How My Daughter Saved Earth Hour

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Did you turn off your lights on Saturday? As you probably know, Saturday night from 8:00 – 9:00 pm was Earth Hour.

I’ve been posting reminders about Earth Hour here for the last few weeks. On Saturday, I was all excited about turning the lights off at 8:00.

But…

8:00pm is bedtime for Ella. And in the midst of doing the daddy thing and getting Ella ready for bed, I completely forgot about Earth Hour. (I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there!)

But…

Apparently Ella didn’t forget. I guess earlier in the day our neighbor, who also happens to be Ella’s most favorite babysitter, had told her that we were going to turn off the lights at 8:00. I didn’t know they had this conversation.

So you can imagine my surprise when, out of nowhere, Ella says, “Dada, we’re supposed to turn our lights out.” It took me a minute to connect what she was saying to Earth Hour. And here’s the totally weird/cool thing: When I looked at my watch it was EXACTLY 8:00pm!

So Ella saved Earth Hour, at least in our house.

I haven’t seen any stats on Earth Hour yet. But almost 300,000 people and more than 20,000 businesses have registered on the website. And many cities including, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco committed to joining the fun. So it must have made some difference!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Personal Growth 

Personal Growth Resource Roundup #15

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personal growth resourcesWelcome to another installment of the Personal Growth Resource Roundup. As you may already know, in these roundups I bring you personal growth resources from unexpected and sometimes surprising sources. I believe that there are life lessons everywhere. So, while I do include great resources from more “traditional” personal growth sources, the focus is on getting us outside of that box. Here are this week’s resources!

Let’s begin with one last reminder about Earth Hour. It’s tonight! The movement has definitely picked up some steam since the first time I wrote about it and even since last week’s personal growth resource roundup. Apparently it’s grown so much that their site is being very slow! If you haven’t watched the video yet, and their site is slow or not responding, you can watch the Earth Hour Video here. And then tonight, in just over 12 hours, at 8:00pm, turn off your lights for 1-hour, Earth Hour! Let’s see the difference we can make when we all turn our lights off!

What will you do during that hour without lights? I’ll be putting Ella to bed. And once she’s asleep I’ll probably play the piano softly by candlelight. Hmm. Sounds like something I might start doing more often!

Leave a comment and let me know what you’re going to do.

Next up is a reminder that Part 1 of my free report - The Energetics of Attraction: Understanding and Applying the Harmonics of Human Awareness is available.

Part One, which is available now, begins with an exploration of why the Law of Attraction may not be “working” and then moves into the five levels of human perception, awareness and response.

Part Two, which will be available soon, will cover the following topics:

* Recognizing your primary perceptual level.
* The role of the subconscious in the Law of Attraction.
* Understanding the Harmonics of Human Awareness.
* Using the Harmonics of Human Awareness to empower your work with the Law of Attraction.

Just fill in your name and email below and you can download the free report now!

Now let’s move on to Problogger! And just what, you might say, does Darren Rowse and Problogger have to do with personal growth? Well, even as far back as February of 2007 I was wondering if Darren was going Personal Developmenty on us!

Personally, I think that one of the reasons why Problogger is so successful is because Darren has infused it with a positive energy that encompasses much more than blogging. And while he probably would not say this, I feel that the underlying message of Problogger is that if you want to be a better blogger, become a better person. Now, maybe I’m reading too much into what’s happening between the lines… or maybe not.

But either way, this guest post, by Easton Ellsworth, on The Greatest Blogging Skill, most certainly qualifies as a personal growth post, even though it uses blogging as a vehicle to express it.

And while we’re on the subject of blogging, let’s talk about SOBCon-08! Oh how I would love to be there! You can just tell, from the buzz, from the energy, and from the amazing people who go to SOBCon that it’s one of those business events that will inspire you to become a better blogger by becoming a better person. It’s not looking like I’m going to get there this year. But if you have that weekend open, and want to get some great information and connect with some amazing people, I definitely recommend it!

And speaking of the amazing people you’ll get to meet at SOBCon, Wendy Piersall is one of them. Currently, Wendy is moving through quite a process over at Emomsathome. She is rebranding her blog network. And having been privileged to be part of the process, I can assure you there is a LOT of personal growth happening over there. Don’t believe me? Check out this post on the Empty Blog Nest.

Let’s get at least one resource in the mix from a more personal developmenty blog! You think money can’t buy happiness? Check out this post from Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness, How Money Can Buy You Happiness. You might be surprised.

And finally, don’t forget that Oprah and Eckhart Tolle’s Worldwide world-changing Webinar moves into week 5 on Monday evening. This week will focuon on Chapter 5 of Eckhart’s book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.

If you haven’t watched last week’s class, you can access the On Demand version Oprah’s New Earth Web Event here and download a video, MP3, watch a streaming version or grab a transcript of the show.

