As I’ve journeyed deeper into what it means to take on mastery of my mind, I’ve become aware of how important it is to set up various aspects of our environment to support the shifts in beliefs. An unchanging environment guarantees that eventually things will revert back to their original state. Integrating transformation has long been an area of interest for me, and I’ve discovered several practical ways to support and integrate transformation.  Click here to go to my blog to learn more:

Whenever we experience a transformation, it’s really important to make sure that we change our environment to reflect this transformation. These changes range from the physical to the mental. Here are the 6 major areas that will help the most: 

• social environment
• physical environment
• emotional environment
• spiritual environment
• energetic environment
• mental environment

During the next several weeks we’ll explore in detail what’s important to look at and adjust in each of these areas. This time we’ll look at setting up our physical environment to support us.

PHYSICAL:  Do you love your home and office?  Do they reflect the prosperity you want in your life?  It’s important to create physical environments that exude success, abundance and happiness.

Is your home full of clutter and less than beautiful furnishings?  Do you take impeccable care of your home?  Even if you have hand-me-downs, if you care for them and keep them beautiful, that demonstrates that you value your environment.

Be as unbiased as possible, or ask a friend with great taste, and evaluate your home.  What do you know?  Is this the home of a prosperous and successful person?

What do you need to change?  Is it time to move?

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Next, go through your closets and wardrobe.  Do these clothes look like the wardrobe of a successful person?  Get a big garbage bag and: 

• Get rid of anything that’s torn, doesn’t fit, or that you haven’t worn for a year.  If the “skinny” jeans don’t fit, toss them.
• Look at your underwear and socks – do they need to be replaced?  Same with shoes, belts and accessories.
• Get rid of any jewelry that doesn’t exude good taste.
• Toss the old make-up and nail polish that you don’t use or is beyond its useful life.
• The linen closet:  do you have threadbare towels and polyester sheets?  Would someone who lives an abundant lifestyle have linens like yours?  If not, replace them. 

You get the idea – get rid of anything that brings you down in any way and doesn’t support the expansion you want to create in your life.

Be ruthless here and as you sort ask yourself, “would a prosperous person wear this or have this around?”  If the answer is no, it’s time for it to go.

As I’ve journeyed deeper into what it means to take on mastery of my mind, I’ve become aware of how important it is to set up various aspects of our environment to support the shifts in beliefs. An unchanging environment guarantees that eventually things will revert back to their original state. Integrating transformation has long been an area of interest for me, and I’ve discovered several practical ways to support and integrate transformation. 

Whenever we experience a transformation, it’s really important to make sure that we change our environment to reflect this transformation. These changes range from the physical to the mental. Here are the 6 major areas that will help the most: 

• social environment
• physical environment
• emotional environment
• spiritual environment
• energetic environment
• mental environment

During the next several weeks we’ll explore in detail what’s important to look at and adjust in each of these areas. Let’s begin with the Social Environment.

You may have heard that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.  Take a moment and think about who you hang out with the most, and if they inspire you and where you’re going or not.  

The five people I spend the most time with are: 

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________ 

Now think about these aspects of these people: What is their level of: 

1. income
2. consciousness
3. health
4. integrity
5. inspiration 

Given your dreams and goals, do these relationships support you? It may be time to make some changes. As you become clear on your vision for yourself and commit to realizing your vision, some people will support you and others will not. It’s important to know that when you change it can threaten others. Sometimes people will do things to undermine you because they are more comfortable if they don’t have to change. When you change, you force the people close to you to change. If this is happening in your world, it may make sense to change who you spend time with. Otherwise, even well-meaning friends can pull you back into the status quo. Take an honest look at this area of your life and set it up so that you are supported in your forward movement and evolution.

What do I mean by that? How much time do you spend comparing yourself – to other people, to your own standards, to where you think you should be?  This is crippling, and can result in getting stuck or judging yourself harshly. Comparison gives our Inner Bully a field day!

Lately I’ve been calling the circle of inner criticism the Inner Bullies. You know, those voices that run 24/7, All Criticism All the Time?  It’s that radio station that’s tuned to K-FUK. We all have it, and for some of us it’s very loud. To this crew, nothing is ever good enough, others are doing better, I’m not performing up to par no matter how well I’m doing, and on and on it goes, ad nauseum.

