CD offer Zero Field exercise

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Hi there,

A couple of days ago I sent out my April edition of “Getting More Out of Life” ezine.

I spent some time explaining the concepts of “ego” and “identity”, and how they keep us trapped in the past and/or the future. We are constantly looking forward, or looking back, and hardly live right here, right now.

I also explained that the key to living a more fulfilling life lies in becoming more aware, more “present”. Presence transcends all time, is not bound to past or future. It means living in the now.

Just imagine how your personal and professional life would change if you become more laser focused, and less scattered, all as a result of “clearing your mind”.

Recently I recorded a CD called “Zero Field” that allows you to do just that: become more present. I am convinced that listening to the CD, and immersing yourself in this state of presence, will have these benefits for you:

*It will make you more susceptible to good ideas and “ah ha!” moments. Remember that life is never a matter of resources, but always a matter of resourcefulness. The CD will assist you with becoming more resourceful.

*Your adrenaline levels will drop, your acetycholine levels will rise. In simple terms: you will feel less stressed, and more relaxed.

*You will become more magnetic for the things you desire from your professional and personal life a, and less magnetic for the things you do not. Remember that Law of Attraction is always listening for your predominant vibration. Becoming more present is a positive vibration!

*You will –literally- get out of your mind. Being stuck in thought patterns is very tiring, and the exercise on the CD assist you in letting go of these patterns. You will become still.

*You will become clearer on your goals, and on where you want to take your life or business. Unnecessary mental noise will disappear.

*Your sensory acuity will increase. You will become more aware of what goes on around you, and will be less distracted by your inner voice.

*You will feel great afterwards.

The only moment we have is the moment of NOW.

The past is history, the future is a myster;, today’s the gift, and that’s why we call it the present.

Right now, I am offering my Zero Field CD for the special price of A$19.95. That includes worldwide postage. Some people tell me I should sell the CD for more, but I am quite happy with the price point at the moment. That may change in the near future, though!

Do yourself a favour, and become more present. You will thank yourself for it! Ordering through Paypal is easy. Just click here, and away you go!

All the best,

Marc

Getting More Out of Life

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"Once there is a certain degree of Presence, of still and alert attention in human beings' perceptions, they can sense the divine life essence, the one indwelling consciousness or spirit in everycreature, every life-form, recognize it as one with their own essence and so love it as themselves. Until this happens, however, most humans see only the outer forms, unaware of the inner essence, just as they are unaware of their own essence and identify only with their own physical and psychological form".-Eckhart Tolle.

Hi there,

and welcome to the April edition of Getting More Out of Life.

Ego, identity, persona. Interesting words, but what do they really mean to us in coaching and personal development terms?

My teachings have always revolved around the fact that we think that we know who we are. This is because we can talk about ourselves: "I am Marc, 39 years old, born in the Netherlands, partner to Simone, father to Kyara, ex-lawyer..... etc.... We will go on holidays in June, I have meetings planned next week, and in 10 years time I'd like to have mo-ney to burn, etc.......".

Doing so, I give myself and identity, and ego. I can "speak of me", and of others too. All this is part of the world of opposites, where things can go right, and things can go wrong. It's also part of the world of linear time, where things seem to have a history and a future.

When we get too caught up in this world of mind games, we will find our emotions and moods will swing from past to future, from right to wrong, from good to bad. We will complain that it seems impossible to hold on to a happy feeling. It seems to run through our fingers, and then gets replaced by another -good or bad- feeling.

The same goes for motivation: sometimes we have it, and sometimes we don't. Why can't we keep it!? Sometimes we seem to be on a roll, other times nothing seems to work. The past seems safe, the future seems misty and dangerous!

Why are we on this roller coaster, are we seemingly unable to find peace of mind, and are most of us always looking for more (either in terms of stuff, or in terms of knowledge, wisdom, etc.)? It is because our ego mind is constantly flicking forwards and back between past and future, between what was, and what could be. It is constantly comparing past and future, and judging the one better or worse than the other, thereby either wanting to get rid of the one, or attain the other.

The only place the ego mind cannot be is RIGHT NOW, in THE PRESENT. Our identity lives in the past or in the future, but never in the now.