A New Earth

If you haven’t already registered, head over to Oprah’s site now to sign up. It’s free and most definitely personal developmenty!

That’s it for this week’s personal growth resource roundup.

See you next time.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Link Love, Money, Personal Growth, life hacks 

14 Success Strategies For Highly Sensitive People

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success for highly sensitive peopleThis is the second article in a series on Highly Sensitive people. If you have ever wondered what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person or if you qualify, read this article: 22 Signs That You Are A Highly Sensitive Person.

And if you want even more information and tools on how to thrive in this world as a Highly Sensitive Person, get my free report:

The Energetics of Attraction:
Understanding and Applying the Harmonics of Human Awareness to Compose the Life You Desire

Just enter your info below and you can immediately download the report.

If you are a Highly Sensitive Person, you may be wondering if there are any tools or strategies for living more comfortably and effectively in this sometime overwhelming and seemingly insensitive world. There certainly are.

Here are 14 Success Strategies for Highly Sensitive People!

1. Accept your sensitivity.
Your sensitivity is a gift. I know it doesn’t always feel like it. But it is. I spent more than half of my life denying that I was a highly sensitive. Until you acknowledge and say “yes” to your sensitivity you cannot begin to learn the tools that will help you leverage that sensitivity into a positive benefit.

2. Choose to empower your sensitivity rather than minimize it.
It has taken me many years to get to the place where I can truly claim my sensitivity and use it as a powerful tool on my journey of self-discovery and deliberate creation. As a Highly Sensitive Person in an often over stimulating world, dampening your sensitivity sometimes seems like the best solution. And while that may be helpful, and even necessary, at first, ultimately you want to empower your sensitivity and turn it into a powerful ally in the creation of a truly brilliant life.

3. Spend time with other sensitive people.
It is very easy to get caught up in the stress and overload of our frenetic, chaotic world. Sometimes it seems as if there is no one else as sensitive as you. And from that thought it’s a short slide down the slippery slope into feeling like you are crazy or weird or strange. So find some other folks who are highly sensitive and create a support group where you can go for encouragement and to remind each other that you are not alone and that you are not crazy. One important note on this: This group is not a complain and whine group! The point is not to compare notes on how horrible and insensitive the rest of the world is. You connect with other Highly Sensitive People in order to know that you are not alone and discuss ways to leverage your sensitivity to create positive changes in your lives!

4. Hang out with successful, not-so-sensitive people.
I know this seems like a contradiction of the last one. But I have seen it happen (in myself and others) where a sensitive person basically says “screw you” to the rest of the world and all of the less sensitive people and finds someplace to curl up in a little ball and hide. While this can certainly be a beneficial and sometimes necessary short-term strategy, it’s not an effective long-term solution. Those of us who are highly sensitive can learn a lot from people who are not sensitive. So find some not-so-sensitive people who are successful and begin hanging out with them. Observe them. Learn from them. Watch how they move through the world. Not so that you can dampen your sensitivity but so that you might learn how to bring your sensitivity into the world in a balanced manner.

yoga for highly sensitive people5. Start a regular practice of “mindful exercise.”
Exercise is important for everyone. But especially so for Highly Sensitive People. Moving your body helps to get any environmental, emotional and energetic toxins out of your system. While any type of exercise is beneficial, workouts that incorporate your mind, body and spirit can be especially helpful. Try things like Yoga, Tai Chi, Akido. and Pilates. Dancing and rock-climbing can also be great opportunities for the body, mind and spirit to move. The bottom line is to find a form of exercise that touches YOUR body, mind and spirit.

6. Find HSP role models, sensitive people who have leveraged their sensitivity to create a great life.
Do you know any Highly Sensitive People who have learned to not only survive in this world, but thrive in it? What lessons can learn from them? What life strategies can you emulate? If you can’t find role models in your own life, look in the wider world. What teachers, authors, artists, and entrepreneurs (yes there are successful AND highly sensitive entrepreneurs) can you find? Once you find them, again look for lessons and strategies that they are using to leverage their sensitivity into success.

7. Gently push yourself beyond the level of your sensitivity.
Your sensitivity is a gift and strength. But in order for this gift to be of any value to you and to the world, you must learn how to put it into use. That means you have to stretch yourself and bring your sensitivity with you into places and situations where it feels uncomfortable. Just as you build muscle mass through resistance, you increase your ability to bring your sensitivity into the world by practicing and exercising.

8. Know your limits.
Don’t push yourself so far that you blow a fuse! Become aware of the internal signals that let you know you are reaching maximum capacity. And when you notice them back off. You want to push yourself and strengthen your sensitivity, but not to the point where it causes you to blow a fuse!

Sensitive Person Massage9. Set up a consistent self-care routine.
As a sensitive person you need more self care than others. Don’t compare yourself to less sensitive people. Get clear on your needs and take steps to ensure that those needs are met. If you need a massage every week, get one. If you need to take a bath with sea salts every night, do it. Your sensitivity is of no use if you are not able to function in the world!

