BELLWETHER 4th Quarter 2022 THE Issue 1
4 TIPS
ERIC LEVINE
START A PODCAST TODAY!
THE PURSUIT OF BETTER
MERAKI ALLURE
PHILANTHROPY THROUGH FASHION
FIND BALANCE AND LUXURY IN YOUR APPEARANCE
Editors Note
Our Belief
We live in a world that is full of content, much of which is geared towards entrepreneurs, fashion lovers and lifestyle enthusiasts. However, the majority of even the most established magazines have become overrun with ads and provide little value. Our vision is to provide a high value magazine and resource that is geared towards entrepreneurs and business leaders who enjoy fashion, travel and a diversity of culture.
Our promise is to deliver added value, without the ads.
In today's business climate, many companies big and small have lost their way when it comes to upholding a high standard of core values and ethics. We believe that in order to create a more honest business society and to promote trust between corporations and consumers, we cannot simply rely on society’s laws to dictate how we should behave and conduct business. We must seek out and develop the habit of doing what is right, not just what is legal. Our Mission One of the main objectives of The Bellwether Magazine is to not only provide extreme value to our readers, but to promote our Credo. Our hopes are to attain the eventual goal of 10,000 companies adopting it as the framework by which they operate and do business on a daily basis. This is a great first step in reforming our business culture and can result in an action that can truly change the world. Please review our Credo and join us in helping the world live well and prosper fairly.
We hope you enjoy the Bellwether Magazine.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REAL ESTATE ROAD MAP - 6 One woman's mission to revitalize the poorest postal code in Canada.
LETS TRAVEL - 38 No matter a retreat, for culture or learning about a war torn people, Travel is an investment in yourself.
FAST LANE 88
All things transportation. Luxury means of travel and cool accessories.
FOODIE FORUM 12
THE BELLWETHER FEATURES - 52
WHATS THE WORD 93 How are you sharing your message? Find out the latest trends and methods Entrepreneurs are using today. AUTHOR ADVANTAGE 97 Want the greatest reads out today? We did too. Find out what you should be reading here. NOT FORGOTTEN 104 Gone but not forgotten. Discover lost cities and the people that used the values and principles we all hold to achieve greatness THE MEETING SPACE 108 Who is presenting the education and information we all want to know. Its all here for the next quarter.
What does Entrepreneurship taste like? If anybody knows it is Nick Pihakis. Restaurant owner and entrepreneur since he was 15 years old.
We all know the name but who is the GOLD BEHIND THE GYM. Our feature entrepreneur may surprise you.
HEALTH HACKS FOR HAPPINESS - 16
MONEY WITH MORALS 67 Just because its legal does the way you are generating wealth align with your values and principles?
Mental and physical health is something that is top of mind for all successful and happy entrepreneurs and business people.
AFTER THE GAME 30
CRYPTO CORNER 80
A basketball legend shares what he is doing to make a positive global impact after stepping away from the game he loved.
The latest on what Crypto is and who it is for. Learn about NFT's and the Blockchain.
LIFESTYLE 34
TECH BYTES 82 The latest in technology for the Entrepreneur. What are Hubs and why they are the hottest new thing.
The way you look is the way you feel. An immigrant success story.
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Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same but you leave 'em all over everything you do. -- Elvis Presley --
Photo Credit Bryan Geraldo
Page 5
ROAD MAP REAL ESTATE
"It didnt feel right."
A Home is where the heart is.
Revitalizing Canada‘s Poorest Postal Code
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By Themy Gitersos
“It has to feel right” For it to be a home
A home is much more than a place to hang your hat. It's your sanctuary, your escape, your security, your place to run away from the world and feel safe. I truly believe that a house has feelings. When you love your home and take care of it, it pays you back ten fold by allowing you to take advantage of its space and creating memories you will cherish forever. When it's time to move on and a new family enters the home, they will feel the amazing energy left behind, a happy home, well taken care of, and instantly feel at home too. So many times I feel that something is not right walking through the doors of a home that’s for sale. An invisible force field…..I can feel it creeping over my skin as I enter. An uneasy feeling. Edgy even. As I walk through and take a glimpse into the life behind those walls, the wear and tear of years of procrastination and neglect begin to emerge. The carpets are worn, the walls are battered and bruised. The bathrooms are damp and the yard is being overrun by little yellow weeds seeking to overthrow the once vivid green of a well manicured lawn. The home is sad. A sense of reclusiveness….waiting, patiently for the caring family to adopt it and return it to its former glory. Revitalization from the inside and out. It so wants to be happy again. My clients feel it too. Maybe, just maybe they could help this home. But in the end, it’s too much time and work to bring it back to life. My clients move on and the home sulks back, sitting and waiting once again.