In this now, or present moment, there IS peace of mind, there is this feeling of awe and gratitude that has no opposite, and we can all attain it. One major benefit of being in this presence-state, is that -paradoxically- you can get much clearer about what is the "right" way for you to do things. You actions will become effortless, your desires will begin to manifest mysteriously (which is the pure application of Law of Attraction). All this is because in the state of presence, there is no polarization, no pulling one way, and then pulling another way.

I admit, all this sounds very metaphysical and esoterical. It becomes very practical, though, when you start to apply it! Whether for business or personal success, being right here, right now will make you so much more effective.

So......the thing to do is to bring more presence into your life, and here are a couple of tips to do just that.

Set a Landmarc:

Firstly, become aware of your emotional swings. That sounds odd, but I mean it. Start observing how your mood swings on a day to day, moment to moment basis. In Neuro Linguistic Programming, one of the ways to get a client to step out of his emotions is to let him observe them. When you look at an emotion, you are not in it anymore! You are right here, right now. It is a very powerful technique to become present. Watch your emotions come, and watch them go, without being (too) attached to them.

Secondly, start becoming involved in what you are doing with all your senses. When you are brushing your teeth, brush your teeth, instead of thinking about what tomorrow is going to bring. When you are preparing a meal, prepare a meal, instead of regurgitating the discussion you had with your partner 2 hours before. When you are eating that meal, eat it, instead of flicking through a newspaper. Have all your senses involved in the action you are taking. This will allow you to be present, instead of being in the past or the future!

Thirdly, when you notice your thoughts are drifting off into the past or the future, both in positive or negative ways, breathe deeply two or three times, and focus on the airflow and the expansion of your lungs and abdominal region. Again, this brings you into presence, where the ego identity mind cannot be.

Lastly, don't make it too much effort. Effort is the domain of the ego again, namely: comparing how you DID things with how you SHOULD DO things. Past & future! Play with the concepts, and feel the difference when you are able to bring a couple of seconds of presence into your life.

My firm opinion is that major amounts of people in today's society are stressed, chronically fatigued, burnt out and sick and tired because of the grip our ego minds have on us. I am convinced that by becoming more present, living more in the here and now, we can lead more purposeful and happy lives, because we will know what to do when we need to do it, instead of freaking out.

Now that's something worth going for, I'd say!

Getting More Out of Life

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"Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision andvalues before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them-Stephen Covey.

Hi there,

and welcome to the March edition of Getting More out of Life.

Have you seen the movie "the Secret"? Many people rave about it, and partly for very good reasons.

It's a great movie if you want to get some insights into how our brains actually operate on a -let's call it- creation level. It is sometimes said that "it's all in our minds", and I believe that to be true. Reality = Perception of Reality, and perception makes reality subjective, makes it our creation. The Secret teaches us that we, within our own perceived reality, are able to create whatever it is we want, as long as we put attention, energy and focus on our desires.

The speakers in the Secret are right. Over the years, I have been teaching my clients similar fool- and fail-proof techniques on how to do it: create a life and/or a business which is their conscious choice. The techniques are easy and simple, just as life is easy and simple (trust me: the more you work with this"stuff", the more you realise that life really is easy and simple. It's us that make it seem complicated.....).

The Secret forgets to mention one thing, though: the fact that you are already perfectly and exactly creating the life and business you want. Right now!

But hang on a minute, you may say: there things that are absolutely not working in my life at the moment! How come you say I am creating "perfectly"? There's nothing perfect about it!

Well, here is a statement for you to chew on: as far as value system is concerned, you ARE leading a life and/or running a business in perfect creation. You may not like all the results,though.

Confused already? Alright, here's a brief explanation.

We live our lives by our values. Our values are the things that are most important to us in our lives, certain experiences we choose over others. To give you an example: if you really value your family life, you may choose family over career. Or if you value health more than you do finances, you may spend more money on health related items than you will on saving for later.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

Realise that no value system is better than another. They are just different.

Once I know what a person's values are, I can virtually predict what that person is going to do in any given situation: s/he will decide according the hierarchy in his/her value system. Unless a very conscious decision is made to do things differently this time.