I’ve taken on a 30 day Comparison Cleanse, designed to eliminate this imprint of self judgment. It comes from all the negative messages learned so early in life from so many sources.  Stopping this is a powerful decision and practice.

Here’s the cleanse:  every time you become aware of comparing yourself to someone or something, switch to gratitude. Be grateful that you’ve just been shown another place to thank you inner guidance for wanting you to be better. Then give that critic another job. Turn them into a talent scout, with the assignment to find inspiration in what or who they’ve brought to mind for you. 

For example, I’m having a lot of spiritual warrioress energy, similar to Kali or Artemis, both of who are archetypes for clear and strong feminine energy, balanced with masculine energy. Competitive urges can come up, whether it’s in my morning Boot Camp workouts (who else but Artemis or Kali would even consider Boot Camp??) or when I see someone having amazing success in their life or business. It’s easy to see that my work with my vision doesn’t measure up to what Marianne Williamson or Barbara Walters are doing.

Instead of minimizing myself, I ask the critic to tell me what can inspire me about the person or situation and to be on the lookout for others who can inspire me. Giving them a job keeps them busy elsewhere, so they can make less mischief. And they become my Inner Advocate and Talent Scout.

Let me know how this works out for you!

I just spent a week in Paris with my daughter.  It was one of those experiences that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives.  Getting to spend a week together was really cool because I rarely see Jenner these days, since our lives are so busy.  A lot of our contact these days is when we’re trading the car so that one of us can go somewhere.  She’s becoming more and more independent and I’m letting go more and more so that she can make more decisions in her life.  It’s quite a dance!

Seeing Paris through the eyes of a teenager was really great.  Jenner did a special school project on the trip and kept a daily journal of what we did and saw together, and that provided the opening for some really interesting conversations.  We talked about the impact of history on current life, what it would be like to live in a city with so much art and culture, and the differences in street people, the name a few subjects.  I see how much my personal history impacts what and how I see things today.  I spent a month in Paris while I was in college and wanted to see some of my favorite places again.  I remembered the Left Bank areas as being teeming with students and Bohemian types, sitting in cafes smoking and drinking strong coffee and having spirited debates.  I saw it then through the eyes of a student.  Seeing it now through the eyes of an adult was very different.  I saw far fewer students, and those who sat in cafes smoking and drinking strong coffee, appeared to be families, tourists and couples.  Jenner saw all the students and talked about how she’d love to study in Paris…

I got to introduce Jenner to some places I loved when I had my junior year abroad, centuries ago.  We nosed around Montmarte, watching artists create, listening to an angelic-sounding choir in Scare Couer cathedral and getting lost in the narow and twisting alleys and streets.  We ate crepes on street corners and learned the Metro system.  Spent the better part of an afternoon in the Rodin Museum, sat in the courtyard at The Sorbonne watching the students, and picked out our favorite gargoyles at Notre Dame.

Early one morning we went to an outdoor neighborhood market in St. Germain des Pres.  It was a feast for all the senses:  colorful food, flowers, and people; the smeels of freshly baked tartes and quicke; scumptious tastes of fig bread, mamelade and artisan cheeses; the closeness of so many people in a narrow little street; and the sounds of laughter and conversations as people bought and sold.  We bought the fixings for a picnic, then walked to the Luxemburg Gardens, and sat and watched people while we at fresh baguette, amazing cheese and the first strawberries of the season.  Heaven!

The Musee D’Orsay houses on of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings in the world.  Within the course of a few hours we saw the finest work of Renoir, Degas, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Seurat, Toulouse La Trek, and many others.  I was particularly fascinated with how they create light and radiance — in one painting by Renoir of his wife feeding her baby, her skin was literally glowing.  I couldn’t take my eyes off it for the longest time.

There’s a foot bridge between Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis, 2 islands in the middle of the Seine River.  In the middle of the bridge, a trio was playing — accordion, bass and guitar.  They were playing toe-tapping tunes, and a happy crowd gathered to listen and a few danced to the music.  One toddler danced and slurped an ice cream cone and giggled with glee.  That got everyone smiling!