As a professional realtor in the Fraser Valley in British Columbia Canada, I come across this situation far too often which is what inspired me to write the story above. I’ve had buyers walk into a home, take a few steps inside, turn around and walk back out. When asked what the reason was, they simply say “it didn't feel right”. Selling a home is much more than putting up a for sale sign and hoping the right buyer comes along. There should be pre-list preparation to address curb appeal, tending to bumps and bruises within and the right staging utilized to capture the essence of the home. When a potential buyer steps inside, the staging must capture their attention quickly and produce “the right feeling”. It should induce a mesmerizing feeling…one of comfort, security and
safety. Metaphorically speaking, that feeling you get when you’re wrapped in a warm blanket. This is a crucial part of what sells a home. Take a step back and look at it from a buyer's perspective and prepare accordingly as it’s something so simple, yet overlooked time and time again. Presentation is key and with a little extra effort you can maximize the chances of a successful sale and to optimize the return on investment. For your best chances of a successful sale in any type of market, take the time to not only address the outside of the home, but to take extra special care of the inside. Do something today that your house will thank you for tomorrow!
Learn more about Themy Gitersos below; https://linktr.ee/themy
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Revitalizing Canada‘s Poorest Postal Code
Contributed by Cherie White
As a little girl I was born into a loving Salvation Army home. I remember my grandfather singing gospel songs over me before I fell asleep. He taught me about social justice from a very young age which became my foundation. He would also tell me bedtime stories of helping find housing for immigrants that would arrive in bus loads in front of his church door. He had a strong faith in Jesus and these “true” stories always fascinated me as a little girl. Because of these roots that were planted in me, I have devoted my entire life to redistributing wealth, finding homes for single moms and women, and creating social enterprises and ultimately revitalizing Canada‘s poorest postal code. My husband, and my four small children decided that we wanted to move to this neighborhood where a new Salvation Army community was being formed
614. We wanted to be part of a community that brought life, light and hope. Over time, many people would leave drugs and alcohol and join our community, but the hardest part was always finding housing. Vancouver is in the middle of a huge affordable housing crisis. The problem was clear but the solution was much more difficult to pinpoint. However, I believe that if we stop pointing our fingers at the government and start pointing your fingers at ourselves we can become a part of the most powerful solution to poverty in the world. So I became a social justice land developer and I live and work in this neighborhood. My company is called Steadfast Developments, an all female development team that focuses on social justice, affordable housing, and intentional community development. We also provide sustainable economic development and social enterprises for those who live in our buildings. The solution became clear to me. It’s not
about helping those already in poverty, but rather a preventative model as a long term solution. It is about breaking the cycle and moving people from poverty to sustainability and then to abundance. Meaning we need to focus on those that are at risk of poverty rather than those that have already given up hope. With the right experienced team, my tenacity never gives up no matter how hard it gets, plus funding from the right sources equals a revitalized neighborhood. We are not about gentrification, but rather collaboration and partnerships of those that are already in the neighborhood. After several years of working to raise private capital, which finally happened on July 1St of this year, we are about to purchase property and build an entire new neighborhood with an infrastructure of community centers, art centers, cafés, libraries, schools, grocery stores
and banks.
ipart of a co housing community t’s the only time I can find for
Learn more about Steadfast Developments or Cherie White http://steadfastdevelopments.co m/
However, it’s taking me a lot of hard work, determination and tenacity to get to the point I am today. There were many challenges and setbacks over the years. Investors committing and then piling out at the last minute, deals collapsing and financial pressure from all avenues. For those Bellwether readers, I was taking care of my dollars and not my dimes which created several challenges.
I’m so thankful for challenges along the way that have made me a stronger woman. I’m also thankful for the opportunity to be a part of an alliance of social impact entrepreneurs that have a passion to make a difference in this world. Without said organization, and the amazing people that have encouraged me along the way, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
There is no Plan B, only alternating Plan A
Three years later, I have built a successful all-female develop- ment company that is ready to revitalize an entire neighborhood. I wake up between five and 530 Monday to Friday, exercise and meditate on scripture, and take care of myself. This is the foundation to my day. As a mother of 5 and
If there’s one piece of advice that I would want to pass on to my children or those that are considering chasing their dreams is that there is no Plan B, only alternating Plan A. Ultimately we just can’t give up. The hope and the support is always out there if we just keep looking and don’t give up.
If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.
If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.
Zig Ziglar
Photo: www.Bowmandigitalmedia.com
Photo Credit Hygor Sakai
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Lets talk about whats to eat!
| The Bellwether |
A Taste Of Entrepreneurship
with Nick Pihakis
Written by Cat Nakos
There is a fine line between Valuable lessons Pihakis says he learned during his tenure include: Entrepreneurs however are great leaders, willing to take calculated risks to grow and take responsibility for their decisions. They learn every aspect of their trade giving them the confidence to be responsible for themselves and others. type of goal is usually synonymous with an entrepreneur. This didn’t happen overnight. In 1985, Nick and his father, the late Jim Pihakis, founded the renowned Jim N Nick’s BBQ, in Birmingham, Alabama. It wasn’t the beginning of his restaurant career nor the end. Most people prefer to work for a paycheck and benefits for security for themselves and their families. As an employee they will do what they’re hired to do even if it means doing mundane jobs. They may be independent thinkers but don’t want to take the risk financially nor be responsible for every decision made. This thinking presents an obstacle to fulfilling their passion and to creating generational wealth.