For example, again: if a person with business values in his top 5 has to choose between spending $500 on advertising or on buying new curtains or carpet for in his house, the choice is relatively easy! So too for his wife (who doesn't have business high in her values list!

In relation to our value system, we are perfect creators. If we value our comfort zone more than we do getting OUT of it, we will do just that: stay in our comfort zone! Nothing wrong with that, but the results may not always be the ones we want!

There is a simple solution -and The Secret does not talk about that! Change your values hierarchy, and start living accordingly. Again, we often do that without thinking about it! A person with drinking, eating and partying high in the values hierarchy will promptly change his life when he is confronted with a severe, drinking related illness! And when we seriously had enough of some aspects in our life, we can suddenly change everything around to reflect a new values hierarchy.

There is a science to changing your values, and that science is absolutely teachable and learnable. Heck, it was the same science that assisted me to let go of my life as a lawyer, and start all over as a coach in a different country!

Your personality type plays a big part in assessing your current values and changing them, if that is what you desire. Dreamtime Personalities is a great tool to use in that respect! If you would like to make a start, look at this Landmarc.

Set a Landmarc:

Firstly, look at current results you have created in your life or business, both positive and negative. Realise in all honesty that you have created these results by your values hierarchy. And if you think some of the results were outside your sphere of influence, then realise in all honesty that you have created the response to these results through your values hierarchy!

Secondly: have a close look at how you would like your results to be. If some of your current achievements aren't the way you want them, ask yourself: what DO I want?

Thirdly: what values would you need to have in that specific area to start creating the results you desire? More business nous? More family time? Looking after your health a bit more?Improving communication skills? Find the values and put them into a hierarchy.

Lastly: start living according to your new values more than you do to your old ones. What will you do differently? What actions are more in line with your new hierarchy?

You may say: it sounds easier than it is! But I assure you: it is as easy as it is said, perhaps even easier! If you want to know exactly how to put the 4 steps into practice and improve your business results, or improve your life's results, email me at marc@landmarc.info, and we'll discuss it in more detail.

Go well, be well, and live well.

Marc

marc@landmarc.info
www.landmarc.info

new video!

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Hi there,

I've finally entered the world of video. After some hesitation (do I have the right gear, will I look stupid, how do I edit videos anyway?) a prompt from Glenn Dietzel made me do it. Glenn is a master at making coaching and mentoring videos, and as I am working with his team I couldn't sit on the fence any longer. To find out more about Glenn and his authoring program, look up http://www.awakentheauthorwithin.com/ and www.booksmeancredibility.com.

Anyway, here is my first video, discussing why "ordinary" goal setting won't work anymore in our today's society.

All the best,

Marc

Work the Wu Wei Way

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"Everything has its own place and function. That applies to people, although many don't seem to realize it, stuck as they are in the wrong job, the wrong marriage, or the wrong house. When you know and respect your Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong."
-The Tao of Pooh.


Hi there,

I may have spoken to you about it earlier, but I am a pretty big fan of Taoism (or Daoism) as a life-philosophy.

Taoism revolves around "The Way" -which is what the word Taoism stands for. The Way is always natural, according to purpose. Nothing happens outside of its purpose. In that sense nothing really needs to happen to live The Way; all is good, you could say. Finding The Way means you enable yourself to practice what Taoism calls "Wu Wei", or the state of doing without doing. Life flows, things come easily, it seems like you're not having to do anything and still get everything you want! It's how nature operates, according to Tao; everything is in constant flow.

For me, the transition between Taoism, Law of Attraction (LOA) and goal setting is a pretty easy, and very practical one. The same principles apply in all three of them. Goal setting can be very natural, without any pressure, and by using coaching and Universal Laws goal achievement is "easy as". Goals are achieved because it is their purpose to be achieved, so they will naturally head for achievement (which is exactly what LOA and universal Laws are all about).

We humans tend to believe differently, though. We seem to be convinced that we must force things into being; we MUST do stuff in order to get stuff. We must control the achievement process, otherwise we will not get what we want. Even if we don't like doing something, we must still do it, because without pain there is no gain. And very often we go against our own purpose, because we believe it will serve us better (yeah, right).

