» Archive for the 'Communication' Category

How To Gently Guide A Newbie To Use Energy Psychology

Sunday, February 14th, 2010 by Maryam Webster

“Doggone our families! Why can’t they just ‘get’ us sometimes?”. Lia, who’s been mentoring with me for several years was quite cross over her sister’s unwillingness to use EFT to deal with her marital breakup. Lia had cured her sugar addiction in coaching with me using EFT and wanted badly to help her sister, Martha.

Martha felt EFT was “too weird” however, and wouldn’t discuss it further, telling Lia “that stuff’s okay for you but it’s just too way out there for me”. Lia was frustrated, sick with worry for her sister (which we tapped on) and didn’t know what to do next.

I can SO relate.

When I first started to share energy coaching with my non-energy-savvy family, they raised their eyebrows, laughed, politely patted my hand and said “it’s great you found a hobby, dear”.

Most of us have had friends or relatives roll their eyes at one another and been the odd duck out in more traditional circles when we try to share energy transformation modalities.

But there’s a great way you can get people into the joys of living a clearer, happier life through energy work. And that is….

Drop the jargon.

Don’t say one acronym – not ETHOS, not EFT, not BSFF or any of the hundred others you might know.

In fact, don’t talk about the tool at all.

Just casually talk to your friends or family members about how they feel. And as you’re speaking with them about what isn’t right in their life, as they are in the depths of the “Dang it, if only I’d have had the guts to….” or “It just KILLS me that I didn’t…” or “I can’t stop thinking about it, and it’s driving me nuts!”

Ask: “How would you rather feel?”

This usually stops people in their tracks.

“Huh?” they’ll say “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what would you really want to feel like, if you could drop this feeling of (hurt, anger, betrayal, jealousy, guilt, shame etc.)?”

Then listen and be really open to what they are telling you without the NEED on your part to fix them, or what’s going on.

Your dropping the need you have to make it all better for other people is HUGE!

When I realized this, and simply listened without attachment to the other person’s outcome (and we’re talking about people I’d gladly give my life for, dear friends and family members), all of a sudden, THEY became more open to what I had to say about HOW to make their situation better.

Then, when they’ve told you how they’d rather feel, acknowledge what they’ve said and ask them:

“Would you like to get a little bit of the way to that place right now?”

If they say yes, then if you practice EFT for instance, get them to tap their HAND points as they tell you their story. Importantly, get them to rate their SUDS or intensity of feeling BEFORE you begin tapping.

And chances are, you’ll get them a good piece of the way down the road, not just a little bit, but it’s a good clean-energy practice to under-promise and over-deliver. That way, folks you’re working with get that extra bit that makes them feel like they got a bonus for free. And that’s something we all love.  ;-)

It’s important to start off with something they won’t immediately dismiss as weird looking or “too much to remember”. Using just the hand points addresses a large amount of the person’s intensity level without the overwhelm the whole EFT “recipe” can bring new tappers.

You tap, and tell them just to follow what you’re doing as they tell their story. By and by they’ll be on autopilot, tapping their finger points and karate chop point and telling their story.

As they tell their story, tail enders will come up, guide them to tap on these using just the hand points as well.

When they’ve been talking and tapping for about five minutes, ask them to rate their SUDS or intensity level again.

Most will find a few points shaved off, if not more. I’ve had family look at me with surprise on their faces and say bluntly “I thought all that stuff was just [*steer manure*], but I’ll be doggoned, this [*manure*] really works!”

Now, they enthusiastically tap with other family members who think they’re just as cuckoo as I am.

But they feel better about themselves and their lives. And I don’t care if they think I’m cuckoo, as long as we all feel the best we possibly can.

Because, and this is another important lesson, especially for newbies, the better we feel, the more better feeling experiences we attract.

And that’s a story for another day.

I hope this has been helpful. Let me know how you’re teaching your family to use the energy methods you know and love – you can put a post in the forums or in a blog on the ETHOS Community at:

http://ethosmethod.ning.com

Or feel free to leave a comment on this post below – use the handy-dandy tools in the orange bar at the bottom of the page to keep up the conversation!

Happy Valentine’s Day to you & a lovely rest of the week!

