January’s Book To Live By

by on January 9, 2015

This month’s Books To Live By selection is the perfect read to help kick start your personal and professional success in the new year.

From author, speaker and master Eastern philosophy teacher Deepak Chopra comes one of the most timeless spiritual guides to success.

Our January selection is….

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams by Deepak Chopra.

Whether you have been following Chopra for years or are brand new to his teachings, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is a must-read if you are looking to cultivate abundance of all kinds in your life.

This book is truly a spiritual masterpiece, composed of tips and strategies to help you accept the present, let go of what can’t be controlled, and invite more success into your everyday life. Chopra guides you to identify and discard fear-based thought patterns and outlines more positive and effective ways to think things through.

Chopra’s guidance is simple and profound yet intimate and universal all at once. This book is nothing short of life changing, and I want to thank our featured guest in this month’s Women on Fire membership interview, Terri Cole, for the wonderful suggestion.

Here’s to your success in 2015!

With lots of love~

Debbie Signature

P.S. Speaking of kick-starting your success in 2015, did you know that registration for our annual Women on Fire retreat is officially open? I can’t think of a better way to invest in yourself and in your dreams this year. Spend an entire weekend reconnecting with your passion and reigniting your spark and leave with an action plan to make your big dream come true. 🙂 Seats are going fast, so be sure to register today!

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Inspiration from Ms. O to Start Your Week

by on October 27, 2014

Hello from Miami and American Airlines Arena!

The weather was overcast and rainy, but that did not stop Ms. Oprah Winfreyfrom bringing the sunshine to nearly 10,000 women (and quite a few men) last weekend on the Miami leg of her The Life You Want tour.

I was fortunate enough to go, and I am thrilled to share some of the wisdom and inspiration from Oprah and her “trailblazers” — Deepak Chopra, Rob Bell, Elizabeth Gilbert and Iyanla Vanzant.

Several Women on Fire have attended the tour when it was in earlier cities, and you can read what they took away during Oprah’s live event on the blog.

Gayle King, Oprah’s best friend as well as editor of O Magazine and co-host of CBSThis Morning, shared her gracious presence all weekend.

She and I had a nice little chat about …what else? Women on Fire!  She truly is a fireball and I know many of you love her too.

Oprah got the show rolling with her brand of inspiration and wisdom, first sharing her personal story of her life and then introducing her special guests.

The energy and excitement — and the party that Oprah and her team created — will stay for a long time to come!

Here are some of the highlights from the speakers I thought you might enjoy.

From world renowed author and spiritual leader Dr. Deepak Chopra:

  • You cannot connect with spirit if you let the voices of the world drown you out.
  • See the world as a reflection of your inner state and shift from fear to love.
  • Multi-tasking is the only thing that gets worse with practice. If you’re fully present, you’ll have all the time to do what you need to do.
  • When your intention is aligned with your purpose there is flow.

He told the audience he meditates for two hours every single day. He led a brief meditation that was heavenly.

He answered an audience member’s question: What if you fall asleep during meditation?

“If you fall asleep while meditating, it means you need more sleep. The body is wonderful in that way!”

I know many of you have done the Oprah and Deepak 21-day Meditation Challenge.I highly recommend it as a way to learn meditation, which we all know has incredible physical and emotional benefits to stay calm and focused. (And you don’t have to make it a two-hour commitment!)

From best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote Eat, Pray, Love about her midlife journey to discover herself:

  • ‘I’m leaving’ were the two most dangerous words I ever said.
  • Don’t do what I did, do what I asked. What is my place in the world?
  • Some people we must love from a safe distance.
  •  We can be the heroes of our own lives. We just need to BEGIN!!
  •  What have you come here to do with your choices?
  •  If you want to have real transformation, it is never painless or easy.
  •  It’s better to live your destiny imperfectly, than to live someone else’s perfectly!

From pastor and best-selling author of Love Wins Rob Bell:

  • May you embrace this miraculous nature of life. It all matters.
  • Every point of the universe is actually the center of the universe.
  • We often rush through the very things that have the most power to transform us.
  • Do you believe in miracles? That’s not the question. It’s all a miracle, isn’t it?
  • You can say YES to this moment and experience a joy that cannot be put into words.

From the indomitable author and speaker Iyanla Vanzant, host of OWN Network’s show Fix My Life!:

  • Life always tell you the truth …your job is to recognize it and accept it
  • Courage is the strength to do something before you’re forced to.
  • When you’re birthing something, you need someone to hold your hand. But be careful what you grab onto.
  • The life you want is on the other side of the labor pains it takes to birth it. Don’t get stuck in the pain.
  • How not to be drained helping others? I don’t help anyone. Help is the tool of the ego. When you’re focused on “helping,” when they succeed, they forget you; if they fail , you beat yourself up.
  • You get to choose who you are in relationship to other people.

