Inspirational Authors Revealed

The Case of the Nine Questions

September 26, 2016 by Leda Leave a Comment

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“What kind of world would we be living in if:

We all saw that we are everything

We saw that nothing around us is separate or different to us

We saw that all any of us are asking for is simply to be seen and loved.”

Mary Daniels, author of Wild Awakening, tells the Book Detective how she realised that she’d settled for ‘the equivalent of a fast-food take-away life with little or no planning, preparation or connection to her days.’ Now she does something called a daily prep to calm her mind and ground herself for the day ahead. A focal part of this prep is the 9 questions.

One of these is around trust and Mary shares how, despite many challenging life experiences, she has always had a strong sense of trust in life, of being held by the source of life itself. She explains that this is about connecting to herself, not as the personality of Mary, who has her limitations, but as the essence of spirit that is Mary and who is unlimited; it is about tapping into the universal to guide the personal. If we do that then we know that we can trust in ourselves to guide and make the best possible choices in life. She also said that there are signs in and around us pointing us in the right direction and that in order to notice these we need to slow down. A great way to do this is to move at the speed of nature and to learn from the natural world that is never judging itself.

Another of her questions is around love, which is at the heart of the book. Mary says that love is our essence and that most of us really don’t know and understand this and that we really are not separate from one another. She wants to live her life as an example of the love that she is and to inspire others to do the same. As we grow up self-love is our responsibility and Mary emphasises the importance of parenting our inner child; that vulnerable part of us that can need extra self-care. We are always growing and in a sense are never completely grown-up!

Ultimately she urges us all to, ‘please have fun – go wild!’ She said that we need to get away from this idea that powerful lessons can only be learnt from traumatic experiences. This is not the way life has to be. We can learn gently and playfully, and we need to trust that everything is fundamentally alright; life wants us to succeed.

Despite the many challenges she has experienced she doesn’t have any regrets because she has chosen to learn from everything and can see the purpose behind the path she chose.

If you would like to find out more about those nine questions and awaken your wild side, then you can connect with Mary at www.marydaniels.co.uk or on Facebook

If you are connected to yourself, you can trust in Life. Listen in to @thelifechef Click To Tweet

The Case of the Story of You

November 27, 2015 by Leda 2 Comments

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“At first, it seems impossible to believe that your story – the little story of you – could possibly change the world. But let’s just dig into that for a moment. Just imagine a world in which everyone on the planet had their voice heard and their story witnessed. What would happen? My belief is that it would create so much connection, so much unity that it would be difficult to fight wars. Perhaps that’s my utopian fantasy, but on an individual scale sharing your authentic story carries an energetic ripple that affects everyone around you – and everyone around them. This ripple carries on building and you may never know how big that ripple you have started has become. Perhaps your ripple becomes a story storm that raises the vibration of the planet. Call me a dreamer, but I like that story. So yes, absolutely – the ‘small’ story of you has the potential to change the whole world.”

Beverley Glick, author of Dig for the Story in Your Soul, tells the Book Detective why she is passionate about the power of storytelling. She believes that, in this digital age, there is a need for meaningful connection and that personal storytelling can satisfy this primal need.

Beverley shares a number of her stories, such as the time that she dared ‘not to toe the line’ at junior school, to illustrate how an authentic personal story can have universal appeal and how to notice the common threads that run through your stories. She explains why the heart of your story is different to telling a story with heart, and why there really is no such thing as an ordinary life.

Once you have found the treasure buried in your story, you need to share that wisdom with others. This can be a challenge, but you are the only one who can do this. Beverley quoted Michael Margolis, founder of getstoried.com, who calls this, ‘The Long Walk Home’.

She also delved into some intriguing elements such as how to be in the space between stories, touches on neuroscience and the ways in which we are all unreliable narrators, and considered the possibility that if we slowed down and were truly present in each moment we might be able to write our own story as we are living it.

Ultimately her overriding message is that stories can change the world, and she shares this wonderful quote from Christina Baldwin author of Storycatcher, ‘We require story in order to link our lives with each other. Story couples our experiences, mind to mind and heart to heart. Story is the electro-magnetic conductor that brings us close enough together…to see that another person is a variation of ourselves.’

The final question in Beverley’s book is ‘Can you allow yourself to believe in the power of your story?’ If listening to her has inspired you to uncover your own story, then why not find out more about her and her book. And, if you like the idea of listening to others tell their stories, or even of standing up and telling your own, then you can do that at The Story Party.

The story of You has the potential to change the world. Listen in to @IDigStories Click To Tweet

The Case of Being Sunny Side Up

November 5, 2015 by Leda Leave a Comment

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“Remember that your life counts – and make it count. You are unique.

There is no one like you on this planet. Never has been and never will be.

Do not sell yourself short. Do not sell the world short.

This is your life – love it, live it. One life, one chance – grab it.

Get the life you love – and live it.”

Arvind Devalia, author of ‘Get the Life You Love and Live It’, talks to the Book Detective about why he believes we should celebrate our lives and go for our dreams. He says that we can make a contribution to the world simply by virtue of who we are, and that we all matter.