As we jetted home I was filled with gratitude for having this week of adventure, time with Jenner, and the inspiration to travel more.  I’m hatching a vision to take a group to visit some sacred sites that honor the primal goddess.  Stay tuned for that.

Have you ever given a workshop that just didn’t go the way you planned? Or maybe you went to one and things felt “off” before you even had a chance to sit down.

“Stuff” happens, as they say, and there’s a reason for it. Even if you’ve had formal training on how to give a workshop, you’ve probably not been taught some of the more subtle aspects. Aspects that make the difference between polite applause and your participants leaping out of their seats at the end to run to the back of the room to take advantage of your offer or speak with you personally.

Since any time you are speaking to a group is an opportunity to connect with potential future clients, setting yourself up for success is critical. Here are some of my best pointers to help make the difference between “Ho Hum” and “Hurray.”

Let’s start with preparing the room itself.

Energy: You’ve probably had the experience of walking into a workshop and just feeling “bleah” before you’ve even had a chance to sit down.  This is most likely because of energy that is stuck in the room. I realize that this might seem a little “out there” so hear me out.

Quantum physics has proven that everything is energy – the tables, chairs even the building.  In these spaces the energy inside can get stuck, which leads to that “bleah” feeling I mentioned earlier.  One way I free up the energy is to walk around the room clapping my hands. This breaks up the energy.  Even if you don’t believe this works, try it the next time you do a workshop and see if you notice a difference. There are other ways to clear and align the energy, and I’ll save those for another article.

Flowers: I make it a point to have fresh flowers in the room. Besides being beautiful, flowers enhance a sense of abundance and aliveness. What you use depends on the size of the room and your audience. In a smaller setting a minimum would be a dozen roses.  Of course in a larger setting, you can use something showier. Just be careful about strong scents.

The Space Itself: I always make sure that the room and my support staff are ready to welcome and support all of the participants. The set up of the room should be carefully considered. The stage (if you’re using one), chairs and back of the room should be set so that all feels welcoming and that each seat has a good view of the presenter. You don’t want people’s attention is drawn to something out of place. You do want the physical set up to help everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Rows of chairs should be evenly spaced and all of your hand out’s and materials should be assembled and ready. Be sure to test any A/V equipment you’re using to make sure you know how to use it and that it is working properly.

I also like to hold a brief meeting right before we open the doors and let everyone in.  It’s wonderful to have the participants feel held and supported from the moment they walk in the room.

Next you’ll need to prepare yourself.

I am not suggesting that you need to create an elaborate script and stick to it word for word.  I do feel that you should be well steeped in what you intend to convey so that no matter what happens, you are able to gracefully negotiate your participants through the material and exercises in a way that benefits everyone the most.

Before I speak, I always get a “read” of the room to feel into what’s happening on an energetic level. Then I prepare myself energetically. When I am aligned in my thoughts, feelings, body and spirit, I always give a better presentation because my attention is on the material and the audience, not on me.

As you become more seasoned you will learn how to read the energy in the room. Being prepared will help you concentrate less on what you plan to say and more on what’s going on with your participants. One way to help you hold the attention of the room is to remember to talk to your audience, not at them.  See the room as a room full of the highest and best selves of everyone in it.

You’ve probably heard the term “be authentic” and it’s true that authenticity is important. Remember too, that being authentic also means being OK with making mistakes. You must own the room and yet remain accessible to the people in it. The more at ease with yourself you are, the more successful you will be.

Be prepared for the fact that all kinds of unplanned things can occur. How well you handle them will indicates your level of professionalism. I’ve had the power go out in the middle of a workshop, very loud noises from a neighboring group, hecklers in the crowd, people who wanted to shoot down every word I said, and people go off the deep end emotionally. Learning to deal with some of these situations is a workshop all by itself!

One thing most of us have experienced is losing the room. You know what I mean – people’s eyes glaze over, they shift in their seats or they suddenly need to get up for water at the back of the room.  I think the best way to work with this is simply to name the elephant in the room. Let them know you’ve noticed that you’ve lost them and ask them what they need to bring their attention back to the workshop.

When all is said and done, be prepared for follow up:

This is what happens when the workshop is over.  Before you decide what you will be talking about, you need to reverse engineer the entire talk from what action you want the participants to take at the conclusion.