arrogance and confidence. When you’re arrogant you listen to yourself. When you’re confident you are open to learn from others. Never read your own press…no matter how good you are, you must keep learning Stay confident in your ability and stay HUMBLE People make your success. “I love developing and leading people,” says Pihakis Keep your Investor/bank happy Keep your employees happy…if they’re happy the customer and investor are happy Treat customers right… people who believe in you invest money, time and buy your product
Nick Pihakis is tantamount with Bellwether as defined by dictionary.com, “a person or thing that assumes the leadership or forefront of a profession or industry.” Anyone who has ever eaten at a Nick Pihakis restaurant will agree, the man knows food and knows how to develop and sustain a successful and profitable restaurant. At the age of 15, Nick was passionate about the food business, a risk taker and an independent thinker. That combination led him at 19 to a job with a small but successful Italian restaurant. Determined to learn the business from the bottom up, he did everything from the dishes to mopping the floor. He ultimately became “the world’s best bartender” and managed that bar. He excelled at customer service so when his car was stolen, his regulars tipped him so well he was able to restore his gutted car he found. He spent 8 years learning his trade. His reward was to manage and organize a business he was passionate about no matter the risk. This
1.
2.
3.
Pihakis lives by a philosophy for all; he calls the ART of the business: Appreciate
Respect Trust
us. My greatest fears are losing any of my children and dying. You can’t worry about things you can’t control. Most of them don’t happen anyway.” Pihakis doesn’t know what failure is. He says, “I live through opportunities as everything is cyclical. What goes up must come down. During the recession of 2007- 2009 we opened 6 brand new restaurants, put in new menus for taco Tuesday at a BBQ restaurant for $2 a taco. We knew no one would eat just one. Tuesdays became the highest sales of the weekdays and wait staff were making more money as a result. During Covid we followed everything by the government protocol while most changed their model. It’s all about mindset.” “I did it all…everything I wanted to do,” should be the title of the last chapter of my book. “I hope to be remembered as just an average guy who was good at what I did, was genuine, and was caring.” “Influencers, whether they were positive or negative, helped me learn something.” Some of Nick’s greatest influences were his father, Connie Kanakis who owned the Italian Restaurant, Mike Bogner a partner in Jim N Nick’s, his in- laws who have a positive yet realistic outlook on life in general, and are kind, non- judgmental, and great role models.
Pihakis makes an impact everyday as a volunteer and donor to organizations that make a difference. Some of these include: La Cocina whose mission is to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs (predominantly Hispanic Women) to formalize and Jeff Bezos, Howard Schultz and Steve Jobs where he learned to “never be afraid to give equity away and everybody is important.” Pihakis finds no inspiration in politics/politicians or the news. Most of his outsources are on YouTube or listening to audio books. Steve Jobs said, “Money can’t buy you out of dying.” Pihakis says, “Putting value on money is unrealistic. Whether you fly first class or economy, you will wind up in the same place. You don’t do it for the money; you do it for the impact.”
Pick what you want to do and focus on it Be a student of your career Work hard and smart Take care of people…we’re all stronger together than individually There are two kinds of service… guests’ service which is taking care of our customers and lateral service which is taking care of others. Can’t do anything yourself (Stephen Covey says must be “interdependent”) Customers are not always right! Pihakis says, “I would not change anything. Our experiences are what forms who we are. We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. As you age you realize you’ve been where younger folks are going. No matter how book smart one is, the only way to gain real knowledge is life experiences. I want no regrets and no enemies. That’s peace.” “When I feel I’m being irresponsible, when I get jealous, or when I make decisions based on wrong reasons, I hear inner chatter. When in a bad mindset, we make wrong decisions. When the chatter starts it’s a signal to change your mindset. If one says they live life without fear, they’re lying. Fear is all around His tips for success include:
grow their business. www.lacocinasf.org Southern
Foodways culturally
Alliance, focused,
a
academically
grounded, and documentary driven non- profits leading through rigorous adherence to inclusion. www.southernfoodways.or g Jones Valley Teaching Farm uses food as a foundation so that young people can lead, create, and grow a healthy future for themselves and their community. www.goodfoodschool.jvtf.a pp Additionally he supports
Outside influences are: Jeff
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numerous
community
activities through volunteering and donations.
If he only had one piece of advice in becoming an Entrepreneur it would be “Know what you want to do and give it everything you’ve got, follow your heart and commit to it and don’t let anyone or anything distract you.” Pihakis says his greatest accomplishment is his family. “They define me.” They work with him in the business, so it’s truly a family business. They now have multiple restaurants of different cultures. His only challenge is “Time. There’s a shorter time in front of me than behind.”
“Time. There’s a shorter time in front of me than behind.”
If he was stripped of everything he had now, Pihakis said, “I would get a pit and go on the corner on the street and sell food…I can cook. Know you’re trade!!!” http://pihakis.com Pihakis Restaurant Group now has the following restaurants: Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, Hot Dog Pete’s, Tasty Town Greek Restaurant & Lounge, Little Donkey Mexican Restaurant, Luca, and Hero Doughnuts & Buns. Articles & recipes from these restaurants are forthcoming in future issues of Bellwether Magazine.
