. Then they used their minds to change their brains in ways that changed history.

Well-referenced and grounded in science, the book is full of practical tools and skills readers can use in daily life to tap the unused potential of the brain—and rewire it over time for greater peace and well-being.

With a Foreword by Daniel Siegel, M.D. and a Preface by Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., Buddha’s Brain joins the forces of modern science with ancient teachings to show readers how to have greater emotional balance in turbulent times, as well as healthier relationships, more effective actions, and a deeper religious or spiritual practice. The book shows readers many effective ways to light up the brain circuits that relieve worry and stress, and promote positive relationships and inner peace.

If you can change your brain, you can change your life.

Rick is a weekly contributor to psychology-today.com. He leads meditation groups and teaches at Spirit Rock, Sati Center, and other organizations. He and his wife have two children and live in Marin County, CA.

So just what is is like to live an inspired life?  I recently interviewed author Susyn Reeve the author of a new book entitled ” The Inspired Life-Unleashing Your Minds Capacity for Joy” and we discussed the important elements associated with leading an inspired life.

We all are in a time of great worldwide change and transformation, and Susyn’s book does a great job of providing the reader with techniques to shift our minds capacity to sustain a new level of inspiration even in what  seems to many to be challenging times.

As Susyn states ” We choose to life and inspired life and it is an empowering choice.  When you make this choice, it is possible, actually most likely, that in addition to experiencing greater joy, happiness, peace, and self-worth, you will initially encounter distress, frustration, turmoil, emotional pain, sadness and anxiety.  This is natural and normal.

It is the process of your personal blocks and obstacles to living an inspired life—your internal resistance–coming to the surface of your conscious awareness, presenting you with the choice to evolve beyond these patterns of the past.  When your fears and beliefs—meet the light of your awareness you then have the opportunity to acknowledge them and use them as a springboard to upgrade the software of your mind, transforming your identity with I am worthy, I am loving, I am valuable, I  am loveable, etc.

Living an inspired life has is roots in your mind and learning how to create new nuro pathways and to upgrade the software of your mind.  In “The Inspired Life” Susyn Reeve helps the reader understand the challenges associated with establishing these new patterns of thinking–and helps you reprogram your mind for greater levels of happiness, prosperity, bliss, joy, abundance etc.

I love a quote from Gandhi that Susyn included in the book, and probably sums up and inspired life.

” Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.  Keep your words positive because your words become  your behaviors.  Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.  Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

If you would like to learn more about “The Inspired Life” you can visit Susyns’ website by clicking here or watch a great video on self-esteem by clicking here.

Patricia is also one of the pioneers of the contemporary women’s spirituality movement and the author of classic texts in that field. She is vice president of the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology and a lecturer for the Women’s Thealogical Institute. She also advises students in women’s spirituality and mythology through The Union Institute and University. Her research in mythology focuses especially on the myths of Ireland; she holds Irish citizenship and returns to her ancestral homeland annually.

Patricia was raised in Alaska and lived there for many years. She earned her BA and MA in English from the University of Minnesota, her MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska, and her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies (science and literature) from the Union Institute in Cincinnati. In addition to her many published books, Patricia has published essays and articles in national and regional publications including The New York Timesand the Christian Science Monitor . Her work has been featured in Best American Spiritual Writing and many other anthologies. She has been honored with a Pushcart Prize, the Paul Gruchow Nature Writing award, and the Friends of Literature award for poetry.

With her husband, Dr. Michael McDermott, Patricia is also an organic farmer and winemaker with an acre each of garden, orchard and vineyard in southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. They are restoring seven acres of native prairie there and also enjoy harvesting native grapes, berries and herbs from the steep hillsides.

If you are looking for a comprehensive guide to mediation then you might want to check out “Meditation the Complete Guide” by author Patricia Monaghan.  In my recent interview with Patricia we discuss the techniques that she and her co-author Eleanor Viereck have provided for the readers both from East and West to calm the mind, heal the body and enrich the spirit.

Meditation the Complete Guide covers indigenous traditions, yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other modern forms and mixed practices.  This guide book truly is for the person who wants to explore the options and learn more about the practices.  As the authors articulate in the book, meditation means many things to many people.  To some, it means simple relaxation.  To others, it means a deep blissful surrender to the diving.  It can be the rigorous following of a prescribed path or the exploring of a method unique to the individual meditator.

Knowing that no one meditation technique is right for everyone, and that one’s goal for meditation can change over time the authors wrote this guidebook to help readers understand their options. Meditation can be approached in three major ways: medical, martial, and spiritual and this guidebook deals with each of them in turn.

