Experiential learning

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Jennifer

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way we learn and grow – in particular, about the power of story to transform in a way that learning a step by step process doesn’t.

Why is this?

The answer I’ve come up with – whether it’s true or not – is that experience, actual experience or through reading or watching the experience of others, happens in the whole body, whereas learning a process happens in the mind, and only slowly translates into new action, if it does at all.

I’ve learned lots from books over the years, and gradually I’ve been able to translate new ideas and new processes into the way I live my life.

It’s the stories I’ve read or heard, however – the anecdotes in the self-help books, the real life stories told from the stage, the mystical metaphors of Harry Potter and other vibrantly alive fiction – that have made the biggest, fastest change.

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Finding your Flow

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Jennifer

Today I’m working on part two of my online course, Flow Your Book, and thinking about all the different ways people find their Flow.

For me personally, there are two ways it happens – it can be my own creative projects, usually writing, when I can go into that state where six hours later I look up and have to work to get the world back into focus. Or it can be sharing ideas, listening to someone who is speaking their truth.

That’s the magic of the work I do, every day – spending time with people who are in that space, who stay in it from the moment we connect to the moment we say goodbye, and hopefully beyond.

I don’t know if it’s just me, if it’s just that my eyes have recently opened, but there seem to be more and more people around me speaking from their hearts. It’s magical. It has a completely different feel to the way things were in the old life, where work was done for money and we were told people wanted to know “What’s in it for me?”

My new world isn’t like that – people give from their hearts, freely. Money might change hands, but that is no longer the central point; what they do and what they say comes from who they are.

I want to take this chance to say thank you to my inspired, inspiring clients, all of whom are living and speaking their truth through their work:

Lucy Whittington, BeingABusinessCelebrity.com

Dave Kibby, who speaks about the nature of reality, DaveKibby.com

Dr. Linda Mallory, TheWhyParent.com, for calm, connected and conscious parenting

Dave Gammon, gorgeous storyteller, regaling us about the ups and downs of dating in middle-age – I’ll update this with details when his new book is released

Sam Russell, The Facebook Oracle, SardineDesign.com

Dion Johnson, helping people love their paid work, FedUpAtWork.com

Sarah Christie, beautifully eloquent on the subject of compassionate leadership, EffectiveOutcomes.com

Thank you all. Working with you is a dream come true.

Creativity from uncertainty

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Jennifer

Reading Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success this weekend, I was enveloped by the statement that creativity comes in a space of uncertainty.

When we create something entirely new, we can’t know in advance what it will be, or how it will come – by definition, if it’s new, it’s something neither we nor anyone else has ever seen or done before.

And the greater the uncertainty, the greater the possibility, creativity, opportunity.

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The Inspired State

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Jennifer

Distilled wisdom

Everything I have learned about how to live an inspired and fulfilling life has this morning distilled down into one simple principle:

The principle

There are two states we can live from – the Inspired State, and the Other one.

The principle came with a simple set of steps for applying it. If you like, join me in exploring how it works.

The background

Whatever we do from our inspired state will bring us joy, peace and love – all we have to do is find our way there, as often and for as long as possible. Once the see-saw begins to tip, it becomes easier and easier to get there and stay there, and life itself appears to shift.

The symptoms

It’s pretty easy to recognise which one we’re in. Here’s a list of their respective symptoms.

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Is writing too slow for your thoughts?

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jennifer

The world is moving at a faster and faster pace – I don’t mean that in terms of hurry, it can be the opposite – the idea of Slow Time means doing more in less time with less effort, creating a magical sensation of floating through life.

For some people, the idea of writing a book is enticing, but getting their ideas down on the page doesn’t flow well.

My sense is that the reason for this may be simpler than it first appears.

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Understanding the Process – Presence on the Page

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Jennifer

A great conversation with my French teacher this morning – she is also a writer – helped me understand what I do that is different. It’s all about Presence.

Presence is what J.K. Rowling brings to the world with Harry Potter. Presence is what speakers bring to the stage that is unique. Presence is what makes the difference between simply observing life and truly living it. Presence is what makes the work we do worthwhile.

Fairly early on in my career as a novelist, I asked myself what the difference was with Harry Potter. There are no Emporer’s New Clothes with children’s literature – if children love a book, it’s because it really has something wonderful. Straight away, I realised what it was – Joanne Rowling is right there, in the story, and she takes us there, too.

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The Amazing Lucy Whittington

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Jennifer

I am delighted to be working with Lucy Whittington, Manager of Business Celebrities, www.BeingABusinessCelebrity.com, on her book about finding your Thing and getting famous for it.

As Lucy says, “Your Thing is the Thing you do effortlessly, the Thing that makes you smile, the Thing that is so obvious to you that you hadn’t realised the world was waiting for you to get out there and do it.”

Lucy is inspiring, a genius at helping you find your Thing when it is hiding on the end of your nose.

Watch this space for more information!