Page 15
Health Hacks for Happiness
“GIVE A MAN HEALTH AND A
COURSE TO STEER, AND HE’LL NEVER STOP TO TROUBLE ABOUT WHETHER HE’S HAPPY OR NOT.” – GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
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Power of The Mind to Control Your Future
Research has proven that, when your brain receives input, it immediately goes in search of what you think, believe, and feel. Your mind chooses how to categorize and prioritize every single piece of information it receives based on these preconceived notions of what is most important. (Of what YOU have been told is important.) It then strings this information together, through your own
personal filter, creating your "reality." In other words... it means we are in charge of creating what shows up in our reality. Well, more specifically, our mind is in control. The beauty of this is... we get to control our own mind, and thereby control our own reality! Take these steps for a quicker "mind- hack" and start creating the reality you want:
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become." ~Buddha~
1. LET GO of the past. Sometimes we think that things are happening to us because our previous experiences have imprinted themselves on us and shaped us into who we are now. However, the very best news I can share with you is that your past has absolutely nothing to do with your future! What you feel presently is actually what shapes your future. Let go of the past as it relates to your views, opinions, and perceptions about others, about yourself, or about how certain situations show up in your life. 2. Change your story, change your mind. Create a new, very specific story for yourself that feels really good. Visualize it and own it! As you live this story, you will find yourself in a calm mindset.... and that's where your power lies. 3. This is the key: KNOW your power and put all of your focus on it. You are the author of your own book. So fill the pages with whatever you desire! Even if you have evidence of a past behavior in someone that you would like to change (or in yourself) ... remember, you are letting that go! It's time to move forward. 4. Have a good laugh. Laughter can be truly magical. It's an amazing way to pivot into a new state of mind. Laughter has physical, medicinal qualities that will bring us back to a state of calm and joy. Try to find humor in a circumstance, have a good laugh at yourself, or find people who make you laugh. Every situation can be improved with a little creativity.
the most loving person to yourself, and then extend that same treatment to everyone and everything else around you. You will know you are living your power when you feel there is nothing to let go of anymore. You simply and naturally know to move forward in love as you focus on what you want to create next. Follow these steps and you'll start to change your mind and your mindset to one of calm. With this new, powerful mind, you will begin to see the magic happen right in front of you!
MARY LYNN ZIEMER IS A MASTER OF ADVANCED LIFE CONCEPTS, AND IS INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN AS A CERTIFIED MASTER LIFE AND BUSINESS COACH, AUTHOR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, AND A
TRENDSETTING ENTREPRENEUR. VISIT WWW.LIVINGAJOYFULLIFENOW.COM
5. Feel the love. You need to become the kindest and
Page 17
To get the most out of your week, Focus On Mastering Your Energy, Not Productivity
While the world may pull you in many directions and introduce distractions, how can you cut through the noise to stay focused
Contributed by Anna Choi
PHOTO: GETTY
on taking action on what truly matters for you? Forget time management. It's about managing your energy — not your time. How do you master your energy? Here's a simple exercise to get started: 1. First, get clear on the current reality of your energy patterns. Download a free app like Toggl where you can track activities offline from one activity to the next. At the end of each activity, your job is simply to record whatever activity you were doing. Be neutral and notice if you are judging yourself. Another free app is RescueTime. Once set up, RescueTime will track all the places you visit online in the course of your day. It can take one or two days to get used to tracking each activity. Initially, you may find it too hard to enter each activity as you do it. Just try experimenting and see if you can get into a rhythm where, at the end of each activity, you click stop activity and start again — this forces you to then determine what you’ll now be focusing on. If you can persevere through the learning curve that comes with activity tracking, it’s worth the insight gained. If you have any resistance to tracking using the apps, you can always journal your main activities throughout the day or use a Microsoft Excel sheet to track every thirty minutes with a timer. While manual tracking tends to not be as accurate to reality, any method will do as long as it fulfills the
purpose of the exercise to track your activities for a set number of days.
Many of my clients expressed how, in just a few days of tracking their activities, they are more present and able to stay focused in their business and in life. See if you can do it for seven days in a row. I think you'll be surprised even after two to three days of tracking what you’ll discover.
2. Next, reflect on your energy patterns.
What activities drained you? Which activities energized you? Put a minus sign by activities that were draining and a plus sign by activities that gave you more energy. Notice if there are any other patterns for your sleep, eating or exercise habits. Sleep is often an area clients struggle with. They can’t sleep deeply, get enough sleep or be consistent with bedtime. Here are some bedtime exercises I recommend by author and mind-body training expert Ilchi Lee that help quiet an overworked brain: Rollbacks: Sitting down, pull your knees into your chest and roll backward and back up. Focus on massaging your spinal cord. Make sure you have a carpet or mat to cushion your back and be gentle on your neck. Do 10-20 repetitions to warm up
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your body.
