This week I received the Foreword for my book from my friend and colleague, Dr. George Catlin. George is a psychologist with a Ph.D. and author of (among other books) The Way to Happiness. I'm also really excited that after reading my book George came up with a much better title for it, which I'm going to use. The new title is: A Call to Magic: the Artful Science of Transforming Self and World.
With the Foreword from George in place, the final formatting is getting wrapped up right now, and I'm doing the final photo shoot for the cover this weekend.
The book should be ready for purchase sometime in September!!! Yay!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Omigosh! Look at the Time!
I know, you wouldn't think anyone would be thinking ahead to the Holidays yet. But some of my "hot weekend dates" in December have booked up already. So if you're planning to hold events during the holiday season and need help with great entertainment, it's definitely not too soon to be getting in touch.
I have some great resources on my website too, that are geared to help you make planning your event much easier. And even if you're not looking for entertainment right now, I'm also available for free event consulting to help with ideas and advice on making your event go smoothly. Feel free to get in touch!
I have some great resources on my website too, that are geared to help you make planning your event much easier. And even if you're not looking for entertainment right now, I'm also available for free event consulting to help with ideas and advice on making your event go smoothly. Feel free to get in touch!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Book Update and Working with Artists
A quick update on my book: we're just wrapping up the editing, and in the process of doing photo shoots for the cover design. I'm really excited to be working with artist and photographer Tracey Frugoli. With a background as an award winning artist and painter, Tracey has a terrific eye for color, composition, and balance, and I'm really enjoying the creative process of working with her on my photos. You can see some of her paintings HERE, and her photography HERE.
On a related topic, I'm also really excited to be working with Tracey Frugoli, photographer Craig Stocks (see my blog post from May 21), and a handful of other highly talented artists and arts enthusiasts creating a special marketing campaign for local arts events during National Arts and Humanities Month in October. Tracey and Craig have been spearheading a truly amazing project featuring a series of artistic photos of local artists and supporters of the arts that will appear on television and other media during October. Stay tuned for more details as it gets closer.
With Tracey's help, the cover photography and design on my book should be pretty cool. I won't give it away just yet, but in the meantime, here's a little teaser: at the end of our first photo session, Tracey wanted to take a few simple headshots of me just for fun. Here's her favorite:
On a related topic, I'm also really excited to be working with Tracey Frugoli, photographer Craig Stocks (see my blog post from May 21), and a handful of other highly talented artists and arts enthusiasts creating a special marketing campaign for local arts events during National Arts and Humanities Month in October. Tracey and Craig have been spearheading a truly amazing project featuring a series of artistic photos of local artists and supporters of the arts that will appear on television and other media during October. Stay tuned for more details as it gets closer.
With Tracey's help, the cover photography and design on my book should be pretty cool. I won't give it away just yet, but in the meantime, here's a little teaser: at the end of our first photo session, Tracey wanted to take a few simple headshots of me just for fun. Here's her favorite:
Friday, August 3, 2012
World Class Experience
I'm always inspired watching the Olympic athletes exhibit the incredible degree of peak performance they've worked so hard to achieve. As many of you know, I teach Judo, and when I was younger, was fortunate enough to train with many of our nation's top Judo players at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Ever since my teen years, peak performance of all kinds has held a deep fascination for me. It's much akin to magic, in that those who go far beyond the norm achieve seemingly impossible results.
How is this possible? As I discuss in my book, peak performance, as well as self actualization, both come quite often from surprising sources. Yes, hard work and determination most definitely play a huge part. But paradoxically, true achievement often comes in those moments where we simply allow ourselves to become completely immersed in the moment.
Rather than trying harder to be more, to do more, a certain surrender also comes into play. Surrender to the experience of the moment: body and mind merge into a single, highly focused field of experience, a one-pointed, yet relaxed level of heightened awareness. This, the 'Magical Moment' experience, is often where we transcend our limitations and go beyond mere 'trying'.
The 'in the zone' experience that many athletes describe is one form of what Abraham Maslow described as a "peak experience", and they are common to those who are peak performers in all fields of human endeavor. In the words of that great philosopher Jedi, "Do. Or do not. There is no 'try'."
And that's the real magic of achievement.
How is this possible? As I discuss in my book, peak performance, as well as self actualization, both come quite often from surprising sources. Yes, hard work and determination most definitely play a huge part. But paradoxically, true achievement often comes in those moments where we simply allow ourselves to become completely immersed in the moment.
Rather than trying harder to be more, to do more, a certain surrender also comes into play. Surrender to the experience of the moment: body and mind merge into a single, highly focused field of experience, a one-pointed, yet relaxed level of heightened awareness. This, the 'Magical Moment' experience, is often where we transcend our limitations and go beyond mere 'trying'.
The 'in the zone' experience that many athletes describe is one form of what Abraham Maslow described as a "peak experience", and they are common to those who are peak performers in all fields of human endeavor. In the words of that great philosopher Jedi, "Do. Or do not. There is no 'try'."
And that's the real magic of achievement.
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