Happy Healthy Wealthy Wise with Honey Ward

What better time to save on programs and support to help you live more powerfully- to fully and authentically be yourSelf, with love, pride, and passion?

Until this Saturday, the 9th of July only, give yourself an extra discount off the already-low early-bird price for events and personal support geared toward YOU and your successful life.

You know that even a good life feels ordinary after a while.

It’s time to break through to a more powerful way of living. You know you want to, and the price (and the time) will never be better.

The Experience, August 12-15 in Santa Fe

Experience YOUR Power — when you’re ready to live at 100%!

The Experience is an in-depth journey into a more powerful, expansive, and joyous life. If you’ve never done any work with us, you’ll want to begin with this seminar.

You’ll gain tools and experiences that help you be more loving of yourself and others; you’ll let go of the old baggage from the past; and you’ll learn to trust yourself to come out in all ways so you can live your very best life.

You’ll create heartfelt connections, improve your self-esteem, deepen your sense of spirit, and feel a richer sense of personal power.

And when you go home, you’ll have tools to operate on a higher plane, creating more success in every area of your life

It’s time to start designing the life you choose, and stop simply reacting to what comes your way.

Whatever you want more (or less) of in your life, The Experience can help. Once you start naturally expanding your consciousness and understanding more about how to achieve the results you choose with awareness and intention, there is no end to what you can accomplish.

Here’s one report:

“I’m working at the Academy Awards this week and life is exciting and busy. I apply your material each and every day. IT WORKS!”
—-Gregory Lehr, California

Maybe you’d like to know more about yourself and what makes you tick:

“The Experience is a great tool for learning more about the way we process emotions and how to empower yourself to take control of those emotions in order to live a full and happy life.”
—Libby Terrell, Georgia

Maybe you are interested in creating richer, more satisfying relationships:

“The Experience motivated me to bravely tread up to a personal precipice, take stock and make the changes necessary for happiness and love in my life. I ended a non productive and obligatory relationship, and gained a new comfort with myself and a trust in my decisions. What followed for me is the healthiest and happiest relationship with a life partner who shares a vision of self actualization, community service, wellness and fun.”
—- Atma Wiseman, New Mexico

Or you may be ready for expansion with no particular agenda:

“I didn’t know what to expect-I just went with an open mind and an open heart. I left with a more enriched and a very enlightening “consciousness” of who I am. More importantly, I learned valuable tools that I can use right away to start living better.”
– Margie Archer, Georgia

That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you can achieve in The Experience.

Regular low price, $475

Early bird discount, $375

SUMMER SPECIAL — Save $50 off the early bird price!

You get The Experience for only $325 when you register by July 9th.

You MUST type the words Summer Experience on the registration form to instantly save $50!

Details and registration www.ExperienceYourPower.com

And if you’ve already taken The Experience some time in the last 30 years, you can review for only $200 (normally $250).

Invite your friends and family, too.

The Intensive, October 13-17 in Santa Fe

What would your life be like if you really let yourself “go for it”?

Imagine yourself out of your head and into your heart, in action, living from your vision, being totally outrageous!

This adventure takes everything you learned in The Experience and ratchets it up several levels, so you can be more powerful and joyous and the visionary authority in your life.

The Intensive is four fabulous days for you to deepen, connect, and start really living out of your biggest Self

And play, play, play !

The Intensive builds on the teachings of The Experience, so you must take that seminar first (available August 12-15, see above).

Regular low price, $895

Early bird discount, $775

SUMMER SPECIAL — Save $75 off the early bird price!

Take The Intensive for only $700 when you register by July 9th!

You MUST type the code LOVEINTENSIVE on the registration form to instantly save $75!

Details and registration www.ExperienceYourPower.com

And if you’ve already taken The Intensive some time in the last 30 years, you can review for only $425 (normally $500).

Vision 2012, December 28 to January 1

Begin the new year with a clear head and a full heart!

Join like-spirited visionaries for individual and collective opportunities to contemplate, meditate, participate in ceremonies and rituals, journal, sing, and dance-all designed to help you connect more deeply with all of life.

There is also lots of free time for visiting with friends old and new, for hot-tubbing, peaceful walks in nature, and enjoying the incomparable New Mexico skies.

Begin 2012 refreshed and inspired, with a clear plan and vision for the new year.

Everyone is invited; there are no prerequisites.