Utilize a bullet journal method of drawing shapes and coloring them in when habits are completed. Or, simply write the habit out on a piece of paper, put the days of the week across the top, and mark an "x" for each day you complete the habit. Business leaders manage what they measure and measure what matters. When you take the time to build new energy habits, you can more effectively manage your energy day to day. Focusing solely on productivity and efficiency at all costs is not as relevant in today’s times, as it fails to integrate the whole human. When you manage your energy — instead of time — you start treating yourself as a whole human being. You become more conscious, more present and more fulfilled in flow.
Toe-tapping: Next, lie down on your back with your legs down and arms by your sides, palms up. Bring your heels together and tap your toes, rotating your entire thigh and leg as you touch your big toes. You’ll generate lots of heat in your legs, bringing all the distracting thoughts in your brain down to your core and legs. Sleeping tiger: On your back, raise your legs in the air, making a 90-degree angle with your knees and flex your feet toward you. Lift your arms in front of you, flexing your wrists, so your palms face the sky. Picture the soles of your feet and palms of your hands like an energy antenna, feeling around for energy until you can find a relaxing place. With each breath, imagine breathing through the soles of your feet and palms of your hand, accumulating hot energy into your core. Hold still in this position for one to two minutes at first, focusing on slowly inhaling and exhaling like a balloon. Eventually, you can gradually build up to holding this position for 10 or even 20 minutes. All of these exercises are like taking an energy shower at the end of the day, clearing your brain of all its thoughts and to-do’s, relaxing the mind and integrating your brain with your body before bed. 3. Write down any learnings, awakenings and observations in your journal. You’ll naturally discover insights into how easily distractible you are, how much of your day is dictated by your environment or how you have very little rest built into your day. You take it to another level when you capture what you’ve learned on paper. This helps your brain solidify what is being learned by having to articulate your thoughts, then integrate that thought with writing on a page. Now you’re meaningfully connecting your mind and body. From your learnings, choose at least one new energy habit to experiment with, such as going to bed earlier, creating a grounding morning ritual or moving your body for one minute each time you get up to go to the bathroom. Then, track your new energy habit. .
This article was originally published in Forbes.com
Anna Choi, Founder and CEO of SolJoy, Forbes Author, and TEDx Speaker, serves high achieving, creative, conscious business leaders who want to quiet the mind chatter, cut through distractions, and tap into boundless energy to create leaders with more health, happiness, and peace. Our vision is that world peace starts with inner peace, providing workshops, corporate wellness, and online membership programs to catalyze a tipping point in elevating humanity's consciousness through communities. Her work blends ancient wisdom, brain education, and mindful movements as a student of two enlightened, living energy masters H.H. Sai Maa and Ilchi Lee, Certified Dahn (Energy) Master, Martial Artist, Korean Yoga - Qigong - Tai Chi Instructor, second generation Korean American social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Anna founded the Conscious Leadership Foundation training educators in helping their students cultivate mindfulness and emotional resilience through their partner Brain Power Wellness.
Learn more at www.annasunchoi.com/media
Page 19
LEONARD COHEN
PHOTOGRAPHER: WESLEY CARVALHO
Power of Thinking to Create Rhythm
Your rhythm is a hum that creates harmony, coherency and tranquility.
Contributed by Haseena Shaheed-Jackson
potential, tapping into your gifts and talents. What is the purpose of harmony? Harmony enables you to have calm during the storms and struggles. You use the calm to keep you level and at peace so that you can withstand and endure. There will be times of uncertainty; however, this is when you lean in to your harmony so that you can be level-headed to make informed decisions. What is the purpose of coherency? Coherency provides clarity and consistency. You have clarity in your purpose. You are clear on where you are going. Your purpose and vision are clear. When you are clear, you have focus. Focus to identify the what’s and how’s. The steps and actions that you need to take. What is the purpose of tranquility? Your mind and spirit are free from agitation and turmoil. You are stable and steady in your thoughts and actions. Distractions gain no ground in your plans and strategies. You know that you have the power not others and things. You do not allow negativity and doubt to take root in your thoughts
keep
you
from
pressing
forward.
Creates movement that is required for progression. Fosters consistency that results in accountability and commitment. Rhythm is defined as a strong, regular and repeated pattern of movement or sound. It is repetitious and recurrent. Rhythm is the ordered recurrence of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound or speech. There are two benefits to rhythm. Your rhythm vibrates just like an engine. You control your rhythm by the power of your thinking. Thinking that provides you with clarity, courage, desire and focus. Thinking that aids you in developing habits that result in achievement and success. What is that humming? Within you there is a humming that is your mind constantly in movement because it is filled with your thoughts and beliefs. Thoughts and beliefs that you must keep grounded in positive principles. The power of your positive thoughts will move you to take action. Actions which force you to utilize your
Rhythm rises and falls in intensity.
