The Alchemist -- Happy 20th Anniversary of a Monumental Book Paulo Coelho

The book, "The Alchemist" came to me in a very synchronistic way. Since becoming involved in the blogosphere last August I have had the name Paulo Coelho and "The Alchemist" mentioned no fewer than 20 times. I overheard the book being talked about in conversations on the street and in my daughter's nursery school, on Facebook I was invited to join the Paulo Coelho fan club and on Blog Catalog I connected with Mr. Coelho as a friend. These are just a few examples and when I got a gift certificate from amazon.com for Mother's Day I knew what I would spend it on. Okay, so maybe it took me the twentieth time to take action but I did and I now have a new favorite book! Tomorrow, May 29 is "The Alchemist's" 20th anniversary and this book has changed MANY lives. Since Mother's Day I have read it twice and can see reading it many more times.

After taking the Oprah/Tolle "A New Earth" Webinar this book was in perfect alignment with it, with my studies the last 18 months as well as the path I have been walking since my healing. Paulo Coelho's writing is poetic and this story is a seemingly simple one about a shepherd boy making his way from Spain to Egypt to search the Pyramids for treasure. But it is so much more than that. Mr. Coelho talks about what Mr. Tolle would call your life's purpose as one's Personal Legend. He speaks of intuition as omens we are meant to follow. He tells of the universal language between us all and how we are all connected. He also expresses himself on the meaning and place of love so beautifully. Here are three of the many wonderful quotes from the book "The Alchemist":

"The Soul of the World is nourished by people's happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"Everyone on Earth has a treasure that awaits him," his heart said. "We, people's hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them -- the path to their Personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place."

"...Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that dream. That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'"

Because it is the twentieth anniversary of the book there has been more publicity for it lately. There was also the recent announcement that the movie rights were sold and it looks like it will be made soon with Lawrence Fishburn playing the Alchemist. Paulo Coelho has recently traveled to Spain to celebrate the twentieth anniversary and has asked people to submit their questions by video via Seesmic.com I have done so and wanted to share it with you as well:



For those of you who do not know Paulo Coelho I highly recommend reading "The Alchemist", his other books and checking out his blog and website. He has a wonderful presence and is very involved on the internet. You can even follow him on Twitter. He posts daily quotes and a lot of the time they are JUST what I need to hear to get my day started off right! He also has interviews on Beliefnet one of which is in the back of the latest version of "The Alchemist" along with questions about the book to discuss.

Thank you Paulo Coelho. This book has touched my soul and I believe I did receive it at the perfect time for me to appreciate it at its deepest, when I was questioning my own Personal Legend. I am grateful for this opportunity to share my question with you. I now will move onto your other books with excitement.

5 Steps for "Letting Go" and Moving Forward

Yes, I have said it repeatedly -- I grew up wanting everything PERFECT and have been a "recovering perfectionist" now for quite some time. Intelligently I know there is no such thing as perfect and at the same time I have learned "everything is as it should be" -- so doesn't that mean every moment IS perfect? There have been some areas of my life that have just fallen into place almost magically as I began studying the Law of Attraction, the mind body connection and consciousness. There have been other areas where I hit my mental road blocks and need(ed) some friendly reminders to get me in the right frame of mind once again. Along the way I have learned some steps to "letting go" that I have found very helpful and I wanted to share. I hope they help you along your path.

1) Nothing is "Perfect" but "Everything is as it should be"

Looking up "perfect" in the dictionary I found one definition I did not agree with and one that fits this point PERFECTLY! ;-) The one I did not like was how I USED to live my life: "excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement" The one that I now use as my definition is: "fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose." For example: If I am having company and want my place to be clean -- it used to be a priority that all was "perfect" along the lines of the first definition. I wanted to know that there was no dust and that the person coming in would say to themselves "Wow, what a perfectly clean house". Now, sure I like a clean house but I will not kill myself to get it that way. I love the definition "fitting the needs for a certain purpose". I don't realistically think anyone that comes over my house is going to do the "white glove test". Reality is I have two young children, 2 cats, work a lot and unless I am going to clean many hours a day -- my house will never in fact be "perfect". This is okay with me and saying it is okay makes the stress lift. Analyze the situation where you want to be "perfect" and tell yourself "it is OK if it is not 100% the way I would want it to be -- it is GOOD enough! Let go of that inner perfectionist.

