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I invite you to join me for this special call/webinar (it’s a teleclass, but we’ll interact over the computer too), and to leave the call ready to really make things happen in 2007.

When: Jan 18, 7pm (EST)

Reserve your spot

If you can’t make the call: Register anyway and I’ll send you the recording (definitely audio, maybe even video) so you can participate in your own time.

‘How to be Happy’ Paul Lowe 2006
1 CD, 15 tracks, 78 min. Live-recorded talks by Paul Lowe

I’ve gotten so much from Paul’s seminars, and I want to give you the opportunity to hear him, too.

Happiness is not something that can be attained – through wealth, therapy, or relationships. It’s inside every one of us, all of the time.

Paul states: “You have happiness inside you now. Eternal dancing blissful happiness, inside you now … Inside each person there is a something that is unaffected by anything.”

He suggests: “If you are not happy, the intelligent thing is to make [happiness] your priority. Find that place inside you.”

Paul explains how our conditioning obscures our natural state of joy and contentment, and how acceptance of each moment is the key to true happiness.

This CD guides you to a new understanding.

Cost: 15 Euro or 19 USD or 10 GBP. (plus 2 Euro/ 3 USD/ 1,6 GBP for each shipping)

Order by e-mail to Mia at buy@miamedia.org.

But I jump ahead of myself…

How much did teachers impact your life? I mean both the good ones, AND the bad ones?

* * *
I was back home with my parents for a couple of weeks, and the subject around the dining table turned to teachers.

I remembered a teacher who was really nasty to me in high school; I clearly remember him telling me loudly in front of a bunch of students: “You’ll amount to nothing in this school, Wood. Nothing.”

Thank goodness I didn’t believe him, and went on to top the school in my final year. But it still had an impact. I shared with my Mum (also a teacher) over dinner how sensitive kids are to teachers’ attitudes towards them.

And then I said: “You know – I was a real pain at school. I mucked around in class, rarely listened, and liked to stir teachers and students alike. But my science teacher (we’ll call him Mr. Fourash to protect his privacy) handled us all really well. He always maintained his dignity, and NEVER said one unkind word to the entire class. He was nothing but supportive to us, no matter how much trouble we gave him – even when he was angry.

“That really means a lot to me, even today, and I probably should have told him.”

Well – the trouble with sending your Mum to the Landmark Forum is you can’t say something like that and get away with it. Next thing I know she’s got the phone book out and is running her finger through it…”Fourash…Fourash…I’m sure he lives…here it is.” And she hands me the number and quietly goes back to her lamb chops!

Now come on – I mean this is 20 years after high school; I haven’t spoken a word to the man or laid eyes on him since I left town 20 years ago, and here I am holding his home phone number, with my mother avoiding eye contact and suddenly interested in the gravy jar.

“Oh what the hell” I said…”There’s only one time to make a call like this, and that’s now.”

So I dialed the number, and as luck would have it he answered straight away. I said, “Hello this is David Wood calling for Mr. Fourash”, and I’ll tell you, it was pretty gratifying to hear him say “David Wood? You mean THE David Wood?” God love him.

So I explained that this was all spur of the moment, and I was sitting at dinner discussing him and on impulse called to tell him what a difference he made to me. I explained that I knew I was a difficult student at times, and quite a few of the teachers had felt threatened by that and tried to ‘bring me down a peg’ or reacted unkindly. But that I had always felt his good will towards me and the class, no matter what, and even to this day it made a difference that an authority figure treated me with kindness and respect, ESPECIALLY when I was difficult.

It was wonderful to reconnect and chat briefly with this lovely man after so many years, and to share how we were both doing, and to wish each other well.

He seemed to really appreciate the call, and I can only imagine that if teaching is your life’s work, it’s gotta feel pretty good to hear from someone out of the blue like that and be fully acknowledged for your contribution. Plus, I felt on top of the world when I got off the phone.

* * *

Think right now – who made a difference in your life? Who would you like to thank?

I don’t expect every reader of this article to pick up the phone. But it’s not so hard to call your school and find someone who would be willing to forward a letter for you if they are not willing to give out the teacher’s address. And there’s always the phone book, or you could place a brief acknowledgement in the local paper of your home town (what a great idea!). Guaranteed someone will pass the word.

I tracked down three teachers and got in touch with them (one from when I was 11 years old, and today I’m writing the teacher I had when I was 7!). If you’d like to see an example, I’ve posted it here.

And of course it doesn’t have to be a teacher. It could be a neighbor, a relative, a police officer, a co-worker, a friend. And it can be someone you knew 10-40 years ago, or someone you see every day now 😉

2. Track down their phone number or mailing address or email (or a person willing to forward a note).

3. Call or write within the next 7 days.

3. Post on the blog, PLEASE. I’d love to read your stories. We can create our own little chicken soup helping right here.

I arrived in India for my 5 week ‘guru intensive’, and lasted 4 days. Lack of sleep and exhaustion led to anxiety and panic, and a nasty cycle I couldn’t see my way out of. So I made an emergency exit back to my familiar apartment in New York. (this was the 5th time in 20 years, so not bad averages really 😉

What caused it? Perhaps the four vaccinations I got the day before leaving New York, taking three times the maximum recommended dosage of something else by mistake, dehydration, the prospect of delving into my inner self, being in busy, poor India where this happened once before, the universe knocking on (well, knocking down) my door to get my attention, or all of the above.

Since the decision to leave India things have kept getting better. Clicking into place. Two weeks later I’m feeling my body back in balance, and the constant anxiety/fear is a manageable murmur.

The good that came of this trip/experience (well, did you expect me to just whine?):

– I have deep empathy for people who suffer from anxiety and/or depression (and a desire to help)

– a new sensitivity to feeling what’s happening in my body, and seeing what ‘it’/me wants

– a new awareness of how sensitive/fragile my operating system can be

– my eyes/heart are open for messages; I’m on a quest to discover what else there is to learn from this

– I FELT deeply and clearly the love and support I have around me, and feel blessed/grateful.

– lots of insights about life, enjoyment, being present (and it’s still in process)

– lots of creative energy and some clarity around my future (advance peek: it involves public speaking, publishing books, tv/radio show, and leveraging people to run a bunch of projects just for fun). If you have any experience you would like to share around anxiety and/or depression, or if you could just use some support, I invite you to post on the blog. I’d love to read it.

Other news:
– launched ICE in November/December and it went really well, after SO much work and time, and that feels good.

– Prospects for 2007 are really good! Top Coaching Techniques launch coming up!

– Have two new amazing best friends (Beth and Ezra), and the darling Kristina is adding so much to my life I’m at times over-whelmed (in a good way;-)

Love, David