There will be times that your rhythm will be strong and weak. In the weak periods, take time to add value to yourself and to refuel. Weak periods are intended to give you time to pause, reflect, evaluate and recharge. Do not view low periods as times to be discouraged instead view these as times where you are to concentrate on maintenance and upkeep. Just like an engine, your rhythm requires maintenance to be kept in good condition. Take time to increase your knowledge and develop your skills. Possibly sign up for training, or develop a new skill; however, do not stop moving forward. As you continue to add value to yourself, you will make adjustments to the intensity of your rhythm. Your intensity will again be strong. Your goal is to create rhythm that is durable and resilient to keep you moving forward using your potential realizing success. For more visit hsjackson.com
Page 21
5 Keys to Amazing Success With Your Soul as Your Business Partner
CONTRIBUTED BY LAURIE MORSE
Did you know that your business can be a catalyst for your Soul growth? Are you aware that your Soul is possibly your best business partner? I didn’t, until years after starting my business.
If you think about it, most of us have at least one of these
areas that force growth. The Soul wants what the Soul wants and that is evolution. It wants to expand Love. Full stop.
Here are the 5 Keys:
All growth and evolution is for that purpose. Stasis is painful.
thing… your Soul or Higher Self IS a Creative Life Force. It’s the same energy that’s beating your heart, pumping your blood, and digesting your last meal as we speak. You and I are literally extensions of the Creative Life Force, and it loves to play in business, but we’ve got to invite this Creative, Intelligent Life Force to the table in a more conscious way. Make inquiries of it, such as “how can I increase sales?”, or “what’s the best way to deal with this situation?”, or “what do you know about my market or product that I don’t know yet?” “What thinking patterns do I need to change to align with the success I desire?” Could be a long list, but you get the idea. Every time I’ve asked a question of my heart (the portal to our Soul) I’ve
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Business as a Path of Healing and Awakening CEO / COO Creative Life Force – Creative Process Light or Tight Guidance Delegating to the Universe
The arena of business creates an amazing path for healing and growth.
2. 3.
CEO / COO
4. 5.
As business leaders, we’re general capable of doing a lot of different things. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Years ago, when I began inviting my Higher Self to advise and partner with me (out of sheer desperation I might add), I was stunned as to how things got easier, decisions and solutions were readily available, and stress transformed into a serenity that I wouldn’t trade for anything. My business became a joy to run.
Business as a Path of Healing and Awakening
Generally, human beings don’t do ‘preventative growth’, we will however, consider up leveling when all other avoidance strategies to grow have been employed. Also known as, my back is against the wall, and I must do something now!
The primary arenas that get our attention for growth…
Creative Life Force – Creative Process
Work, business, the pursuit of success Health Relationships Money
This is a topic I could talk endlessly about. Here’s the
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received an answer. And the answers are brilliant. I usually put my hand on my heart and ask out loud. Sometimes I even talk with the Creative Life Force, like I would a girlfriend over a glass of wine. Tell her about the situation and ask for guidance. Try it and see. Creative Processes that are like dates with your Higher Self, cultivating a bond and relationship between your Then there are head and heart that any businessperson would envy in a partner.
When you’re in the block of time for one way, you’ll envision having made the decision this way, you’ll see yourself as if that’s the choice you made. Go on about your business as if this is the choice you made and notice what you feel in your body, specifically in your heart and gut area. Then do the same thing as if you made a different choice. Imagine this is the way you decided to go and everything you can think of that would unfold as a result of having chosen this way. Notice what you feel in your body. Don’t judge yourself or control any of this. It’s an exercise whereby you’re including your Higher Self, who has a much broader perspective of all the elements in play regarding this decision, to give you guidance and feedback by way of your body. Why the body? Because every one of your 50 trillion cells is bursting with wisdom and intelligence, and we feel that in that heart/gut area. Our head alone can’t access all this wisdom. The choice that gives me the lightest feeling is the choice I go with. It’s always served me incredibly well. It only backfires if I try to talk myself nto going with the choice that made me feel tight or tense in my gut, then I usually have a mess to clean up.
The Universe is like having a team of high-level employees that you don’t have to pay. I ask the Universe to find me a good virtual assistant, send new clients, get my book published, help me learn a new skill…on and on it goes. All you have to do is place your order as if you were ordering lunch and wanted things a particular way. Be specific and don’t hold back, it’s astounding the support we have available from the friendly Unified Field or Quantum Universe. proven repeatedly to deliver my request in ways I could have never imagined. Always better. But we gotta ask. This Field has
Light or Tight Guidance
Most people in business operate with more head than heart because we’re operating inside a business model that has been mostly analytically driven for centuries. It hasn’t been easy to forge a new model, but it’s easier now than ever. Here’s one simple thing you can play with that I call Light or Tight. Think of something you need to make a decision about, not a decision with huge consequences, but something to practice on. Now choose an equal amount of time to devote to both sides of the coin…it could be 15min. each side, an hour, a half day etc. The idea is that you’ll devote the same amount of time to a choice as if you’ll be making it one way, and then the other amount of time as if you’re making the decision different way.
