Mynde Mayfield's Page

Tonight on BlogTalkRadio.com, I'll be sharing an interview with Susan Weber, Executive VP for E-Myth WorldWide (e-myth.com). Susan does a fantastic job at giving any small business owner an overview of the business classic from Michael E. Gerber The Emyth Revisited - Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What To Do About it.

Also, I wanted to share a book group opportunity with you. We meet on Monday nights from 6-7pm Pacific. When I say we, I mean a small mastermind of other coaches and fearless friends that are committed to growth and passionate about expanding themselves and their businesses in a group environment. If you'd like to join us, all you need is the book and long-distanced enabled telephone. Email me for details. This week we're reading Chapter 2 - The Entrepreneur, The Manager and The Technician.

Michael Gerber is fearless. You can discover why I think so by watching this short 3-minute video and/or tune-in tonight at 7pm Pacific to listen, chat at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/myndemayfield:



Discover more about Michael Gerber on his Squidoo page.

Byron Katie introduced me to a method of self-inquiry that supports me to see things differently. I learned during coach training about "reframing" which is exactly what happens when you ask yourself her four simple questions:

1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

Tonight on BlogTalkRadio.com, I am featuring an audio presentation of The Work in action. In this selection from http://everypathis.org/ entitled "What We Do For Love" we explore a concept of seeking approval from others and how we show up in our lives when we seek approval from outside ourselves. Fearless Living taught me to ask myself the question, "What if I gave what I'm seeking to myself? Then how would I show up?"

Byron Katie says,

I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always.

In her third book, Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life we are offered a way to see how our stories stay alive and cause us immense pain as we hold on to making them right or true. We find a pathway of letting go of what is hurting us and seeing ourselves and our world with more innocence.

There's more great stuff on Byron Katie's Squidoo page.

Have you heard of Pema Chodron? She is one of my favorite teachers. A Buddhist nun that shows me my humanity with humor and supports me to deepen my practice with self-acceptance. In this video, Pema talks about a Sanskrit word called "maitri" which she defines as unconditional friendship with self.



Tonight, on my radio show I'm introducing a small portion of Pema's 3-CD set called Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns & Encountering Naked Reality. Check it out on archive or live if you'd like to tonight at BlogTalkRadio.

If you are curious to learn more about Pema, you could visit this fabulous Squidoo page I discovered.

If you are a fan of Pema's already or enjoy what I've shared on my blog or on the show, please feel free to comment.

Though difficult, this powerful spiritual practice benefits body and soul

Q: If holding negative emotions inside affects our health, it would be a good idea to forgive people when they hurt us. But tell me, how do you forgive? I've never been able to.

A: This is a tough one! Forgiveness is so difficult for all of us, even though I suspect it's probably the most powerful spiritual practice on the planet and, when genuine, very good for our health. Most people hang on to resentment because they believe that if they forget, they'll be open to hurt again. It's the psyche's way of trying to stay safe. So let me first say that you can forgive and still not be a chump. It doesn't mean you're going back for more abuse. Those are two separate things.

Second, let me say that it takes a lot of resentment to translate into an actual, physical health problem, and that too depends on the constitution and genes of the resentment holder, so it's not a good idea to try and scare yourself, health-wise, into forgiving!

Negative emotions aren't necessarily bad for you; it's important to acknowledge and own all our feelings. Denying feelings is potentially worse for your health. But, yes, generally speaking, it's best to acknowledge emotion, feel it for a while, and then release it if at all possible.

Forgiveness is usually a slow, gradual process, so it's best not to expect an instant, magical transformation! Here's what I suggest.

Every day, state your intention to let go of your anger and resentment. Don't push, demand, or harangue yourself about it. Just state your wish and resolve, even if you feel ambivalent about it.

You can even state it as a daily affirmation. Believe it or not, these work, hokey as they can seem. You could say something to yourself like, "More and more, I can imagine the possibility of forgiving so-and-so."

You also want to make it clear to yourself that you are doing this for you--to make your heart freer and your life lighter.

Your mind will want to keep returning to the original offense. But it is important to remember that every time you go back to thinking about the offense, you are re-injuring yourself. So you need to redirect your attention to something else--an image, symbol, idea, or memory of something nourishing and sustaining to you. You can use words like, "I choose to focus my mind on that which nourishes me." Keep redirecting your attention away from the injury, not because you're in denial over it, but because it no longer serves you to dwell on it.

Ask for help with this from all your sources--friends, guides, spiritual helpers, God, ancestors, teachers--visible and invisible, alive or long gone. Some people call this prayer. But if that word isn't in your lexicon, that's OK, too. Just call it "asking for help."

One day, forgiveness will tiptoe in and take up gentle occupancy in your heart. Be patient. Forgiveness happens.



Do you have any questions about healing, intuition, or guided imagery? Ask our expert, imagery pioneer Belleruth Naparstek, the creator of the Health Journeys tape series and founder of The Guided Imagery Resource Center. Contact her at columnists@staff.beliefnet.com.

Are you aching for something in your life to make it more meaningful? I know sometimes, I wonder... if the world if ready. After viewing this video, my reasons for choosing Fearless Living, for choosing coaching and becoming a coach... all become anchored again.

If you feel overwhelmed and frightened by the state of our world, by the state of our Government, our economy, where else will you turn? Where else can you turn? The only place that's left.... Within. This is why your consciousness matters to me.