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And from the amazing Ms. Oprah herself:

  • You can only help people to the capacity they can accept your help.
  • Spend no time messing in other people’s territory. You have no power there. Your kids. Your husband. Your friends. You can only control your own territory!
  • Your purpose has already happened. The question is: are you living it and being it on purpose?
  • You become — not what you want — but what you believe.
  • Life sends you a message in a whisper; then a pebble when it’s a problem; then a brick when it’s a crisis and a brick wall when it’s a disaster!
  • It’s not about fame. It’s about stepping into the call of your life and the expression that is uniquely you. When you leave this Earth, you want to have blown it out, the highest, purest expression of yourself!

There are still two more live Oprah weekends with tickets available in Seattle and San Jose.  If you get the opportunity to go, one thing I know for sure: if you are a Woman on Fire, you will be inspired!

Wishing you a beautiful and successful Oprah-kind-of week ~

Love,

Debbie Signature

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Pick yourself!

by on May 21, 2012

I’m writing to you from my coziest chair on Martha’s Vineyard!

We just arrived here after my husband Rob and I, along with Wilber, our 17-pound cat, spent the winter in Florida.

Wilber has made the Great Migration South and then back North so often that he receives JetPaws frequent flyer points.  And, he is apparently so excited to be home that he is on my lap right now trying to take over the keyboard!

It feels great to be home and to now get ready for a number of you coming to the Vineyard in the next few months for vacation and your Vision Days!

Before I share highlights from my inspiring time with best-selling author, marketing guru and business/life strategist Seth Godin last week, I want mention a sadness within our Women on Fire community.

And, to express my deepest sorrow to at least two Women on Fire who were close friends with Mary Richardson Kennedy.

Mary was the wife of Robert Kennedy Jr. and the mom of four children, ages 11-17, who died tragically last week.  It is a horrible to hear about … let alone experience when you are friends or family of someone who takes his or her own life.

Friends and family survivors of suicide are often plagued with unrelenting  thoughts of  “Why?” and feelings of anger and guilt.

For any of you who are survivors of a loved one’s suicide and struggling, I highly recommend Alan Wolfelt’s Understanding Your Suicide Grief: 10 Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart.

For you who were directly affected by Mary’s terrible death, on behalf of all of us, may you be surrounded with love and understanding and comfort in grieving this loss.  We are with you.

So now I have a question…

Who or what do you turn to when you need a jolt of inspiration for new ideas and learning?

I have a number of go-to people, as you know.  They range from spiritual leaders — Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hahn and Edward Beck — to thought leaders — Gloria Steinem, Warren Bennis, Barbara Sher and Seth Godin.

Some of you may know of Seth, famous for his Purple Cow theory.  To be successful, he urges us all to find ways to be REMARKABLE … like a purple cow would be!

Last week Rob and I spent the day with Seth in New York at his conference creatively titled “Pick Yourself.”

Rob has worked with Seth in the past.  And, the night before the conference we attended a very fun, private dinner with him.


Seth is such a good sport. I’ve been told by my friend Mark Henson that stroking Seth’s head is worth seven years of good luck!

Here are seven gems of wisdom I learned or heard in a fresh way by being with Seth:

1) Technology is evolving and it is destroying the Industrial Age. The new economy is about CONNECTION. What do you have to offer that a certain group of people (your tribe) will absolutely love?  Keep in mind most people won’t care what you have to offer; some will even hate it; but your tribe will not be able to get enough of it!

2) Three skills necessary to possess in the Connection Economy:  fundamental skills; understanding strategy and the big picture; being willing to get knocked down and get back up again.

3) Are you doing work you are so passionate about that you are willing to fail at it … or be arrested for it?

4) To succeed, you must dance on the edge. Ask yourself what scares you? What are you afraid of?  And, go dance on the edge of that. Because once you do, then you put your fear behind you and you make leaps forward.  Know what it is that holds you back, because it is your growth opportunity.

5) Be extreme in your dedication to yourself and your work and your organization. Travel lightly.  Carry little in your backpack in order to run faster.

6) Forget mentors. Instead find heroes and emulate them. If you need support or to learn particular skills and strategies, hire a coach.

7) Do not wait for someone to select you to do the thing you want to do. You must pick yourself!

I’d love to hear how you stay current with your own learning and inspiration!

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