Enjoy playing in the playground we call business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ms. Morse holds a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a degree in Art and the Creative Process, and is a Certified Intentional Creativity Teacher. For the past 30 years, she has been the Director of Holistic Health Services in San Diego, California, and the founder and director of the Sacred Health Academy, an online educational journey dedicated to reclaiming health and wholeness. She has authored two best-selling books: “The Art of Returning to Love: How to Show Fear and Stress the Exit and HEAL”, and “Reverse Heart Disease Naturally: The Woman's Guide to Not Die before Your Time.” For more, www.CreatetoHEALStudio.co m Page 23
Delegating to the Universe
Intentional Impact
You are not the darkness that you have come through.
You are not the darkness that surrounds you.
You, my love, are the light that refuses to give up.
Your path has not been easy, I know it’s true.
But all those times you thought you would not make it through… you did.
If you can make it through the temporary pain, the world at your fingertips is what you will gain.
The spirit that is within you is not something that can be contained.
It was never meant to be boxed up, to be stamped down, to be told to be quiet.
You are a glorious individual.
You are meant for greatness, you were built to take on the struggles that come from walking with kings and queens.
Without darkness, there would be no light.
Hold your head high, wear your story like armour, and your integrity as a crown.
Step into who you always have been at the core of your being.
The world needs your intentional impact.
Submitted by Mariel Anderson #SeeTheLightBeTheLight
https://www.instagram.com/mariel.nichole/
Success isn't just about what you accomplish in your life,
it's about what you inspire others to do.
DEVELOPING THE ATTRIBUTES TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.
“Why did I say that? What was I Thinking.”
Written by Ellen Moran
This is sadly a familiar experience for most of us. Something that feels threatening happens and it triggers an automatic, impulsive reaction. What you said, didn’t come from your best and more mature self. It didn’t produce the result you wanted. With 20-20 hindsight and cooled down emotion, you can think of better ways to respond, that would have been far more successful. Often these impulsive responses are described as bad habits, e.g., “I have a bad habit of getting angry when….” I have a bad habit of avoiding situations when…” Habits, by their very nature, are ways of thinking and behaving that the brain has made automatic, outside of our awareness. When things don’t go the way you hoped or intended, there is an alternative to browbeating yourself with the rhetorical question, “Why did I say that”? I know better!” You can discover the specific, below conscious, thinking habits that are getting in the way of what you want. Imagine what would be different in your business, life, or career, if you knew what thinking habit caused you to make an error in judgment? Then, even better, what if you could switch into your best thinking and instantly open different, more effective ways of responding? You can do this using the process of Self-Leadership. Its focus is on noticing and directing your own thinking. You can recognize when you feel your
biased, automatic thinking taking over and then purposefully shift to
your inner wisdom instead. While the complete process involves identifying your own unique, good, and biased thinking habits, there are some general ways you can start practicing right away. Tip 1 The process starts with identifying something important you want to achieve—something that will create greater value for you and those important to you. Contrary to what many people believe, the key to success is not to focus on the goal and the action steps, but rather, to focus primarily on developing the attributes required to achieve the goal (purpose). You can express these in terms of what personal attributes need to BE MORE and BE LESS to be capable of accomplishing what you want. For example, if you want to complete a difficult assignment, you might need to be:
more disciplined and less distractible more confident and less self-doubting more positive and less complaining
By keeping these attributes intentionally front and center, you may will notice yourself starting to acquire them.
Tip 2 A second strategy to pull out of the BE LESS negative thinking habits and move closer to your BE MORE positive ones, is to
regularly ask yourself what is termed the Central Question.
What choice can I make, and action can I take in this moment to create the greatest net value? In this moment thinking shifts from just yourself to what will bring the
greatest benefit to those impacted by your choice (including yourself).
Curious to learn more? www.leadershipdialogues.com
| The Bellwether |
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS EMPOWER OTHERS, ENABLING THEM TO ACHIEVE WILLINGLY. NARCISSISTIC LEADERS
USE THEIR POWER OVER OTHERS TO MAKE THEM DO THINGS.
NICK FEWINGS
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thoughts are lurking in the Background? Again, the key here is just to notice. If you find yourself resisting what you see, notice that! Take inventory. Are you doing or thinking anything that is causing you stress? What are you doing or thinking that isn’t in alignment with your values or goals? Do something different. What can you do, right now if possible, to create more peace?
in. It gives you a chance to bring your attention to your state of body and mind. For some, this may be the hardest part! The world most of us live in doesn’t really reward slowing down, does it? If you find this part challenging, consider that an indication of how much you need it! So...next time you’re beginning to feel yourself getting stressed or overwhelmed, try the following... Pause. Stop whatever you're doing for a moment and check in with your body. The body never lies. The Pause is about noticing your baseline state of tension. Here’s the key: All change begins with noticing. How are you doing? Be specific: ✓ Where can you notice tension building in your body? ✓ Where can you notice tension or restriction in your breathing? ✓ What emotions or stressful
Let’s start by considering three words… 1. Slow 2. Breathe 3. Expand I promise, that will make more sense in a moment. For now, just know that these three steps are all you need to… ✓ Catch stress when it's building... before it becomes a problem. ✓ Access a state of peace and clarity that is always present and available, regardless of circumstances. ✓ Develop bullet-proof resilience.
