Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Breakthrough Posted: 29 Oct 2007 04:16 AM CDT Many of us go through our lives holding a great big vision very close to our chest.  So close, in fact, that we may not even be able to articulate it.  So close, that we never tell anyone else about it.  So close, that we may never do anything about it. We might also call this great big vision our life's purpose, or core motivation.  It is our unique contribution to the community of life that we are a part of.  It is positive, inspiring and transformative for us and those around us.   One of the worries that holds us back from realising our vision is that we wonder "who we are" to take on such a challenge. Are we good enough?  Are we qualified enough?  Would we be able to do it? The truth is that achieving our life's purpose has little to do with being good enough, or qualified enough or being even  our ability to do it. The truth is that the most important moment in any achievement is the moment of choosing, the moment of committing. As Dumbledore says "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities". Realising our purpose is the inevitable consequence of committing to it. Once we make that commitment then we are opened up to learning what we need to learn, to meeting the collaborators that we will need to supplement our own abilities and qualifications and allowing it to happen. Making this kind of commitment voluntarily, the kind of commitment that will change our life, requires us to perform a little rewiring in our brains.  The way that our brain works is much like pathways in a forest, except in our brain the pathways are called neural networks. The pathways that we use most become clear of obstructions and easy to traverse.  The ones we use less often become overgrown and crowded with brambles and weeds.  Any major learning or change of direction requires us to get the machete out and clear the pathway.   Authenticity is being who we truly are in all situations without fear or compromise and being who we truly are means being committed to our purpose.  When we are aligned to our purpose and can make a living by being ourselves we will find confidence, fulfilment and certainty. Are you ready to articulate your life's purpose?  Are you ready to begin that authentic journey?  If so you may like to join us for an Authentic Inspiration Conference Call at 7.00 pm UK time on the 1st of November 2007 to book and for details see: http://www.authentictransformation.co.uk/events_diary.html If you are ready to go a step further and get the machete out you may like to take a look at Authentic Transformation Works. For further inspiration  For further transformation with love nx neil crofts  - coach, consultant, facilitator Authentic Transformation - join the evolution talk - 07775 658534 write - neil@authentictransformation.co.uk act - www.authentictransformation.co.uk 'Until there is commitment, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues forth from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!' This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Lust for Life Posted: 22 Oct 2007 02:52 AM CDT We have a fantastic standard of living.  If you are reading this e-mail, then compared to any other period in history and most other parts of the world we are the fortunate ones.  We live in a time of relative peace, prosperity and plenty. Opportunities are abundant for us.  If we are feeling held back from pursuing our dreams by something just imagine how our ancestors felt. Relatively our ability to pursue our dreams has never been greater. This is true for us as individuals and also for us a society. But - there are no guarantees that this window of opportunity will continue indefinitely for either. I read this morning that an authoritative report estimates that "peak oil" passed in 2006.  Peak Oil is the name given to the moment when global oil production reaches it's maximum and then begins to fall inexorably. A great deal of the affluence and opportunity that we enjoy in our part of society is based on the abundance of relatively cheap oil.   I think of our society like an adolescent who has just inherited the family fortune and has gone on the mother of all binges.   Oil is the wealth of our planet which these few generations have inherited and we have not always invested it wisely. One of the positive investments we have made with this inheritance has been in mass travel.  Mass travel has created a generation of internationalists with a far greater appreciation of different cultures and lifestyles than ever before.  It is mass travel and internationalism that creates the connections that make peace possible. If our dream as individuals is happiness and fulfilment then peace and security is an essential foundation. If our dream as a society is continued evolution of our lifestyle and consciousness then we are in a race against time. It is time to grow up.  We must now shift all of our investment away from simple hedonism and fear limitation (war, exclusion, greed) and towards love and sustainability. The recipe is simple, the challenge is to apply it. We must invest as much of the rest of our inheritance as we can in creating truly sustainable energy systems that can sustain the positive aspects of our lifestyle. Every single one of us must commit to a life based in authenticity, love and contribution so that when the crunch comes the response is collaboration and not conflict.  And both as individuals and as a society we must use our energy wisely. We are the fortunate ones - and that is why the responsibility lies with us - with you - personally - now. For further guidance in the wise use of personal energy see www.authentictransformation.co.uk There are still a few spaces on the Authentic Transformation Works event in November - come and find out how you can make a living by being yourself and contribute to the solution for all of us. with love nx neil crofts  - coach, consultant, facilitator Authentic Transformation - join the evolution talk - 07775 658534 write - neil@authentictransformation.co.uk act - www.authentictransformation.co.uk Past is memory. Future is imagination. Reality lies in the now. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Inspiring Your Authentic Week