2) Gratitude

When you stop to think about what you are grateful for it becomes easier to "let go". If you are disappointed things are not going the way you want... stop and pay attention and give gratitude to the things that ARE going the way you want. If you are upset with someone, stop and give gratitude to the things you DO like about the person. Gratitude allows you to "let go" of the negative emotion and change to a very different state of mind. There is always something and someone (usually MANY things and MANY people) to be grateful for. Reminding yourself is an easy way to shift your mood and "let go" of what is bothering you.

3) Give Yourself a Break

Have you done lots of things to achieve a goal or complete something yet are over extending yourself and want for things to move even faster? Lighten up. Sometimes things cannot happen because you have too firm a grip and are not allowing them to happen. Relax, do something else that you LOVE and enjoy and then come back refreshed. I recently needed to do this BIG TIME with my invention. I had been hounding people, beating myself up, blaming others and causing stress to all involved with the biggest receiver of the stress being myself. If you feel you are hitting a brick wall or things are not moving fast enough - it probably means you need to back away and "let go".

Similarly if you are rehashing a situation in your head -- this usually will not get you anywhere. Conversations, arguments, break ups.... these things all need some time away without the emotions involved for you to get a fresh outlook on them. When emotions are fresh your "Pain Body" is involved and reacting from such a place will cause more damage than good. Do yourself a favor and give yourself a break to "let go" of the situation causing the pain and move onto something positive.

4) Forgiveness (Ho'oponopono)

Forgiveness is so important to healing that it is the number one part of my "Paging Me System" (that I highlighted on Alex Blackwell's blog "The Next 45 Years" and write about in detail in my ebook). When you hold onto anger and don't let it go you are harming yourself. Haven't you suffered enough with whatever has happened to you?

My favorite means of forgiveness is the method of Ho'oponopono. These phrases when said to yourself (about yourself and about others) are freeing and it does not take long at all. Aaron Potts of Today is That Day has a brilliant article on Ho'oponopono. Dr. Joe Vitale (Who was in "The Secret") has a book on it called, "Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace and More". Yes, it seemed a bit hokey to me as well but after doing it and talking to many people who have tried it -- all have had the same amazing results. It is saying a few simple phrases repeatedly and thinking about the person the forgiveness is intended for whole heartedly when you say them. Since self-love is a "biggie" for most people I highly recommend starting with forgiving yourself. I find the best thing is to start with 5 minutes to myself and then 5 minutes for another person.... 10 minutes and I feel totally different than when I started. 5 Simple Sentences:
I Love you, I Am So Sorry, Please Forgive Me, Thank you, How Can I Help you?

This helped me last week tremendously when I was placing blame on someone. A wise friend Kate Strong gave me wonderful advice and told me to do Ho'oponopono for the person I was blaming. It helped me go into the next meeting coming from a very different place. It was a reminder of something I THOUGHT I had learned a year ago in a similar situation.... People FEEL your energy in conversations and dealings no matter what your words are saying. If you go into that meeting/situation having forgiven and given a blessing to someone -- you WILL have a much different experience. Let go of all previous experiences and feel the "Power of Now" as Mr. Tolle would say.... and experience the difference for yourself.

5) Surrender it to God, the Universe or a Higher Power

When we are truly stumped -- whether it is with a physical situation or an emotional issue "surrendering" to a Higher Power can truly make you feel free. Acknowledge you are not all knowing or all powerful and take that pressure off of yourself. Sometimes you are just stuck and need to ask for help. Write it down or ask in prayer but name what you need help with and ask for it. Ask to be shown that next step and then "let it go". This is perfect alignment with The Serenity Prayer which beautiful, simple and puts it better than I can!:

God, grant me serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can

and wisdom to know the difference.