Try some of the following practices...
Step Two: Breathe
Breathing is underrated as a tool to reduce stress. Here’s a simple breathing exercise (used by the Navy SEALs) that you can use anytime. Lengthen Your Exhale. All there is to this one is to make your exhale longer than your inhale. With all these exercises, be sure to control your breath, especially the exhale.
Step One: Slow Down.
Slowing down is about checking
1. Sit quietly, with your hands
Photo:bowmandigitalmedia
space within which all your experience occurs.
6. Notice that this space has certain qualities...
in solving a particular pro blem. For example, if you’re struggling with stress, consider the perspective of someone you may know (or imagine) who always seems to be peaceful or balanced. Imagine you could see your challenges through their eyes. How might they view this challenge differently than you? The second way is all about you. The deeper You. What you might call your True Self. The following exercise may seem odd at first. Please stick with it to the end before you decide if it has any value or not.
a. Peace b. Clarity c. Expansiveness
7. Rest as this space for anywhere from one minute to an hour. Notice whatever you notice. 8. Practice viewing any stress or challenge from the perspective of this space of awareness. So...to review...all you really need to remember are the three words I offered in the beginning: 1. Slow 2. Breathe 3. Expand That’s it. Practice these steps from time to time when you don’t need them, and they’ll be there for you when you do. My background includes a variety of training and experiences that led me to this profession. I have degrees in psychology and chiropractic. I've studied human transformation with some of the most brilliant minds in the world. I've trained in martial arts for 45 years. I've also been picked on as a kid, declared bankruptcy and been divorced. You can never tell which life experiences will produce the greatest gifts unless you stay in the game.
over your belly. 2. Breathe in through your nose slowly and easily into your abdomen for a count of about 4 seconds. 3. Exhale through your mouth slowly for a count of about 8 seconds. 4. Do this for about 5 minutes or as long as necessary to restore calm and focus. You can modify the timing as long as your exhale is longer than your inhale. Pay attention and trust your experience.
It’s All Awareness.
1. Notice an object in your external environment...it could be anything. Just become aware of it. 2. Now, gradually become aware of the space surrounding that object. 3. Allow that space to continue to expand as far as you can imagine. Just be aware of that space. 4. Now, shift your attention from the space to your awareness of the space itself.
Step Three: Expand Your Perspective
I want to offer you a different way of thinking about stress. Consider that stress often occurs because we have allowed ourselves to become caught up in a perspective that actually perpetuates that stress! What we’re going to learn here is how to shift your perspective towards peace. I’m going to show you two different ways to do that. The first way is simply to consider the perspective of someone who already has the resources that you feel you lack
5. Become aware of that awareness as the endless
Dr. Fred Blum www.EnergyRichLiving.net
Page 29
After The Game
| The Bellwether |
Former Harlem Globetrotter Herbert "Flight Time" Lang, a native of Brinkley, has several new projects that have been in the works the past year or so, including giving a TEDxWilmington talk which aired on April 30. In his talk, Herb discusses his philosophy on life and the impact of kindness on society. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. He’s currently working with a Hollywood production company to develop one of his many television show concepts, as wellas improving his skills as an actor, producer, and being a good human. He recently finished filming for the movie “Sweetwater” which is the story of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first African American to land an NBA contract. Herb portrays former Harlem Globetrotter Louis “Babe” Pressley. He is pictured with cast-mate and former
Catching up with Herb “Flight Time” Lang latest adventures: movie, TedX Talk, Youth Clinic Reprinted with permission from the Monroe County Herald, Brinkley, AR. Written by Emily Johnson
Globetrotter teammate Kevin “Special K” Daley who plays Reece “Goose” Tatum. Also starring in the movie are Richard Dreyfuss, Cary Elwes, and Eric Roberts. Herb is a 1994 graduate of Brinkley and graduated from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1998. While there, he led the Trans-America Athletic Conference in scoring and won the National Association of Basketball Coaches Slam Dunk Contest. The Globetrotters invited him to their training camp in 1999, and he spent 18 years as a player and coach with the team. He traveled to nearly 100 countries and interacted with various influential dignitaries during that time. He also participated in numerous TV shows and contests, including three seasons of The Amazing Race and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? He wrote about his unique journey in his book “Projects, Popes and Presidents.” Herb, a lifelong Razorback fan who still cheers on U of A sports teams, now lives in Ruskin, Florida with his wife Elena. He speaks about concepts from his books as an on-air correspondent and inspirational speaker. He also facilitates sports clinics for young people and is currently making plans for a second Youth Basketball Clinic in Brinkley. Co-sponsored by the Brinkley School Hall of Fame, the clinic will be open to students in Brinkley and the surrounding area. This Youth Clinic is being planned for later this year, but a date has not yet been determined. Any organizations or individuals interested in partnering with this event should contact Herb at datrotter4@gmail.com.
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