Once you’ve decided what you want them to do (or what the offer is) be OK with only offering what will be most relevant to the topic of the workshop.  Sure, you may have dozens of ways for people to work with you, but only offer one or at most two. When you give your participants too many choices you’ll confuse them – and a confused mind always says “no.” Make the decision a simple one: either yes I want more from you, or no I don’t.

To ensure your success, come from a place of generosity and remember that sales is not something you do to someone it’s something you do for them. One tip for successful selling: Ask yourself: “Do I really believe that people need what I have to offer?” because if you don’t – they won’t buy it. Whether you are offering something for sale or not, always give your participants ways to stay in touch with you – even if it’s just signing up for an email newsletter or providing your website or email address for more information.

Finally – and most importantly – remember to relax and have fun. Be OK with making mistakes – that is how we learn!  Give yourself the space to be real, be human and blow it sometimes.  When you learn how to be completely OK with anything that happens, relax and have fun with it then you will be delivering a stellar presentation – every time.

I love masterminding! I just spent two days with my Your Next Breakthrough coaching group. If you saw bolts of lightning in the evening sky, it was us! I believe that masterminding is one of the most powerful things you can do to move in the direction of your dreams quickly.

Napoleon Hill talks extensively about the power of the mastermind in his book “Think and Grow Rich.” In fact he sees it as an essential part of success.  He states that some of the greatest men in history – men like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison -would not have been successful if not for their own mastermind groups. Hill discovered by interviewing hundreds of the richest people of his time that you don’t have to – nor can you – know everything you need to know by yourself. You need the power of other people’s minds (the mastermind group) in order to fully execute your dreams and desires. In other words – no one can be successful in achieving their dreams in a vacuum.

Here are Napoleon Hill’s guidelines for setting up your own mastermind:

“(a) Ally yourself with a group of as many people as you may need for the creation , and carrying out of your plan or plans for the accumulation of money – making use of the “Master Mind” principal described in a later chapter. (Compliance with this instruction is absolutely essential. Do not neglect it)

(b) Before forming your “Master Mind” alliance decide what advantages and benefits you may offer the individual members of your group in return for their cooperation. No one will work indefinitely without some form of compensation. No intelligent person will either request or expect another to work without adequate compensation, although his may not always be in the form of money.

(c) Arrange to meet with the members of your “Master Mind” group at least twice a week, and more often if possible, until you have jointly perfected the necessary plan or plans for the accumulation of money.

(d) Maintain PERFECT HARMONY between yourself and every member of your “Master Mind” group. If you fail to carry out this instruction to the letter, you may expect to meet with failure. The “Master Mind” principal cannot obtain where PERFECT HARMONY does not prevail.”

The mastermind principal mentioned in (a) above is defined by Hill as having two characteristics – one economic and one psychic.

“Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel and personal cooperation of a group of men who are willing to lend him wholehearted aid, in a spirit of PERFECT HARMONY. This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great fortune. Your understanding of this great truth may definitely determine your financial status.

The psychic phase of the Master Mind principle is much more abstract, much more difficult to comprehend … You may catch a significant suggestion (of it) from this statement: “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind”

Hill goes on to say:

“The human mind is a form of energy, a part of it being spiritual in nature. When the minds of two people are coordinated in a SPIRIT OF HARMONY, the spiritual units of energy  of each mind form an affinity, which constitutes the “psychic” phase of the Master Mind.”

The time with my Your Next Breakthrough mastermind was powerful beyond my expectations, which were lofty. Here’s the best part: everyone expanded exponentially into the possibilities for not only living fully in their life purpose, but has concrete strategies that they’re already implementing!

This is from animation to yoga therapy to small business development packages. The group has a wide range of passions and each one is now ready to blossom even more beautifully. I’m totally inspired to witness their transformation in action.

It’s got me cooking up another mastermind group, which I’ll probably begin in the summer. Would you like to join me? Call me or email me and let me know if you’d like to be part of a small group of 8-10 people, who are committed to breaking through and blasting off.

Based on the buzz from this current group, this new one will fill fast, so don’t hesitate if something inside you is stirring!