Warm Blessings,
Maryam

EFT Practitioners, Coaches & Therapists – Free Class 4U

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 by Maryam Webster


Come claim your FREE “The EFT Way To Market Your Services: More Clients, Money & Fun in 2010″ intro class at http://eftmarketingschool.com You’ll learn more in this FREE CLASS than you will in any other, AND GET COACHED ON YOUR BUSINESS. More genuine “take-action takeaways” than you’ll experience any other place.

Why You Need To Take This Class Now

Gary Craig, the founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT, is retiring after many years, and taking his massive, resource-crammed website down. Latest reports say he has put off his retirement from January 15th to March 1st due to the overwhelming amount of requests for a little more time to copy website materials and shut down the business. I for one have benefitted tremendously from Gary’s work and want to tender a personal “thank you and well done – rest well deserved”. Without EFT, there would be no Energy Coach Institute and I would not have been able to create the profession of Energy Coaching!

In this week’s tribute to Gary’s work, my colleague Pat Carrington brought up that people were upset over the fact that Gary’s fantastic marketing skills that would no longer be available to the community. “Who will teach us how to market our businesses when Gary is gone?” she cites one client as saying.

Just as I took up the challenge to help Gary market EFT along with several other top tappers and EFT Masters five years ago, I’m taking up the challenge today to offer this kind of training to you, the EFT Practitioner.

Gary and I both trained in the same neurolinguistic programming business marketing methods, and I have additional experience as a professional industrial psychologist researching what makes products & services sell, plus training in Guerrilla Marketing, in how to Get Clients Now and Book Yourself Solid. These are only three of the over thirty service business marketing programs I’ve taken in the last ten years.

I’ve spent probably fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars to learn these secrets and now, I am going to share them with you in a unique program created especially for EFT Practitioners, Coaches & Therapists – a unique blend of time-tested techniques you simply CAN’T learn elsewhere.

If you’re ready to stop practicing at it and get really good at your business – good enough to take lots of time off, be there when you want to for your family, take liberal vacations, buy whatever you need without worry and all the other things you may have been putting off, go over to:

http://eftmarketingschool.com

and GRAB YOUR SEAT FAST. We have two FREE classes that begin next week, so hop to it!

Habari gani? Ujima. Happy Kwanzaa!

Monday, December 28th, 2009 by Maryam Webster

Do you know about Kwanzaa? It is celebrated to honor the first fruits of Harvest and happens this week, December 26th – January 1st as a festival of African-American culture, beauty and unity. I didn’t know about this beautiful festival until just a few years ago, though it was begun in America in 1966 by black studies professor, Maulana Karenga.

Below is a primer from BeliefNet.com to enjoy. There is a space between the early December holy days of Hanukkah and Solstice, this year on the 21st, then between Solstice and Christmas on the 25th and Christmas and New Year’s on January 1st. Kwanzaa wonderfully carries on the holy days festival calendar with its timeless Seven Principles.

This year, I am taking as a personal motto and charge:

Principle of Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility

You might say 2010 is the Year of Ujima for all conscious people to rise and together, swing this world away from destruction the prophets of doom predict and slew our collective Bliss Compass around so the wind’s at our backs this time  ~ towards a kind land where Presence, equanimity and good faith exist among all.

For a start.

Check out what else Kwanzaa means and follow the links back to BeliefNet for more info:

