We have to move from the illusion of certainty to the certainty of illusion.

Sam Keen, author

As usual, Sam Keen is right on the money with his observations.  I had the privilege to hear Sam speak at this year's Omega Institute conference and chat with him afterwards.  If you haven't read his books, you're missing out!  My personal favorite is Learning to Fly.

I just finished writing this chapter for my upcoming book Coaching Into Greatness: 4 Steps to Success In Business and Life, and we had another terrific r&d call on measuring the Illusion of Certainty last week.

What certainties are you certain of?  Have you questioned your answers lately?

Posted by Kim George at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My mom died 21 years ago today.

It's a subject that I revisit in my new book.  After my mom died, I couldn't imagine talking to anyone about what I was going through.  Now, all these years later, I've found my voice.  When I first wrote the book proposal and farmed it out to several publishers, I never imagined that I'd share so much of my personal life in my writing.  To be honest, at times it's been downright scary to share these stories, to open my life, to revisit the old, dark, painful places.  But it's been a healing process too.  In fact, with this new found vulnerability, I don't even feel weaker as I originally thought. 

I feel stronger. 

I am stronger.

And I'm more me than I've ever been.

Thanks again, Mom, for teaching me a powerful lesson, even after your death.

The Sun

Strange thing about the sun - how often, after it has set and we are able to see it no more, it leaves behind a beauty we can never see while we have it here with us.

About the sun, we know this truth.  If it seems to be setting where we are, it is because it is rising somewhere else - rising and still shining with its same radiance and warmth.

We know, that in reality, the sun never sets.  Instead, we are temporarily not able to see it.  And yet, we are certain we will see the sun again.

Author Unknown

Posted by Kim George at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We take a break this week from our ongoing series that explores the Tipping Points of the various Illusions of Scarcity to introduce a new class.  Please tell your friends!

Creating Abundance Intelligence:  Why Abundance Matters

Thursday, November 3rd at 7 pm eastern

Join Kim as she shares the cutting edge thought around her concept of Abundance Intelligence® - Abundance Intelligence.  Abundance is much more (no pun intended!) than the belief that there's more than enough to go around.  Find out what Abundance Intelligence® is, discover the characteristics of a high Abundance Intelligence® , and why it matters to you -- how you run your business and how you live your life.

To register for this class, please send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The week ahead is going to be an exciting one!  After more than 5 months writing my book "Coaching Into Greatness:  4 Steps to Success in Business and Life", I've got just one more chapter to write!

Here's how the chapters have shaped up:

• A New Way of Being (an introduction to my definitions of abundance and scarcity)
• Why Greatness?  (making the case for why we should care about living into our greatness)
• Forgetting Who You Are (an explanation of how the cycle of conditioning keeps us from being who we are)
• Remembering Who You Are (introducing the 4 step LIG process)
• The Illusion of Not Enough
• The Illusion of Comparisons
• The Illusion of Struggle
• The Illusion of Time
• The Illusion of Hope
• The Illusion of Control
• The Illusion of Certainty
• Creating Abundance Intelligence (an introduction to the concept of Abundance Intelligence® and a sneak peek at the next phase of this work)

Each of the chapters features interviews from some of the great Abundant minds of our times.  Check the blog frequently for lots of previews and updates!

Posted by Kim George at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this past week's class, we delved more deeply into measuring the patterns that make up the Illusion of Time.  This whole measurement process has been a bit squishy, to say the least!

How do you measure intangible qualities like abundance and scarcity?  It's easy to quantify the number of products sold, or pounds lost, or revenues generated.  But measuring Attachment and Convenient Distraction?  Not so easy.

In fact, nearing completion of my book and entering the next phase of this Living Into Greatness work, I found myself getting overwhelmed by the opportunities coming to me and the sheer BIGNESS of this work, Abundance Intelligence® , that is unfolding.

Frankly, the Illusion of Certainty and Not Enough have been kicking my ass. 

Who am I to think I can create this thing called Abundance Intelligence?  I don't have the time, I don't have the background, I don't have the experience . . .

On and on it went.  For about a day and a half.

Then I remembered the words from my own book. 

I CAN do what I can do.

I already have everything I need.

Being who I am is perfectly enough.

And I took a deep breath. 