You’ve noticed it – and I’ve felt it too. Women are coming into their feminine power. At last it’s in the spotlight and amazing things are happening.

On April 5^th, 9 extraordinary women, featuring some of the top spiritual leaders, will come together as guides on a unique day long telesummit. I will be one of those guides and I invite you to come on a journey into various aspects of the divine feminine.

This exploration into  deep feminine realms will empower you, inspire you, teach you, engage you, and bring you into this community of leaders. Think of it as sitting in the circle around the fire, conjuring up the future, dreaming the dreams that bring the world consciousness forward an upward, and call forth your wisdom and inspiration.

I’ve been asked to lead the portion focused on Power and Peace, and I’m thrilled to be part of this event. You can participate in all or part of the day. There’s no cost to attend.

For more information, or if you would also like to purchase recordings and transcripts, please use this link (this is my affiliate link).

Please feel free to share this message with friends, family, colleagues or anyone you think might be interested. I promise you a powerful and empowering experience. It’s time to be part of the change that is emerging – join us.

Much love,

Barbara

The Master Mind principle is a powerful one: Napoleon Hill says it’s “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” While I participate in two Master Mind groups, I also have a Virtual Master Mind, which is my Dream Team. Here’s how it works:

1. The purpose of a Virtual Master Mind is to tap into the power of people you admire greatly, and who have qualities you’d like to develop in yourself. Begin by thinking about what you want to develop in yourself, and who has those qualities.
2. In a meditation, ask who has those qualities and want to share them with you, whether they are alive or not. Pay attention to who comes to mind. You may be surprised!
3. Write down their names and tune in to why this group is assembling. Perhaps you’ll want to do some research if you don’t know much about them. As you do this, it will become apparent why they appeared.
4. Find photos of the people and create a collage with their photos, so that you can be aware of them on a regular basis.
5. At night before you go to sleep, invite them to come and be with you and to transmit the qualities you desire to you. Feel the transmission as it fills you and informs you.
6. Ask questions or for guidance, or what t hey want to transmit to you.

Use this council of advisers in ways that feel most powerful and supportive to you. And if you feel moved to, share your experiences here on the blog.

Time for some clutter clearing? In addition to the extra “stuff” around your home and office, what needs to be de-cluttered spiritually, emotionally and energetically? Has your To-Do list taken over your life?

We are so inundated with information these days that it’s very easy to go into overload with it all. There are a few different approaches offered here. Take the one’s that appeal to you and implement them and see what happens.

Do a brain dump of all that is currently on your plate in all areas of your life. Just empty out the real estate in your brain and get it on paper. Once you’ve done this,  categorize the items on your list by:

• Things that don’t really need to be done
• Things that only you can do
• Things that you can delegate to someone else

Then what?

You guessed it! Eliminate what’s not necessary, delegate what you can/need to, and only do those things that only you can do. A great question to ask yourself as you look at your list is, “What’s the best and highest use of my time?”

Here’s another approach, adapted from Abraham-Hicks:

On a blank sheet of paper, make a vertical line down the center of the page. At the top of the left side, write “Things I Must Do” and on the Right Side, write “My Orders for the Universe”.

Begin to make a list of what needs to be done/happen in your life. In the left column, list those things that only you can do. List everything else on the right side. Once you’ve completed the list, place your order with the Universe.

Now comes the most important part: believe and expect that the Universe will do its part. Put the list away or burn it. Then relax and open to receive. As you take the actions that only you can take and that take you in the direction of what you want and need to do, all that other stuff will get handled. Write on the blog about your experiences with this!

40 Day Self Love Practice

Last weekend I attended Madly In Love with ME!, which was a wonderful day of lots of ways to love me. I’m beginning several new practices, and I want to share one with you and invite you to take care of the most important partner in your life – YOU!

Here’s the practice:

For the next 40 days, make a vow to take care of the most important partner in your life – YOU!
Every morning before you get out of bed, ask yourself.” What do I need to do to take care of me today?”  Wait for the answer. Then, as it says in the Nike ads, just do it. No matter what it is.

I promise that doing this practice will change your life. While you’re doing it or after you’ve completed it, share your experience here. I’m on Day Three, and am already thinking that this will continue long after the initial 40 days.