10. Connect with nature as often as possible.
If there is one consistent theme I have found among sensitive people it is the restorative capacity of nature. Even if you live in a city get outside every day. Connect with a tree. If you don’t want to look strange, pretend you’re leaning up against it waiting for some. But while you’re there, feel the restorative, grounding energy flowing through that tree.

11. Create safe, sanctuary spaces.
It is very important for sensitive people to have safe spaces to go to when the world hsp-sanctuarygets overwhelming. You need to know that no matter what is happening in the wider world, that you have a safe space, a sanctuary to which you can return and restore yourself. Ideally, your home is your sanctuary. If it’s not, start by taking a small space and turning it into a safe, private, sanctuary where you can go when you need quiet and solitude.

12. Limit your exposure to news.
In some ways, this one suggestion may be the easiest and most powerful success strategy for Highly Sensitive People. And yet, I find it amazing how often this suggestion triggers people. They feel that if they don’t read the newspaper they’ll be missing out on important information. My response is that if reading the newspaper makes you feel like crap what good does that information do for anyone. I would much rather see you feeling great and doing positive things in the world, than see you feeling depressed and hopeless because you’re reading too much news.

13. Explore energetic healing modalities.
My training at the Academy of Intuition Medicine has been the most powerful work in my quest to empower and balance my sensitive nature. Try acupuncture, homeopathy, reiki, energy medicine, flower essences and other forms of energetic healing. When you find one that works, schedule regular sessions.

14. Learn how to create positive energetic boundaries.
There are wonderful resources that can teach you to setup positive energetic boundaries. Start with my course, The Energetics of Attraction and explore Energy Medicine University (the distance learning wing of the Academy of Intuition Medicine). Read books by Caroline Myss, Donna Eden, and others. Once you venture into this world you will be amazed at how easily you are led to the information and teachers you need to get learn how to thrive in this world!

If you are a Highly Sensitive Person, I encourage you to begin using some of these strategies. Look through the list and pick one or two of these that resonate with you and begin integrating them into your daily life. You may be surprised at how quickly and dramatically your life can change when you actively employ success strategies specifically designed for Highly Sensitive People.

Please leave a comment below and let us know which of these strategies you already use and what other techniques you use as a sensitive person in this world.

And if you want more information, inspiration and techniques to help you thrive in this world as an empowered sensitive person, I encourage you to read my new report: The Energetics of Attraction: Understanding and Applying the Harmonics of Human Awareness and to Compose The Life You Desire.

The report is free and you can download it instantly by entering your name and email in the form below.

Photo Credits:
Rock Climber by Greatlettuce
Yoga by MikeSchinkel
 Candles by Ldcross
Massage by The Naked Photographer.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Energetics, Personal Growth 

The New Energetics of Attraction Free Report Is Available

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Whew. I wanted to get a quick post out because I’m so excited - and just a little bit tired! - about the new report that I I just finished: The Energetics of Attraction: Understanding and Applying the Harmonics of Human Awareness to Compose the Life You Desire

Although, I have to be honest with you, it’s sort of finished!

You see, a funny thing happened on the way to this report: One of those “aha” moments when the pieces fall into place in a new and exciting way. As I was pulling together the pieces for this report, the plan was to focus on my model of the five levels of human perception, awareness and response. And while it still addresses those levels, this report now includes a new and powerful concept: The Harmonics of Human Awareness.

Well, sort of.

Because the Harmonics of Human Awareness piece is new to me, I still need to write it. The ideas are all here, in my head and in various notebooks, but they’re not yet written in any sort of presentable manner. So I’m releasing the report in two sections.

Part One, which is available now, begins with an exploration of why the Law of Attraction may not be “working” and then moves into the five levels of human perception, awareness and response.

Part Two, which will be available soon, will cover the following topics:

  • Recognizing your primary perceptual level.
  • The role of the subconscious in the Law of Attraction.
  • Understanding the Harmonics of Human Awareness.
  • Using the Harmonics of Human Awareness to empower your work with the Law of Attraction.

I promise I’ll have more information on the concepts in this report as well as the upcoming Energetics of Attraction live teleclass.

But until then, you can download your free report by filling out the form below:

And please come on back and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear what you think and discuss these ideas with you!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Energetics, Intuition, Law of Attraction, Personal Growth 

Personal Growth Resource Roundup #14

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personal growth resourcesWelcome to the 14th edition of the Personal Growth Resource Roundup.

Let’s begin with another plug for Earth Hour which is less than a week away! If you have not watched the Earth Hour video, go check it out, and then head over to the Earth Hour site and get signed up. Then, on March 29th at 8:00pm, turn your lights off for one-hour. Let’s see how much energy we can save while we’re having fun in the dark!

