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.

If you are not familiar with author and blogger Lori Deschene, you should be.  Her new book entitled “Tiny Buddha, Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions” is a must read for anyone wanting to explore some of the deepest questions you might ever be asked.   Lori not only intertwined her own personal story, but she used Twitter to get answer from her followers about what she calls Life’s Hard Questions.

Nearly one thousand people responded when Lori began asking life’s hard questions on Twitter, planning to create a collaborative book.   As Lori states the insights from the people who responded formed the backbone of “Tiny Buddha“.   This book is not a guide of absolute answers.  It’s crowdsourced wisdom, often supported by scientific, psychological and sociological research, that may help you experience meaning, happiness and peace right now, regardless of your circumstances.

In my interview with Lori we explore not only her very interesting personal story, but the insights and wisdom of the thousands of followers at her website and blog. If you are asking yourself, what are these “hard questions” here are just a few to peak your interest: 1) Why Is There Suffering In the World? 2) What’s the Meaning of Life? 3) Can People Change and How? 4) Does Everything Happen for a Reason? 5) What Does It Take to Be Happy?

“Tiny Buddha” is a book designed to get you to think as well as take action on your thoughts.  Lori has created a section at the end of each chapter where she provides options for the reader to put what they learn into practice.  It is one thing to read and reflect on  these “hard questions’ it is another thing to start to move in a direction to change old patterns and beliefs that do not serve us anymore.  I personally think that the layout of the book evokes deep thought, contemplation and the freedom to explore what will work best for you.

Lori approaches this truly from the “Buddhist” perspective which is very refreshing.  No judgement–she is just a guide helping you find your own way while you ponder some of “life’s hardest questions”  If you want to learn more about Lori’s blog, or sign up for her amazing daily inspirational messages please click here to read more.  You can also watch a great YouTube video about Lori’s thought on how to build real community on the Internet.

I hope you enjoy a wonderful interview with a fascinating author on a mission to unite and help people with every day pain and suffering.   You can also follow Lori on Twitter by clicking here

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

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Barry Spector the author of his new book entitled ” Madness at the Gates of the City-The Myth of American Innocence.”    In this book Barry describes the madness of American public life in our time of diminished imagination.  The author states that we have constructed walls, both physical and emotional, to protect against the terror outside.  Inside, while we distract ourselves with consumerism and fundamentalism, the anxiety drains our vanity.

This book invites you inside our mythic walls and asks you to examine your own ideas of freedom, community and individualism.  Barry states that “When we acknowledge that we’ve dug ourselves into a hole, we must first stop digging and them realize how we have colluded with stories that no longer work for us.

We truly need to write new stories that work, our old stories are not serving us anymore.  As the post-modern lurches toward the disasters and bereavements that signal the end of an age, we turn to myth to comprehend the elemental forces that move through our lives, to know who we are, to undersand which stories inform our consciousness.   For much too long, we’ve been telling stories that hatred is inevitable and that violence is the only way to resolve disputes.  We’ve been telling them for so long and os insistently that they have become our myths.

As Berry states his book “Madness at the Gates of the City” has some specific intentions: 1) Clarify the mythic themes in American history.  2) To encourage mythological thinking 3) To support the re-emergence of initiation, authentic ritual, the oral tradition, deep memory and the imagination. 4) To confront readers with the hidden bedrock of their value systems. 5) To avoid muddling things with academic jargon 6) To circle around these themes in a Hermetic, Dionysian, soulful, non-linear manner, showing more interest in surprising connections and brief liftings of the veil than in logical proof. 7) To er-imagine America’s purpose in the world.

If you really want to take a deep dive into the stories we have been telling ourselves the the history that contributed to these stories, then I highly recommend that you read “Madness at the Gates of the City.”  Barry’s book is thought provoking as well it will stur your soul in a way that will inspire you to change you own story so that you might re-craft a new more compelling story that serves you and everyone you serve on this planet.

Enjoy my interview with author Barry Spector.  If you would like more information about Barry Spector and his new book please click here to be directed to his website.

A Universal Message. A subject-matter expert in business leadership and a frequent guest on news-talk shows around the country, Farber is a senior-level leadership coach and consultant who has worked with and spoken to a wide variety of public and private organizations in virtually every arena, from the tech sector to financial services, manufacturing, health care, hospitality, entertainment, retail, and even the US government.