KWANZAA: The First Fruits of the Harvest
When It Falls Kwanzaa is an annual festival that lasts seven days, from December 26 to January 1.
Meaning The word Kwanzaa comes from the phrase, ‘matunda ya kwanza,’ which means ‘first fruits of the harvest’ in Swahili. Kwanzaa is modeled on the first fruit celebrations of ancient Africa. It is now a celebration of African-American family, community, and self-improvement.
History Kwanzaa was created as a cultural festival in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, now a black studies professor. The festival was created to encourage African-Americans to think about their African roots and develop a higher African-American consciousness.
Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba)
  • Umoja — Unity
  • Kujichagulia — Self-Determination
  • Ujima — Collective Work and Responsibility
  • Ujamaa — Cooperative Economics
  • Nia — Purpose
  • Kuumba — Creativity
  • Imani — Faith
  • Ritual Objects & Symbols
  • Mkeka — straw table mat, on which all other objects are placed
  • Mazao — crops, symbols of the fruits of collective labor
  • Muhindi — one ear of corn for each child, symbolizing fertility
  • Kikombe cha umoja — the unity cup, used to perform the libation ritual
  • Zawadi — gifts, traditional items that encourage success
  • Kinara — candleholder, a symbol of ancestry
  • Mishumaa saba — seven candles, one for each of the seven Kwanzaa principles
  • Customs Each night, the family gathers to light the candles of the kinara, adding one candle for each day of the holiday. A traditional feast is held on the night of December 31.
    Gifts Gifts are usually opened on the last day of Kwanzaa, January 1. Gifts are considered part of the “kuumba,” or creativity, principle and are encouraged. Traditional presents are books and heritage symbols.
    Traditional Greeting “Habari gani?”, to which one replies with the Kwanzaa principle of the day.
    Traditional Meal Most celebrants have a feast, called a karamu, on December 31.
    Suggested Reading Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture
    By Maulana Karenga
    Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking
    By Eric V. Copage

    HOW MUCH DID YOU LEARN? TAKE THE KWANZAA QUIZ TO FIND OUT.

    Get ‘er done with Task.fm

    Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by Maryam Webster

    to-dohttp://task.fm is the hottest new outsourcing “Get ‘er done” tool among the coaching set. It’s free, you can record your tasks in slang, just the way you speak and the app will translate perfectly.

    For instance, “Pick up dry cleaning a week from today after lunch” gets translated into “Pick up dry cleaning” with the date being exactly a week from the time you ordered the task, at 1pm.You can choose email, SMS or call-to for task reminder.

    Cool? You bet. And for a cheapo $4 a month upgrade, you can log tasks by calling them into the service’s own 800 number and other refinements.

    Best of all, you can synch up with Twitter, DM Task.fm and never have to log in. For the socmedia maven, a blessing. Here’s the lowdown from the FAQ:

    what is task.fm

    Task.fm is a reminder tool. Use it to create sms, email or twitter reminders. Task.fm can understand your natural language like “meeting with bob next tuesday at 9am”, so you don’t need to enter dates and times manually.

    • natural language input

      don’t enter dates and times manually. Save time by speaking in plain english

    • twitter integration

      works with Twitter. Create reminders by sending us a Direct Message.

    • sms, email and voice

      recieve reminders via sms, email, twitter or voice call. Change reminder types with a click

    • add reminders via email

      create reminders directly from any email client. Never leave your inbox

    • groups and contacts

      sending reminders to others is as simple as CC’ing a contact

    • to-do lists

      task.fm includes a built in to-do manager. create unlimited lists

    • tag and search

      add tags to any reminders to search and group. Supports hashtags via twitter and email

    • voice transcription

      create reminders using your voice. Use a toll-free number

    Second-hand Interpretation: invitation to Sleep

    Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 by Maryam Webster

    woman-with-a-megaphoneOne of the most frequent arguments I used to have with my partner revolved around being misinterpreted. They said I said something I know I didn’t say, but that’s the way they heard it. I said they said something they swear they never did, but that’s how I heard it. We interpreted each other, through the filters of our own experience, expectation and personal misery. And every time we did, we invited both ourselves and each other to slip deeper into slumber, away from consciousness.

    Why?

    Because to interpret is to leave room for error…which hooks human beings’ need to be right…which creates arguments…which are all about Not Being Awake. Which is in the opposite direction of your Bliss Compass pointer.

    Here’s a great quote on this from psychotherapist Barry Stevens, with thanks to Tom for this reference. She famously quipped:

    I don’t like to be interpreted.

    a) If I respect the interpreter, I am apt to think that he must be right and he may actually be wrong.

    b) He may be right at one level. I may agree with him. This cuts me off from the deeper level where the interpretation is not true.

    c) If  he is right and I am not willing to admit it, I become rigid in excluding his interpretation.

    Rigidity is death; flexibility is life.

    I don’t like to interpret.

    a) I interpret you according to me, or according to some scheme.

    b) Repeatedly, when I notice my interpretation, withhold it, “you” prove me wrong by what comes from you, and I’m so very glad I didn’t point you in the wrong direction.

    Sometimes “you” arrive at something that meets my interpretation (I don’t know if you do this by following the same scheme) – and move on, and get at something deeper.

