Close to 13 million children are hungry in America.  Many are hungry all weekend when school is in session, however, in the summer these same children are hungry from the last day of school in the spring to the first day of school in the fall. With the launch of Rejuvenate Your Life in 21 Days, 15% of all book sales on July 29-31 will be donated to Feeding America. By taking part in this book launch, you will be helping to raise much needed funds for this worthy cause.  Our intention is to sell 100,000 books that day so that the hungry children will have food at least until school starts.

Rejuvenate Your Life in 21 Days – What is the book about?

Rejuvenate Your Life in 21 Days empowers you to embrace your desires, change habits and begin living the life you dream about.  This book is not the definitive answer to all of your personal development for the rest of your life; it is the definitive answer in getting you started on your personal development journey.

It only takes 6 minutes a day to use this easy system to change your life. Here is a taste of what you will be able to do when you use this system.

• develop an attitude of gratitude
• unlock keys to your personal balance
• breakthrough to your authentic self
• break the code to getting unstuck

So, in addition to starting on your own personal journey, you’ll help feed a hungry child.

Here is a list of what I think are some of the coolest new businesses out there. These might help you in your life or business, or serve as inspiration to launch your own soul-driven business, or just be interesting to check out. In any case, here are some really great products and services that piqued my interest lately. (Please note that I have many, many more – there are a lot of really innovative businesses out there – this is literally what’s caught my eye in just the last 72 hours!) ;+)

www.kirtasbooks.com
– Pay to digitalize printed books and receive future revenues.

www.zumbox.com
– A paperless postal system where you can receive all your printed mail online.

www.postful.com
– Use the web to create printed mailings of postcards, invoices and more.

www.bluemailcentral.com
– Send postal mail via the internet.

www.telegramstop.com
– Create and send printed telegrams as an innovative way to connect with potential and current clients.

www.presto.com
– Send email and photos to people who don’t have a computer.

www.theprintedblog.com
– A daily newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and driven by user content.

www.domedia.com
– A place to find alternative media for advertising (bus billboards, college ads, etc.).

www.hollrr.com
– Where people shout out about their favorite products.

www.everydaymodels.co.uk
– People get paid to wear your slogan on a t-shirt or on their foreheads.

www.legacylocker.com
– A secure repository for your online / digital identity that your loved ones can access after you don’t need it anymore (hence, the word ‘legacy’).

www.yrwall.com
– An interactive digital graffiti wall (and you can print it out after you’ve created!).

www.picwing.com
– Turn your photos into print and share with people.

www.reactee.com
– Create a custom t-shirt with your original slogan; the back has a unique text number on it that people can text to so you’ll receive their comments and reaction (get it – reactee?).

www.tweetmybumper.com
– Create Twitter traffic while you’re sitting in traffic with a personalized bumper sticker.

One of the coolest things about being a soul-driven entrepreneur is that you can take advantage of emerging trends because you a) are on the leading edge of knowing what’s happening because you’re living it and b) have the opportunity to create a business that speaks from your soul and meet those trends as they occur.

There’s a term that captures the essence of that leading-edge sight for new trends – it’s called “visioning” or “futuring”. So you’ll hear of people who do this kind of calculated speculation by observing collective behavior that create new trends referred to as visionaries and/or futurists. And that’s one of my roles as a soul-driven business mentor – to help you know what’s happening so you can look at your opportunities in a new way.

It’s all about taking charge of our own destiny as a soul-driven entrepreneur… setting our own schedule, doing work that’s beyond a job, creating lasting value by distilling our essence into a contribution that others recognize as valuable and will pay to take part of it. And doing this kind of business – start-ups, boutique and soul-driven business – is perceived as more able to meet emerging needs faster than established big brands. This is the perfect time to start and grow your soul-driven business.

These trends can inspire you to innovate something new or ride the wave and jump into optimizing an opportunity. For wherever these lead you, here are the top trends that are catching my eye for soul-driven entrepreneurs.

1.   The process is the product. We’ve gone beyond the economic ages of agriculture and industry and are even nearing the next level of the experience economy… we’re in the age of energy. People want to feeeeeel something good and the way they do that is to go beyond what they already know, expect or find familiar. The process by which they feeeeel that IS the product vs. the physical outcome that you use to sell it.

2.  Smaller that can go bigger is better. People want flexibility and they want to decide what they want to purchase. That means modules, that they can buy and add on to, are a key delivery component of ideal products and services.

3.  Do it yourself remains a classic value. People want the option to be able to do it on their own. Give them the pieces, recipe and a place to buy the ingredients, and let them create their own process / product.

4.  Never-ending is becoming a way of life. Whether it’s a conversation thread, a to-do list, a particular project or life goals, we are becoming accustomed to “forever” in how we relate to our lives. We seem to not be getting to the finite end of anything a lot less. The result is the new relationship between our self-worth to what’s never done in our lives. And the effect of never-ending communications… (hint: think blog post or tweet that lives on the net forever and all the thousands of people to whom you connect with just one click…).

5.  Imperfect fast is better than perfect polished. Being transparent, opening opportunities for ‘beta’ (or pre-formal launch) testing, and responding to what people want is more valuable than a perfectly completed product or service.

6.  Everybody is somebody on the web. We want to support the people and businesses we know. And we look to the internet to find them – even if they are local.

7.  Generosity is the new receiving. Giving has become the new taking, as people reap the benefits of gifting (both intangible – feel good – and tangible – recognition and tax advantages). Even more, sharing time and energy is the new giving.