There are many ways to "let go" of a problem, being stuck, anger or feeling like a perfectionist. I hope my 5 ways help you to give yourself a little break, pay gratitude for what you have and make your day a little brighter for doing so. I would love to know of any other methods you use to "let go". As always, I love and welcome comments from readers. I also am offering a free 1/2 hour coaching session with the purchase of my ebook.

Heal Yourself by Helping Others

Let's face it -- everyone can use some help in something in our lives whether we ask for it or not. My history is being a person that has a very difficult time asking for help but one that loves to help others. To be healthy I believe you need to be able do both. It is important not to become a martyr, over-extend yourself or become the victim of energy vampires..... But helping others can enliven you and actually does have a healing affect. There are many ways to help people from assisting a neighbor or friend, to donating to a worthy cause to just being there to listen and encourage someone. I would like to tell you about 2 people that I believe could use your help, about a few few sites you can go to to donate to others in real need without spending a dime, a few places to get help and I would like to thank a few people that have helped me recently.

2 Bloggers (and wonderful people) who could use your help --
Camille & Suzie

I have written about Camille when I included her article "The Art of Change" in my post "5 Steps for Embracing Change". What I did not tell you is she is an animal lover and beyond that can really communicate with and understand animals. She is love and you know that from the first minute you hear her lovely voice. Camille lost her good friend (and dog) Raja a few months ago and because of health issues had put off getting another dog for a while. When she saw an ad in the paper about a very injured dog who needed a home she knew she had to help. She took the dog to the vet and it had to have a toe amputated to stop an infection from spreading. The dog was malnourished and obviously scared and Camille has used her connection with animals and her love to heal this dog. Vet bills are not cheap and she is asking for assistance to go directly to the vet if possible. Please visit her page on Buddy on her site to learn more. Here is a picture of her new "Buddy". Camille, Buddy is in such wonderful hands now and I know you will both help to heal each other with your mutual love. I know you'll receive the support you need to care for him.

Suzie of the "Abundance Highway" has a goal she is hoping to reach using The Law of Attraction that she calls "My Big Hairy Audacious Goal" and I am also hoping she reaches it. She is a big fan on Michale Losier and wants to attend his "Law of Attraction Facilitators Program" but it is a lot of money to travel from where she is to see him ($8,000) and she is asking for donations to get her there. Please check out her site which has lots of resources and wonderful articles and donate to this cause to make her law of attraction goal a reality. She exudes realness and kindness and I know she will use whatever she learns at the conference to help her readers and others. Suzie -- I wish you the best for your big hairy audacious goal and hope to hear about your trip!

Sites to go to Donate for Free and Have some Fun While you Do it!

I highlighted the game "Free Rice" on my Kid's Non Violent Computer Games blog and this is a wonderful idea. Below is SOME of my review from my site:
"Give Rice to the Hungry While Improving Your Vocabulary"

Free Rice is an amazing site. It is a sister site to poverty.com which has a very important message about hunger in the world that follows:"About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often. Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families. "

There is a site site freerice.com where for every correct answer you give to a vocabulary question they will donate 20 grains of rice to hungry people. 5 questions right = 100 grains of rice for the hungry. FreeRice has two goals: To provide English vocabulary to everyone for free and to help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on their site.

Please visit freerice.com and increase your vocabulary and give to the hungry at the same time. I don't know about you but I find it very difficult to be hungry even for a few hours -- for many their life consists of being hungry on a daily basis. Please take a minute and help them out and sharpen your vocabulary at the same time. Do it with your kids as a way to educate them about hunger and about helping people in need. The vocabulary varies in difficulty but even if you get some wrong it won't take away the rice you already have won.