It is possible Posted: 15 Oct 2007 07:06 AM CDT There always seem to be plenty of people around to tell us that something is not possible (including ourselves).  And if we believe that it is impossible, then it probably is. Conversely if we are prepared to believe that we can do something - we probably can. This is not about abstract hope, this is about actually living with the tension of a possibility, working for it and fighting for it for long enough to make it so. Henry Ford said "If you think you can do a thing or you think you can't do a thing, you're right." Failure, usually has more to do with giving up than to do with a lack of ability - failure and success are choices. Whatever we choose to do, even minor day to day things, we face the choice between perseverance and giving up.  It is how we deal with that choice that defines us. Of course it is not a black and white issue, nor is it about simple repetition of something that is ineffective in the hope that it will somehow magically work out. The most important thing is to hold the positive end goal in mind and avoid getting hung up on a particular route to achieving it.  It is not about the method it is about the outcome. Always focus on the outcome. When we feel that our energy is being wasted we need to remind ourselves of the overall objective and step back to that level, learn the lessons of our frustrations and see what alternative routes might exist to achieving it. Next we need to take responsibility for the outcome and avoid blaming others or expecting them to share the responsibility (although they might). There will be push backs, complications, challenges (often very reasonable), tiredness, distractions and more and these can help us to refine our path and our objectives.  If we do not feel the motivation to push through these challenges then we have to question whether we actually want the outcome enough to make the commitment to have it happen. What do you really want? For more inspiration see www.authenticinspiration.co.uk For support see www.authentictransformation.co.uk with love nx neil crofts  - coach, consultant, facilitator Authentic Transformation - join the evolution talk - 07775 658534 write - neil@authentictransformation.co.uk act - www.authentictransformation.co.uk "Fulfillment is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit."  (misquoted from Banksy - see www.banksy.co.uk" This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Evaluation and Value Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:50 AM CDT One of the core lessons of our education system is that we are not competent or qualified to evaluate ourselves. What we are taught  is that evaluation is done by someone else, preferably with a red pen and often remotely. The consequence of this is that most of us have no real idea of our self worth and desperately seek confirmation of our value from others.  Once the teachers are gone we look for evaluation from someone else - perhaps a boss, perhaps a partner, often resulting in submissive relationships. When it come to the crunch of actually saying "I am worth this much", in terms of payment, we do not believe in our ability to evaluate ourselves making it very difficult to have these conversations. The truth is that the only person qualified or competent to evaluate our performance or effort is ourselves. The ONLY person who knows how hard we tried is ourselves. The ONLY person who knows if we are telling the truth is ourselves. The ONLY person who knows how close we are to our true purpose is ourselves. If we want to free ourselves from the tyranny of external evaluation, the first step is to understand this simple fact. When it comes to that payment conversation we can think differently.   Our true value, when we are 'on purpose', to ourselves and others is effectively infinite. It is not about being paid a small enough amount so that someone else will be able to turn a profit from our sweat.  It is about contributing all that we can and getting back all that we need. My own purpose is "to heal the world through authenticity".  I know that when I am able to help a team or an individual to ignite that flame of passion, purpose and authenticity in their lives the true value of what occurs reaches far beyond any shift that occurs in the session or any immediate sense of wellbeing and touches everything they touch.   It is not really effective or useful to calculate our value based on the infinite value that we contribute when we are on purpose.  It is more practical to base our valuation on what we need to live an inspired and authentic life and then work back from there, dividing this amount by the time we will be paid for and using that to guide us. For more inspiration or to challenge, question or comment visit www.authenticinspiration.co.uk For help and support putting these ideas into action visit www.authentictransformation.co.uk I have launched a new service this week called Authentic Fix take a look. with love nx neil crofts  - coach, consultant, facilitator Authentic Transformation - join the evolution talk - 07775 658534 write - neil@authentictransformation.co.uk act - www.authentictransformation.co.uk May the force be with you Obi-Wan Kenobi This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Love, Love, Love Posted: 01 Oct 2007 03:13 AM CDT Love, love, love A few years ago when a group of us were setting up Authentic Guides we proposed the idea that one of the principles should be that we only work where there is love in the relationship.  Many people found this extremely challenging. To begin with it was an intuitive, almost provocative idea, but as we discussed it we came to understand the truth of it. There are some relationships that work and there are some that just don't, both in our social lives and in our work lives.  What we came to understand was that the working relationships that worked, that were most productive and fulfilling were the ones that were loving. Let's just take a step back for a moment and define what we mean by "loving relationships" first.  What we are talking about are relationships with a level of trust and giving that means we will put the interests of another at least on a par with our own. (Romantic love is a step beyond this where it is difficult to even distinguish between the interests of those involved and the trust and giving are unconditional). It was challenging at first, but over time, as we lived with the idea, we observed that where there was a loving bond of friendship in a business relationship, things happened that were positive for all concerned.  Where there was fear and mistrust, things were complicated and results were less good. What we can see is that there is a spectrum of relationships that we experience in work. Loving - Transactional - Fear based Fear based relationships are often productive, in the sense that things happen, but they are seldom fulfilling for either party.  They tend to be focussed more on allaying fears than on being positive and creative. Transactional relationships are the ones where there is a simple and mostly balanced exchange, they are fair, but not more than that. In Loving relationships there is a high level of giving on both sides, with a knowing that simply building the relationship will result in satisfaction. These days I find, even in corporate workshops with high level executives, that when the tension of difficult relationships needs to be released the answer is to shift from a fear based relationship to a love based one.  If we want to make this shift in a relationship, the only way to do it is to start to be loving in that relationship ourselves.  To recognise and let go of our own fears and to start loving. The flip side of this is that relationships that are fear based are not acceptable, and if we cannot bring love into a relationship it is time to move on. For ideas and support on your authentic journey visit www.authentictransformation.com For further inspiration and to comment or question visit www.authenticinspiration.co.uk with love nx neil crofts  - coach, consultant, facilitator Authentic Transformation - join the evolution talk - 07775 658534 write - neil@authentictransformation.co.uk act - www.authentictransformation.co.uk Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run, life is either a daring adventure or nothing Helen Keller This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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