Friday late afternoon. Sitting down trying to collect my thoughts and get focus and spirit to complete what I want before the day is over, and music came to my mind and voice. “När en vild röd ros slår ut…” I realize it was a long time ago since I sang.
When a wild red rose blooms, the whole forest is filled with aroma.
Around the whole world, in all various spots, red rose leafs.
I want to let love grow in the wild.
It is a beautiful song in Swedish by Eva Dahlgren, please enjoy.
It made me think of a coming musical with a similar theme – art and love – The Read Rose Girls. Can’t wait to hear about the progress.
Have you ever had a friend realizing a big dream? How did you support? Did you feel joy? Was it almost like you yourself did it? A little bit? Did it make you work on your own dream? Was it maybe part of your dream too?
The first example I think of is when I dove in to promote “Rhapsody in Rock and Robert Wells” in San Diego 2005. Dove in. All extra time that there was. We used all resources and engaged every volunteer that was willing to help. The Scandinavian community is powerful! We executed on almost every idea that we got. And they were not few.
The dream: for my friend Ylva to perform on stage with Robert Wells in one of the major sites in San Diego.
The challenge: 6 weeks to the show, 8 tickets sold, site that takes an audience of 2,000, tickets priced $75, $85 and $95, artist widely known in Sweden and China (see performance at the 1 year count down for the Olympics), artist unknown in the US, no marketing budget.
I am just saying: if you know where you want to head – there are so many ways to reach there. I think we, the team of three, wanted it so badly to happen so we where high on the fumes.
Initially we got engaged to get 100 in the audience. In the end, the show wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have 1,000 tickets sold.
I think you can imagine my smile behind the camera, when I November 13 2005, filmed the movie below. Ylva Elias on the stage with Robert Wells, Rhapsody in Rock musicians, the Vocaletts, Peter Jöback and American Idol winner Ruben Studdard in San Diego Civic Theatre.
Part II :
Now I am excited about my friend Brian Dorsey’s project: a musical being written in this very moment to hopefully reach Broadway. Just another stage. Same same, but different… 😉 The Red Rose Girls – an uncommon story about art and love. Just make a note to self.
Bloom people, bloom! Let us smell the roses!
A year ago I wrote “This Time I Dance” – a blog post about the book with the same name that instantly called my attention as I was in the period of transitioning from my full time job.
The fact that the author shared her process in going from a practicing Harvard lawyer to Writer wasn’t the pull – it was the dance, which I love. And the subtitle – “Creating the work you love”.
I have never seen myself as a writer or author. In fact the OTHER Johanna Nilsson in my business school is the author. However – after one year of blogging I have three ideas to books brewing in my mind. The last one I got during the past weekend as I read Webify Your Business, by Patrick Schwerdtfeger whom I met last week. Yes, that book idea is social media related…
Since a few of my Social Media Marketing clients with my business Herringbone are authors, I have attended a few different authors success webinars. The speaker of the Successful Author Secrets Program Monday was Marci Shimoff, author of the New York Times #1 best seller Chicken Soup for the Woman Soul, and the new book Happy for no reason.
Her key message was: Success comes out of happiness and it is something that you can create yourself.
To stay on track during the process of creating your bestseller book, or what ever your mission is she advised the mantra: Intention, Attention, No tension.
Intention: have a clear and specific intention for what you want to create
Attention: put all your energy and focus on creating that
No tension: let go of the outcome and relax – enjoy the journey
Now- what is your intention with what you want to create? Are you ready to spell it out?
Enjoy the journey. It may be better than you imagined. 😉
I introduced myself to new participants at the Young Scandinavian Club happy hour two weeks ago. “Oh – you are the writer!?” one of them said. “Me? No… I write a blog? Loving Life Blog?” “Yes, exactly, I am following that!” That gave me a kick – still riding on the wave…
I just finished a coaching call that had such a nice flavor. There was a calm peaceful clarity over the whole situation, role of self and the path forward.
One of the relief’s in the process for the client was the knowing of not being alone with the situation, the experience, the thoughts. That was probably the first step in breaking down one barrier after another to break free and get going on the path of creating what he wanted.
Witnessing the sense of freedom coming from the client, sticking hole in the bubble initially surrounding the old “reality” that no longer exist, is to me so beautiful and quite awesome actually. It makes my whole being smile.
After the session was over I came across a very nice and suiting piece from youtube on Facebook pointing out just that: Your great mistake is to act the drama as if you were alone.
This is an invitation to poetry as a life savior by David Whyte. An invitation to pay attention in a greater way. Everything is waiting for you.
Wednesday night and I arrived in New York City. Staying on 50th Street and 8th Avenue, I was looking forward to finally getting my first chance to go for a morning run in Central Park.