The price includes the complete program, all meals, and four nights’ lodging.

Regular low price, $1375-$975 depending on accommodations

SUMMER SPECIAL — Save $75 off the early bird price!

Save $75 on any category of accommodations when you register by July 9th!

You MUST type the code LOVEVISION on the registration form to instantly save $75!

Details and registration www.ExperienceYourPower.com

Success Coaching

If you’re tired of feeling as though you have to do it all alone, and ready to start achieving your goals in every area of life, you are ready for Success Coaching.

Success Coaching is a partnership that supports you to live more powerfully, and to produce the results you say you want.

What do you want your life to look like 12 months from now?

Whatever it is, you can do it and I can help!

This life-altering dynamic support is a bargain at $1,995 for an entire year.

It includes two private phone calls each month with assignments and email support in between.

Imagine what you can produce in the next 12 months with a professional coach on your side!

And when you sign up for the 12-month package right now, you can save $500.

Get all this support, and more, for just $1,495 for a whole year!

You receive personal and individual coaching with me, so please understand that there is a limited amount of space available.

If you are ready to kick your life up a notch, you’ll want to sign up today.

Register NOW for the 12-month Success Coaching package, and start living your dreams!

Regular low price, $1,995

SUMMER SPECIAL – Save $500!

Twelve full months of Success Coaching for only $1,495 when you register by July 9th (save $500).

You MUST type the words Summer Coaching on the registration form to instantly save $100!
For more details and to sign up, www.ExperienceYourPower.com

Until Friday, July 8th only, register for ANY PROGRAM we offer and save an off the already low price!

It’s easy, and fun– just visit www.ExperienceYourPower.com
and click on the appropriate link to save!

Take advantage of these great low summer rates for personal expansion and DO IT TODAY, because on July 10th, the specials will be over!

Thanks and love,

Honey

P.S. Please share this message with people you care about and invite them to join us, too. Thanks.

I envision a just and peaceful world, in which all people achieve their full potential and live with love, respect and compassion.

The daughter of a socially and professionally prominent New Jersey family (dad was a judge), Barb Rubin’s life always looked successful from the outside, and in many ways, it was.

She got a good education and created a successful psychotherapy practice over 30 years, serving adults and children in Florida and Georgia.

And yet there was this itch… a secret fantasy which totally didn’t fit with the program, so she pushed it down. Way down. For a long, long time.

Fortunately, it didn’t stay down forever. Barb’s blossoming has been a process over time, and she says The Experience and other programs we offer have had a major impact on her life today.

In some ways it’s all about the theater, starting with psychodrama, and moving on to a more literal interpretation.

But wait, there’s more…

Barb participated in The Experience in 1996 at the loving suggestion of a new girlfriend. She “needed to know there were other people out there like me who were actually living fully expressed lives as LGBT people.” Barb went on to live more and more “full out,” in relationships, with her family, and in her work.

She saw role models at The Experience and began to gain mastery over the fearful places in her life by way of the step-by-step tool called the Consciousness Measuring Scale(c).

Feeling more adventurous, before long she jumped into the advanced course we call
The Intensive. Barb says for her it was all about truly integrating herself and her joy.
A self-described funny person who loves to play, she was still compartmentalizing her happiness.

The Intensive helped her access her joy in every area of life, and unlock her real delight. Barb’s commitment to really play in her life vs staying safe in her successful, but way too cerebral, world, started to take form here.

I also remember Barb gaining mastery over a big fear during the stretch process of The Intensive, and we can save that story for another day.

A decade after her first Experience workshop, Barb gave herself the gift of attending again. She was single at the time, eager to “remember what she already knew, deep in the center of her being.” She was looking through the lens of a woman 10 years older, a big career success, yet still feeling unfulfilled in her personal relationships.

Perhaps you can relate.

Barb’s focus this time was on opening up, changing behavior, and becoming the type of person she wanted to attract. “I actually got clear on what I was looking for and found someone at The Experience I thought offered serious relationship potential.”

Barb and Linda have now been together in a vibrant and loving relationship for four years!

Barb also took advantage of Success Coaching and says the one-on-one support and accountability helped her set and achieve her goals, while reinforcing everything she had gained in the seminars and retreats.

Our year-end spiritual retreats (the next one is Vision 2012) have been a part of Barb’s New Year’s celebration many years since 1996. For her they are “tone-setting events for the year, with like-minded folks who are capable of sharing themselves and living by the principles of The Experience.”