Next, Alex Blackwell, from The Next 45 Years, has released a new eBook: How to Finish Strong in Life. By compiling some of the his best posts from The Next 45 Years into a beautifully formatted ebook, Alex has created a valuable and very affordable personal growth resource. This ebook sells for just $4.95 and it is most definitely worth it!

If you’ve ever wondered What do I do when someone in my life does not believe in the Law of Attraction and I do? Jenny Manion at Heal Pain Naturally answers this difficult question. If you’re a Deliberate Creator this question has probably come up for you. It’s a big one. So go see what Jenny has to say about it.

Next is an amazing resource for future bestselling authors! I wrote about Mark Joyner’s Bestseller Blueprint product a few weeks ago. The full Blueprint product is now closed to new registrations. However…

Mark has released a series of unedited, uncensored interviews with 9 bestselling authors. If you’re a writer and want some powerful insider information from authors who have already made it to the bestseller list - some of them MANY times! - check out Conversations with Bestsellers.

And how about winding down with some QUIET personal growth time. NOT! Aaron Potts, at Today is That Day, has a post of 5 not-so-QUIET methods of personal growth and development. Go find out how the QUIET method can take you to the next stop on your personal growth journey.

And finally, a head’s up that part 1 of my new report on the Energetics of Attraction will be released on Monday. Part 1 covers the five levels of human perception, awareness and response, and lays the foundation for part 2 which covers the concept of the Harmonics of Human Awareness and how to put it into use to rapidly create the life you desire.

If you want to receive a copy of this free report, just fill out the form below. In addition to the report, you’ll also receive the Energetics of Attraction intro package.

Name
Email

That’s it for this edition of the Personal Growth Resource Roundup. I hope you enjoy these resources. And I’ll see you again next time!

 

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Personal Growth 

The Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die

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I was recently sent a copy of John Izzo’s new book, The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die. I’ve just begun reading it, and so far, it’s great!
John is the host of the popular PBS show which inspired this new book as well as the author of Second Innocence: Rediscovering Joy and Wonder: A Guide to Renewal in Work, Relationships, and Daily Life and Awakening Corporate Soul: Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work.

If Five Secrets turns out to be as good as I think it’s going to be, I have a feeling I’ll be getting my hands on those when I’m done with this time. Watch for a review of Five Secrets, next week. In the meantime, here’s an article from John that gives a nice preview of the book.

What are the secrets to happiness and meaning?

Why do some people find a deep sense of purpose while they are here and die with few regrets while others end their lives bitter and disappointed?

About two years ago I set out to answer that question by asking several thousand people to identify the one person they knew who had lived a long life and found true happiness. It seemed to me that each of us knows at least one person who achieved true success. After receiving over 1,000 nominations, I interviewed 235 people from the age of 59-106 (who had over 18,000 years of life experience) asking them to reflect back on their lives: What brought happiness? What gave meaning? What did they regret? What did they wish they had learned sooner? What did not matter in the end?

These “wise elders” were an incredibly diverse group ranging from a town barber to CEO’s, from poets to native chiefs, Holocaust survivors to war veterans, and represented all the major religions and cultures of our society. My goal was not to interview famous people but to identify ordinary people who had found extraordinary happiness. What I discovered were five clear themes of what it means to live a happy and meaningful life (and to die with a smile on your face). In my new book, The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, I share the five true paths to finding meaning in life and show how we can live these secrets.

1. Be True To Yourself

The first secret I learned from these interviews is Be true to yourself. Each one of us is on a unique human journey and the path to true happiness is to be true to ourselves. This means knowing what brings us happiness and focusing our life on what matters to us. It means reflecting on a regular basis as to whether our life fits our soul. In our daily lives it means knowing what brings us joy and ensuring that we fill our life with the right elements. It also means following our unique destiny. One of the people I interviewed was a Latino woman who talked about the importance of following our “destina.” The idea is that each of us has a path that is most true to us, which is not so much a destination as a way we are meant to be in the world. For example, I am a teacher and philosopher by nature and when I stay close to that path I experience true joy.

Being true to self often means drowning out other voices that would ask us to live their dreams instead of ours. Ron, a gifted chiropractor, told me the story of how he planned to become a medical doctor but when he visited a chiropractor shortly before starting medical school he discovered a profession that connected to his true self. “Others told me I was crazy but I knew it was my path.” He told me that to follow your heart you must have the “discipline to listen and the courage to follow.” This means asking if the life we are living is true to our deepest sense of self and it sometimes requires a step of courage to follow our soul. Are you being true to yourself right now?

2. Leave No Regrets

The second secret I learned is to Leave No Regrets. It seems to me that what we fear most as we age is not death, but rather to come to the end of our life feeling that we never truly lived. The saddest words ever spoken at the end of life are “I wish I had…” Tom, a native healer, told me that the great fear at the end of life is “the great incompleteness; that you did not do what you came here to do.” One of the most interesting things I discovered in talking to 235 wise people is that almost no one regretted risks they took that did not work out and most said they wished they had risked more. When I asked these people about major crossroads in their lives, many of them talked about taking risks-sometimes large and sometimes small-which wound up bringing great happiness. One of the keys to moving towards what we want instead of what we fear is to focus on the best possible result and not the worst. Are you going for what you truly want in your life or acting with fear.