Now that dogma (which it totally is), has been superseded by many wise people, but still we keep hanging on to it! Aren't we an interesting bunch. We'd rather be right than happy. Right?

Wallace Wattles was one of these wise people I mentioned. Early 1900's he wrote a couple of books, the most famous being "The Science of Getting Rich" and "The Science of Being Well". In his books he talks about "original substance" or "thinking substance" as the basis of all manifestation. Modern scientists now call that the "Quantum Field", but it is the same thing. Thinking substance has the ability to manifest anything you want, as long as you have a "clear mental image" of your desire, which you then put into the original substance by the thoughts you think.....nothing more is necessary: just a clear mental image, a persistence in keeping that image, and taking the steps towards it that seem natural to take. Very Taoist!

Are you still with me??

I thought so :)

Admittedly, Wallace lived over a century ago, and didn't use the most modern version of the English language, which could make his books a tad hard to read for some people. Nevertheless, I am personally convinced you MUST read both volumes I mentioned, as they can turn your life's experience around dramatically!

There is good tiding though! My friend Ian Crossley (also known as Croz from Oz) has taken the old version of The Science of Getting Rich, cleaned it up, and "translated" it into modern language, which makes the text a lot more readable.

As my (and Croz's of course; all credit goes to him) New Year's present to you, I'd like to offer you the updated version of The Science of Getting Rich. I know, it sounds like it focuses on money only, but that's not so. You can replace the word rich with any other word you want to put in place; the principles stay the same! Please send me an email at marc@landmarc.info, and I'll get your copy to you.

If you like Croz's work, do sign up for his newsletter at this page.

And if you would like to know more about how to live life the "Wu Wei" way, feel free to contact me. I am convinced you can reach that state through some simple techniques, and no: they do not require hard work! That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?

All the best!
Marc

PS: on the 16th of February I will repeat the "Introduction to the Keys of Manifestation and Awareness" workshop I organised 1 December last, as many people couldn't make that one. Find the flyer for it enclosed, and if you want to book in, let me know! It's going to be a great day again, I promise you that.

Christmas Thoughts and The Beginning of a New Year

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Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. -Corita Kent

Have you counted your blessings?

The year 2007 is coming to an end, and many people use this time to reflect on the past 300-and-so-many days.

Reflection can be done in two directions: towards what didn't work the way you wanted it to, and towards what did work the way you wanted it to.

My personal and professional philosophy is quite simple: life "is", and you decide -by your thoughts, feelings and actions- whether you see "what is" as positive, or as negative. Simple example: for the one person a bankruptcy could be the end of the world; for the other it could be an event that makes him/her even more determined to succeed next time round. Still, whichever way you want to see it, it is still a bankruptcy. An event in life taking place. Not good, not bad. Just what it is.

The same goes for illness & health, divorces & marriages, financial hardship & prosperity, personal dilemmas & victories, deaths & births. All are events, and depending on our perspective on life will we consider these events nasty or nice.

What I would like you to do for 2007 is, put your "good" hat on, and look for the successes, victories, celebrations, highlights etc. that came your way. And for events that you originally didn't really appreciate: can you see the blessing in them, the lesson you learnt, the opportunity that lay in them?

Once you start to observe life from both sides, you will start to recognise that there is no "good" or "bad" in life as such, only good and bad in our perception of it; and you have a choice to which perception you would like to hold predominantly. What would you like to dwell on most?

And no, that is not some sort of "positive thinking" hype, it is all about thinking differently, thinking both ways. I honestly think I learnt to understand this concept through and through when I studied and practiced Law. Never ever was there one side to the story, there were always at least two, but most of the time even more than two!

I've made it the foundation of my coaching and mentoring: learn to see the balance in everything, and you will be able to choose to see ANY event in your life the way you desire to. Stick to one (i.e. your own) perspective only, and you may not be able to see the "other side to the story", and could therefore miss out on a solution, or another approach or viewpoint.

Choose to look at only what went right in 2007; think about it and linger over the details. And in what hasn't seem to have been right, choose to see the lesson, the learning, the benefit in it. There will be one, when you commit to finding it. Or as Dewitt Jones once put it so aptly: choose to celebrate what is RIGHT with the world.