The medial approach to meditation includes all healing, therapy, wellness, and health maintenance goals. The martial approach to meditation is geared to the enhancement of performance.  This includes by is not limited to sports. Sports psychologists us imagery and relaxation techniques in training programs for all kinds of athletes.

The third approach to meditation is spiritual.  Spirituality is aliveness, according to Joseph Campbell, the foremost interpreter of myth of our time.  Spirituality may include religion but is not limited to the world’s religious traditions.  The goal of mediation, like that of may spiritual traditions, is to create a balance among the mind, the heart, and the body–or between the body and the soul.

Whatever your reasons for meditation, “Meditation the Complete Guide” with author Patricia Monaghan is an excellent reference book.  If you want to learn more about the practices of meditation please click here to be directed to Patricia’s website.  Enjoy this great interview with author Patricia Monaghan.

Finley is the acclaimed author of The Secret of Letting Go and more than 35 other books and audio programs that have sold over a million copies in 18 languages worldwide. In addition, he has presented over 4,000 unique self-realization seminars to thousands of grateful students throughout North America and Europe over the past 25 years and has been a guest on over 600 television and radio shows, including national appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, Wisdom Network, and many others. He is a faculty member at the Omega Institute, is featured in the new hit film Beyond the Law of Attraction, and was recently the Keynote Speaker at the 10th International Conference of Science and Consciousness.

Finley is Director of Life of Learning Foundation, the renowned nonprofit Center for Self-Study in Merlin, Oregon, and over 200,000 people in 142 countries read his popular “Key Lesson” emails each week. His work is widely endorsed by doctors, business professionals, celebrities, and religious leaders of all denominations.

Guy’s career reached this point through a circuitous path. Born into a successful show business family, he is the son of late-night TV and radio pioneer, Larry Finley. His childhood friends were the sons and daughters of the most famous celebrities in the world. As a young man, Guy enjoyed success in a number of areas including composing award-winning music for many popular recording artists including Diana Ross, The Jackson 5, Billy Preston, and The Four Seasons, as well as writing the scores for several motion pictures and TV shows. From 1970-1979 he wrote and recorded his own albums under the Motown and RCA recording labels.

Throughout his youth, Guy suspected there was more to life than the type of worldly success that led to the emptiness and frustration he saw among his own “successful” friends and colleagues. In 1979, after travels throughout North America, India, and the Far East in search of truth and higher wisdom, Guy voluntarily retired from his flourishing music career in order to simplify his life and to concentrate on deeper self-studies.

In addition to his writing and appearance schedule, Guy presents four inner-life classes each week at Life of Learning Foundation headquarters in Merlin, Oregon. These classes are ongoing and open to the public.

I was recently introduced to author Scott Dinsmore’s work through Leo Babauta who is the founder of “Zen Habits“.  I spoke with Scott and his enthusiasm for the work in the personal mastery and human potential movement and it is amazing.  He has an ebook entitled “Live Off Your Passion–A Guide to Finding Passion and Getting Paid to do What You Love”

In my interview with Scott we discuss this guide book that he has developed, and his passion for helping other finding meaningful vocations and to living  fuller and more engaged lifestyles.  Scott has distilled some of the greatest teaching of all time into a very easy to use guidebook that if followed will help one explore their values, vision, mission and align with their greater calling.

Scott likes to refer to life as an experiment, and try things until we find what really excites us.  It is not important if it is a lot of little experiments or one big experiment, but the key here is to experiment try new things, explore and enliven yourself in the wonderment of what is available to you.  Take risks and go for it!!!

Scott encourages his followers to try new things and realize that nothing is impossible.  In his guidebook he encourages his students to attempt to do physical things that they maybe never thought possible.  He says that you will be surprised with what you really can do.   It all starts with the first step, and Scott’s guidebook ” Live Off Of Your Passion” is a wonderful resource and starting place.

Our author Scott Dinsmore truly believes at his core in what his is doing.  He believes that if we can get enough people doing what they love that our world would have an amazing transformative shift.  People would be happier, more productive, innovative and compassionate.  I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a great opportunity for all of us…and all from having people do what they love and believing in what they do.

If you would like more information about “Live Off Your Passion” please click here to be directed to Scott’s website.

Also Scott is offering an opportunity to obtain a 24% discount or $30 off the regular price.  To obtain your discount just  enter the discount code personalgrowth when you check out.   Please check out Scott’s work, I know you will glad you did.