Vision also offers a wonderful opportunity to express her more playful and joyful self!

Each of these events offers something special – they helped Barb know herself better, open up more and more to her own truth (vs outside ideas of success), and gave her the skills and tools she needed to begin “going for it” in bigger and bolder ways.

Now she has begun to “scratch that itch” – stepping boldly into the secret fantasy she has always had, but never shared with anyone “in case I never ended up doing it, or in case I sucked.”

Barb’s secret fantasy is to work backstage in the theater as a stage manager, holding all the pieces of a production together. No doubt her decades of psychotherapeutic skill will come in handy here!

How’s it going, you might wonder-
She’s now brought her successful psychotherapy practice to completion, and is coming to Santa Fe at the end of the month to assistant stage manage a production of “Cole,” a show about the life of Cole Porter (in which my sister Phoebe is performing).

Barb also has a stage managing gig lined up for October in the East.

Her new full-time job is networking, and gaining the skills and know-how to make a go of this passion which has always been there for her.

There are a lot of factors in all our lives, including Barb’s. She’s got a new eating plan she swears by, and has developed a regular personal practice that supports her more powerful way of life.

And what she says is that her ability to own her dreams and passionately act on them is a direct result of The Experience and other programs we make available, and the concepts, insights, and skills she gained there.

Barb says now she knows everybody can make it (including her), she believes in her role in creating what can be possible, she expects abundance, she lets herself remember that deep in the center of her being is an infinite well of love, and all she has to give and receive is love. And there’s more.

Seeing the story of Barb’s expansion over the past 15 years – reclaiming her power and trusting herself to bring her secret fantasy to life – is inspiring to me.

I hope it sparks something in you, too.

No matter where you are in your life–
The closets you are in (sexual orientation is just one version)
The ways you hold back from full self-expression
The old practices and decisions that keep you stuck
The burdens of the past you carry around
The dreams you still keep from the light of day,

Barb’s story tells us there is more, and it’s ripe for the picking!

It doesn’t happen over night, and with focus and commitment, building internal strength and infrastructure, getting the support you need, and taking action, step by step, it happens.

It takes guts to strike out on a new road, and if it has integrity for you, it’s your path.

There is nothing more important in your life than your life. Don’t wait 30 years to discover and realize your version of a more powerful way of being in the world.

Whatever your “itch” is, start going for it today – make a commitment to yourself, take a step of some sort, you can do it!!

Love,

Honey

PS I offer tools, experiences, inspiration, and sometimes a kick in the pants along the way, all designed to support you in living YOUR life, full out, making a difference as you give and receive love.

If “good enough” isn’t good enough for you anymore, as it wasn’t for Barb Rubin, it’s up to you to take your next step!

PPS Early enrollment pricing is available and space is limited for The Experience, The Intensive, and Vision 2012. I have a few Success Coaching spots available if you want to work with me one-on-one. Click Here – www.ExperienceYourPower.com

I think I’ve been pretty clear on my position here,” [President Obama] said. “And that is, is that this country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights; one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely. And what that means is that if you could build a church on a site, you could build a synagogue on a site, if you could build a Hindu temple on a site, then you should be able to build a mosque on the site.”

The president went on to explain, “We are not at war against Islam. We are at war against terrorist organizations that have distorted Islam or falsely used the banner of Islam to engage in their destructive acts. And we’ve got to be clear about that. We’ve got to be clear about that because … if we’re going to successfully reduce the terrorist threat, then we need all the allies we can get. The folks who are most interested in a war between the United States or the West and Islam are al Qaeda. That’s what they’ve been banking on.

“And fortunately, the overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world are peace-loving, are interested in the same things that you and I are interested in: how do I make sure I can get a good job, how can I make sure that my kids get a decent education, how can I make sure I’m safe, how can I improve my lot in life. And so they have rejected this violent ideology for the most part, overwhelmingly.

“And so from a national security interest, we want to be clear about who the enemy is here. It’s a handful, a tiny minority of people who are engaging in horrific acts — and have killed Muslims more than anybody else.

“The other reason it’s important for us to remember that is because we’ve got millions of Muslim-Americans, our fellow citizens, in this country. They’re going to school with our kids. They’re our neighbors. They’re our friends. They’re our coworkers. And, you know, when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive, what are we saying to them?

