“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

- Harold Whitman (Howard Thurman)

I used to love telesummits and spent endless hours listening to them. I even thought of organizing one myself.   Right now however my head is busting with information I have no time to digest.  The thought of another telesummit makes me feel slightly nauseous.   So when a coaching friend said she was planning a telesummit I launched on just a little bit of a rant.

Yes I so much admired her bravery in undertaking such a big and challenging project.   But I begged of her ” do it differently, and whatever you do please don’t call it a  telesummit”.  By any other name it would sound so much sweeter!

Yes, and please not hours and hours of talking heads.  Some creative interludes, poetry, songs, whatever…. shorter punchier sessions.   A spa day, or retreat week for the soul – not a telesummit for the burnt-out brain.

My friend fortunately did not take offense.  She  emailed me later thanking me for my suggestions about how to make her online event something more “sizzly.”   Being how she’s such a creative soul, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with for her “UN- Telesummit! ”   I’ll tell you more when I hear.

Okay this is not an easy lesson. I mean I really would like things to be all perfect and just so, so right.  But nothing could be more wrong, wrong, wrong… than that endless trying to get it just right, right right!

Because pursuit of perfection most often leaves you missing opportunities, procrastinating, or taking an absolutely insane amount of time on details that don’t really matter.

Like the quest for the perfect website, which you keep changing, and never have time to build traffic for, or the article you prepare that you work on again and again, trying to polish every word until it becomes stale, stale, stale.

You see as every successful person emphasizes time and time again, it’s action that counts not the fact of being brilliant. And action that is imperfect.

Trying to be perfect has to be one of the most perfect ways of failing.

So my friends, lets drink to ” imperfection-ism”…..to swallowing our pride, making ourselves vulnerable and making all those god damn mistakes. Because perfection is just a pipe dream leading to paralysis, and death by analysis!

Combining science, and storytelling Brene Brown delivers a heartfelt message about how embracing your vulnerability is the key to connecting with others, and experiencing joy, creativity and a sense of belonging.

There’s a lot being said right now about being authentic and real in your business practice and marketing. It’s another thing actually letting your guard down and being vulnerable in a way that opens the heart up of those you come in contact with.

Patrick Dominguez, provided a most endearing and powerful examples of this at the 2011 “Big Shift Experience.”

Patrick shared with us how his theme for 2011 is ” vulnerable visibility” and that in keeping with this theme he had agreed to be an integral part of the onstage part of this event.

You see Patrick usually likes to be behind the scenes. He’s a brilliant marketing person, who had stayed clear of public speaking and from being centre stage.
The thought of speaking in front of us all, had him in total fear mode in the time leading up to this event.

You would have never known it. Full of humorous stories, sharing his fears and his hopes and life experiences, his presentations were some of my favorites of the weekend. And believe me there were a lot of top-notch speakers!

For a number of years I was an adjudicator for the Canadian speaker’s bureau “Speakers Gold” yearly talent search. I witnessed a lot of talented speakers, with compelling stories, and many years of experience doing public speaking.

But what I witnessed with Patrick, was an amazing ease on stage, with an absolutely natural style.  He was free of staged” gestures, an overly memorized presentation, and  of any of the cliches often reverted to by some motivational speakers.

Out of facing one of his deepest fears, he had become a master in stage presence and authenticity.

Bravo Patrick. You inspired us all.

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair,” goes the song of the sixties,

Well finally I am going to San Francisco, and hey I may even wear some flowers in my hair. Although I am not going to a pop music festival, and the time of the hippies is well over.

In fact I am attending a small biz conference “The Big Shift Experience” put on by coach Bill Baren. I have taken several of his  business coaching programs, and have found them top notch.  The great thing about Bill is that, he’s able to condense and simplify  the complexities of building a small business or practice, and guide you step by step  in this process.

What’s more he puts his heart and soul into everything he does, as well as providing tremendous insights and “aha” moments.   I am looking forward to many more “aha” moments during the three day conference. At the same time, it will be so fun and satisfying to meet many of my online classmates.

Then there are the perks of staying at a good hotel -  hanging out at the hotel pool, and hot tub.   And of course, I will be strolling the streets of San Francisco, absorbing the sights and sounds of the city.

Yes, I am really jazzed up. San Fran, here I come!

I’ve been spending some time in the last months working with different clients around their issues with money, helping free them of their shame and guilt around money matters, as well as blocks to financial well being.

Finances have been also been a place of shame and guilt for me, and I’ve been working hard to fully face my own financial demons. Using energy techniques such as the healing codes, EFT and Z- point, I’ve been able to release a lot of my self-sabotaging beliefs in relation to money matters.

This video with Byron Katie, a wonderful, truly wise woman gives yet another tool to release the thoughts that you need more money to be happy, and that you don’t have enough money.

Take a few minutes to benefit from the experience she takes you through in this video, to question your beliefs about your money “reality”.