This stuff works.  How funny (and how perfect) that I have to be reminded by my own book . . . 

     That it's great.  And that it will be all that it can be.

      As long as I am being who I am.

Posted by Kim George at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Abundance Intelligence® System:  Exploring the Tipping Point of the Illusion of Certainty

Thursday, October 27th at 7pm eastern

Have you ever felt like you just need to know how events in your life are going to work out, where you're going to end up?

Has this need to know kept you from doing what you can do? 

How do we know when we're in the Illusion of Certainty? 

Join Kim as she continues to explore how we can measure being stuck in Certainty.  How is it possible to measure Complacency, Exclusion, and Perfectionism?  This r&d call will explore the types of questions we can ask ourselves, and the clients we work with, to begin to find the Tipping Point of this Illusion.

For more information, send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Do or do not.  There is no try."

Yoda, from The Empire Strikes Back

Yoda packed a lot of power and wisdom into his tiny green frame.  (Ok, I have to admit in the latest Star Wars flick that he did a little too much spinning in the air during the fighting scenes to be believeable, but go with me here.)

How often do you catch yourself using the word try?  Pay attention to this over the next week or so.  When you say you'll try to make the deadline, or give your friend a call, or go to the gym, what do you really mean?  Are you committed? 

Or are you creating a convenient little loop hole to excuse yourself from doing what you can do?  As a form of scarcity, trying keeps us playing small.  It keeps us locked in our comfort zone, safe to keep doing what we've always done. Trying is another way to hold the present hostage, to run away from greatness.  In my experience, when I tell someone I'll try, as I'm saying it, I know I won't follow through.  I'm letting myself off the hook. 

Here's a shift to consider:  What if you said, "I'll do my best."  Would that change how you show up?  For me personally and the clients I coach, it has made a big difference.  Doing your best is a standard that can be applied in any situation regardless of circumstances.  It doesn't mean you will be perfect, or the results will be ideal, it means you will do the best you can do right now, when it matters most. 

You can leave trying alone, and be who you are.

What have you been trying to do for awhile now that you can let go of?

Posted by Kim George at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My apologies to everyone who was planning on taking part in this past week's R&D.  Due to unforseen circumstances, I had to postpone the class until this Thursday.

So here we go again:

The Abundance Intelligence® System:  Exploring the Tipping Point of the Illusion of Time Part II

Thursday, October 20th at 7pm eastern

Join Kim as she continues to explore how we can begin to measure the conditioned patterns of the Illusion of Time.  How is it possible to measure Judgment, Attachment and Convenient Distraction?  This r&d call will explore the types of questions we can ask ourselves, and the clients we work with, to begin to find the Tipping Point of this Illusion.

For more information, send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got back from visiting my dad in Pennsylvania over the holiday weekend.  I took the train so that I could work on my book.  An interesting thing happened during my travels yesterday and I thought I would share it with you.

I was sitting in the Philly station waiting for my next train which was due to arrive in 2 hours.  A couple sat down next me, with what appeared to be a complete 8 piece matching floral print luggage set.  The woman was clearly anxious.  She kept figiting, standing up to look at the board displaying train details and then sitting down and making the same statements:

Where do we go to get the train?

I don't see any elevators.  Do they have elevators?

I don't think the luggage will fit on the escalator, do you?

What if we don't have enough time to get on the train?

This went on for about 40 minutes, as I continued to read the latest issue of Fast Company magazine.  Her husband was doing a pretty good job of ignoring her.  I was trying to ignore how she was annoying me.  I wasn't doing as good a job.

Her husband walks off and she now turns to me and starts asking me the same questions.  I smile at her and let her know how boarding the train works (I won't bore you with the details.)  She asks me several times about the luggage.  Will it fit?  Will they have enough time?

At that point, I suggest that she ask one of the Amtrak employees that has been standing about 15 feet away from us for the past hour.  She pauses, looking at me, and then rolls into another long string of the same questions.  When her husband finally came back, she got him to go and talk with the employee.  He arranged for someone to come and cart all there luggage down to the train for them and it was over before you could blink an eye.

Why am I telling you this story?

Because it points out a reoccurring pattern of scarcity.  That woman clearly had the Illusion of Struggle going on.  Her inability to ask for help kept her in a state of constant anxiety for over an hour.