Set a Landmarc:

Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly and Lastly: Do it! Please! Our brain operates on "associations", which are memories we hold of events in our lives. If we can choose to hold a better memory, we will choose better actions in the future. It will be worth our while.

Have a great Christmas and New Year, and let's get together next year to make it the best year ever! I look forward to it

Perfectionism isn't perfect

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"Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough - that we should try again".
~Julia Cameron.

Hi there,

and welcome to this edition of Getting More out of Life!

Recently I had several sessions with a client who is very successful at what she is doing, but felt her need for perfection still kept her away from achieving even better results.

I totally agreed with her. Perfectionism does keep us away from even more successful action, and is a major cause of procrastination. I know that sounds weird, but just keep reading. My client was able to acknowledge her "handicap", and has made
major improvements in her attitude -and thereby in her success level. Not all the perfectionist are as honest with themselves, though!

Perfectionism is a devious monster. For the (unaware) sufferer from it, it seems a necessary attitude to have to achieve what it is s/he wants to achieve. For nearly everyone else around the perfectionist, on the other hand, the predominantly negative side effects show up: immensely high expectation of others and oneself; hardly ever satisfied with the booked results -it can always be
better!; very sensitive about what others think; usually low self-esteem -there is always someone better than I am; etc.

I was a major perfectionist in my younger years -and probably still have streaks of it, deep down- so I can recognise the traits in others easily. The major one for me was a complete failure to celebrate my achievements; it was never good enough.

In the Dreamtime Personalities, with which I work nearly daily, the Eagle-type person is the most likely type to fall prey to perfectionism; Eagles constantly -it is one of their core needs- strive for perfection, mastery, knowledge, and being the best.

In that pursuit, it is really easy to slide from having a passion to having an obsession, without that person even being aware of the change in focus.

Life for the Eagle type is climbing a ladder; for every rung reached, there is another one to go for. The irony for the Eagle, though, is that the ladder has an infinite amount of rungs, so the pursuit for "being the best" is never ending.

At some point, this can become so discouraging, that the Eagle person will stop climbing at all: why bother if I can never be the best anyway?

That is pure procrastination in action! Putting things off because of feared negative consequences. Something that the Eagle is most prone to, but can happen to the other 3 types within the Dreamtime Personalities as well.

Perfectionism can lead to all sorts of nasty mental and physical symptoms (mine were major headaches...), and really, that is not necessary.

There are relatively easy ways to deal with perfectionist streaks, if you are willing to acknowledge that you have them, that is!

Set a Landmarc:

Firstly: observe where you have perfectionism ruling your life. It may be in any context: health, home, money, career, personal development, family, fitness, appearance, social life, etc. Be brutally honest with yourself, and refrain from judging yourself; just observe. And also observe where it affects others. What unrealistic expectations do you have of them? Where are they worse off because of your attitude?

Secondly: look at what good results you have booked -that means: stay away from criticising yourself- and celebrate them! The more
you can start to observe where you are good (enough), the more you will train your brain to find more of those instances: that's the NLP translation of Law of Attraction!

Thirdly: set some realistic goals. Don't try to be better than the best. Small steps take you a long way. If you want to be a world famous superstar, wouldn't it make sense you start to practice in your backyard, instead of looking up at the "already
there" people, and feeling unworthy yourself!?

Lastly: to deal with procrastination as a result of perfectionism, you want to put limits on time spent on "things". E.g., if you need to study something, decide you will only do so for 3 hours. No more. That prevents you from fiddling about all day without really getting anything done.

There are plenty more ways to deal with perfectionism and procrastination. NLP can help to break through some destructive beliefs, understanding your personality type will make you more aware of what you do and why, and coaching will assist you in taking action new directions. That is the first step to the way out!

If you have good ideas or practical tips about dealing with perfectionism that you would like to share, please post them on my blog. I have also posted "The Perfectionist Prayer" on the blog. It's a real good way of taking the Mickey out of ourselves!

Go and look for yourself.

Until next time,

all the best,

Marc