Despite jetlag and getting to bed really late, I woke up at 6.30am EST. Was I tired? Yes. Did I think twice? Yes. Would it have been easy to go back to sleep? Yes. Did I still do it? Yes – and that was the best thing I ever could have done starting that day. Such a beautiful sunny morning, so energizing, so many impressions…
How often do you say you will do something without following through? What impact does it have on you? At times when you do what you said you would do – how does that make you feel?
When running I thought of a recent conversation about this with a fellow coach who’s word of wisdom on the topic was:
“Commit Slowly and Complete Fully“. By consistently doing that, you will strengthen your muscle of holding your word and manifesting it as a habit. Your inner power is equivalent to the power of your word. Eventually you will get to a point where your word is your law.
Do I always do everything I said I would? No. And mostly something great comes out of what I end up doing instead. But absolutely – what a kick there is ‘completing fully’. Now – running was easy. It required a little will power, but that’s all. As I am writing this I am pepping myself for something much bigger. Because I do want to keep my word and have the impact that I am envisioning.
In what area would keeping your word have the greatest impact for you? What is it that you find daunting or continually try to avoid? And for what reason? What is the cost of doing that? What do you need to make it happen?
I am just wondering…
Let’s make it happen!
Johanna
Below are some photos from my morning run in Central Park. Enjoy!
Recently I have been introduced to the Enneagram. For those of you who use Meyer-Briggs: this is a personality test and tool that is much more complex and has much more to offer.
I had a very interesting conversation with Roxanne Howe-Murphy last week. She is author of Deep Coaching – Using the Enneagram as a catalyst for profound change, teacher and coach at www.DeepCoaching.com. Right now she is participating in a book competition The Next Top Spiritual Author, for her next Enneagram book “Deep Living”. Please vote here: http://bit.ly/NextTopAuthor I will tell you why.
There is a gift and a danger with personality type tests. You can limit yourself by identifying yourself with the type. Roxanne specializes in working with the Enneagram as a recipe for liberating individuals from the type. With other words, using the Enneagram stimulating real transformation by unhooking individuals from beliefs, behaviours and thoughts that are no longer useful.
I told her a little bit about the Jante Law and limitations existing in the Scandinavian culture. “Oh, it’s interesting – you could actually use the Enneagram on a National level”.
Are you serious? Wouldn’t that be hilarious – “Enneagram – A recipe for Liberation of all Scandinavians from the Jante Law” – would you co-write that book with me? “Yes, sure” she said.
Now – are you curious how that would look like? Unless you vote now for her next Enneagram book “Deep Living” you will never find out…http://bit.ly/NextTopAuthor Do it now, share it with everyone you know, and help her spread the word and knowledge of profound change. Absolutely do it before May 3rd.
It’s a quick action. Thank you for doing it. Enneagram – now I am very curious… This is wikked.
Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy: How to create a movement in three minutes…
Lessons learned:
1. As a leader you need to have the guts to stand alone and look ridiculous.
2. Remember to nurture the first few followers and embrace them as equals.
3. Make everything clearly about the movement, and not about you.
4. Be public, be easy to follow.
5. Leadership is over glorified. It starts with the shirtless guy, and he will get all the credit. But, it is the first follower that transforms a lone nut into a leader.
6. There is no movement without the first follower.
7. We are told that we all need to be leaders, but that is really ineffective.
8. The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others to follow.
9. When you find a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to stand up and join in.
Which dance do you want to dance? Whom’s dance do you want to follow?
It’s happening. All over the world. A global movement to create a better place. Many actors large and small, all with a similar purpose, and yet different approaches depending on their individual gift and need in their community. There is no surprise why the coaching profession is gaining ground, why the numbers of self-employed are increasing and bartering is a common currency to make things happen.
One man on the forefront with a grand dream, vision, mission and purpose is Michael E. Gerber. April 22, 2010 and he launched Origination. Pay attention. Notice. Look around. This is how it is now – remember and compare to a later date.
Origination: Awakening New Entrepreneurs, Growing a New Economy, Creating a New Worldhttp://www.bit.ly/MEGerber
Origination. Listen to the message from Michael E. Gerber himself. “An invitation is being sent to you to engage you in the most meaningful entrepreneurial conversation you have ever had. The world’s economy has been shattered in a way not experienced since the Great Depression. Do you want to join the economic revolution and transform the state of entrepreneurship?” Click here to see and hear the presentation.
And as Michael said:
New Age Entrepreneurs – we are changing the world. Nobody owns this. Anyone personalizing this is doing the biggest mistake in the world.
There is a reason why Michael’s daily radio show is called “Big Voices in Small Business“. Not only because he has a big voice himself. Join the conversation – if you have already been successful in your business implementing the E-myth or if you have the biggest problem to take your business to the next level – you can get on there too.
I know there are many other efforts cooking. It’s all great. Make your voice heard, draw on each other and make it happen.
Johanna
And – are you one of them? Let us know in the comment section and bring us to your site. How can we help you? Spread the word? Buy the product? Need some sort of expert?
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