“I’ve got Muslims who are fighting in Afghanistan, in the uniform of the United States armed services. They’re out there putting their lives on the line for us, and we’ve got to make sure that we are crystal clear for our sakes and their sakes: They are Americans. And we honor their service. And part of honoring their service is making sure that they understand that we don’t differentiate between ‘them’ and ‘us.’ It’s just ‘us.’”

“It’s like I’ve seen the best movie ever, and I want to share it with everyone I know.”

– David Horowitz

David is a longtime friend and partner in helping to create a world that works for everyone. He’s actively engaged in his profession, community and family.

Two decades ago David’s life began to be positively changed by The Experience.

Now David has stepped up to sponsor the workshop in his hometown of Phoenix from August 20-23.

What this means to you and your friends is that you can participate in this amazing transformational program for only $250 (there are a limited number of spaces at this price – regular cost is $475) and $100 of your tuition goes directly to support a more empowered community through the Human Rights Campaign.

It’s a win for everyone!

When I asked David why he wanted to make this generous gift to others, he said:

“The Experience presented me with all the essential tools for personal and professional success. In a safe and loving environment, I was able to examine and release the obstacles I was putting in my own way.

It’s like I’ve seen the best movie ever, and I want to share it with everyone I know.”

What kind of a difference would “releasing the obstacles” and having “all the essential tools for personal and professional success” make in your life?

If you are like most folks, a lot. And The Experience is truly a gift that keeps on giving– for 2 decades in David’s life (so far), and 3 decades in mine.

At $475 The Experience is a remarkable value, perhaps even under-priced.

If you can even FIND a program of this quality with a 30+ year track record of success, offering personal attention to each participant, taking place over a FULL three days with a follow up evening (includes dinner), and including all program materials, you can easily expect to pay twice as much.

At $250… well, just don’t wait too long to register. Those discounted spots are limited in number.

For more information and to save your space The Experience, simply visit my website CLICK HERE

Your future is what you make it – take charge and start living your dream today!

Love,

Honey Ward
P.S

You have two opportunities to add The Experience to your life this summer:
Santa Fe – August 13-16 or Phoenix – August 20-23

Imagine releasing YOUR roadblocks to success and replacing them with time-tested tools and rich experiences for an even brighter and happier future.

You can do it, we can help. Sign up now and the process begins!

I envision a just and peaceful world, in which all people achieve their full potential and live with love, respect and compassion.

Honey Ward
www.ExperienceYourPower.com
www.HappyHealthyWealthyWise.com (blog)
www.facebook.com/honeyward

1236 Vallecita Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.988.2000

Resources to live more powerfully:
* The Experience
When you’re ready to live at 100%!
August 13-16, 2010 Santa Fe
August 20-23, 2010 Phoenix

* The Intensive
October 14-18, 2010 Santa Fe

* Vision 2010 December 28-January 1
Sunrise Springs Inn Santa Fe

* Success Coaching for Your Personal & Professional Life
You can achieve your dreams and I can help!

* Customized Coursework for your business or organization
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

We’re savoring vacation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai this week. I noticed something interesting while driving around …

Just before crossing the Hanalei River, and at each of the one-lane bridges on the north shore, is a simple sign, “Local Courtesy is 5-7 Cars.”

As a result, a mannerly ballet takes place; 5-7 cars cross from one direction while others wait patiently, and then 5-7 pass from the other side.

Even if there are 10 or more cars waiting, only 5 or so will go before the line halts for the other side to have its turn.

It’s simple, instructions are clear, and everyone plays by the rules.

If only “driving” our lives could be as simple as crossing a one-lane bridge in Hanalei!

Instead, there are few simple instructions, most of them aren’t written out, and sometimes the ones we learned along the way don’t work anymore (if they ever did).

When we find ourselves in a situation (opportunity or predicament, depending on our point of view), too often we are clueless about what to do next.

Nobody ever taught us simple tools for getting out of feeling (or being) stuck, sad, or depressed, yet they exist.

If it feels like we keep hitting the same brick wall, having the same arguments, feeling the same frustrations, what the heck do we do?

When life is going “OK” yet we yearn for more, to feel more powerful and to know our lives make a difference, where is the handy signpost to lead the way?

If we have managed to create a life of abundance, what steps do we take to maintain and build on that accomplishment?

