Sharing your secrets and letting go

It was my birthday recently, and one of the fabulous presents I received (thank you again, Jess and Dom), was one of Frank Warren's PostSecret books. What an incredibly fascinating, inspiring and thoughtful project! I am completely in awe of what is becoming a phenomenon and a movement. Frank Warren, not an artist, nor a Psychologist, started the PostSecret experiment in November 2004 and he now receives around 200 postcards a day. This is how it works: You write your secret - something you've never confessed to anyone, on a postcard, with as few words as possible, and using the postcard as your canvas, so making it artistic and creative, adding pictures etc. You then post it to Frank Warren. That's it.

The diversity of revelations is as fascinating as the common threads of human experience, obsession and vulnerability. Page after page you find yourself laughing out loud, gasping in horror, gaping open-mouthed at the words in front of you, feeling the prick of unshed tears of empathy and sympathy - and more. It's like reading a creative representation of the history of the human experience and condition. Am I intriguing you yet..?

And there's more to it than that. As you read each postcard, you realise that behind each secret there lies a story. These few words are like the title of a book, the first spoken lines of a film, no fluffing around with setting the scene, but right in there at the deep end, delving into the deepest recesses of what really matters. It's so utterly human, I don't think I've ever come across anything so incredibly powerful, and it's all expressed with such simplicity. Frank Warren is a genius!

Not only that, but he has created the most amazing gift - the chance to confess with complete anonymity, the opportunity to let go of fear. Within the book there are various messages from participants, revealing what changed for them as a result of sharing their secret; a decision to change; the courage to share their secret with someone significant; for one girl, a marriage proposal!

I am truly inspired, in case you hadn't noticed! In the "Whatever Next...?" days I facilitate with Jeremy Clare, people share some of their story, whatever is relevant to the explorations of their "Whatever Next...?" questions, and each day is inspiring and a privilege to be a part of. Having read the PostSecret book, I have started formulating an idea for a workshop, giving people the opportunity to share, explore and let go of their fears, and perhaps create a postcard to contribute to Frank Warren's ever-growing post-bag. I'd love to receive your comments about this idea.

To find out more about PostSecret, go to the blog. And if you like postcards, have a look at Postcard Jim's blog, created by a very talented and immensely creative friend of mine.

The Law of Attraction

Have you heard of The Law of Attraction? Do you believe in it, or do you think it's a load of rubbish? I mean, how can it possibly be true that all you have to do is 'ask' and you can achieve anything - recovery from illness, new relationship, financial security, the house of your dreams... the list, of course is endless.

I grant you, it is hard to believe, but the evidence is that it works. People who know what they want and believe they can achieve it, are always heading in the direction of their dreams - and they have also, consciously, or unconsiously, 'asked' the Universe for help.

'The Secret', book and video, published in 2006, isn't the first documented evidence of The Law of Attraction, but it has introduced the idea to many more people with a strong marketing campaign and powerful word of mouth response. I highly recommend a look at both the book and DVD and encourage anyone to test its claims. A simple way of doing this, is asking for parking spaces... on your way to a meeting or the supermarket, 'ask' for a parking space in a spot convenient to your plans, and imagine parking your car with ease. I swear it works every time for me!

I recently tested The Law of Attraction on something much bigger. You can read about this in my July Newsletter, and get some additional tips and links on how to apply The Law of Attraction, and useful websites. I had such a brilliant reponse to this newsletter, that I have collated and published some of them in a separate email, with permission from contributors.

Even if you're sceptical, you have nothing to lose in trying it out, and everything to gain by giving it a go.

Happy manifesting!

Getting Motivated

You'd have to be superhuman to feel motivated every moment of every day, and if you're running your own business or life has just dealt you a challenge, maintaining a high level of motivation is a challenge in itself. I find there are two ways to get an injection of motivation - listening to someone whose energy is high and has great ideas, and motivating others myself.

Recently, I dialed in to a teleseminar by Bernadette Doyle, marketing guru and coach. Bernadette is very inspirational, even though you know she is selling a product whilst passing on tips and advice. At the end of the call, I felt really fired up with ideas and motivated to raise the bar in my own business.

However, I get an even greater boost of motivation when I'm presenting to an audience or working one to one with clients. Last week, I facilitated and presented a "Whatever Next...?" style workshop at the Gerrards Cross Springboard, an invaluable facility for people who have been made redundant, run by dedicated volunteers every Monday evening. After a frustrating day working at my desk, I got a huge boost from standing up and motivating an audience, and receiving the positive feedback at the end of the evening. I get the same burst of energy when I've been working one to one with a client, who has arrived uncertain and directionless, and leaves buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm. I feel as much gratitude to them as they do to me. What a great job!

So, if you're struggling with your motivation, go and find someone who you know will re-energise you and vice versa, whether it's a friend or a motivational video on-line. Or give me a call and book a coaching session, and I promise to get you back on track and buzzing!