    I am with Fritz on: “Even if I am right, I rob you of discovering it yourself.”

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Amen on that last line, yes indeed. The Fritz referred to is the founder of Gestalt Psychotherapy, Fritz Perls, with whom Stevens worked.

    Alternative 10 Commandments

    Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 by Maryam Webster

    thou_shalt_not_whine

    From friend Lisa Wilder’s blog comes this great though anonymous “Alternative 10 Commandments”

    Ten Other Commandments To Live By

    1.  You shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

    2.  You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

    3.  You shall not carry grudges, for they are the heaviest of all life’s burdens.

    4.  You shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.

    5.  You shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

    6.  You shall not borrow other people’s problems. They can better care for them than you.

    7.  You shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening    in your life and be happy now.

    8.  You shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.

    9.  You shall not become bogged down by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.

    10. You shall count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

    ~ Author Unknown

    Bad Economy? Word of Mouth!

    Monday, January 5th, 2009 by Maryam Webster

    BadEconomy > fix > gosub=WordOfMouth.  (geeks in the audience can laugh at will) There’s nothing like a personal recommendation. After all, you’d take your BFF’s recommendation over an impersonal ad, wouldn’t you?

    If your business is running a tight marketing ship this year and your team is scrambling for marketshare, you’ll want to pay attention to “The Buzz Canuck” – a canny word of mouth supporter, I met on SWOM – Society for Word Of Mouth. Especially if you, like many of my clients, are a solo entrepreneur, or your larger company is downsizing its marketing budget (as many are) – you can still leverage the Law of Attraction by Word Of Mouth to build your outreach, visibility an market share. What do you want others to be saying about you? As Buzz explains below, know WHY moreover, WOM is important as a marketing, relationship and just plain good business strategy:

    You Need The Hu (video included!)

    Monday, December 29th, 2008 by Maryam Webster

    Oh, you know you need you some Hu. Social networking buddy Sherman Hu (on Twitter @shermanhu) is the most joyful – dare I say “puckish” – and amazingly generous webpreneur I’ve met in a long time. Plus which, he’s charmingly in love with his wife, the beautiful Sarah, and his kids. An all-around wholesome, decent fellow it’s my pleasure to introduce you to.

    Stick with Sherman, and he’ll help you like he’s helped me to make sense of the sometimes confusing welter of Web 2.0 opportunities we’ve all been told we must take advantage of to maintain relationships, promote ourselves and create our web platforms with.

    Leverage these platforms and win – clients, credibility and ka-ching. But dear Dorothy, that Web 2.0 yellow brick road is long, twisty and tricky. If you don’t know what you’re doing you can fritter hours, days, weeks away.

    But it can be so much simpler with the right guide. Sherman Hu is such a guide and nope, he’s not paying me a cent to say this, I’ve just observed his offerings for long enough to know – he’s my go-to on this stuff. If you’re bamboozled by how to keep track of your WordPress, Twitter, FaceBook and other new “must do” social media platforms, I highly suggest you start watching Sherman’s every-Monday “Half Hour Huddle” on ShermanHu.tv.  This broadcast simplifies and demystifies emerging new media (blogging, podcasting, video, social media) so business owners can profit. Which is way okay by me.  ;-)

    Slightly out of Sherman’s main oeuvre, but an excellent classic and back for the new year, is one of his episodes on creating a more profitable year in all ways by a little simple reflection and forward planning. It’s from 2007, but is still relevant today. Below the video is my interpretation of Sherman’s template you can use to plan your own year. Enjoy!

    Here’s an easy recap of Sherman’s 2009 Vision & Goals form mentioned on this video. He suggests doing this with your spouse or significant other, which is a great idea. Print yourself out two and share with your partner when you’ve both filled them out. This will prevent potential mismatching down the road when you’re rollin’ and your partner says “what the heck? I didn’t know you were planning to….!”

    2009 Vision & Goals

    At the end of 2009, what would I realistically like to say has happened in my life?

    2008 Recap:

    Business

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with the progress in this year:

    Family & Home

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with the progress in this year:

    Spouse & Romance

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with my progress in this year:

    Friends & Fun

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with my progress in this year:

    Fitness & Health

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with my progress in this year:

    Personal Growth

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with my progress in this year:

    Financial & Material

    What did I Accomplish in 2008?