I know the solutions may feel out of reach right now, and promise the answers to these questions, and much, much more, are available to you at The Experience.

In addition, you’ll tap into your own power, and your ability to have more love in your life – first, love for yourself, and then for everyone you encounter (past, present, and future).

In fact, love for life itself!

That is truly a key to your happiness.

Keep opening your heart and mind to new opportunities that add to your joy and satisfaction in this lifetime.

Aloha,

Honey Ward

P.S. The early-enrollment discount for The Experience Santa Fe expires this Thursday, July 15. Be sure to register by 7/15 to save $100!

P.P.S. Sponsored discount price for The Experience Phoenix is for a limited number of spaces.

Register NOW for best pricing on these life-changing events-CLICK HERE

I envision a just and peaceful world, in which all people achieve their full potential and live with love, respect and compassion.

Honey Ward
www.ExperienceYourPower.com
1236 Vallecita Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.988.2000

Resources to live more powerfully:

* The Experience
When you’re ready to live at 100%!
August 13-16 Santa Fe
August 20-23 Phoenix

* The Intensive
October 14-18 Santa Fe

* Vision 2011 December 28-January 1
Sunrise Springs Inn Santa Fe

* Success Coaching for Your Personal & Professional Life
You can achieve your dreams and I can help!

* Customized Coursework for your business or organization

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

You won’t want to miss this special teleclass on living more powerfully, including information about The Experience workshop and some special tools and real life examples to help you live with more passion and joy right NOW.

Please Mark Your Calendar for this Thursday, July 8.

We’ll start promptly at:

2pm Hawaii, 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, 8pm Eastern.

If you are not in one of those time zones, I trust you can do the math and know when to join us!

Save this number – you’ll need it to join the call:

218.862.1300 (you’ll pay normal toll charges if your phone plan includes those).

Conference Code 664612.

Experience Facilitator Honey Ward & Experience Phoenix Sponsor David Horowitz will be sharing the tools we use every day to create a more powerful and joyful life.

Who is this call for?

Anyone interested in having more resources to create and enjoy a more successful life will benefit.

If you’ve already taken The Experience, you’ll gain something, too.

Please invite friends and family to be on this call.

Lines are limited, please call in a few minutes early to make sure you can get in.

Questions/situations/stumbling blocks you want to be sure we cover?

Email them in advance to HoneyWardEmpowerment@gmail.com

This teleclass will be filled with value, and it comes to you at no cost !

I look forward to sharing this special time with you.

Love,

Honey
–
I envision a just and peaceful world, in which all people achieve their full potential and live with love, respect and compassion.

Honey Ward
www.ExperienceYourPower.com
1236 Vallecita Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505.988.2000

Resources to live more powerfully:

* The Experience
When you’re ready to live at 100%!
August 13-16 Santa Fe
August 20-23 Phoenix

* The Intensive
October 14-18

* Vision 2011 December 28-January 1
Sunrise Springs Inn Santa Fe

* Success Coaching for Your Personal & Professional Life
You can achieve your dreams and I can help!

* Customized Coursework for your business or organization

“And the only measure of your words and your deeds,
will be the love you leave behind when you’re gone”

I recently got tragic news – Mark Woodland, an Experience graduate and friend of many years had died suddenly at his home in Phoenix.

When I spoke with Art & Elaine, Mark’s parents, one of the first things Art shared was a sentiment received in a friend’s note about the love we leave behind signifying the value of our lives.

Art told me he remembered hearing that message in the song “Everything Possible” during their 1989 Intensive workshop. Written by Fred Small and sung by angel-voiced Bill McKinley, we still include it today.

You can imagine how touched I was, knowing a song from a workshop two decades ago would still resonate with the Woodlands, and would soothe them in those early hours of grief. That conversation has stuck with me in the weeks since.

Mark’s memorial service included wonderful stories of laughter and travel and friendship, and I kept hearing a thread of connection that included The Experience–

Fred, who enrolled Mark in the workshop ages ago, Andy, the last person Mark himself invited, other rich friendships from throughout Mark’s life, all strands in a network of love.

It got me to thinking…

None of us knows how much time we have, and if LOVE (of yourself, of others, and life itself) really IS the answer, what’s the best way to access that, right now– to really live it, to feel it in our hearts and share it in the world?

I know the workshops that moved and inspired the Woodland family, then and now, are a tried and true way to accomplish that.