Leading from experience. In 1989, after having run his own financial services company, Farber devoted his professional life to the field of leadership development and has been at it ever since. He was director of service programs at TMI, an international training consultancy, and then worked for 6 years as Vice President and Official Mouthpiece (that’s what it said on his business card) of The Tom Peters Company where he met several of his mentors including author/gurus Tom Peters, Jim Kouzes, and Terry Pearce. In 2000, Farber established his own company, Extreme Leadership, Inc, where he is president and CEO. He is also the co-founder of The Center for Social Profit Leadership, a non-profit organization formed to serve the leadership development needs of social entrepreneurs, and served as Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors of the world-renown, Up With People, a global leadership program for students from 18 to 29 years old.

Coaching and inspiring Extreme Leadership at all organizational levels is Steve’s passion, and he does so with a style that is part strategist, part social commentator and all energy.

I have known author Steve Farber for several years now, and this is my second podcast  with him. His new book entitled “The Radical Leap Re-Energized” is the subject of this interview The Radical Leap Re-Engerized is designed for those readers and leaders who do what they do because they love it,  and and they are in service to others.

Steve is extremely passionate about his work, and in this new book which is part non-fiction and part fiction Steve guides the reader to renew their excitement for what they do and encourage others to lead with passion.  What Steve refers to as the Radical Leap is associated with 1) cultivating love 2) generating energy 3) inspiring audacity and 4) providing proof.

Love is the ultimate motivation of the Extreme Leader: love of something or someone, love of a cause, love of a principle, love of the people you work with and the customers you serve, love of the future you and yours can create together, love of the business you conduct together ever day.  Without the calling and commitment of your heart, there’s no good reason for you to take a stand, to take a risk, or to do what it takes to change your world for the better.

Generate energy-the Extreme Leader is a generator, a powerful force for action, for progress, and an enthusiastic believer in people and in their capacity to do the awesome.    Steve asks ” what gets you out of bed and brings you to work?” If you are to be the generator, where does you juice come from?  In what well do you dip your cup to get the nourishment you need to meet the obstacles and challenges that you and your face every day.   So what generates energy–Love, Great Ideas, Noble Principles, Leaping Goals, Interesting Work, Exciting Challenges and a Compelling Vision.

Inspire Audacity- for the Extreme Leader, audacity is the bold and blatant disregard for normal constraints in order to change the world for the better.  Love-inspired audacity is courageous and fille with valor.  The Extreme Leader is audacious not to serve his or her own ego, but to serve the common good.  And to do so boldly and blatantly and let the naysayers be damned.

If you are a leader, and I am not just don’t referring to  someone in business.  Leaders are all around us, Mom’s, Dad’s, Sisters, Brothers we are all leaders.  Steve’s book will provide you the inspiration to lead with principle and integrity and to take the leap forward into a new way of perceiving your role as a leader.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Steve Farber and for more information please visit his website by clicking here or you can watch some great video’s of him on YouTube by clicking here.

In this spiritual parable entitled ” The Prayer Chest” authors August Gold and Joel Fotinos tell the story of Joseph Hutchinson a man who know the reality of tragedy all to well. His life has been filled with misfortune and adversity.  A widowed father of two, living on a farm that is about to be taken from him, he embarks on a unexpected journey that will bring him face to face with the greatest fears, and ultimately with his greatest discovery…a mysterious wooden box hidden in his attic over one hundred years earlier.

This box, “The Prayer Chest, contains the Three Secrets that will change his life and the lives of everyone around him. What starts out as a journey to save his children and himself turnes into a quest where he–and every reader who has ever struggled–discovers the power to make every prayer come true.

In my interview in this podcast with August Gold, we throughly explore the topic of prayer and as she states “Prayer doesn’t come to you, it comes through you.”.  This particular fact is radically different than what many people believe about prayer.  Most people expect change to happen to other around them.  The prayer that the authors are writing about is about opening yourself to be changed in order to receive the answers to your prayer.

If you really listen to and take in what August is speaking about in our interview, you will understand that prayer is 90% listening.  As August states ” The moment we put our prayer “out” our work then is to welcome everything that Life brings us from that point forward, no matter whether is looks like the answer to our prayer or not. Welcoming everything means welcoming the “dark” as well as the “light”, oftentimes the dark experiences come to us because they are what stands in the way of receiving the answers to our prayers.

If you want to learn more about the power of prayer  I recommend that you read “The Prayer Chest“.

If you want more information about the authors click here to be directed to their website.  I hope you enjoy this interview with author August Gold.