3. Become Love

Become Love was the third secret I learned from these people. Not surprisingly, the greatest source of happiness for people and the largest place of regret had to do with people. What I discovered is that those who made people a priority in their lives and who developed deep personal relationships found true happiness. Many of them told me that “things” rarely brought true joy whereas family and friends brought lasting happiness. One way to focus on relationships is to get intentional goals for our personal relationships just like we do in our careers.

Yet the most interesting thing I uncovered is that being a loving person, the choice to give love, is even more important in determining happiness than getting it. These people talked to me about the importance of choosing love and kindness as your way in the world. They taught me that when we choose to be a loving person we find a deep sense of meaning in life.

4. Live the Moment

The fourth secret was to Live the Moment. One of the most common things people told me was how fast life goes by and how important it is to enjoy each moment. One woman told me “when you are young you think sixty years is an incredibly long time but when you get there you realize it was only a moment.” Among the secrets they shared were how important it is to live in the present, to fully enjoy whatever experience you are having (and not to wish you were somewhere else), and to live with gratitude focusing on what you are grateful for rather than what you don’t have. They told me that we have no power over the past and little power over the future. Many of them said that whenever you find yourself saying “I will be happy when or I will be happy if” that it is important to remember that happiness is a choice we make inside. One woman told me: “You have to stop judging your life and start living your life. Stop keeping score trying to decide if you are winning. Instead live each day fully and stay in the moment.” Are you living with gratitude right now, focusing on enjoying your life rather than judging it?

5 Give More Than You Take

The fifth and final secret was to Give More Than You Take. When I asked people what gave their life the greatest meaning, people told me again and again people that being of service and knowing that you made things better because you were here was by far the greatest source of meaning. I learned that whether in career or personal life, that it is what we give not what we take that gives life meaning. Many of them also reminded me that we have little control over what we get from the world every day (whether people will love us, whether we will win the lottery, etc.) but we have complete control over what we give to the world (whether we choose to be kind, charitable, and to give to others). These people reminded me that everything we take from the world dies with us, but everything we give to the world gets recycled. A wise woman named Susan told me that “when we are young we cry for ourselves but as we age we learn to cry for the world.” Indeed all the spiritual traditions remind us that true happiness comes from focusing on being of service and in the process joy finds us. Are you focused on giving or getting each day?

You Must Live the Secrets

What I also discovered is that it is not enough to know the secrets, we must live them. One man told me “many of us know what is important but it is not enough to know, you have to put these things into practice.” These people taught me a great deal about how to live the secrets as well and I share many of their techniques in the book. One of my favorites was sixty-four year old Joel who told me about how he reminds himself each day to live the moment. “When I wake up the first thing I do is say a prayer thanking God and the universe that I get to live one more day and I pray that I will treat it as a gift. At night, just before I go to bed, I have a time of meditation and remember all the things that I am grateful for that day and ask for one more day.”

Copyright © 2008 John B Izzo John Izzo, Ph.D. is the bestselling author of Second Innocence: Rediscovering Joy and Wonder: A Guide to Renewal in Work, Relationships, and Daily Life and host of the public television series The Five Things You Must Discover Before You Die. Holding advanced degrees in religion and psychology, Izzo has spoken to over one million people on four continents about living more purposeful lives. More information about Mr. Izzo can be found at www.theizzogroup.com.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Books, Personal Growth, life hacks 

A New Earth – Week 3: The Core of Ego

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A New Earth - Oprah and Eckhart TolleHave you been following along with the reading and webcasts from the Oprah and Eckhart Tolle webinar on A New Earth? I just got the latest stats on this ground-breaking event:

  • 826,000 people are registered.
  • There have been over 4.5 million streams/downloads of the webcasts.
  • People from 130 countries are participating.

If you missed last night’s webcast or any of the previous webcasts, you can download the video, audio or transcript of all the shows at the A New Earth download page.

The Core of Ego and Law of Attraction

This week the focus is on The Core of Ego. If you’re a Law of Attraction practitioner, I’m sure you saw the connection between the some of the concepts in this chapter and some of the lessons from Law of Attraction!

Eckhart describes how one of the ego’s favorite activity is complaining. From Law of Attraction, we know that complaining is is a form of focusing our attention on what we don’t want. As long as we continue to complain about what is “wrong” in our lives (ego) it is difficult to get more of what we want in our lives.

Why do you complain? (We all do!) Are there certain areas of your life that you find yourself complaining about more than others? Why?