They will help you, remind you, even teach you more of what it means to live a life of love and contribution. They also help folks “just say no” to the drama and hurts of the past, and embrace a vision of love.

So in memory of Mark Woodland, and the sacrifice we honor in the U.S. on Memorial Day–

From today until next Wednesday, June 3, we’re having a LOVE sale!

This means The Experience & The Intensive workshops, the Vision 2011 year end spiritual retreat, and one on one Success Coaching are all available at unprecedented discount pricing (most even lower than “at seminar” or the early enrollment offers on the website), so you can easily choose to say YES! to having more love, passion and power in your life.

If you’re ready to start creating a happier and more successful life, or you have friends or other loved ones with whom you’d like to share this gift of love, now is the time.

I won’t take time here to describe all of these remarkable opportunities; please read in detail about each of them at ExperienceYourPower.com , and imagine how much richer your life will be when you’re operating from love, at 100% capacity!

If you are just venturing into this high quality transformational work, please start with The Experience.

Click on links below to explore each option…

The Experience – full price is $475. Your investment is only $300 when you enter LOVEEXPERIENCE in the coupon section.

The Intensive – full price is $895. Your investment is only $650 when you enter LOVEINTENSIVE in the coupon section.

Vision 2011 – full price is $1475-1075 (depending on the lodging option you choose). You save $200 when you enter LOVEVISION in the coupon section.

Success Coaching – full price is $1,995. Your investment is only $1,395 when you enter LOVECOACHING in the coupon section.

You must remember to enter the coupon name for the savings, so you please jot down the ones you want right now, before you read all the details on the website.

Please let me know if you have any questions and remember the LOVE Sale ends on June 3!

________

This weekend we honor those who have passed, those who served with honor, those who understood the power of their lives was a connection to something larger than themselves.

Please use it as an opportunity to remember the power of YOU, the force you are in the world – and to share the love in your heart!

Thank you.

Love,

Honey

P.S. Reviewer prices for workshops are already reduced- everybody has the opportunity to save!

I envision a just and peaceful world, in which all people achieve their full potential and live with love, respect and compassion.

Honey Ward
www.ExperienceYourPower.com
www.HappyHealthyWealthyWise.com (blog)
www.facebook.com/honeyward

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Resources to live more powerfully:
* The Experience
When you’re ready to live at 100%!
August 13-16, 2010 Santa Fe

* The Intensive
October 14-18, 2010 Santa Fe

* Vision 2010 December 28-January 1
Sunrise Springs Inn Santa Fe

* Success Coaching for Your Personal & Professional Life
You can achieve your dreams and I can help!

The Experience and I are featured in the current issue of The Bottom Line Magazine. If you’d like to know more about how The Experience can help you live a more abundant and satisfying life now, or even more about me, grab a cup of coffee and give this a read.

Unfortunately, the photo captions didn’t make it to print–
Top one is V-Day Founder Eve Ensler and Roshi Joan Halifax with me, while the bottom one features Sandy and me enjoying a sunset dinner in Maui.

INTERVIEW

Thanks to Nicholas Snow (ActionEqualsLife.com), actor, activist and Experience graduate, for highlighting our important work.

If you are a graduate of The Experience, how has it impacted your life?

If not, what can you imagine achieving if you add this workshop to your personal repertoire?

I know it is counter-intuitive, just 7 days before Christmas, to think of taking (or giving yourself) a break, however, it might just be the very best thing to do.

Love, Honey

In Praise of Idleness

by Alexander Green

Americans idealize hard work, duty, industry and self-sacrifice.

We know this, in part, by how many terms we have for those who lack these qualities: loafer, idler, shirker, slacker, goof-off, deadbeat, bum, goldbrick, layabout.

As children, we’re taught that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. Idleness is synonymous with laziness – or worse.

But other cultures take a different view. The Japanese have the highly ritualized tea ceremony. The British have afternoon tea, a relaxing half hour with Earl Grey, cucumber sandwiches and genteel conversation.

Mexicans dispense with tea altogether and just take a siesta. (As the Spanish proverb says, “How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards.”)

Successful lives are not always measured by achievement. Too much time at the grindstone can leave us culturally impoverished, spiritually indigent. We should know how to cultivate leisure, to use it to rise to higher levels of grace and intellectual repose.

No sensible life is without periods of indolence. Besides, idleness can be a noble attribute, a virtuous pastime.