Arvind explains that finding and expressing your life purpose is about who you are, rather than what you know or what you do. It’s also about looking for the patterns. He realised that everything he does (coaching, charity work, writing and public speaking) all has a common theme of people. He feels that if we could approach life in a way that is childlike, playful, positive and relaxed, it would have a beneficial effect on everything from our health and self-esteem to the work we do in the world.

As well as having an upbeat outlook, Arvind says that the following three steps are important if you want to have a life you love:

Develop clarity so you know what you want to achieve

Commit to it and stay focused no matter what.

Take action in the form of small daily steps

He explains that confidence is an outcome, so don’t wait to feel confident. Instead, know that once you get started on something you’ll develop confidence along the way. Otherwise you may never get going at all!

Ultimately, he believes that spreading love and kindness is all that matters, and shares the power of his three Cs:

Contribution – making a difference

Connection: bringing people together

Celebration: because life is about joy

He is a big fan of the following quote by Mother Teresa, ‘Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.’

Arvind suggests smiling at everyone you meet…for the rest of your life!

If you want to find out how to bring some sunshine into your life then check out his book….

Do you smile at someone every day? Listen in to @ArvindDevalia Click To Tweet

The Case of the Modern Day Merlin

May 10, 2015 by Leda Leave a Comment

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“The ultimate form of kindfulness is one that we can bestow to ourselves that extends beyond our current incarnation. Each of us has the ability to heal the past and to influence the future. We have responsibilities that ripple across time.

Imagine then that we could do something right now that will help us immensely in the present, but also benefit our ancestors and descendants equally. This puts even greater onus on what we do and think right now.

What if the thought we held was this? We hold the responsibility in our hands right now for all the versions of us that have ever existed and will ever exist. It is beholden on us to evolve to the highest state possible in this lifetime. As part of that responsibility, it is important not to take yourself too seriously, or feel that all the weight of the world is on your shoulders.

It is incumbent on you to take this task on-board while you are also having fun and experiencing the best time of your life.”

Tom Evans, author of New Magic for a New Era explains to the Book Detective why he knows that we all have an inner magician.

Tom explains that time is only as fixed as we make it and says that we all possess our own time machine: our minds. He illustrates this with a cool story about the time when his future-self decided to send some advice back to his 12 year old self in a school algebra class!

It’s also about having a different relationship with your thoughts. Tom suggests you talk to them and ask them where they came from and why they turned up. He also stresses the importance of ‘mind-less-ness’ – he is a fan of the hyphen, as it can reveal things!

Tom has also discovered that managing time differently can affect our health and wellbeing in some very exciting ways.

And he explains just what happens in your physical and energetic body when you have an aha moment.

He adds that when you know how it’s done, it’s not magic. But it is still magical and very practical (this isn’t about dressing up in a pointy hat or waving a wand). It’s about using magic with kindness, responsibility and in the best way for us. Tom is very much someone who walks his own path and encourages everyone else to do the same.

Or, as he says, ‘When we shift, everything shifts.’

At the end of the interview he shared his magic acronym…

Meditation
Association
Generation
Intention
Collaboration

If this has whetted your appetite to awaken your inner magician, then check out his book, and follow the breadcrumbs…

We all have an inner magician. Listen in to @thebookwright Click To Tweet

The Case of the Latin Phrase

May 10, 2015 by Leda Leave a Comment

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“When we are secure within, we are no longer so affected by the opinions or approval of others. From there, we are able to be intimate, often broken down as ‘into-me-you-see’. We let go of our barriers and no longer fear doing something that may put people off us. We are free to be ourselves, without the fear of our imperfections, and the recrimination or failure that may come from revealing them. In addition, we are able to act consistently with everyone.”

Sarah Alexander, author of Spiritual Intelligence in Leadership, talks to the Book Detective about the concept of Primus Inter Pares or First Among Equals, where you go through life connected to your inner leader (spiritual intelligence), rather than from the place of your manager (ego).

Our manager (ego) will do anything it can to keep us safe and maintain the status quo. It dominates us and keeps us stuck in negative belief patterns, whilst our leader gently guides and nudges us from within opening us up to insights and synchronicities. In a wonderful story about her daughter’s school fees, Sarah explains how we can still care deeply about something and be unattached to the outcome at the same time.

Sarah explains that often our manager has the right motivations but the wrong action. So, our need to liked or loved is really the hiding the leader’s ideal of giving and receiving love. She believes that part of our calling is to bring this Spiritual Intelligence into everything we do. This means meeting people from a place of equality, wholeness and without preconceptions, knowing that what you put into the lives of other people will come back to you (both in your personal and professional life). Learning how to trust our intuition and tune in to our body wisdom is also essential in connecting with our inner leader (which Sarah illustrates in an insightful story about her grandmother).

Reading Sarah’s book felt like a meditation in words, and she revealed how important meditating is in her daily life and in her writing. She says, ‘When you strengthen your connection to your inner leader, life becomes a calmer journey.’ If you like the sound of that then click here to find out more.

Are you a manager or a leader? Listen in to @SarahAlexander_ Click To Tweet

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