Tolle suggests that merely becoming aware of the ego limits its ability to direct our thoughts and actions. Have you found this to be true? And if so, what steps will you take to become aware of your ego?

Truth: Relative or Absolute

Another key point in this chapter focused on Truth and how we use truth both as individuals and as groups to maintain our sense of superiority. Tolle writes this about Truth and religions:

All religions are equally false and equally true, depending on how you use them. You can use them in service of the ego, or you can use them in service of the Truth. If you believe only your religion is the Truth, you are using it in the service of the ego. Used in such a way, religion becomes ideology and creates an illusory sense of superiority as well as division and conflict between people. In the service of Truth, religious teachings represent signposts or maps left behind by awakened humans to assist you in spiritual awakening.

All of us have moments in our lives when we are in service of ego and times when we are in service of the truth. How do you know the difference? What do you feel when you catch yourself serving ego? What do you feel when you recognize that you are serving the Truth? And what steps can you take, in the moment when you catch yourself serving ego, to begin making the shift back to Truth?

Other Thoughts/Questions:

  • Does a gradual path really take us to the place of being free and joyous? Or must we have the sudden awakening AKA the AHA Moment?
  • What is your definition of inner peace?
  • What are some experience that you want to share this week?


Week 3 Quotes (Flower Petals):

Your greatest protection is being conscious.

Whatever you fight, you strengthen and what you resist persists.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Personal Growth, consciousness 

22 Signs That You’re A Highly Sensitive Person

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highly sensitive sunset

For most of my life I considered myself a fairly thick-skinned, typical guy. Sensitive male role models were hard to find growing up in the seventies in a middle-class Boston suburb. Back then “sensitivity” was not a trait encouraged in men. So I followed in the footsteps of the male role models I had; mostly stoic, emotionally unavailable, intellectually focused men.

That worked for a while. But at some point during the past 18 or so years that I have been actively and sometimes intensively engaged in personal growth, I have discovered that behind the walls and under the layers of distance and detachment lives a highly sensitive person.

This awakening sensitivity has, at times, felt more like a burden than a blessing. But ultimately, and only quite recently, I have come to accept my sensitivity as a gift and a powerful ally on my journey of personal evolution.

When I began this journey, the term Highly Sensitive Person was not widely known (if at all). But as more has been written about Highly Sensitive People and the concept has gained wider (though certainly not universal) acceptance I have come to recognize and accept myself as a Highly Sensitive Person.

It is estimated that 20% of the human population would test positive for what Carl Jung called Innate Sensitiveness. This innate sensitivity has been well researched and the term Highly Sensitive Person was coined in 1996 by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. and explored in her book, The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You

Wikipedia has this definition of Highly Sensitive Person:

A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a person having the innate trait of high sensitivity (or innate sensitiveness as Carl Gustav Jung originally coined it). According to Elaine N. Aron and colleagues as well as other researchers, highly sensitive people, which would represent about a fifth of the population, process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous systems. This is a specific trait with key consequences that in the past has often been confused with innate shyness, inhibitedness, innate fearfulness, introversion, and so on. The existence of the trait of innate sensitivity was demonstrated using a test that was shown to have both internal and external validity.

While the idea of highly sensitive people is still shrugged off by the mainstream press and health-care community, I have no doubt that, just as people have different levels of visual acuity, hearing, intelligence and physical grace, there are also varying levels of what I call vibrational sensitivity.

No matter what any scientist tells you, there is no diagnostic device presently available that is as sensitive as the human body. When properly tuned, our physical bodies have the ability to perceive and respond to our environment with an accuracy that far exceeds the capacity of our present technology. And some of us have bodies that are naturally tuned to be more sensitive to our vibrational environment.

So, for better or worse, that puts highly sensitive people in the unenviable position of being the canaries in the coalmine. Our sensitivity to the aural, environmental, and vibrational pollution that is prevalent in our world means that we often display physical, emotional and vibrational symptoms long before others less sensitive than us.

That’s the bad news.

But fear not, there is good news! If you are a highly sensitive person, your sensitivity indicates that your body is more highly tuned than most people’s. And, with a bit of effort, training and regular practice, you can learn to leverage your sensitivity to create success and take your life to the next level. I have! More on that later.

For now, let’s look at some of the “symptoms” of highly sensitive people because, if you’re like I was, you might not even know that you’re highly sensitive. And when you don’t know that you’re highly sensitive it can be very difficult and uncomfortable to live in this world filled with less sensitive people who don’t understand why you have to cover your ears when an ambulance goes by, or leave a restaurant that smells like bleach, or sit under a full-spectrum light during the winter.

So if you have ever wondered if you are highly sensitive, here is a list of signs that could indicate that you are a Highly Sensitive Person. (I’ve added some personal notes to a few of the items on the list).