When I wrote the above article on Free Rice, Tom wrote in to tell me about another similar site "Answer 4 Earth" that asks general questions and you are helping the environment and saving trees as you answer questions. It is a fun game and you learn while playing! Their mission statement is as follows:

"Answer4Earth was founded as a call to action to the people of the world in response to our growing environmental crisis. It has reached a critical stage where the average global citizen can no longer just stand by idly hoping for others to solve this problem. You now have the opportunity to jump in and make a real difference. We are not asking you to donate money. We are not asking you to get your hands dirty. All we need you to do is simply play a game and have fun (and learn some interesting information along the way)!Just by you playing this game, trees will be planted throughout the world (to find out how this works, read our FAQs). In addition to helping stem global warming, the trees planted by our partner charities clean the air, improve soil quality, prevent erosion, create animal habitats, sustain valuable water sources, and provide healthy nutrition to needy populations. So get on it, start playing, save the environment, feed the poor, get smarter, all that good stuff... Please don't forget to tell your friends to play too! Our Earth needs all the help we can give... are we smart enough to save the planet? "

The next site is to help Silverback Gorillas and the game is free to download to your mobile phone. This game will help you learn about the Silverback Gorillas and donate to a worthy cause at the same time. From the site:

"The mountain gorilla is one of the largest and strongest animals on the planet, yet it is also extremely vulnerable. Little more than 700 individuals survive in the dense forests of Central Africa. The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a partnership between Fauna & Flora International (FFI), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has been working to protect the gorillas since 1991. Dedicated conservation initiatives have ensured that mountain gorilla numbers are now slowly increasing. The global population of mountain gorillas has increased by 17% since the start of the Programme. Make your mobile work for conservation! Recycling your mobile can not only reduce the demand for coltan but also directly support gorilla conservation! For every mobile phone it receives, Fauna & Flora International gets £5 for its conservation work. "

The game has received good reviews and who can resist the cute face of a baby gorilla!

Places to go to Get Help

The Thirty Day Challenge

If you want to learn about internet marketing, blogging, SEO or internet tools at all I HIGHLY recommend signing up for this year's Thirty Day Challenge. It is how I discovered my love for blogging last year and begins in August as a free month long class. Run by the fantabulously entertaining Ed Dale and Dan Raine -- you will get more than your moneys worth -- oh right it's free AND it is priceless! ;-) The pre-launch is officially June 1 and for the next 2 months leading up to the challenge (Starts Aug 1) they will supply you with tons of resources to hone your internet marketing skills or to start off a new blog or site. It is their way of helping others and giving back as they are VERY successful internet marketers and this is the 30 Day Challenge's 4th Year! Thanks guys -- you helped me to discover my passion for blogging and I am so grateful for the style you teach in. You are funny, bright and make things very easy to understand! Here's my tribute:




Personal Development Partners (PDP)

Aaron Potts started PDP for the specific purpose of helping connect people so they can help each other achieve their goals and reach their dreams. I found real friends at PDP, two of which I am in a Mastermind Group with and have helped me tremendously in the last 7 months. (Thanks guys!) It is a supportive environment with tons of resources and I can never get over JUST how SMART everyone is. Ask a question and you will get 10 GREAT answers. Thank you Aaron... you know I am a huge fan of Today is That Day and PDP!


Personal Thank yous
(For all the help, love and guidance I have received in the last few weeks)

Personal friend/Family Thank yous

This past weekend was Mother's Day and boy do I have some thank yous to dole out for a wonderful Mother's Day.

Ray: My husband is away all week for work but came home and spent his weekend ensuring I had a truly amazing Mother's Day. He worked on the house and pool so we could have friends over, made me a beautiful Mother' Day card and poem, got me a gift certificate to my favorite farm/garden store, took care of the kids so I could go and enjoy Pangea Day and grilled and cooked to perfection. Thank you Ray -- I appreciate all you do for me and love you madly.

Mom: My own mom helped to no end with the festivities and with the kids and as always helps me in 10 ways before I can even think to ask for help. Thank you mom for being an inspiration in how to be a wonderful mother to my own children. I truly do not know what we would do without you. Thank you for your never ending love and support. We all love and appreciate all you do more than words can express.

Whitney: (My step dad) Thank you for being our "pool boy" while Ray is away. We never would have gotten the pool ready in time without you. We appreciate all you do for my mom and for us and the kids! Thanks for your generous spirit and support -- we appreciate it even if Christina does have her choice names for you. ;-) Really, having Christina call you a farting elder is a term of endearment!