What caused her inability to ask for help?  That's something we'll never know for sure.  Yet it points to an issue around scarcity.  That set of luggage really represented all the baggage this woman may have been carrying.  I couldn't help thinking that she needed permission to go and ask for help.  How interesting that a simple thing like boarding a train could be turned into a huge anxiety filled ordeal.

What could you ask for help with today that would lessen some of your struggle?

Posted by Kim George at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If we continue to pursue hope, then we had best become a producer of it, rather than a consumer of it.

Peter Block

This quotation is taken from Peter Block's amazing book, The Answer To How Is Yes, featured in my Great Books list.  Love the book.  Love this man.  He is one of the most powerful minds of our time.

I'm currently writing the chapter on the Illusion of Hope for my upcoming book, Coaching Into Greatness:  4 Steps to Success in Business and Life.  You can bet that I use this quotation.  In fact, it opens the chapter.

What does it mean to be a "consumer of hope"?  I love that phrase.  To me, it gives us a taste of how hope can be a form of scarcity.  When we look at the Tipping Point of hope, we find that it can actually keep people from doing what they can do.  Hope can keep us waiting, rid us of our power, and keep us doing things that don't benefit us for much longer than we normally might.

What does it mean to be a "producer of hope"?  People who produce hope are creators, activators, change agents -- people doing what they can do.  That last phrase has become my mantra lately.  The Living Into Greatness work at it's core celebrates doing what we can do.  That's what it's all about.  You don't have to look far to see people in the world, in your own community, doing what they can do.  They are "producers of hope".

Are you a "consumer of hope" or are you a "producer of hope"?

Posted by Kim George at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Abundance Intelligence® System:  Exploring the Tipping Point of the Illusion of Time Part II

Thursday, October 13th at 7pm eastern

Join Kim as she continues to explore how we can begin to measure the conditioned patterns of the Illusion of Time.  How is it possible to measure Judgment, Attachment and Convenient Distraction?  This r&d call will explore the types of questions we can ask ourselves, and the clients we work with, to begin to find the Tipping Point of this Illusion.

For more information, send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Abundance Intelligence® System:  Exploring the Tipping Point of the Illusion of Time

Thursday, October 6th, 7pm eastern

Do you struggle with regrets from the past or anxiety about future events?  Join Kim as she explores when our conditioned patterns around the Illusion of Time keep us resisting who we are.  The Tipping Point, the point which keeps us from doing what we can and want to do, is the critical awareness we all require to move from being stuck to Living into our Greatness.  Take this special R&D class to identify your Abundance Quotient in the struggle to manage our minds.

To register, send an email here.

Posted by Kim George at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This week I had the honor of interviewing Julia Butterfly Hill for my upcoming book, "Coaching Into Greatness:  4 Steps to Success in Business and Life", due out in the Spring 2006.

Julia Butterfly Hill

Rolling Stone Magazine has called her "the new face of environmentalism".  The author of two books including "The Legacy of Luna", Julia first made headlines when she conducted a treesit for over 2 years to protest the cutting down of old growth forests.  Her story will be documented in an upcoming major motion picture.

Julia spent nearly an hour talking with me about the Illusion of Not Enough, and her definitions of abundance, scarcity and authenticity.  Amazing.

Stay tuned for excerpts from this interview and many others showcased in the book.

Posted by Kim George at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Man:  "Doc, my brother's crazy.  He thinks he's a chicken."

Psychiatrist:  "Well, why don't you turn him in?"

Man:  "I would, but I need the eggs."

Woody Allen

How often do we feed our illusions because they serve us in some way?

In the first step of the Living Into Greatness process, I talk about Awareness.  To generate Awareness, we identify the fears behind the situation or frustration.  Then we evaluate the corresponding illusion and the related beliefs and assumptions.  The last step in the Awareness process is a two part process regarding these fears and beliefs:

• What evidence do I have that this fear/belief is true?  What is it grounded in?
• How does it serve me to think/behave this way?

These questions are deceptively simple.  Many people might write them off because of that.  And yet, every single time, with the people I have coached, these two questions have shed light on how they are keeping themselves stuck.  Simple, but ground breaking.

What are you feeding that would benefit from a little examination?

Posted by Kim George at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)