Publishing a book is a rather curious business and has been a fantastic exercise in clarifying my purpose in life. Having worked in the speaking arena for a number of years I knew that the book I was destined to write was my legacy to this world. Regardless of what people thought about it, I knew I needed to share my journey into charisma and allow readers to make up their own minds. Once I made the commitment to start writing, the words flowed at such a rate that in just one month I was shocked to discover I had written over a 100,000 words!! That was way back in August 2013 and I felt as if I had gorged on chocolate for a month. The thought of reading this mass of words filled me with feelings of nausea and I just ignored their callings for a while. In 2014 as the new year began I felt my own passion re-ignite as I started editing my initial draft. It felt as if I had kissed The Blarney Stone – why didn't I use one word instead of a hundred words?!!!! Then followed days of deleting parts, laughing at some of my sentences and moments of joy when I actually liked something I had written. As my book neared completion I was blessed when the wonderful Alan Westbury, a successful businessman from Leicestershire, offered to read and review my ramblings from the perspective of a logical, hard-nosed CEO. Alan has a direct style and a nose for detail – he gave me a goldmine of feedback over lengthy Skype sessions as his wife Gail supplied him with endless cups of tea.
And then it was finished.
It was a strange and surreal moment because I suddenly realised that it's one thing to write a book and quite another to get one published!!! Here was my dilemma: I knew that business publishers would be unable to pigeon hole my book because they would probably see it as 'deeply uncommercial', how would publishing a spiritual and controversial book affect their credibility? Reading about my sensational past, tales of apple experiments and seances with deceased charismatic leaders was probably a step too far. So who else could I approach? Hay House Publishing are leaders in esoteric and holistic styled books and have built up a raving fan base over the years. Yet whilst my book had content that was aligned with their brand principles my target audience – business leaders – was very different to their general readership profile. These investigations into the right publisher proved hugely useful as it dawned on me that none of the big publishers was going to publish my book!!! If I 'toned it down' to make it more corporate or changed my target audience then I could do it, yet everything inside of me shouted 'no' because this book is the reason I am here on earth.
I am totally and utterly committed to showing the business community that when leaders take notice of the natural laws of the universe and adopt a more heart-centred approach to leadership – transformational change happens easily and effortlessly. I could not compromise my purpose by diluting my message to enable it to feel more commercially palatable. So as all of these realisations struck me at force I made the decision to publish with the intuitive and experienced support of Sue Richardson Associates. Sue promises to deliver a good looking, well-edited book that is dressed to impress!!!!! So to borrow the words of Thomas Carlyle, my book is the purest essence of my soul and the date for the launch is now set – 7th September 2015!
I have come to terms with some of the labels people have used to describe me over the years, maverick, eccentric and a risk taker. So as I reflect on the world's most charismatic leaders and ponder which ones will agree to write the foreword to my book there is only one name who keeps jumping into my consciousness. One man who is maverick, eccentric, a risk taker and hugely charismatic in his own unique way. One man whose vision has always been ahead of its time. One man who has the courage to stand up and say "yes" when the rest of the world is chorusing "no".
Enter Richard Branson.
It hasn't occurred to me that he may say no because I feel utterly certain that my approach will really resonate with his own personal vision and values. So my challenge in the next 30 days is that Richard Branson agrees to write the foreword to – Charismatic to the Core – a spiritual approach to authentic leadership. So to test my manifestation abilities I am raising my energy, planting emotionally evocative images of Richard kissing my book and have even purchased a Virgin red coat and handbag!!! So Richard Branson if you happen to be reading this know that I've already been in touch and am looking forward to meeting you!
When you live your life in a way that is attuned to the ebb and flow of your environment all decisions and next steps appear as if by magic and living feels so much easier. Possessing clarity around what you want to achieve and trusting that you have all the resources you need inside to attain that which you desire becomes instinctive. If you experience resistance and conflict then your heart is trying to speak to you. If you experience negativity and lack then this is a projection of what you are holding within you. Trusting your vibes no matter what, takes courage. To live any other way is to betray your soul. Its' taken me over 50 years to fully understand the notion that when we are at ease with ourself, life becomes at ease with us. This ease tempts the full wonder of our stunning and spectacular world to reveal herself in all her glory. In our haste to chase this elusive dream called happiness we run at breakneck speed missing the simple pleasures in life. A crop of snowdrops in the early morning mist, the song of a blackbird leading a rousing dawn chorus, the sky lit up by the graceful departing of a sun ready to delegate to the careful eyes of the moon. Noticing these wonders is the first step on the road to peace and fulfilment. Paying attention to the ego's ramblings disguised as thoughts in drag that lull us in to a world of superficiality only brings deep discontent.
We are all children of this wonderful universe and regardless of the horror stories we read about or watch on the nightly news, the universe is a strong positive place full of good people, beautiful landscapes and crammed with miracles in the making. When you try too hard, when you swim against your natural flow when you act in ways that are out of alignment with who you really are at a soul level then life will be painful. Pushing these types of emotions down into the depths of your subconscious does not make them go away. Man-ing up does not make you stronger. Living in your head and abiding by the so called sensible decisions dictated to you by your conscious mind will ultimately betray your heart. When life is not going your way (even though you may yet be able to see that what you are going through is a perfect training ground for your evolution) challenge yourself to let go of judgements about yourself and others because it is within the seeds of acceptance and understanding that we lighten the burdens we carry. Beating ourselves up for decisions we made in the past serves no purpose except creates a cruel streak that hardens the compassion in our heart. Every moment of our lives is precious and every part of our journey is to discover who we truly are and what we a truly capable of achieving. Our troubles, our obstacles, our painful moments, our bruised and battered hearts have defined the person we are right here and right now.
If you can look in the mirror and like what you see then you are doing an amazing job!