1. Can you hear things others cannot, especially high-pitched sounds?
Do you hear sirens long before anyone else? Does the high-pitched hum of a partially dimmed light fixture get under your skin when no one else seems to notice? Does the whirring fan in your computer distract you? Is it difficult for you to sleep in the same room as a refrigerator? Do you need to cover your ears when a loud siren passes by? Do you use earplugs at concerts or on planes?

2. Do you notice smells that others miss?
I have a weird olfactory sense: When it comes to nice, natural smells such as roses and lilacs, I have to put my nose right into the flower in order to smell it. But when it comes to not-so-nice smells I am highly attuned. I can smell cigarette smoke from 50-feet away when I’m outside and the wind is blowing in the opposite direction. When I walk into a restaurant that has just cleaned up with chlorine bleach, I often have to turn around a leave because the smell is overpowering. And don’t get me started on some of the unnatural perfumes that have nearly made me… well I think you get the idea!

3. Do you know what other people need before they ask?
This post, Intuition or Observation & Analysis, provides a great example of this.

4. Do you notice the flicker on older computer screens or older fluorescent fixtures?
I’m still amazed at how often I used to sit down at someone else’s computer and wonder how they were able to work on it with the refresh rate set so low. If they were not looking over my shoulder I would usually go in and quickly increase the refresh rate which took away the flicker and provided me with some relief.

5. Do you get “overwhelmed” by joy when you experience great beauty: A beautiful sunset, an incredible musical performance, the smile of your child?
High vibrational sensitivity is not always triggered by “negative” experiences. Positive, beautiful, sublime experiences can also awaken that sensitivity. But again, the difference and occasionally the difficulty for sensitive people is the intensity of the experience. Highly sensitive people can be truly overwhelmed by a beautiful experience, which is fine if you are alone on the beach watching a spectacular sunset, but may not be so great if you happen to look out the window at work just at the peak moment of that beautiful sunset.

6. Do you feel threatened or uneasy in large crowds or big cities?
Sometimes I enjoy going into San Francisco, and other times I just can’t wait to get out. But no matter how I’m feeling while I’m there, I always notice a distinct sense of calmness descending upon me as I leave the City. It’s as if I’m passing through an invisible energy boundary as I cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

7. Do you have “emotional radar” that picks up on what others are feeling?
Do you know what people are feeling before they tell you? Do you ever walk into a room and sense that there has been an argument?

8. Do you pick up physical symptoms from other people?
Have you ever been feeling great and then run into a friend who had a headache and suddenly noticed a headache coming on? I once massaged a friend’s knee after she tweaked it during a yoga class. When I was done, she felt great, but I could hardly walk!

9. Does reading or hearing about bad news have a dramatic impact on your mood?
Once upon a time I was a news and information junkie. Knowing what was happening in the world was important. As my sensitivity awakened, however, I began to recognize that the news is almost exclusively low-vibration information and had a dramatic and usually negative impact on me. A few years ago I did a week long news fast to see if it would make a difference. It did! Soon after that, I stopped watching, listening to or reading the news on a regular basis. And while I still don’t watch or listen to the news, I am now able to read the paper or gather snippets of news from the Internet without noticing a dramatic effect on my mood.

10. If you see a bad car accident does it affect you for the entire day?
Most people have a reaction when seeing an accident but for some highly sensitive people the effect can be dramatic and long lasting.

11. Have you been diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and/or do you experience a noticeable drop in your energy and mood during the winter?

12. Have you ever had a transcendent or mystical experience?
Highly sensitive people are naturally more open to experiences of bliss, ecstasy and spiritual awakening.

13. Do you have a strong reaction when you drink caffeine or when you attempt to stop?
Everything we put into our bodies has both a physical and energetic effect. For most people the physical effects of caffeine are not that dramatic. But sensitive people also feel the energetic effects of that caffeine and the combination can be quite powerful.

14. Do you have food sensitivities or allergies?
Most of us are putting stuff into our bodies that was never meant to go there. This is fine for people who are not highly sensitive (not really!) but if you are highly sensitive your body may tell you, in no uncertain terms, what you can and cannot put into it.

15. Do you have allergies or asthma?
As with food allergies, environmental allergies can indicate that you are reacting to allergens on both a physical and energetic level.

16. Are you a “lightweight?”
A friend of mine used to say that I could “get drunk from sniffing the bottlecap!” And she wasn’t that far off. My karate buddies nicknamed me Ed “No Mas” Mills because of my tendency to get a little rambunctious after a couple of beers. If one glass of wine puts you under the table you might be highly sensitive.

17. Are you sensitive to over-the-counter, prescribed or illegal drugs?
Can you take half the recommended dosage of a drug and experience a noticeable effect? Have you had an overwhelming experience when experimenting with other drugs?

18. If you have ever had surgery, did it take longer to recover from the effects of the anesthesia than from the surgery itself?
For many sensitive people anesthesia can have a long-lasting and powerful effect. Anesthesia impacts not only the physical body but also the energy body by putting you into a completely unnatural state. It’s a neither here nor there state that can wreak havoc on a sensitive person’s system.