Angela & Chris: (Celebrated Mother's Day with us) Angela -- my wonderful friend, confidante, fellow cross country skiier, walker and a great parent to my son's good friend Elias (what a GREAT BOY) along with her husband Chris. Ange -- those cupcakes were yummy! Thanks for celebrating Mother's Day with us -- you know I love you and our friendship more than I can say. Chris -- thank you for mowing our overdue lawn, taking Christina in the pool and playing with her with the boomerang for ever! You guys are awesome and I am so grateful for your friendship.

Janet and Mark -- (Also celebrated Mother's Day with us) If it weren't for you we probably wouldn't even live in this wonderful town now. You showed us how beautiful it is to live upstate, helped us pull off a beautiful and memorable wedding and your children and ours will grow up knowing each other forever. You show us how to balance hard work and get-aways with the kids and are a constant source of inspiration to us. Boy can you cook Markie and Janet you are one Queen of a bartender! Thanks so much for your generosity and for sharing Mother's Day with us. We love you guys and your incredible family.

Internet friends
(Proof you do not even have to be in the same Country to help others out)

Edward Mills -- (of Evolving Times and Edward Mills.com) Yes, Ed you might be getting sick of my hailing your praises but truly you have been an inspiration. Your Energetics of Attraction free ebook and teleseminars offered great tools I can see using indefinitely. Thank you for your friendship and I look forward to seeing your continued success in all you do (which is QUITE a lot) . If you haven't jumped on board for Ed's Energetics of Own Deliberate Creation Course -- I highly recommend checking it out!

Camille -- Ahh sweet Camille -- you have helped me SO MUCH with difficult family situations and life in general. Your love of animals is an inspiration and I am so happy you have found "Buddy". I look forward to your continued healing and know one day you will be as strong physically as you are emotionally.

Kate Strong -- Kate -- you shined light on such a blind spot in my life and I am so very grateful. I know my invention will move forward now with great success because you guided me to the right space I needed to be in. I look forward to you getting stronger physically and know you will accomplish all you set out to do.

There are so many ways to reach out and help others and there are innumerable ways to ask for help. Do not forget to thank those who help you and feel gratitude that they were there to shine some light and assist you. There is nothing that makes my heart warmer than hearing my words or actions have helped someone else. Empowering people to realize their internal healing strength is my passion and I know when people heal they want to pass on that healing to others. Be kind, look for ways to help others and you will feel rewarded and healed in many ways. Thanks to everyone for your continued support -- I am very fortunate to have so many wonderful and inspirational people in my life.

Pangea Day -- Are you Attending?

I wanted to tell everyone about a very special event happening this Saturday (May 10, 2008) ALL OVER THE WORLD. It is called Pangea Day and here is the summary and trailer of what it is from their site:

The Pangea Day Mission & Purpose

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.

Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.

The Pangea Day Event

Starting at 18:00 GMT on May 10, 2008, locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program will be broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.

The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes. Details on the Pangea Day films can be viewed here.

The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, Robin Williams, Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part.

What Will Happen After Pangea Day

People inspired by Pangea Day will have the opportunity to participate in community-building activities around the world. Through the live program, the Pangea Day web site, and self-organized local events, everyday people will be connected with extraordinary activists and organizations.

History

In 2006, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won the TED Prize, an annual award granted at the TED Conference. She was granted $100,000, and more important, a wish to change the world. Her wish was to create a day in which the world came together through film. Pangea Day grew out of that wish. Watch Jehane Noujaim’s 2006 acceptance speech now.

There will be films, speakers and musical performances and even in my smallish town in upstate, NY there is a place for me to go and watch with my community. I highly recommend looking up your town and seeing where you can go to participate in this event. There will be many great storytellers and it is an important step in uniting people from all over the world. Pangea Day seeks to have us thinking of us all over the world as a "we" and universal Consciousness and awareness rather than an "us" and "them". It is events like this that strengthen spirit and bring people together.

Please visit the Pangea Day site or the Pangea Day site on You Tube for updates and to find out who will is participating.

Hope you can join me in celebrating this event!