8.  Simple is. Going back to basics, returning to the essential and keeping it brief are a big reaction to people feeling saturated with information, overwhelmed with life responsibilities and reducing expenses.

9.  Time for reflection is required. People want to know what makes them really happy, and the only way they can know is to contemplate. They want more time and they want an easy way to dial into what they really want.

10.  Business branding transcends marketing. Making the most of what your business stands for is more important than launching a marketing campaign. Being of service, responding to your customers, living your values says more than a cool advertising campaign.

The big over-arching key to these trends is that people want meaningful connections, whether it’s to themselves, others or the world around them. What can you do to foster significant connection that makes a real difference in the quality of people’s lives? It doesn’t have to be big – it just has to be real.

About the Author: Lynn Scheurell, Creative Catalyst, works with soul-driven entrepreneurs to gain clarity and strengthen their inner systems for dramatic business results. She teaches simple strategies to increase perception, align the ‘doing’ with the ‘being’ of true life purpose and how to express that through entrepreneurial business. Download a free report to learn “The Seven Deadly Mistakes That Keep Soul-Driven Business Owners from Making Money” at www.mycreativecatalyst.com.

This is something that one of my fabulous clients sent me… a concept that I think is just fascinating. Basically, when critical mass is reached in 100 beings doing something, a quantum leap of consciousness is reached. Let’s each aim for being the ‘Hundredth Monkey’!!!! ;+)

The Hundredth Monkey

~ by Ken Keyes, jr.

The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.

Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.

Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes — the exact number is not known.

Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.

Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED!

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.

The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

But notice.

A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea –

Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.

Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

(from the book “The Hundredth Monkey” by Ken Keyes, jr. The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part. You can look at the whole book also.)

Source: http://www.worldtrans.org/pos/monkey.html

Desiderata
~ Max Ehrmann, 1927

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive God to be; and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Call: Discovering Why You Are Here
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer, 2006

I have heard it all my life, a voice calling a name I recognized as my own.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper. Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

But always it says: Wake up, my love. You are walking asleep. There’s no safety in that!

Remember what you are and let this knowing take you home to the Beloved with every breath.

Hold tenderly who you are and let a deeper knowing color the shape of your humanness.

There is nowhere to go. What you are looking for is right here.

Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.

There is no waiting for something to happen, no point in the future to get to. All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.

You are wearing yourself out with all this searching. Come home and rest.

How much longer can you live like this? Your hungry spirit is gaunt, your heart stumbles. All this trying. Give it up!

Let yourself be one of the God-mad, faithful only to the Beauty you are.

Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close, dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.

Remember- there is one word you are here to say with your whole being. When it finds you, give your life to it. Don’t be tight-lipped and stingy.

Spend yourself completely on the saying. Be one word in this great love poem we are writing together.

The Dance:  Moving to the Rhythms of Your True Self
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer, 2002

I have sent you my invitation, the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living. Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!” Just stand up quietly and dance with me.

Show me how you follow your deepest desires, spiraling down into the ache within the ache. And I will show you how I reach inward and open outward to feel the kiss of the Mystery, sweet lips on my own, everyday.

Don’t tell me you want to hold the whole world in your heart. Show me how you turn away from making another wrong without abandoning yourself when you are hurt and afraid of being unloved.

Tell me a story of who you are, And see who I am in the stories I am living. And together we will remember that each of us always has a choice.

Don’t tell me how wonderful things will be . . . some day. Show me you can risk being completely at peace, truly OK with the way things are right now in this moment, and again in the next and the next and the next. . .

I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring. Tell me how you crumble when you hit the wall, the place you cannot go beyond by the strength of your own will. What carries you to the other side of that wall, to the fragile beauty of your own humanness?

And after we have shown each other how we have set and kept the clear, healthy boundaries that help us live side by side with each other, let us risk remembering that we never stop silently loving those we once loved out loud.

Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance, the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart. And I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet and the stars overhead make my heart whole again and again.

Show me how you take care of business without letting business determine who you are. When the children are fed but still the voices within and around us shout that soul’s desires have too high a price, let us remind each other that it is never about the money.

Show me how you offer to your people and the world the stories and the songs you want our children’s children to remember, and I will show you how I struggle not to change the world, but to love it.

Sit beside me in long moments of shared solitude, knowing both our absolute aloneness and our undeniable belonging. Dance with me in the silence and in the sound of small daily words, holding neither against me at the end of the day.

And when the sound of all the declarations of our sincerest intentions has died away on the wind, dance with me in the infinite pause before the next great inhale of the breath that is breathing us all into being, not filling the emptiness from the outside or from within.

Don’t say, “Yes!” Just take my hand and dance with me.

May you awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
May you have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
May you receive great encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
May you respond to the call of your gift and find the courage to follow its path.
May the flame of anger free you from falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame and may anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
May you take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
May you be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.

~ John O’Donohue ~
(Anam Cara)

Today is my birthday! And I want to share it with you… so imagine the most amazing and beautiful birthday cake you’ve ever seen… it’s a double-decker with gorgeous buttercream frosting with yummy swirls of color. On top, there’s room for candles – lots of them – and every one of them is a point of light and a wish for illumination. My birthday wish is that you help me light my candles by sending me a birthday wish! ;+)

Remember that what we wish for others is what we are also creating for ourselves. It’s all energy and part of the Universal manifestation process. What we put out comes back… may your birthday candle wish for me help you bask in the brilliance and fulfillment of good energy for yourself in the next year!!!

May today bring you peace within.

May you trust that you are exactly
Where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith in yourself and others.

May you use the gifts that you
Have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content with yourself just the way you are.

Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul
the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.