19. Is being in a calm, peaceful environment very important for you?
Does clutter, stress you out? Do harsh, disharmonious colors fluster you? Do you feel at peace in a beautiful garden? Is it important for you to create a “sanctuary” within your home?

20. Do you get claustrophobic when you spend too much time indoors?
For many sensitive people, being inside for too long leads to a feeling of claustrophobia, lethargy and/or irritation.

21. Is it important for you to spend time alone?
Highly sensitive people often feel better when alone. In extreme cases, this need to be alone can be debilitating to the point where being around others is almost impossible.

22. Do you experience dramatic mood swings, sometimes for no apparent reason?
Have you ever been sitting at work, or on the bus, or in a café, feeling pretty good, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, started to feel sad, or angry? Highly sensitive people are more sensitive to both their own emotional content as well as the emotions of those around them. So if this happens to you, you may be connecting with something happening inside of you, but you might also be unintentionally “tuning in” to the emotional content of someone else.

23. Do you know when people are lying to you?
Have you ever just known that someone is telling you a lie, even when you have no “logical” reason to believe that to be so?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. These are examples of possible “symptoms” of high sensitivity. If ten or more of these experiences rang true for you, it’s highly likely that you’re a highly sensitive person. But even if you said “Yes” to just a handful of these you could be highly sensitive. In fact, even just one or two of these, if they are very strong for you, could indicate high sensitivity.

Ultimately I believe that being a highly sensitive person is a gift. It certainly has become a gift to me! And, yes, I know, it does not always feel that way. It can feel like a burden and a curse. But when you learn how to put boundaries and systems into place you can begin to access and harness that sensitivity and use it to create the life you desire.

I’ll be writing about some of those systems in the next few weeks. So be sure to come back or, better yet, subscribe to Evolving Times to get notified when there is a new post here.

And you may want to sign up to receive the first free report I’m releasing as a preview for my new program The Energetics of Attraction.

Photo Credits:

Coffee by Refracted Moments
Rose by Randy Son of Robert
Candles by Ldcross

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Personal Growth, Physical Body, Well-Being 

A New Earth – Week 2: Ego

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A New Earth - Oprah and Eckhart Tolle
In week 2 of the Oprah, Eckhart Tolle webinar on A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose, we begin an exploration of ego. Let’s use this space to continue to explore this concept.

What does ego mean to you?

How did Tolle’s explanation of ego in the book and/or webinar deepen or shift your understanding of the concept?

Identifying with objects

In the book, Tolle tells the story of a dying woman who accused one of her caregivers of stealing her diamond ring. Tolle describes the anger this woman experienced because of the loss of this “valuable” object. He went on to share that:

“In the last few weeks of her life, as her body became weaker, she became more and more radiate, as if light were shining through her. She gave many of her possessions away, some to the woman she thought had stolen the ring, and with each thing she gave away, her joy deepened.”

What objects do you identify with?

Look around your home or office and ask yourself “how many of the things I see do I describe as ‘mine?’”

How would it feel to give these things away?

Can you imagine being in a state where giving away these possessions would bring deeper joy?

What is in the way of that happening now?


Your Week 2 Flower Petals:

In the workbook for the webinar we are being asked to pick our two favorite passages or quotes from the book. At the end of the 10-weeks, we will have a beautiful flower whose petals inspire us to continue the process of awakening.

What are your petals from week 2?

Here are mine.

When you don’t cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life.

Yielding means inner acceptance of what is. You are open to life. Resistance is an inner contraction, a hardening of the ego. You are closed. Whatever action you take in a state of inner resistance (which we could also call negativity) will create more outer resistance, and the universe will not be on your side; life will not be helpful. If the shutters are closed, the sunlight cannot come in. When you yield internally, when you surrender, a new dimension of consciousness opens up. If action is possible or necessary, your action will be in alignment with the whole and supported by creative intelligence.

Use the comments space below to leave your quotes, answers to the questions above, or any thoughts, observations or further questions you might have.

Don’t miss any of these A New Earth discussions: Sign up to get updates by email or RSS. It’s fast, free and no-risk!

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Books, Personal Growth, consciousness, life hacks 

Earth Hour Is Coming

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Have you heard about Earth Hour? Last year, on March 31st, 2.2 million residents and 2100 businesses in Sydney Australia turned off their lights for one-hour, reducing Sydney’s energy consumption by over 10%.

This year, it’s going global. And you can be a part of it. Watch this inspiring video, and then go and add your name to the more than 83,000 people who have committed to making a difference on March 29th, 2008!


And speaking of world changing movements, don’t forget that the worldwide webinar with Exkhart Tolle and Oprah continues this week looking at chapter 2 of A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.

Sign up here.

Posted by Edward Mills | Filed Under Environment, Personal Growth, Upcoming Events 

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