Consider that culture itself is a byproduct of leisure. Idleness leads to contemplation, creativity and inventiveness. These, in turn, resolve themselves in literature, poetry, music, philosophy and art.

Downtime is an energizing force, too. It clears our heads and gives us strength. Without it, our concentration is diminished, our immune systems are stressed, our reasoning skills are diminished. We get tired and cranky.

Idleness reflects our status as free men and women. It is an expression of liberty. True idleness is not doing nothing. It’s being free to do anything.

Yet in today’s society, indolence is hard work. Family will poke and prod you. Colleagues will try to motivate you. Even a night on the town comes crashing down when your companion utters those lamentable words, “I really ought to be going. I need to get an early start.”

Yet work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.

Aristotle said, “The great-souled man will not compete for the common objects of ambition… He will be idle and slow to act.”

Mark Twain – whose characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are among the most resourceful loafers in all literature – once wrote, “I have seen slower people than I am – and more deliberate… and even quieter, more listless and lazier people than I am. But they were dead.”

Ronald Reagan, a master of inactivity, once remarked, “It’s true that hard work never killed anybody, but I figure why take the chance?”

Yet, once ingrained, it’s hard for many of us to break free from the Calvinist work ethic, to return to that natural and blessed state of inactivity. In short, we feel guilty.

But we shouldn’t. One can even argue that idleness has a divine sanction. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29)

Hebrew sages even taught that when you are first welcomed into heaven, a record is revealed to you of all the many times in your past when you could really have been happy and enjoyed some moment but failed to do so. And then you are called to repent of each and every one of those moments.

The best lives are not lived in a hurry. Why pursue wealth if not to purchase a bit of leisured contentment? After all, the great end of living is the true enjoyment of it.

Winston Churchill understood this. British historian Paul Johnson recalls the time as a boy when he met the Prime Minister in October 1946:

“He gave me one of his giant matches he used for lighting cigars. I was emboldened by that into saying, ‘Mr. Winston Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?’ and he said without hesitating: ‘Economy of effort. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.’”

And with that, he stepped into his limo and pulled away.

Carpe Diem,

Alex

http://www.spiritualwealth.com/

Another beautiful day in paradise (this one has snow)!

I am so grateful for the beautiful and loving birthday wishes; they have filled me right to the brim with joy.

We are home, enjoying the winter wonderland of Santa Fe, and getting back into the swing of work and now the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays — please do yourself a favor and don’t get caught up in overdoing; overspending, overeating, overdrinking, you get my drift. Commit to making it a conscious and joyous time for yourself and those you love.

Here’s a brief process you might find useful (do not practice while driving) …
Find a quiet space.
Allow your eyes to close.
Take a few deep breaths.
Begin to envision the rest of the month the way you’d like it to be– see what is happening, who is there, what are you doing, where are you?
Are you volunteering?
Entertaining at your place?
Visiting others?
Shopping/wrapping/giving?
Attending parties?
Enjoying quiet time at home?

Pay attention to what pleases you, what brings you joy.
Continue to breathe deeply as you see and feel the richness of the holidays, the way you want them.

When you are ready, open your eyes and begin doing what it takes to create and enjoy the holidays you envision.

It won’t happen by accident, so stay conscious and bring it into being.

There was some problem with the discount coupons referenced in my last message. If you have been thwarted in your attempts to register for anything, I apologize for your frustration. Please give it another shot– everything should be working A-OK now.

We have only 4 spaces remaining in Vision 2010, a truly magical way to begin the new year. If that speaks to you and your heart, be sure to snag a spot in the sacred circle for yourself.

Holiday discounts are still available for:

* Vision 2010
* The Experience
* The Intensive and
* Success Coaching

BUT ONLY THROUGH TOMORROW, DECEMBER 11.

Prices, discount coupons, and loads of details are easily found by clicking here: www.ExperienceYourPower.com

And you are welcome to review programs you have been a part of in years gone by.

Now is the time to make a fresh start for 2010, to open to new possibilities, to add to the beauty and quality of your life, and even to share gifts that last a lifetime with those you love.

Please visit www.ExperienceYourPower.com for details and remember to enter the coupon on your registration page to receive the instant discount.

If you have any questions that remain unanswered by the website, please give me a call, 505.988.2000.

Let YourSelf Remember — among the most important gifts you have to give this holiday season, or any season, is your love and kind attention.