    What were my main Frustrations in 2008?

    At the end of 2009, this happened for me to be happy with my progress in this year:

    My Key Word/Phrase for 2009 is:
    example: “All of life comes to me with ease, joy and grace”, “Wahoo!”, “Yes I can” etc.

    Sherman suggests you put this into a 2009 Planning Grid as shown on the video. Sage advice, and a standard in the life coaching community. Just do it! I used Adobe InDesign to do mine, but you could equally use OpenOffice tools, Microsoft Excel or Word. Here’s the rough plan for you to harvest and fill in for yourself:

    Across the Top: 2009 Vision | 90 day goals Jan – March | 30 day goals (2 per each 90 day goal) | Outcome

    Down the Side:
    Business
    Family & Home
    Spouse & Romance
    Friends & Fun
    Fitness & Health
    Personal Growth
    Financial & Material

    Fill this grid in as the year goes on and enjoy…

    And thanks Sherman Hu, for ALL that you do. Respect!

    Leadership Lessons From the Birds

    Wednesday, December 24th, 2008 by Maryam Webster

    There are so many lessons in Presence, in Community, Leadership and Cooperation we can learn from animals. Here’s just one more for the holidays. Before you roast that Christmas goose (if that’s your thing) check out what these community-minded fowl can teach us all.

    canadian-geeseLeadership Lessons We can Learn From Geese

    Geese Fact: As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the other birds to follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

    Our Lesson: People who share a common direction and a sense of community get where they are going quicker and easier — because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

    Geese Fact: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

    Our Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

    Geese Fact: When a goose tires, it rotates to the back of the formation as another goose flies to the point opposite.

    Our Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangement of gifts, talents or resources.

    Geese Fact: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

    Our Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups — where there is encouragement to stand by one’s heart or core values and encourage the same in others — is the sort of honking we seek.

    Geese Fact: When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out in formation and try to catch the flock.

    Our Lesson: If we had as much sense as geese, we would stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.


    Note: Though many others have been credited, Dr Robert McNeish of Baltimore, MD is the author of this piece, which was written in 1972 as a lay sermon delivered to Northminster Presbyterian Church in Reisterstown, MD. Dr McNeish was a biology teacher who enjoyed observing the geese on the eastern Atlantic shores of Maryland. Thanks to the exhaustive research of Sue Widemark for the provenance of this article.


    Blessings & Lessons From Smart Animals

    Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 by Maryam Webster

    bambi-thumperFriendship and love, even across species. This is what it looks like. Check your heart when you look at this picture…that’s what it feels like. (see below for more)

    It always amazes me when I meet people who won’t cosy up to another human being, who won’t accept help, whose stiff-necked pride depends on being “completely, totally independent”.  I used to see that a lot back when I was a social worker. And even today, in some who would consider it beneath them to accept a helping hand, or others who won’t reach out to their networks when they really need to.

    Now I enjoy my financial independence, being an independent thinker and things like that, but will I accept a hug, a friendly nuzzle or a helping hand?  Oh, you betcha! And revel in the close-knit communities I enjoy being part of.

    Come on, folks. It’s the holidays. If you really need to, and even if you don’t – reach out, please. You’ll be doing someone else the immense favor of allowing them the extreme blessing of giving, and yourself the equal blessing of receiving.  No perps, no victims – it’s an equal exchange. Think about it.

    Ask  your mom or maiden aunt for a hug. Get your dad to help you check your tires or change a lightbulb. Sincerely ask a colleague’s opinion on your latest product or business thought. ‘Tis the season of giving, so give that blessing to others.

    In that, we can all stand to learn a thing or two from our animal friends. The first thing we can all do with more of that this pair of buddies has down: friendship and love – even across different species. Thanks to Certified Energy Coach Carol Sanderell for sending this beautiful photo essay and heartwarming story of the fawn Finchen and her wild rabbit companion seen above.

    The full essay (in  both German and English) with loads of pictures can be found here: http://www.tanja-askani.de/ Talk about magic, communication and inspiration! If you’re a big softie like me, you’ll cry tears of joy. Check out her other photos of interspecies communication.  Warm your cockles for darn sure.